NOTE:
"Text" = the voice from the darkness
"Text" = Nine-Tails' voice
Watching Movies with the Lights Off
Drifting…
Slowly, slowly…
Through darkness, through the black…
Through the unending sea of nothingness…
…
And then—
A breath.
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
Kushina woke with a gasp. She was standing up, which was odd; people normally slept lying down.
As she looked around, though, she couldn't help but wonder if she was still dreaming.
The world was black; not just dark, not just filled with shadows—pitch black. Nothing at all, expanding forever and ever. Yet as she looked down, she could see herself as normal. Her typical white shirt and green apron looked as they always did, as if she were standing in her own kitchen.
But this was certainly not her kitchen.
The question was—where? And what had she been doing before she got here…?
All of a sudden, the faintest of lights appeared in the distance, smaller than a pinhead, but in the complete darkness, a luminous lifeline. As she decided whether or not to approach, a voice called out to her.
"Kushina? Kushina, where are you?"
That voice…
"Minato?" she said into the black. "Minato! I'm right here!"
She swivelled her head in each direction, hoping beyond hope to lay her dull blue eyes on her husband. Left, right, up, down. She checked everywhere at first, and nothing.
But as she turned back to her front, there was Minato, as if out of the ether, in his green vest and Hokage robes, with a surprised look on his face.
"Kushina…?"
"Minato!"
The two of them hugged, and though they both knew that their partner was unhurt, something far greater than relief flooded through them as they felt the other's touch.
"Where are we?" Kushina asked.
"I don't know…" Minato mirrored his wife's earlier movements and searched every direction, until he too found that speck of light in the distance. "What…?"
"What do you think it could be?"
"Hmm…" The Fourth Hokage narrowed his eyes on the glow, but eventually his face softened into a warm smile.
"Only one way to find out."
Kushina frowned.
"Typical…"
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
The two of them closed in on the light. It felt like it took them forever; either forever, or no time at all.
There was no way to tell.
Regardless they had reached their destination, and as they approached the two of them began to see what they were coming to quite clearly, and it only made them more confused.
"What the…?" Kushina's brow furrowed.
"Well," Minato said. "This is interesting."
Before the two of them sat the caricature of a living room. There was a small tube television on a wooden, three-legged stool, and it blared static across it screen. Around it were piles of video tapes, and though they were stacked in columns, there was something about them that was chaotic, strewn about. A soft sofa big enough for two people to share comfortably, sat directly across from the tv. None of it was illuminated as the two of them were; it only appeared in the light of the static.
Minato and Kushina each went around one side of the couch as they stared at the electric box in front of them.
"What the hell is this thing?" Kushina asked, quickly losing her patience.
"I think the Hokage Building had something like this, but…" Minato approached it in search of an instruction manual or a button of some sort that could give him some clue as to what was happening. All he found was a flap at the bottom that opened into the tv. A quick glance down at the tapes told him that they were designed for it.
Soon he backed away, and the two of them were lost. Alone, in pitch-black darkness that seemed to stretch out forever, it was hard to not be a little concerned.
"Minato…I…I don't like this place."
"Me neither," Minato said, giving his wife a reassuring glance. "We should try to get out of here."
Kushina nodded. "Right."
"Get out?"
They froze as the deep and sinister voice that seemed to come from all around them at once. It was born out of the darkness and seemed to permeate it as it centered in on the two of them.
"Nonsense. You've only just arrived."
Kushina looked to her husband as Minato looked above; there was, of course, nothing there.
"Who are you?" Minato asked. "Where are we?"
"Who am I…? A meaningless question. I am nothing, and I am everything. I simply am."
Minato allowed his mouth to hang open slightly, and Kushina grabbed his hand to calm him.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, eyes narrowing in on the darkness. "What happened to us?"
"I see…you have forgotten how you've arrived."
Minato and Kushina suddenly felt a pit growing in their stomachs. Forgotten? Forgotten what?
Something told them they may have been better off not knowing.
"Remember…remember all of it…Konoha…the Nine-Tailed Fox…Naruto."
Naruto…?
Naruto…
The two of them felt their hearts skip a beat, as their eyes widened in recognition of the name. A memory appeared in Kushina's mind of a baby boy in her arms. She lifted her hands now and looked at them in disbelief.
They were still warm.
"Naruto…"
Everything returned to them at once. The giant fox; the destroyed village; their crying son; the blood that spilled from them as they shielded him with their own bodies; the glowing light that saved the village and took them away.
"No…" Kushina's strength evaporated, and she crumbled to her knees, head in her hands. Minato knelt down and put an arm around her, but he too was shaken. "No…it can't be…we…we…"
"Yes. You are dead."
Kushina began to cry. Minato only hugged her tighter.
Slowly, slowly, the feelings they had at the time of their deaths returned to them. There was much pain, yes, but also hope; hope that their child would be able to live a good life as the saviour of Konoha.
"Remember…" Minato said.
"Yeah…"
Kushina placed a hand on his, and the two of them rose to their feet.
"A quick acceptance…"
Minato returned his firm eyes to the spot they were on before.
"We did what we could, for Naruto and for Konoha. He'll grow up to be a fine boy." The Hokage allowed himself a smile, and Kushina followed suit.
"I see. Then perhaps…you would like to watch."
The two of them looked at each other to make sure their ears weren't playing tricks on them.
"Watch?" Kushina asked. "Watch what?"
A moment of silence from the darkness, and then:
"I will show you your son's life."
