"Promise me you will come back", Kushina stated extending her hand. Obito walked forward clapping the outstretched hand with a grin.
"You got it, Kushina-nee", he replied before turning to the tuft of blond hair sticking from behind the woman. "Naruto, don't be scared of Bakashi! He just tries to look cool and scary!", he exclaimed pinching the boy's cheeks, ignoring his teammate's indignant shout.
Naruto nodded with a grin. "I will miss you Obito-nii-chan", the blonde murmured sadly.
The Uchiha ruffled his hair. "I will return quickly, otouto".
Giggles erupted from the raven-haired girl, the blonde boy tackling her to the ground and tickling her. Nobody could hear the pair other than the guarding ANBU positioned around the Yondaime's stone head in the blonde's security detail.
"Stop it! Hahaha- Naruto! Hahaha- it hurts!", she complained in between laughs, trying to pry off the blonde. After the last part, he stopped tickling, the pair still laughing quietly.
"You lost again, Izumi-chan!", the boy remarked grinning. The girl shook her head exasperation.
"I can't set up pranks like you, Naruto. Tou-sama has headaches from the pranks you pull off", she responded with a grin. "Still how did you replace the missions scrolls at the Police Headquarters with sealed colour bombs?! I know Yondaime-sama and Kushina-oba-chan didn't help you!"
The boy grinned widely. "That's a secret, Izumi-chan!", he answered, before both broke out laughing. The two watched in silence as lights lit up across Konoha, the autumn festival in full swing.
"Who would have thought you and Akahana would have the same birthday?", she wondered out, Naruto shrugging as an answer.
"Tou-chan said that Akahana would have red hair since her chakra signature is almost the similar as Kaa-chan", Naruto remarked fondly. "I hope Sasuke and Akahana become just good friends".
Izumi laughed softly at the implications. "Give the boys a rest, Naruto. You and Yondaime-sama will scare them away even before they look at Akahana", she said with a smile. The blonde pouted, but said nothing. The pair scooted closer as the temperature started dropping into the night.
Finally, Izumi slowly stood up, glancing softly at the nighttime Konoha. "I need to go, Naruto. Kaa-chan and Tou-sama are leaving on a mission, and I need to look after Sasuke", she remarked turning to the blonde.
"I will tag along then. Tou-chan said that they may arrive tomorrow morning, after checking on Kaa-chan's seal and everything", Naruto responded with a shrug. A sudden shiver ran down through their spines, their heads snapping to its origin on the left.
"What was that sudden chill in the air?", Izumi asked with a frown.
"It must be the cold air. We aren't at War anymore", the whiskered blonde replied after a moment. The two five-year old kids looked at each other, before shrugging and breaking in a sprint to the Uchiha Clan Compounds, the ANBU tailing them silently in the shadows.
Naruto poked Sasuke's cheek, causing a giggle to erupt from one-and-a-half month old infant. Izumi looked at two boys softly. She wouldn't trade them for the world. Her musings were cut short when another chill went down their spines, and Sasuke erupting into loud cries. She and Naruto shared a look of fear at the feeling, before snapping their heads in the directions of loud panicked cries. The two raced outside, staring in horror at the towering figure of the Kyubi in the distance.
Fear and panic settled in the pair, Izumi staggering backwards in shock whereas Naruto inched forward realizing the implications. "KAA-CHAN!", he screamed in fear. Before he could run forward, an ANBU scooped Naruto in his arms. "Let me go! Kaa-chan is in danger! Let. Me. Go", he shouted in vain, the ANBU's grip not budging an inch.
"You have to trust Yondaime-sama, Naruto-kun. We all have no choice but to trust Hokage-sama", he said softly, before turning to his team members in the vicinity. "Boar! Lizard! Take them to the shelters! I will ask Sandaime-sama for the next set of orders!", he barked out the instructions before vanishing.
Naruto didn't get a chance to escape as a Lizard-masked ANBU held him tightly as soon as the Bird-masked ANBU left. Boar quickly took Sasuke from Itachi, before the five vanished and reappeared at the shelters in the Hokage monument. They watched in horror as the Kyubi destroyed a quarter of Konoha before aiming a Bijuudama towards the Hokage Monument. The increasing sense of doom turned into awe as a sealing array spread before them, absorbing and teleporting the Bijuudama, followed the familiar extension of the Sandaime's staff summon Enma. pushing the Kyubi outside of the village walls.
The anticipation increased as a humungous toad crashed on the top of the Kyubi, before the Kyubi itself vanished.
"Was the Kyubi sealed away?", Boar asked as he hugged Izumi and Sasuke for comfort reassurance. Lizard shook his head in denial.
"No. That was Hokage-sama's Hiraishin. Hokage-sama plans to deal with the Kyu-", Lizard was cut short when there was flash of yellow and the topic of their discussion stood their himself. "Hokage-sama?!"
