I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!
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First Arc: Ripples in Time
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Jiraiya winced as he sat at the dinner table, his eye's going wide as he realized what his clone had said. 'Guess I gave that one a bit too much freedom, huh?' Shaking his head, the man looked toward the kitchen, where he could see a bumbling Kakashi try to manage to broil saury in a pan, boil water for miso soup, and steam rice simultaneously. The smell was fairly bitter, but then again that was part of the charm he supposed. Charm fit perfectly for Minato's house, Jiraiya thought.
He was sitting at a small circular dining room table, large enough to fit three or four. There was a simple entryway with a place for shoes and a kitchen and pantry to the right of where one walked in the door. The walls were painted in a simple peach tone, and the ceiling was off-white with patterns dancing across the surface. The nursery was on the other side of the kitchen, and had a small bedroom and bath set-up for the family. A single spiral staircase ran up and down on the other side of the nursery, flanked by several potted plants. A simple gathering room was past the plants and separated the two guests room, both with modest bathrooms. Still, the whole style gave the idea of a simple family home. Catching the bitter smell of Kakashi's food, Jiraiya couldn't help his mouth water a bit.
'Still, wish there was something sweet the guy could make. We've had enough of bitter medicine the last few days.' Jiraiya rose from his seat, making his way toward the kitchen. As he did, he paused to look in on the nursery. Within, Kushina and Naruto slept soundly. The red haired woman's mane was splayed all around the futon she lay on, her young child cradled in her arms. The two made quite the pair, long red hair and short blonde. The old man reached out and closed the door on the pair, his face formed into a strong smile. It had been a few years since he had held such a thing on his face. "Hey, move over scarecrow, I'm gonna help you with making that dinner alright. Now, Kushina doesn't like too many bitter things, and Minato likes anything that Kushina makes. So, we're gonna change that miso ramen into some shio ramen, alright?" The young ninja nodded as he stepped aside, allowing the more experienced chef some room.
As the two worked over the stove for a little bit, there came the sound of the door opening and closing. Minato walked in, looking over the proceedings before heading quickly to the nursery. Minato smiled as he looked in on his wife and son, closing the door behind him as he walked to the futon. Laying himself down by his wife's side, while being careful not to disturb either of them, the powerful leader was allowed a moment of rest as he listened to the pair's steady breathing.
'Such a serene pair, and yet they both once housed the most powerful demon in the world'
His musings were cut short however as Naruto blinked open his eyes and began to cry loudly. Kushina awoke with a quick start, her training serving her well.
"Come here, 'ruto, I got'cha." The red haired beauty pulled the babe to her chest, cradling and rocking him in her arms. Naruto quickly quieted down, settling back into calm steady breathing. "You woke him up, so you get to bring me some of that food that Kakashi is making." Kushina's voice was barely a whisper, but one could not mistake the hungry look in her eyes. Minato looked about to protest, but Naruto stirred slightly in her arms. The two exchanged a silent look, where Kushina smiled lightly at her husband's hang dog look. 'Kids not even that old and he already sides with his mom, huh?' With a chagrined look on his face, the man left the room as silently as he entered.
As he approached the kitchen, he was met with smirking eyes from his lifelong friends. Their fingers pointed up at Minato's head, bringing a frown to his face. Reaching up, Minato felt his hair spiking out in various directions. 'Guess I let Naruto get to me more than I anticipated.' Patting down his hair, Minato tried to regain what little dignity he had left.
"Kushina asked me to bring in some of the food you're making Kakashi. Got anything that's not too bitter? I remember your favorites from our journeying days…" Kakashi, still chuckling lightly, held out a bowl of shio ramen, with a side of fresh made dango. The combination smelled slightly sweet, and was piping hot.
"Got some sides of anko and mitarashi dango to go with the shio ramen."* Jiraiya smiled as he ladled his own bowl of the soup out before settling down at the dining room table.
"Go give that to your wife, then come back after she eats and gets Naruto to bed. We have some things to discuss." Kakashi nodded at this, bringing his own food to the table.
With a slight nod, Minato returned to his wife's side. Kushina turned as he entered, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the dango and ramen bowls. The drool that started down her chin was hardly seemly for the wife of a Kage, earning her a grin from her husband.
"!" The quiet exclamation was made, even as the mentioned dish was quickly whisked out of Minato's hand. The speed had been as fast as he normally was in battle, and for a second he worried about her pushing herself. Still, the rate at which she was consuming her food was a good sign. At least, he hoped it was.
Catching his stare after a moment, she turned back to look him square in the eye. "You and the others are going to discuss things about Naruto's future, aren't you?" Minato gave a slight nod, pulling out a scroll from his pocket.
