Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto. If I did, you would already have a spin-off about young Minato and Kushina

Yeah, yeah, I know already. Horrible name for a title, but it's so hard to come up with! So I just called it 'My Red Thread of Training'. I'll probably stop using 'Red Thread' for a title during the Chunnin exams, but for now, it stays like it is, and will start up afterwards. And some people told me that Minato was always praised as a prodigy, so I'll explain a few things that I should have explained when I started this story. Minato actually graduated from the Academy at nine, and just turned ten in the story, meaning it's about March right now. Yes, I memorized his birthday! Actually, I was supposed to share it, but I was born early, and instead share Shino's birthday, four days before. Instead, my sister shares Minato's birthday D: Back to what I was saying, (note the automatic switch of subject) Minato is a prodigy, but since Jiriaya hasn't taken him on as an apprentice he doesn't have any jutsu to show off with. But you might notice that it only takes him a day or two to master most jutsu. That's it for now, so please enjoy the chapter!

Edit:I'm getting back on track with this story, finally! I'm sorry to say I just realized how Mary Sue these characters are, and how much of a flat character each of them are. I'll be doing my best to give them a more in-depth personality in my new outline and rewrites. I did the same last chapter, making Sari out to be someone who tries to act the mother out of the team(even if Minato is usually more mature than she is). Hikaru is not going to be exactly like Naruto, if that was what you expected, even if there are a few similarities. He has the average level of knowledge, and he knows how and when to be serious and when to not show emotion. He will also most likely be protective of his teammates. Any more ideas for his personality will be welcomed!

Also, say hello to Kushina's verbal tick! Forgot about that, I guess, but she didn't say it at all when she was saved by Minato in the episode, sooooo... Anyway, I'm using the word 'dattebane' instead of 'ya know', because it only slips out when she's angry, surprised, and most likely when she's depressed. "Hey, ya know!" sounded weird, so I guess this is the best way :D Now, end to this outrageously long Authors Note!

A thud caught Minato's attention as he walked down the pathway home. He stopped, turning his sky blue gaze up to look for the source of the noise. He had reached a different training area, one much deeper in the woods. Kushina stood in the middle alone, punching one of the three logs that stood in the large clearing. Minato watched her train, noticing how lonely she looked all by herself in such a large area. It was getting darker, but she wasn't shown any signs of slowing down or stopping. She was sweating, Minato could tell, and her body trembled with exertion.

"Are you ok?,"Minato called to her. Kushina's red hair flew around her neck as she spun around to look at him in surprise. She was obviously breathing heavily, and her bangs stuck to her sweaty face. "M-Minato, dattebane!,"She stuttered, having been caught off guard. "You look exhausted!,"Minato exclaimed, bounding over to her. She was slightly paler than usual, though she looked much better than she had when she had been captured. He was almost relieved to see the familiar fire burning in her beautiful indigo orbs. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Kushina bowed her head as she answered. "They didn't want to come train today, so I'm alone, dattebane..." Minato wondered if he imagined the spark of disappointment in her eyes. It was gone almost instantly, though, replaced by a carefree smile.

"Have you been training all day?,"Minato asked. "Y-Yes,"She breathed through her exhaustion,"But I have to get stronger! I won't be able to make it through the Chunnin exams if I don't!" Her words almost made it seem as though she was trying to encourage herself more than him. "If you train too much, won't it just make you too weak to train again, or to fight again later?,"Minato pointed out questioningly, inwardly wincing at how hypocritical that statement had been. "I don't care! I can take it! I have to!,"Kushina replied, her eyes alight with that wonderful flame that always made her seem so strong.

"Then are you going to come back tomorrow to train? It looks like that log can't take much more,"Minato pointed, his voice showing his amusement, towards the beat-up log. Before she could answer him, he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the path carefully. "Hey, dattebane!,"She snapped, trying to pull away. Minato couldn't help noticing that she wasn't putting her full strength into it. "Come on! It's late! I'll walk you home!,"He added cheerfully, grinning.

Kushina, who had been digging her feet into the ground to stop them from walking away, took in a short breath, her eyes wide. Before Minato could guess what the expression meant, she sped up to walk just behind Minato so he wouldn't have to drag her. He looked forward along the path once more, doing his best to hide his happiness when he realized she hadn't released his hand when he loosened his grip.

