The Road of Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and all its characters. I'm just playing around with them.

Shisui felt a hand shake his shoulders. Even without fully opening his eyes, he knew that it was his father. Sitting up on his bed, Shisui let his eyes adjust to the darkness of his room. It was then that his father grabbed both of his shoulders, prompting Shisui to perk up in awareness.

"Shisui. Son," his father said, eyes grim.

"Dad?"

"I don't know what's happening, but go with the others to the safe house in the Hokage Monument. You remember the place, right?" his father asked. Shisui nodded in response, still not knowing what to make of the situation.

"Good boy," Seiji ruffled his head. "Whatever happens, don't go to the center of the village."

Itachi held his baby brother in his hand while his other hand held the hand of a girl his age. Despite how impractical it was, his instinct forbade him from just abandoning her. At the distance, Itachi could see Shisui running alongside the crowd towards the safe house. Itachi picked up his pace, hoping that the girl could follow along with no problem.

"Shisui-san!" Itachi called out. Shisui turned his back to look backwards, a look of relief washing over his face.

"Itachi! Do you know what's happening?"" he asked.

Itachi shook his head, still running. "I don't know. It looks like a tailed beast."

"A what?" Shisui asked, not being as well read as Itachi. The younger boy pointed to the distance, and Shisui could see the gigantic orange beast plowing and smashing its way through the village. If his eyes weren't fooling him, Shisui could've sworn that the beast had Sharingan for eyes, but it was too far for him to confirm. He could also see the village's ninjas running towards it, some looking to hold it off, while others trying to evacuate the citizens.

It wasn't long before they got to a safe house. Everyone from their district, as in, the compound and its surroundings, were huddled up inside the building as the ground shook like an earthquake. Shisui let out a sigh. He really wanted to do something, but he knew that it wouldn't matter. As of now, he would just be a hindrance, and the biggest help he could do was stay out of the way.

However, it wasn't long before a sense of dread came over him. Shisui looked around, but was instead greeted by a sea of bodies. Gritting his teeth, he poured chakra onto his feet and climbed the concrete wall beside him, glad that Itachi had found a nice spot near it. As he scanned the crowd from above, his dread grew bigger.

"Itachi," he called out. Itachi looked up from below, still holding his baby brother from the suffocating crowd. Shisui asked, "Where's Tora?"

Itachi shook his head and said, "I don't know."

I jumped over a railing and kept running, not minding that I stepped on some trash as I did so. Pouring chakra onto my feet, I climbed a wall to get a better vantage point. The gigantic beast became bigger as I got closer to it, so too were the quakes that followed its footsteps.

Amidst the village center, I saw nothing but destruction. Trees uprooted, buildings destroyed down to its bricks, and the dead bodies- there were a lot of them. I held back the bile at the back of my throat, hoping that mom wasn't among those bodies.

As I scanned the streets for signs of mom, I failed to notice a debris flying towards my direction. Gasping as I looked up, I narrowly avoided the misplaced projectile by dodging to the side. Another one soon followed, however, striking the beams that supported the structure I was on. Quickly jumping down from the building, I skidded and sled down a wall using chakra, but soon lost my bearings as my palm burned soon after the act and fell down in a heap towards a metal fence.

I cursed. Cursing the pain coursing through my arm, and cursing my imperfect chakra control. I knew that it wouldn't have done anything, but I cursed at the gigantic orange beast as well. Standing up shakily, I was greeted with a sight of red on my left. I put a hand up to my face and noticed the wetness. My head was bleeding. Touching the wound just above my left eyebrow with a finger, I winced in pain. It was probably going to scar. Ripping out the left sleeve of my shirt, I decided to use it as a makeshift bandage. It was better than nothing, at least until a medic took a look at it.

Again, I ran as fast as I could towards the center of the village. The beast loomed over me, covering the dark sky with its sunset-colored fur. I wondered what kind of beast it was, but was soon kicked out of my thoughts as a wind blew me off my feet.

Where did it come from!? I thought. I would've crashed against a wall had I not grabbed onto a nearby tree. To my surprise, the large wind came from the beast's tails. Judging from the size, I had no doubt that even a single swipe could flatten this whole area. I wasn't looking forward to that. Thankfully, it did not swipe its tail. It hand looked more like a sway as opposed to a swipe. Still, I coughed as I tried to get the dust out of my lungs.