"This was left on my desk after the meeting with the council. It seems that Suna wants an eventual political marriage. They were informed about the birth of Naruto today by messenger summons. It seems that as Naruto is both male and the son of the current Hokage, they would desire his name in a political marriage with the Kazekage's daughter, Temari." Kushina withdrew a bit at her husband's words. She quickly scanned the scroll, and looked up into Minato's eyes.
"There is something here about the renewal date being quite a few years from now. Is there any reason we should not just wait until then to make a decision?" Her voice was pitched low, the question carrying some hidden import.
"No, there is no reason why we shouldn't wait. I actually just wanted to run it by you to see what you thought on the matter." Minato moved to place his arms around his wife's shoulders, surprised when she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. He smiled and brought his arms around her waist, holding her gently in the dark room.
"I knew marrying you would turn out to be a lot of adventures, but I never realized they would all come at once, you know?" Kushina sighed as she leaned further into the embrace.
"When I first came to Konoha, I knew it was going to be for a political marriage to the next Hokage more than likely. Still, I resented the idea originally. That's why I wished to be the first female Hokage, so I could marry whoever I wanted. I also wanted Naruto to have as normal a life as possible, but it seems that my wishes won't be granted there either." Through a mane of red hair, a pair of violet orbs watched blue moons. "Still, I got one wish, and that was to have a family with you. I guess I can live with that."
Minato flushed a bit at this, leaning down to kiss his wife on the forehead. She closed her eyes at this, while grasping his hands that were around her waist.
"If you're feeling up to it, you can join us. I mostly want to go over what's in that scroll, and explain the new missions I have for both Jiraiya and Kakashi." Kushina nodded, letting her husband lead her out into the dining room area.
"Ah, so the two lovers emerge. I take it Naruto is sleeping soundly now that Minato isn't making so much noise?" The blonde shot his sensei a sour look, pulling out a chair and settling down across from the other two males.
"I don't think he was making too much noise. I think it might have been the crystal that was causing the problems." Minato winced at his wife's statement, pulling the crystal out from beneath his coat. Once again, the red pall was cast over the entire room. Focusing some extra chakra into the seals, Minato managed to dull the glow completely, though a feeling of slight unease remained around the object.
"It's not normal for an object to hold in that much power. Something is going to have to be done to either restrain or limit the strength of that object. It would actually be best if there were a way to make use of such power." Jiraiya's eyes bored into Minato's at this point, hoping for a solution of some sort.
"Well it is true that no simple object has ever held this kind of power, the same cannot be said for armor. There have been stories of powerful chakra-based armor from some of the other villages, haven't there?" Minato pulled out some sketches he had made from the night before. It showed a black armor body suit, with red lines tracing down both the front and back sides of the arms and legs. In the center was what appeared to be a simple storage chamber, where all the red lines met.
Jiraiya looked surprised by this, but nodded his agreement. A moment later a scowl took the place of this look. "The only villages that have the kind of technology or experience for that sort of thing though are Takumi and Fuyu. We have friendly agreements with neither at the moment." Looking over the plans, Jiraiya recognized the four lines as also holding a four trigram seal, similar to the one placed onto Naruto.
"I know. However, we have begun receiving summons from Takumi about needing possible aid. The third war hit them fairly hard, their land being a convenient battle ground for some of the skirmishes between the Sand and Stone Villages." Minato paused to take a drink of tea that Kakashi had poured for him. "I'm thinking about bringing back the village extension protocol."
Kakashi blinked at this, though both Kushina and Jiraiya grimaced. "What am I missing here…this protocol sounds like something that was put to rest a while ago." Jiraiya was the one to take a drink now, one far longer than strictly necessary.
"The village extension protocol is just that. It allows a larger village, such as Konoha, to send an emissary to a smaller village, such as Takumi. In return for us taking some of their more skilled shinobi prisoner, we offer the protection and power of Konoha in return. The only problem is, we can end up having to help them while fighting a war elsewhere. It's a good way to leave a village stretched thin." Jiraiya stared for a long while at the crystal laid bare on the table. As he did, there was a slight increase in the general feeling of unease, and the palest of red lights crept back into the room.
"That settles it though; Minato, I think you will be forced to go through with the protocol. I just focused some of my will on that crystal, and it responded." Minato nodded, taking the crystal up again and lowering it out of sight. "If that thing is even slightly self-aware, it needs an outlet that will allow it some freedom of movement. Simply locking away that level of power is out of the question. We try it, it'll be like holding an exploding tag in a closed fist."
"If we are going to go through with the assimilation of a village, even one as small as Takumi, we are going to need powerful delegates to send." It was the first time Kushina had spoken during the meeting, and it caught the males off-guard. "Jiraiya, Kakashi, both of you, and probably one or two others will be needed for such a mission." The two nodded, though they did not look pleased about leaving the village so soon.
