A/N: Holy shit, waddup!? So sorry for taking so long to update, but fucking holidays man. Plus, I wanted to update my other story as well since it had been a long time since I did. But anyway, we're back.

The other reason for why it took me so long for this one to get done is because it was actually hard for me to write this one, I had to draw inspiration from past and recent experiences and well, wasn't easy. But I wanted to convey Naruto's emotions as best as I could, and despite it all, I'm quite happy with the result, I did shed some tears after all.

As I expressed on he past chapter, this is the one where you'll see what you fellas voted for, though I think must of you already knew what the people want, I still hope you find it enjoyable and fitting.

Without further ado, let's get to it!

"Naruto"- normal talk.

'Naruto' - thought.

"Naruto" - mental talk.

"Naruto" - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity mental talk.

'Naruto' - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity thought.

"Naruto" - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity speaking.

-BITTER-

Stand By Me

Naruto inhaled deeply as he looked at Yūgao's sleeping form. The two were currently in a tent, resting the day's exhaustion. Tsunade and Shizune were occupying the other tent some metres away from theirs while Jiraiya once again was placed under watch duty, a punishment placed on him by Tsunade for trying to peep on her, again.

The silver-haired Uzumaki could feel how his stomach twisted nervously, knowing that in a couple of minutes, he might earn the ire of her newest mate. He knew he could keep it hidden from her, and her parents, but just like Minato and Kushina, Yūgao deserved to know the truth of why he brought them back. He did felt ashamed for toying with their lives just for the sake of angering the God of Death, but when to face his mate and her parents' rage and facing disobeying the Absolute God of End was pitted against each other, Naruto had no trouble choosing the former in a heartbeat.

So the Namikaze steeled his resolve, sighing deeply again before he stood up and walked towards the sleeping bag where Yūgao was in, shaking her slightly as he whispered, "Yū, wake up, luv." He kissed her head gently.

Yūgao rubbed her eyes as she slowly woke up, turning to look at her, 'B-Boyfriend?… I g-guess…' She thought, sitting up on her sleeping bag before she said after a cute yawn, "N-Naru? What is it?" She tilted her head, her eyes still sleepy.

Naruto snorted while he caressed her cheek, the woman leaning on his touch as he whispered, "Sorry for waking ya up, luv, but…" He sighed, releasing his touch while he leaned back, sitting right before the purple-haired ANBU to say, "There is a… c-confession I have to make."

Yūgao lost all of her sleepiness after those words, worry surrounding her heart as many painful scenarios flooded her head, whispering a question while she fidgeted nervously, "W-What do you mean?"

Naruto saw the woman's worry but he couldn't really reassure her of anything, he didn't know how she was going to react so decided to just be honest, "Is about your parents…" The woman widened her eyes, the male continuing, "I lied about not knowing how or why I brought them back." He kept his eyes locked to hers, wanting the beauty to see right through him at the moment.

Yūgao did calmed down a little after his words, now realising that it had nothing to do with their new relationship. But also knowing that it had to do with her beloved parents, the ANBU Captain shook her head and asked, "T-Then why did you do it?" She did not understand why he would keep it hidden. Despite feeling slightly angry right now at him, she knew her beloved well and she was sure that he had a very good reason, so she was trusting him right now, he was coming forward on his own after all.

Naruto sighed, replying, "Back when I was fighting them in the Arena…" He shifted a little on his place, "I knew that the only way to free a soul trapped by the Impure Reincarnation was by being released by the user itself or by them accepting that they no longer had any duty left in this world…" He then rested his chin on his fist, continuing, "Since I knew that Orochi-bubu was not going to release them fools and that both Minato and Kushina had not accepted their deaths, I had thought that there was no other choice but to trust Pervy Sage on it, he is the continent's greatest seal master."

"Ah huh." Yūgao hummed, placing a hand on his knee to reassure him that she was not going to judge him unfairly.

Naruto's reluctance disappeared when he felt his woman's comfort, happy to see that she trusted him even with this. He sighed then, continuing after, "Anyway, that's when Ddraig called for me, when I was surrounded by my cloak?…" The woman nodded at him, telling him that she remembered that moment, "Well I was speaking with him at that moment, he was the one that ordered me to bring them back."

Yūgao felt really confused by that, stating as much when she inquired, "Why? Does h-he wants my parents for something?" Her worry and fear was palpable, she trusted her man fully, but the dragon god was another thing. All she knew about the mighty beast was that he was a god of immense power, she could not really understand what such mighty being would want from her parents, it worried her.

Naruto caught the worry and immediately defused it when he said, "No Yū, it's not really about Minato or Kushina, it was about their owner…" He could see that the woman now felt confused, so he elaborated, "You see, apparently, when ya use the technique Minato and Kushina used to seal Ddraig in me, the God of Death is summoned and you must strike a deal with him, simply put, your soul for sealing someone else's."

The woman nodded at that, saying, "Yeah I a-already know that, I did my research after they died…" Naruto nodded, prompting her to add a question, "But you're telling me that their souls belong to the God of Death?"

Naruto nodded, speaking again, "Yes, they remain as his for eternity…" He breathed in, scratching his head before he continued, "The point is, that Ddraig wanted me to anger Hades, he supposedly stole something from Ddraig and mah scaly partner wants it back."

Yūgao widened her eyes, understanding now hitting her as she deduced with a mutter, "S-So he told you to bring them back… to r-rile him up?"

Naruto nodded, a small frown of regret on his face as he muttered lowly, "Yup, pretty much."

The woman took some moments to speak again, "And the c-coma?"

Naruto sighed, "They ARE in a coma, but not in danger…" He looked at the shocked woman to continue, "Ddraig placed them under a coma so that the bodies that were used as sacrifices could accommodate to their new owners. The process could've happened with them awake, but according to Ddraig, it would've been an excruciating experience, so he decided to keep them under a coma…" He inhaled again, finishing, "We also keep them that way so that I could ask them what they wanted to do, Ddraig has no purpose for them, so they are free to either come back or go back to the dead, I at least wanted to give them a choice."

Yūgao took it all in, slowly lowering her face as she processed everything confessed to her, "Why d-did you lied to me? To us?…" She asked, not looking at him at the moment.

Naruto sighed, massaging his chin before he answered, "For the very same reason to why I cannot tell you how I brought them back…" The purplette looked back at him as he kept speaking, "There are things that mortals cannot know, this was one of them."

Yūgao then widened her eyes, realisation now clear as she muttered, "S-So now that I am officially your mate… y-you can tell me."

Naruto nodded with a small smile, saying, "Correct, your mind is now capable of safely taking in divine knowledge, not to my extent, but you won't go crazy by it, which is what happens when a regular fool discovers anything related to divinity."

Yūgao nodded but added another question, "But why can't you tell me how you did it?"

"Because I am strictly forbidden to it by Ddraig, and I am sorry my love, but I do not want to anger him." He chuckled nervously as he pictured the predatory smirk of the divine being in question inside his body.

Yūgao nodded at that with a gulp, not wanting to push her new boyfriend into a situation where he might anger the imposing dragon. Shaking her head slightly, she then said, "S-So what now?" She crawled towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso while her head sunk on his trained chest, the male slowly falling back on the sleeping back.

Naruto caressed the woman's hair lovingly, replying after, "Well, now we wait to see what Minato and Kushina want, it is their choice after all…" Yūgao nodded slightly on his chest before he added, "Tsunade still has to check them over and make sure that their chakra has adjusted to their new bodies well, they might wake up, but the risk of them becoming incapable of wielding chakra is still there."

The purplette shivered a little after that, fear filling her heart before it suddenly disappeared when Naruto tightened his grip on her, sensing her fear and need of reassurance.

Yūgao looked up at him and gave him a small loving kiss, going back to her place on his chest as she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her once again, trusting that her love knew what he was doing and that at the end, whatever happens, she will be able to deal with it with the help of her new family.

"Naruto!" A beautiful red-headed female screamed as she woke up with a freaked out jump, sweat covering her forehead as she slowly regained her bearings, turning around frantically to try and see where she was at.

"Kushina!" The voice of her beloved husband suddenly won the Uzumaki Princess' attention to her side, where the famed and powerful Fourth Hokage ran to her side and kneeled beside her, grabbing her head while he locked his lips on hers.

Kushina returned the kiss, gripping her lover's coat as she slowly remembered what happened, saying once they broke the lip-lock, "M-Minato… N-Naruto… he…"

Minato cut her off, saying, "Yes, I know, darling…" He cleaned the sweat from her forehead, smiling a little as he said, "But as you can see, we are no longer with him."

Kushina once again surveyed their surroundings, surprised to see that they were in a strange place with clouds below them, a transparent glass-like floor keeping them from falling down. The woman then looked up and was even more confused when she saw that there were only clouds, nothing more.

"W-Where are we?" She questioned as she tightened her hold on the blond male.

The Namikaze sighed, caressing his wife's back when he replied, "I don't know…" He then looked at her, adding, "I've been awake for a while now, I woke up right next to you and got freaked out when you didn't woke up, but you had a pulse an all, it was as if you were in a coma."

Kushina looked at her lover for some moments, widening her eyes as she whispered, "I r-remember… f-fighting my baby girl…" She widened her eyes again as she added, "A-And Naruto!…" She looked around, asking frantically, "W-Where are my babies!?"

Minato just sighed while he embraced his distraught woman, saying with a whisper, "They're not here, Kushina…" He caressed her head as she started sobbing, sinking in his arms while he continued, "Whatever he did, kept us in this place."

Kushina looked up at him, questioning, "W-Whatever he… did?…" She felt confused and scared.

