A/N: Re-written April 4th 2024.

Sorry this is a day late. A family matter came up and I was without internet while I was attending to it. But here is the chapter I promised, and the next one will still be on Tuesday despite this delay

Hope you all enjoy~


Chapter VII: Arrival


When Makiko had started giggling at her twin's antics, it seemed… off. Or, rather, Jiraiya had a feeling that she wasn't laughing so much at Masato playing with ants, as something else. There was a hidden truth behind the childish mirth. Something that the girl was trying to hide, perhaps?

He'd watched the pair carefully as they 'played', but he still wasn't quite prepared for the sudden breakdown of the girl. Her giggling that had filled the air moments before morphed into sobs and tears seemingly out of the blue.

Masato couldn't get her to respond to his words. She didn't even seem to realize he had dropped his stick, now standing next to her with one hand in his as he kept trying to get her attention. He tried asking her what was wrong twice, with no response either.

The question was barely past his lips a third time when she suddenly fell silent. Blank eyes stared right ahead of her, no sign of her distress in that moment aside from the tear stains on her cheeks. And then, just as suddenly, she simply collapsed. The toad sage moved on pure instinct, catching her small frame before she could hit the dirt.

And then he nearly dropped her.

She was burning up. No… not simply burning up. When the pair had been feverish before, that was burning up. Skin hot and clammy to the touch. But this? Her skin was hot enough that contact caused significant discomfort (for a brief moment he thought he'd actually been burned).

"Sensei!" Minato's voice reached his ears, and he could hear the boy hurrying over. "What happened?"

It occurred to him then that Minato had likely returned in time to see his little sister collapse. Raising his eyes from the very sick child, he sought out the other two genin. Both were standing nearby, but with confused and concerned expressions.

The man realized he was frowning.

While he schooled his features, the Jōnin sat himself down cross-legged, laying the girl in his lap. Quickly he pulled out the medication that Tsunade had given him in the case of a severe fever (this seemed more than simply severe to him). "Inoru, water." The genin responded immediately, handing him one of the filled bamboo containers. "Minato, support her head," and the boy was there instantly, supporting his sister into a slightly raised position so Jiraiya could make use of both his hands. He unfolded one of the packets of powdered medicine, and opened the girl's mouth as gently as he could. The future Sannin carefully shook a quarter of the powder into her open mouth, and then followed it with some water.

She swallowed.

That was certainly an intense relief. One that they didn't have the time to really appreciate. "Take your brother," He spoke lowly, as he quickly put away the medicine and canteen. "We won't be stopping tonight."

None of the genin said anything. Masato was quickly on Minato's back, Kenta taking his pack for him. Before Inoru could take his own, Jiraiya pulled out his Konoha issued cloak, turning it into a sort of sling to hold the girl to his back. The girl wouldn't be able to hold on in her current state, and speed was of the essence.

Tree branches shuddered and groaned in their wake.


Masato kept trying to look over his brother's shoulder at the fragile form strapped to Jiraiya's back. Minato gave one of his legs a squeeze each time. But damn that last one had really hurt. So he had to give up trying to see how Makiko was doing, because clearly Minato didn't have the patience to deal with a toddler squirming on his back.

They didn't have the time either.

Given that Jiraiya had administered some sort of medicine to his little sister, Masato knew she was sick. A fever… that one again, he feared. Or worse. So he'd tried to fall into that place of light and dark, where the pain was monumental to try and find her… but he couldn't do it. Twice now.

He'd even fallen asleep on Minato's back!

The moon was high in the sky, and the night almost silent aside from the regular sounds of nocturnal life. They'd only stopped once since they stated, that he knew of, long enough for him to be fed and for more medicine to be given to his sister.

Jiraiya's carefully maintained mask of neutrality at the time told him she hadn't improved.

