Hallo! FYI: I fixed something in a previous chapter: When the First uses his wood jutsus, the jutsu comes from his body, not the ground. That had to be fixed.

That's all I think. I'll try to keep up the pace, but I can't make any promises.

I love you all!

Chapter 12

"Well, sir, the good news is that your vitals are still improving," the nurse chirped.

Ah, if only I could open my eyes, my precious one! I bet you're beautiful and succulent!

"Unfortunately, the nerves in the end of your left arm have been permanently damaged. I know you don't want to hear this, but unless you wake up soon, the nerves will continue to degenerate until we can't do anything to help you."

Eh, what happened to my left arm? I bet the Akatsuki leader did something to it, when we had our fight. Damn, when am I going to remember that?

"You know, Tsunade-sama could re-attach another arm, but we need you to tell if your chakra is compatible with the new appendage. If you don't soon, well, like I said."

. . . I lost my arm? I lost my arm?

What?

"Besides, Jiraya-sama," the nurse continued softly. "I work with Tsunade-sama a lot. You've always been there for her when she needs it, and right now, she needs it."

Tsunade . . .

"Please wake up soon."

Tsunade dragged Uchiha Sasuke through the halls of the hospital, pretending not to notice that his head bounced off the ground with every step she took. Nurses, doctors and patients scurried out of the way as she stormed by them. She knew that word of Uchiha's treatment would reach the council in a matter of minutes, and that Koharu and Homura would be down not long after.

She smiled fiendishly, looking forward to the encounter. There had been two nurses and an ANBU with her when she'd found Sasuke tampering with Naruto's head. She also now had an idea as to why both Naruto and Ino had fallen into inexplicable comas.

If she could prove that Uchiha Sasuke had been involved in the incapacitation of two of Konoha's ninjas, one of them being from a prominent clan, it would all but silence the people fighting for him. Tsunade hated to admit it, but she was almost grateful that Sasuke had attacked Ino as well. If it was just Naruto, few would have cared.

But if someone insinuated that Yamanaka Inoichi's little girl was worth less than a traitor and missing-nin, there would be hell to pay, not just from him. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio would fight together, old and new generations.

Finally, Tsunade arrived at the secure wing of the hospital, where injured prisoners were kept until they were well enough to be transferred to holding cells. The ANBU were already standing at attention when she strode in, but the tension in the air ratcheted up a notch when they noticed Sasuke's limp form behind her.

"Uchiha Sasuke was found assaulting a Konoha ninja," she stated. "I want him tied up and under constant guard. Three ANBU in the room, two by each door and window, and ten more within a five-meter radius of him. Bind his chakra, keep him heavily sedated, and clear all civilians out of a ten-meter radius. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" they shouted. Two stepped forward and grabbed Sasuke's arms, dragging him into the room.

Tsunade turned around. "I'll be bringing Hatake Kakashi in as well, to give recommendations, oversee the operation and fight Uchiha if necessary."

She stalked out of the room, leaving the ANBU hurrying about, and called Shizune.

"There's no place like home!"

Minato raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning look at Kyuubi. "That's nice, son—"

Naruto fought to keep from flinching.

"—but how is it going to help us?"

His question was answered when the ground started to shake, then lower in a circle around Kyuubi and Naruto. "You might want to hold onto me and the kit, Minato."

"Why?"

"Just do it," Kyuubi snapped. Minato tensed and flinched, like Kyuubi had just hit him. ". . . please."

Minato reluctantly shuffled over so that he was in between Naruto and Kyuubi. They both grabbed one of his arms as the ground stopped moving. "What's going on?" Minato wondered.

Naruto shrugged. "I have no ide—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Naruto, Kyuubi and Minato tumbled out of the Shinigami's mouth and hit the floor of the meeting chamber hard. They all instinctively tried to roll to absorb the impact, but ended up in a tangled mess because they were so close together.

