Two weeks after Minato's nomination ceremony, the blond invites me to go to his house. I had not yet visited his and Kushina's apartment, which made me extremely curious. Truth be told, I had not seen the couple in a long time.

Tomorrow would be the meeting to discuss my ... visions. In the last few weeks, I had learned to activate and deactivate my eyes, though I didn't have the chakra to maintain the Mangekyo.

Well, Minato would take care of that.

Shisui had gone on a mission yesterday, and Itachi was busy with something related to his duty as clan heir, so I'd spent most of the day alone reading. Whenever I could I read fiction: the visions were becoming more recurrent and they always made me cry.

I was getting tired of crying.

Stories always distracted me from reality. They were my escape. At that moment I was reading a new book: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.

The protagonist was called Naruto, who was an extremely courageous and persistent ninja. The shinobi's beautiful way of seeing the world, his hopes, brought me joy, and the story was extremely engaging.

Why the book wasn't a sales success I did not know.

I bet the boys would like to read it, too. Yuki, on the other hand, would not be interested, she didn't like anything about the shinobi world.

Maybe that was the reason? There was no appeal to anyone who wasn't shinobi...

Somebody knocks at the door and I am suddenly glad. I leave the book on the bed and put my shoes on, ready to leave. I open the door, smiling at the blond who was waiting for me, hiding the surprise of not seeing the redhead.

I've seen Minato a few times in the last few weeks, even though I have not been able to talk to him much, I have seen him. The redhead, on the other hand... I had hardly seen her. She seemed almost to be avoiding me.

— Good evening, Minato-sama.

— You can continue to use-nii, Izumi-chan, especially while we are among family and friends.

I feel my cheeks turning a little red. Ever since the man had become a Hokage, I had not been able to decide how to treat him.

— So how was your week, Minato-nii?

The blonde smiles at me and I feel myself doing the same. His smile really was contagious. We started walking towards the man's house.

— It was difficult. Being a Hokage is laborious and tiring and these weeks have been very busy. And you Izumi-chan?

— I trained a lot. Not only with Fugaku-sama but also with Shisui and Itachi. Honestly, these boys are freaks! How two people manage to train so much I don't know — I grumble, remembering the muscle pain, bruises and cuts I'd endured all week— They don't know what it means to take it easy!

Minato shakes his head, exasperated, and then asks me with a strange gleam in his eyes:

— And how has it been? Have you been able to keep up with them?

— Since I can now activate the Sharingan, I've improved a lot, especially in taijutsu. I can get away from them, and even get a few kicks in! My chakra control still needs some work, but now I can make perfect Fireball Jutsu, even though the ball is not that big ...

— Oh, really? I would like to see it, Izu-chan — Says the blonde looking at me.

I feel something warm spreading through my chest, and suddenly, I can't wait for a chance to show him the jutsu: what kind of expression would he do if I impressed him?

Finally, we arrived at Minato's building. We climb only a flight of stairs and the blonde just touches the door, releasing some kind of seal, opening it. I walk in behind him and taking off my shoes.

We enter the room, and I can hear Kushina muttering some music in the kitchen.

— Tadaima!

The blonde's voice seems to pull her out of her state of distraction because in a few seconds she appears in the room. However, I feel that something seems ... wrong. Smiling, she says,

— Okaeri, Izumi, Minato. Dinner's almost ready, just wait a few minutes, okay?

Minato leads me into the living room and we sit down. I look around the house with interest, seeing some scattered photos.

Two draw my attention and as soon as I take them I see a nostalgic smile in the blonde's face. One was relatively recent. Kushina was grinning, wearing a white kimono and beside her, Minato also in traditional clothes, beams openly.

It was their wedding, I realize.

And it was beautiful.

I had never seen either of them as happy as they looked in that picture. Minato was the sun, Kushina was fire.

The other picture also had the two of them but much younger. They were not together: it was a picture taken inside a classroom. The redhead seemed to be about to hit a boy while Minato smiled at the camera in the background.

They were always extremely good-looking.

Honestly, I was curious about how their son or daughter would grow up to be.

— Kushina-nee looks very angry — I comment at last

— Oh, she was. Nothing irritated Kushina like these boys implying that her hair was ugly. I never understood why they said those horrible things, though. I always thought it was beautiful.

— It really is.

The redhead calls us. We enter the dining room and the table was set.

The dinner was ramen.

I don't feel any surprise, but an involuntary smile rises to my lips.

We sit, say 'itadakimasu' and begin to eat.