Suddenly it all began to click for Minato: the screen, the couch, the tapes. He moved slowly over to the columns of videos and reached down to pick one up. Only as he brought it further into the light of the screen was he able to finally read the label that had been written on it in blue marker:
The Life of Naruto, vol. 1
"How…?" he said, almost to himself. "How…has all of this time passed already…?"
"Time is nothing. Everything that you will see has already happened, and is happening right now—and will continue to happen forever."
He did not understand. He thought he had grasped the concept of space-time when he learned the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but apparently there was still much he didn't know.
"So…would you like to see?"
Minato hesitated. There was a part of him that was curious, but a greater part wanted to trust his son to be able to handle it—to be able to hold the faith that they placed in him as they died.
"I…I don't—"
"Yes!"
He swung his head around to Kushina, who stepped forward and looked into the black void eagerly. Her fists clenched in front of her, and there was a nervous look on her face. Her eyes were desperate.
"Yes, I want to see it!"
"Kushina…"
She looked to her husband. "Minato…we have to. He's our son. I have to know."
Minato's eyes were sad as he saw the pain in his wife's face, and his instincts crumbled.
"Okay."
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
It took Minato a minute to figure out how to operate the tape player, but when he did the static finally vanished and an image appeared on the screen: a fire burned across a stone plain. They recognized it all too well, and they were only helped by the sight of the crying blonde baby with black markings on his stomach.
And their own bodies laying beside him.
Minato felt Kushina grab his hand tightly. He turned to her, but her eyes were completely focused on the tv.
The Nine-Tails was gone. The seal had worked. Minato was grateful for that, at least. What a terrible thing, he thought, to have to seal such a monster inside of your own son. Once again, he looked to his wife; she had her other hand on her stomach, where her own seal once was.
But what was done was done, and the two of them knew that. They had made their decision. What Kushina was so interested in seeing was what would happen next.
The battle was over, but it was a while before anyone came to get Naruto.
"What are they waiting for?" Kushina asked, already annoyed.
"Don't worry," Minato said. "The Nine-Tails was just there. Someone will come."
Eventually someone did: Hiruzen Sarutobi. Relieved, Kushina let out an audible breath. The two of them watched as Hiruzen took Naruto in his arms and the baby began to cry. The Third Hokage stared at the child for a moment before he began muttering to himself.
"Minato…Kushina…is this what you wanted…?" Both of them pursed their lips as they ran the question over in their heads, trying their best to figure out the answer.
The scene shifted to later in the night. There was a dark room; the only light that streamed in through the windows came from the fires that burned throughout Konoha. Minato and Kushina watched carefully as their ears began to pick up the sound of a crying child; Kushina knew immediately that it was Naruto.
Suddenly, a knocking sound. A second later a light flickered on and brightened the room. A woman with short dark hair and violet robes appeared. It took Minato a second, but he soon remembered who she was:
The director of one of the orphanages.
His heart dropped as he glanced at Kushina. His wife hadn't realized yet, and he decided to say nothing.
On the screen, Kiku approached the door hesitantly, her fearful eyes keeping the visitor at bay. Finally a voice came.
"Kiku. It's me."
Minato and Kushina recognized it as the Third Hokage's voice, and apparently so did the woman named Kiku, as her nerves eased and she opened the door, revealing Hiruzen and a crying Naruto. Her eyes widened upon seeing the child.
"L-Lord Hokage…what—?"
"This child…I'm leaving him with you."
Kushina's nails nearly dug into Minato's hand as she watched the scene before her in shock.
"Why…? Why…?"
Minato swallowed hard. He tried to speak calmly, but it proved difficult.
"He's the Hokage, Kushina. He's a busy man."
"But…but…he's your son! He's…"
Kushina was angry. A part of he knew that her husband was correct—the leader of Konoha was hardly the right person to watch over a newborn—but her rage was still building.
As was her guilt over leaving her son alone.
Her eyes filled with tears once again, but she could not tear them away from the screen as the woman named Kiku slowly took Naruto into her arms. She stared at the child in shock for a moment—he was perhaps the youngest she had ever taken in.
"Does…does he have a name?" she asked the Hokage.
Hiruzen's somber eyes fell onto the blonde baby.
"Naruto…Naruto Uzumaki."
Kiku gave him a confused look. "Uzumaki…? I…don't know that name. Who were his parents?"
Hiruzen turned to leave. As he did so he spoke quietly.
"No one important…"
FEEOOM.
The video shut off, and the static returned. Minato's hand was bleeding from Kushina's nails. All he could do was stare at his wife with a heavy heart.
Kushina, though, could not get her eyes away from the tv, waiting for something else to appear.
Nothing came.
"What…?" The word came out under her breath. "That's it…? Why…? Why didn't he say anything…?"
Minato was quiet, and she turned to him with desperate eyes. The anger, the pain in her voice was palpable even in the darkness and the faint glow of the screen.
"Why didn't he say anything, Minato!? He's…he's a jinchuriki…!" The tears welled to her eyes, and she brought her hands up to cover them as she cried.
"He's…he's our son…"
Kushina's frustration was made even worse by the fact that her husband's usual calm look was nowhere to be found. She had hardly ever seen his eyes so sad.
She had hardly ever heard his voice so weak.
"I don't know…"
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
Kushina sat sniffling the ends of her tears away as the second tape began to roll. It was fine, Minato had eventually said. It was only the first night. The Hokage had a village to rebuild, and surely, he would come back for Naruto when things settled—and besides, an orphanage director didn't need to know she was taking care of a jinchuriki.
Kushina didn't like any of that but decided that she would watch more before putting her foot through the screen.