Three times now Kenta had come up beside Minato and popped a soldier pill into the other boy's mouth. Masato had even spied Jiraiya eating one when he was still trying to look over Minato's shoulder. Masato had thought the Jōnin was being hard on his genin before, but clearly he had been wrong. Or maybe it was because they were all younger than he had been when he'd become a genin, yet were being made to travel at a harder pace. Perhaps the pace that Jiraiya had set before wasn't that much above normal for the squad. Why else would they be able to push on like this, carefully timing when they took their soldier pills so they could get through the entire night, when the last time any of them had slept had likely been in the wee hours of that morning?

And all he could do right now was make sure he was holding onto his brother properly, and try not to fall asleep constantly. He wasn't doing as well as he'd like with the latter, as once again he felt his eyelids drooping. He was so tired. But he didn't want to be sleeping. He couldn't get them to Konoha any quicker, but he was never one to just do nothing when there was something he could be doing. Even if it might not make much of a difference, or not be connected in the end at all.

He had to get back to that place. Had to see if Makiko was there again. Because if that was what he thought it was, and she was there, then…

Masato tried to reason with himself, to allow himself more rest and ease his nerves. Why would she have gone back there? They'd both pulled out.

But he knew… that was not a place either of them could escape so easily in this life. They were warned about it; it wasn't a place at all, but a boundary really. Between this world and a void in between worlds. It was this world trying to throw out their souls that it recognized as not belonging.

Maybe.

At least, he couldn't think of what else it could have been.

His sleep deprived mind ran through question after question. Why would she have been there so soon after the last time, when he himself was fine? Why had she so suddenly come down with a fever? Why had she started sobbing out of the blue? Why hadn't she responded to anything that was said to her?

Why had he heard that just before she'd collapsed?

His former name.

Oh, he hadn't heard it out loud. No, this was like a whisper directly into his mind. A forlorn, broken whisper. Had it really sounded sort of like Naruko, or was that just his mind playing tricks on him? Was it anything at all aside from that? Was there any way to know?

He was just so tired. He had been for a long time. Not just in this new life. For years as Naruto, the Seventh Hokage, he'd just felt tired. Well… not simply tired, like the endless mountains of paperwork would leave any man (or woman). He was emotionally tired, watching the hair-line cracks in the peaceful world he and his companions had worked so hard to build, spread. Fracture. Finally begin to tear everything apart.

We'll get through it, he had told others. Him and his allies would conquer it, and leave the future bright. And then it was those a little younger, like Konohamuru whom he'd rested his hopes on. Then it was the new generation. The Children of those who'd fought in the war.

Not that he doubted they wouldn't find a way to succeed now. Never. He had utmost faith that those he'd left behind in his old world would fight, survive, and eventually win back peace. But he was never going to see it.

Peace for him had been too short lived. Sure, his generation had experienced more years of peace than any shinobi before that… but it was still too short. Especially now that he knew what time he was in, more or less. He had years of war to look forward to.

And it wasn't a war like he'd fought before. These weren't dead shinobi, and Zetsu soldiers that were fighting against the shinobi. This was shinobi against shinobi. Living against Living. Kill or be killed.

The prospect of it made him momentarily wonder what the hell he'd been thinking when he'd agreed to this. But it was only for a second. He'd agreed because that was who he was. Now he was committed to it, and he was going to see it through to the end.

Hopefully not alone.

Leaning his forehead against his brother's back, and allowing his eyes to close, Masato tried to fall into that place again. He knew it was useless though. It wasn't likely a place he could get to because he wanted to. His body immediately took over anyway, knowing what it needed. He could feel himself drifting off to sleep not even a minute after he'd closed his eyes. He tried fighting it off at first.

And then came an idea. One he probably wouldn't have had if he wasn't so tired. Masato gave up trying to keep himself awake, and instead tried to pull himself inward. To take a trip into his own mind. He doubted it would be like he remembered it, but at the same time somehow felt it couldn't be that different either. After all, new body or not, he was still himself wasn't he? The mindscape was a reflection of one's innermost workings… of their soul, or something like that, right?