Minato pulled himself out the quickest and rolled to a crouching position, kunai out and ready for battle. His eyes watered at the unexpected light—he had seen nothing but the murky twilight of the Realm for far too long. He flexed his hand on the kunai, looking around as his eyes burned. He couldn't see, but 

he'd been eyeless in the Realm before. One of the things, a mutated bird of some kind, liked to eat people's eyes. Those were the worst to grow back.

He wasn't sensing any danger. Usually, he knew when something was coming and could run or prepare to fight. Now, however, he felt nothing coming after him. There was much danger in the air, but nothing after him. Minato allowed himself to stand, very slowly. He still couldn't see much-just a lot of yellow and white.

Yellow.

He felt like there was something he needed to remember. Something important. It had been pushed out of his head by the danger and the shift in scene, but it was coming now.

Minato fought back a shudder as the void neared him. He instinctively reached for his shield, his defense, and the important thing came back to him.

"Naruto!"

The younger blond snapped his head up at the sound of his name. "What?"

The Hokage spun around and stepped closer to his son. Something was threatening him, something terrible. The void—the cold was coming near him! Minato clutched at Naruto's arm, pulling him close to his body for protection. Naruto hissed—his body was still sore.

"What's the matter with you?" he snarled.

Dread suddenly slammed into Naruto and a sheen of sweat coated his brow, but before he could even register the sudden danger he was in, there was a strong presence between him and the threat.

Sarutobi chuckled as the three figures tumbled on the floor. He expected Naruto to be that clumsy, but not Minato and certainly not Kyuubi. Sarutobi started to move forward and greet him, but Kagami flew forward, still huge and intimidating and targeted Naruto. The Shodai jumped forward, but both he and Sarutobi were too far away. They'd never make it in time to save Naruto.

They didn't have to, though, as Minato leaped to his feet and drew Naruto against him. He stepped securely in front of the Shinigami, bringing his hands up into a defensive position. His face hardened and his eyes turned to chips of eyes, glaring fiercely at the gigantic being. She stopped inches from his face. His hands trembled, but he refused to move.

Naruto stared up at the Shinigami and scuttled back. The Shinigami was hovering over Minato, the knife in her hands raised up, as if she would use it to slice him in half. He shuddered and struggled to breathe under the weight of her fury, but Minato stood firm between them.

A moment later, she was back in her female form. Her hair and dress swirled about her as she spun around and paced back, then returned to Minato.

"What would you do against me, human?" she hissed, her chin coming up and eyes flashing. "If I wanted him, what could you do?"

"Nothing—nothing hurts him," Minato replied. "Nothing!"

Kagami laughed and the hairs on Naruto's arms stood up. "I could rip your soul into shreds! Make it so you never existed! The things I could—"

"That is enough," Samuru said, interrupting her tirade. Kagami paced away, alternating between glaring at Naruto and hissing at Minato. "Naruto, if you could please explain what is the meaning of this." His hand swept the room, indicating his clones and the three Hokages.

Naruto gulped and scrambled to his feet. "Well, I found out that the Old Man and the other two Hokages were in there and it wasn't fair—"

"It's not up to you to decide if something is fair or not!" Minowa shouted. His voice shook the pillars of the chamber. "After all, you are only a human."

Anger shot through Naruto at the god's condescending tone. "Yeah well, this human pulled a number on you gods, huh?"

"Smart, kit, smart," Kyuubi muttered as the beings stirred angrily. "You're on your own here."

"We may not all be cruel, but we are proud," Amarante said, her eyes narrowed. "Speak carefully."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably as Minato stepped closer to him protectively. "Anyway, I thought about the rules and the only one you laid down was that I couldn't go back in once I'd come out. You also made it clear I could still use all my jutsus in there!"

Samuru scratched his chin and considered Naruto's argument. Kagami was staring at him, her eyes piercing and sharp. The other gods started murmuring among themselves, talking about him. Kagami's lips began to twitch, and a smile broke out on her face. A moment later, she threw her head back and laughed uproariously.

