**Important Author's Note Below**

The Land of Fire. A strange name for the lushest and most fertile land in the elemental nations. When spoken, it conjured images of the burning lands in the far west, barely habitable due to the seismic and volcanic activity. The names of all the other great nations were apropos, why not this one?

Anyone with knowledge of chakra and elemental natures could give an inspired guess. Elemental affinities seemed to have a geographical component; lightning was most common in the northeast, earth in the northwest, water in the southeast, wind in the southwest. And yes, fire through the center. Genetics played a more immediate role, but if a family from the Land of Water immigrated to the land of Lightning, over the course of generations, Raiton natures would begin popping up. Even if no genetic Raiton affinities were thrown into the gene pool.

An inspired guess, that affinity had something to do with the name. However, one that ceased to hold water when accounting for the timeline. The Land of Fire was granted its title long before chakra appeared in the elemental nations at all. Whether it was introduced by the mythical Sage of Six Paths or not, there was a great deal of evidence that chakra hadn't been around since the dawn of time. So why that name?

It stemmed not from the landscape, like with the surrounding nations, but from commerce. The Land of Fire had always been wealthy, but one crop set it apart from the rest.

Tobacco. Even to this day, it was the nation's most profitable export. As such, the act of smoking was not only enjoyed; it had cultural significance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had fond memories of sitting amongst the elders of his clan, enjoying the warm night air and listening to stories of ages gone by. He remembered vividly the very first time his grandfather had offered him his pipe, the pipe lit in his hand right now. He was only twelve, and had coughed horrendously to the amusement of all those around him. Hiruzen had sworn he'd never do it again, that he would only enjoy the rich smell from a distance.

That pledge had only lasted a week, when he found himself captivated by tobacco's majesty once more, and he lost himself to the traditions of his clan. It was a much simpler time, then. He longed to return to an era where he didn't have to speak, just listen. Had to follow the decisions of others, not make them himself. Where he could sit with his clan, a small family of those he knew and loved the most, and enjoy life's simplest pleasures.

Tobacco was now all that he had to remember them by. And stress had well and truly sullied the spirit behind his indulgence.

"Hello, Tsunade," he said around the mouthpiece of his pipe. "It's been a while. Thank you for responding to my message."

The being he locked eyes with was not the beautiful Senju heir he had personally instructed as an homage to his late sensei. That woman had vowed never to return to Konoha, and not even her grandmother's passing could bring her to break that. If he wanted to speak with her, this slug was the best he'd get.

"I'm already regretting it," she said through the summon. Hiruzen had always found it curious how eloquent and soothing her bonded creatures' voices were. "My decision has remained unchanged. If you say a damn thing about it, I'm tearing up the beacon seal and you'll never speak to me again."

"Our agreement was that I would only contact you for theoretical consultation," Hiruzen assured, keeping his dismay locked deep inside.

One day. One had he prayed she'd overcome her grief, find herself and come home. He hoped he'd still be alive to greet her with open arms when she did.

More time. That's what Hiruzen willfully deluded himself into thinking she needed.

"That is what I am doing," he assured her.

He glanced at his other present student, who cleared his voice.

"Ohayo, hime," he greeted, announcing his presence. Hiruzen was filled with nostalgia hearing it, even though the normally enthusiastic cadence was strained.

"Jiraya," she returned curtly. "What is it?"

"We need more information on your Tranquil State Technique," he said succinctly. "We found someone else who can use it. Perfectly, it seems."

The slug let out a soft puff of air. "About time. Who is the poor sap? My money's on a Hyuga; I always thought those eyes should give them an advantage."

Jiraya wet his lips. "Well, you see…the thing is…" he trailed off, bracing himself.

"Spit it out," she commanded. "I don't have all day."

"She's not one of ours," Hiruzen finished for him. "It's a kunoichi from Iwa. We need abilities, weaknesses, things to watch out for. Anything you can tell us."