Both of them were a little surprised when the film began and Naruto was a few months older. So it is real, Minato thought. The scene showed Kiku with Naruto in her arms. The two of them were sitting on a park bench as some more kids, presumably the others at the orphanage, played around in the grass in front of them. The day was bright and beautiful, and Naruto even smiled.
His parents could have cried tears of happiness if it wasn't for the unshakable pain they felt watching someone else take care of their son. They were fine, after all—they were well enough to watch; why couldn't they just go back? Why couldn't they go back and be a real family?
Why couldn't they just hold him again?
Frustration gripped them tightly. It was all so unfair.
And yet they were happy for their son. It wasn't the life they wanted for him, and it certainly wasn't the one they expected; but he was alright, and that was enough for now.
Kushina laid her head on Minato's shoulder as the scenes shifted, and, little by little, Naruto grew. The orphanage became his home, the other kids his siblings, Kiku his big sister. He was a fun-loving boy who liked to play around with others, and when he wasn't doing that, he liked to spend his time with Kiku. Images from the next few years flashed onto the screen, and though throughout it all his mother felt an intense sadness that she could not be there with him, she was so, so grateful that somebody was.
Except by the time Naruto's third year came around, she could no longer ignore the voice in the back of her mind.
"So," she said, narrow eyes still trained on the screen. "Hiruzen left him."
Minato said nothing. He tried desperately to reason with himself as to why his predecessor would leave his son as a regular orphan instead of the hero of Konoha that he should have been.
He had no good answer.
But as he felt his hope slipping, he began to notice something else.
"Do you see that?" he asked Kushina.
"See what?"
Minato focused closer on the screen to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him; but as a few more scenes went by, he realized he was correct.
"Why are there so many ANBU agents?"
Kushina's eyes widened as she sat up straight to see if her husband was right; sure enough, as the screen kept showing images of Kiku and Naruto outdoors, there seemed always to be an ANBU agent somewhere in the shot. Never close by, never front-and-centre—but always present.
"No…" Kushina said. Her rage had been simmering as she saw how happy her son was, but this…
This was too much.
"I swear to God," she said under her breath, voice shaking, "if that evil son of a bitch lays one finger on him…"
All they could do was watch as their deepest fears were realized. The scene shifted once again to a dark room, as it did when Hiruzen first brought Naruto to the orphanage—this time, though, there were no fires outside the windows. There was only a small flame in the centre of the screen, a candle burning atop a table. Kiku sat on the right, and an ANBU agent stood in the shadows to the left.
Out of the darkness came Danzo Shimura.
Kushina felt her heart fall out of her chest.
"What is he…?"
"So, Miss," Danzo said. "You have a boy here by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"
"Y-yes, sir," Kiku responded nervously. She did not look Danzo in the eye.
"I see…and would you be able to tell me what he's like?"
Minato and Kushina watched eagerly, their throats suddenly dry in anticipation.
"W-well…" Kiku spoke softly, but as she began to think of Naruto, her face steadied. "He's a very kind boy. He's always smiling…he has fun with the other children. He's…a really good kid."
Kushina wasn't sure how many tears she had left, but they still came, as did Minato's calming hand on her back.
"Mmm…"
The peaceful feeling was broken by Danzo's long grunt. The bandaged man lifted his working hand to his chin, and his eye seemed to be the darkest thing in the black room, as if the candlelight would not reach it.
"Yes, well…it's no surprise that a monster like him would pretend to be an ordinary boy…"
Kushina's tears ceased as Danzo's declaration echoed in her ears. Her words came out lightly, as if speaking them too loud would break the string that was holding the world together—but there was an anger in her shaking voice that rang out through the darkness.
"What…what did he just say about my son…?"
Minato had seen his wife angry plenty of times. Often times he didn't understand it because he hardly ever got mad himself; but though he had never seen her so filled with rage, he still could not blame her this time—because he himself was fuming.
The two of them sat up on the edge of the sofa as the scene continued.
"W-what do you mean, sir…?" Kiku asked, suddenly nervous again.
Danzo took a moment before responding.
"That child…is a demon."
Kiku's eyes went wide. "A…a demon…? How, sir? He's just a boy…"
The decrepit man turned to her, the light of candle finally reflecting in his lone eye.
"You're wrong, Miss Kiku—that boy is the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked this village."
Kiku's face dropped in horror. "W-what…? No…it can't be…"
"Believe me," Danzo said. "I wish it were not the case…but it is only a matter of time until the truth comes out…"
He rose from his seat and turned towards the darkness.
"Naruto Uzumaki is nothing but a monster."
Minato just reacted quickly enough to grab Kushina as she flew towards the tv. He wrapped his arms around her stomach tight enough that she couldn't move forward, but her clenched fists thrashed about wildly and hit him in the face. She didn't realize, and he didn't try to stop her as she yelled.
"DANZO, YOU SCUM! YOU PIECE OF TRASH! YOU EVIL FUCKING SNAKE!"
"Kushina!" Minato said as his wife flailed in his arms. "It's just a screen!"
"You…you…" Kushina choked on her own words as she began to sob, slowly turning back into Minato's arms.
"It's a lie…he's lying…it's all a lie…"
"I know," said Minato, "but breaking the screen won't do anything."
Through her tears, she looked up at her husband.
"You…you don't care…? That's…that's our son…"
Minato could only stare into his wife's sad eyes; he had no regard of how painful the look in his own was.
"Of course I care…but there's nothing we can do…"
His grip on Kushina loosened slowly before he finally let her go. He backed up a few steps and allowed himself to fall onto the couch, head in his hands.
"We're the ones who died…we're the ones who left him alone…"
Kushina's sad eyes lingered on Minato for a moment; she had never heard his voice shake like that before.