Minato nodded, explaining, "I don't know if you can remember, but when he hit me with his rasengan…" A small proud smile formed on his lips, "I was sent to the ground and before I could get up again, I felt him transferring something into me…" He looked at the distance, finishing, "I'd thought that he was infusing his chakra in me, but it felt different, more powerful."

Kushina looked at her husband for some moments before a wave of remembrance hit her, saying with slightly wide eyes, "I remember! I felt that too!…" She then looked down, whispering, "Do you th-think he…" She sniffled before she finished, suddenly getting small into Minato's arms, "Do you think h-he was punishing us?"

Minato raised an eyebrow at the question, not understanding why would the female think that, "What?" He asked confused.

Kushina looked at him, tears falling freely from her eyes as she said desperately, "He hates us, Minato! You heard him!…" She crashed her face on his chest, muttering, "Why d-didn't we run?…"

Minato just rested his chin atop of the woman's head, feeling as guilty, maybe even more, as his wife. He knew what she was talking about.

Back when the Twelve Winged Dragon appeared, Tsunade had proposed to them to run away, to leave the Leaf behind and find another life. The plan was for Tsunade, Shizune, Kushina, Minato, Yūgao and the newly born Naruto to disappear during the night of the second day of the attack. It was a highly enticing plan for the Namikaze family but none of them could refute their duty, Minato as a Hokage and Kushina as his right-hand-woman had a duty to fulfil.

It was surprisingly Kushina the one that declined the offer, arguing that when she had stepped aside on the race for Hokageship to allow her beloved to win the spot, she had made him promise to do everything in his power to protect their home, a promise she would carry on her shoulders as well.

Minato agreed to it, much to Tsunade's disapproval, but even so he pointed out that they will more than likely perish, to which she smiled sadly with some tears and replied that she knew that well, but that she believed that Yūgao will take care of their son.

Minato just sighed once he finished remembering that fateful day, it was three hours after that talk that they died, "He doesn't hates us…" He whispered, the woman looking at him with her eyes puffy, "He respects us and understands what we had to do." He cleaned her tears with his fingers gently.

Kushina sniffled, arguing, "B-But he said that K-Kakashi… that woman H-Hanare…"

Minato cut her off, saying after a sad sigh, "Kushina, we can't blame him for not seeing us as his parents, as much as it hurts to admit, we are not his parents…" The woman winced as more tears started falling, "We cannot change that, we made a choice that day and we must live with the consequences…" He pulled her even closer to him, adding a whisper, "We can only be grateful to Kakashi that he took care of our boy."

Kushina just nodded a little, sadness filling her heart since she knew that her husband was right, there was nothing they could do now, they had made their choice. She then looked up at him again, asking, "W-What do we do?" She was referring to their current strange situation.

Minato looked at her for some seconds before he brought his gaze to their surroundings, sighing before he replied, "I don't know, Kushina…" He rested his chin again on her head, the woman shivering in fear and uncertainty as he tried to give her as much comfort as he could, "I don't know."

"Talking 'bout warm welcomes." Naruto muttered as he walked beside Yūgao. The woman nodded while she looked around her.

They had just arrived to the Leaf and were shocked to find almost a parade prepared for the return of Tsunade Senju. The woman in question with a small smile saluting the people, clearly not too happy about the commotion.

Naruto and Yūgao were walking behind the two Sannin and Shizune, Naruto spotting his mates among the crowd and smiling slightly at them with a nod. The females sending knowing looks to Yūgao who only looked down shyly with a small blush.

The group took some moments to arrive to the Hokage Tower, but once they did, Naruto said relieved, "Finally!"

Tsunade just snickered, agreeing, "Finally indeed."

Jiraiya then led them towards his sensei's office, saying cheerfully, "Come on! Let's go and report back to the Old Man."

After some moments, the group entered the Hokage's office, the man already waiting for them with a smile on his wrinkled face as he greeted them all, "I knew you could pull it off…" He focused on his female student, saying grandfatherly, "It's good to see you again, Tsunade."

Tsunade smiled at her sensei, she greatly treasured the man, "It is good to see you too, sensei."

"Now let's t…" Hiruzen was saying before he was interrupted by his adoptive grandson.

"Old Man…" Naruto's voice was low and cold, catching everyone off guard due to his unexpected demeanour, "Sasuke." He added, his voice and eyes now full with worry.

Hiruzen sighed, muttering, "I guess that Itachi told you then…" Naruto just nodded, Tsunade and Shizune raising their eyebrows as they didn't understand what was going on, "Sasuke's mind was injured badly by Itachi's Tsukuyomi, but he will live, though he hasn't wake up…" Naruto widened his eyes when the old leader added, "But you can go and see him, he's in the same room as your father."

"D-Dad?" Naruto questioned, uncertain.

Hiruzen cursed under his breath when he realised that Itachi had only told Naruto about Sasuke, seeing as everyone was confused about mentioning Kakashi. The old Sarutobi just sighed and explained, "Yes my boy, Kakashi was also a victim of Itachi's genjutsu, but since he is more experienced than Sasuke, Kakashi managed to recover faster, he's already awake but he's still in the hospital, your mother's there with him too."

Before the old man could say anything else, Naruto sprinted out of the room, leaping through the roofs as he left a trail of dust on his wake. Hiruzen just sighed tiredly while he massaged his temples.

Yūgao observed as her new mate ran towards the hospital, she wanted to go with him but she remembered that he told her to keep their relationship hidden, they couldn't risk rumours spreading. Though she did had a little bit more of room to be mushy with him, since the village already knew about their closeness with each other, they just had to keep the romantic stuff to themselves.

Instead, the ANBU Captain focused on Tsunade when she asked, "Itachi?"

Hiruzen sighed, replying, "He infiltrated the village some days ago with Kisame Hoshigaki…" He narrowed his eyes then, adding, "Both wearing Akatsuki cloaks."

Both Tsunade and Shizune widened their eyes, already knowing about the powerful group and what they desired, "They came here for Naruto." Tsunade whispered.

"Yes…" Jiraiya started with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed at the distance, "They even intercepted us in Otafuku Gai…" The two females looked at him in surprise, "Yūgao and Naruto had to fight them off."

Tsunade shook her head later, narrowing her eyes as she whispered a question in between gritted teeth, her anger showing, "And where were you, Mr Toad Sage?"

Jiraiya gulped while he leaned back, frightened by the ominous aura his old teammate was releasing, "I-I… I w-was… b-busy…" That turned out to be the wrong thing to say as the woman suddenly punched him straight on the face, sending him crashing painfully against the wall.

"Useless pervert…" Tsunade replied before she huffed, crossing her arms below her bust when she added, "Only because Naruto is alive, I will spare you."

Hiruzen just chuckled as he observed his students fighting like they used to do back when they were kids, it brought a lot of happy memories to the old timer's mind. The Hokage then sighed before he said, "Well then Tsunade, I trust that you already know why I asked for you?"

Tsunade inhaled before she replied, a small confident smile on her face as she spoke lovingly, "Kushina…" Her sensei smiled a little back at her, but she then added with an annoyed huff, "Though for the parade that greeted me when I walked through the gates, I can tell that you want me to take the hat from you…" Shizune gasped loudly at that, greatly surprised as her mentor added with a small smirk, "What is it, Old Man? No longer able to move without hurting your rusty bones?"

Hiruzen just chuckled, replying, "None of that, child…" He inhaled then, looking at his village for a second before he looked back at the woman, saying simply, "It's just time."

Tsunade was actually taken aback by how tired her sensei looked, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes as clear as day. Heck, she couldn't blame him, the man has been Hokage for over three decades now, that was a lot by regular standards.

She figured out that Kushina was not the only reason they wanted her back in the Leaf the moment she walked into the village and saw the people cheering for her, managing to listen some whispers about the arrival of the new Hokage. It did pissed her off slightly once she realised that but she soon calmed down, it made sense really as Hiruzen was already too old and will more than likely wish to spend his remaining days in retirement. Since she and Jiraiya were the only two viable options to succeed him, she could deduce that her white-haired teammate had refused the job, leaving her as the only candidate left.

While her opinions on the post were not too kind, she could no longer behave like a petulant child screaming how stupid it was to be a Hokage, she only used to say those things because both her brother and lover died with that dream. But her time with Naruto has definitely changed her for the better, she talked to him about it, questioning what his dream was. He only replied that he wanted to create a world where those he cared for could live happily, stating that if he had to take the hat from the Old Man to do so, he would do it with a smile on his face.

Still, while slowly her thoughts on Hokageship changed, it was a major decision, so she said after I sigh, "Well, I honestly don't have an answer for you…" She could see the surprise on everyone's faces, probably waiting for her to decline immediately, "I know I don't hold a particularly good opinion of your post, but… lately… things have changed." She smiled a little at that.

Hiruzen just smiled slightly, knowing what she was talking about, 'I knew you'd do it, my boy…' He thought of his grandson figure, pride over him running fervently through the old timer's veins. Hiruzen just nodded, saying, "Don't pressure yourself, I can still hold the seat for some days, think about it and let me know…" The woman nodded with a grateful smile, "Now, I know you're eager to see Kushina again…" Tsunade immediately sparkled at that, prompting the Sarutobi to add, "Why don't you take them to your parents, Yūgao? Explain her the situation and see what you can do, Tsunade…" Yūgao nodded rapidly, already eager to get back to her parents' side, "We shall talk later." The old timer dismissed the three women.

The three women nodded at that and left the room with haste, making their way towards the Namikaze estate where Minato and Kushina awaited to be awaken.

Sarutobi waited until he no longer felt their presence, muttering after, "Leave us…" His ANBU appeared before him kneeling before they disappeared, leaving Hiruzen and Jiraiya all alone, "Alright now Jiraiya, tell me about Naruto."

