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Not a day later, the clan heads had gathered in the Hokage tower.
"Sandaime-sama," Nara Shikaku opened. "Have you chosen the next Hokage?"
"Shikaku," Hiruzen started. "That is not what this meeting about is. That will be discussed on a later date."
Everyone in the room were confused though most did not show it.
"But in these times, we need a Hokage," Inuzuka Tsume stated.
"Then, I will be more than happy to serve as a Hokage just for old times sake, for a while," he answered. "It has been one of my mistakes to retire and choose my successor at a time when the village just pushed through a war,"
"And to choose a very young Hokage, too." Hiruzen started thinking back on his past. "I will look to establishing security in our village before I choose the next Hokage."
"That seems like a logical choice," Shikaku nodded.
"What is this about, then, Sandaime-sama?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked.
"The Kyuubi, as you all know, had been defeated," the former Hokage started. "But you are all wrong."
More of the people inside the room gave off a confused look.
"A creature of pure chakra cannot be killed. Instead, Minato had sealed it in a child. His child."
"Who-," Tsume started interrupting.
"Do not interrupt, young Inuzuka," Hiruzen interrupted her.
"Minato's last order as Hokage, as told to Uchiha Itachi, and written in a scroll," the Sandaime continued. "Was for a certain clan to take in both of his children and raise them."
"Whose-" Akimichi Chouza tried this time.
"Ssh, young Akimichi," Hiruzen scolded him like he was a child. It was ironic. It was almost like the old times.
"As I was saying," the former Hokage started again. "The Namikaze children are now to live with the Uchiha."
After everyone had left, Hiruzen sat in his chair and stared at the portraits of the former Hokage. Particularly, Minato.
'How things would have been if Kushina wasn't stubborn enough to push through with giving birth at the right time,' he though bitterly.
But he knew he couldn't really blame the fiery redhead.
After seeing her first born stopping his breathing, so close to death, Kushina was so intent on not having her next child go through the same danger. It could have worked.
But no one could really predict the tragedy that was bound to happen. Especially a tragedy that could have put every other tragedy to shame.
Really, who would think someone would be evil enough to summon the tailed-beast when its jinchuuriki was going through enough pain? And to threaten to kill an innocent newborn child? To try and invoke utter destruction in a currently peaceful village?
'I'm sorry, Minato.'
Later that day, Fugaku rushed back to the Uchiha compound. Their area was one of the most devastated as one of the Tailed-Beast's bombs hit it. They also had numerable casualties.
If he had been here when the incident happened, Fugaku knew he could have prevented the loss of lives. But it just had to happen on the day both she and Mikoto were on week-long missions.
There was nothing to be done now except to rebuild the compound for the remaining Uchiha. It's going to be a long process but it has happened before and they got through. They'll get through again. They even had more help now. A few of the members of other clans had volunteered in helping rebuild the compound.
Fugaku quickly searched for his son. He needed explanations of what had happened. And he needed it now.
"Itachi," he said as he found his eleven-year old helping out in searching for things that could still be used.
"Otou-san," Itachi greeted his father.
"Come," Fugaku said as he led Itachi to where a park was once situated.
"What had exactly happened last night?" Fugaku asked as he decided to head straight to the point.
'What exactly happened last night?' Itachi thought as he flashed back to the events of the attack of the Kyuubi.
"Mikoto! Fugaku!" Minato knocked hastily on the Uchihas' door. His left hand kept on rapping on the wood, while supporting Kushina's legs. His other arm supported Kushina's back. It was an awkward position but right now, it didn't matter.
"Hokage-sama," Itachi opened the door.
"Itachi-kun," Minato scanned behind the boy, desperately searching for Naruto.
"N-Naruto?" Kushina turned her head towards Itachi.
"I'll go get him," Itachi replied immediately before coming back with a startled Naruto in his arms and a sleepy Sasuki hanging on his back.
"Naruto," Kushina held Naruto's face close to hers. How she wanted to hug him tightly.
"Where are your parents?" Minato asked Itachi as the boy stepped away to let the pair in.
"They're away," Itachi answered as Minato lay the bloody Kushina on their couch. He desperately wanted to ask what had happened but he sensed that he shouldn't.
"Please take care of her for me for a while," Minato quickly said before disappearing. He came back just as quickly, this time with a newborn.
"Please take care of them," Minato added with only a few seconds pause after the last. He handed the baby to his wife. And again, he was gone.
"Kaa-san," Naruto went to his mother. He was confused and he didn't know what to do. Tears started pouring onto his cheeks.
"Naruto-kun," Kushina started crying, too, patting the blond's head with one hand while the other held the newborn. "This is your new sibling."
"Kaa-san," Naruto looked at the newborn before glancing back at his mother. He laid his head on her neck. He didn't know what was happening but he knew something was wrong. He turned to look at Itachi, he might know. But the older boy had left Sasuki beside Naruto and was already outside the door. Naruto could see red gleaming from the boy's usually black eyes.
"Naruto," his attention snapped towards her mother. "Promise me,"
"Promise me that you'll take care of the both of you. Promise me that you'll love each other. And your Tou-san, too."