Tsunade was silent for a moment. Then,

"Iwa, huh? Can't say I saw that coming. Tell me about her."

"She's you as a kid," he said. "Except seventy percent less stable. She's sadistic; I doubt she has any inclination of being a medic."

"Good for her," Tsunade said, and Hiruzen took a deep breath at her dismissiveness. What could he do to make her grasp the urgency of the situation?

"She's younger than you were," he stated, trying to ignite the spark of competitiveness that was once always at the forefront of Tsunade's personality.

"Of course she is," was her reply. "Like I told Orochimaru, this isn't a skill you can learn late in life. It has to be started very, very early. It isn't surprising to me that someone stumbled upon the process at the same age or earlier than I did. Honestly, I don't even know what there is to say on the subject. The Tranquil State isn't an active technique; it's a physiological state brought upon by an unparalleled understanding of chakra and one's own body. You can call it Enlightenment if you want; a facet of it, anyway. It's a product of curiosity and exploration. I reached it through mindfulness; feeling my physical and spiritual energy merge into chakra, casting my consciousness into it as it circulated my body. I was inspired to do it after feeling my grandfather's chakra. I was overcome with emotion. It was my earliest memory."

Hiruzen nodded in thought. Hashirama's chakra was special for many, many reasons. Aside from it holding the secret to life itself, it also carried and amplified his emotions. His hope, his joy, his resolve; anyone touched by his formidable life force could feel it clearly. That property was the reason Konohagakure existed at all; Uchiha Madara felt his sincerity when Hashirama stated that he was willing to cut his own stomach open if it meant the Uchiha and Senju could live in peace.

"It's inevitable that anyone who reaches it will gain a great understanding of biology—their own biology, in any case," Tsunade continued. "And of chakra. Of course, that comes with its own challenges."

"She does seem to have the same problem you did, back then," Jiraya commented. "Will she get over it, like you did?"

Tsunade considered the question.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either are just as likely. I sure as shit wouldn't have gotten it on my own. Without Katsuyu, I probably would have been stuck until the day I died."

"Then we pray she doesn't get her hands on a summoning contract," Jiraya concluded.

"A Noble summoning contract," Tsunade emphasized. "Personal summons don't live long enough to answer those types of questions."

"Then maybe there's hope after all," JIraya said, though his tone wasn't convincing. "She's being taught by Tsuchibokori no Biwa. He might pass on a wasp hive to her, and she wouldn't have any need to seek out a Noble contract."

"Maybe," Hiruzen agreed. "The Kamizuru haven't kept as tight a fist over their wasp cultivations since Ōnoki took charge." The Tsuchikage prioritized communication potential over the secrets of his clan, which was incredibly unusual in this day and age. Not to mention annoying for him. "Still, we can't count on it. Jiraya, have your spies keep their ears to the ground. If she does win a Noble contract, I doubt they will take pains to keep it a secret."

Contracts for the Noble Summoning Clans were status symbols. If Iwa was trying to mold Imai Kasaiki into the next Tsuchikage, they would advertise such an accomplishment to solidify her legitimacy and begin building her legend.

"I have another question, hime," Jiraya asked. "What is the connection between the Tranquil State Technique and fūinjutsu?"

The slug blinked unevenly; first with its left eye stalk, and next with its right.

"So you've put that together too," she murmured. "I doubt the girl let it slip."

"It was just a guess from something she said," explained Jiraya, sitting ramrod straight at the confirmation of his theory. "Something about knowing exactly how seals worked. I didn't understand what she meant. I thought seals worked…well, just because they did. I didn't think to question if there was an explanation."

Tsunade considered the question.

"I hope you know that what you're asking for is a clan secret," she revealed. Hiruzen hadn't, and from his reaction he guessed Jiraya was in the same boat. "I may carry the name Senju, but my grandmother was an Uzumaki too."

Hiruzen could point out that she obviously couldn't care about her Uzumaki heritage that much, considering she hadn't even shown up to the woman's funeral. But that would have been in poor taste, so he refrained.

