New Resolution

Minato was rushing through the forest towards where Naruto's team was supposed to be. When he had received that scroll it felt as if his heart had stopped. The Intelligence Division had learnt that an ambush was being set up near Konoha. A high level shinobi from Iwa had been sent in order to create the impression that bandits were attacking a trade route. Once a team was dispatched to deal with it, the Iwa shinobi would ambush and kill them.

There were some rumours of other nations's teams being killed via this method but Minato hadn't put much stock in them without hard evidence. Even then, he never assumed that another nation would be so bold as to attack so close to Konoha. By pure chance it had been his son that was sent to deal with the 'bandits'. Perhaps not pure chance, he had wanted to keep his son safe so he sent him somewhere nearby.

'I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to Naruto. I can't but feel that Kushina-chan was right, I feel as if I should never have sent him out so early.' Minato and his group stopped abruptly at the signal of one the Anbu. This one was an Inuzuka who was currently sniffing the air. He motioned for everyone else to follow him as he shot of towards whatever scent he caught. As he raced after the Inuzuka, Minato couldn't help but feel an impending sense of dread. It was a feeling he couldn't shake and he hoped sincerely that he was wrong.

The first thing that Minato noticed was blood. It seemed as if everything was coated in blood. The second thing he noticed was a small body, covered in the red liquid, his son. It was at that moment that Minato's world seemed to stop. His son, the pride and joy of his life had been brutally taken from this life. He could still remember when Naruto was born, the immense joy that he felt at having a part in bringing something so miraculous into this world.

As he began to go numb with grief, his body moved towards the source of his sorrow. He didn't care for the other bodies that he could see, he didn't care about the possibility of there being a trap. The only thing Minato cared about was reaching his son.

When he finally reached the body he couldn't help but notice that his son's beautiful blond hair was so covered in blood it looked red. 'Oh kami, how am I supposed to explain this to Kushina-chan? How am I supposed to explain that our son was brutally murdered because I pushed for him to climb the ranks to quickly?'

As he hugged his child's body to his chest, Minato felt something he never could have hoped for. He could feel the rhythmic thump of his son's heart. His son was still alive! Minato quickly looked all over his son's body for a wound and when he found none he felt like bursting into tears of happiness. Not only was his son still alive but he was also injury free. He cradled his child even closer as he relished in the relief coursing through his body.

"Hokage-sama, is your son alright?" Minato looked over to the Anbu squad's medic with a smile.

"Yes, he's just fine." Unfortunately Minato had to shift his attention to what had transpired. "Have you been able to figure out what happened here?"

"We have a good idea of what went on. Based on the position of the bodies, Hanako-san was killed first and in a fashion that would be quite painful. Her brother must have been attracted by the noise, whereupon he was quickly killed. Your son also came across the scene but it seems Tsuneo-san took a blow meant from him and killed the assailant. We found no headband or any marks indicating his allegiance."

Minato nodded at the last part, he had expected as much. "Very well, burn Tsuneo-san's body but bring back the unknown shinobi and the two children's corpses. The parents' of those kids deserve our sympathy."

His orders were quickly carried out and Minato was soon rushing back to Konoha, his Anbu squad struggling to keep up.

Naruto once more woke up to the white ceiling of Konoha's hospital. The circumstances under which he once more found himself here eerily resembled those of the first time. He wasn't has shaken up as the first time but he still couldn't bring himself to dwell on what happened. A hand touched his and he looked up to see his mother staring at him worriedly.

"Naruto-kun you're awake. How are you feeling?" Unbidden images of Hanako lying dead on the ground flooded through his mind and he could hear her brother's dying breaths. Tears began to spill from his eyes before his mother quickly wrapped her arms around him. He cried as he thought about what happened, his mother whispering comforting words in his ear and holding him tight.

After a few minutes he began to finally stop weeping, but he was content to stay in his mother's arms. He knew it wasn't true but he couldn't help feeling that he was safe from any harm.

The noise of the door to the room being opened gained their attention. At the doorway stood Minato, a look of worry on his face quickly being replaced with happiness. The thing that really drew Naruto's attention though was who Minato held in his arms. It was his precious little sister.

"Hey Naruto-kun, glad to see you're up. Thought you could use a visit from Masuyo-chan here." A grin lit up Naruto's face as he disentangled himself from his mother's arms. As Minato drew near Masuyo saw her brother and began reaching towards him.

"Seems as if someone is anxious to see you Naruto-kun." Kushina smiled warmly at the sight of her two children. Minato handed off his daughter to his son, who held her with reverence.