Kushina POV

Kushina walked beside the blond ninja in silence. There was something about being around him that just made her want to smile, and her badly hidden grin displayed that openly. She giggled to herself, glancing at his azure blue eyes from the corner of her eye. "Hey! What's so funny?,"Minato asked with faked exasperation, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. "Oh, nothing,"She answered playfully.

"I'm going to be in the Chunnin exams, too,"Minato stated after a moment, looking away with a nonchalant expression. "Really?" She sighed. Honestly, I should have known. He was the best kid in our class. I'd be surprised if he was denied entry into the exams. They'd probably let him fight even if his team wasn't with him. "I hope we don't have to fight each other...,"He murmured, almost too quietly for her to hear. Kushina felt her indigo eyes widen in surprise at that comment, her heart skipping a beat at how terribly worried his face looked.

For the second time, Kushina let herself truly look at him, observing his features much like she had the night he had saved her. His face was already beginning to lose the childish fat around the cheeks, and his chin was becoming slightly more defined. His eyes ended in an elegant point, intelligence and maturity sparkling in their beautiful blue depths. His skin was slightly pale tone, appearing flawless from her position, no blemish or pore in sight; for a moment, Kushina wondered if he took his time in the morning to clean it like the girls their age, before she shook of the thought. It looked far to natural for that. He glanced at her with an emotion she couldn't pinpoint, his head tilted slightly to see her better. She could feel her face heat up, blush spreading across her cheeks as azure met midnight blue.

Kushina sped up slightly so she could walk right at Minato's side, breaking eye contact by looking away swiftly, hoping to hide her reddened face. After she felt confident that her face no longer glowed with embarrassment, she looked back at him. Minato had calmly moved his gaze to rest off in the distance. He seemed zoned out, which was something he usually wasn't. She hoped she could make him feel better any way she could - it wasn't normal for him to look so distant, and that was somewhat worrying. She gripped his hand, squeezing it slightly.

Minato looked at her with surprise, but Kushina just smiled back. "You okay?,"She asked, successfully holding back her verbal tick. Since that night, she had noticed she was getting a lot better at that. "Just deep in thought,"He replied with a sigh, staring at the beautiful rays of color shooting out from the horizon. Usually, night would make Kushina feel lonely or worried, but, with Minato beside her, she felt happier than she had in a very long time. The shiver of anxiety that usually accompanied the setting of the sun never came, and for that, Kushina was thankful.

.

.

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Fill yourself with love...

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.

.

The words echoed in Kushina's mind, and she smiled gently, hugging Minato's arm almost unconsciously. Almost.

Minato POV

Minato looked at Kushina in surprise as she hugged his arm, but relaxed almost immediately, grinning. Kushina opened her eyes, pushing away quickly as she realized exactly what she was doing. Her face was bright red, an adorable pout on her lips. She switched to holding his hand, following him as he led the way back to the village. Minato felt an almost invisible frown spread across his face at how quickly she had rejected his touch, even if she had initiated it. It was probably just because she was cold; there was no way he could be right about how she felt if she was so adamant to stay away from him.

"Uhhh... How do you get to your house?,"Minato asked uncomfortably, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Kushina let go of his hand, and Minato felt his frown deepen at the sudden lose of warmth. "I can find my way back from here alone, dattebane! Thank you! For walking with me, I mean,"Kushina added, waving goodbye before running off. The way she had said that seemed almost forced to him, but he ignored, faking a smile and nodding to her.

"Good luck!,"Minato called after her before heading off in the direction of his own house, finally letting the full extent of his disappointment show on his face. "Be safe,"He murmured after she was gone. He shook away his thoughts as best he could; he could not let himself be distracted with the Chunnin exams so close. Plus, there was always the chance he could be wrong about this... Yeah right! He thought sarcastically.

The next day, Minato woke up early, calmly heading to the training area to meet Jiriaya. He walked with his hands in his pockets, reaching the grounds quickly. That night's sleep had been just what the metaphorical doctor ordered, and even though his thoughts still weighed heavily on his heart, the load felt just a little bit lighter. It wasn't impossible to hide his disappointment, and smiling like nothing was wrong made him feel like it was true.