- Kushina-nee the food is delicious! I had no idea you cooked so well!

The Jinchuriki turns slightly red, but smiles.

— Well, I try!

After a few more minutes, where we exchanged a few words and chatted about basically nothing, the food was gone. I get up to help clear the table, but the blond stops me. He guides me back to the room, and after a few seconds, Kushina appears. The atmosphere suddenly changes, and the redhead, with the most serious expression I've seen on her, sits in front of me.

— Izumi, Minato told me that you are aware of my ... situation.

I blink a few times, trying to figure out what exactly she's talking about when I remember.

— I completely forgot! Congratulations!

I get up and jump on the redhead hugging her. She looks completely surprised, and when I turn to Minato a similar expression is on his face, but I ignore it and hug him as well.

— What are you talking about? — The redhead asks me still looking surprised.

— You're pregnant, right Kushina-nee?

— Ah, yes — The redhead laughs, and she seems to relax a little bit, though the awkward tension it's still there — Thank you, Izu-chan. But ... well, it was not exactly that.

What is...

Ah.

— You were talking about the fox — I say aloud.

The redhead grimaces and nods. I sit down again and stare into your eyes.

— Did something happen to it? Or... between you two, I guess?

She blinks at me.

— Well ... not exactly. But ... I thought you might have ... questions.

— Kushina thought you would be scared of her — Minato interrupts the redhead — And she wanted to bring you here and explain how everything works because she already sees you like family and didn't want you to be afraid of her.

— Minato! — Kushina screams, her face the same color of her hair and her expression irritated.

— Nee-chan — I call her, causing her to turn to me — I'm not afraid of you. Give me some credit! I know that fuinjutsu seals the fox inside of you, not turn you into it!

The redhead stares at me for long seconds and then a single tear trickles down her face.

That was wrong.

Kushina was cheerful, courageous, determined.

Seeing her crying is wrong.

Without holding back, I rise and hug the redhead, squeezing her tightly.

— You're amazing, Nee-chan. Something stupid like an angry fox would never be enough to drive me away from you.

The redhead smiles at me and this time she is the one who squeezes me.

— And you're too precious to be in this awful world, Izu-chan.

I turn red, move away from the redhead, and smile at the couple.

— I've never been so happy for the fact that I bumped into someone as I am about bumping into you, Minato-nii.

The blonde smiles and puts a hand in my hair, messing it up.

The couple convinces me to sleep in the guest room of their apartment. In the morning I put on old clothes from Kushina, which she had separated the night before and smile at the sight I see in the mirror. I'm wearing a yellow outfit. I make a high ponytail and leave the room, heading to the living room where the couple is already waiting for me.

Kushina and Minato talk in a low voice. The meeting we had scheduled was today, and I was especially nervous.

— Good Morning! — I speak happily

— Good morning, Izu-chan!

I sit in the vacant chair and start filling my plate. We eat quickly and I notice the tension in the room. Well, I couldn't blame them.

It was their life at stake. And the whole village.

The Village that Minato should protect.

We leave the apartment and quickly head to the compound. Down the street, choirs of 'Hokage-sama', people bowing and whispers follow us wherever we pass. Minato-nii smiles at everyone, greeting everyone who addresses him.

At last, we arrive and the nervousness affects me again. I try to take a deep breath, which doesn't work, feeling my hands sweating.

— Izu-chan — Kushina says — You don't have to be nervous. We are going to be there, Fugaku too. Nothing will happen to you.

I nod, unable to say anything.

We go in and the scene in front of me makes me stop. In addition to Sandaime, the three board members, and Fugaku, all the leaders of the main clans are there: Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Hyuuga.

Great, just great.

— Hokage-sama — Everyone gets up and bows to the blonde, who greets them back. He goes to his place at the head of the table, two empty places at his side.

Most of the people in the room didn't know why Izumi was there, so they were all surprised at the girl's entrance. All of them could see she couldn't be older than six, and no one knew why such a young child was doing is this kind of meeting, but she entered with the Hokage, so no one questioned her presence there.

Izumi could not be more grateful — for a few seconds, at least.

Minato takes a deep breath and begins:

— Today's meeting is officially opened. The discussion will be about something ... unusual, to say the least. Fugaku-san.

— Today's subject was... brought to the Hokage's attention by a Kinjutsu of the Uchiha clan. Being a kinjutsu, this is not something normally shared with the other clans, so I appreciate everyone's discretion.