But really, what mattered was that the last time he had been there, so had Naruko. So just maybe he would find her there again.


His legs and lungs burned from exertion, but still Minato kept pace. His track-suit jacket felt soaked through with sweat, but he didn't care. The boy on his back felt like he weighed a ton rather than next to nothing. That wasn't going to stop him. None of it was.

The sky was slowly being painted with pinks and oranges, but that wasn't going to stop him either. Kenta and Inoru looked like they were nearly ready to collapse… as long as they didn't, he would keep going. If they did collapse he might still keep going… or at least curse them for collapsing when they were so close.

He could see the gates ahead of them.

But they were also now surrounded.

The sudden realization caused the boy to misstep, but before he could fall there was a hand on his shoulder, and he found himself staring at a masked man.

Anbu.

Why?

Everyone came to a stop. Right there, only a few yards away from Konoha.

There were two more Anbu present (that he could see), one already speaking to Jiraiya in hushed tones. Whatever words the two shared were brief, as the operative's hands soon blurred through a series of motions, and then the third Anbu was gone.

"Go home Kenta, Inoru," Jiraiya spoke up, his gaze unmistakably fixed on his two teammates. Minato met the man's eyes moment's later, before the man turned back ahead without another word. When the Jōnin resumed the sprint, Minato was right behind him again. They passed through the gates, Inoru and Kenta heading to the check in to speak to the chunin on duty. However, with an escort of Anbu, Jiraiya and himself kept going. They were soon on the rooftops, moving with all haste towards the hospital.

He tried not to think about the fact that they had an Anbu escort, concentrating on following after his sensei and keeping himself from collapsing from exhaustion. He was so concentrated on it that it took him a moment to realize that they'd just entered the hospital through a window.

And there was the Hokage.


Eyes locked with his former teacher, Jiraiya handed Makiko off to one of the Med-nin in the room. Another took Masato from Minato (though he was sure the latter was reluctant to let his brother go). The window was already closed, and the Anbu had melted into the shadows. The two toddlers were taken into an adjoining room, the med-nin speaking quickly to each other.

As soon as the door closed, all sound from that other room was cut off.

Minato made to follow, so the man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him. He had not been dismissed by the Hokage yet.

"The body?" Was the Hokage's first words. Jiraiya wasn't surprised, scroll already in hand. He held it out towards Hiruzen, though he knew the man was not the one who was going to take it.

"Gacho," the Sarutobi called softly, and one of the Anbu from before remerged. The one who'd righted Masato. He was an average built man, with rather nondescript brown hair. If it wasn't for the design of his mask, there would be nothing that stood out about the man's appearance. Which was only a good thing for his job of course.

Jiraiya placed the scroll into the Anbu's hand, and didn't even blink when said shinobi was gone without a trace, his hand still outstretched.

"So, care to tell me how you happened upon a missing nin and her toddlers while on border patrol?" The question would have given the impression of a coming punishment if it was not for the slight twitch to the corner of Hiruzen's mouth. His brows were furrowed however, telling Jiraiya that the Hokage had already encountered some sort of challenge brought on by his messenger toad. A headache inducing one. Which could only mean that somehow or another the council was already aware to some extent.

Homura and Koharu he didn't mind. They were easily handled. Danzo however… Well, the new head of the Shimura clan was not at all an easy man to deal with. Hiruzen trusted all three of them, he knew, that was why they'd been appointed to the council when he'd created it six years after becoming Hokage. Really it had just been him giving titles to the three whom he'd been relying on to help him govern the village right from the beginning of his time in office.

That did not mean that the man always agreed with them, or they with him.

"We spotted smoke on patrol," the white haired man began simply. "Investigating that brought us to the Valley of the End, where we witnessed the now deceased limp over the border and collapse on the bank." He kept his tone even as he went over the series of events that followed, sparing Minato an occasional glance to see how the boy was fairing.

