Chapter 25
Minashi watched the Hyuuga draw out the compound with ease. Ryouta wrote notes all over the drawing in an organized fashion. He pointed out the patrols, who resided where, and the timeline for it all.
Minashi could only let her foxy smirk lift her lips as she memorized it all. Kakashi and Kenji could only listen as her and Ryouta went back and forth with a route she could take from house to house.
"You positive that you can evade our eyes?" Ryouta questioned for the sixth time. They were going over another part where she risked being seen by the Hyuuga eyes.
"Hai~ Hai~" She beamed. He just stared at her with his piercing lavender eyes.
"How?" He asked again.
"Hi~mi~tsu!" She answered again. He huffed and they were back at it working out a quick and efficient route for her to take. Mina had to hand it to the Hyuuga, he wasn't that bad of a tactician for a nine year old.
"Mina, don't forget Kushina-nee-san and Tou-san are waiting." Kakashi sighed. She turned to beam up at Kashi.
"Thank you Kashi!" she smiled. His cheeks tinted and with a nod he walked back over to Kenji. They had escaped to the roof after the academy to plan. They couldn't take much longer or else Kushina would hunt them down. Kashi and Kenji were acting as look outs.
"When will you hit?" Ryouta asked a few minutes later after Mina had folded up the plans and stored them in a scroll and slipped it into her hip pouch.
"Can't tell you." She smiled. "It will take the fun out of the surprise." Ryouta sighed before holding out a hand. Mina took it and Ryouta's hand held hers tight.
"Thank you. I am looking forward to their reactions."
Mina just gave another foxy grin. "Will it be worth turning orange yourself?"
Ryouta's lips twitched. "Hai."
With a nod, they all split off to find their own waiting parents. Mina happily launched into Kushina's arms with a squeal.
Kushina matched her enthusiasm as she squeezed Mina in a hug. Sakumo only chuckled beside them before they split for their respective homes.
When Kushina and Mina got home, Mina frowned when she didn't feel Minato's chakra in Kushina's apartment.
"Nii-san?" she questioned Kushina after she was put down.
"Oh, Minato got called in for a mission by the Hokage. He and his team should be back by morning. It's a short mission, but an important one."
Minashi nodded and following Kushina into the kitchen.
"So what do you want for dinner this evening? We can get it started and simmering so that we can get an hour of light training in."
"Curry?" Minashi offered. Kushina nodded and they were soon pealing, chopping, and stirring the curry.
"Alright. Let's let that simmer." Kushina and Minashi then moved to the living room.
"I thought we were training?" Minashi pouted when Kushina sat her at the low table in the living room.
"We are." She beamed. "Stay right there, I need to grab something and then we can begin."
Minashi pouted as she kneeled on a cushion. Kushina came back a moment later with a scroll. A scroll Minashi recognized by the swirl on the ends.
"Ah, you recognize this?" she smiled.
"We're working on Fuuinjutsu?"
"Hai~" Kushina beamed and summoned up her sealing supplies from the scroll. "Show me what you can do, and we'll go from there."
Minashi looked at Kushina's sharp violet eyes even as the sealing paper and ink rested between them on the table. When Minashi still hadn't touched it, Kushina's head tilted to the side as her eyes narrowed just the slightest.
"Mina-chan, you won't get in trouble if you show me that you know a lot of sealing." She spoke softly. "It's part of what makes us Uzumaki. It just comes to us naturally."
Minashi frowned at that. "It didn't for Naruto-nii."
Kushina's eyes snapped wide. "Really?"
Minashi looked down at the paper as she played with the edges. "Tou-san tried to teach him, but Naru never understood it." She mumbled.
Kushina chuckled and grabbed a brush and handed it to Minashi. "Well there was bound to be something that made you two different right?"
Mina looked up at Kushina sharply. "What?"
Kushina rolled her eyes and wiggled the brush. Minashi took it and held it while Kushina spoke again.
"You were twins. I can image identical as well if not for your different genders. There used to be a few twin siblings on Uzushio. When I was little, I remember one of the sets I was friends with would always complain about being confused for their twin. They had always matched each other in everything they did. Even their parents struggled with telling them apart. Finally, one had enough and broke away to study something new. His twin tried to follow because they always did their best together. But the other twin couldn't do what his brother could. It angered him, until he too found a skill he was better at than his twin." Her eyes went sad. "I think that if they would have lived, they would have been incredible." She shook away her memories and smiled at Minashi. "So it's okay that you were better than Naruto at sealing. I'm sure there was something he was stronger at."