"Jiriaya-sensei!,"Minato called, glancing around. "Minato! You seem to have gotten here before I did,"The toad sage called in greeting, walking into the clearing. "Jiriaya-sensei,"Minato sighed heavily, shaking his head. Despite that, his sensei's presence made everything just that much more normal - comfortable, even. Something seemed to switch in him, and all worried or depressed thoughts left him in favor of learning something new. His face set into a serious, attentive expression. "What were you going to teach me?,"Minato asked, getting straight to the point. "I need to tell you something first. So please, sit,"Jiriaya instructed, falling into a sitting position on a small boulder, his legs crossed Indian-style. Minato calmly sat down on the ground below the man, his expression unchanging.

"Minato, you are my most exceptional student - one I am proud to call that. One I am sure will continue to make me proud,"Jiriaya began. Minato bowed his head bashfully for just a moment before switching back to original serious expression. "I'd like to make you my own, personal apprentice, Minato,"Jiriaya's voice, which was almost always light-hearted, sounded serious, his gaze darker but not unhappy.

Minato tried to keep himself as calm as he could, but couldn't resist jumping to his feet. "Really?,"He cried excitedly, his eyes sparkling happily. Jiriaya nodded, a half-smirk resting on his face as he watched his newly-appointed apprentice's display of hyper excitement. It was an uncommon sight to see him like this, but he was just a child. A child who had graduated from the Academy at ten in the top of his class, true, but still just a child. "Where do we start?,"Minato asked, a grin stretched across his face, forgetting all the depressing thoughts that he had so desperately been blocking. "I want to teach you a jutsu you can use in the Chunnin exams that you may find incredibly useful,"Jiriaya answered with a chuckle. "What?,"Minato pressed anxiously. Jiriaya bit his thumb, drawing blood. He formed five quick seals - Minato couldn't make out the exact seals he had used - before placing his hand on the ground. A puff of smoke appeared, moments later clearing to reveal a large frog as big as the rock Jiriaya was currently resting on.

"The summoning jutsu,"Minato breathed, his blue eyes widening in realization.

"Before we begin, you must sign a contract with the species you want to summon. If you don't, you'll be transported to the land of the one you most resemble in personality,"Jiriaya warned, pulling out an enormous scroll that was attached to his back by a thick strap. "Sign your name in blood using your writing hand. Then put your fingerprint in underneath, like the other signatures,"Jiriaya ordered, throwing the scroll on the ground, unraveling it instantly. Minato nodded, biting his finger, letting blood trickle down his hand. He dabbed his other fingers in the blood and began writing his name elegantly.

"Na-me-ka-ze-Mi-na-to,"He spoke as he wrote his name in bright red. He pushed his fingers into the space below his name before pulling away. Jiriaya and him sat in silence for a single moment to wait for it to dry, then Jiriaya grabbed it, rolling up the scroll. "The hand-signs are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. For it to work, you must donate blood from the hand you took from to write your name. Just cut it and then put your hand to the solid surface where you want the animal to be summoned,"Jiriaya explained, attaching the scroll to his back once again. Minato's eyes followed his every move, soaking in the information like the intellectual sponge he was. "The more chakra you put in, the stronger or larger the summoning can be. I don't think I need to tell you to be careful to keep it under control, or the results will be as bad as if you had put in only a minuscule amount of chakra."

The original frog summoning disappeared. Minato held up his hands, taking a deep breath before signing Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. He bit his finger again to let the blood flow from the previous wound that had already began to stop. He closed his eyes for a single moment to imagine the blue chakra, flowing around him and gathering inside him. He threw his hand the the ground, his eyes snapping open as he shouted,"Summoning Jutsu!" A blast of smoke surrounded his hand, and he pulled back. A frog almost as big as the one Jiriaya had summoned sat in front of him. "Good job,"Jiriaya mused, nodding at the success. "Thank you, but it's still not as big as the one you summoned, sensei,"Minato pointed out, unsatisfied by the results. "Well, you can't have everything on your first try,"Jiriaya laughed, seeing the pout that had spread unconsciously across Minato's face.