He looked about ready to pass out, but was determinedly keeping himself on his feet. The Hokage certainly must have noticed, but as he had yet to dismiss the boy, Jiriaya hoped Minato had it in him to remain conscious and aware until this impromptu debriefing came to a close.

He moved on to the discovery of the twins on the shoulder of the famous Uchiha ancestor, and explaining how they had climbed the stone figure, as well as their reason for doing so as stated by Masato. Hiruzen's frown deepened. As Minato was present, the toad sage decided not to share all of his observations with the Hokage yet, which he was sure the man knew. Minato was tired, and the last thing that he needed to be doing as the boy's sensei was making him think they were suspecting his siblings as spies… even if that was still a distinct possibility.

A tired and stressed Minato may just make a few foolish, or downright ludicrous mistakes if that was added onto his plate right now. Though he knew Minato was good at distancing himself from his more troublesome thoughts and emotions during missions, he couldn't be sure that would hold true in the boy's current state.

Even if it did, the revelation might make it impossible for Minato to rest properly once he was finally dismissed.

"Minato Namikaze," the Hokage finally addressed the boy after the white haired shinobi finished explaining the strange behavior Makiko had exhibited before her collapse. The genin stood straighter. "I would advise you to learn to better control your emotions while on missions. You were given instructions not to cross the border but disobeyed that in the heat of the moment. It could have gotten you killed."

It was a harsh warning… but a true one. Because as good as Minato was at reigning himself in… he had failed in that moment, and acted before he could really think. Another reason why they didn't need the boy hearing that there may be some suspicions about his siblings.

Minato grit his teeth, but bowed his head to the admonishment. "Yes, Sandaime-sama." The boy knew the words were correct. Not that that was stopping him from feeling frustrated and just plain upset with it if his shaking fists at his side while he held his bow were any indication.

Sarutobi regarded the bowing boy for nearly a minute, before he nodded back to him. "Head on into the next room and try to get some rest."

Minato's head snapped back up in mild surprise, eyes flickering between the Hokage and himself. It seemed to him for a moment that the boy might actually refuse, but then his shoulders slumped and he nodded sluggishly. "Yes sir," he breathed out, before walking with slow, measured steps out of the room. Jiraiya was impressed he didn't stumble to be honest.

Silence stretched between the two men following the genin's departure. They regarded each other for several quiet minutes before the Hokage let out a tired sigh, and lowered himself into a chair in the small room. "So, what are you not telling me about these twins?"

Right to the point, of course.


Squinting his eyes against the bright light in this room, in contrast to the dark of the one he'd just left, Minato tried to take in the details. It appeared as a rather typical Hospital room, honestly, aside from the fact that it had what he thought might be an office space next to it, with an adjoining door. The only reasonable explanation for this was that the room served as a place for shinobi to report on missions, while admitted into the hospital was preventing them from going to the tower.

Sensitive missions that couldn't be reported on in the hospital room itself.

That troubled him.

There were three beds in the room, with curtains that could be pulled shut around each bed for privacy. Currently, however, they were open.

The bed in the middle of the room had Masato tucked into it, the boy sleeping soundly. The one farthest from the window had a pair of Med-nin next to it, who were speaking softly to each other as they fussed over the feverish Makiko. He wanted to ask them how his sister was doing, but couldn't make his mouth move to do so. Even if he could, it was probably for the best he didn't, so as not to distract them.

So instead his gaze moved back to the door behind him, and he strained his ears to see if he could hear anything. Not a sound from the other side. He tried pressing his ear against the wood of the door.

Still nothing.

Biting back a sigh, the blonde boy moved to the bed by the window, removing his sandals and stripping his jacket off, placing the first neatly under the chair next to the bed, and the latter over the back of it. Debating for a moment whether or not to take off his pants (leaving him only in his boxers and mesh undershirt), or to leave them on to sleep, the boy looked over at the pair of med-nin. Both were women… but he was so tired of the dirty pants.