As the wind died down, I went to one of the buildings, hoping to take shelter from the winds. I shouldn't stay long, though. If the building fell down, there was no way I could save myself out of it. The beast roared and I covered my ears.

A ninja ran past the building I was in towards the direction of the shelter. He was carrying a few children in his arms. He hadn't noticed me. As he ran out of sight, I took a peek outside and glanced at the direction the ninja came from. It seemed that the civilian deaths weren't as large as I had thought. The streets were mostly scarce of any sign of life.

Where could mom be?

Seeing the fires and destruction looming over the village, I concluded that mom was somewhere indoors. However, if she were indoors, there was a chance that she could be in any of the collapsed building. The thought didn't sit well with me. With a boost of speed, I got out of the building I was in and sprinted towards the direction of the market, knowing that it was the only are that mom frequented.

In the distance, I could see many ninjas sprinting past the roof in an attempt to quell the beast. Leading the group of ninjas was an old man in a set of armor. He was holding a large staff, drawing the attention of the beast towards himself.

Seeing it as an opportunity, I continued to sprint and checked every intact building that I could come across, even as my vision was shrouded by dust from debris.

"Mom!" I called out, hoping that she would answer. I repeated the process as I went around the market. I kicked down windows, looked inside and found nothing. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I ran past a market stall when I noticed a small building with its light on- or most of its light, to be exact. The way the lights flickered told me of the damage it sustained. The place looked like an inn which also served as a bar.

Stepping inside the inn, I looked around for any sign of life. I was a bit disappointed to see that the place had been evacuated. Just a short distance of the entrance, I could see that the second floor had collapsed on the first floor, creating a gigantic mess of the place. I was about to turn around and leave the place when a familiar voice called out.

"H-hello?" the voice croaked. Whipping my body around, I ran past the debris in search of the voice, not caring if I got splinters on my hands. Pushing a wooden pillar off of my way with my small body, I gasped at the sight that greeted me.

"Mom!"

"T-Tora!?" she called. "What are you doing here? It's not safe!"

How very of much of her to worry about other people when she herself was in no better predicament. "Are you okay?" I asked her. She was lying down on her back and my eyes trailed down mom's legs, only noticing a large hunk of debris pinning her legs in place. Seeing its shape, it had probably been a part of the second floor. Scurrying towards her legs, I tried to lift the debris. I even tried pouring chakra into my limbs, but it was too heavy. "Damn it!"

"Tora, you have to get out of here!" mom called out to me. I paid her no mind, still trying to lift the debris off her legs. "Seiji!" she called.

I turned around and saw Shisui's father looking at us in shock. His Sharingan was activated, and I could see all three tomoes swirling as he took in the situation. "Help me, Seiji-san! Her legs are pinned in place!"

"Seiji! Take Tora out of here! The place could collapse at any moment!"

I didn't notice as the rest of the second floor fell down on us. The only thing I noticed was a force pulling me away from mom before I felt myself crashing against hard bricks. My head swam for a moment before completely blacking out.

"Damn it!" Seiji coughed. His headband fell off as the force of the impact loosened its hold around his head, letting his mop of hair follow the force of gravity. "Tora!" he called as he strained his neck to turn sideways, seeing the boy unconscious, but far enough from the debris that it didn't reach him. That was, unless the entire building fell down on them, sealing their fates together. He tried to move, but could only yell in pain as he finally felt something cold hold him in place.

He reached his hands out to feel the offending object, and felt a long metal rod stuck through his chest. Judging by how much blood was flowing, it had probably struck through his lungs. Seiji coughed out blood as the pain caught up to him. He also realized that the rod had held him in place about a foot off the ground, making the object grind against his wounds in a very painful manner.

Another set of coughs reached his ears and he looked down towards the ground. Right below him, lying on her back was Akemi. And the rod that went through him had gone through her as well, piercing her in the stomach. He would probably chuckle at the morbid humor if it had happened to anyone else. An earth jutsu could theoretically push the debris off of them, but it could just make things worse, destabilizing the structure even more, and earth wasn't one of his chakra natures, unfortunately. She coughed again, spilling blood down her chin.