The moment he held his sister within his arms, Naruto began to feel better. It was as if she managed to wash away all the sadness within his heart. The horrific memories were receding, the feelings they brought with them dimming. Things didn't seem so bleak anymore.

"I think everything's going to be just fine."

Naruto had been allowed to leave the hospital after it was deemed that he was coping quite well. It was much later in the day and he was wandering around the house before bed when he heard the voices of his parents.

"Minato-kun you seem really stressed, do you want to talk about it?"

"It's beginning to weigh down on me. Rumours have been circulating that Orochimaru is gathering his forces, for what reason nobody knows. I wish I could've gotten to his lab sooner and caught the bastard before he ran."

"That wasn't your fault Minato-kun, you got there as soon as you could."

"I know Kushina-chan, but it's not just that. The peace talks with the Uchiha aren't a complete disaster but we are barely making any progress whatsoever. I have to fight tooth and nail just to ensure the continued peace. To top it all off we almost lost our only son!"

"I know, I know. The Uchiha situation is getting better and Naruto-kun is safe in this house with us right now. About Naruto-kun though, do you think we should still tell him about Masuyo-chan?" At this point a sigh escaped Minato.

"No, I don't think now is a good time to tell him that the Kyuubi was sealed inside his sister." Naruto couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips at what he heard. The Kyuubi, the thing that almost destroyed his village was sealed inside his sister?

Both Minato and Kushina burst out of the room to find a shocked Naruto. They had feared the worst when they heard a noise from outside the room and unfortunately their fears were realized. Naruto was most certainly not supposed to have overheard them.

"Naruto-kun, did you hear what your father and I were talking about?" Whatever hopes they had of him not hearing were shattered when he nodded. Minato walked forward and kneeled before his son so he could be on eye level with him. Putting his hands on his son's shoulders Minato made sure Naruto was paying full attention before beginning to speak.

"Naruto-kun, I know that what you overheard us talking about might be confusing you, but don't let it. Masuyo-chan is still your precious little sister. She is not the Kyuubi, she merely holds him within her. I need you to understand, they are not one and the same and they are completely separate. Do not hate her for what she holds, it is a great burden that she bears and she'll need you supporting her."

Naruto was silent for a moment has he absorbed everything he was told. Suddenly a fierce glint entered his eye. "I could never hate her! It doesn't matter that the Kyuubi is sealed within her; Masuyo-chan is still herself! I don't care what she holds, she is still my precious little sister and nothing will change that!"

Both of his parents were immensely relived by what he had said. "You're an incredible brother to Masuyo-chan. She's lucky to have someone as loving and caring as you looking out for her." Both Minato and Kushina gave him a hug, incredibly proud that their son was so accepting.

Naruto smiled at both his parents before walking away from them, his mind abuzz.

Despite what Naruto told his parents, the knowledge that the Kyuubi, the harbinger of destruction, was sealed inside his sister affected him terribly. What kind of world was it that not even the newly born were free from corruption? Why did everything good in his life have to be bathed in hatred? His mind once more filled with the memories of his team's slaughter. He was being tormented by the horrors that he could no longer block out.

Hanako's dead body, Tarō's screams, his sensei's warm blood hitting his face. It didn't stop there though; images of that unknown ninja basically exploding in front of his face began to appear. Soon the images shifted to that of his family, each of them lying in a pool of blood while the Kyuubi continued its destruction. It all eventually led back to his team and the bastard that did it.

The bastard that killed his team was from another village, with orders to kill. Why had they turned what was to be a capture mission into a merciless bloodbath? A burning hate began to form, a hate for the evil bastards who could do such a thing.

'Why can't anything be pure in this disgusting world? What chance for peace is there in this world? So many kill those they don't even know simply because they were ordered to. Itachi was right, keeping the peace Konoha has is the only thing I can do. I have to defend it from all the other villages that would kill innocents, who would ruin our peace. I can do this, I have the Will of Fire within me!'

Out of his great sorrow and trauma Naruto felt as if he had gained something invaluable.

I was thinking of ending last chapter with Naruto finding out about the Kyuubi but I decided to end it at what seemed a pretty decent place, though now that I think about it I probably should've left them merged. That's why I was able to write this chapter so quickly; a portion of it was already done.

I ended up going to bed before finishing the last paragraph up so I finished it up and uploaded it this morning instead. I do hope this chapter is good though, I never get around to proofreading any of my writing.

Just to be one hundred percent clear, Naruto doesn't hate or fear his sister. He just hates the situation she's been forced into.

Finally, I do respond to any questions within reviews via pm so if there's anything bugging you feel free to ask. Although I'm going on hiatus starting today so probably the wrong time to mention this.