"The discovery is a right of passage for Uzumaki," she revealed. "One that few would ever reach. If they didn't, those that knew were not allowed to tell them. As far as my grandmother was aware, I am the only person in existence to find the answer who wasn't a full-blooded clan member."

The until now went unsaid.

As the Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't explicitly ask for clan secrets. It was a line he couldn't cross. But he could ask for more information on their practices.

"Why? Why was it a right of passage?"

"Because the Uzumaki believed that, if you aren't able to find the skill through your own merits, you won't have the skills to apply the knowledge anyway. Which is objectively true. And, it is too significant to just hand out to the unworthy." More softly, she added, "When I learned the truth, I was stunned. It was…life altering. You might remember this, you two. I locked myself in my home for two months."

Hiruzen did remember that clearly. Specifically, because of what happened after that.

"And when you reemerged, you had the Byakugō no In," he finished.

"Exactly," she agreed. "That discovery was what led me to create my greatest seal. Even if it was in a rudimentary form, and needed the accumulation of three more years worth of chakra to get to what it is today."

The Byakugō was considered the greatest feat of chakra sealing Konoha had ever seen. That they could feasibly face something of that caliber on the fields of war in the coming years…it was a sobering thought indeed.

"How do you find that answer?" Jiraya asked, and Hiruzen could see that same conclusion in his eyes. "Please, hime, tell me."

"Jiraya, you're barely passable in fūinjutsu," she sniped. "You don't stand a chance in finding it, even if I spelled it out to you."

"I know," Jiraya said simply, and the slug seemed taken aback. "I know I don't have any hope of finding it myself. But Minato does. I'm begging you, hime. Meeting her, meeting Imai. It's shaken him. He needs this. Konoha needs this."

Ironically, the moment his student's name left Jiraya's lips, there was a puff of smoke and Gamatenko hopped onto Hiruzen's desk.

Before anyone could say a word, he spoke, severity in his eyes.

"Uzumaki Kushina has been taken," he said, and both Hiruzen and Jiraya bolted to their feet. "Minato's in pursuit."

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

People are aggressive. We want to fight.

Repressing emotions so thoroughly isn't realistic. It isn't even healthy.

Everyone praised Namikaze Minato for how well he understood the world around him. In fact, he often faced apprehension and even isolation due to his sheer perceptiveness. If someone—anyone—were to insinuate otherwise, everyone who knew him would laugh in their face.

He should know; it had happened before. Because that Iwa girl—Imai Kasaiki, Jiraya-sensei's spies uncovered her name to be—wasn't the first person to tell him something along those lines.

He wanted to understand. He wanted to figure out what he was missing. The first time someone had called him dense, stupid, clueless, he had brushed them off. Why wouldn't he? They came from an obnoxious loudmouth who was barely fighting off last place in the academic rankings. She was dealing with her own personal issues, which Minato respected, so when other people assured him that she was just jealous, he'd believed them.

Imai Kasaiki wasn't an idiot. She was many things, but she wasn't that. Nor was she a liar; Minato could tell. He could always tell. She stated her claims as fact, and she believed them with all of her heart.

He couldn't hunt her down, couldn't force her to elaborate just to stave off his mental crisis. Even if that was a possibility right now, and even if she would humor his inquiries, he would frankly rather commit seppuku than see her again any time soon. So, he sought out the next best thing. The only other person to see that he wasn't the superhuman everyone else saw him as.

He needed to ask her that question anyway. He needed to know if Imai was right in that other respect as well. And he needed to apologize. That should probably come before asking any favors of her.

However, when he arrived at the Senju compound, the residence of Konoha's new Nine Tails Jinchūriki after Uzumaki Mito had passed, he found the still-cooling corpses of sentries, tampered security seals and the last living Uzu native missing.