Finally he decided it was better to just take them off, because these were med-nin, they were professionals and so wouldn't care. So his pants joined his jacket over the back of the chair. One of the women looked up over at him, but she only gave him a brief smile, before going back to whatever it was she was doing.

Part of him wanted to try and stay awake until they were done. Just so he would be sure that Makiko was okay. But he knew that today there was going to be an actual debriefing. People were going to ask him questions. Maybe even suspect the twins or himself. And if they didn't, there was going to be plenty that had to be discussed regarding where the twins were going to be situated… how they were going to be cared for.

And by whom.

The idea that the village might try and put his siblings into the orphanage or foster care made him sick to his stomach. They weren't without family. They had him. And even though he knew it was going to be hard, he was going to be responsible for them!

He was going to need some help though.

It was with these thoughts passing through his mind that he tiredly pulled himself into the hospital bed. His head sunk into the seemingly cloud soft pillow, and that was that.


Jiraiya always managed to give him the worst headaches. He was one of his finest Jōnin, but trouble seemed to gravitate towards the man on a near constant basis. Perhaps that was part of why the once fool of his team had turned out to be such an outstanding shinobi. That, and no small measure of luck. One would have to be blessed with good luck in order to get himself back out of the messes Jiraiya so often landed himself into.

But this?

It was difficult not to sigh as he considered the information he'd been told by his former student. Instead he lit his pipe as soon as he was outside the Hospital, and smoked pensively as he walked through the streets of Konoha toward the Hokage tower. He did not look forward to trying to muddle through this with his advisory council. Certainly, when he'd established it he'd made it clear he was still the Hokage and thus he held the true power in the end… yet the trio loved to push his buttons.

It had saved many a shinobi life through the years… and damned nearly as many.

Still, when it came down to it, his word was the law of Konoha. Not any of theirs.

That wouldn't stop Homura and Koharu from labeling the toddler siblings of Minato as suspicious. They'd have to be 'vetted' to make sure they weren't spies, the pair would insist. That was fair enough. He just had to make sure it was done in such a way that it caused the twins minimal distress. They were just toddlers… practically still babies. Only three months apart in age from his daughter. He would not condone placing them in the care of T&I, no matter how adamant his former teammates were on the matter.

So then, with whom did he entrust the task of vetting the pair?

Not Danzo. The man was necessary. What he did was important for the village. The branch of Anbu he was creating was fundamental to their survival, especially if they went to war. Konoha needed Shimura Danzo and the Root; the foundation provided for the village's growth.

Konoha also didn't need to know about it. Root was best left in the shadows. In the shadows but not so out of sight that he couldn't catch word of an unacceptable plot on Danzo's part.

Minato Namikaze would not be quiet should his siblings be taken into the program and disappear from his sight. Certainly it could all be arranged so the boy never knew… never suspected. But any way that was done would likely leave an emotional scar on one of their most promising genin. Soon to be chunin in all likelihood.

While Shinobi life in general would do that to the boy eventually, now, while he was young, it was important to instill a trust and belief in his village. A sense of pride, and a need to protect. These were things necessary to turn a genin (any shinobi really) into a soldier for the benefit of the village. Emotional scars needed to come from the enemy. Genuinely so, or perceived as such.

Around him Konoha began to wake, as it's Hokage started to climb the steps spiraling upward to his destination.

On the other hand, these two exceedingly prodigal Namikaze's could be conditioned into superb tools under Danzo.

Or be raised into outstanding shinobi by the village. Emotions still in there somewhere, rather than killed off by root. Was it worth it to risk driving a promising shinobi onto an undesirable path in order to make the pair into tools for the sake of the village?

No, that wasn't the real question. Either path had acceptable benefits and downfalls if handled properly.