"I-it's going to fall," she choked out. Sure enough, the rumbling of concrete grinding against each other didn't miss his ears, and Seiji had no doubt that the rest of the upper floor would fall down on them.

"Dad!?"

Whipping his head up to the direction of the call, Seiji saw his son, holding the unconscious Tora by the shoulder. Just realizing the predicament Seiji was in, Shisui froze in his steps. "Shisui. Get Tora out of here. The place could fall off at any moment!"

"I-I'm gonna get h-help!" Shisui choked out, tears streaming down his young face. Seiji could see it clearly, even as his vision blurred. The Sharingan within Shisui had awakened, and even with his eyes moist with tears, the infamous eyes glowed intensely in the dim light of the early morning.

As Shisui stumbled out of the falling inn with Tora on his shoulders, Seiji let out a sigh. His vision was blurring and the pain in his chest was going worse by the second. Blood loss was catching up to him. A piece of concrete fell down, almost grazing his left cheek. It seemed the place wouldn't hold out for much longer.

The shakings of the beast outside had seemed to stop. Either he was too numb for even his other senses not to pick it up, or the other ninjas had found a way to deal with it. Seiji didn't know. And frankly, he didn't care. Mustering his energy, he reached out to Akemi's face, too tired to move, and turned her head sideways, making sure she wasn't gurgling and drowning in her own blood. A small stream of blood cascaded from her lips to the ground.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Akemi asked, almost whispering. Seiji wanted to tell her everything would be okay. That they would get out of here and reunite with their sons. Shisui and Tora could continue their training. He would oversee it, teach them things, and come to their entrance ceremony. He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. None of those thoughts would bring him anything but additional sorrow.

"No, we're not," Seiji answered. "Not without bringing the building down in the process."

"It hurts," she cried.

"It'll soon be over."

A blanket of silence washed over them, and Akemi spoke up again, her eyes still looking towards the door. Seiji wondered if she could see the boys' retreating backs from her position.

"They're alone," Akemi spoke up. It took Seiji a moment to realize who she was referring to.

"They're not," he replied. "They have *cough* each other. And they will find others."

"I'm afraid for them," she cried, no longer holding back.

"They're strong," Seiji assured. "You saw their growth, didn't you?"

"What if they lose the other?"

"They'll drag themselves back to each other again, sooner or later" he wheezed out. "I can see them doing that, can't you?"

Akemi chuckled with a mix of coughs and said, "I- *cough* wouldn't be surprised."

"It's a *cough* shame," Seiji said. "I couldn't be a father to Tora before *cough* this happened."

"He already looked up to you like one," Akemi said. "Even if he never *cough* showed it outright."

As Seiji felt the rest of the structure falling down on them, all he saw was Akemi's sad smile before everything went dark.

Minato had successfully teleported the Nine Tails to the safe house Kushina and Naruto were in. Unfortunately, it exploded as soon as he arrived there. Although, he managed just in time to grab Kushina and Naruto to safety. Looking back at the Nine Tails, Minato steeled himself. "Gotta put up a barrier…"

But before he could do anything, chakra chains sprouted from Kushina's back, creating a barrier to hold the beast in its place. At that moment, Naruto decided to wake up, filling the air with his cry. His voice was so loud that it had almost made Minato forget of the Nine Tails. Such strong lungs, Minato thought.

"Sorry, Naruto… I didn't mean to wake you," Kushina said to her crying baby.

"Kushina…"

Kushina turned to Minato, where he could see blood streaming down her chin, as well as the tired bags under her eyes. "I'll drag the Nine Tails back… and die with it inside me. That'll prevent it from coming back… for a while. It's the only way to save you both…with the little bit of chakra I have left," she said. Then she smiled, a tired smile, but nonetheless genuine. "Thank you… for everything."

Minato gasped and his shoulders shook, even as he was holding Naruto in his hands, he could feel his hands numbing. "Kushina, you… you made me your husband. You made me the Fourth Hokage. You made me this boy's father, and I…"

"Don't look so sad, Minato," Kushina still smiled. "I'm… I'm happy. Happy that you loved me. Happy that it's our son's birthday. Like, if I try to imagine surviving, and the three of us… living together. I can't think of anything beyond 'I'd be so happy'."