Jiraiya just sighed and nodded, starting to explain everything that happened during their trip and all of his suspicions about Naruto. His godson was of course under no scrutiny, but it was impossible to not raise questions after all that he's done, it was too abnormal. The only thing that both Hiruzen and Jiraiya hoped, was that whatever was happening to him, will not turn him into something they one day may call an enemy.

Naruto raced through the roofs, not caring for anything else than to get to the Hospital as soon as he could.

The son of the Fourth Hokage burst through the Hospital doors, frantically looking around to try and find a nurse that could tell him where his father and brother were. He was however, caught by a woman, the female suddenly crushing him under a hug as she said, "Oh h-honey, I was so worried about you…" Hanare began, hugging the boy even tighter, as if to reassure herself that he was not going anywhere, "W-When I heard that the U-Uchiha boy went after you… I w-was ab…"

Naruto embraced his adoptive mother, kissing her forehead before he soothed, "It's aight, Ma…" He thought of perhaps lying to the distressed woman, avoiding telling her that he met his elder brother during his mission, if just to try and lower his mother's stress. But she was a ninja too, a spy at that, meaning that she could read him like a children's book, so he said, "I did encountered Itachi…" She stiffened, "But Pervy Sage got there before anything serious happened to me and Yūgao."

"Thank God." The woman whispered relieved, burying her head on her surrogate son's shoulder.

Naruto allowed his mother to calm down a little, asking once she did, "Ma…" The woman looked at him, prompting him to add, "The Old Man told me about Dad and Teme."

Hanare released the embrace with him and sighed, starting to walk towards the stairs with her son in tow, explaining, "Apparently, your father and Sasuke faced off against Itachi Uchiha…" She shivered a little, she did not knew the Uchiha prodigy but the boy was a legend in the continent, not a good one though, "He placed them under a powerful genjutsu…" She then looked back at the worried boy and grabbed his hand, squeezing it while adding with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry honey, your father is already awake, he's just here to rest… as for Sasuke, he's fine, only greatly exhausted."

Naruto sighed as they walked into a room, following his mother as he focused on the two beds inside the quarters, his father already awake reading a book, though not one of the perverted ones since Hanare forbade him to do it in public again. While his brother slept peacefully on the bed next to the door, Sakura too reading a book as she sat by the Uchiha's side on a chair, taking some moments to realise that her other teammate was here.

Sakura turned to her side and watched her silver-haired teammate, immediately dropping her book in order to stand up and embrace the goofy rapper, whispering, "Oh N-Naruto… I'm so g-glad you're okay…"

Naruto just snickered, caressing the back of her head as he whispered, "How many times do I have to tell ya that amma killer, baby?"

Sakura just chuckled, releasing the embrace as she hit the male's chest playfully, relief of having her teammates back with her clear in her emerald-coloured eyes.

Kakashi then spoke, his signature eye-smile adorning his masked face as he said, "I'm glad you're fine, son…" He then looked towards his lover who went to his side, adding later, "And for the commotion we heard outside, I take it your mission was successful."

Naruto just nodded, saying, "Yup! Wasn't easy, but the Princess was eventually convinced." He looked at his father for a second more, silently signalling him that the mission was way messier, but he did not wanted to worry his mother or Sakura more.

Kakashi understood the hidden message, nodding at his son before he asked, "Did Lord Hokage told you what happened to us?"

Naruto watched as Sakura went back to her chair, Naruto walking towards his brother and after he cleared some strands of his black hair from his face, the Namikaze replied, "Itachi came here looking for me, you got him, but he kicked yo assess…" He looked back at his father, a playful smirk on his face when he added, "You're getting old, Pa."

Kakashi just chuckled, his lover patting his back with a small giggle. The Hatake then focused back on his son, asking with a serious tone, "Did you fought him?"

Naruto's face immediately fell after that, muttering, "Tried, I can't believe that even after all the training I've done…" He clenched his fist on Sasuke's blanket, "I couldn't even see him move."

Sakura placed a comforting hand over his fist, a reassuring smile on her face that did served to make him feel better. She didn't really know much about Itachi, only the things she's heard from Naruto and Sasuke. She's heard a lot from the village too but she paid their words no mind, Naruto and Sasuke were the ones who knew him best, and even so the pair have admitted that maybe, they really never knew him. All she knew for sure was that Itachi was Naruto's older brother figure, Sasuke even saying that to the Uzumaki, Itachi was the one he loved the most. She could tell by simply looking at the silverette that just like Sasuke, encountering the rogue Uchiha has left ripples in their hearts that will take a while to cease.

Hanare just smiled a little as she saw her son calming down, despite all the love she had for him, the Itachi subject was something that she had no idea how to help him with, it frustrated her because she loved being his mother, and she felt it as her responsibility to make him feel better. But at the moment, she was just glad that the boy wasn't injured, she will figure out how to help him more in time.

Kakashi just sighed, not saying anything else, the Hokage had already informed him that according to Jiraiya, Itachi said something to Naruto, something that apparently shook his son's very core. Kakashi knew Naruto well and he could tell that indeed, there was something different, a little colder and reserved, even his rapping seemed to be lowering, he really didn't know how to feel about that.

Hanare noticing the gloomy aura of the room, decided to break it when she walked towards the Uzumaki, a dangerous smile on her face that made Naruto gulp and sweat as he was already familiarised with that smile, "Well, forgetting everything else for now, I went to check on your apartment…" Naruto widened his eyes, the woman adding as she grabbed him by the ear, "A pig-hole will be a better description."

Naruto whined as he was being dragged by the ear by the woman, "Aw! H-Hey, Ma! That hurts!…" He then added, "Where ya taking me!?"

The woman just bumped him on the head slightly, replying, "To clean your apartment!…" She then looked at her lover and Sakura and said with a warm smile, "We will come back soon." She then left the room with her son.

Kakashi and Sakura just chuckled when they heard the young man whispering 'crazy woman', earning and even harsher bump on his sore head since the woman heard him, dragging him out of the place.

The silver-haired jōnin then just sighed wistfully, wishing that life could be as simple as this, spending it with his family without worrying about power-maniacs and organisations hunting his son. But since that was just not reality, the Hatake hardened his eyes, knowing that the only way to survive the coming days, was by getting stronger.

Tsunade inhaled deeply as she stood before the door to Kushina's room, jitters filling her body since she was about to see the girl she honestly didn't know whether she considered her a daughter or a little sister. Whichever it was though, the fact that she loved the red-headed woman was a given.

"You ready?" Yūgao asked the blonde sannin while she held the knob, turning it once she saw the busty female nodding at her.

Tsunade walked in right behind the purplette, bringing a hand to her mouth as she gasped when she observed the beautiful tomboyish woman lying on bed, seemingly on a peaceful sleep alongside her handsome husband who looked as peaceful as her.

"T-They haven't a-aged…" Shizune muttered while she observed the two, Tonton safely grasped in her embrace as she realised that the Namikaze couple looked exactly as she last saw them.

Yūgao nodded, observing when Tsunade walked weakly towards Kushina and started caressing the woman's cheek lovingly, "Lord Hokage said that once you die, your soul remains the same age you did before you perished for eternity…" She smiled a little as she thought of her boyfriend, "Naru told me that he really didn't brought them back to life per se."

Both Tsunade and Shizune looked at the ANBU quizzically, with the Slug Sannin inquiring, "What do you mean?"

Yūgao sighed before she made her way towards her adoptive father, caressing his blond locks while she responded, "For what he explained to me, he really doesn't know if he's capable of actually calling a soul from the dead…" She focused on the two females to add, "He said that he was only sure that he was capable of KEEPING them here."

Tsunade nodded slightly, looking at Kushina as she concluded, "It was Orochimaru the one that called their souls."

Yūgao nodded, "Yes, Naruto only kept them here…" It was all a lie of course, but she couldn't be truthful to Tsunade and Shizune, not unless they become his lovers as well, something she didn't know will happen or not as Naruto hasn't said anything about it. Deciding to remain safe, she finished, "Whether he can actually bring someone of his choosing back, nobody knows."

Shizune just nodded alongside Tsunade, though the blonde woman unnoticedly narrowed her eyes in thought. She remembered her chat with the silverette and she was a hundred percent sure that he told her that he could bring whoever he wanted back from the dead, he only refrained from doing so as to avoid the consequences, 'Meaning that he's either lying to me…' She though before she looked at the purplette and added, 'Or them…' Despite the sudden suspicion that rouse in her gut, she did not scrutinised the boy, he was still young and had too much power, it was impossible not to be confused and scared once in a while when you realise the extent of your own capabilities.

Tsunade just shook her head and coated her hands with green chakra, hovering them over Kushina's body before doing the same to Minato's, sighing after she was done before she said to their daughter, "It appears that Naruto's assessment was correct…" Her gaze focused on the two sleeping forms as she added, "Their chakra is still transforming their bodies…" She then inhaled before she eyed the purplette, knowing that not everything was okay, "But Minato is the one having the most problems adjusting."

Yūgao knew that she had nothing to worry about, as Naruto had already reassured her that if they wanted to, they will wake up. But she still had to play the fool so she developed a worried look when she inquired, "W-What do you mean?" Though her worry was not entirely fake, as she now remembered that Naruto did warned her that they may not be able to wield chakra if they are not cared for well.

Tsunade sighed before she answered, "It's strange that Kushina is the one adapting better out of the two, I would have guessed that due to her immense chakra reserves, the body that was used on her would have more trouble adjusting…" She focused on the Fourth Hokage then to add, "But simply put, I think that is because Minato is more powerful than Kushina."