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked between sobs. "You take care of us!"
"I can't Naruto-kun," Kushina's tears streamed down faster. "You have to do it for me."
"Kaa-san,"
"And you have to eat your vegetables even without me looking. You can't eat ramen every day. Just once a week from now on, okay? Your sibling will do what you'll do so you have to be good. You also have to teach your sibling what I've taught you," Kushina rambled on. "You'll be going to the academy next year so you have to do your assignments. Your Tou-san will be busy but he'll help you. Then when your sibling goes to school, too, you'll have to help, too."
Naruto kept crying. Why was his mother saying all of these?
"You also have to take a bath everyday without me telling you. And change your clothes! And don't spend more money than you need. You have to be wise. And alcohol, too. No alcohol till you're of age. And not too much by then. Tell your father that, too. The same goes with the girls. You have to keep yourselves from becoming like Jiraiya-sensei, okay?"
Naruto managed to laugh before remembering what was happening. "Kaa-san, stay."
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't. But remember that I'll always love you. Both of you and your Tou-san. Tell him that. Tell yourselves that. I love you." Kushina leaned down and kissed Naruto on the forehead.
Suddenly, Minato and Itachi both reappeared in the room, one after the other.
"Kushina," Minato started taking Kushina from the couch. She held the newborn tightly as Naruto tried to cling to his mother. "We need to get you away from here."
"Come, Sasuki," Itachi took her sister and carried her on his back. He looked at the family and offered to take Naruto with him.
"Itachi," Minato started. "Can you make it to the evacuation shelter and back to help?"
"At this rate, no, sir," Itachi answered.
"Then follow me to the mountains," Minato ordered the young ANBU, before making a hand seal and teleporting away. Itachi used the Body Flicker as fast as he could to keep up with the Yondaime and to escape the giant ball of concentrated chakra the Kyuubi had just fired towards the clan compound.
When he arrived at the mountain, Minato had set down Kushina on the ground, the baby in a small bed and Kyuubi was already in chains. The masked man Itachi saw the Yondaime fight a while ago was already gone. Itachi marvelled at what Minato had been able to carry out in the little time it took Itachi to get there.
"Minato," Kushina called. "Seal the Kyuubi in me again."
"It won't work, Kushina," Minato told her as he started creating a barrier enclosing them. Itachi quickly went towards Kushina. Naruto leapt out of his arms and hugged his mother. "You barely have enough chakra to keep him from breaking free and we don't know when he'll come back."
"Then, why our newborn baby?" Kushina cried. "And why do you have to leave them, too?"
Instantly, Itachi knew what was happening.
"Seal it in me," he volunteered as he put down Sasuki.
"I can't do that, Itachi," Minato answered. "Your parents would not approve."
"I can decide on my own,"
"You are still a minor,"
Itachi knew that he could not argue with that. Besides, he had an incurable illness and who knew how long he would live? The Jinchuuriki should be as healthy as possible to erase any risk of the Tailed Beast escaping suddenly.
"Kushina," Minato started. "I know our child will do well with being a Jinchuuriki. And I'll seal our chakra in, too. We'll be able to help when the time comes. And the masked man, there is no doubt that he means to come back. The village needs to be ready when that happens and I have full faith in our child."
"Our baby doesn't even know what's happening yet," Kushina held the newborn tighter. For a while, everything was quiet. The unconditional love of a mother filling the air.
"Kaa-san," Naruto looked up at her mother. "I know what's happening."
"N-Naruto," Kushina hugged Naruto as well.
"Tou-san, seal it in me instead," the blond kid stopped crying long enough to tell his father.
Minato looked at his child. Naruto knew of the Kyuubi sealed in her mother and things related to that. Naruto even knew the consequences of some Jinchuuriki in the countries Konoha was allied with.
"I know," Naruto looked up at him and nodded. Minato saw the determination in his little boy's teary eyes. Naruto has grown a lot and he was so proud of him.
"Are you sure, Naruto?"
"Hai," Naruto stood up and wiped his tears. "I'll do it to protect the village and to protect the people I love."
The little blond kid quickly took his baby sibling from the bed and handed her to his mother. Then, he lay down.
Every thing else happened so fast. Itachi and Sasuki could only watch as the Kyuubi tried to strike Naruto. Kushina quickly lay the baby down next to Naruto as she and Minato tried to stop the Kyuubi's attack, getting fatally wounded. Itachi, then took the baby and Sasuki to get as far away as possible from the fox inside the barrier.
Soon, the Kyuubi had been sealed whole into Naruto. The Sandaime and a few others had gathered outside and watched the scene helplessly. Itachi went towards the family and Kushina took the baby from him. The Hokage and his wife said their last good-byes to their children and as life was draining away from both, Minato wrote on a scroll.
"Itachi," Minato started. "My last orders as Hokage would be for the Uchiha main family to raise my children. It would be a token to show the trust I have in your clan. And Naruto will be treated as the hero he is, choosing by himself to let the Kyuubi be sealed in him."