It was then that Minato could hold back no longer. The tears erupted, streaming down his cheeks. His lips quivered, seeing his wife looking with longing at their son. He had wanted it to work. His family. Their family. Since he had saved Kushina all those years ago, he had imagined this moment. He had imagined fatherhood, watching their son grow up. But it was not to be, it seemed.

"If I had any regrets… it would be that I won't see Naruto grow up."

Minato lowered his head, half-lidded eyes looking at Naruto's crying form. Minato cursed his short life. Cursed the situation. Cursed the masked man for doing this. Naruto shouldn't have to suffer for this.

"Not everything needs to be complicated, Tora-kun. Sometimes, the hardest questions have the simplest answers."

"No!" Minato said.

"What?"

"You will see Naruto grow up!" Minato said, his gaze hardened as he wiped away his tears.

Kushina blinked, the confusion evident in her eyes. "But the Nine Tails has been extracted from me. If you seal it in me again, I'll die along with it!"

"We won't know until we try. I'll do anything for you to live, Kushina. It's my job as the Hokage, and a father, to protect his family! And I'll be damned if I fail at that!"

"Minato…"

"I will use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to finish the job," Minato said. Kushina widened her eyes, knowing the consequences of said jutsu.

"But then, the user of that jutsu will-

"But I'll only be able to seal half of it. Its power is too great, and with your failing body, I doubt it could contain the entirety of it. Not only that, but I can't let a tailed beast be revived without a Jinchuuriki. It would create an imbalance among the tailed beasts. Which is why, I'll seal the Yin half in you, Kushina."

"And the Yang half?" Kushina asked, not liking where this was going.

Minato looked at their baby. "Will be sealed in Naruto. I will use the Eight Trigrams Seal for Naruto, and the Torii Seal for you, Kushina."

"But, Naruto-

"I know what you want to say, Kushina. But Jiraiya-sensei spoke of an impending disaster upon the world; a revolution. And I'm sure that the masked man that attacked us earlier is the harbinger of that disaster. And Naruto… Naruto will stop him, I just know it. With you by his side, if you survive the sealing."

"But Minato-

"Have faith, Kushina. Your husband is the Fourth Hokage, after all," said Minato, as he did the proper seal for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

SNAKE

BOAR

RAM

RABBIT

DOG

RAT

BIRD

HORSE

SNAKE

And with it, Minato finished the jutsu by clapping his hands. A white specter appeared behind Minato, it gnarly face seeing the situation with lifeless emotion. Between its teeth was a knife, while its white hair cascaded down its form, its end tangling with a colorless humanoid form. Minato could feel his soul being pulled out, ready to be the necessary sacrifice for the entire process.

Seeing the ghostly specter, Kushina was shaken out of her shock. She yelled to Minato, "But, why the Dead Demon Seal!? There's no reason for you to die! You have a higher chance of surviving than me! You could be there for him! You could raise him! Why are you sacrificing yourself for me!? A dying jinchuuriki!"

Minato was silent for a moment, waiting for Kushina to finish. Kushina heaved tiredly; her outburst had taken out more than she had thought.

"Turning your back on the country, the village, is just as bad as abandoning your family. You should understand, Kushina. Your own country fell apart, and you were a witness to it. You know the pain of growing up without a home, and I don't want Naruto to feel that."

Kushina looked down at the ground, remembering the near-forgotten memories of her old village. A village that was near non-existent now, its members fled to the far sides of the world looking to get new lives.

"And remember, Kushina. We are a family of Shinobi," Minato continued.

A shinobi must endure. A shinobi must protect. And a shinobi must fight. Those were the three obligations Kushina forced upon herself upon becoming a ninja. To her, those were what becoming a ninja meant. How could she forget? She had rammed it into her mind since she was young.

"Besides," Minato said. "Even if I were to live, I wouldn't be able to substitute for you."

"What do you mean?"

