"I… always kind of felt like I failed you and Kakashi in a way. You two have been through so much… and ever since I took the title of Hokage, I haven't been there for you. I feel like I've abandoned you both as my students… and I've always wanted to apologize for that."-Minato Namikaze

Minato-sensei's Sacrifice/Naruto Uzumaki.

Over Twelve Years Ago…

The winter months were bitter that year. And as quickly as the snow came, Kakashi's missions as an Anbu Black Ops member decreased.

Behind closed doors one evening, Kakashi told me the news.

"It's Lord Hokage's wife, Kushina… she's pregnant."

I couldn't hide my shock as I let him finish his sentence. A very possible situation, it was… and yet, one I had never imagined. Minato-sensei was going to be a father. All of the sudden, I felt as though I was about to be a sibling, or an aunt or something.

"Are you serious?"

He placed a finger to his lips. "This is top secret, though. You can't tell anyone… at least, not yet. I'm supposed to watch out for Kushina for the next ten months because of the risk she poses as a Jinchuriki."

I grinned, unable to hide my satisfaction. "Really? That's your mission?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…? Why so happy about it?"

"Well… I worry about you taking off on dangerous missions all the time. This one doesn't require you to leave the village, so that's kind of a relief for me."

He sighed and took my hand, turning it over and drawing circles in my palm with his thumb. "You never stop worrying, do you?"

"Nope," I said. Then, pointing to my forehead, "See this? I'm getting wrinkles already because of you."

With a small laugh, Kakashi leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead through his mask. "They're… pretty wrinkles."

Months went by, and although I saw Kakashi often and slept more easily knowing that he was safe in the village, he was busy each day on his top-secret mission to protect Kushina. And although I had nothing to do with that mission, I watched Kushina from a distance as well. As watched her stomach grow bigger and bigger every day, I couldn't help marveling at how remarkable the miracle of life could be. The child… the life growing within her was one that she and Minato-sensei had created together. And to me, that was the most beautiful gift.

And yet, my mind was also plagued with other thoughts. Ones of my current relationship with Kakashi. We were best friends, he'd said. And that meant everything to me. After Rin died, I think a little part of Kakashi had died as well, as he hadn't been quite the same ever since. I figured that the reason he was allowing himself to be so close to me now was because he was just as afraid of losing me as I was of losing him. I was still a little hesitant and unsure about this new level of intimacy between us, but being close to him made me happy. And I wanted him to be happy, too.

Which is why he could never know about the guilt over Rin's feelings for him tearing me up inside.

In need of someone to talk to, I decided to take a walk to the memorial stone one cool autumn morning. But what I found when I arrived was not what I expected.

It was my former Sensei, dressed in his white cloak, standing with his face directed to the memorial stone. I had hardly seen him in the last several months since Kakashi took the mission to watch over his wife. He looked so peaceful as he stood over the stone that I nearly walked away without saying anything, not wanting to disturb him.

But he noticed my presence.

"Good morning, Kana."

"Oh," I said, straightening my shoulders. "Good morning… Sensei."

"Come to see Obito, I presume?" he said as I walked up beside him.

"Uh… yeah…"

"I'll be out of your way soon."

"Oh no!" I protested. "Please… don't rush on my account. I don't mind company."

He smiled gently. "All right, then."

We were silent for a moment, until I decided to speak. "I—wanted to congratulate you… on becoming a father." I wasn't sure that this was something I was supposed to talk about, but we were alone and I wanted him to know how happy I was for him.

He turned his head toward me, his eyes a bit surprised. But then he chuckled. "I'm guessing Kakashi told you. Well… thank you. But I'm not a father, yet, you know."

"I know…" I said. "But it's coming up soon, isn't it? I think… you'll definitely make a great dad."

"That means a lot," he said kindly. "It's weird… I've always thought of my students as my kids… but now it's really happening. I'm going to have one of my own. It's really something, isn't it?"

"You'll be great," I repeated, looking down shyly. "I… you know, I don't really know what most dads are like, and or even what they're supposed to be like… but I always thought, if I ever had a dad, he'd be like you."

Minato-sensei laughed. "You don't really mean that."

"But I do!" I protested. "You've taught me everything I know! I'd… never even be here without you."