Finally she went to him and sat beside him, laying an arm and her head on the edge of his shoulder.
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay," he said, touching her hand with his. There was warmth between the two of them as the second film finished and the static returned.
With each second that passed they felt a greater regret that they couldn't share it with Naruto.
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
It was difficult for Kushina to muster the strength to continue. The mother in her was torn between wanting to know that her child was safe and not wanting to see him suffer. The glimmer of hope that someone would tell the truth about Naruto kept her going, despite how hard it was to watch.
She felt that it was harder for Minato, who seemed reluctant to even put the third tape in. Finally, he did, and the two of them found themselves side by side on the couch once again.
This time they could not sit back, and they were on edge, on their toes, the entire time.
It began normally enough. There were more scenes of Naruto, now four years old, playing with the other kids as usual. He was still happy, still vibrant. Minato and Kushina felt their tension ease slightly.
Soon enough they realized that was a mistake.
It was a bright day, and Naruto and the other children were playing in the park while Kiku sat on a nearby bench, reading a book. The kids began to gasp at something, and one of the girls ran to Kiku to get her attention.
"Miss Kiku, Miss Kiku, come look! Naruto found a fox!"
Kiku's eyes, at first pleasant and soft, widened in fear at the young girl's words. She hurried over to where the children played and saw Naruto and some others watching an orange fox from the distance, laughing. Naruto had some snacks in his hand and tossed them towards the animal, seeing if it would come to them. It was harmless fun, and the children couldn't help but laugh as they enjoyed it—
Until Kiku arrived, grabbed Naruto by the wrist and turned him towards her. As she did so, he fell on his behind and watched his caretaker with scared eyes.
An anger so far unheard in her voice came out with her yell.
"No, Naruto! Bad child! Don't you ever go near a fox again!"
Naruto could only stare in shock for a moment before his face twisted with the tears that rose to his eyes. Soon he sobbed.
"I…I'm sorry, Miss Kiku…"
Kiku had none of it; a dark and fearful look in her eyes said so. She walked away, leaving Naruto crying on his own. The other children, being as innocent as they were, all thought Naruto to have done something wrong. They left him, too.
And Naruto was alone.
Kushina was still as a look of horror spread across her face. She once again spoke under her breath, and the words held more vitriol than if she would have yelled them.
"That fucking bitch…she believed him…that lying snake…"
Her blue eyes nearly exploded in rage.
"I'm gonna kill her…I swear I'm gonna kill her…"
Minato said nothing.
The scenes shifted. They were the same as before. The children played, walked about the village, learned together, ate together.
But slowly, slowly…things changed.
"Miss Kiku!" one of the boys asked with a book in his hand. "Can you read me a story?"
Kiku smiled warmly. "Of course, dear."
Naruto quickly ran up with a book of his own. "Oooh, can you read one for me, Miss Kiku?"
The woman hardly heard the end of his sentence before her eyes filled with fear.
"M-maybe later, Naruto…"
It wasn't hard for Minato and Kushina to see what was happening. Danzo's words had gotten to Kiku, and every time she looked at Naruto, all she could see was the Nine-Tailed Fox.
The scene lingered on Naruto's sad face, and Kushina found herself crawling to the tv and reaching out for him.
"Naruto…I'm here…I'm right here for you, baby…"
Naruto heard nothing but silence, and his tears began to flow.
Kushina followed suit and began to sob as her head fell into her hands, now sitting sprawled on the floor of the darkness.
Minato said nothing.
It was not long after that that the world around Naruto began to change. Kiku had only been the start; as time passed, those same scenes of Naruto playing in the park and walking through Konoha became harder to watch.
The other villagers, too, began to look at him with fear.
And soon that turned into hatred.
One time, Naruto was walking down the road with some other children, Kiku far in front, when he bumped into a middle-aged man.
"Watch where you're going, you damn brat!"
Naruto took a step back in shock and fear as the man kept walking. Kiku turned back for a moment, and the boy looked to her for protection.
She returned to her original position and kept walking.
"No…" Kushina said through violent tears as the anger sitting in her chest became liquid hot. "Why…why is this happening…? Naruto…why…?"
Minato said nothing.
And neither did anyone else—and time kept passing by. Weeks, months, years; and before they knew it, he was 7 years old.
But though his life was growing more and more difficult, and his parents were growing more and more frustrated, Naruto still smiled. He was still happy. He still liked to play with his friends, to read and to eat lots of good food.
He was still a kind boy.
And then…
One day, Naruto approached the other boys in the orphanage with a wooden throwing star in his hand.
"Hey, guys!" he said with a big smile. "Wanna play ninja?"
The others looked between each other for a moment before one of the boys in front turned to Naruto with a mischievous smile.
"Sure, Naruto. We'll play ninja. We'll meet you outside."
Naruto's face brightened with a childhood innocence.
He ran, full of excitement and energy, to get the other equipment—the wooden weapons, the fake tags—and carried it all outside in a big box. It took him a little while to set everything up for the game, and by the time he finished, the sky had turned grey with clouds. It looked like it was going to rain.
Naruto waited, and so did his parents.
It began to rain, and he was still alone; still the three of them waited.
And they waited.
And they waited.
And they waited…
…
Kushina's sobs interrupted the silence.
"No…they're not coming…"
Naruto, in the cold rain, put his head in his knees, and sat still.
Perhaps he would have stayed there forever if a voice had not broken the silence.
"Hey! Are you Naruto?"
Naruto and his parents all lifted their heads to see a group of boys approach. They were not from the orphanage—they were the children of civilians.