"There are things Naruto needs to be told, things I could never say myself. That's the mother's job, and I need you to carry it out. And if this works out, you'll have the entirety of his life to do it," Minato said. "Dying to make a better life for his son… No. For his family. That's the stuff you let the father handle. As your husband. As Naruto's father. And as your Hokage, I trust you with this, Kushina!"

Upon meeting Minato's steeled eyes; Kushina could do nothing but relent under his gaze. Minato was prepared for his death. That could not be denied, whether by proof of his words, or even the conviction within his eyes. He was prepared, and nothing could deter him from his chosen path.

Kushina took a few steps back and put Naruto on the ground. "Sorry, Naruto," she said, as the boy bristled at losing contact with his mother. "I'm ready!" Kushina said to Minato. He nodded, and clasped his hands. Not a moment later, the Shinigami's hand, covered in black markings, flew through him right towards the Nine Tails. Kushina tigihtened the chains holding the Nine Tails at bay, not letting the beast escape as the sealing began.

The Shinigami's hand latched on to the Nine Tails' leg, at which the beast growled. "Seal!" Minato said, and the hand yanked back, pulling a portion of the Nine Tails' chakra and sealing it within Kushina. As the Yin half entered Kushina, she felt her heart jolt at the sudden but familiar presence of the beast within her. Kushina fell down of her feet and sunk to her knees as her legs went numb under the pressure, clutching her stomach in pain as the seal acclimatized itself in her. The beast struck and hollered in an attempt to escape, letting forth another wave of pain within Kushina. She let out a pained yell.

Seeing the urgency of the situation, Minato did a few seals and pressed his palms on the ground. "Now for the Eight Trigrams Seal! I'm going to seal the rest of the Nine Tails inside Naruto!"

Gently picking up Naruto, Minato put him on the ceremonial crib. Naruto was sleeping, probably too tired from the all the crying he did. Minato brushed a finger on the boy's cheek, treasuring the last contact he would have before being devoured by the Death God.

Kushina wobbled, and leaned down on her hands. She was losing consciousness. Minato caught sight of her from the corner of his eyes, and his mind was already reeling a few dozen steps ahead. If Kushina was weakening, then the barrier and the chains would start weakening as well. Standing up from his position by Naruto, Minato clasped his hands once more and stilled for two seconds. In the short time span, he gathered all the nature energy he could take in. He prided himself in his control and balance, but knew that the amount he took in wouldn't be enough to be very effective.

And sure enough, the rattle of chakra chains could be heard in the distance. The Nine Tails had understood their plan. He was going to strike Naruto. Kushina, despite her lack of energy, rushed forward in front of Naruto, back towards the Nine Tails, her motherly instincts kicking in. Minato, however, rushed behind her thanks to his superior speed and released all the nature energy he had gathered evenly within his body.

SAGE MODE!

As the claw of the beast struck them, all went silent for a second. Kushina had closed her eyes, anticipating herself for the pain. But there was none. Blinking drowsily, she turned her head back, and saw Minato holding the beast's claw in hand after it got through him. Minato's blood painted the claw in dark red, and the beast growled in anger. The strain on his face was evident as he clutched the claw in his torso, both him and the beast fighting for dominance. Red markings had appeared around his eyes and his pupils had changed, signifying a perfect Sage Mode. But he couldn't hold it for long.

"Get away, Kushina!" Minato yelled. Kushina did so, and after jumping far enough, Minato let go of the claw, letting it sink into the ground in front of him with a crash, pinning him completely in place. The ground cracked at the sheer force of the blow, and Kushina barely struggled to stand as she took in the sight in front of her. Kushina wanted to cry, but her desire to protect Naruto prevented her from doing so. Instead, she tightened the chakra chains on her back, feeling a burst of adrenaline course through her. The Nine Tails groaned as the chains wrapped around him once again, this time, tighter than before.

The markings around Minato's eyes disappeared, letting his natural blue-colored eyes return. "Thank you, Kushina…" he said, coughing up blood as his eyes barely struggled to keep themselves open. Minato wiped a streak of blood from his chin with a finger and pressed it into his other palm. With it, he summoned Gamatora. The scroll-frog took a second to take in the situation he was in. As he realized it, the frog's jaw fell open.

