Uncovering His Heart
By Bashfulglowfly
Minato Namikaze, CEO of the Konoha Archaeological Preservation Site, stood with the Chief Archeologist, Orochimaru Yashagoro gazing at the Konoha Sun Temple that was almost completely uncovered after over forty years of work. The two men had been there from the beginning. Of course, both had gotten older. Wrinkles around the eyes, hair slowly turning silver. And not as slender as they were twenty years before.
The archeologists, their students and various other volunteers and paid laborers were just beginning to uncover the steps that would have led up to the temple's main doors that had just the day before been completely uncovered.
Minato could tell that Orochimaru was anxious to see if the great doors would open. Minato was eager to enter the temple as well. But they wouldn't know for a few more minutes since Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's right hand and lead assistant, was carefully photographing every inch before they would attempt to open the doors.
"Professor, why were there fewer bodies as we got closer to the temple than at the upper layers?" asked a first-year university student who had just recently joined the dig for the summer.
Orochimaru didn't deign to look at the boy, but he did speak "Hinata, answer him."
Hinata Hyuuga, a quiet girl with a genius for being able to piece together shards items back to what they had once been, spoke up "After Konoha was defeated, the conquerors felt the need to bury this temple. The 'why' was never clearly written down but the conquerors obviously feared Konoha's Sun God, so they made the people of Konoha cover up the temple. As the people were worked to death, they were buried where they fell and were used as 'fill' so to speak. The reason there were so many bodies on the upper layers was because those had been the younger people of Konoha at the time of the invasion. But they, too, eventually grew older and weaker.
"From the writings of the conquerors that we found, they had to bring in other slaves to assist the people of Konoha to bury the temple. And, when the temple was buried, the surviving people were then killed and buried by the slaves that had assisted them. Then the slaves were also killed so that the conquerors wouldn't have to continue to feed them and so that they wouldn't reveal the location of Konoha."
The boy, and Minato couldn't remember his name, adjusted the blue scarf around his neck "So what happened to the conquerors of Konoha? And what were they called? Who were they?"
Orochimaru answered the boy "No one knows their name, or where they came from, other than the conquerors of Konoha. And they died. They were killed by the Army of Uzushio, who then erased the name of the conquerors for all time. Rather inconsiderate of them from an archeological and historical standpoint."
Minato smiled at the archeologist's waspish complaint. Not that it wasn't something he hadn't heard before. His attention was brought back to the great doors as Anko carefully put her camera away.
She strode to where her teacher and her boss were standing. "Finished. But give me a moment or so to get the video cameras set up. I want to have views from several different angles."
Orochimaru nodded. "Fine. It will take me a bit to get suited up. Hinata, tell Chouji to put down his chips and get suited up as well. I may need his assistance in opening the doors. Then you and Shikamaru make sure that no one is within fifty meters of the door. The Gods only know what may be inside. And have the blowers ready."
Hinata nodded and took off at a run for her fellow students. Anko turned the scarf kid into her minion and made him help her set up the cameras as Orochimaru changed into his protective suit.
Eventually, Anko was satisfied with the placement of the cameras. Hinata and Shikamaru got the area barricaded at the distance Orochimaru had asked for. Word flew quickly and everyone at the site dropped what they were doing and hurried to the barricades to watch.
Minato could see that even members of the Konoha Conservation Corps were standing amongst the crowd. After forty years of digging, opening the doors to the temple was a momentous event.
The crowd parted to allow Orochimaru and Chouji Akimichi, the largest person at the site and the most logical to help push open a stubborn door, through. Both men were wearing Level A protective suits. Minato briefly wondered if fifty meters was going to be far enough back if something other than a foul smell escaped the temple. He also wondered if Orochimaru would be able to push open the doors, the man was well past 70 years of age and wearing several kilos of protective gear.
The thought fled his mind as Orochimaru and Chouji began to push on the doors. Slowly, ever so slowly, the doors creaked open. Orochimaru and Chouji would periodically stop and spray the hinges with lubricant. Eventually, the doors were open. Chouji walked away from the doors and retrieved the blowers. He carried the two machines, trailing orange extension cords behind him, to the opening and set them up. At Orochimaru's signal, he turned them on.
The blowers began to roar, blowing fresh air into the temple for the first time in centuries.
Orochimaru and Chouji made their way back to the barricade and began stripping off their suits.
Minato approached them "Well?"
Chouji snorted "For a temple to a sun god, it's dark as hell in there."
Orochimaru gave his student a narrow-eyed look. Then he nodded, looking at Minato. "He's right. For a temple dedicated to a sun god, it's lacking in…openness. Brightness. I think that once we get inside, we'll discover more. It's possible that Hashirama Senju was wrong in his translation of the Uzushio tablets. This may not be a temple of a sun god. We should have someone take a fresh look at the tablets and see what translation they come up with."
Minato nodded distractedly. "When do you think you'll be able to enter?"
Orochimaru looked back at the doors. "In the morning. It should be safe by then."
"I know you're eager to get inside, but I would feel more comfortable if you waited 24 hours."
Orochimaru glared but Minato was his employer, so his word was final. "Very well."
888888
Almost everyone at the excavation site was asleep.
Except for the man who walked through the moonless night without a light to guide him.
He walked past the thunderous blowers into the temple.
His feet didn't disturb the centimeters of thick dust on the floor as he walked through the main sanctuary to the rooms that had been reserved for the priests.
He did not stop to look in those rooms but continued to walk until he reached a stairway. Without hesitation, he quickly climbed the lazily curving stairs.
Soon he reached his destination. A door carved with symbols of the Sun and The Moon.
He pushed it open.
As he stepped foot into the room, it began to brighten until it was as bright as day.
In the center of the room, laying on an ornate bed was a woman and a child.
The woman's red hair flowed around her in a crimson wave. The child sprawled across her chest was golden-haired as the man gazing down at the pair.
If Orochimaru had been able to observe the man, he would swear that Minato looked even younger than when they had first met over forty years before.
But Minato was no man.
He wished that he'd been able to free his wife and son before now, but he had been captured, bound, and buried far from the sun and far away from his lands by the invaders of Konoha. It had taken the invaders most of a century to bury his temple and it had taken all of that time for Minato to remove the bindings that prevented him from speaking to anyone. It was only then that he was able to contact the Oracles of Uzushio and managed to get them to go to their leaders and order them to attack the invaders of his Lands.
It had taken many centuries more before Minato had been able to remove the last of the bindings and make his way to the surface. Because he had no worshippers, he was nearly powerless as a God. But he persevered and over centuries more, he hoarded his power and became wealthy. Wealthy enough to solely fund a massive excavation.
And he had to admit that he was curious to find out where the Forest of Death came from, because it certainly wasn't something Created before the invasion.
He leaned over the bed and ran his fingers across the faces of his wife and son. Gently he kissed Kushina's lips then Naruto's forehead. "It's time to wake, my sunshines."
Dark eyelashes fluttered and rose to reveal violet eyes. "Minato…my moonglow." Her voice was rough with disuse, but her smile unfroze his heart.
The little boy wriggled and yawned loudly. Blue eyes identical to Minato's sparkled with sleepy mischief "'lo, Daddy!"
"I've missed you both so very much!"