"Y-yeah…" Naruto said hesitantly. "Why…?"
"Hmph." The boy in front picked up one of the wooden shuriken Naruto had brought with him and looked at in his hand. "What's this? Playing ninja, like a baby?"
"Hey!" Kushina yelled to the screen. "Shut up!"
Naruto, too, grew upset as he rose to his feet. "Hey! Give that back!"
"Don't worry," the boy said. "We'll play with you."
Naruto froze and his eyes widened. "You will…?"
Kushina and Minato held their breath.
"Of course," the boy said, leading his group over to Naruto. All of a sudden, a dirty smile appeared on his lips.
"But you have to be the enemy."
Out of nowhere the boy's fist hit Naruto square in the face, and he went flying back to the ground.
A choked gasp escaped Kushina's throat as she watched in terror. The boys surrounded Naruto one after the other and began to beat on him.
"No!" she yelled, hands gripping the tv. "No, no, no! No!"
Naruto took the beating, and Kushina wanted to die. Again.
Her hands rose to her face, and though she nearly choked on her own voice, managed eventually to cry out with all of her strength.
"They're hurting him! Minato! They're hurting him!"
Somehow, she rose to her feet, and drunk on emotion went to her husband and pulled his arm.
"Minato! They're hurting our baby!"
Minato said nothing.
And then he erupted, and everything came at once.
"Hiruzen, you bastard! Come save him! Come save our son! Stop hiding the truth! Someone come save him! Jiraiya! Kakashi! Where are you!? Do something! Someone come save our son!"
No one answered, and a tear rolled down Minato's cheek.
Soon the boys beating up Naruto left, and he was alone in the rain. The video flashed off, and the static returned.
Minato and Kushina were alone in the darkness and the pale light of the screen.
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
"Put the next one on."
"No."
"Do it, Minato."
"No. I don't want to watch anymore."
The two of them sat still on the couch. Kushina's voice was dry and her eyes red and puffy, but still she stared at the static on tv screen, waiting for something to appear.
Minato saw the dull pain in her eyes and knew that his looked the same way.
What could they do?
Nothing, except watch.
"He's our son," Kushina said. "We left him all alone. This is our punishment. Put the next one on."
That, Minato could not argue with. Surely, this place, this black world, was divine retribution.
"Fine."
Slowly he rose and slowly he put the fourth tape in. The tv clicked into life as Minato returned to the couch.
He passed it by and leaned against its back.
Kushina turned to him.
"Minato…"
"I'm sorry. I can't watch anymore."
The two of them were silent for a moment before Minato continued of his own volition.
"It's my fault. I'm the one who made him a jinchuriki. I burdened him with that…"
The video began to play. Neither of them watched. Minato looked into the darkness, Kushina looked at Minato.
He cried.
Kushina got up and went behind the couch to hug him, and the two of them fell into each other's arms.
It didn't solve anything. Nothing was okay. Nothing was fine. Nothing was even a little bit better.
But at least they had each other.
Kushina spoke first. "It's like you said. There's nothing we can do…" The words were far heavier than she expected them to be, but she looked into her husband's eyes and spoke through her tears.
"Except watch over him."
Minato saw a brightness in Kushina's eyes that had not been there a moment before. He nodded his tears away.
"Yeah…you're right."
Slowly Kushina led him by the hand back to the front of the couch, and they sat. There was tension about them—not so much between the two of them, but between they and the darkness that encompassed them, the never-ending, stagnant void.
The only light was the tv that played the films of their son's life.
By the time they began to watch again, Naruto was in an unfamiliar room. It looked like an apartment, and the boy seemed to be stepping into it for the first time. He studied it carefully, though his eyes were sad.
Suddenly, Hiruzen appeared in the frame, and both Minato and Kushina felt their spouse tense through their interlocked hands. Both of them had more than a few choice words for the Third Hokage—in particular, "Where have you been for seven years?"—but were quiet as he began to speak to their son.
"This is your new home, Naruto."
"Home…?" Kushina echoed.
Hiruzen approached the boy and pulled out an envelope from his robes. He handed it to Naruto, who accepted it confused.
"What…what is this…?"
"It's your allowance for the month." Hiruzen turned and as he left through the door, added an extra thought. "I'll be back next month."
The door closed with a thud, and Naruto was alone.
"Oh my god…" Kushina's hand went to her mouth, and her eyes, while sad, were mostly just tired—tired of what the place she once called her home was putting her child through.
"How could he do this…? How could no one do anything to stop this…?"
Minato gripped Kushina's hand tighter as his own regrets circled in his head. Hiruzen was someone he trusted, someone he thought he knew like a father. The times they spent together, the times the Third treated he and Kushina like family…
The words "Will of Fire" passed through his mind.
What a load of shit.
Still the two of them watched as more time began to pass. Naruto was enrolled into the Ninja Academy by the Hokage, and soon he was attending classes. Minato and Kushina allowed themselves the tiniest glint of hope as he was once again surrounded by people who could be there for him—perhaps the children of ninja would understand.
It wasn't long before they realized that once again, they were misguided. Naruto was alone—in the classroom, in the training hall, during the exercises and the sparring; before school, after school, late at night when the lights of his apartment went out.
Naruto was alone.
Minato and Kushina were out of anger, but their sadness enveloped them together.
They shared their son's pain.
And slowly, that pain began to affect Naruto, as well. Even when Kiku turned on him, even when the villagers turned on him, Naruto had people—he had friends.
When the friends went, so did his lifeline. Lying in the rain, defeated, was the end of Naruto's happiness. He changed after that. He became louder, more rambunctious. He tried to show off, and he acted brazenly around others.