Mina's eyes were tearing up as she remembered what he was always stronger at than her. "He'd always stand back up. He'd never give up. I could only get back up because he was holding a hand out for me to stand with him." She choked and wiped away her tears with trembling hands.
Larger warm hands helped her until they had slowed then stopped. Her watery blue eyes met violet eyes filled with love.
"Because he knew you were just as strong as him. Just in different ways." She smiled. Minashi could only nod. "Alright, let's see what you've got then. Start with the basic symbols to check your handwriting and we'll keep going until we find something you don't understand."
Minashi nodded and dipped the brush in the ink. From there time flew by. Kushina had to dip into Minato's stash of sealing paper and ink at one point during the night. The curry had almost been forgotten, but rumbling stomachs paused the sealing session for only a short while.
Minato sighed as he slipped off his sandals. Exhausted, he absently reset the security seals of Kushina's apartment while he stripped of the rest of his ANBU gear and Mask. Striding in, Minato wore just his ANBU sleeveless top and Shinobi pants, he didn't bother to turn on the lights. Kushina and Minashi should still be out cold. He was just happy to be home before the sun rose. He might even be able to walk Mina to the academy before finding a bed to pass out in.
With eyes half closed, he didn't even realize the living room lights were on low. Nor did he realize what was sprawled out in Kushina's living room.
Minato tripped and yelped as he fell face first onto the floor. Groaning he tried to sit up and find what he tripped on. He blinked when his tired brain tried to process what he was seeing.
Kushina and Minashi were sprawled out in the middle of the living room. Sealing paper, empty ink bottles, and open scrolls were scattered all over the floor. He felt very lucky that he hadn't tripped on one of the strolls instead.
He noticed though that it was Minashi that he had tripped over. Scrambling over to her, he carefully checked her over for any injury but found none. Sighing he reached up and brushed her hair from her drooling face. He couldn't help the smile when he looked to Kushina and found the same image, just with red instead of blonde.
Chuckling softly, he pushed his tired body to carefully pick up his Imouto and carry her to bed. Leaving her tucked in with a kiss, he headed over for his girlfriend. His eyes softened even more at the beauty laid out before her. Even if she was covered with ink splotches and drool leaked from her mouth. He just lovingly picked her up into his arms and carried her to her bed. Tucking her in and leaving her with a kiss to her lips, he left to go clean up.
Minato slowly began to gather up all the empty ink bottles, tossing them away. The brushes were set aside to soak away the dried ink. He then began collect the scattered sealing paper and scrolls with sealing matrixs, notes, affects, and purposes scrawled over their surfaces. He was just about done collecting up the scrolls, paper and stray notes when his tired brain started firing up. He held one of the note filled scrolls and tilted his head at it as his tired brain worked to try to understand what he was reading.
His face scrunched into a frown when it connected. Was this a barrier seal? But there are elements of the seal that are draining chakra and supplying chakra as well.
Confused with the notes alone, he took his collection of papers to the kitchen table and tried to find a semblance of order. Minato didn't even realize the time passing. He only absent-mindedly made a cup of coffee to get his brain working faster. The more he 'woke up', the more his mind was blown. The ideas and test seals written down were things he's never seen before. So many of them could enhance Konoha's protective seals.
It was soon after the sun had risen that he also realized he recognized this handwriting. And he wasn't talking about Kushina's that was mixed in.
Minato carefully sat his coffee cup down and put his head into his hands. Conversations of the past month flowing through his brain. Theories and connections being made, questions popping up in missing connections.
"Because you two are her last known relatives" Sarutobi spoke even as a blonde child was revealed to them.
"I feel so empty" Mina's broken voice seared me to my soul.
"Somehow, you knew. It's the only thing that makes sense. Your skills with seals. Your hidden identity. Your need to remain in the shadows. Your animosity towards Danzo." His own word, his own thoughts towards the mysterious Kitsune. "You're an Uzumaki, or one of the other Clan members from Uzushio."
"I am not a survivor of Uzushio. I am a survivor, but not of that." Kitsune's own rebuttal. "I will not let Konoha be destroyed like my home."
"Do you know who the King of Konoha is Namikaze?" Her strange question.
"I've watched enough of my precious people walk off to die enough to fill a life time."
"I am the Protector of Konoha. Her true protector."
"I didn't even know who you were until I was a teen. And that was because you killed my friend's clan." Kitsune's vindictive words to Danzo.
The strange reaction Gamatoro had to seeing the Fox ANBU.
"Oh, don't worry. I have a life. One in the light surrounded by people that love me and that I love in return. They will just never know about this side."