"This will also go well with the other training I have in mind for you. Kakashi, I want you to continue your study of seal work with Jiraiya while on this mission. You're also to read up some on wind based affinities and jutsu. If you can master that last element, you'll have a basis in all of them, which will be of great aid for some plans I have for your future." Jiraiya had his eyebrows twitch once at this.
"Whose to say I'm even going to go along with this plan of yours? If you don't remember, my less-than-trustworthy teammate just left the village under questionable pretenses…" Minato simply looked Jiraiya in the eye, unblinkingly. The Toad Sage tried to keep up his threatening demeanor, but ended up caving under the look of his favorite student.
"Fine. What plans do you have for the scarecrow, Minato?" A quick smile flashed across the Hokage's face as he looked at his sensei.
"We have to assume that Orochimaru is never going to return to us at this point. On top of that, we still don't know when or if Tsunade will return. As such, we are going to have to find a suitable replacement eventually. I know Kakashi is only sixteen right now, but with a little training in seals, wind jutsu, and physical training with you, I think he could be Kage material eventually." Kakashi was clearly surprised by this declaration, but Jiraiya did not look convinced.
"Do you think the clans will accept me? I am the son of the White Fang, and I do possess the eye of a dead Uchiha…" Kakashi's hand went to the headband covering his teammates memento.
"With the way you've used that gift so far, and if you continue at your current rate, I have no doubt they'll accept you. You've already copied over what, five hundred jutsu with that Sharingan?" Shaking his head, Minato fixed Kakashi with a stern look. "You will rise far above any doubts the council could level at you by the time you finish training under Jiraiya." Kakashi paled a little at this, though Jiraiya snickered behind his back.
"Alright, I'll train the punk. However, I am going to ask you wait on the assimilation of Takumi a little longer. I think it would be more prudent to make a weapon out of the crystal's chakra rather than armor, and as such, I think we should wait until we discover Naruto's elemental manipulation." Minato glanced at the Toad Sage, a questioning look on his face.
"With the way that the council, and the rest of Konoha, will end up viewing Naruto, it will be better if he has a weapon he is attuned with which to defend him, as well as a symbol to present a powerful image to his enemies. Armor is hard to size to more than one person Minato; what fits you may not fit the next Kage, and the techniques for creating and adjusting such armor can eventually die out." Nodding, Minato pulled the scroll out from his vest pocket.
"I can agree with you on that note I guess. Glad I got your advice; you always were a decent sounding board. Except when it came for how to woo my wife…" Minato grinned as he watched his teacher burst out into droplets of sweat.
Kakashi however seemed quite interested. "You never told me that story sensei. How did Jiraiya-sama suggest you approach Kushina?" Kushina for her part had a light smile on her face, her chair tipped back slightly. The murderous glints in her eye gave the lie to the façade of calm she was attempting.
"That's a story I really don't think we need to tell right now Kakashi…hehehe…" The sweat was pouring off of Jiraiya as he looked between his smirking former student and the two other interested parties. 'I'll get you yet for this Minato'.
"Well, I for one would be happy to let this go for another time, Jiraiya…" The look of surprise on the Sannin's face was ecstatic. "…so long as that other time is when Tsunade is here to hear it as well." The purr that came out of Kushina's lips ensured butter would not melt in her mouth.
Jiraiya paled even more at this statement, his mind whirring on the damning possibilities. 'Still, there's a chance the two will never be in the same room together again, and that chance, however slight, is better than the beating I'd receive now from the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.'
"Why thank you Kushina-san! So, why don't I explain more about this weapon idea, eh?" The joking tone in Jiraiya's voice was an old call between Minato and Jiraiya. It was a way to concede the other had made a decent verbal hit, and allow for the passage of topics onto more…safe…waters.
Catching the old trick, Minato nodded slightly, urging the older man to continue.
"Right, well, as you know, Konoha was founded by the joining of the Senju and the Uchiha clans. The symbol of the Senju clan is a dual sided pike. The symbol for the Uchiha clan is a battle fan. I suggest combining the two into one symbol. A dual sided bladed pike fan would serve the image of both the Uchiha and the Senju interests."
Minato's expression darkened continuously throughout Jiraiya's explanation. He still clearly remembered the actions and words of Fugaku Uchiha during the emergency meeting the night before.
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The meeting was being held in the basement of the hospital. There were still numerous casualties being brought into the operating rooms, and much of the village lay in shambles. Though the meeting was necessary, it was to the chagrin of some that it took place in one of the supply closets. At the moment, only a few of the clan heads were present, and the Hokage was missing.
"Even if you sealed the demon inside that child, if we kill the nine tailed fox we can be rid of it for good!" Fugaku himself pulled a kunai from his belt at this, clearly determined to make some action himself. The council was still at this, but no one moved quickly to halt the clan head.
