It was a night of horror and tragedy. A night that would forever change the fate of a village and a girl.
The Kyuubi, the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts, had suddenly appeared and attacked the village of Konoha, unleashing its destructive power and killing countless people. No one knew why it had done so, or where it had come from. All they knew was that it had to be stopped, at any cost.
The only one who could stand against the monstrous beast was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the leader of the village and the father of a newborn baby girl. He had devised a plan to seal the Kyuubi inside his daughter, using a forbidden jutsu that would cost him his life. He hoped that by doing so, he would save the village and give his daughter a chance to live.
But things did not go as planned.
As he prepared to perform the jutsu, he was shocked to see that the Kyuubi was not a mindless beast, but a sentient being with a will and a voice. And that voice spoke to him, in a tone that was both angry and desperate.
"Wait! Stop! Don't do this! Please!"
Minato paused, stunned by the unexpected plea. He looked into the eyes of the Kyuubi, and saw something he did not expect. He saw fear, pain, and sadness. He saw a soul.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"I am Naruko," the Kyuubi said. "I am your daughter."
Minato gasped, unable to believe what he had heard. How could this be possible? How could his daughter be the Kyuubi? How could the Kyuubi be his daughter?
"What do you mean? How can you be my daughter?" he asked, his mind racing.
"I don't know," Naruko said. "I don't know how or why this happened. All I know is that I was born as the Kyuubi, and I have lived as the Kyuubi ever since. I have no memories of anything else."
Minato felt a surge of pity and guilt for the girl who claimed to be his daughter. She had lived as a demon, hated and feared by everyone, without knowing who she really was or where she came from. She had never known love or happiness or peace. She had only known loneliness and suffering.
He wondered if this was some kind of cruel joke by fate, or some kind of punishment for his sins.
He wondered if there was anything he could do to help her.
He wondered if he could still go through with his plan.
He looked at her again, and saw that she was crying. Tears of blood ran down her furry cheeks, as she begged him with her eyes.
"Please, don't seal me inside your daughter," she said. "Please, don't take away my freedom. Please, don't make me suffer more than I already have."
Minato felt his heart break. He wanted to save his daughter from the Kyuubi, but he also wanted to save his daughter from being sealed inside another child. He wanted to protect both of them, but he didn't know how.
He looked at his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, who was holding their baby girl in her arms. She had given birth to her just moments ago, and she was still weak from the ordeal. She had also been the previous host of the Kyuubi, before Minato had extracted it from her to use it against itself. She had survived the extraction thanks to her strong Uzumaki bloodline, but she had also suffered greatly from it.
She looked at him with love and trust in her eyes, as she smiled weakly at him.
"Minato," she said softly. "Do what you have to do. I trust you."
Minato felt a surge of love and gratitude for his wife. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met, and he loved her more than anything in the world. She had given him everything he ever wanted: a family, a home, a purpose. She had supported him in everything he did, even when it meant risking her own life.
She was his angel.
He looked at their baby girl, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he loved her more than anything in the world. She was his miracle.
She was his hope.
He looked at Naruko again, who was still crying and pleading with him. She was his daughter too, even if she didn't look like it or act like it. She was his flesh and blood, and he loved her more than anything in the world.
She was his burden.
He made his decision.
He closed his eyes, and gathered his chakra. He formed the hand seals for the jutsu, and prepared to activate it.
He opened his eyes, and looked at Naruko one last time.
"I'm sorry," he said.
He slammed his hand on her forehead, and activated the jutsu.
A flash of light engulfed them, and then everything went dark.