The real question, or rather, questions was whether he was willing to subject toddlers around the age of his daughter… younger than his oldest son, to the harsh life that would await them in Danzo's grasp. And if it was worth antagonizing Danzo, Homura and Koharu to give the pair a chance to grow up normally.

Now that was quite the question, wasn't it?


He felt almost like he was floating, the surface under him felt so soft. It took his sleep fogged mind a moment to really understand that he was in a bed. An actual bed. The first in his new life. Even when they'd been given shelter by strangers, they were lucky to have a futon to sleep on. More often than not it was a rug with a thin blanket for the three of them.

Where the hell was he?!

He sat up quickly, small hands throwing off the blanket before his eyes really registered the room around him. A bed on either side. A door across the room, another one past the bed on the left, and a window to the right. An IV was next to the bed on the left, soft dripping accompanying the slightly irregular breathing of the individual there. A small body, tucked up carefully in the hospital bedding.

Makiko.

His feet met the cold tiled floor, so cold that it would have stung if his feet hadn't been bandaged. As it was he still grimaced at the unpleasant chill. Not that that stopped him from padding around his bed and over to the one Makiko was laying in. His hand dove under the blanket for the arm that didn't have an IV stuck in it. Finding her hand he gave it a squeeze. Unsurprisingly she gave no sort of response.

Like she hadn't given any when he'd found her sitting inside his... their mindscape. He'd been slightly surprised to find them still merged... and void of anything but grey sky, and ink black water. No matter what he'd done she had not responded to him though. Simply sat there, staring ahead of her.

What did that mean?

He stood there for a few minutes, holding her hand, before he righted the blankets the best he could. For a moment longer the young Namikaze watched the uneven rise and fall of his sister's chest, reassuring himself that she was alive. That she wasn't going to just stop breathing.

Then he turned, eyes moving to the bed on the other end of the room. Laying on his side, only half under the blanket, was his older brother. Why was he sleeping in the hospital? He hadn't somehow been injured had he? Nibbling on his bottom lip, Masato toddled across the room up to the bed. He wouldn't be able to get at Minato's hands from his position though, as the genin was in the middle of the bed, and on his side. So he grasped at the mattress and tried pulling himself up.

His hands slipped and he fell onto his ass, barely able to keep from crying out from the pain in his rump.

Pursing his lips, he used the side of the bed to pull himself back onto his feet, and then reached as far as he could to try again. As he was trying to yank himself onto the bed, he felt two hands on his arms, and suddenly there he was. Sitting on the bed with a sleepy-eyed Minato regarding him. Masato couldn't see any signs of pain in the other blonde's face, but that didn't mean he wasn't injured.

"Whassrong?" Minato slurred, clearly not fully awake, and yet he must have noticed something in Masato's expression to ask. Had he been frowning? How did he answer that?

"Uh…" yeah, real smart. That would get him so far. "Where?"

Minato blinked, and then yawned, before he lifted up the blanket, and patted the bed beside him. Masato took the chance to look over his brother for any sign of injury. He was stripped down to a mesh top and his boxers, but he couldn't see any bandaging or any sign of blood. "We're in Konoha…. Home is here," Minato answered with another yawn.

Masato slid under the blanket next to the other blonde, relieved at the revelation the other wasn't hurt, as well as how he'd managed to escape suspicion just then. "Is this home?"

Minato chuckled softly and shook his head as he tucked the blanket around him. "No, this is a Hospital. It's where people get better from boo-boos and sick."

Boo-boos? Wow. That was not a word he'd ever expected to hear out of the mouth of a Shinobi, outside of their own home at least. Especially one who would eventually become Hokage (yet he'd said it himself many times when his children had been as young as he was now). "Makiko?"

The tender (but tired) smile that had been in place on Minato's face faltered for a moment, then turned forced as he kept it there for the sake of his little brother. He didn't know that Masato was observant enough to have caught the concern that had been there for a second after all. Or that he knew the difference between a real smile and a forced one. "She'll get better soon. There are people here who will help her."

