It was almost time. In a few moments, he would be a father, and the beautiful woman before him would be a mother. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted. His job was to monitor and maintain the seal holding the Kyuubi at bay. For it was during childbirth that the seal was at its weakest. If he made even the smallest mistake, the strongest of the nine Bijuu would be unleashed upon the world in all its demonic fury.

For that reason, they had planned meticulously for this occasion. Far from the village, they were sequestered deep within a cave. Standing guard outside was a team of Anbu. Further augmenting these precautions was a powerful array of barrier seals. All of this was of the utmost secrecy, up to and including the very fact that a birth was occurring or even expected.

So far, while the Kyuubi was fighting furiously against the weakened seal, he'd kept it from making any meaningful progress.

And then, after several long and arduous hours, the tense evening air was split with a new sound, the cries of a newborn child.

"Hot water now," Biwako ordered sternly.

"Got it," replied her assistant, Taji.

"Who is it? Which one is it?" Kushina asked, unable to see properly from her position.

"She's a beautiful baby girl," Biwako answered, coming back towards them with the infant girl now firmly wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Wiping a hand across his eyes as he took in the sight of his daughter for the first time, he recalled the difficulty they'd had in choosing her name.

-Slev-

Choosing names for them had been quite an ordeal. Before learning Kushina was carrying twins, they had agreed on Naruto as a boy's name.

The name came from the very first book written by Minato's sensei, Jiraiya. In the book, the main character, named Naruto, had travelled the full breadth of the shinobi world. On his travels, he'd met with shinobi of many stripes and creeds. Over time, he'd come to resent the perpetual state of conflict the assorted nations were embroiled in. He envisioned a world where people, shinobi and civilians alike, could live amicably among one another. To this end, he resolved himself to find a way to make such a world a reality. In the end, the book doesn't show whether Naruto was ever successful in this endeavour. Rather, it challenged the reader to find the answer themselves and then to bring forth the realisation of that answer to the world.

Minato and Kushina had chosen to name their potential son after this character. First, in honour of his sensei, without whom they would not be the people they are today, and second, in the hope that should they be unable to find a way to break the cycle of violence and hatred, then perhaps their child could in their stead.

Their daughter had been considerably less easy to name. At first, they had wanted a name that carried a similar meaning to the character Naruto. Names such as Kazumi or Wakako were considered and subsequently discarded. Then they learned they were expecting twins, and their focus shifted. Or rather, Kushina became adamant that their girl's name and Naruto's should match. Meanwhile, Minato had insisted that the meaning of the name should take precedence over the look and sound of the names when placed side by side.

One day, Nara Yoshino had invited them to dinner by way of her husband, Shikaku. The dinner had gone nicely, and they were enjoying some ohagi Yoshino had made afterwards when she'd asked Kushina if they'd chosen a name for the girl. This seemed to be the signal for Kushina to start venting her frustrations over their lack of progress in choosing a name. After an extended back and forth on potential names between the two, with the occasional input from Minato, Shikaku had intervened.

"Two names: Naruki," he said, writing the name out in kanji. "Which could mean 'splendid change', and Naruko-."

"No, that would mean 'child of sound', which makes it seem like we want her to be loud and obnoxious, ya know," Kushina interjected.

"I sometimes worry this little guy will be as lazy and unmotivated as his father," Yoshino said, grinning at Kushina while indicating her own baby bump. "I wouldn't be too concerned if he took more after me."

Kushina scowled at her, but before she could respond, Shikaku continued.

"Naruko, if written like this, means 'child of sound'," he said, drawing their attention back to him as he wrote down the name. "However, if you write it like this," he wrote the name down again, this time with a different kanji for 'naru', "It means child of change."

"It could also mean roaring light," Yoshino added, leaning forward.

Shikaku dutifully added two entirely different kanji to the paper.

"Which would be good for a genjutsu specialist," Kushina noted dully, watching as Shikaku slid the paper over to Minato. "But Uzumaki and genjutsu don't really go together, ya know."

