This will be one of several chapters posted today. If you are just seeing this then please jump back to Chapter 28. That's where this all starts.
THE WILL OF FIRE
PART THREE
Chapter 35 - An Unusual Solution
Minato ducked out of the celebrations as quickly as he could. He was glad that the people wanted to celebrate but he could not. His son's life was in jeopardy and his best friend was imprisoned. That was not what he wanted. Events did not go according to plan. Not even close. Now, had to adapt. He had to worry about getting Fugaku out of there without arising suspicion and about that damned cursemark. He wished that he could throttle Orochimaru from afar. Alas, he could not. He just had to deal.
Minato had already addressed the issue with Fugaku. He made it easy for Fugaku to break himself out. He was under light guard and was under Ibiki's personal supervision. He also had no real chakra suppression on him at all. Fugaku could break out at anytime. For now Minato was curious to see if the Akatsuki try to rescue him or let him riot. It didn't matter either way: Fugaku would be free soon. Hopefully then they would accept him among their ranks. Making this all worth it. It had to be worth it. Or else this was all for naught.
No, the issue with Fugaku was under control. That wasn't what would keep him up at night. It was Naruto's cursemark. It was far worse than he ever imagined. It had fully taken control of him. Naruto couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe. He tried to kill them all. He didn't even seem to care about his own physical wellbeing. He attacked with reckless abandon. If he got hurt or killed it did not matter. In other words, his son had become a berserker. That the worst possible thing that could have happened. Naruto was in a lot of trouble and his father had no idea how to undo it. His rushed seal had held together over the last eleven years but it was unraveling before his very eyes. Soon the curse would take full effect. It would either drive his son mad or kill him. Either way it was a father's nightmare.
Minato examined Naruto. He found that the seal couldn't be redone anymore. In order to redo it Minato would have to remove the old one and replace it. That could not be done. For the attempt would kill him. Naruto would be consumed by the curse the instant he removed the seal. Minato would not have time to reseal it. Nor could he keep it at bay while he worked. He might have been able to do it before but not now. He was still not back at full strength. He was mostly back to normal, but that wouldn't be good enough. It would take days to remove and reapply a new seal. In that time, he would not be able to sleep or rest for a moment. Or the balance would tip. He couldn't do that anymore. He might have better chances with Kushina helping, but even that would be difficult. This would be far harder than the original sealing years ago. It would most likely fail and Naruto would pay the price. He could not reseal the cursemark. Yet, he had to do something soon or Naruto would die anyway.
For now, there was nothing to do. Until they came up with a game plan then Naruto needed to stay sedated. Just to make sure they also strapped him down to the bed and suppressed his chakra. They could not afford him to wake up just yet. It was was not safe. The seal was dangerously weak. Anything could set it off now! He had to stay sedated. There was little other choice.
Minato sat down beside Naruto's hospital bed. Nearby, Kushina slept soundly on a spare bed. She stubbornly refused to leave his side. Even though she was exhausted from today's events. She wouldn't leave her baby. So, she ended up in the bed next to him. Not that it mattered. There was never going to be anyone there. The room was secure. No other patients would placed here. She could sleep as long as she needed to. She deserved it. Today had been a nightmare. He did need to speak with her about Naruto's condition soon, but that could wait. She needed to rest. Besides, he had nothing to tell her that she didn't already know. Naruto was in a lot of danger. This could claim his life.
Minato whispered to his son, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't allowed Orochimaru to get a hold of you then . . ."
The door flew open to reveal Tsunade. She walked over to check up on the boy. At first she ignored him, but eventually she couldn't take the depressing mood in room, "Don't bury him before he's dead! Your son's still alive. If you can't do anything about this then find someone who can. This is your son, after all. Shouldn't you do everything in his power to save him?"
Minato looked at her. He had no idea who that person would be. "You mean that you can't . . .?"
"No, I can't. This is beyond me." She placed a hand over the cursemark then continued, "These cells are integrated into his body. I simply cannot remove them without killing him. And neither can you remove this seal." Green chakra flowed into it. Immediately, Naruto began to jerk around. "See how his body reacts? You cannot deal with this in a traditional way. You have to think outside the box. The answer is out there. You just need to find it." She straightened then started to leave. "Swallow your pride and ask for help, Minato."
Minato called after her. "But who I do I ask?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask those frogs of yours. Who knows, maybe they have the a solution."
He knew that Tsunade wasn't serious about the toads, but she was right. They knew things that humans didn't. They might have encountered something like this before. They could have a solution. It was worth asking at least. After all, he had nothing left to lose.
He summoned the two frogs who knew the most about healing and curses: Ma and Pa. If anyone had an idea then it was them. That was assuming that they could stop fighting long enough to figure it out. They did tend to argue a lot. Personally, Minato didn't call on them very often unlike his teacher. He didn't need to. He could enter Sage mode on his own. Even if it did take a long time to do it. Right now that didn't matter. He needed them for advice. They might have an idea of what to do. He just hoped that he was right. For his son's life was on the line.
The two were excited to be there until they realized what was going on. Immediately, Ma started to mother the boy as if he was her own tadpole. Pa was more reserved but he was clearly affected. No one enjoyed watching Naruto suffer. After a few minutes they calmed down enough for Minato to discuss the situation with them.
". . . I can't reseal it nor can Tsunade remove the foreign cells. They are far too integrated into his body to try. Either would likely kill him if we tried. Only I can't leave it alone either. The cells are threatening to take control. If this continues this way then . . ."
"The boy will die either way." Pa finished for him.
The room became utterly silent. The truth hurt but Minato needed to hear it. He was likely to lose his son. That thought nearly killed him. He couldn't hide from the reality either. This was happening right now and he had to deal with it.
"Pa!" Ma hopped over the old toad and wacked him. "Don't say such things! Can't you see the boy is hurting enough? He doesn't need you to tell him that."
"It's the truth!"
"So! You don't need to say it!" She turned around to face Minato. He voice was soft and sorrowful. "I'm sorry, Minato-child. He's forgotten what it is like to be a parent with a sick child."
Minato gave her a weak smile. "It's okay."
"Still, your doctor is half wrong." She sighed as the room fell silent again. "It's true that a re-sealing or removal of the cells are out of the question. It would kill the boy. However, there is another option. It's risky but it might work."
Minato's eyes opened wide. "You don't mean . . ."
"Yup," She cut him off. "Sage training. Naruto is just old enough to try it now. It might be the only way to save his life."
See you next chapter!