The words and actions told him two things. Minato had not heard any sort of diagnosis on Makiko, and that Minato himself had no theory of his own on what was wrong with the girl. He responded with a simple nod.

"Alright Masato… get some more sleep, okay?" Another yawn followed this request from the genin. Minato was tired. It was daylight outside the window, but judging from the exhaustion in Minato's words and the yawning, it had only been a few hours since they'd arrived in Konoha. Had there been a mission debriefing yet?

"G'night," he murmured, and cuddled up to the boy, closing his eyes to feign sleep. In order to make it convincing he evened his breathing, all while listening to the sounds in the room. Beyond the room.

The hospital din could be heard outside the door. Soft conversations between Medics. Soothing words spoken to patients. But in front of him, the even breathing of Minato was calming. The sound of Makiko's breath is reassuring. The soft bed under him is a luxury.

It didn't take long for his act to become the real thing.


When next Minato woke it was to the sound of a door sliding open. His eyes snapped open, seeking out the individual who had entered the room. His blue eyes landed on Jiraiya, and his shoulders relaxed, a breath rushing out of him that he hadn't realized he was holding. The man's gaze moved from his to the small form of Masato who was curled into his chest.

"Go home and get cleaned up kid," Jiraiya instructed, his voice holding a hint of a bit back sigh. "Then get yourself up to the Hokage tower."

The tower…. in other words, leave his siblings behind here in the hospital and get himself presentable for seeing the Hokage. Without thought, he opened his mouth to protest.

"The twins will be fine," Jiraiya cut off the attempt, low voice now stern. "Get going, Namikaze."

His mouth snapped shut, and he glared at the man for a moment, before he carefully settled his brother away from him. "Yes sensei," he bit out, his bitterness clear in the words. Quickly he redressed himself, and then followed his sensei out when the man turned and slipped back into the hallway. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and stubbornly kept his eyes locked onto the Jōnin's back, rather than letting them fall to the floor like they wanted to do.

Unsurprisingly as soon as they left the hospital the white haired man was gone, leaving the boy to his own thoughts as he took measured steps away from the building. He was half tempted to just go back and stay with the twins… but he knew better than to give in to the childish desire. The Hokage was expecting him, and you did not blow off the man if you were a Konoha Shinobi. Not if you didn't want Anbu detaining you or something. Well... that was extreme. It would more likely be the Konoha police force given he was just a genin.

Still, he moved unhurriedly through the streets towards his house. The same house he'd grown up in, as when his mother defected it was decided all the Namikaze funds, as well as the home would be granted to Minato. Well, in those first few years he didn't have any control of it himself, as the village took care of everything. He'd been considering selling it recently however, since he didn't need so much space. Certainly he didn't need all the land it came with. Besides now that he was a genin he finally had full control of the 'estate', since a Shinobi was considered an adult in most legal terms as soon as they became a genin. Plus he had his own income, so it would be a simple matter to rent something much smaller for himself.

But now he had two siblings, and something smaller was not an option.

He stared up at the front door of his house, expression pensive. Was the home big enough? It only had two bedrooms… but the twins were still young enough to share a room weren't they? When they got older, that would be a bit of a problem, as he was sure Makiko, being a girl, would want her own private space away from her brothers.

He really didn't need to be worrying about that right now though. It was years away.

The boy pulled himself up the steps to his front door, digging out his keys to unlock it and enter. His lips twitched with the want to say 'I'm back,' but for once he bit the words back. No one was going to answer him, but he'd been saying it anyway. At first in a childish hope that one day someone would, and then out of force of habit.

But now he really did have a family, and saying the words when he knew they weren't there to respond seemed strange. It was no longer a hope, and it was a habit he didn't want to give into, only to then feel silly about it afterwards.