Minato was inclined to agree, Uzumaki were generally terrible at genjutsu. "Well, I think both are nice names. What do you think?" he asked her. "Could one of these be the one?"

-Slev-

Minato went to receive the girl but pulled back when Biwako levelled him with a glare. "Don't touch," she snapped. "Mother first, father second."

Reaching Kushina, she gently placed the newborn girl in her arms.

Blinking tears of joy, Kushina held her softly. "Naruko," she whispered lovingly.

Scant moments later, Naruko was again being moved by Biwako. "You'll have plenty of time together later," she said warmly.

"Quickly," she said, handing her over to Minato.

Nodding, he quickly transported her to a prearranged safe house. Crossing the room he appeared in, he quickly yet gently placed the little girl on the bed.

It dawned on him at that moment that he was now a father. That he was now responsible for the fragile lifeform now slumbering peacefully in the bed before him. That he was to protect, nurture and raise this precious little girl, his daughter. It was a dizzying thought.

As much as he wanted to though, he knew he couldn't stay. He still had a son to meet, after all. Placing a quick peck on her little forehead, he straightened back up. Between that moment and the next, he was gone.

Returning to the makeshift delivery room, he quickly placed himself back at Kushina's side. Checking the seal, he grimaced. In his momentary absence, the Kyuubi had made considerable progress in attempting to escape its captivity. Gritting his teeth, Minato redoubled his effort to thwart any further attempts.

"Quickly Naruto, come on," he muttered tensely, casting a worried eye towards his wife. "Hang in there, Kushina."

"I can see the head," Biwako stated without looking up. "You're almost there, Kushina."

A couple of minutes later, the renewed sound of an infant's wailing rent the evening air.

"And he makes two," Biwako said with a touch of warmth as she and Taji cleaned and clothed the newborn boy.

Meanwhile, Minato regarded his wife with a fond smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she breathed, a tired smile gracing her flushed face.

He blinked back a tear as he took her in. "Thank you," he said, before he assumed a more serious expression.

"I realise what you've just been through, but we must reseal the Kyuubi," he stated apologetically.

Moving to restrengthen the seal, he placed a hand on it and began to channel chakra before drawing back as a pair of screams tore through the night. Whirling around, he saw the bodies of Biwako and Taji fall to the ground as if they were marionettes whose strings had been cut.

"Biwako-sama, Taji," he called out before noticing the new figure in the room. 'Who is he, and how the hell did he get past the barrier?'

The figure was wearing a white mask. Alarmingly, he was holding Naruto, his hand poised threateningly above him.

"Yondaime Hokage, step away from the Jinchuuriki, or this child dies," the figure spoke menacingly.

"Hold on, let's just stay calm," Minato said beseechingly.

"Speak for yourself, I am calm," the figure replied easily before nonchalantly tossing Naruto into the air.

"Naruto!" Kushina screeched in horror before letting out a pained shriek as the seal holding the Kyuubi visibly deformed.

"Kushina!" He cried out, alarmed. Then he noticed the seal. "No," he whispered in abject horror.

His attention returned to the rising bundle that was Naruto. The figure went to lunge at Naruto, but Minato caught the boy before the figure could reach him and teleported to another empty building. He then immediately had to remove the cloth the infant boy was wrapped in, for the maniacal masked man had stuck explosive tags to it, and leapt out of the building, going into a roll while ensuring that Naruto was shielded from any debris caused by the ensuing explosion.

Regaining his bearings, he quickly inspected Naruto for any injuries and was relieved to find none.

He took Naruto to the same place he'd brought Naruko earlier.

"You'll be safe here," he said, placing him next to the sleeping girl. "This is your sister. Watch over her while I go save your mother."

When he appeared next to Kushina, he was greeted by a nightmare. At first glance, she appeared simply fatigued, but a closer inspection painted a much grimmer picture. Her chakra, lessening by the minute, was flickering in its potency. She wasn't entirely lucid. Any movement, even speaking, seemed to require great effort.