— Any subject discussed at today's meeting is classified as Rank S. It should not be shared with anyone outside this room under any circumstances other than a direct command from myself — Adds Minato.

— Hai, Hokage-sama — Everyone says at the same time.

— Mangekyo Sharingan is a level of the clan's doujutsu hit by very few members. It is classified as Kinjutsu, as has been said previously, and its eye pattern varies between each member that awakens it. The skills awarded by those eyes also vary.

Fugaku pauses, while the whole table seems to absorb what he says. Hiashi Hyuuga was bothered by this new information: what kind of power was this doujutsu delivering to the unstable Uchihas?

Most leaders, however, are more concerned about where this discussion would go.

— Uchiha Izumi, who is now on the side of the Hokage, is the youngest to have ever awakened both the Sharingan and the Mangekyo. Since awakening, she's been having ... repetitive visions. One of these visions brought her extremely secretive information that she would have no other way of knowing that by the medium we believe she had achieved: through a jutsu granted by the doujutsu that allows her to see the future.

For a second nothing happens.

And then the room turns into hell.

Everyone starts talking at the same time. Some, like Tsume Inuzuka, burst into laughter. Others, like Inoichi Yamanaka, seem curious. Reactions vary, but something is common in all: disbelief.

— I know how that sounds — Minato resumes speech and as soon as he opens his mouth everyone is silent. Despite having acquired political power shortly, Konoha's Yellow Flash has always inspired respect, especially those who fought along with him, which was the case for all present. The voice he had used was the tone he kept for field orders, and made all of them shut up immediately — However, I would not have brought something like that to a council meeting without proper checking beforehand. The information that Izumi brought was that Kushina is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.

The whole table reflects different levels of surprise. The fact that the redhead had the most powerful bijuu sealed in her itself was a closely guarded secret, especially in moments of war where the Jinchuriki became weapons not only of physical combat but also of threat.

— Izumi — The blonde calls attention to the child, who had been in perfect silence since the meeting began.

— Hokage-sama?

Minato smiles gently at her as he notices the tension. Bring a five-year-old girl to a meeting of that caliber, especially a girl with such a strong perception of her surroundings ...

Of course, she would be nervous.

— I would like you to allow Yamanaka-san into your mind. Besides verifying your visions, he will be able to perceive things that you may not have noticed or understood.

Izumi bites his lips. Who could blame her? Having someone inside your mind is extremely invasive and scary.

Fugaku notices the girl's hesitation and it's about to intervene. At the same time, Minato sees it too and feels his expression soften even more. He should not put that kind of pressure on a child. He was about to say that he had changed his mind when her voice, more resolute than he had ever heard, echoed:

— I will do it.

Izumi was afraid of having her mind invaded by a stranger, it was true. However, Minato's gaze on her made her change her mind.

The blonde trusted her enough to bring her to this meeting. He had taken her inside his own home, even after she had discovered sensitive information about his wife. They took her to dinner, encouraged her and above all, in that moment of pain, even though she was a complete stranger, they stopped all their plans to help her.

Izumi owed a lot to them, and nothing (much less something superfluous like fear or shame) would prevent her from helping them in any way she could.

— Inoichi, if you can ...

The Yamanaka nods and turns to the child, a gentle smile on his lips.

— Izumi-san, right? Please do not resist. I'm not going to hurt you or see anything you do not want me to see, right?

The girl nods firmly. Inoichi feels the smile spread on his lips.

She was a brave little girl, for sure.

He performs the jutsu, and when he finds what he's looking for, he can not help but think 'fucking shit.'

Everyone at the table is silent as the man watches the girl's visions. When it finally comes back, the tension is clear in the air.

Inoichi returns with her eyes extremely wide. Izumi simply blinks and calms her breath down. Tears stream down her face, and she cleans them hurriedly.

— Inoichi? — The Hokage questions, urging the other blonde to report his visions.

— For the time being, what I can safely say is that the girl's visions were definitely caused by some kind of jutsu, since the chakra is still residual in them, and what she saw should be devoted to the best of our abilities.

— And what exactly is that, Yamanaka? — The Inuzuka leader, Tsume, asks,

— The Nine-Tails attacking the village.

Everyone in the room holds their breath. An attack from the Kyuubi, the most powerful chakra beast there is.

— In the last few weeks, Izumi has been learning to control her Mangekyo. Every time she has managed to keep it activated for more than thirty seconds, it triggers some kind of vision. She is here to narrate all her visions while keeping her eyes activated, in case she sees anything useful —explains the Uchiha.