"Well… I don't know about that." Abruptly, the smile fell from his face and replaced itself with sadness. "I… always kind of felt like I failed you and Kakashi in a way. You two have been through so much… and ever since I took the title of Hokage, I haven't been there for you. I feel like I've abandoned you both as my students… and I've always wanted to apologize for that."

"No, hang on," I said, turning so that I faced him. I shook my head furiously, unwilling to have Minato-sensei thinking this way. "You have not failed us at all. How can you say that? Kakashi and I are so proud of you for everything you've done and for becoming Hokage. I've looked up to you ever since the day I met you; you're always so calm and collected and sharp… I admire that so much!" My voice trembled as my emotions started to get the best of me. "I can't really speak for Kakashi, but I never felt like you abandoned us. I've always needed you as my Sensei, but this village needs you as Hokage, too. How could I possibly be that selfish?"

"Kana…" Minato-sensei said in barely more than a whisper, his eyes glistening sorrowfully. "I…"

Giving him a half-smile, I said, "You've taught us well, Sensei. We can take care of ourselves, now. So you don't have to worry about us, anymore. Just focus on protecting this village and becoming the amazing father I know you'll be."

Minato-sensei allowed his lips to turn up into a smile. "You're wrong about me," he said catching me by surprise. "I'm not… the cool and collected Shinobi that everyone believes I am. Even I lose my temper… even I become overwhelmed by sadness. As Shinobi, we're supposed to suppress our emotions. But you don't always have to be strong. And there are different kinds of strength. Sometimes it's better to let it out and to admit when it becomes too much."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he kept going. "You are a remarkable young individual. I am sincerely proud of the ninja you have become, Kana. And I've entrusted the majority of Kakashi's free time to you, believing that you would be able to help one another. But I'm afraid that this has turned into more of a burden for you than anything else."

"That's not true," I whispered. "Being at Kakashi's side has never been a burden."

"But you still try to carry all of the weight," he said. "I know you, Kana… I've watched you for three years. When Obito died, you kept it together for the sake of your friends. And everything since then… you've spent so much time worrying about Kakashi and trying to take care of him that you haven't taken any time for yourself. And now you're telling me that I shouldn't worry about you... I appreciate that you want to put my mind at ease so that I can focus on being Hokage, but this isn't the battlefield. You don't have to pretend."

"But I'm not pretending," I insisted. "Really. I mean… it hasn't always been easy. I'll admit that. And I'm thankful that I have such a caring Sensei who worries about me. But I'm getting through it; you don't have to feel like a failure. You're the Hokage now, and you protect not only Kakashi and me, but this entire village. And that's… enough."

As my body shook and my eyes began to sting, Minato-sensei asked, "Kana… you're not… crying, are you?"

I shook my head viciously, squeezing my eyes shut. "Of course not! I promised—I'd never… ever cry again."

He chuckled. "It seems like kind of a silly promise to me. It's not wrong to cry every once in a while."

Watching him laugh, knowing how kind and compassionate my Sensei was, filled my heart with such pride and joy that I almost could have cried. But… even then, I couldn't bring myself to do it. "I don't need tears to show my emotions. And besides, I'm really happy right now!"

"Happy…?" he mused, a smile on his lips. Then he granted me a sigh of defeat. "All right, Kana… since you're so insistent, I'll do my best. A Sensei has to know when to let go, I suppose. I'll… trust that you and Kakashi can work things out on your own. But… if you ever need me for anything, please tell me. I still want to be there for you both as much as I can. To me, you are still my students, after all."

I nodded. "Yes, Sensei, I will."

It was only a few days later when the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared. About an hour before it occurred, I was visiting Rin's grave (It seemed visiting graves was all I ever did, lately). And I noticed an odd presence in the air that made me feel uneasy. But the actual incident came out of nowhere, when an explosion sounded in the middle of the village. I looked up from where I stood, and the creature I saw must have been at least a kilometer or two away, but I could still see it quite clearly.

It was the Fox. Red like fire, nine tails and all. It was even more formidable than I'd imagined. And those eyes, its blazing irises, full of so much evil and darkness.

But how? The seal was broken?

Nothing of this sort had ever happened before as far as I could remember, and I wasn't quite sure what I was even supposed to do. We'd had drills, but that wasn't even remotely comparable to the real thing. I had to completely wing it, here.