Minato didn't hesitate. He had his bearings; little red hairs drenched in familiar chakra that he had no trouble sensing, and several hand seals later, his body was drenched in the dynamic chakra of the Shunshin. Summoning Gamatenko to Jiraya as he ran, he sped off at top speed. It must have been impressive, because none of those surely sent after him had been able to catch up three hours later.

The kidnappers were sprinting north, and it soon became clear why when Minato finally caught his first glimpse of them. They wore no headbands, but identifying them was simple, thanks to their running suits and distinctive cheek markings. The three were members of Kumo's Ikuta clan, wielders of the Swift Release.

Which explained the odd movement pattern. The groups would slow for a period of time before appearing a great distance away in a different direction to throw off tails. It was as if, every hour, they all leapt an incredible distance in mere moments. The technique they used must have been chakra intensive, which explained the breaks between each jump.

Minato would have had no chance in tailing them if not for Kushina's breadcrumb trail and his own sensing prowess. They had changed directions enough that Minato was certain he couldn't count on any help from Konoha arriving in time to back him up. Even a seasoned tracking team wouldn't be able to keep up between jumps; they moved so fast that there wasn't time for their scents to stick to their surroundings. And another chakra sensor, if they were even sensitive enough to pick up her trail like he did, would be too late. The strands of hair wouldn't hold the chakra inside them for long before it dissipated.

He was truly on his own, here, and his pursuit was unsustainable. He was already flagging, and the Ikuta clan members clearly had him outmatched in terms of stamina. His options were striking now while he still had chakra, or risk Kushina by waiting for a chance that may never come. Soon, they would surely use their bloodline to jump again, and he wasn't sure if he could cover the ground between a fourth time. He needed to make them stop now.

He brought his fingers into a cross, pulsing chakra through the modified seal and feeling it drain away at a rate that left him dizzy. Taking a deep inhale through his nose, he smelled ancient leather and ink as his life force harmonized with the powerful matrix locked in a scroll that was now many, many miles away. Then, a perfect copy of Minato appeared next to him, wordlessly taking something from him and sticking it in his mouth.

Henge'ing into a boulder under a spruce tree, he watched, heart in his throat, as his clone put its half of his reserves to good use. He felt more than uneasy about having to rely on a chakra construct so heavily, but this jutsu was different. Jiraya-sensei had taught it to him in the wake of his fight against Imai, so when they next met he'd have an ace in his sleeve that she couldn't copy. Because the Shadow Clone Technique—Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique—was far beyond ninjutsu.

Minato's clone let loose his Futon: Senkai Chakuramu Akuma no Odori no Jutsu (Wind Style: Whirling Chakram Devil Dance), and a lance of wind chakra erupted from its lips. The jonin, of course, dodged, but the clone's control forced the jutsu into its much wider second stage. They had no choice but to separate.

The Ikuta clan members were all built the same; tall, wiry, aerodynamic. Though chakra gave them the ability to do so, Kushina's body was awkward for them to hold, so they switched off regularly. Now, she was carried by the one on the right, and the clone had aimed perfectly to herd him towards Minato's real body.

"What? It's just a kid!" he heard one of them say.

"How the hell did he follow us all this way?"

"Your bloodline jutsu allows you to travel twenty miles in just over a minute," the clone said evenly. Minato had measured that number based on the strength of Kushina's presence on his chakra sense. "After that, you must rest for fifty-two minutes before you can cast it again."

It drew two kunai from its pouch.

"It's funny," it continued, not laughing. "Your bloodline is called the Swift Release, but without it, you're turtles. Most other bloodlines give their wielders some fringe benefit. Pity; it seems yours is naturally inferior."

Well, they certainly weren't running. If there was one sure way of getting a clan member's attention, it was by insulting their bloodline. And, if the following burst of activity was any indication, his strategy was a success.

The shadow clone possessed Minato's physical abilities and intellect, but dodging was imperative. It couldn't be hit even once, or his entire plan, half-baked as it already was, would fall apart. His focus never left the ninja carrying Kushina, who was hanging back as his fellows dogged the clone.

Then, the clone made him an opening.