Instead he closed the door behind him, and carelessly kicked off his shoes (normally he would sit down and take them off properly, setting them neatly next to each other). He stepped up into the hallway, and made his way quickly to his bedroom, stripping off his dirty clothes as he went, leaving a trail of clothing behind him. (usually he would wait until he was in his room and toss the garments into the hamper) He didn't bother closing his bedroom door as his only goal in the room was to grab a clean set of clothing, before he made his way to the bathroom.

His body was stiff and ached a bit with the abuse it had gone through, and he very much wanted to have a bath. There wasn't time for that however, so he had to make do with a hot shower. As quickly as he could, Minato scrubbed the grime from his body and hair before he turned off the water and dried himself off. His hair was still a bit damp, but now that he was here in the home he just felt a sense of urgency. He had to get to the Hokage tower quickly. The sooner he did, the sooner he could go back to the hospital.

He practically threw the bathroom door back open once he was dressed in another tracksuit (this one white with a blue stripe instead of the red striped variant he'd worn on the mission). The blonde's feet quickly carried him back down the hall to the door, where he stooped down to pick up his discarded shoes (if he'd taken them off properly this would have gone marginally quicker), and tugged them onto his feet.

Minato was out the door again barely five minutes after he'd entered it, closing it behind him (but neglecting to lock it again, as he rarely locked the door when he was in the village) before he took to the rooftops and made his way towards the Hokage tower.


After Minato left, Masato cracked his eyes open, still keeping his breathing steady to appear as if he was sleeping. But he saw no one, and heard nothing aside from the drip of the IV and his sister's breathing. Still he didn't move for nearly a half hour. Then he finally climbed back out of the bed and padded across the room to Makiko's bed.

He stared at the pale faced girl who lay there for a moment, before he resolutely tugged himself up onto the bed (it took him three tries) next to her. Since his hands were both bandaged, he leaned down to touch his forehead lightly against hers.

No fever.

He'd known that already though, as her breathing had steadied nearly an hour ago now. However, he couldn't stop the relieved sigh that passed his lips now that he had more physical proof of her well being.

But then, why hadn't she woken up yet?

It could just be because she was so tired, he supposed… but what if that wasn't it? What if there was something else wrong with her? What if it was something that the Med-nin here couldn't pick up on? Or something they couldn't do anything about?

Plagued with worry, the child-man laid himself beside her, on top of the blanket. Gently he reached out with a white covered hand, lightly stroking her cheek. "Wake up, Maikiko," he murmured softly.

I don't want to do this by myself, he added in the silence of his own thoughts. The idea of Naruko being tossed out and him being left here was troubling. Not so much because he felt incapable. More because he was her brother. Had been even before they were actually related by blood. The way she'd suddenly broken down made him wonder if it was because of some emotional turmoil she was going through that concerned them being here at all. If he couldn't help her out of it… couldn't get her to believe in herself and their reason for being here, he'd take it as a personal failure.

But if that was what she really wanted…?

No.

He refused to believe that for even a moment. Why the hell would she have agreed to come at all if that was the case? Naruko and he were so alike, and he knew she was not one to give up. He wouldn't give up.

"Wake up," he repeated again, inwardly wincing at the desperate edge to his young voice. The girl shifted slightly, eyelids twitching with the motion of her eyes underneath. "That's it," the words slipped past his lips unbidden.

The door to the room creaked open.


Word Count: 6854


To the Reviewers:

Latinagirl-reader2010 : Glad you're enjoying the fic, and that you love how the relationships are developing so far~

PriceTage : Flattered to hear its becoming one of your favourites~

Yes, I do mean to keep going past them being toddlers, but likely in a sequel fic.

Skylark Sky : That makes total sense

Minato is totally adorable yup. I'm really enjoying writing interactions for them that comes before they got together~

EclipseNightClub : Thank you! Glad you enjoy the fic~

Thanks for the reviews~