Minato glanced in Lizard's direction, before his eyes settled on his son. In the next instant, Minato grabbed Naruto before flashing away again. Even if no words were exchanged, the two ANBU understood what was happening.
"Does Yondaime-sama plan to...?", Lizard wondered out for confirmation. Boar nodded sadly releasing the pair from the hug. Izumi looked in confusion and fear at the tone of the ANBU.
"What will happen to Naruto?", Izumi asked in fear. Boar stayed silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"He will need you as friend, Izumi-san"
Naruto squeaked in shock at coming face-to-face to the Kyubi after flashing away with his father. He looked towards her mother in shock as she took ragged breaths while keeping the Kyubi pinned down, before spotting her newborn sister on an altar.
"Tou-chan, what's happening?!", he asked turning back to his father. Minato looked at his son sadly, before steeling himself.
"Naruto promise me, you will look after your sister and mother. There's no choice but to seal the Kyubi in Akahana and you", the blonde man relayed sadly. Naruto's eyes widened in fear and shock. Reeling himself in, he looked back at his father with determination.
"Seal it in me completely! If you can't, make sure that Akahana doesn't die incase the Kyubi is removed in the future. I don't want her to suffer because of her being a Jinchuriki", the younger blonde responded fiercely. Minato looked at boy with pride, before turning to Kyubi.
"Minato...", Kushina rasped tiredly. "Thank you for everything you have done for me".
"Kushina... It's because you I'm the Yondaime Hokage. But... We have no choice. And I believe in them since they are our kids. I believe that Naruto and Akahana will learn to use the Kyubi's power one day, Kushina", Minato responded causing Naruto to nod in determination. Looking back at Kyubi, he went to a series of hand-seals, before ending on a clap. "Shiki Fuin! (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)".
Naruto gulped as a ghastly figure emerged from behind his father, the sword in the figure's mouth not doing anything to calm the blonde down. He watched as his father gave him a soft look, before turning to glare at the struggling for of the Kyubi. "Fuin!"
A cold feeling spread in Naruto's stomach as the Shinigami's hand went through his father and him, before attaching itself to the Kyubi. A moment later, the hand reeled back, ripping apart a huge amount chakra from the Kyubi, making the Bijuu shrink in size. Naruto fell to his knees when the hand retracted through him, creating a seal on his stomach and sending unimaginable through his body, the sheer pain causing him not even to utter a syllable.
He was brought out of his pain when the sounds of chains snapping, and something being skewered sounded around him. He watched with wide eyes as his parents stopped a Kyubi's nail from skewering his little sister. "Tou-chan! Kaa-chan!", he shouted in fear and worry, stumbling himself to the altar beside his parents.
Going through hand signs for Kuchiyose, Minato summoned a toad. The summoned toad was instantly deathly pale spotting the Kyubi a few feet away. "Gerotora, I am giving you the sealing keys for both Naruto and Akahana. Take it to Jiraiya-sensei and store it away immediately".
"You have my word. The key is safe in my possession", Geratora announced closing the scroll around his body and poof-ing away. Minato glanced at the restless Shinigami across him.
"Kushina, my time is running out. I am starting with the Hakke Fuin (Eight Sign Seal). I want to put some of my chakra in them too. It will be a while before we can see them again. Let's tell them what we want to say", Minato murmured softly to his wife.
Kushina smiled a little, looking softly between her children. "Naruto, Akahana, don't be picky. Eat lots and grow strong. Make sure you bathe everyday and stay warm. And don't stay up late. You need lots of sleep. And make friends. You don't need lots of friends. Just a few... Ones you can really, really trust. I wasn't very good at it, but keep up with your studies and practice your ninjutsu hard. Remember that everybody has strengths and weaknesses. So, don't get depressed if you can't do something well. Respect your teachers and senpai at the Academy. Oh! And this is important. Its about the three prohibitions for a shinobi. Be extra careful about lending and borrowing money. Put your mission wages into saving account. No alcohol until you're twenty. Too much can ruin your health, so drink in moderation. Another prohibition is women for Naruto and boys for Akahana. I don't know much about this, but... try to find some like your father and I, Akahana, Naruto. Be wary of bad people. Speaking of the three prohibition, be wary of Jiraiya-sensei, 'ttebane. Naruto, Akahana, from now on you are going to face lots of pain and hardship. Be true to yourself. Have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come true. There's so much more I want to pass on to you. I wanted to be with you longer. I love you, Akahana, Naruto", she said softly, raising a hand to ruffle Naruto's hair. "Minato, I am sorry I used up your time".
Minato shook his head. "Oh, its okay. Naruto, Akahana, my message to you is... I guess the same as your nagging mother's", he remarked before taking in a deep breath. "Hakke Fuin!".
A blinding white was the last thing Naruto remembered before losing consciousness under the immense pain of the new seal.