Even Shizune felt confused, tilting her head alongside Yūgao who inquired, subconsciously tightening her grip on her father's shirt, "I d-don't understand."

"Well, to put it simply, Minato is one of the most powerful shinobi the world has ever seen, I think that nobody would deny that had he survived the Twelve-Wings' attack, he more than likely would've already surpassed my grandfather…" Tsunade was saying before she breathed in to catch her thoughts and continue, "As such, a body belonging to a common ninja, is just not capable of withstanding his power."

Shizune then inquired, "Y-You're saying that power actually affects one body like that?"

Tsunade nodded, explaining, "Correct, it's treated mostly like a myth but medically, it's a fact…" She turned back to Minato and continued, "Minato's original body grew with him, it became strong alongside him, so as he got more powerful, his body adjusted in synchrony with him…" She focused on the two females then and added, "This body has to suddenly grow enough to be able to withstand Minato's power, and even after he wakes up, he will more than likely require a lot of physical treatment to recover fully."

"I would've t-thought that his power w-was going to help…" Yūgao muttered as she eyed her father, wanting nothing more than for him to wake up and to pat her head just like he used to do back in the day.

Tsunade just sighed and said, "It is helping on his recovery and reshaping the body, but you can't expect that they return to normal the very next day…" She looked at her little sister/daughter figure and spoke again, "Imagine if Naruto suddenly switched bodies with you, since he has grown with the dragon, his body has dragonified somewhat, that is why he was capable of melting Orochimaru's sword…" She looked back at the woman, "Imagine if he, in your body, uses that same technique…"

"M-My body would melt." Yūgao replied, realisation of Tsunade's point now dawning on her.

"Correct…" Tsunade nodded and started walking towards the Fourth, placing a hand on his forehead as it started to be coated by green chakra, the slug summoner saying afterwards, "But he is not in immediate danger, I would have to guess that his recovery is the one that's going to take the most."

Yūgao just nodded, muttering as she eyed her parents, "S-So, is there anything we must do right now?"

Tsunade nodded, eyeing Shizune saying, "Yes, we must have a full medical of both…" She looked at the daughter and added, "You might want to leave the room since we have to get them naked for this."

Yūgao nodded and kissed her father's forehead before she did the same to Kushina, leaving the room a little after in order to get some food in her stomach. She considered going to look for her new partner, but he was surely with his father and brother, he needed to talk to them about Itachi surely. She just hoped that whatever the rogue Uchiha said to him, has changed him for the better.

Naruto leapt through the trees as he made his way towards the Forest of Death, a little nervous of the event that is about to come. It has been one day since he came back to the Leaf and thankfully with Tsunade's help, Sasuke had awoken, dizzy and weak, but otherwise alright.

They had discussed their mutual meetings with Itachi, both showing their frustration as they realised just how weak they were in comparison to him. They have been working so hard, Sasuke managing to control his curse mark somewhat while Naruto was already on the verge of reaching his two-winged state. The silverette had wanted to also learn to harness Kurama's power and the fox herself seemed happy that he wanted to, but Ddraig had then revealed that since he was a god, it was impossible for him to use chakra that did not belonged to him. And even if he could, it would do absolutely nothing on him since chakra was just a watered down version of essence, meaning that it would actually weaken him instead of helping.

But even after all that training, the two teenaged boys were hit by the cruel reality of things, with Itachi himself appearing to absolutely kick their asses with ease, showing how much the two still had to grow.

But Naruto now had a little bit of hope returned to him when as he calmed his worried mates down earlier on the day, his divine signature started flickering on his palm, fricking his mates a little as it glowed red brightly. He had then explained to them that it was his signature and for a moment, he was confused as to why it was flickering, but a sudden rude reminder from Kurama allowed him to recall that Evajduin, the Dragon Gate, had told him that once she found his perfect dragon partner, she was going to call for him that way.

So here he was, excitedly heading towards a secluded point where he could summon the Warden, hoping to get a scary looking dragon as a partner, maybe as big and menacing as Ddraig himself.

"O shit…" Naruto muttered when he landed on the perfect spot, a small shiver running down his spine as he bit his thumb and drew his divine signature on the ground, inducing some of his essence on it and observing while it glowed slightly, "Let's see what Papa brought from the store." He added with an eager wriggle on his body.

After the signature stopped glowing, the world around Naruto suddenly became almost still, a huge black portal opening before him as it slowly revealed the gigantic form of the Warden, saying once she was fully transported, "Ah, hatchling, you finally called."

Naruto nodded, saying apologetically, "Yes Warden, my apologies, I had to find a fitting place to summon you."

The dragon nodded, once again forcing Naruto to stifle a laugh since he just couldn't get over how fricking funny she looked whenever the female dragon moved her head.

Seemingly unaware of Ddraig's successor's thoughts, the dragon known as the Living Gate opened her eyes again, commenting, "There is no problem, young one…" Her doors then started to open as she added, "Well, it is time for you to meet your partner."

Naruto widened his eyes while he observed the doors opening, excitement coursing through his body as he hoped for the best, many kind of amazing possibilities racing through his head.

It was why one could forgive him for raising an eyebrow and delivering a weak 'huh' when he observed his partner, rudely being kicked out of the doors, landing on its back as it rolled around a little before it went back to its feet.

"Hey! Easy there ma'am…" The somewhat small creature spoke, a high pitched voice while it shook itself from the dirt that stuck to its scaly skin, adding indignantly, "I ain't no damn earth dragon! My ass can't take the rough treatment!"

Naruto stared blankly at the creature before him, a dragon with probably the same size as him, its scales a somewhat creamy white while many small brown spikes ran down its spine, the creature's brownish wings flapping slightly to shake off the dirt.

While the dragon itself was not so bad since Naruto could feel that it in fact was quite powerful as well as figuring that it was still young so it hasn't reached its full size, that wasn't really the thing that completely baffled him, Ddraig and Kurama all at the same time.

No, what baffled them was a whole different thing.

It was wearing shades.

Orange, huge, shades.

A dragon wearing shades.

"U-Umm…" Naruto muttered while his mouth opened and closed as a fish out of water, not knowing what the hell to say.

The dragon in question finally realised that there was someone behind it, so turning around, the dragon stared at the strange boy looking at it, the dragon's golden eyes glowing behind the shades as it said, "Hey! I don't like how you're looking at me! You standing there like a dazed turkey!"

Naruto twitched his eyebrow while his teeth gritted, inquiring heatedly, "Who you calling 'dazed turkey', you vanilla gecko!?"

The white dragon gasped before it snapped its head up a second to throw its orange shades over its scaly eyebrows, its now uncovered golden eyes locked to Naruto's blues as the dragon said back indignantly, "Lizard, you didn't."

Naruto just waved his head around cheekily, replying brazenly, "Oh lizard, you bet I did."

The two stared at each other for some moments before the white dragon roared and leapt at Naruto, the two soon entering in a brawl as they rolled around the ground, all the while Evajduin observed with amusement as the two young dragons kicked each other's asses.

"Evajduin…" The voice of a clearly enraged Red Dragon Emperor resounded inside the Warden's head, his immense annoyance clear in his divine voice as he questioned angrily, "With so many dragons to choose from, why did you chose this… this… dragon version of my successor!?"

Evajduin did chuckled a little nervously as Ddraig's displeasure reached her, but still being a creature almost as old as him and already knowing the mighty God of End on a personal level, she replied with mirth, "I told you that I was going to get you for all of your mocking, didn't I, milord?"

Ddraig just inhaled deeply and just observed as his host continued brawling against the dragon, Evajduin eventually saying with her powerful voice, "Enough!…" Both young dragons stopped their quarrelling, immediately jumping to stand straight, well in the dragon's case just sitting dutifully, "Now, Naruto…" The boy in questioned nodded, prompting the gate to continue, "This is Canym, son of Queen Tiamat…" Naruto's eyebrow raised as he looked at the dragon beside him, "Yes, Canym here is poised to become the next King of our race, I thought it fitting for you, the future God of our race, to partner with Canym, the future leader of our race."

Naruto observed his apparent new partner as the creature showed signs of discomfort for all the titles, probably he wasn't so happy with all that was expected of him. But Naruto didn't really found anything bad about Canym, the dragon seemed cool and he could tell that if he was poised to be the next King, then he must be an incredibly powerful ally to have.

Naruto just shrugged and said, "Well, he does looks like he has style."

Canym just turned his head to look at his newly appointed partner, commenting, "Gotta admit you too…" The dragon then tilted his head and added after thinking some moments, his shades shinning on top of his head, "Though you could use some colours on those rags of yours."

Naruto turned to look at Canym and squealed, "Right!?…" He eyed his all-black costume, adding sadly, "I've tried to add some vibrancy to this shit, yo! But the Old Man ain't letting me! Saying some shit about turning into a human target if I add some…"

"Orange." Both Naruto and Canym said in unison, both of their eyes widening as they leaned back slightly, seemingly in shock.

Evajduin just sighed as she said, "My job here is done, be well and learn to work together, I shall see you once again when you face the Draconii Trials." She grunted however, when neither Naruto nor Canym paid her no mind, the pair still staring at each other as if they have found a lost found twin. So seeing that she was no longer needed, the Warden disappeared, muttering something about rude hatchlings.

"Lizard…" Naruto muttered while he stared at the white dragon, shock coursing through his veins as he thought that he may have finally found someone who shared his love for the colour orange, "Did we just become best friends?"

Canym just nodded, shocked as well as he replied, "Lizard, I think we just did."

The two stared at each other in silence for some more moments before they both opened their mouths to say excitedly, "Ooooooooo."