I broke into a run toward the busier part of the village, hoping to find someone to give me orders, but there was so much chaos that I could hardly tell one person from the next. The one person I had hoped to find, above all others, was Kakashi. If nothing else, I had to know that he was safe.

But I couldn't find him anywhere, and as the Nine-Tailed Fox ravaged the village, destroying everything in its path, the more I realized how desperately serious this situation was. How the hell was anyone going to defeat that creature?

As I stared up in horror at the Nine-Tails, a giant toad appeared out of thin air and landed on top of the demon, crushing it under his weight. Immediately, I recognized the toad as one of Minato-sensei's summoned toads, and Minato-sensei himself stood at the very top, appearing almost as a mighty king about ready to give a powerful speech.

Minato-sensei… how did this happen?

The toad shook the ground as he fell, as the Nine-Tails underneath him disappeared… Minato-sensei along with it. Upon realizing that he had used a transportation jutsu, I frantically scanned my surroundings, searching for where he may have taken the Nine-Tails. The sky was dark and it was difficult to see anything clearly at a distance. But as a white light appeared in the direction of the horizon, I knew that I had found them.

I almost chose not to follow him, knowing that I would likely be no more than a hindrance in this case. But I couldn't simply stand back and do nothing. My fear for Minato-sensei's life and well-being was far too strong. And so I left the village behind and made my way as quickly as I could toward the light in the distance.

I arrived in a wide open space. Up ahead, I saw the incredible Nine-Tailed Beast, seemingly trapped within a barrier. Also inside was my Sensei, his wife… and the baby. And as I ran forward, I noticed a certain man standing outside the barrier, watching the scene.

"Lord Third?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

The Third Hokage turned in surprise, and upon laying his eyes on me, his jaw dropped. "Kanata!? What are you doing here? How dare you disobey my order?"

"What order?" I asked, but the sound of my words was lost in the echo of the Nine-Tail's roar.

The Third Hokage clenched his teeth as he watched Minato-sensei and the Nine-Tails. To me, it seemed that they were just having an intense staring contest, until I saw Minato-sensei's face contort in pain. "What's happening?" I asked frantically.

"It's the Reaper Death Seal," the Third said darkly. "He's sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox with it."

"Reaper Death Seal?" I repeated, not having heard the name before.

"It has the power of sealing any soul… but in exchange, the one who uses it will die."

… Die?

Blood pumped in my ears as I attempted to process the Third Hokage's words. No. No. Not Minato-sensei.

"No," I whispered, rushing forward. "No!"

The Third Hokage grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Listen to me, Kanata. Nothing can be done for him, now. It's over; I'm sorry."

I glanced back at my Sensei desperately, my heart in searing agony. I couldn't accept it. I couldn't accept his death. Not like this.

Using the Reaper Death Seal, Minato-sensei sealed the Nine-Tail's soul inside of himself. But it became clear rather quickly that it wasn't enough. He could not seal the entire creature into himself. And it wasn't until he had already conjured up the altar and laid the child on it that I knew what he meant to do.

He planned to seal the rest of the Nine-Tailed Fox's spirit within his own child.

However, the Nine-Tails was not quite so willing to let himself be defeated. In an angry rage, the beast lashed out with his claw, aiming to destroy the child. I was fairly certain that my heart stopped beating at that very moment.

But Minato-sensei and Kushina didn't stop to think twice. Both of them threw themselves in front of the Nine-Tails' claw; blood splattered on the ground.

I screamed.

"No! No! Minato-sensei, please!" I wailed as the Third Hokage grabbed my waist, pulling me back. "Please!" I begged, thrashing against him. "I have to do something! I have to stop this!"

"You can't stop it," the Third Hokage said firmly, holding his grip on me tightly. "You won't be able to reach them, anyway."

"I know! I know!" I insisted, still fighting, although unable to break the Third Hokage's iron grip. "I know, but I have to-"

Minato-sensei… please, don't leave us.

No matter what the Third Hokage said, no matter what anyone said, I couldn't bring myself to stop fighting. I couldn't lose Minato-sensei. Not when I'd already lost two of my teammates. I couldn't lose him. The grief was too much to bear.

How… how can you ever be there for us again, if you leave now? How will this village survive? How will Kakashi and I…

Time seemed to stand still as Kushina and Minato-sensei hovered over their child, their mouths dripping blood, and yet, still smiling. They must have felt so awe stricken at the sight of the child they created, and at the same time, aching inside that they would never get to live with him or be a family together.