"You may be fast, but there isn't much else you have going for you," the enemy nin mocked, holding a kunai to the clone's throat as the other one restrained its arms behind its back. "Unfortunately, having to carry one brat has already slowed us down enough. Have any last words?"

Not a word, exactly, but a statement. The clone stuck its tongue out at the nin, who cursed in shock. It was no childish taunt. Minato had just picked up a new trick from his most frustrating opponent to date.

In a split second, the fuse sizzled away completely and there was a great explosion as the grade three tag went off in the center of the group. Minato wasn't deluded enough to think that could actually kill any of them—thank kami too, because Kushina would have been caught in the blast. They were forced to use their bloodline to escape, hopefully precluding them from being able to cast it again so soon.

"What the fuck?" One said, reappearing. "Crazy bastard. Was that a clone?"

"Can't be," said the leader. "It used a jutsu."

The third shinobi reappeared with Kushina still on his back, shell-shocked, mouth agape. And that's when Minato struck.

A Kawarimi with its stoppage function removed, Minato thought grimly as he appeared next to the man faster than he could have with the Shunshin. Thanks for the tip.

He threw a chakra enhanced kunai from point-blank range and the jonin still dodged. But it was only a feint. As he spun out of the way out of pure reflex, his active chakra sense honed on the weapon instead of Minato himself, who took advantage of the distraction by looping his arm around Kushina's waist and yanking her off his back.

As his enemies cursed in shock at his sudden appearance, he skidded to a stop and crunched the wooden cuffs around her wrists with brute force. The chakra paralyzing seals only worked on the person they bound—they couldn't prevent any external attacks. In an instant, Kushina was free.

"Gomen, Kushina-san," Minato apologized. "I was late. It won't happen again."

An easy promise to keep, given the situation. It seemed as if Minato was about to be divested of every responsibility he'd ever have, so words like "early" or "late" had no meaning.

"I'll hold them off," he said grimly to the gaping kunoichi, pointing behind them. "The village is in that direction. You should reach a rescue team soon; they will protect you."

"Oh hell no," the girl exclaimed, shaking off her stupor. "I'm not leaving you to fight them alone."

Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair. It must have burned her pride to be rescued by the one she'd always called unreliable.

"You must," he barked, only to be kicked to the side by one of the jonin at a speed he couldn't perceive. He skipped off the ground, barely twisting himself to throw a weapon mid-flight at the other Ikuta member who closed in on Kushina. His quick thinking gave her room to dodge.

"No one is going anywhere," the oldest of the three said. "I hoped you had fun playing the hero, kid. It's the last thing you'll ever do."

Skin raw, Minato got onto one knee, bracing himself as he flipped through hand seals. He had no choice but to whip out his twin rising dragon scrolls for defense, but their contents hadn't yet been replaced, and there was no guarantee that the barrier would be enough.

Then, as a snapping maw of lightning loomed over him, his vision filled with crimson hair as it whipped in the wind.

"No!" he screamed as his fellow disciple dove in front of him. Electricity enveloped her, and she let out a wail unlike anything he'd ever heard from her.

It was over a second later. Her twitching body fell to the dirt, eerily silent.

"Kushina-san," Minato whispered, horrified as he dropped his scrolls in his haste to check on her. "Kushina-san!"

The enemy ninja began to argue among themselves as Mianto hurriedly checked her pulse, ignoring the sting of the latent electricity circulating her body. It was still, and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Damn brat," the leader growled at him. "Look what you made me do. The Raikage is going to be furious."

"Shut up," Minato whispered, too soft to hear. Images played behind his eyes, visions of him and Kushina learning fūinjutsu together with Uzumaki-sama. Most of them were of the two bickering or fighting outright. But Minato had felt something else behind everything negative.

Acceptance. Visibility. He'd never tried to put it into words before, but now he understood why he had always felt so drawn to her. Unlike everyone else, Kushina had seen Minato for what he was. A person.