Her strange reaction to seeing Jiraiya-sensei.
The Fact that she held a Fox Summoning Contract.
"She has an aptitude for Nature Energy." Minashi's aptitude for nature energy and ease of feeling it around her has never been recorded before.
"I've lost everyone I loved Hime. I know how you feel but I'm not acting like a coward and running away. Instead, I'm moving forward to make sure that what happened to me, never happens to anyone else."
The strange Strawberry blonde man he'd seen Kitsune eating with at the Ramen stand with. A few minutes later and he'd disappeared off of Minato's sensory radar. He still didn't have an answer for that.
Kitsune's sadistic training regimen. "You never know when you'll come across an opponent stronger than yourself. I'd rather be overly strong compared to the average shinobi, than be weak when faced with an ungodly strong enemy."
The look in her eyes when Kitsune stared at him. It had been like she'd seen a ghost.
"If you still hold any suspicion against me Minato, know this. I'm here to protect Konoha and her citizens. I will never abandon her to those who seek her harm."
"But if I can help it, you and a select few others will Never know my origins. Not because I don't trust you to understand them. But because it's for your own safety."
"Her fever was just a result of her exhaustion. All Tsunade said we needed to do is keep her hydrated. Her tenant is doing the rest." Sakumo's relieving news after learning Minashi had been rushed to the Hospital with a dangerous fever. But how did Genin training wear her out? She had the Kyuubi, it shouldn't be possible. How did she get extra training past Sakumo-san?
Minashi's fever dreams. Her crying out for Naruto. Her pained filled screams of denial.
Minashi's nose recognizing his and Kushina's scents. Her recognizing Sakumo and Kakashi's scents.
Minashi's close connection with Sandaime.
Kitsune's close connection with Sandaime.
Minashi ease with working with the Kyuubi, her partnership with him. "He's my best friend. My constant companion. My last link to Naruto-nii-san. My protector. My comrade."
"The Will of Fire burns with the passion to protect. The people of the Land of Fire will always be able to Endure as long as one flame burns bright." Her wise words to their Hokage when he was struggling.
"If it wasn't for me, you would have been able to continue to fly under the radar. Maybe even turn Orochimaru towards your dark plans and against Konoha. Turned Konoha against is last founding clan. Gotten your wish to have the Mokuton for yourself. Gotten your wish to have the power of the Sharingan. Maybe even attempted to get your hands on the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The thing you see as the greatest weapon of Konoha. But I am here. I am here to protect Konoha." She confirmed Danzo's accusations.
"I know exactly how and why the Kyuubi was moved. I know who holds him safe from people who wish to use him for evil like you."
"Kashi keeps bad dreams away." His imouto's softly spoken words.
"Her Father was an Uzumaki, her Mother the same as Minato's. It is very possible that Kitsune was somehow connected to them." Sakumo's observations.
"When I touched her, I felt my chakra resonate with her." Kushina added softly. "I think she is at least part Uzumaki." Kushina's own confirmation. "She's hidden it well, but it's faintly there."
"She said that she is constantly under Henge."
"You three know." Sakumo's accusations against his friends on Kitsune-san.
"Kitsune will build her allies as she needs them." Orochimaru's reply. Not a denial, yet not confirmation.
Minashi's ease with Jiraiya in fitting a filter seal to herself.
Minashi's sudden tears of joy. Exclamations of loving her new family. "I'm so happy to be here."
"They are connected." Minato whispered into the early morning light. How connect are you two? He thought as he looked up to the pictures Kushina had been collecting of them and Minashi.
Minato's years as ANBU and then the past years as Captain, sent flags up in his mind. His gaze looked back down at the familiar handwriting.
If you still hold any suspicion against me Minato, know this. I'm here to protect Konoha and her citizens. I will never abandon her to those who seek her harm. But if I can help it, you and a select few others will Never know my origins. Not because I don't trust you to understand them. But because it's for your own safety.
That stood out to him the most. He couldn't get her sincere blue eyes staring into him as she spoke those words, out of his mind.
His mind suddenly screeched to a halt.
Blue eyes. Him not allowed to know. Protecting konoha, vendetta against Danzo, hints of Uzumaki, Sealing, connected to Minashi. Minashi having learned to write the same way.
"Oh Kami." He whispered as he started trembling. "Ka-san?" he wondered aloud.
Was she actually still alive but fighting for those she's lost? For the Uzumaki that saved her? For her own children's future safety?
