Title: Take A Stand
Words: 511
Song: Eminem- Not Afraid
No. This couldn't be- it wasn't- he couldn't- this wasn't possible. How was this possible? A genjutsu. A henge. A clone. No, those weren't it.
My hands shook as I tried to think of a reason- any reason- for why he was here. I grasped one- the Nidaime Hokage's resurrection jutsu, perfected by Orochimaru. But it had taken him years to perfect. But there was no other option. Maybe Madara had somehow used it? ( but you know he never even learned it. that's why he had kabuto, remember? )
My mind searched through it's vast store of knowledge - a result of years of a thirst for knowledge - trying to find a reason, any reason, for this not to be true. Because it couldn't be true. ( why not? )
It couldn't, it couldn't, it- (Stop it. It is unbecoming of a kunoichi to panic. Now is not the time to dwell on the consequences. Now, assess the situation, taking into account all the evidence.) Okay, okay.
Minato was here, battling the kyuubi. The chakra signatures of the shinobi I had been close to had felt different, and some of them weren't even there. There was a greater number of shinobi that felt like clan and family members than there were in- in my time. The strange old lady had sent me into the past.
Therefore... ( therefore? ) It would be logical to conclude that I had been sent to the day that the kyuubi had attacked Konoha.
The Yondaime's death day.
Naruto's birthday.
And – my eyes widened at the realization – the day the kyuubi had been sealed into Naruto.
My heart beat against my chest. I couldn't allow that to happen again – no, I couldn't let Naruto be alone again.
I couldn't- I couldn't allow Minato to sacrifice himself like that. For Naruto's sake.
A shout broke through me thoughts.
"RUN!"
It was Minato, fighting the kyuubi, and I saw that he had his back facing me, trying to protect me. ( because that's what Hokage do. )
I moved out of the way, not yet sure of what I could do. The kyuubi built up its chakra in its mouth (I dimly recognized it as the beginnings of a tailed beast bomb) and Minato, seeing that I was out of harm's reach, vanished.
I blinked, and then looked around. Where had he gone? He couldn't have just teleported away or something. You idiot, that's what he's known for! Okay, so maybe he could have.
And then he was back, popping out of nowhere just as the kyuubi fired his tailed beast bomb.
His arms were full, carrying a woman with long red hair and- was that a baby? Naruto! That little thing was Naruto!
The woman moved, chains of pure chakra coming out of her to restrain the kyuubi, and I felt a barrier start to come up.
And at that moment, I finally understood what I had to do.
I moved.