I'm not evil; I'm just human. And unlike you, I don't pretend to be anything more.

Minato had been trying so hard to rise above. To be the person everyone already thought he was. The perfect shinobi. He was tired of it; on some level, he'd always been. That was why he found Kushina so refreshing.

He hadn't known what he had. Until he lost her.

"You're going to have to take responsibility, now," the Ikuta shinobi declared, standing tall above him. "It's going to hurt."

YOU WON'T TOUCH HIM

Every hair follicle on Minato's body rose at the inhuman words. No one spoke them; it was as if they came from the earth itself.

Then, Kushina's body began to rise. Not like a human's would naturally—it was as if she was a marionette, hoisted upwards by its bars. Her head lolled to the side, and her limbs hung bonelessly below her.

Then came the chakra. Thick, murderous, red—it wrapped around her like a cloak, consuming the flesh underneath it, transforming the body into something more.

Minato could feel his heart hammering, but he felt nothing. Not like the Kumo jonin seemed to. He watched numbly as tails erupted from the creature, chasing the Ikuta members down like hounds on the hunt. They panicked, trying to tap into their bloodline and escape, but the world seemed to conspire against them. The earth itself rose—rocks, dirt, trees, everything—blocking their escape, and their screams reached a crescendo as they were caught and their skin burned away under the monster's grasp.

Then, it was silent, and all that was left was their ruined surroundings, Minato, the Kyuubi, and three corpses dismembered and torched into oblivion.

The Kyuubi stalked towards Minato, who stood stock still as its incomprehensible figure stood over him.

"You are…Namikaze Minato," the thing rumbled, and Minato felt each syllable in his bones.

"You know me?" he heard himself say, though the words sounded distant. Like he wasn't really the one uttering them.

"I saw all that Kushina did, for the brief time that I'd been in her," the Kyuubi replied. It towered over him, now far taller than his almost-friend had been, and leaned down to sniff him. Minato didn't even flinch.

"You do not fear my intent?" It asked, its cheek inches from his own. Minato could feel his skin sizzling. He just didn't care.

"What's the worst you can do to me?" Minato retorted. "Kill me?"

"Painfully," it agreed, and Minato gave it a jerky nod.

"Do it, if you wish," he whispered. "I had already resolved myself to die. And I'm starting to think I was never alive to begin with."

"How…depressing," the creature snarled, and Minato almost chuckled.

"Gomen. I didn't mean to put a damper on your mood," he said. "I feel like I've lost something important. Kushina was my key. I thought she could help me find some…explanation. Some purpose."

"Purpose. Purpose, purpose." The Kyuubi straightened. "A human's purpose is the same as any other varmint. To mate, spread like a disease across the continent, and die."

"That is nature's purpose for us," Minato replied breezily. "We're taught that we can choose our own purpose. A task or mission to devote our lives towards. Whether that's the truth or a pretty lie…I'm not so certain any more."

He cocked her head, trying to peer into soulless pits of deep red. "I was told that I could be an instrument of peace. But if something like this," he gestured his hands dismissively at the carnage around them, "can happen on the whim of someone I'll never meet. Does it matter if I have a purpose or not?"

The pulsating crimson formed patterns on the Kyuubi's approximation of skin. Minato saw burning houses, screaming faces, scattered limbs and children impaled on swords. Or maybe, that was all in his imagination.

"I have roamed this continent for centuries," it said, voice guttural. "I have observed humanity for longer than you can comprehend. I can tell you the secret, if you wish. The purpose that you all must possess, as it is reflected in your species' every action."

"Please," Minato said with a nod.

The answering smile wasn't pretty.

"War," it said, simply. "Destruction. Violence. A want for it drives your every decision. All other tasks are committed to furthering that goal. Those few that deviate are mere outliers."

Minato deflated. "So you think so, too."

"History doesn't lie," declared the Kyuubi. "Trust my experience, because I have seen more than you can imagine. I feel your hopelessness. Tell me. Does my answer make you long for death?"