He immediately knew why. The Kyuubi had been removed from its seal, and as a result, Kushina was now on borrowed time, precious few hours before she succumbed to the extraction.

"Naruto… Naruko, are they safe?" she asked, her eyes shining with desperate tears.

She gave a relieved sigh when he nodded in affirmation.

"That masked man, he has the Kyuubi," she murmured imploringly. "They're headed to the village."

A dark look passed his visage, and without a word, he brought her back to where he'd taken the twins. He gently placed her next to the sleeping babes, careful so as not to disturb them. Drawing ragged breaths, she reached out a shaking hand to embrace little Naruto.

As he watched the sad scene play out, a quiet fury boiled within him.

He readied himself for battle.

He arrived on the Hokage monument, perched upon his own stone likeness. Overlooking the village, his was a view of utter mayhem and destruction. In what could only have been a matter of minutes, the Kyuubi had wrought a disturbing amount of damage. Countless lives had already been lost. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the scene. As the Hokage, he considered the village, and all who lived within it, as an extended family of sorts. It was his duty to protect the village, his family.

The Kyuubi locked eyes on him. "Good, you noticed me," he said lowly. "Pay no more attention to the village. You're dealing with me now."

The Kyuubi roared, and a ball of extremely dense pure chakra started forming in its open maw.

Quickly forming a series of hand signs, he erected a transportation barrier linked to the destination seal of his Hiraishin just as the Kyuubi launched the potent ball of chakra. A massive blast lit up the horizon. So much power in one attack, he had to be extra cautious in redirecting it.

His eyes widened as he sensed the masked man from earlier appear behind him. Quickly reacting, he spun around, kunai in hand. To his bewilderment, he watched as his strike phased right through the figure's head. He then found his wrist caught in the man's now solid grip. 'What just happened?'

"I'm your opponent now!" the figure stated, before he found himself somehow being sucked into the eyehole of the man's mask by some unknown jutsu. Reacting quickly, he transported himself to a distant Hiraishin marker before losing his balance and toppling over.

Picking himself back up, he tensed as he watched the unknown masked man materialise in front of him.

'He wields a transportation jutsu too. That explains how he got through the barrier. He didn't, he just bypassed it altogether. What's more, he appears to be able to render himself, or parts of himself, intangible. I imagine these abilities are linked in some manner. And then there's the matter of how he knew about the Kyuubi's seal and how it would weaken during childbirth. Then he was able to extract the Kyuubi from Kushina's seal and place it under his control.'

"Are you Uchiha Madara?" he asked, "But that would be impossible. He died long ago."

Madara (?) tilted his head. "I wonder about that."

"It matters not either way," he continued, "Why did you attack Konoha?"

"You could say it was on a whim," the man stated, "or perhaps I planned it. Whose to say. And of course, it was for war… and for peace."

'Whoever he is, he's no ordinary man. He can control the Kyuubi and uses some powerful jutsu, the likes of which I've never heard of. And he's wielding some dangerous ideology. I must deal with him here. I have to trust the village to the Sandaime for now. If he's anything like Madara, he can't keep the Kyuubi under his control for very long.'

Then, as if some signal had gone off, they launched themselves at each other. He again found himself phasing through the masked man, nearly getting snared in the chains he had attached to the iron bands he wore on his wrists. Quickly escaping via Hiraishin, he began to form a plan.

He needed to precisely time his attack to coincide with his opponents. If he could land a strike in the instant before his opponent did, then the battle was his.

They rushed at each other again. When he was halfway, he flung a kunai at the man's head. As he predicted, it began phasing through. The figure began reaching out his hand at him as they got closer. When the kunai had finished passing through the man's head, he formed a Rasengan.

'Wait for it'.

"I win," the figure stated.

'There'.

Transporting himself to the kunai he'd thrown, he twisted himself in midair and slammed the Rasengan into the man's back.

When the dust settled, he spotted his adversary standing a short distance away, heavily injured. His left hand fell off like it was made of milk. He wasn't sure what to make of that. The man was saying something, but he paid it little notice.