—We will chart the ground plan today, and we will reschedule meetings monthly to try to stop it.

— Hai Hokage-sama.

Minato takes a deep breath and draws a piece of paper from his pocket. Pushing a little chakra, the seal falls apart, revealing ink and a brush. The blonde catches both and turns to Izumi, who stares at him biting his lips, still nervous.

Smiling to try to calm her, the man indicates her arm, which the brunette stretches without hesitation. The Hokage quickly draws the chakra transfer seal, attaching it to himself and the normal reserves of Kushina, avoiding the Nine-Tails.

He sits down again and says in the kindest tone he has:

— Whenever you're ready, Izu-chan.

The girl nods inhale and concentrate chakra in her eyes. Everyone in the room sees the Sharingan, already with three tomes, appear in his eyes. They spin, forming a pattern that resembled a star.

The Mangekyo.

The girl finally lets out the air, blinks, and starts:

— I see through the eyes of a man ... probably a teenager, actually. Between 15 and 18? He wears a mask. I stand outside a cave surrounded by several ANBU agents, but I do not let them stop me: I attack several of them so fast that I do not even have a reaction. I think it's a kind of Space Jutsu.

Hiashi narrows his eyes with that phrase. Kill the elite Konoha girl fast enough to even have a reaction? Shikaku mutters 'troublesome'.

— I hear a scream and I know, I mean, he knows it's time. I teleport myself to the cave and see ... Kushina-nee, Minato-san, and a midwife. I kill the woman in seconds and get ... I get the baby. Minato asks me who I am ... I leave the cave with the baby and I'm followed. Then ... I do not know what happens. But Kushina is trapped by the arms and the seal on her belly seems open. I pull ... something from inside her. The fox with a chakra full of hatred, malice. It wants to destroy anything and I want it to destroy Konoha.

The description of the chakra causes a chill in the Akimichi. The Nara does not stop weighing how problematic that whole situation was. Izumi continues to narrate as accurately as possible all the visions of the night, including his running away with Itachi.

— The last vision ... It's the next day. I stand in front of three tombs. Between them, a small baby and beside it, Sandaime-sama is saying something. The rest of the village is behind me ...

— Tombs of whom? — Inquiring is Inuzuka again, impatient.

- Minato-nii, I mean, H-hokage-sama and Kushina-nee —The girl's voice comes out a whisper.

Suddenly Izumi's eyes widen and another vision unfolds in his mind.

"She's running through the trees quickly. Something is behind her. A boy is on his diagonal, just a little behind. Suddenly the other ninja shouts 'Shisui' and the boy (Izumi?) Turns around and tries to catch up with him after a second of hesitation. But he (she) can't.

A painful cry leaves her lips and a familiar burning to the girl and unknown to the boy reaches his(hers?) eyes.

Before everything darkens, the girl sees an orange mask "

— Izumi!

The voice of the Yellow Flash awakens her from the sight which had nothing to do with the fox but nevertheless was still terrible.

— Shisui ... where's Shisui?

— Shisui went on a mission, Izu-chan. He is together with his genin team.

— He-he needs help. Now.

— Izumi, Shisui is a capable shinobi...

— One of the genin with him died, Minato-nii, and whoever killed him was a masked man.

— You think...

Izumi shrugs but feels her inside twist. That twinge in the eyes ...

She remembered that pain.

Shisui would awaken his Mangekyo. Or had already.

Izumi can't help but make a minute of silence for the young life that she was certain would be lost.

— Hound — Minato's voice was firm. Immediately, a masquerade appears next to the Hokage — Find Uchiha Shisui's team and ensure the safety of the members. Take advantage to collect any possible information about the masquerade, however, do not engage him in battle. Do you understand?

— Hai, Hokage-sama — the masked man answers and leaves the room in a body flick.

The girl's Mangekyo was still activated when she felt something pulling again.

"She's lying down (o?). Her back hurts incredibly and she (and) finds herself cursing Minato. An orange mask is in her (his) hands.

- Zetsu! - The man calls in a low voice - Bring me that-"

Izumi returns to the reality trembling.

— I'm sure it's the same person now — the Uchiha says, interrupting the planning that had already begun at the table. Minato acknowledges her with a slight nod and the discussion continues.

Izumi is too exhausted to pay attention, so she simply stays still and tries to keep her eyes on.

The meeting had lasted for about four hours, and I was exhausted. I had some more visions, but mostly just the destruction of Konoha, nothing concrete about the masked man.