Naruto jumped and stared at her as she convulsed with laughter, holding her stomach and doubling over. He turned to look at Kyuubi who just rolled his eyes and made a swirling motion by his temple as if to say 'She's mad.'

"Oh! How clever! Clever, clever little human," she laughed, gliding over to him in an instant. "He speaks the truth! Oh, little human found a way around our rules!"

Kagami laughed again, running a finger down Naruto's cheek. She searched his face, then grinned. "I wonder what else you'll use that cute cleverness for, little human? I think I'll keep an eye on you. You're . . . funny."



With that she flounced away, laughing happily again. For one moment, she appeared in front of him, snarling fantastically. "But if you ever trick me again, I'll inflict the most painful death upon your mortal body and then keep your immortal soul as my pet! Clear?"

Naruto swallowed and nodded. Kagami smiled satisfactorily and spun away, saying something about returning to her job.

The silence was almost eerie after the commotion Kagami had caused. Naruto looked around, confused and wondering what had just happened. Samuru saw and chuckled. "She is like that, capricious, flighty, and utterly unpredictable."

"Wait!" the First Hokage said. "My brother is still in there!"

Naruto nodded frantically. "Yeah! I sent a clone after him! What if they don't get out—"

The Shinigami reappeared for an instant in the doorway, dragging one of Naruto's clones and the second Hokage by the back of the collars. She threw them into the room and spun around, disappearing presumably for good this time. Everyone stared as the two stood and wiped themselves off. They were covered in blue slime.

"What the hell happened to you?" the First said, stepping forward and helping his brother up.

The second coughed a couple of times and spit out some feathers. He shook his head, "You really don't want to know."

Naruto's clones dissipated and he got glassy-eyed for a moment, absorbing their memories. His eyes widened. "What the hell!"

"Okay, now I've gotta know," Kyuubi demanded. "What happened?"

The Nidaime shared a look with Naruto. "I don't think I can honestly describe it."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Me neither. What now?"

Kyuubi gave up trying to pry information out of Naruto; he'd just riffle through his memories when they were back in the same body. He turned to Samuru, who had been watching the scene with amusement. "Yes, Great One, what now?"

The god stood and scratched the back of his head. "Well, originally, Naruto, you and Kyuubi would be returned to your body, while Minato's body was restored and his soul put into it."

"What happened to my body?" Minato wondered. He'd been surprisingly quiet during the whole ordeal. Several times, he had tried to move in between Naruto and Kagami, but the former had pushed him back and faced the god himself. "What happened to everything after I died? Kushina? Is she alive?"

Samuru nodded. "Yes, she is alive. You'll have to find her."



"Your body was burned," Sarutobi answered. "You were considered the greatest hero of the attack."

Minato frowned and rubbed at his head. "But—but Naruto—he was—"

"Things didn't go exactly as planned, Dad," Naruto snapped, folding his arms and glaring at the Hokage.

The blond brought his other hand to his head and clutched at his hand. Naruto sounded angry. He had said 'Dad,' but he sounded so bitter. Had the void affected him? No, it couldn't! But the void would have made him cold and hard, not angry. Why was he angry? Angry with him? Why? Didn't Kushina tell him? Didn't she tell how much he loved Naruto? She was alive, didn't he know? What didn't go as planned? What?

"That's enough," Kyuubi said, pulling Minato out of his downward spiral. "We'll sort everything out later. Since Naruto screwed up your plans, what are you going to do?"

Samuru looked among the four Hokages standing in front of him. "Do all of you want to return to life?"

Minato blinked a couple of times, apparently confused by the question. "Return to life?"

"Yes, you would be restored to life, given a second chance to live," Samuru explained. "Get to know your son, find your wife."

"Kushina? Naruto?" Minato asked. His eyes lit up and some of the madness in them receded. "Really?"

Samuru nodded and smiled. "Yes. You would have your family again. Would you like to go back?"

Minato smiled and nodded. "Back. Back home. Kushina, Naruto. Home."

"And what of the rest of you?" Samuru asked, turning to the first three Hokages. "What would you like to do?"