Transporting himself to the marker he'd placed on him when he'd landed his Rasengan, he wasted no time before placing a contract seal on him. This disrupted the connection between the masked man and the Kyuubi, thus eliminating it from his control. His objective reached; he backed off from his opponent.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." The masked figure said after a brief pause. "You managed to wound me and wrenched the Kyuubi from my possession. It will be mine eventually, though. This world will be mine, and with so many ways to accomplish that…" the figure trailed off as he warped himself away.

Exhaling, he refocused his attention. This battle was over. Now, he had to attend to the Kyuubi.

Appearing as before, on top of the Hokage monument, he surveyed the scene that greeted him. The Kyuubi had been pushed out of the village, which was a feat in itself. But he had to act quickly, for the Kyuubi was preparing another immense chakra sphere.

Taking out a kunai, he carefully aimed it upwards and deftly threw it high over the raging beast. He waited a few seconds, then transported himself to the kunai, now hundreds of feet over the Kyuubi's head. Immediately, he wove through five quick hand signs, then aimed his hand below him.

'Kuchiyose.'

Gamabunta, the chief toad of Mount Myoboku, appeared high above the moonlit battle. Seconds later, they landed at high speed right onto the Kyuubi's back.

"Keep him pinned down for a little while longer," he urged.

"That won't be easy, even for me," came the toad's gruff reply.

Transporting something as massive and powerful as the Kyuubi was going to take most of his remaining chakra. That was fine, so long as he had enough to complete the sealing ritual afterwards.

He had already reached a decision about what he needed to do. First, he had to move the Kyuubi to a secluded area. Then he had to gather Kushina and their newborn twins and bring them there as well. He would then need to erect a barrier to prevent the Kyuubi from leaving. After accomplishing this, he would then go about sealing the fox into a new host, or in this case, hosts.

It was painful just to consider it, but he'd been unable to find a better solution. One idea had been for him to seal the Kyuubi back into Kushina. The problem was that she would die the instant the seal was complete.

If one likened one's chakra reserves to a balloon, you would find that to have a Bijuu sealed within you was akin to rapidly inflating the balloon. The older the balloon is, the less you can inflate it before it bursts. Likewise, the more times you inflate it, the less durable it becomes. Now, as an Uzumaki, Kushina was, to use the prior analogy, a stronger, more resilient balloon. Able to handle a much larger amount of chakra than the typical person. Unfortunately, as she'd become a Jinchuuriki at age nine, her reserves had already partially developed. Whereas, if she'd been younger, under five preferably, her reserves could have acclimated, and thus she'd survive. When she had the Kyuubi drawn out of her earlier that night, it had been as if her chakra reserves had imploded, having already been grossly overextended by the simple presence of the Kyuubi.

Further complicating matters, if she died as a Jinchuuriki, the Kyuubi would die alongside her. This was fine in the short term, but after an indeterminate time, the Kyuubi would reform, and he would not push his problems onto someone else in the future.

Another idea he'd briefly considered had been for her to seal it into him. Besides him being even worse equipped to handle the Kyuubi than she was, even considering her current state, she didn't have the chakra required after going through childbirth and the extraction to perform the sealing ritual.

With her unable to perform the necessary sealing jutsu, and neither of them able to hold the Kyuubi, he was forced to seal the Kyuubi into his newborn children himself. The only jutsu he could use to seal the Kyuubi into both twins was self-sacrificial. 'Forgive me, Kushina.'

He finished drawing his chakra just as the Kyuubi clamped its jaw on the chakra sphere. Seconds later, another bright flash lit up the horizon.

Moments later, he reappeared holding his wife with one arm, and his children in the other.

"I need to put up a barrier," he said, breathing heavily.

"I can do it, Minato," offered Kushina. Not waiting for a response, she hunched over, and bright glowing golden chakra chains burst forth from her back, anchoring into the ground and restraining the Kyuubi.

"Kushina!"

Naruto woke up and started wailing.