"Aahh! The Nine Tails! And Fourth, what the hell happened to you!?" the frog hollered, panicking at the sight of the tailed beast, but the sight of one of his contractors put the situation in an even dire light.

"Gamatora… I'm entrusting you with the key to the seal," Minato said as he opened Gamatora's stomach and started writing the necessary seal markings for both the Eight Trigrams Seal and the Torii Seal with his blood. "Hurry to Jiraiya-sensei. Store it with him."

Gamatora closed his stomach and jumped up, letting smoke engulf him as he de-summon himself. "Got it! Good-goodbye!" the frog said, the crack in his voice nearly impossible to miss.

Minato turned his eyes to Kushina, and he knew that his time was up. It was time to finish all this. "It's time for me to go, Kushina. I'll perform the Eight Trigrams Seal and leave a little of my own chakra in Naruto." Kushina let the tears flow freely. There was no need for pretense. No need for masks anymore. Kushina let her feelings out, still clutching her stomach.

"Do y-you have anything to say to Naruto?" Kushina asked. She dropped down to kneel beside the boy, waiting for Minato to speak out his last words.

Minato smiled tiredly, and with cough, began to say, "Naruto… Listen to your motor-mouth of a mother. She may seem like nagging at times, but know that it is all done out of love. Find a dream, fight for it, and make friends. Fight for what you believe to be right. I'm sorry that I can't see you grow, Naruto…"

Minato looked at Kushina, the wife who was crying her eyes out. Minato didn't shed any tears. He already shed his share. It was now time for action. Clasping his hands in front of the baby Naruto, Minato said, "I love you, Kushina."

Eight Trigrams Seal!

Hiruzen looked down at the dead body of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. His eyes were closed in peace, having come to terms with his death. Hiruzen wished most young men had such luxury of choosing their deaths. As the medic pulled a veil over Minato's body, Hiruzen walked out of the morgue to head towards Kushina and Naruto's room. Before going ahead with the funeral, he needed to check up on surprisingly, two of their Jinchuurikis.

Hiruzen knocked on the door, and a small "come in" came from the room. Twisting the knob, he let himself in, and found Kushina gently rocking a sleeping Naruto in her arms. She put on a smile, but Hiruzen knew that the loss of her husband was still fresh in her mind. He grieved for his wife as well, understanding the young woman's feelings at the moment.

"Kushina," Hiruzen announced himself, which prompted Kushina to turn her head towards Hiruzen. "I see you've recovered enough to sit up on your bed."

The young woman nodded and looked down, staring through Naruto. It seemed her mind was elsewhere, and so, Hiruzen waited for her to respond, letting the conversation proceed on her pace. "I'm sorry for Biwako-sama," she said.

Hiruzen looked down, mourning his longtime wife and lifetime partner. "I'm sorry for Minato as well, Kushina," he replied. He empathized with her, but Biwako knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to help a Jinchuuriki give birth. Although, in a sense, Minato also did what was expected of him, being the Hokage, after all. "What do you intend to do now?"

Kushina was silent for a moment as she looked out the hospital window. Naruto squirmed in her hand as he realized that the rocking had stopped, and had woken up to wonder why. Hiruzen waited patiently. The civilian casualties as well as ninja casualties were being counted as they spoke. The next order of business was to take care of the loose ends, and take care of their assets. He hated thinking of Kushina and baby Naruto as that, but they were a village of Shinobi. Practicality runs in their blood, their culture.

"When Naruto's old enough, perhaps two years or older," Kushina started. "I will return to active duty. Maybe take some Genin students as well."

"Are you sure?" Hiruzen asked. "While that would certainly be nice, remember the things contained within you and Naruto, Kushina."

"I know," she said. "Naruto will need guidance on being a Jinchuuriki. And I need some training of my own, it seems. The Cloud Village's Killer Bee is a perfect jinchuuriki, yes?"

"True. Minato said as much in his reports, of how the man could utilize the tailed beast within him with little to no repercussions," Hiruzen said. "But our relation with the Cloud Village isn't the best right now, especially after the war."

"I understand that," Kushina said. "Maybe I can find some other way."