That was my last thought before Minato-sensei uttered the words, "Eight Sign Seal."

My strained, tormented cry rang painfully in my ears: "Minato-sensei!"

"So, you never received the order for all of the young Shinobi to fall back, after all?" the Third Hokage inquired.

I shook my head. "No, sir… I didn't. I'm sorry for causing any trouble." I was sure that my voice sounded lifeless. I felt lifeless.

"No, Kanata," he said, lowering his head and pulling his pipe away from his mouth. "I should be the one to apologize. If you didn't receive the order, that is my own fault. And you, unfortunately, are not the only one. In all the commotion, it seems there were others who paid the price." He sighed. "Honestly, even if you had gotten the order, I think last night's events were punishment enough. I'm sorry that you had to see it."

If only I had the power to unsee it. There were no words strong enough to describe the heart ache and the loneliness within me. A few days ago, Minato-sensei and I were smiling and grieving together. And now, he was gone forever. Had it even sunken in, yet? I still couldn't tell whether or not I actually believed it.

"Lord Hokage?" I asked in a small voice. "May I make a request?"

"What is it?" he asked, a slightly curious look on his face.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "I'd like to see him. Their son, I mean."

In truth, I really didn't want to see him. Last night, when the Third Hokage had retrieved the baby from the dying Kushina, I had averted my gaze, unable to look at the infant. I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to look at him in the eyes and not think about the monster inside him, the one that killed my Sensei and his wife. But even if it was just once, I had to lay eyes on the boy, myself. I had to know what Minato-sensei's son looked like.

At first, the Hokage's face appeared surprised, but then, with a hint of a smile, he stood. "Come with me."

The Hokage and I walked together to the hospital, where the child of my fallen Sensei was staying for examinations. He was in a secluded room in the building, under the surveillance of several Anbu members, for it seemed that many were wary of his presence.

As we entered and I saw his crib, I wanted to run away. But the Hokage urged me forward. Swallowing roughly, I felt my heart pounding as I approached the crib. So many fears plagued my mind. What if I saw him and I couldn't look past the creature inside him? What if, even though he was Minato-sensei's son, I wasn't able to bring myself to feel the same love and affection for him that I had felt during the months he had spent growing inside Kushina? The thought terrified me, and for a moment, I began to regret asking the Hokage to bring me here.

But only for a moment.

The instant that I peered over the crib to look at the child's face, I melted. Any doubts I may have had vanished without a trace, and I was overwhelmed with nothing but love and awe for the tiny person in front of me. On his stomach was the mark of his seal as a reminder of the beast within, but none of that mattered now that I had eyes on him. Everything about him was simply miraculous, from his chubby cheeks, to the little whiskers on his face, to the tuft of yellow fuzz on top of his head. He was… Minato-sensei's son. His very own flesh and blood.

"He's… beautiful…" I whispered. "He looks just like him." A miniature Minato-sensei.

The Hokage laughed. "Well, he certainly has the same yellow mess of hair." Then his tone became more serious. "He will… be feared and hated by the majority of the people in the village."

"Because he's a Jinchuriki," I said grimly.

He nodded his head once. "I have already decided to accept the role as Hokage once again. From this day forth, no one will ever speak of the monster inside him. I don't want this boy growing up in a world where he is hated. I want him to make friends and to be able to live as normal a life as possible. That is what Minato and Kushina would have wanted."

"Keeping it quiet won't stop people from judging and hating him," I said.

"You're right. But it will ensure that the children of his generation don't know the truth. Then, even if the adults scorn him, perhaps the children his age will be able to accept him and treat him as one of their own."

Gazing down at the child, I hoped and prayed that the Hokage was right. The boy deserved to be loved. His parents would want him to live a happy life, even if they couldn't be a part of it.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "What… is the boy's name?"

With a heavy sigh, the Hokage murmured, "It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto Uzumaki.

It had a nice ring to it. And come to think of it, he looked a lot like a Naruto.

As my heart slowly poured each ounce of its love for Minato-sensei into the child sleeping peacefully in the crib, I reached down. Brushing my finger against one of his whiskers, I said, "I wish you a long life, filled with success and happiness. Welcome to the world… Naruto Uzumaki."