The duo of humanoid dragon and dragon now ran towards each other and started exchanging stories of one another, listening intently as each recalled tales of their lives in order to get better acquainted, excited to grow stronger together and become a kick ass duo.

For his part, the mighty Red Dragon Emperor, Absolute God of End, utilised all of his divine power to block the information that came from outside Naruto's mind, wanting nothing to do with the two new partners who chatted excitedly about stupid things. As for Kurama, she just observed her host with a small amused smile on her face, wishing that things could be as peaceful as they are now for eternity.

Yūgao paced around nervously on her room, inhaling deeply every once in a while as she tried to calm her heart down. The time to know what her parents wanted to do has come and now here she was, waiting for her mate to appear so that he could speak to her parents and see what they choose.

The purple-haired ANBU Captain didn't really know what to expect. While she was almost a hundred percent sure that her mother will decide to come back, her father was another thing. His new body was still having a lot of trouble adjusting to Minato's great power and even if he wakes up, Tsunade had already informed her that he would have to undergo years of physical therapy to get his body back to where it was before he died and knowing what the old Third wanted, Minato would be thrust into Hokageship again if Tsunade declines the spot, something Yūgao was sure the slug summoner will choose if her father wakes up.

And while Minato may still desire to come back for the sake of his wife, there was still many people who held a vendetta against him. It didn't worried him back when he was Hokage because at the time, he was the most powerful ninja in the world, but now if he comes back, he will be far from that title, meaning that he wouldn't be as capable of protecting them as he once was.

If she could figure out all of this, she was sure that her father, one of the world's greatest minds, would figure it out easily as well.

Her pondering was interrupted then when a red flash bathed her room, her eyes wandering towards the origin to see her new boyfriend smiling at her, the woman walking towards him and delivering a deep kiss, muttering once her head was on his chest, "I-I'm scared, Naruto."

Naruto just hugged the woman tightly, knowing that jitters were assaulting her by the masses. The silver-haired jinchūriki kissed her head, saying after, "I know, love…" He sighed before he continued, "But as I told ya earlier, this is their decision."

The woman just nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, taking as much comfort from her mate as she could before she gently released the embrace, grabbing his hand and leading him towards her parents' bedroom that was in front of hers.

Once the pair were inside the room, Naruto released his hold on her hand and moved towards the bed, hopping on it and settling right in the middle of the two, a small part of him wondering how life could've been had those two chose to stay with him. But shaking his head to rid his mind of such things, he looked at Yūgao and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Yūgao walked towards him and leaned on his face, planting a chaste kiss on his lips and saying after, "With my life."

Naruto smiled a little and then closed his eyes, taking his left hand and placing it on Minato's chest while his right hand did the same with Kushina's chest, his hands suddenly starting to be coated on a deep crimson aura that after some seconds, spread through both sleeping people.

Yūgao observed as Naruto inhaled and suddenly went completely still, her parents' eyelids suddenly coming to life, making her realise that Naruto had entered to whatever place he set them in and more than likely was about to start the conversation.

Naruto opened his eyes after some moments, realising that he was in some strange place that looked to be above the clouds, standing over some sort of glass floor.

"Naruto." The smooth voice of Kurama then drew his attention to his side, where the beautiful redheaded woman stood with a small smile, her hand grabbing his as she gave it a small squeeze, knowing that her host was feeling a little nervous for finally having a chance to talk to his biological parents.

Naruto returned the smile and squeeze, focusing then on his other side to see an older version of himself, only with black hair. Ddraig just looked at him and with a small nod, he started walking, leading the Namikaze and the Nine Tailed Fox towards where Minato and Kushina were.

Naruto stopped some moments when they finally reached them, Minato looking down at the ground while he sat, Kushina resting her head on his lap as the two seemed to be chatting about random things, probably trying to pass the time.

"K-Kushina." Kurama said as she slowly stepped forward, the sight of her very first friend looking as beautiful as ever sending warm waves of relief to her heart.

Both Minato and Kushina heard the voice, turning towards the origin of it, only to widen their eyes in shock when they saw the recognisable beauty of the chakra fox's human form, "Kurama!?" Kushina asked with a jump before she ran towards her, encasing her in a tight hug.

Kurama smiled widely, some droplets of water escaping her eyes when she whispered, "I've missed you." She didn't cared that she was showing a very embarrassing side of her to the man of her affections, she greatly missed Kushina as she was the very first one, since her father and siblings, that actually tried to get to know the real her.

Minato shakily stood, walking a little forward as he whispered, his eyes locked to the handsome younger version of himself, "N-Naruto."

Kushina then realised that in fact, Kurama was not the only one present, her beloved son standing some steps away from them while he kept a neutral face, nodding slightly as in greeting, "B-Baby…" The Uzumaki Princess whispered, wanting nothing more than to run towards him and embrace the shit out of him, a mountain of apologies to say to him, of ungiven affection to shower him with, so many things she wanted to do but refrained herself from doing it, mainly because Kurama silently shook her head as if sensing her intentions, reminding Kushina that her son won't really appreciate such reaction. It broke her heart, but there was nothing she could do.

Minato walked a little closer, asking, "Who is h-he?" He looked at the man standing beside his son.

Naruto replied, "This is Ddraig, otherwise known as the Twelve Winged Dragon."

The revelation shook the two Namikaze greatly, both readying their stances as if preparing for an attack that actually never came, Ddraig only chuckling as he observed them, "W-Why aren't you attacking us!?…" Kushina asked, worried for her son's safety more than anything, "D-Did you locked us in here!?" She added another question.

Ddraig just spared a glance at his successor, Naruto sharing an amused smirk as the god spoke, "Answering your first question, I'm not attacking you because I don't want to, I was never your enemy, just a simple… misunderstanding…" His answer definitely confused them both but he continued, "As for your second, yes, I locked you in here, the Limbo."

Minato and Kushina started to calm down once they realised that neither Naruto nor Kurama showed any signs of mistrust on the dragon, confusing them slightly as the blond Hokage inquired, "Why? What happened?"

Naruto sighed, deciding to explain, "As you both have surely already figured out, you are once again alive…" His biological parents nodded at him, prompting the jinchūriki to continue, "But, the body deteriorates, your original vessels are already dust, so Orochi-bubu used sacrificial ones so that your souls could move…" They nodded again, understanding that already, "Ddraig was the one that revived you, but since the bodies you were in are not your originals, your chakra has been moulding them back so that you can use them, but the process is incredibly painful, so he put your consciousness here so that you wouldn't suffer through the process."

Minato and Kushina were agape, not fully grasping it all, hence why the Namikaze male once again inquired, "But why? W-Why did you revived us? How did you revived us?"

Ddraig was the one that answered as he said, "I revived you simply because I wanted to get Hades' attention, he has something that belongs to me and I want it back…" Minato and Kushina gasped once they heard the dragon speaking the name of the God of Death, shocked because no mortal creature was supposed to know his name, "As for how I brought you back, well, suffice to say that you have greatly underestimated what I am."

Seeing that both souls were greatly confused, Kurama said, "Kushi, Minato; Milord Ddraig is not a Tailed Beast…" Both pairs of eyes focused on her as the red-head dropped the bomb, "Lord Ddraig is a God, the third strongest being in the universe, an eternal creature that oversees and controls all that is the End of life."

Neither Minato nor Kushina could utter a word, completely stupefied by the revelation that had it come from someone else, they would have easily snorted at the notion. But Kurama was incredibly proud of her status as the strongest Tailed Beast, the Hokage and his wife already knew how haughty and arrogant the fox was, so hearing her referring to someone as 'Lord' and more importantly, show equal amounts of respect and fear for the creature made them realise that the dragon was not lying.

"Y-You are the… Red Dragon Emperor…" Minato muttered, astonished as he added, "The God of Darkness."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he heard his biological father speaking the titles Europeans use to refer to the god, commenting, "You heard about him?"

Minato focused on his son, recovering from his shock as he explained, "Yes, when I was trying to find out why my hair was turning silver…" He now realised that his son has silver hair, "Like yours, I stumbled upon a book from the western continent, it told the tales of three Dragon Gods…" He looked back at the blackette, finishing his explanation, "By the words you used to describe him, I figured he'd be said dragon."

Ddraig nodded, asserting, "You are correct, though my true title is the 'Absolute God of End'."

Naruto then inquired, stepping a little forward, "Whoa, hold on a sec' fool…" Once he saw the Fourth looking at him while Kushina seemed to be about ready to berate him for his language, Naruto asked, "Ya know why mah hair turned grey? It used to be blond like yours!"

Neither Ddraig nor Kurama said a word, both of them being the only ones that knew the reason why, but they refused to tell the young ninja, it will do no good to anyone, both of them just hoped that Minato did not know either.

To their relief, the Hokage shook his head with a small frown, saying, "No, s…" He stopped before he called him son, noticing how Naruto winced a little, "N-No Naruto, I'm sorry, the only thing I could find was that I came from Europa."

Naruto deflated slightly at that, Kushina having an urge to hug her son the moment she saw him slightly depressed, he has been obviously haunted by the strange change ever since it happened.

But before the woman could do anything, Naruto shook his head and said, "Aight, we getting off track here…" Both Minato and Kushina raised their eyebrows when Naruto added, "It's time for ya to choose what will happen next."

Minato looked at his wife who seemed as lost as him, the redheaded beauty locking her incredibly beautiful violet eyes to her son as she asked, "W-What do you mean?"

Ddraig stepped forward, saying, "What Naruto means, is that I have no use or purpose for you, I only brought you back to anger Hades and force him to show his pathetic self…" He ignored the winces coming from the Namikaze couple in order to continue, "So I shall give you the opportunity to either come back to life, or go back and rest, this time though, will be forever."