"That would be nice, yes," Hiruzen smiled. "But now you need your rest. I'll be leaving you here. Take care, Kushina."

Kushina smiled at the gesture. As the door closed, her smile dropped. She looked at Naruto, still squirming as he wondered why she wasn't rocking him, but not making a fuss, probably too tired to do so, anyway. Kushina didn't blame him. It was tiring for her, let alone a baby- and a newborn at that.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Kushina nuzzled her nose in Naruto's hair. "Mommy will be strong. Strong enough to stand by your side. I promise you that."

Shisui looked out the window of his house. The sky was dark as rain clouds gathered. He could smell the rain, but it hadn't started raining yet. As if the rain was waiting for the funeral to finish before plummeting down to the earth. The funeral after the Nine Tails attack was to be joined by all the villagers to mourn the deaths of their friends and family, and most importantly, the Fourth Hokage, who lost his life to save the village. Even from the window of his house, Shisui could see his clansmen walking along the streets in black ceremonial clothes, the color of mourning.

He had already worn his own set. He was about to leave his house to join the mass when Tora woke up from the realm of unconsciousness. After saving Tora and asking a wayward ninja to save their parents, Shisui immediately went to his house, feeling that the cramped safe house Itachi was in wouldn't be good for Tora's wound. And if it got infected, he didn't want to risk anyone else catching something from it. After wrapping Tora's head in proper bandages, Shisui waited for his father in front of his house. Tora wouldn't need his bandages changed for a few more hours, and he figured he wouldn't wake up for a few more, and so Shisui waited.

As he watched his clansmen and the other villagers return to their house – those that still had theirs intact anyway, he kept an eye out for his father or Tora's mother. He knew he had awakened his Sharingan after the ordeal, but he figured that using the eye at such state would just leave him exhausted. As the sun cracked across the horizon, Shisui still sat in front of his porch. He didn't know why he kept sitting there. At this point, he already knew the answer.

He and Tora were now orphans. At first he had entertained the thought that their parents had taken refuge in Tora's house, but he didn't see that happening. Not with their injuries. From the glimpse he got, they were either dead or in the hospital. But Shisui was a realistic person. He also knew the answer to that already.

Closing the curtain, Shisui stepped away from the window and stared at the direction of the kitchen, where Tora was quietly eating a meager meal that Shisui had prepared for him. He had told Tora of their parents' death and Shisui didn't know what to think of his reaction. Shisui expected tearful questions, even denial. None of that came. Tora just turned his gaze towards the food and stared at it, his hand clenching the chopsticks set beside the meal. After a second or two, the tears came, but silent. Not even a sob or a hiccup erupted from Tora. He just cried there, staring at his food silently. Shisui had left the kitchen, deciding that Tora needed some time to take in the news.

Walking back into the kitchen, Shisui saw that Tora was halfway done with his meal. His eyes were red, but the tears had stopped. Shisui had shed his tears hours ago, feeling too tired to shed some more. He moved on quick. He was supposed to. With his father's job as a ninja, every day on a mission could be his father's last.

"You're not going?"

Shisui looked up from his musings, surprised that it was the first thing that came from Tora, even after the news he had told his friend. "I don't feel like it." Shisui pulled a chair and sat in front of Tora on the table. "Unless you want to go."

Tora shook his head. Finishing his meal, he put the chopsticks down. "Shisui. The ice water's in the fridge like usual, right?" he asked.

Shisui was about to say yes when he remembered something. Moving down from the chair, he stepped in front of Tora. "Let me take it for you. You just sit right there." A fake smile was plastered on his face, and it was obvious that Tora did not buy into it a single bit.

"It's fine, Shisui. I already saw the birthday cake in there."

Shisui froze for a second, but nonetheless, stopped blocking Tora and let him pass. With a yank, Tora pulled the fridge open and took a bottle of ice water, not even looking at the small cake with simple decorations on the top shelf. He closed it with little ceremony and poured the content of the bottle into a small cup.

"What now?" Tora asked. Shisui turned to Tora, seeing his friend absentmindedly staring out the kitchen window.

"You'll probably have to go to the orphanage," Shisui said. "As for me, I would be placed with a close relative if I have one."