Itachi nodded.
"If anyone doubts you, there will be a signed document inside this toad," Minato said as a small toad showed beside him and swallowed the scroll. Then, Itachi set to the sides as the family of four in front of him hugged and kissed for the last time.
As Minato started another sealing technique, the barrier around them started to fade. And soon, it was gone along with the life of the Yondaime and his wife.
Itachi and Sasuki were left with a sleeping newborn and a crying Naruto before the Sandaime came.
After hearing out Itachi's account of the incident, Fugaku took it upon himself to start accepting the children. He left Itachi to the chores he had been doing and went to find his other child.
He knew Sasuki would be with Naruto. And Naruto hadn't left his sibling for one minute since last night.
Fugaku recalled how he was greeted by the sights of destruction in Konoha and the forrest that surrounded it. As soon as he entered the village gates, he was told to head straight into the hospital where his son and daughter were.
"Did something happen to them?" Fugaku asked, unknowingly showing his sharingan because of his worrying.
"No, Uchiha-sama," the ANBU answered, his voice faltering. The Uchiha realized why the man was shaking and immediately deactivated his sharingan. "They're perfectly fine. Your son is very capable."
"Has Mikoto arrived yet?" he asked once he regained his composure.
"Yes, she is in the hospital with the others."
Fugaku shunshined straight towards the hospital, which was relatively unscathed. There, he was led towards where his family were.
"Fugaku," Mikoto immediately hugged him, not bothering to show any formality. After what had happened, why should she? Their children could have been the ones being readied to be buried.
Fugaku hugged her back shortly before pulling away. He walked towards his children who were around a familiar body with blond hair.
"Are any of you hurt?" he asked, concern rarely shown, clear in his voice.
"Tou-san," Sasuki immediately reached up to him. He picked her up in his arms and as he did, the view of Minato's son cleared before him.
Naruto was asleep, but for the first time he'd seen, the boy's face was contorted in a painful expression. He shifted in his sleep and hugged a little bundle closer to him. Fugaku saw it to be a redheaded baby.
"Tou-san," Itachi soon stood up and hugged his father. Something he rarely did nowadays. Something really must have happened if his son had started to hug him again, his wife started to lose her formality, and Naruto started to have nightmares. And what was with the baby?
'Naruto. He sacrificed a lot. He's just like his father,' Fugaku thought of the boy who was always smiling and spreading the happiness. Fugaku, despite his indifferent stance, felt the difference in a room's aura when Naruto was in their home.
Soon, Fugaku caught sight of the familiar pair of raven and blond hair. They were in the less ruined area of the compound. In a grassy patch of land reserved for when the clan needed more housing.
"Sasuki," he called out.
Sasuki immediately turned to face her father. Naruto did the same but instinctively held his sibling closer.
Fugaku saw the action and proceeded to walk towards them more cautiously. From the story he'd heard from Itachi, Naruto had gone through a lot. He even sacrificed being the jinchuuriki in his newborn sibling's stead. He deserved to be the hero Minato wanted the villagers treat to him.
Once he reached them and Naruto seemed a bit more relaxed, he said:
"Sasuki, how would you like to have Naruto and the baby live with us?"
Months after the attack, Konoha was almost just like before. The people it has lost were irreplaceable but the people who were left knew that they died heroes. The destructed properties were rebuilt. The injured were treated. And everything went on as it did before.
Almost everything.
To a certain young blond boy, everything has changed.
His parents are gone. He had a new sibling he had to care for. He had a monster inside him. And he was living in a new home with a new family.
Namikaze Naruto's whole life has changed.
If it had been someone else in his place, that someone would have given up long ago. But Naruto is not just someone. And he would never give up.
Especially when he knew he had somebody who would always be there for him. His new family was there for him.
For the next few moments of his new life, the Uchiha played very important roles. Sasuki remained as his best friend and a rival. Now, she was also his roommate and sister.
Mikoto acted as his mother, scolding him when he needed it and praising him when he deserved it. She was unlike Kushina in many ways. She wasn't as loud and wasn't as fun. But she was as caring as the redheaded woman.
Fugaku. He never compared to Minato. He rarely spoke but Naruto felt his concern.
Itachi became his older brother. He helped him train and taught him things he didn't know. He was the one Naruto came to when he had nightmares.
Sasuki, even though she was just a few steps away since they shared a bedroom, would just tell him to go back to sleep. Fugaku would always lock the door behind him when he came home so Naruto never knew what they would say. Naruto couldn't really go to his sibling's room and sleep beside him in the crib.
Itachi always heard his nightmares out when Naruto felt like talking. And then, he'd warm him some milk and let him sleep beside him if the nightmares turn out to be very bad.
And the nightmares almost always were very bad.
Naruto thought nothing could be worse. There always is worse.
So. What do you think? I have the next chapter written and I almost added it here to make this chapter 5k words long. But then I thought it wouldn't be very humane to have two traumatizing events next to each other. So I'm gonna actually write out next chapter and make it less eventful and focus on the changes and relations in Naruto's life... What do you think?
PLEASE REVIEW :)