"The choice is individual of course." Naruto then added.

Both Namikaze where stunned, shock running through their veins as the thought of living once again made them feel happy, "W-Why?" Kushina still inquired, not entirely sure why would the god that apparently ruled over the end was giving them a second chance.

Ddraig just shrugged, answering, "As I said, I only needed to anger Hades, you were just lucky to be the souls that belong to him that I encountered…" He then eyed his partner for a moment before he continued, "And also, Naruto here wanted to thank you for, despite it all, still being the ones responsible for giving him life."

Both shocked people looked at their son as he nodded slightly, adding, "Yeah, I may have suffered a lot due to your actions…" His parents winced and cringed as Kushina's eyes started to water, both now realising that things must have gone completely different as they had hoped, "But despite it all, all of that taught me to live the way I live, to fight the way I fight, to dream the way I dream, and for that, I am thankful to you, for giving me the opportunity to live and make my own path…" He bowed before he looked back at his sobbing parents, finishing, "The chance of giving ya fools a second chance to live again, with Yūgao who is anxiously waiting for you, is the least that I can do."

Kushina placed her hand on her chest, right where her heart is, almost capable of hearing the cracks forming in it as she realised what her son was implying, that while her baby girl was waiting for them, Naruto was not going to be a part of their family. Despite all the things she wanted to say to prevent that, she hadn't had the heart to take him away from Kakashi and his lover, they have already cemented their place in his heart.

Minato felt crushed by the same realisation as well, but he managed to deal with it better, he and Kushina made their choice back then and now they could only deal with the ramifications of their actions. But still, he was a genius, and he knew that there was no such thing as an easy revival, so he asked, "B-But, what are the risks of going back?"

Kushina looked at her husband with a confused expression, not seeing what he was seeing. While Naruto and Kurama both smirked slightly as they observed the man's incredible intelligence, enough to realise that it was impossible to go back without a risk.

Ddraig answered the man that sealed him in Naruto, "Basically, that it's going to take years for the female to recover her strength, she will be unable to use chakra for at the very least some months…" Kushina widened her eyes while the god continued, "As for you, I am afraid that the power you once had, now is unreachable…" Minato widened his eyes as he heard the explanation, "As you already have guessed, while the female's reserves are almost immense, you are way more powerful as a whole, thus, the body used to bring you is not capable of reaching the same peak your original one did, it's going to take you at least a year to be capable of wielding chakra, decades to be able to move as you once did. The problem is that by the time you reach your best again, the natural decline that comes with age, will already be upon you."

Kushina gasped as she held her husband's hand, tears gathering in her eyes as she now realised that no matter what, they will not be the same ever again, they will come back to be almost toddlers, teaching their new bodies how to do it all, all over again.

Minato just sighed, muttering, "I thought so." His gaze was casted down.

Naruto and his companions remained quiet for a little bit, the silver-haired Namikaze saying after some moments, "We will give you some privacy so that you two can talk and decide, this is an individual choice so I suggest you discuss it as such."

Both Minato and Kushina nodded and they then observed as Naruto, Kurama and Ddraig disappeared from sight, leaving them alone to discuss their next move.

Kushina sniffled after her son left them alone, her heart aching as she wanted nothing more than to hold him close and never let go, asking for his forgiveness and saving up her strength to strike down every single person who ever did him harm.

"Kushi." The voice of her husband won her attention back, the woman focusing her violet eyes back on him as he held her hands.

"Minato…" Kushina whispered while she buried herself inside his arms, adding another whisper, "W-What do we do?" She might have jumped to the chance of living again in a second, had it not been for the revelations of the risks that came along with it. She understands why her husband seemed reluctant as well, since both of them are legends in their continent, and in their line of work, that is never good. Enemies never die and if they get wind that they have revived, there is no doubt in her mind that they will strike, and while before she died that wouldn't have worried her, now that she was told that they would have to learn everything again, was making her reluctant, knowing that at least for some years, they would be more of a burden than anything else.

Minato smiled warmly at her, kissing her forehead lovingly and while he caressed her cheek, he whispered, "You should go back."

Kushina widened her eyes before she shot her head up, staring shocked at her husband as she understood what he was implying, "M-Minato… w-what are you saying?…" She asked, griping his shirt even tighter, not capable of imaging a life without her love.

Minato sighed, a sad frown on his face while he explained, "Kushina, you heard the Twelve-Wings, you may be able to go back to your old-self in a couple of years, but it's going to take ME decades to do so…" He cupped her face, continuing, "You know that my enemies are more than yours, you know that they are stronger than yours, I cannot afford decades of training to catch up, not when you, Yūgao and Naruto will be at risk with my comeback."

Kushina refused to believe so, a part of her wanting to say that both of them should decline the offer then and move on to the afterlife together, but the bigger part of her wanted to go back, she wanted to hold her baby girl in her arms again, fix her hair, shower her with love. She wanted to annoy Tsunade again, also showering with her affection at the woman she saw as her mother figure. And mostly, she wanted to try and build something, anything, with her boy, at the very least, she wanted to be there for him, to guide him and give him love whenever she needed.

So knowing that she could not refuse the offer, she tried her hardest to convince her lover, "W-What if t-the dragon changes our appearances?…" She pleaded, a waterfall of tears streaming down her face, "That w-way we won't have to w-worry."

Minato smiled sadly at his beloved wife, leaning down to give her a small kiss before he responded, cleaning her tears with his thumbs, "That may be, but Kushi, the truth is that I want to give you and Naruto a gift…" She looked at him puzzled, "I want to give you and him all of my power, my knowledge, my soul, I want to help you be strong, I want to help Naruto on his path."

Kushina stared agape, whispering, "B-But what about me?…"

Minato sighed, answering as some tears fell from his face, "This is the biggest sacrifice I'll ever have to make, letting you go…" He turned back at her, adding with a sad smile, "But I know you want to go back, and you should go back, you should go back to Yūgao, to Tsunade, to Naruto…" He embraced her tight, finishing with his eyes closed, "T-This way, you'll have the strength to pull through, to be alive again."

Kushina gasped as she wailed harsher once she finally understood. Minato was sacrificing himself to give her his strength so that she can pull through, so that she can go back to life. He wasn't abandoning her, he wasn't letting her go on her own, he was giving her the means to go back, to be with her kids again, their kids, he was sacrificing himself for her happiness, just like he vowed on their wedding, "N-No… if t-that is the price then…" She tried to refuse, her voice barely a whisper as her sobs drowned her, refusing to let him go.

Minato chuckled a little, tightening his grip on her as he soothed, "It's a price I am more than happy to pay…" He opened his eyes and looked at the horizon, saying, "My love, the thing I always wanted the most, was yours, Yūgao's and Naruto's happiness…" He closed his eyes, "You want nothing more than to be with them, Yūgao misses you like nothing else I am sure, and Naruto…" He smiled proudly as he added, "He will finish what I started, he will reach the point that I always dreamed of, he will grow to levels I didn't even knew that existed, if I can help him just a little with my power, then my job is done…" He leaned back a little and grabbed his sobbing wife's face tenderly, finishing lovingly, "You have to be there, with him, to watch him as he grows into the man you and I dreamed of, you have to be there."

Kushina stared at her husband for some moments before she wailed like never before, hugging him as tightly as she could and repeating how much she loved him and how thankful she was to him.

The decision has been made.

Minato and Kushina observed as Naruto, Kurama and Ddraig walked towards them. Kushina still sobbing hard while she hugged her husband as tight as she could, knowing that it was going to be the last time she would be able to do it.

"So, have you made your choice?" Ddraig questioned, seeing that Naruto was feeling a little nervous.

Minato looked at his wife for some moments, the woman holding him close as she whispered how much she loved him over and over again, bringing a happy smile to his face when he nodded, saying once he looked back at the dragon god, "Yes, Lord D-Ddraig…" He stuttered a little, still somewhat weirded out by the fact that the dragon he once fought, was actually such a powerful god, "Kushina will accept your kind offer…" Naruto widened his eyes a little when Minato added, "I however, must decline."

Naruto tilted his head, greatly confused by his biological father's words, inquiring, "Why?" He didn't really cared one way or another, but he did cared for Yūgao and while it was clear that the purple-haired female had a way bigger attachment to Kushina than to Minato, she still saw him as her father, losing him again will definitely hurt her.

Minato smiled sadly at his son, replying, "Because I want to give her and you what remains of my power…" Naruto widened his eyes at that while the blond Hokage continued, "Kushina can use my power to accelerate her recovery and be able to regain her full strength, I know that if she returns without a boost, she will probably struggle a lot to pull through…" Ddraig nodded at him, validating his guess, "As for you Naruto…" He sighed before he smiled proudly at his son, "I w-want to give you everything I have, I want to help you, if just a little bit, on your path, my power, it's yours, I hope it helps you on whatever dream you have."

Naruto stared at his blond father, the man crying slightly while Kushina sobbed even harder in his arms. The silverette Namikaze just smiled at him a little while he brought his gaze down, understanding him as he gave him a small sad nod, his admiration for the man growing even more after this.

Ddraig stepped towards them, a small solemn look on his face when he said once he reached them, "Then are you ready?"

Minato just grabbed Kushina's face, tears running down his eyes as he whispered to her, "Be strong, be fierce, be determined, keep going forward and don't ever look down…" He kissed her lovingly while she returned the kiss with everything she had, "Tell Yūgao that I love her, and don't worry my love, one day, we will see each other again." He added after he broke the kiss, Kushina smiling slightly when she nodded.

The Uzumaki Princess turned towards the black-haired version of her son, whispering, "I-I'm ready."