Trembling fingers moved into his hair to try to wrap his mind around it all. Before his Dad had passed away, he remembered a few stories about him and his mother being so similar. But to this extent? He doesn't remember much of her since she had been presumed dead when he was still a child. Then he'd lost his own dad a few years later.
If she had an Uzumaki child the traces of Minashi's chakra would be there. Or maybe Her new husband had to lend her chakra?
Theory after theory flooded his mind as it spun in circles of confusion, panic, and hurt.
"Minato?" Kushina's voice came from behind him. He flinched.
Kushina was stunned by his reaction.
"Minato-kun?" she asked worried as she moved and sat beside him. "What's wrong?"
Minato just shook his head then turned and buried his face into her neck. If he was right, then it just made the truth all the more painful.
Kushina worriedly held her boyfriend close. She didn't understand what was wrong. Did he lose a teammate? She knew though that this was one of the times she would just have to wait for him to talk to her. It wasn't often he closed her out, but he always opened back up soon enough.
Minato's mind continued to spin. It couldn't be his mother. He tried to reason. Many of the dots still don't connect with that theory. Was she possibly one of Kushina's aunts then that escaped with Minashi's father?
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Kushina's soft voice penetrated his mind. He startled and looked to see she had joined him at the table with her own cup of coffee. When had he let her go?
"What?" he whispered hoarsely.
Kushina gestured to the sealing works before them.
"Mina-chan was hesitant before to show me what she could do. She's very bright for one so young. I think she was taught sealing before she could properly read or write. Either that or she really is a genius."
"Kushina-" he whispered.
"You know, I've never seen this technique before. It's Uzumaki based, but otherwise, I don't recognize it." She hummed. "Her handwriting is perfect. Her knowledge on placement and balance: Mastery."
Minato ran another hand through his hair even as Kushina looked at the sealing papers before them with a calm look.
"We don't need to teach her anything. We could easily begin working out whatever theories she has and help her complete them or study them further. She might even be able to help us out with our own working theories." Minato heard it as her voice began to tremble. Closing his eyes, he pushed aside his own worrying thoughts and pulled his girlfriend into his arms.
"Min-Minato, this scares me. How does she know all this? She's not even five yet. You were hailed a genius as well, can still be one when you're serious. B-b-but this is strange. This is like she was born with the knowledge already there. She just needed the dexterity to do it."
"Kushina." He said firmly and held her away to look in her beautiful gaze. It would be something he would never tire of. "Know that she is our precious Imouto. Gifts and all. All we need to worry about is that she is happy." He said and blinked when he realized that all his own prior anxiety and stress disappeared. Yes, he was still curious about how Kitsune and Minashi were connected, but he trusted them. He would also only worry about making sure Minashi was safe and happy, and that Kitsune would have his help if needed. Her goals were for the true protection of Konoha.
Kushina sniffed and wiped away at a stray tear. She was giving him a sly smirk though ruining her cute look.
"Answered your own question as well?" she snickered.
Minato sighed and reached down to tickle her sides. Kushina yelped and burst into a giggling fit as he pulled her onto his lap as punishment as the tickling continued.
When he was done and Kushina was wiping away tears of laugher, he couldn't help the happy smile on his face. Kushina was his everything.
"Nii-san?" Minashi yawned. "nee-san? Why are you so loud?" a yawning voice whined from the doorway.
Almost everything. Kushina and Minashi together were everything he would ever need.
"Gomen-ne imouto." Kushina smiled over to their sleep tousled blonde. Mina just gave them a tiredly confused look before she spotted the sealing paper behind them. Minato watched her tan face loose all color.
Minato saved the reaction for later, but focused on keeping his imouto happy now.
"Ne, Mina-chan" he pouted at her. "You didn't tell us that you had a gift for Fuuinjutsu!" he playfully whined. "We could have had so much fun bonding over theories."
Kushina rolled her eyes from her place still on his lap. "He just wants another opinion on his theories. I shoot down so many of them that he still thinks are possible."
Minato was pleased to see the color return to his Imouto's face as she neared and hopped into Kushina's abandoned chair.
He listened as Kushina boasted about the theories Minashi had worked out on her own on a few new types of barriers, training seals, and miscellaneous seals to improve shinobi life. Both of his girls were smiling again. So he just rested his chin on Kushina's shoulder and took in their excitement.
He memorized this feeling of happiness. He knew he'd need it one day when he did learn how his Imouto and the mysterious Kitsune were related. Though for now, he'd leave it rest.