While everyone was leaving, I stayed in the room with Minato and Kushina at the request of the blonde. Fugaku also waits for all the other leaders to leave.

— Izumi-chan — I raise my eyes to him — You did very well today. Tomorrow we will not have Sharingan training, you should let your eyes rest for at least a day. Any discomfort brings it to me and I'll direct you to one of the clan's doctors.

— Hai, Fugaku -sama — I answer obediently.

— Mikoto would like you to join us for dinner tomorrow.

I smile at the man.

— I would be honored, Fugaku-sama.

The man nods and with a slight bow to Minato and leaves the room. The couple next to me smile slightly, though they still look tired and worried.

— Izumi. We have ... something to offer you. — Speaks the redhead looking nervous — We were thinking about this before but due to the risk of this future, we will... implement it sooner than I had expected.

I feel my curiosity increasing.

— You were studying calligraphy, right? Maybe you are already aware of that, but calligraphy is the base of Fuinjutsu. The Uzumaki clan, which was my family, have always been known by masters of the sealing arts ...

— And I also studied Fuinjutsu, under the tutelage of Jiraiya-sensei — completes the blonde.

— Well, basically, we both have several seal based techniques that we would like to move on to the future. And there are high chances that we will not have to teach our baby...

— Not that we're replacing you with him or something! We already wanted to teach you since the day we picked you in your class. But it was an incentive to start teaching you the basics so early.

I laugh at the blond nervousness. An immense joy bubbles inside me and tears build up in my eyes. Without hesitation, I get up and hug the blonde, and the redhead laughs and joins us, crushing me between them.

— I-I'm really honored, Minato-nii, Kushina-nee. Teach me your own jutsus and your family's ...

I shake my head. The two release me and Kushina puts her hand on my head, messing my hair.

— You're a lovely, determined girl, Izumi. Well ... we don't want to see all this knowledge gone. You've been brave enough to bring your visions to Fugaku and to Minato, and I truly believe you will be an incredible kunoichi.

I smile even more. Passing jutsus like this, for someone who is not blood, is extremely serious in the shinobi world, and to feel that faith they both had in me was priceless.

— How about we start tomorrow? — Suggests Minato — I am very busy with the Hokage functions, so Kushina will probably teach you the most, but I would like to be there for the first class, and tomorrow I have a few free hours.

— Nothing would make me happier. And even though you're not asking me to do that ... — I swallow the sob that rises in my throat, even though the tears are still falling — I'll be extremely happy to pass anything I learn to your child if ... in case something happens with you.

The redhead messed up my hair again, her eyes with a suspicious glow. Minato smiles sadly at me.

— You really are too precious to this world, Izu-chan — says the redhead.

I arrive home a few minutes later — Minato and Kushina clearly needed some time alone. Dealing with your impending death it's not an easy feat.

Dealing with the imminent death of the one you love surely is not — I can speak from experience.

I take a deep breath and turn around. I didn't know what had or hadn't happened to Shisui and I had a bad feeling. I knock on the genin's door, praying my vision did not materialize, that we were wrong about the Mangekyo's power.

For several seconds nothing happens until the door is opened. When I see the boy my heart squeezes. His hair was messier than usual, his clothes were wrinkled and his eyes ... his eyes were red, not because of the Sharingan.

— Izumi. ANBU-san told me that you had alerted the Hokage to what was happening to us. I have no idea how you even knew anything but then-

I interrupt him, wrapping my arms around him.

— I'm sorry. I-I wanted to stop you from going through this.

— Stop what exactly, Izumi?

He seems mildly suspicious and I confirm his suspicions by injecting chakra into my eyes.

— I didn't exactly go through the same thing, but ... I understand you, Shisui.

Tears trickle down his cheeks, and his eyes change, reflecting a different pattern from mine, though clearly a Mangekyo. He hugs me again, and a sob leaves his lips.

— I killed him, Izumi. He's dead and it's my fault.

— Shhhh. I could tell that it was not your fault. You tried to reach him ... but you couldn't. No one is omnipotent. The enemy was far more powerful. There was nothing you could do.

He hugs me even more tightly.

— But I know that none of this will make the guilt diminish. So I'll tell you what actually helped me — I gather all my strength and smile — Shisui, I am here for you, and I will always be ... because we are friends. Family.

The boy sobs against me.

A/N: It has been some time! So, what did you think? o you like it, hate it? Please comment on your thoughts, questions, opinions, anything! Hope you are all enjoying and see you all soon!