Ddraig nodded and then, he brought two fingers to Minato's heart, a small burst of aura hitting the man as he could feel over half of his power suddenly leaving him, observing how the dragon's fingers suddenly held a small orb that was then placed on Kushina's chest, the god then placing his palm on her heart and after a pulse, Kushina gasped, staggering back a little, her body slowly disappearing in a shower of sparkly dust.

Kushina immediately turned towards her husband, knowing that her time here was up. She reached out towards him and said, "I love you, Minato!"

Minato smiled widely at her, replying just before she disappeared, "I love you too, Kushina."

Silence ensued once Kushina was no longer present, Minato staring at where she once stood while some tears fell from his eyes.

Ddraig walked towards Naruto, eyeing him as he nodded, Kurama understanding and following the god, disappearing from sight some moments later, leaving Naruto and Minato alone.

Minato turned to look at his son, the boy clearly sad and without knowing what to do or say. The blond Hokage was thankful that his once enemy allowed him to have some moments with his son, "Naruto…" He began, the boy focusing on him as the Namikaze continued, "I'm sorry, for leaving you, for not being there, for placing such a heavy burden on you, for not being able to protect you from all of those who did you harm…" He looked down at the ground, a small smile on his face when he continued, "Despite it all, I do repent my actions, but I wouldn't change them, because it made you the amazing young man you are now… I don't know why, but I know that you are not human anymore…" Naruto widened his eyes at that, "I do know however, that you want the same thing I did, you want peace…" Minato looked back at the boy and continued, "All I ever wanted for you, was that you'd be happy, proud and strong, I really hope that what little power I can give you, helps you on your difficult road."

Naruto said absolutely nothing, his mouth slightly open as he could feel tears gathering in his eyes. The silver-haired Namikaze then brought his gaze down, whispering after, "W-Why?"

Minato sighed, knowing that that question must have been plaguing the boy ever since he was born. Why him? Why placing such a burden on him? Why?, "Some will tell you that I wanted to make you a weapon…" Naruto focused on him as Minato continued, "Some will tell you that I had no other choice…" He smiled a little then, "Some will tell you because you are the supposed 'Child of Prophecy'…" The Fourth sighed, "But the truth is, that I did it so that you wouldn't fail like I did."

Naruto was incredibly confused, so weakly asked, "W-What?"

Minato smiled sadly at him, replying, "I failed you, Yūgao, Kushina, all of those that I care for…" His voice broke then, "I t-tried my hardest, to p-protect them, to be the strongest I could be for them but even so…" He inhaled, calming down as he spoke again, "I failed, I couldn't save them because… I didn't had enough power…" He focused on his son, his eyes heavy, tired and sorrowful, "You are my boy, I wanted to shield you from such impotence, such frustration of not having enough power to defend those you love…" Naruto's eyes widened as tears fell from his eyes, "I didn't gave that power to you so that you could protect the village, or so that you made a name for yourself…" Minato inhaled, "I gave it to you so that you could protect the people you love, from anyone, even the Leaf, I just didn't wanted you to feel the despair of knowing that you didn't had enough…" The Fourth smiled honestly at his son, tears still falling as he finished, "You are my boy, there is nobody else that I would trust with such power, because ever since you were born, I knew, I knew that you would make the right choice."

Naruto staggered back while he cried like he hadn't in years, his mouth wide open as every word the man spoke registered in his mind. All this time, all this damn time Naruto had thought many things, many reasons for why Minato chose him, from turning him into a weapon, to simply because he was his son. He never thought that it was because even after all, after dead, after leaving him, Minato had always been taking care of him, ensuring that he, his son, had what's necessary to protect the ones he loved. The very power he trains daily, the very power that had allowed him to protect his mates, his parents, his brother, his friends, it was always meant for that, not the Leaf, not himself, but for those he loved, so that Naruto will never had to go through the despair of failing to save his loved ones.

He was absolutely speechless.

Minato observed as Naruto took some moments to recover, the boy shakily walking towards him, confusing the Hokage until he suddenly widened his eyes and tears of happiness fell as Naruto embraced him, his head buried on his chest as he whispered the most honest words he has ever spoke, "T-Thank you… thank y-you… dad…"

Minato completely lost it there, embracing his son back as he rested his chin on his head, his eyes closed tight, trying to convey all the love he had for him in one last hug, whispering "You a-are welcome, my son."

The two stayed like that for some moments, Naruto sobbing quietly, just like Minato, both silent but saying everything they had to say to each other through the hug. It was then that Minato's body started to disappear, slowly turning into sparkling dust.

Minato knowing this, just tighten his embrace, whispering, "Don't ever stop Naruto, keep on going, keep your head high and aimed at the stars, one day you'll leave this world behind, so make sure that you leave a life you will remember…" He felt Naruto nodding on his chest, "Please take care of Kushina, if not as your mother, as a friend…" Naruto nodded again and then, Minato knew it was time to go, "You reach the stars my boy, show them all what you've got."

Naruto nodded as he felt Minato leaving, a whisper with the words 'I love you' reaching his ears, the silver-haired keeping his eyes closed as he continued sobbing, his arms now limp on his sides.

Naruto then lifted his head up and inhaled deeply, his tears finally subduing and as he opened his eyes, looking straight up high, he whispered, "Farewell, dad." He disappeared from the Limbo then, silence falling into the breath-taking place, there was nothing left to say.

Naruto opened his eyes again, observing as he was now back in the Namikaze estate, bringing his gaze down towards Minato to find that his body was slowly cracking, signalling that his soul has already passed on to the afterlife.

"N-Naruto…" Yūgao's voice then won his attention to his right side, where the purplette was tightly hugging her mother who was now showing more signs of waking up, though Naruto knew that she will still need some hours to regain consciousness.

Naruto just sighed, knowing what the teary eyed woman was inquiring, "H-He made his choice, Yū."

Yūgao gasped, tears streaming down her face as she gently put Kushina down on the bed again, the ANBU Captain walking towards her father and grabbing his body, bringing it close to her body as she quietly sobbed, caressing his blond locks while she whispered many things to his ear, probably everything she wanted to say to him once he woke up.

Naruto felt his throat going dry while he observed his pained mate, a part of him loathing himself for not stopping Minato, for not trying to convince him to wake up as well, to let him know how much his daughter missed him. But, the bigger part of him won out at the end, the one that respected Minato greatly, the one that understood his desire to give his power to his beloved, to help her get better faster and to allow her the chance to live again, he didn't had the heart to stop him.

Naruto sighed, getting off the bed and walking to his mate, gently pulling her by the chin to face him and after delivering a deep loving and reassuring kiss, he said, "I'm sorry Yūgao, he wanted to come back to you but…"

Yūgao smiled sadly at him while she gently shook her head, her gaze lowering back at her father to whisper, "I u-understand… he…" He kissed the man's forehead, more and more cracks appearing on his body, letting them now that soon, his face and skin will disappear, leaving the sacrifice behind, "He w-was always putting everyone else a-ahead of him." She finish, a loving smile on her face while tears streamed heavily from her eyes, her thumb gently caressing his cheek.

Naruto sighed, saying after, "Kushina already had her goodbye with him…" He looked at the redheaded woman in question, "She will wake up in a few hours, but she will surely be devastated still…" He focused on his mate again who nodded, "I will go and look for Tsunade, she has to be here to make sure that Kushina is okay."

Yūgao just nodded, watching as her mate slowly walked towards the door of the room, catching his attention to whisper, "Thank you, my love." The purplette smiled sweetly at him, conveying all the gratitude she had for giving her closure at last.

Naruto sighed, a ghost of a smile on his face while he nodded slightly, looking back at the door and opening it to step out of his biological parents' room, it was time for those in the know to learn that Kushina was about to wake up, but that Minato will not.

Tsunade sighed as she walked through the corridors of the Hokage tower, heading towards the Council room so that her Sensei could formally present her as the newly appointed Fifth Hokage.

It has been two days since Kushina woke up and to say that it has been quite the stressful ride was an understatement. She still remembered how Naruto arrived to her home in the middle of the night, loudly knocking on her door to get her attention, Shizune being the one that opened the door to see a very sad Naruto.

Tsunade had then woke up with a jump the moment Shizune told her that Naruto was here and that something seemed to be wrong with him. It came to a shock for the two females when Naruto told them that Kushina seemed to be waking up, but that Minato's body was crumbling down.

Both mentor and student immediately rushed to the Namikaze estate, following Naruto closely as they jumped through the roofs, arriving mere minutes later to find a sobbing Yūgao tightly embracing the cracked form of Minato.

Tsunade had spared a glance at Kushina, relief hitting here like a ton of bricks when she could see that the woman was fine, even better than she was the last time the Senju checked on her.

But her first priority was Minato, as it was clear that he was not pulling through. Yūgao had slowly released her father's body, seemingly aware of what already was a fact. Tsunade still refused to give hope though, not wanting to let the woman she saw as a daughter lose her husband while she survived.

But alas, it was too late, Minato had already passed away, all that was left was his carcass that was clearly moments away from fully crumbling.

Tsunade, Shizune and Yūgao stayed there for the whole night, Kakashi arriving some moments later, followed by Jiraiya and Hiruzen. Everyone was definitely happy that Kushina was going to make it, but no one uttered a word as they all surrounded Minato, heads down, paying their respect to such an incredible man until finally, Minato's front crumbled fully, leaving the body of the young female used as a sacrifice behind.

The body of the woman was taken by Hiruzen and Kakashi, Jiraiya staying back a little as he was clearly devastated for losing his student once again, but he too left moments later, leaving Yūgao, Tsunade and Shizune there with Kushina, until the woman finally woke up three hours later.