Kushina knew something had happened. She could see it in the way Minato's shoulders relaxed. He probably hadn't solved the problem or worked out the theory that was stressing him, but he'd come to a decision for now. Her smile softened as she watched Minato moved in closer to Mina after Kushina had gotten up to make them breakfast.
Her own mind went back to wandering though.
Minashi was special. Though Kushina was more skeptic.
He's my friend, my companion, my partner. Her little Imouto's words about that Fox Kushina herself had once housed.
Her violet orbs slid back to gaze at her imouto's belly. Minashi had had the fox since she could remember. Did he influence her more than any of them realized? But Mina-chan was such a happy child. So pure. Sure she'd seen something bad, but how much is she really holding back because it was really worse than what we've assumed it to be? She barely even flinched when she attended the trial. Sure she'd been a bit more clingy, but if she is as smart as the teachers and her sealings say she is, then she understood more than she let on.
Kushina gnawed at her lip as she cooked the eggs.
She was worried for her Imouto. She was already seen as a prodigy. If she was seen as a full-blown genius then things would get so much worse.
Minato was a genius and genius of hard work. She paused as she smiled softly at her next thought.
Genius he may be, but so naive at times. It's endearing...And frustrating. She sighed and shook her head at the years they wasted. Minato just hadn't gotten the hint that she had a crush on him. Had been asking him out for years. It took that Pervert pointing it out for Minato to finally see her past being best friends.
Minashi didn't seem that dense though. She had little Kakashi wrapped around her fingers.
"Maybe she'll be alright." Kushina whispered aloud to herself.
"Of course she will. She has us and all her friends and ours." Minato's soft voice whispered in her ear. Kushina had to hold back her surprised yelp. When had he- "You were so caught up in your head love, that you didn't feel my approach." He snickered and grabbed the platted food. "Come. Let's eat." He left her with a kiss on the cheek.
Kushina couldn't help her cheek as the flushed in embarrassment. "I was getting there dattebane!" She huffed and grabbed the last plates. Minato's low chuckle was his only response.
"Don't tease Nee-san, Minato-nii." Mina chided. Kushina beamed at her imouto.
"Eh?! But she teases me all the time!" Her Jounin boyfriend pouted.
"That's because you're my pretty boy. Only I'm allowed to tease you." Kushina beamed at Minato's deepening pout. Mina-chan's snickering followed behind.
Minato began pleading to little Mina about teasing girlfriends before telling her to not be so mean to her own boyfriend. Poor Mina then started her Nii-san on an overprotective spiel when she said she already teases him though.
"NO! You're too young!" Minato Cried out. Kushina just stared at her Imouto with a raised brow as Minato went further and started muttering about the seals he'd plant on her boyfriend if he did anything he shouldn't to his precious imouto.
Mina was just staring at him fascinated before catching Kushina's raised brow. Mina-chan just gave her a blank look. Kushina held the stare. Minashi tried for innocent look next. Kushina rested on an elbow, not buying it. Her brow arched even further on her imouto. Minashi then just smirked and shrugged.
Kushina just snorted and dug back into her breakfast. Her imouto would never be able to deny her uzumaki heritage. That innate gene to prank people was strong. She'd have to warn people to not let the blonde fool them. She was Uzumaki through and through.
Kushina then really looked at her imouto as she laughed at Minato openly. Minashi was VERY skilled with Seals. She tilted her head at her imouto as her mind raced.
Was it possible?
She was small, she was quick, she had enough training in chakra to know how to suppress it, and she was skilled in seals. Was her innocent little imouto already breaking into her Uzumaki heritage?
Minashi looked back at Kushina with a questioning look. Kushina glanced at the seals and then Minashi before narrowing her eyes and fingering her own hair.
Kushina memorized the next moment as it was one of the best moments of her life.
Minashi's eyes twinkled as a satisfied and victorious smirk slowly slid up her lips as she ended it in a Cheshire smile.
Kushina's own eyes widened on her. HOW? Her mind screamed before she suddenly just couldn't hold it anymore. They got outwitted by a CHILD.
Kushina burst out laughing interrupting Minato from his muttering of planned non-existent boyfriend murders.
"Oh, K-ka-kami." Kushina howled. "I-i- CAN'T!" she continued until she was on the ground holding her stomach.
"Kushina! This isn't funny! She's too young to have a boyfriend!" Minato whined loudly.
Minato's outburst just set Kushina off more. Curled up on her side, she laughed as tears run down her cheeks. Her own boyfriend couldn't even see it.
"Sh-she's-" Kushina couldn't even finish it when she caught Minashi rolling her eyes at her Nee-san.
Poor Minato looked so lost.