"Did we wake you up? I'm sorry, Naruto," Kushina apologised before turning her attention to Minato.

"I'll take the Kyuubi with me to my death. This way, the Kyuubi won't be an issue until it reforms, which could be years, and I can save you with the last chakra I have left." Kushina said, strained effort in every syllable. "Thank you for everything, Minato."

"No, I should be thanking you," he said, solemnly. "It's because of you that I've become the man I am. You made me these children's father, and…"

"I thank you Minato," she interrupted, "for if I were to imagine a future where I'm alive, with the four of us together as a family, it could only be a happy life. If I would have just one regret, it's that I'll be unable to see it with them."

"Kushina," he said, tearing up. "There's no need for you to sacrifice your remaining chakra on the Kyuubi. Preserve it, so you can meet our children once they've grown up. I'll seal a portion of your chakra in their seals, as part of the Eight Sign Seal. But, in order to do so, I'll need to first split the Kyuubi using the Reaper Death Seal."

"But… that jutsu… you'll die!" she said, horrified.

Instead of responding, he wove through a quick series of hand signs and clapped his hands together, initiating the jutsu that would, quite literally, seal his fate.

"When we were looking for names for our children," he began, "we first landed on Naruto, the great protagonist from Jiraiya-sensei's book, hoping that they could exact his dream of peace on the world. I believe there will be a great upheaval in the coming years, and I equally believe that the ones that will see the world through that upheaval and then ever onward towards true peace are these children, our children. They'll do so as Jinchuuriki. I'm convinced of it. So, as their parents, let's put our trust in them."

"Our kids," she cried, "They're our kids. I don't want them to have to endure such a burden. And why use Reaper Death Seal, if it's so I can see our kids grown up, even for a moment, it's not worth it if you have to die. They need you to protect them and help them grow up. At least I had Mito-sama. They'll only have each other. Why do they have to be sacrificed? Why do you?"

"Even if I were to live," he replied delicately, "there are things that only you, as their mother, can say to them. I can't do that for them. That's a mother's role. To die for my children, that is an honour."

At that moment he felt the arm of the Shinigami reach through his soul and then latch onto the Kyuubi's, freezing it in place.

The Reaper Death Seal was a sealing jutsu where the caster was willingly sealing their own soul within the stomach of the Shinigami. In return, the Shinigami would perform a favour for the sacrificed. In this case, splitting the Kyuubi into its yin and yang halves.

'Kage Bunshin.'

Two clones appeared either side of him. The Shinigami promptly reached a hand through each of them in turn. He watched as the visible only to him 'soul' of the Kyuubi was deftly split in two.

He summoned the ritual altar used when sealing the Kyuubi. His clones each took one of their children and placed them side by side on the altar.

'Kuchiyose'.

A toad with a scroll for a torso appeared before them.

"Gah, Kyuubi! Yondaime? What is the meaning of this?" spluttered the toad.

"Gerotora, I'm giving you the sealing formula's key. Take it to Jiraiya-sensei and have it stored away immediately."

"Alright, on my word, the key is in my possession. I'll now be off." He vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Alright, now that's done," he said, turning towards Kushina. "I'm going to begin the Eight Sign Seal now. I want to put a little of my chakra into their seals as well. So, it's going to be a while before we see them again. We should tell them what we want to say."

Kushina knelt shakily next to the altar. "Naruko… Naruto… don't be picky. Eat well and grow strong. Bathe daily and keep warm. Don't stay up too late, you'll need your sleep. You'll have each other, but you still need friends. Not too many, just a few who are true. Keep up with your studies and practice hard. Don't shirk like I did. Remember, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If you struggle with something, don't worry. There's something else that you'll excel at. Help each other out when that happens. Respect your elders and your teachers at the Academy. When you become shinobi, be mindful of the three prohibitions. Be very careful with your money. Put some money into savings. And no alcohol until you're twenty. It's bad for you, but if you must, remember to drink in moderation. When you're older, you'll become interested in boys and girls. Just don't go after the wrong ones. Find someone who's right for you. Someone like me or your father. Oh, and speaking of which, be alert around Jiraiya-sensei. He's a good man, but he's also a walking vice." She paused to take a breath.