Tsunade was still somewhat shocked and greatly confused when she remembered how Kushina seemed to already know that she was the only one to make it, longingly looking at the side of the bed where Minato once was, crying heavily but immediately embracing her daughter who couldn't stop crying as well.

Tsunade and Shizune had let the mother and daughter duo to grieve their loss for some moments, stepping out of the room and giving them privacy. For some seconds, the Senju wondered why Naruto was not present, but she soon realised that it must be quite uncomfortable for him to be around his two biological parents, more importantly, to be around when one of them didn't made it. She could imagine the guilt he must be feeling right now, he was the one that brought them back, so the fact that only Kushina made it and she along with Yūgao was now grieving the loss of Minato, was surely eating him away.

The Senju heir had looked for him the day after, surprisingly finding him in the Uchiha compound. She had heard of his closeness to the Uchiha heir, but she never thought that they were more like brothers, as Naruto had a room inside Sasuke's house and apparently whenever he was feeling down, he would stay there with his brother.

The two engaged in a long but nice talk, Tsunade trying to reassure him that neither Kushina nor Yūgao had any resentment towards him, all the contrary, Kushina had spent the whole morning asking about him, wanting to be with him. But just as she imagined, Naruto seemed quite reluctant to go and see her, not because of resentment or anything the like, neither guilt, it was more than likely because he simply didn't know what to say.

Kushina had also understood that and relented with a small sad smile, happy that at least her baby girl was spending as much time as she could with her, the Third being kind enough to give her a whole week free of job so that she could be with her mother as much as she wanted.

It was then that Tsunade had made her decision, she wanted to protect Kushina, she wanted to protect Shizune, Yūgao, her sensei, Jiraiya, Naruto. She wanted to honour the name of her grandfather, her granduncle, her sensei and her practically son-in-law. It was then that she decided that she will be the Fifth Hokage, so that she could do everything in her power to secure a safe home for her loved ones.

Tsunade stopped right before the door of the Council room, already hearing the murmurs coming from inside. She just inhaled deeply and lit the fire in her heart, no one was going to harm those she loved, she will be the best Hokage she could be, and she will ensure that at the end of every day, her loved ones could come to a village in peace.

Kushina brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly while she sobbed lightly, observing the village she called home from the top of her late husband's head in the Hokage Mountain.

It has now been three days since she woke up and despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop sobbing her husband's death, she was both overwhelmed with happiness and sadness at the same time. It really confused her.

On one hand, she was happy to be with her baby girl once again, holding Yūgao in her arms really made it better for her. She missed her so much and neither of them cared for the fact that Yūgao was already almost her age since Kushina had woken up with the same age as the day she died. But she was still her mother and both behaved just like that.

Seeing Tsunade, the woman she thought of as a mother, was a huge boost to her happiness. The Uzumaki Princess had spent the last three days catching up to those she cared for, learning everything that she's missed. It definitely helped her keep her mind away from Minato's death for some moments.

But on the other side, she was incredibly sad for Minato's passing, more so when she remembered the reasons for why he decided to move on to the afterlife, specifically so that she could be well to come back.

The fact that Naruto hasn't visited her at all was also a huge contributor for her sorrow, she knew he had a family, a brother, a father, and as much she hated to admit, he had a mother. But she still wanted to be a part of his life, in any way possible, even if it meant to be relegated as nothing more than a mere acquaintance, she didn't cared, she just wanted to be with him.

The only thing she's heard from him was that he was giving her the Namikaze and Uzumaki fortune. She refused immediately however, telling the guy from the bank that she didn't wanted all of the money, only what was necessary for her and Yūgao to live comfortably, the rest she declared that Naruto was the only one that deserved it. She wanted to compensate him for all the pain her decision caused him, even if just a little bit.

But that was about it, that was the last she's heard from him. Even Kakashi has visited her, apologising for Naruto's behaviour and adding a small apology for 'stealing' him from her and Minato. But she of course waved off his apologies, telling him that Naruto had every right to feel uncomfortable and that he and his lover had every right to consider themselves as Naruto's real parents, since Kakashi did raised him on their absence, there was nothing he had to apologise for.

The fact that she has to stay in the Namikaze estate for the time being was also depressing her. The Third had told her that until she was completely back to at an hundred percent, her return had to be kept hidden from the public, since just like she expected, some of her old enemies were still alive. Her return will also raise a lot of questions, so the Hokage wanted time to come up with a perfect explanation, one that didn't revealed that Naruto has the power to bring people back from the death. So until then, she was bound to stay in the Namikaze estate at least for the day, the nights being the only ones that she could go and stretch her legs, accompanied by her daughter of course. It was that or getting a cosmetic operation to change her face and forfeit her name for good, she didn't had the heart to do that.

A heavy sigh escaped her red lips as she rested her chin on her knees, Yūgao had gone to shop some groceries since Kushina had requested a moment to herself. Her daughter was reluctant but eventually gave, allowing the mother to make her way to her husband's stone face and catch a breath.

She suddenly heard someone coming, her head turning slightly as she said, "Yū, I thought it'll take yo…" Her voice died the moment she saw who was coming though. Her handsome son was walking towards her, a small sad smile on his face as he stood beside her and then took a seat next to her, "N-Naruto…" Kushina whispered, her heart racing fast as millions of affectionate actions crossed her mind, wanting nothing more than to embrace her son and tell him just how much she loved him.

Naruto just sighed, looking down a little before he looked back at the village and whispered, "I-I'm sorry…" He could feel that the woman felt confused, so he elaborated, "For n-not… for not going to see ya when you requested." He looked at her, a small apologetic smile on his face.

Kushina couldn't hold her tears back, frantically grabbing his hand with hers as she said, "No! D-Darling, you… t-there is absolutely nothing for you to a-apologise…" She looked down, gently releasing his hand as she felt his slight discomfort by the contact, "I s-should be the one to apologise… I…" She hugged herself, tears streaming down her face when she added, "I l-left you… you had t-to go through things that no child s-should have… all because me and y-your father… chose the village o-over you… over Y-Yūgao…" She shivered as her tears cascaded, "I a-am so sorry… N-Naruto…"

Naruto just sighed, looking at her for a moment before he focused on the night sky, saying soothingly, "Don't apologise…" Kushina looked at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears, "There was a t-time that I did resented you both…" She winced, her hand shaking as she wanted to reach him but refrained from doing so, "But that was back when I was a kid…" He then looked at her, a small smile on his face as he continued, "I now understand that despite you and Minato being geniuses, you were still human, and there is just so much we can do, I can't b-blame you for doing your best, for trying your hardest, for doing what you thought was best, it would be incredibly selfish and egotistical of me to do so…" He shocked her when he held her hand, a small smile on his face, "You did your best, you love me enough to do your best, there is absolutely nothing that I can recriminate you for, in fact, I am greatly thankful for everything you did."

Kushina was agape, her eyes as wide as they could while she could barely see due to her tears. She felt warm, happy, incredibly happy to hear him saying that, but she still said, "B-But N-Naruto… I… I-I failed you… a-as a mother… I'm a h-horrible mother."

Naruto chuckled slightly, saying, "No Kushina, you are not a horrible mother, you would be if you had abandoned me out of your own will…" He focused on her, asking, "Did you wanted to leave me?…" The woman shook her head frantically, "Then there is no reason for why you should think that way, you are a loving mother, a wonderful mother, a beautiful mother that gave her life for her two children, despite all the things I and Yūgao had to go through, there is no single thing neither of us can reproach."

Kushina widened her eyes, completely overwhelmed by the feelings swirling in her belly. She still thought that she owned him an apology, one that could never be enough to convey how truly regretful of leaving him she was. But at the moment, she forgone all of those thoughts, whispering lovingly, "N-Naruto…"

Naruto however, grabbed her shoulders, locking his blues to her confused violets to say, "B-But… I… I-I'm sorry Kushina… I cannot offer you a mother and son relationship… it's t-too late for that."

Kushina's heart broke immediately, wailing a little as she felt completely hopeless. She knew that he was going to refuse to call her 'mom', she knew that he was going to refuse loving her like a mother, but hearing it now, she never thought it would hurt this much.

She was shocked again when he gently brought his fingers to her cheeks, wiping her tears as he said with a small smile, "But that doesn't mean that I w-want you away…" Kushina's heart started to beat again, hope reaching her senses when he added, "If you want, I would like to be your friend." His smile made her feel so happy and protected, just like Minato's used to do.

Kushina grabbed his hands, staring at him lovingly as she whispered a question, tears still falling heavily, "W-Will you…" She struggled a little, she didn't wanted to be a simple friend, but she could take it for now, she just hoped that someday, the can grow as close as a mother and son, "W-Will you like that?"

Naruto snickered, looking down a little before he focused on her again, "Yeah, I would…" Kushina smiled as Naruto looked back at the village, one of his hands still grasping Kushina's when he added, "I don't know what the future holds, but I promise you, Kushina…" He did promised his father, "I'll stand by you."

Kushina sobbed a little with a small happy smile, nodding and observing as he settled for watching the stars, her hand still being held by his. She just shifted on her place until she could rest her head on his shoulder. It may not have been what she wanted, but it was a start, she was at least part of his life and for now, it was all she could ask from him, 'One day, Minato, one day…' A small smile adorned her red and wet face, sending a mental thank you to her husband that surely, was already on a better place.

A/N: Well there ya go! I hope that you found Minato's send off pleasing. Part of why I struggled with this chapter was because Minato is one of my favs, and I wanted to give him a proper send off, fitting of him, because just as Ddraig said, this is the last time Minato will appear in this story since his soul is now resting for good. But anyway, I hope you had wonderful holidays and that your year started off well, see ya later and cheers!