"By the way, you, Sari, and Hikaru have been working so hard lately, so I thought we could all go to the hot springs together tomorrow,"Jiriaya informed Minato, a perverted smile on his cheeks. "Yeah right. You just wanna watch all the girls there, don't you? For your 'research'?,"Minato snapped, shaking his head at his master's antics. "Who? me?,"Jiriaya asked with false innocence.

"Fine, I'll go,"Minato sighed heavily, rolling his eyes despite the grin that stretched across his face. "Good!,"Jiriaya puffed in victory. "Also, I had a good idea to help you with your teleportation jutsu." Minato stood up straight again, his frog summoning disappearing. "You know you have to place a marker on a spot you want to jump to, right?,"Jiriaya questioned. Minato nodded, despite the question being rhetorical. Jiriaya looked at him expectantly. "Take our that kunia you had specially made, will you?"

Minato took out the three-pronged kunai, holding it out. "Put the seal on the handle of these, and you'll just have to throw a bunch all over the battlefield. Then you can jump anywhere you want on the battlefield, at any time! It will help increase your accuracy, and you'll be ready at any time,"Jiriaya informed him of the plan. Minato nodded; it sounded like a good plan - it may just work. Minato pulled out the rest of his oddly-shaped kunia and began laying them out in rows.

"I have research to attend to, so I leave you to it,"Jiriaya told him, bounding away like an excited puppy. "Sure! research!,"Minato sighed sarcastically, rolling his eyes once again as he formed a quick hand-sign, moving to sit on his knees. He pulled out his ink and paintbrush, hunching over his kunai, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Although he could create the marks with his chakra alone, he hadn't practiced enough to do it perfectly every time, and he'd rather not mess up - these had been expensive to have made, after all. He slowly began writing on the handle, carefully creating his seal as he steadily pumped chakra into the brush. The ink dried almost instantly on each seal as he moved onto the next.

Finally, the blond finished the final kunai, rolling backwards and stretching his arms out behind him to catch himself. Minato let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, stretching his sore back in relief. After giving the kunai a moment to dry, just in case they had taken longer than usual, he moved back kneel beside them, picking one up in his hands and inspecting it closely. "Let's try this out..."

Minato split four equally into his two hands, then threw them out across the field. They all hit their marks exactly, and Minato could feel pride swell at the achievement, even if he had already done it before. After sticking another special kunai into the ground beneath him, Minato grabbed one of his normal kunia knifes and threw it in the air above him. "Go!,"he shouted to himself aloud. He immediately teleported from one side of the creek to the other, grabbing the kunia and slicing the tree it was on before teleporting to the next, which had embedded itself on the rock his master had sat on. He pulled it out by slicing upwards easily, creating a slight cut, before teleporting to the next kunai, sitting in the grass on the opposite end of the field. He easily removed it and cut a mark in the ground before flashing to the last kunai, sitting on a branch at the top of a tree above the field. He removed it and marked were it lay before finally teleporting back. He grabbed the kunai he had thrown in the air before it hit the ground easily, spinning it in his grasp. "Wow! It was so fast!,"Minato gasped, sliding his weapons into his pouch.

Minato let his azure eyes scan his handiwork, grinning. He hadn't noticed how much land he had covered; each spot he had grabbed a kunai at had been around 25 meters away from the others. He let himself fall to the ground, staring up at the bright blue sky as he struggled to catch his breath, all worries having left his mind. Even if it was only for a moment.

I know that this was a boring chapter. To make it up to you guys, I'll upload another chapter along with this one. Sorry it took me so long to upload... Again... I'm getting worse than Kakashi *sweatdrop*

Kakashi: I TAKE THAT OFFENSIVELY!

Ignore the crazy screaming monkey behind me.

Kakashi: COME OVER HERE! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

Oh, how did Minato put it again?

Minato: *randomly appears* 'Now that you put it like that, NO'

Thank's Minato.

Minato: No problem! *holds hand up to the air and flys into the sunset* MINATO! AWAY!

Please review, favorite, or follow, and if you really like my stories, you can join the Sacred Army. Just follow/favorite my account! I'll see you next chapter! Hopefully, you'll see it soon!