Now crying, she continued, "from now on, you're going to suffer a lot of hardship, and it'll be painful. Just be true to yourself and to each other. Naruko, make sure your brother doesn't get himself into too much trouble. And Naruto, protect your sister and make sure you're both safe. I love you both so, so much."

Now outright sobbing, she looked back at her husband. "Minato?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, then he simply said, "Since she already said everything, I'll just say, listen to your mother and you'll be set. I love you both, Naruko and Naruto."

"Eight Sign, Seal!"

She watched as the Kyuubi disappeared and twin Eight Sign Seals appeared on their navels.

At the same time, Minato's clones dispelled. He looked at her for what she knew would be the last time.

"Thank you Kushina, for being my life. I love you, I always will."

"Seal!"

With that, his final word, his body crumpled to the ground, where it lay, peaceful as the fallen leaves.

Most of her remaining chakra had gone into the seals. As it was now, she could no longer stand on her own. The chakra chains she'd restrained the Kyuubi with had vanished as soon as it had been sealed.

Moments later, she heard the clear sound of approaching footsteps. From the sound of it, there were three people. Then the wizened old face of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, appeared in her vision.

"Kushina-chan, you're still alive?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"I've still got life left in me, at least for a few hours," she quipped. Somehow, it didn't carry her usual vigour.

"If you'll feeling up to it, could you fill me in on what you know of the events that transpired tonight?" he asked gently.

"Of course, Sandaime-sama, but first we need to talk about Naruto and Naruko," she replied.

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was carefully considering her request. Sighing deeply, he nodded his assent.

"I take it those are their names?" he asked.

She nodded as he helped her into a sitting position. Around them, she noticed a couple of Anbu. One was busy sealing Minato's body into a scroll, the other was carrying her sleeping twins. Once the first had pocketed the scroll, he was handed one of the twins to carry by the other.

"Is it alright if I were to carry you as we make our way back to the village?" he asked.

Again, she nodded in lieu of a verbal response. Wasting no time, he picked her up, and they were off.

"What was it you wanted to discuss regarding your new progeny?" he asked after a few moments of silent travel.

"I need you to promise me that someone will look after them, now that we can't," She began, "and I know that beforehand they'll be too young to understand, but they deserve to know who we are and what happened tonight. That includes their status as Jinchuuriki. They should know this by the time they enter the Academy and no later. Later, once they've become Genin, they should be introduced to our specialties; Sealing, Wind style, Minato's Rasengan, but only the basics. Once they become Chuunin, they can learn the advanced stuff. I don't want them hurting themselves trying to learn something they're not ready for. Above all else, make sure they have someone they can look to for guidance, like Mito-sama was for me. Please," she implored.

After a moment's silence, he gave his response. "You have my word; everything will be as you say."

It was the genuine sincerity and warmth she heard in his voice more than the actual response that filled her with a great relief, and she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, her babies wouldn't suffer the usual fate of Jinchuuriki.

Once they returned to the village, they were taken, not to the village med facility, but instead, to the Hokage's personal treatment room in the admin wing of the municipal building. There, she was gently lowered into the bed. After a few moments went by where the two Anbu were trying to find a suitable place to put the infants, she made her final request.

"Could you place them in my arms?" she asked.

They obliged, then quickly left the room. Hiruzen did as well, but not before turning back and executing a quick but surprisingly deep bow towards her. Then he was gone, and she was alone with her son and daughter nestled semi-firmly in her arms.

Over the next hour, she went in and out of consciousness. Each time she did, she softly reminded them of her love, until she knew no more, but the endless love she never got to share with them.

Hours later, they would wake alone.


To clarify, this story will skirt the line between Canon Rewrite and Canon Adjacent. It will gradually separate itself from canon.

Any thoughts, comments, questions or concerns. Leave a review and let me know. Peace.