"But you don't."

Shisui shrugged. "The clan would have to take care of me for a while, at least until I become a ninja. Speaking of that, do you still want to become a ninja?" Shisui asked, knowing Tora's motivation on becoming a ninja. Now that his mother was… gone, he didn't exactly have a driving force anymore.

"I think so," Tora replied. "Well… I've spent so much time preparing to be one. Although, I think I'll wait for a while before entering the academy."

"I'll wait with you," Shisui said, clasping a hand on Tora's shoulder.

"I might start really late," Tora tried to dissuade his friend.

Shisui chuckled and said, "I don't care. I'm not starting if you're not starting, unless you specifically say you're not going to become a ninja. Only then will I start on my own."

Tora looked at him, eyes narrowed in frustration. But soon, his gaze melted as he turned towards the floor. "Thank you," he said. Shisui only smiled as his hands tightened around Tora's shoulder.

"What to do with the cake, though?" Tora asked.

"The cake?"

"I don't feel like eating it, to be honest," Tora shrugged. Inwardly, Shisui admitted to the same thing. The cake only brought more unwanted feelings for him and Tora.

"I have an idea!"

Kushina gazed out the window for the hundredth time that morning. The funeral for her husband had been done, and now the village was in the stage of mourning and rebuilding. She could see workers already piling up materials, while a few ninjas were using earth jutsus to repair what they could to minimize the damage, at least until the workers got to it.

"Uzumaki-san," called a nurse from the door. Kushina turned her head, and noticed that the nurse was pushing a cart. Hospital food, she thought, already grimacing at the thought. It seemed the nurse caught her grimace as she only chuckled as she put the tray in front of her.

Opening it, Kushina saw the usual assortment of rice and vegetables, barely salted, as well as a piece of meat, also barely salted. She held in a groan, but she knew that she needed the energy. She would have to feed Naruto and doing that without feeding herself is a big no for her.

A small plate by the side caught her attention, though. A neatly sliced chocolate cake sat there innocently with a small fork by its side. The nurse noticed her curious gaze as she also turned her eyes towards the slice of cake.

"Ah, we don't normally give sweet pastries to patients, but we think that given the incident earlier this morning, that's not a bad decision. Two boys came to the hospital earlier today and gave a box of cake to the receptionist, saying that it's for the patients. How sweet of them," the nurse said.

"Really? Give them my thanks, will you?" Kushina said, thankful for the added pastry. She didn't think she'd be able to stomach hospital food that well.

"They had set off before we could ask anything," the nurse said. "We didn't even catch their names."

Kushina sighed. "That's a shame. Thank you for the meal, anyway," she said to the nurse.

"Of course," the nurse nodded. "I'll be back later to take the tray." She left the room, leaving Kushina with her meal. Kushina looked at her meal, deciding that she would eat the cake first before digging into her bland vegetable and meat set.

Taking a bite, she knew that it was store-bought, having cooked her fair share of cakes on her own. But at this moment, she felt like it was the most delicious thing since ramen.

Hey-ho! Very late update, right? Yes, it is very late. But at least second semester finals are over! Thankfully, my scores are fine.

But aside from that, this is the final chapter of the current arc, which I call the "Prologue Arc". Next chapter onward, the main story will start (finally, right?).

I was debating very much on how to write Minato and Kushina's part, but I settled on making it go similarly to canon, but adding in different touches as well. Some of you may have notice my penchant for writing Tora by viewing him from a canon character's perspective. It's a style I really like. Honestly, my gripe with most OC stories is that they know too much about the Naruto world, and reading about them thinking about their knowledge can feel tiring at times. With viewing Tora from another's perspective, I can avoid the pitfall trap that is Mary Sue-ish characters. We know that he is thinking something, but do we know what he's thinking? You can't get that kind of perspective if we only see the story from Tora's POV.

Thank you all for the reviews. Wow. Six chapters and already 32 reviews and nearly 200 followers? I'm flattered. Really, I am. Any chance we might reach 50 reviews before chapter 10? I really like to read your thoughts. Be sure to leave a review and follow and favorite as well. Seeing even more reviews and new followers drives me to write faster.

Anyway, see ya!