He could tell that the beast hoped his answer would be "yes." Instead, he shook his head.

"I don't want to die," he said. "I don't fear death, but I'm in no rush to experience it yet. I'm just…lost."

The mass of toxic chakra roiled before him. "That's a shame. You wish, then, to remain in this world a weapon, an instrument of carnage. A slave to your impulses, and the impulses of others. Humans cannot be satisfied. That is why they cast off the teachings of ninshu in favor of the material, perverting the gifts given them into weapons. That is why there will never be peace."

Minato twitched. He didn't understand everything the Kyuubi had said, but a part of it struck a chord in him.

"Covetousness leading to violence," Minato breathed. "But on the opposite side, contentment."

The Kyuubi seemed taken aback, as if it sensed something in Minato.

"A wise man once taught humanity that," it acknowledged, begrudgingly. "Only a scant few listened, and that number was lost to the ages."

"I see," Minato murmured, his mind buzzing. He had been so focused on the negatives, that he'd completely ignored what was good about this life.

And so had everyone else.

"It's often necessary to rise above our instincts. Repressing the parts of them that aren't ideal isn't realistic. But amplifying others?"

The Kyuubi took a step backwards, its mouth twisted into a frown. It had failed.

"If you do not wish to die, I will spare you," it said, though the words seemed to pain it. "In repayment for breaking the chakra restraints. Unlike you humans, I am honorable."

"I am in your gratitude," Minato said. "Please, is there any way I could return Kushina's…body to the village?"

His heart twisted at the reminder. This would forever be his greatest regret.

"You can have more than her body," it said, and Minato frowned in confusion. "She stirs now, and I must go. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this will not be the last we see of one another. Sayonara, Namikaze Minato."

Before Minato's shocked eyes, the red chakra retracted, withdrawing into a hole in Kushina's stomach like silk pulled through a ring. Her seal. Flesh rematerialized horrifically over raw, exposed muscle, eyes and hair soon following.

Stock still, Minato gaped as Uzumaki Kushina blinked at him in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked. "What's with the dopey look?"

Then, she looked down.

"Why am I fucking naked!" she shrieked. "Minato, what did you do?"

Minato could barely get a word in edgewise before she attacked.

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

AN: Well. This chapter did not come easy. The second part specifically. I hope it's decent; I really wanted to check in with Minato right after the fight. This story might be from Kasaiki's perspective, but it's about him too. I always thought his character had a lot of potential, but he's so one dimensional in canon.

Regarding the whole Kumo abduction thing. The what's, why's and how's are all either nonexistent or inconsistent in canon, so I came up with my own version of it. Kumo isn't sending anyone less than a group of jonin to abduct a Jinchūriki inside of an enemy village, and a twelve-year-old Minato can't beat an entire squad of jonin by himself. It also betrays the significance of the event if there is anyone with him. The only entity present capable of killing those jonin is the Kyuubi, so that's what I went with.

Minato was able to reach an understanding with the Kyuubi half that was sealed in him in canon. Knowing what we do about Kurama, I understand why fully. Their interaction in this chapter was a nod to that.

**My life is incredibly busy right now. Not only do I work full time, I'm also working on my original stuff outside of that, plus I'm planning my own wedding and I've just bought a house. Our bid was just accepted yesterday; that's why this chapter was late. Which means I'm moving, and that's going to be a process. I have to get all of our stuff in order, so when April comes around, we can do it smoothly. The plan is to continue with weekly updates. If that straight up isn't possible, please bear with me.

I don't have a Ptrn. If you've gotten just five bucks of enjoyment out of this story, please consider buying my original work on amazon (information in my bio). Between the two sites this fic is posted on, I have over 2300 readers. If even half of you choose to support me in this fashion, I would have considerable bargaining power when it comes to getting future books published. More publishing deals means I can quit my day job, which translates into more time for fanfiction. It's a one time thing, and you even get more of my writing out of it.

See you next week, hopefully.