But his parents knew the truth—they had watched him his whole life, after all.
They knew that all he needed was someone to call a friend.
And as the screen showed them night after night of Naruto alone in his apartment, crying himself to sleep, Kushina had to turn away. It was the hardest thing she had to watch so far.
For Minato, it came a few minutes later.
Naruto was in class at the Academy when the teacher, a man named Iruka, began to ask the class what their dreams were. Many students said ninja of Konoha, some said doctors, some said nothing of the sort.
Naruto, though, boldly stood up and put his foot on the desk.
"I'm going to be the greatest ninja in the village, even better than the Fourth Hokage!"
"The Fourth Hokage?" Iruka repeated.
"He's a hero!" Naruto said. "The one who saved the village from the fox! But I'm gonna be even better than that! And then they're gonna call me Hokage!"
Minato's lips quivered as Kushina turned to him, the tension in her shoulders dissipating.
"Minato…"
Don't say it…
"He loves you."
Minato finally let his tears free, and he shook with them.
"I…I don't deserve that…I…I made his life so hard…"
Kushina put an arm around him, and he fell into her. She was warm, and for the first time, the returning static did not fill them with pain.
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
Minato and Kushina sat in silence, wondering when the appropriate time was to put the next one in. They were relieved that Naruto had a dream, was living for something he was passionate about, but the prospect of more sadness was almost unbearable.
And they were so tired…
"So?"
For the first time since the tapes began to play, the voice from the ether made itself known.
Minato sat up, his attention taken by the voice.
"You…where have you been?"
"I asked you if you wanted to watch Naruto's life. I am irrelevant in that exercise."
Kushina took a turn to speak to the darkness.
"You…I have a question."
"Ask."
She steeled her eyes.
"Are you God?"
The voice took a moment before answering.
"If you would like to believe so, then yes."
Kushina swallowed hard and took a nervous breath.
"Send us back."
Minato's head snapped towards his wife as he looked at her in disbelief. "Kushina…"
"Send us back!" she continued, voice slowly faltering. "I want to see him…I want to be there for him…I want to hold him…"
"I cannot."
Neither of them protested, though Kushina's head sunk slightly. She knew it was a foolish request in the first place. The dead didn't come back to life.
Well, no…
The dead shouldn't come back to life.
"Now allow me a question."
The two of them looked curiously into the black.
"Do you still think you made the correct decision?"
Their eyes widened. A jagged breath came from each of them as they slowly turned to their partner. Wavering eyes, quivering lips…
"You said that you did what you could…for Naruto, and for Konoha. And yet…you sacrificed your child for the good of the village, so that they could have a target for their hatred."
Minato's heart stopped for a moment, crushed by the guilt in his chest.
"No!" Kushina yelled. "You're wrong! Minato, he…he didn't know…he didn't know this would happen." Her head fell before turning to Minato, who could only stare wide-eyed at the tv in front of them.
"But that is what happened, isn't it?"
That was undeniable.
"So…do you still think you made the right decision?"
Kushina waited for her husband to answer. All of the emotion she had felt since waking up in this dark world told her that the answer was no.
But one could not be Hokage thinking like that.
Minato was silent.
"I see…then you should know that there is only one tape left."
Kushina's eyes widened at the void as fear quickly took her over.
"What? One tape…then…"
"Watch. Play the final tape, and watch as your own son turns to the darkness."
"Wait!" Kushina yelled. "Is he alive? Is Naruto alive!?"
Silence.
It only took a few seconds for the nausea to arrive, and only a few more before Kushina emptied her stomach in front of the couch.
"Kushina!" Minato, snapping out of his daze, held his wife as she vomited. A second later she finished, and her heaving breaths calmed slowly. Looking at what she had thrown up, she found that it had disappeared into the darkness. She wiped her mouth and turned her tired eyes to Minato.
"We have to…we have to watch it…I have to know…if he's alright…"
Minato's eyes begged him to cry.
He refused.
"Okay."
~W~M~w~t~L~O~
It began slowly. For the most part, Naruto was the same as in the last one. He had become a hothead like his mother, but one who had a real passion about his goal of becoming Hokage. Minato and Kushina were proud, yet sad. Perhaps he wouldn't have had needed such a dream if he only had a family.
Nevertheless they watched. It still proved difficult. Naruto had made no friends of the kids in his class. Hiruzen visited him once a month to drop of his allowance, and most of the times he didn't even make conversation. Minato wondered what had happened to the old man in the years since he last saw him and decided to let himself believe that Danzo had gotten to him. The Hiruzen he knew, he refused to admit, would ever treat his son this way.
But the reason why was not important. Naruto was alone. The girls in his class didn't spare him a second glance, and when he was lumped in with the rest of the boys they all kept their distance, their dirty looks staring him down. He ate alone, he trained alone, he lived alone. No one taught him outside of class, no one hung out with him.
No one was there for him.
No…it was worse than that…
The entire village was against him.
Minato and Kushina struggled to keep their eyes on the screen. The silence that Naruto received was somehow far more painful than the physical and verbal abuse.
Through it all, though, he remained determined. His goal was to surpass the Fourth Hokage, the greatest ninja in the village. Every time he said it, Minato felt his heart skip a step and Kushina's hand reach over to his. It filled him with the most indescribable happiness.
Why, then, was it so painful?
He did not know as he watched the years go by. He and Kushina held each other closely as video sped up, one scene after another coming and going in a flash, until finally it stopped.
Naruto was 12, and it was the day of his graduation exam. Despite, or perhaps because of his nerves, he practiced tirelessly for the first half of the day. Minato allowed himself a light thought.