Sarutobi chuckled and scratched his chin. "Well, I would only like to go back if I can be returned to my younger body."

"Careful, Saru," the second warned. "He might put you back into a child's body if you're not specific."

He laughed again, and Naruto realized just how much he'd missed the old coot. Sarutobi shook his gray head and said, "No, that was just a joke. In truth, I don't think I'll be going back."

"What?" Naruto cried. "But—but I wan—I mean Konohamaru misses you."

Sarutobi stepped up to Naruto, barely reaching his collarbone, and grabbed his chin. "I am an old man, Naruto. I have lived my life—my time on earth ended. 'Konohamaru' has many people there for him. He will be fine. Besides, I miss my wife, and oldest son. It has been far too long since I've seen them."

Naruto hung his head, feeling tears burn the back of his eyes and his throat. He had subconsciously assumed that Sarutobi would return to life and be there for him—argue, yell, and guide him. If he ever needed the Old Man, it was now, Naruto thought, casting a glance at his dazed father. Still, if there was 

one person as stubborn as he was, it was Sarutobi. There would be no changing his mind. "Anything you want me to say to Konohamaru?"

"Just tell him that I know what kind of ninja he's become, and I'm proud of him," Sarutobi said after a moment's consideration.

Naruto frowned. "But you don't!"

"That is why sometimes," the Old Man said in his Wise Sage voice, "it is better to lie."

"Whatever, you crazy old coot," Naruto replied, putting his hands behind his head and staring to the side. Sarutobi laughed, and the Chuunin took one last chance to commit the sound to memory. He grinned at Sarutobi and the Hokage stepped back, turning to the other two.

"What about you two?" he asked the First and Second.

The Shodai smiled gently. "We are relics from an outdated time," he said. "Like Sarutobi, it is time for us to move on."

"Yeah," the Second agreed. "Besides, who'd want to go back to that boring old world anyway? We've got bigger and better things to get to!" He grinned and threw an arm around the shoulders of his brother, who just rolled his eyes in a long-suffering manner.

"So, none of you except Minato are coming back?" Kyuubi asked. All three nodded. Kyuubi frowned and directed his question to the First Hokage. "Just one thing: how did you defeat Uchiha Madara?"

The First's eyes went sad and solemn. "In truth, I didn't. We were both severely injured at the end of our fight. Out of respect for our former friendship, he agreed to leave and start his own Village. He decided it should be him because the pollen count was too high in Konoha, bothered his nose."

The Shodai smiled sadly, lost in thought and memory. Samuru intervened and opened a door behind the three dead Hokages. The Second went first, grinning happily, clearly excited at the prospect of 'bigger and better things.' Next exited the First, who bowed low to Naruto and Kyuubi and marched through the door. Sarutobi was last, turning just before the threshold to observe the three he was leaving.

Naruto stood with his arms folded, a grin on his face. Sarutobi knew it was to cover his pain, and wished he wasn't the one causing it, but in truth, it would hurt the boy more if he came back to life, then died again. Kyuubi was stewing about something, probably the total unhelpfulness of the First's answer. Just behind and to the left of him was Minato, who was staring at the door and squinting, as if the light hurt his eyes.

"Your path is unbeaten, you three. And it will be all uphill." He chuckled at the confused faces. It was good to be old. If he said things like that, people assumed it was wisdom learned from time, not something pulled out of his ass. Just remember that you are stronger together than separate.

He turned, confident that they would make it, and stepped into the light.

--

Yeah, I know. I would have absolutely loved to write about all four Hokages coming back to life. But that would have complicated the plot and drawn the importance away from Minato's return, which was the point of this story. I might write a story about them after this is over, but for now, they're gone. You guys could have guessed from the fact that I didn't give the First a name.

I have no clue what happened to the Second. I just thought it would be funny for him to spit out feathers.

Hoo boy. We're almost back to the real world! Keep going!

Sarutobi's comment is from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Giles sings it.