"NOOO!"
His limp body fell on the ground in a pool of blood. Kushina's scream echoed all around the forest, while the girl smiled and leaned over his body. Minato's fingers soon stopped scratching the ground convulsively and he froze, motionless.
Kushina stood in shock, unable to move. It wasn't happening. It just couldn't be.
The girl's smile widened as she turned now towards her. She raised her hands, preparing to cast another spell. Just then, something happened behind her back.
A loud "puff" distracted the demon, and when she turned around to the source of the commotion, she saw only a cloud of white smoke. Minato's body was gone.
"Kage Bunshin." Kushina heard the girl hiss, outraged "Another one of your silly ninja tricks."
Then, suddenly, a shadow emerged from behind a tree and there was a glimmer of chakra, being channelled into a technique, before the demon fell on the ground, unconscious.
It all happened too fast to give Kushina time to regain her composure and move at last from the spot she was standing. She ran to the girl on the ground, checking if she was really trapped by Minato's technique. Then she stood up.
Minato grinned wide in her face. She smacked him hard over the head.
"YOU!" she shouted on the top of her voice. "You made me think you were dead!"
"I'm sorry—" he started, but was cut off when she punched him in the face, sending him flying in the air. When he hit the ground, he curled in two, clenching his stomach and struggling for breath.
"Do you have any idea how I would feel? Have you got any idea of how dangerous your little game was?" she continued.
"I... said... I'm... sorry..." he managed after a few minutes.
"That doesn't change anything!" She now stood over him, angry flames burning in her eyes. "You... Argh!" she screamed in her rage, unable to think of more words.
"Okay, okay..." he paused, coughing some blood. That apparently made her stop punching every inch of him. "Please, I'm sorry!"
Her rage passed away, as if someone had pulled a veil back, and now tears appeared in her eyes.. She started sobbing, wrapping him tightly in a bear hug that once again pulled all the air out of him, breaking several ribs.
"I said... I'm sorry... already!"
She laughed through her tears and let him go. He made an attempt to stand up, but as he couldn't, she had to lift him up.
"I thought you were dead!" she whispered. He tried to protect his face from the next punch, but as none followed, he cautiously lowered his hands and looked her in the eye. Once again, she threw herself towards Minato, hugging him again. After a pause, during which he hesitated if it would be safe to answer her hug, he did so too.
"Never, ever do that again." her voice was muffled by his jacket. "Promise me."
"I promise I'll notify you next time."
She shuddered. "I don't want to see you die ever again."
They broke apart. Minato coughed.
"I think we should check on
the demon-girl now." he suggested. "We should make sure she
doesn't escape again."
She nodded. "Okay."
Half an hour later, after they had already tied their enemy with chakra and physical ropes as well, they started searching for Naruto. The forest was large and there were too many hiding places where the demon-girl could have hidden him, so they went separate ways. Each one had to scout their part of the forest, and then return to the meeting point after two hours.
A hill was rising before Minato. He had reached the deepest parts, where the trees were large and high, and the spaces between them were taken by thick bushes, that made his way on the ground really hard. He had to cut through the bristly branches with his kunai, and there were already several smaller cuts on his arms and legs, a result of some resilient bushes. Of course, he could jump from tree to tree, thus making the search a lot easier, but he might miss an eventual hiding spot, for he was confident the demon had made sure Naruto's location was not seen from above.
If only I had my inner vision... he thought once more, while he was fighting with the next bush. Where are You, when we most need You?
But no one answered his question. Only the wind blew swiftly in the leaves, creating the illusion that the trees were whispering to each other.
Wait—What is that?
He had spotted a small and dark entrance, that lead into a cave. He hastily brushed away the plants that were covering it, and looked inside.
There was the silhouette of the black-haired boy lying on the stony floor, tied by the same ropes that the girl had used to capture them. Minato quickly picked up Naruto, who was unconscious, and there were bruises and burnt marks all over his body.
He had to perform the Rope Untying Jutsu several times, before the invisible ropes loosened their grip on the boy, and the arms fell free on both of his sides. He noticed that Naruto's face was extraordinarily pale, and the three whisker marks on his left cheek were even more visible, contrasting on the white skin.
Not good... What has she done to him?
He exited the cave, looking around. There was no one. He quickly jumped up, landed on a tree branch, and hastened to the meeting spot.
As soon as he arrived there he put Naruto down, and waited for Kushina. She came up a few minutes later, panting heavily.
"I found him." he said to her.
"What's wrong with him?" Kushina asked, upon seeing the unconscious boy.
"I don't know. You're the medical ninja here."
With a concentrated expression on her face, she leaned over Naruto. Her hands started glowing with blue chakra as she examined his body closely. The bruises and cuts were healed in an instant, but still Naruto didn't move.
"What?" he asked, eager for news of the boy's condition.
She bit her lower lip, while she finished healing him.
"He's got several internal injuries. I managed to heal most of them, and left him deal with the less serious ones."
"Why doesn't he wake up then?" he inquired again, with an anxious tone.
"He needs time. He'll be fine soon enough." she smiled to comfort him. "Recovering doesn't happen in an instant."
He sighed. "If we only had our inner vision again..."
She didn't answer him. Instead, she sat down and took Naruto's hand in her own.
"I thought about that too." she said after a while. He waited her to continue, but when she didn't, he sat down too.
"Yes?"
She forced a smile. "We'll manage without it." But he sensed that hadn't been what she originally intended to say.
"How?"
"The way we lived before. Normally. Without demons, Gods and stuff."
"What about the mission he send us on?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "We can't manage without Them. We'll just return to Konoha. Plus, we defeated a demon already, and a very powerful one." She pointed at the tied girl, who was still unconscious.
They fell silent once more.
"I already forgot how to live normally." he added after a while.
"So quickly?" she asked jokingly.
"Things like that are forgotten easily." he smiled too. "But I guess I'll manage somehow."
Naruto stirred. They both looked down at him, expecting him to wake up, but he didn't. However, his face had almost regained its colour.
"So it's back to Konoha again?"
"Yes." she answered. "Back to our normal life."
"With the war still going on."
She laughed. "That isn't such a big problem."
"I have to fulfil my duty as a Hokage. I have to lead the armies in battle. I will be separated from my home once more. And from you." He leaned to kiss her on the cheek.
"I don't want this either." she shuddered. "But we have to, if we want to be safe once more."
"I know."
Naruto stirred once more and slowly opened his eyes.
"Mum?"
"Yes, dear. It's us." Kushina smiled warmly.
"Are you okay?" Minato asked.
"Yeah,...at least I think so."
"Okay."
"Shall we head home then?" Kushina said.
"Yes." Minato nodded.
"But what should we do with her?"
"Imprison her. We can't do anything else."
"We might kill her." Kushina added, with malice.
"That is up to the Konoha Court to decide, not us. But I'm sure they will think the same." he said.
"Lets go home then."
"We are moving closer to the end." the White God said.
"Soon, it'll all be done." The Son added.
The Five of them turned to a sixth, also white Figure. It was taller than them, and no distinct features could be seen, for He all was Light.
"You have my blessing." He simply said.
With every step of the road, Minato was nearing his home. Nothing could spoil his good mood now.
To home. To Peace.
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So, I am indeed moving closer to the end. There will be three or four more chapters maximum, and it will be done. I've already planned the final chapters, and I can't wait to write them!