"He's not bad…"
Kushina almost smiled.
They watched with bated breath as he went into the examination room and was asked to perform a clone jutsu. He gathered his chakra, performed the hand sign, and—!
No clone. Not even a pale imitation. Nothing at all.
His parents felt their hearts crack in two as Naruto was kicked out of the room and told that he would never be a ninja.
"No…" Kushina felt tears coming again. Was this it? Was her child's dream finished?
She and Minato watched intently as the scenes shifted as Naruto moved through the village. The hatred seemed stronger, the cold glances more intense, the silence more deafening.
"No, Naruto," his mother pleaded. "It's alright…you can still have your dream…you can still do it…"
And of course, once again, Naruto heard nothing.
Eventually he wound up on a rooftop, watching the sun set over Konoha. Neither Minato nor Kushina knew what he was thinking, but both of them had an idea:
"Why this village?"
Their guilt intensified.
A moment later, a purple-haired man appeared on the screen and sat himself down next to Naruto.
"Mizuki-sensei?" he asked.
His parents were confused. They had never heard of a boy named Mizuki before. Perhaps he was new…
Still they watched intently as the ninja explained to their son what the problem was with the Academy, that they were too hard on him and that they didn't understand what he was going through.
Something deep inside both Minato and Kushina refused to believe the purple-haired man, but the same could not be said for Naruto, who finally, in Mizuki's dark green eyes, found someone to turn to, someone to believe in.
"There's another way for you to graduate, Naruto. If you perfect one of the jutsu in the Sacred Scroll and show Iruka-sensei, you'll be a ninja."
Naruto brightened as his parents' faces dropped.
"No!" Minato said. "No, Naruto! Don't do it! It's too dangerous!"
"Why?" Kushina asked nervously. "Why would he tell Naruto to do that? How does he even know about it?"
They watched from the edge of their seats as Naruto returned home until it was dark enough for him to sneak into the Hokage Building. As he waited in his apartment, his parents pleaded with him not to go through with it.
And for the first time, it was as if their voices reached him.
Minato and Kushina couldn't tell whether that was actually the case, but suddenly Naruto seemed nervous, as if he were having second thoughts; but while Minato and Kushina only wanted him to realize that stealing the scroll was wrong, he was suddenly enveloped in a deeper darkness.
The screen was still as Naruto sat on his couch with his head in his knees.
"I shouldn't steal it," he muttered to himself. "I shouldn't steal it. I shouldn't steal it…"
"Yes, Naruto," Kushina said. "Yes, that's right."
"Come on, son," Minato pleaded.
The two of them gripped each other's hand with all their might, feeling that Naruto was finally stepping towards the light.
"Do it."
Minato and Kushina froze as the voice filled their ears. It wasn't the one that came from the darkness; in fact, it seemed to have come from the tv—but there was no one on the screen aside from Naruto.
"Steal the scroll, Naruto."
Suddenly it clicked, and Minato looked to his wife. Kushina stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, in disbelief that she was going to lose her child to that monster again.
"That's him…that's the Nine-Tails…"
Minato swallowed hard. All he could do was turn his eyes back to the screen and watch with Kushina.
"Who…who are you…?" Naruto asked, now frightened.
"Forget this village, Naruto. They hate you."
"No, Naruto!" Kushina yelled. "Don't listen to him! He's lying to you!" Neither she nor Minato was convinced that that was true, but the thought of the Nine-Tails winning their son over was unbearable.
Naruto tried to be tough, but eventually felt a tear in his eyes.
"I…I know they do…"
"No…" Kushina whimpered. "No…no, Naruto. We love you. We love you more than anything…"
All her son could hear was the fox.
"Yes…and you hate them, too, don't you?"
His parents stiffened as they awaited the answer.
"Yes…"
Kushina cried. "No! No! No, Naruto! Don't let him do this…!"
Minato felt his eyes get heavy. "Naruto…"
"Then take the scroll, Naruto—and make them pay!"
Minato and Kushina could do nothing but watch as a dark fire entered their son's eyes; could do nothing but watch as he snuck through the village and into the Hokage building; could do nothing but watch as he stole the Sacred Scroll and made his way to the top of Hokage Rock.
The video kept playing, but the two of them were so drained of energy that they allowed their heads to fall into their hands for a moment, nothing but guilt and regret filling them up inside.
By the time they turned back, Mizuki had arrived. There was a wicked look on his face, and it took no time at all for him to take the scroll from Naruto.
"I knew it," Kushina said to herself.
"What…?" Naruto said, shocked. "Mizuki-sensei, I don't understand! You told me I could graduate!"
Mizuki let out a wicked laugh. "You don't get it, do you, Naruto? I'm not your friend! No one in this village is! Everyone hates you!"
His parents felt a rage boiling up from deep inside of them, but they held themselves from yelling as their son began to talk.
Naruto fell downcast. "I…I know that! But…I don't know why…"
A look of surprise came onto Mizuki's face.
"You…you don't even know why…? Ha ha! Fine, then! I'll tell you: this village hates you because you're a monster!"
Kushina choked on her own anger, and Minato came close to doing the same.
Naruto froze. "A…a monster…?"
"That's right! You wonder why you're all alone!? You wonder why no one's here for you!?"
As if reminding Minato of his pain, the screen flashed three scenes in quick succession as Mizuki spoke. The first was of Hiruzen, relaxing in his office, smoking a pipe. The second was of Jiraiya, hiding behind the divider of a bathhouse and peeping on the women's side. The third was of Kakashi, lying in bed, staring at his ANBU mask.