"No. Fugaku-san, if we kill the fox it will merely reincarnate elsewhere in several years time. There is no telling which nation will get a hold of it next. Or do you want Iwa to take control of the fox?" Danzou reprimanded the Uchiha, leveling a glare at the younger shinobi. Danzou watched as the kunai was slowly lowered before continuing. "What we will need to do is train the fox's container as a weapon of this village." Danzou looked as if he would continue, but the sudden spike of killing intent halted the elder. It seemed that the Hokage had walked into the meeting at some recent point, and he was not pleased.
"Both of you will shut up right now. Or I will kill you both." The eyes of the Yondaime seemed to hint at some ancient demon, the blue globes aching with a desire to fulfill that promise prematurely. The Hokage's voice was steady and even, a cold rage filling his words.
"This council will meet when the Hokage calls it to meet. Until then, you are relieved." The words brooked no argument, and the room full of experienced killers quailed in fear of their leader's wrath. None saw that after they left, Minato collapsed into a heap, crying for his son.
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Minato's eyes were set once again in that dreadful visage. "The Uchiha will have no part in the weapon for this village. Also, I would like if this weapon was useful to me immediately, as I am the current Hokage."
Jiraiya had rarely seen his pupil this determined, and for the first time that night, was afraid of his student. "What did you have in mind then, for a weapon choice?" Meanwhile, Jiraiya's mind was a blur. 'What did the Uchiha do to piss of Minato? He liked Obito, and I thought he was even drinking friends with Fugaku…'
"The only weapon that has been known to be able to channel all the chakra types at one point or another is a sword. Have Takumi commission a sword for Konoha, and have it made of chakra adaptive materials." Kushina smiled a little at the thought of her husband wielding sword, then remembered how clumsy he was back in his academy days. 'Still, he's come a long way since then.'
Kakashi shifted in his seat, lowering his mask for a brief moment to take a drink of his tea. "I think that I have a source of materials for such a weapon. The village can use The White Fang as the base materials. I have not had it repaired since the mission with Rin and Obito." Kakashi's face was tight as he mentioned his fallen comrades, his eyes exactingly focused on the swirl patterns in the dining table.
"That should do just fine, thank you Kakashi." Minato reached out and placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder, whose gaze lifted only long enough to manage a weak smile of acknowledgement.
Turning towards Jiraiya, Minato handed the scroll he had set on the table to the now tired looking man. "This is something I'd like you to look into while you are training. See what you can learn about the family, and determine if I can trust my son with this group." Jiraiya nodded, quickly glancing over the scroll before placing it within his red vest.
"Well, it's getting kind of late Kakashi. I think I'm gonna go hit the guest bed. Minato, you should get those scrolls for the kid before you hit the hay. I'm gonna be working him on the way to Takumi." Minato nodded, pushing back from his chair. "We'll head there, and render what aid we can. We'll also see if we can set up the expansion protocol to occur around the time of the treaty renewal with Suna. If we can manage it, there might be a way to split the protection of the area between the two villages." Shrugging, the sage swung onto his feet, his geta sandals sounding on the wood floor. "Who knows, if this goes just right we could even get a festival out of the whole thing…" Shaking his head, he proceeded towards the rooms.
"Kakashi, the guest bedrooms are on the opposite sides of the gathering room. You and Jiraiya can pick either one you want, they both come with the exact same set-up. I'll leave the scrolls on your bed in a bit."
Minato turned and helped his wife from her chair. Though she was loath to admit it, her lack of conversation during the meeting showed just how tired she was. 'Normally she's such a motor-mouth it's hard to get her to be quiet, even when we're on dangerous stealth missions.'
Kushina seemed to catch this, as the two shared a silent smile. Jiraiya and Kakashi both smirked before heading back to their respective quarters. After dropping off the necessary materials, Minato crept back into the nursery where his small family was sleeping. Kushina and Naruto both lay curled up on the futon, their heads turned towards one another.
'Guess he's just as sound a sleeper as his mother.' Smiling, Namikaze Minato, one of the world's most powerful ninja, curled up next to his family. True, he slept with a Hiraishin kunai placed under the edge of the futon, but it was as relaxed an image as one could expect. The only thing that really showed how peaceful the trio was though, was the fact that each one of them had a slight smile on their face. Resting peacefully between both his father and mother, Naruto slept, unknowing of the future path that had already been laid before him.
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There's chapter number 3! All the backstory development is now complete for this part of the story. Yes, yes, I know, there is still another two arcs before the actual story arcs begin, but hey, this is going to be worth it right? I hope I'm right here…T_T. For those of you who were wondering, yes, Mitarashi, and Anko are both types of Dango. Kind of makes her addiction to the things a little strange when you think of her eating her namesake all the time, but hey, it seems to be a trend in the ninja world. Anyways, the next chapter will feature a timeskip of several years, arriving right on time for the seventh year of Namikaze Naruto and his budding adventures. Until next time faithful viewers, read and review!