Minato: Return
Minato moaned, head clutched in both hands as wracking pains shot up and down his body. He knew he was dead -he'd killed himself performing Shiki Fuujin and Hakke no Fuuin Shiki to seal the Kyuubi's yang chakra within his newborn son- so why did he hurt so much? He felt like he was being torn in two by wild horses while suffering a monument-sized hangover!
"Gomen nasai, Shinigami-san, but I can't let you take Nato-chan just yet."
That voice...
"I'll take responsibility for the yin Kyuubi as well, if you prefer."
Was that...was that Usei-chan?
"How about an exchange, then? Two souls, one for each of the ones I am depriving you of."
Usei-chan, talking to Shinigami-sama? How did she get here?
"Those two? They're both S-ranked shinobi, Shinigami-san. It will take me years to get that good."
On that note, where is 'here' anyway? It certainly isn't Konoha, and if Usei is here it probably isn't the afterlife. Or Shinigami-sama's stomach.
"Very well then. I agree to those terms. Arigatou, Shinigami-san."
The pain stopped, making rational thought possible once more. The white-faced god of death faded away, leaving Minato with Usei, who looked older and taller than when he'd last seen her. She'd also cut her hair boyishly short, which looked a little odd considering she was wearing a formal kimono.
"Where am I?"
"Tetsu no kuni; Aniki-tou-san is visiting the daimyo."
"Why am I not dead?"
Usei gave him a flat look. "Namikaze Minato-san, you are very definitely deceased. In fact, you are a ghost. Feel free to check if you don't believe me."
Minato looked down at himself. He was indeed somewhat transparent with a faint yellow glow around the edges. Not to mention standing through a table.
"Then why am I here? I mean, I performed Shiki Fuujin-"
Usei hopped up onto the table and punched him in the head. "Baka! You killed yourself! The only reason you aren't being tortured in Shinigami-san's stomach is that when I found you dying in Iwa I tied your soul to me so I would have time to heal you."
"You tied me to you? How?"
"Kinjutsu," Usei said flatly. "Your soul is bound to mine until I die or release you. That's why I can touch you despite your being incorporeal and why Shinigami-san couldn't take you. So I bargained with him, since you promised him two souls for his trouble, and got him to agree to an exchange."
Minato, stunned and humbled, looked at the almost-seven-year-old whose expression was far too old and tired for her face. He remembered, far too late, her admonishment spoken a little over a year ago: If you need help, little shinobi, ask for it. "You said something about S-class shinobi?"
"Hai. In exchange for lifelong authority over your soul and Kyuubi's -which corresponds to his yin chakra, since the bijuu are like animals in that they are divided into mind and body, unlike humans who are mind, body and soul- I am bound to deliver to the Shinigami the souls of two immortal shinobi. Uchiha Madara and Kakuzu, formerly of Taki, to be exact. No time limit, thankfully, but they have to die by my hand for the bargain to be valid."
Minato dropped to his knees, floating just above the floor, stunned. "Usei-chan, your not seven yet, you can't-"
"I know, Namikaze! Believe me, I know. But it is done now and I can't undo it. Should I renege on the deal Shinigami-san will not just take my soul and yours when I die, but release Kyuubi as well." She sighed, flopping down on a cushion next to him. "It isn't just about you though, Nato-chan. That future the toads saw may depend on the child of prophesy, but for that child to prevail the immortals have to die. At least this way I get something out of it."
"I've fought Madara, Usei-chan. He set Kyuubi on Konoha. I almost didn't beat him, and even though I won I only drove him off," Minato said softly.
"We have time," she replied simply. "Now tell me what you've been up to since you last letter. You mentioned Kushina was pregnant?"
Minato's heart clenched. "Kushina-chan..." He couldn't hold back the tears.
Usei crawled into his lap and hugged him tightly, letting the former Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato cry into her hair as he mourned for his wife.
Sealing Methods
Shiki Fuujin = corpse spirit sealing method. Used to 'kill' the Kyuubi by extracting its yin chakra; a suicide technique.
Hakke no Fuuin Shiki = eight divination signs seal. Used to seal Kyuubi's yang chakra into the newborn Uzumaki Naruto.
A/N: And the prologue is over. Reviews, please?