Yes, Minato thought. No one at all…
"I'll tell you why! Because you're the demon from 12 years ago! The Fourth Hokage saved this village by putting the monster inside of you! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"No!" Kushina wailed. "It's not true! Don't listen to him, Naruto! Don't listen!"
Minato, the energy to fight against his guilt all but vanished, could only watch with sad eyes.
"The scroll, Naruto! Take it!"
The fox's voice returned, and Naruto stiffened as it did.
"Take the scroll and forget this village!"
"Rot in hell, Naruto!" Mizuki yelled, pulling out a kunai. "Just like the monster you are!"
"No, Naruto!" came Kushina from in front of the screen. "They're wrong! They don't get it! They don't know the truth! They don't know—!"
"SHUT UP!"
Minato and Kushina froze, as did Mizuki on the screen. Even the fox was silent.
It was Naruto's turn to speak.
"Just shut up! All of you! I hate this village! I hate the stupid fox! I hate the Fourth Hokage! I hate my parents for dying and leaving me all alone! I hate everything!"
Silent tears streamed down the faces of Minato and Kushina.
A second later, Naruto performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu and sent his dozen copies after Mizuki—but the boy was not interested in the scroll.
He took off down the backside of the mountain and into the forest of the Land of Fire.
"Naruto…" Kushina called weakly.
But he just ran. And ran. And ran.
Away from Konoha.
The scene turned to static one final time, and Minato and Kushina were silent. She made her way back to the couch and took a seat, but neither of them made any attempt to comfort the other.
It was over.
They had failed their son.
…
But then—
Out of nowhere, the screen flashed to life once again.
Naruto, in the middle of a grassy plain, was lying on his back. He was panting—he had been running through the night, after all—and he looked up to the sun, bright in the sky.
Suddenly he reached a hand up until it cast a shadow over his eyes, in which tears began to well.
Slowly, slowly, they rolled down his cheeks.
"I'll do it…I'll live my own life…"
The screen shut off. There wasn't even any static.
The only light in the world had gone out.
Minato and Kushina sat still for a moment before turning to each other. Their eyes wavered with emotion, but they were silent.
After what felt like forever—or perhaps it was right away—the voice from the darkness returned.
"Now do you see…?"
They turned to the black world.
"Naruto has forsaken Konoha. He has forsaken his own parents. His father who is the cause of his pain, his mother who left him to face the world alone—they mean nothing to him."
Tears came to Kushina's eyes, and Minato, noticing, put an arm around her.
"So, once again, I ask you: do you still believe you made the correct decision?"
For the first time since they began watching the films, there was an air of levity around Naruto's parents, and though the two of them soon began to cry together, they did not frown.
They laughed.
"Hmm? What is this…?"
Minato was the first speak. His voice was light.
"The correct decision? Really?" He let out an airy chuckle, and his blue eyes were hardly visible through his sad smile. His voice shook as he continued.
"No. Not at all. If I could go back…I'd run. I'd take him that night and run away. Forget the village. Forget being Hokage. I'd trade it all in a heartbeat to have a life with Naruto."
Kushina began to cry harder at her husband's words and held onto the arm that wrapped around her. She could not have said it better herself.
"Is that so…? Even though Naruto has betrayed the village, betrayed your home and your life's work…you still—?"
"You don't get it," Kushina said through her tears. "It's amazing…"
"Amazing?"
She calmed herself enough to look firmly into the darkness.
"That's right. Amazing that his parents could be such failures…such failures as to let their own son grow up alone…and despite all that…"
Kushina turned her head to the ground as she gripped tightly onto Minato's arm, and her tears came back harder.
"He still found his way."
The voice was silent for a moment before continuing.
"Perhaps you do not understand—Naruto hates you. And still you choose him over the village…?"
"Of course," Minato said, drying his tears. The two of them rose slowly to their feet, but his arm remained around his wife.
"To be honest…we deserve it. We've made his life so much harder than it needed to be. We could have been together, the three of us…but we gave our lives for Naruto and the village together; and we failed as his parents…"
Minato could somehow tell the voice had something to say, but it allowed him to continue.
"But he found the way, anyway…he decided to live for himself…and that's all we can ask for…"
Another moment of silence. This time he and Kushina looked at each other and smiled.
"And I want to keep watching him—no matter where he goes."
"I see…"
The voice ruminated over Minato's words before pushing one last question onto them.
"So you have seen the hatred Naruto has endured, and still you believe in him to find the right path?"
"Of course." Kushina answered without hesitation. "That's never changed…not even a bit. We'll always believe in him."
She turned to Minato, who gave her the strength to smile at the darkness.
"Because he's our son. And that's what parents are for."
The void stared at them for a moment, and they stood, unwavering, eyes filled with a light that was foreign to the black surrounding them.
Finally, it acknowledged them.
"Good. That is the right answer."
The world shattered into a thousand shards of darkness, and Minato and Kushina were lifted off of their feet. Suddenly every feeling in their body evaporated as they began to float. The pieces of the void quickly disintegrated, giving way to a new ether that surrounded them, this one a mixture of white and yellow light.
They watched each other, filled with love. Was it all just a test? Perhaps…perhaps not…
It didn't matter. The darkness was gone.
A light so bright that it was nearly painful began to envelop them, and their hands met between them.
Minato Namikaze. Kushina Uzumaki.
Naruto's parents.
They did not believe they deserved the title, but it was theirs.
Perhaps one day they could earn it.
Perhaps one day they could see their son.
…
No.
Certainly, one day, they would.
~ Watching Movies with the Lights Off – End. ~
Thanks for reading!