Summary: What if the night Kyuubi attacked the village Minato chose family first, saving Kushina and his babies life at the price of Konoha nearly being destroyed. Deemed as a traitor, Minato is stripped of his title and is publicly shunned. As a result he flees Konoha becoming a rogue ninja, but leaves his wife and baby behind. His name and story are erased from history, but as Naru grows she becomes curious about the missing figure in her memory and runs off to find the mystery man. Is she prepared to face the truth? Is it actually the truth?
One: Dream?
"You summoned me Hokage-sama?" I knelt on my knee bowing my head in respect to my village leader. The senior ninja was perched on his pillow painting on the canvas before him, he took in a puff of his tobacco pipe letting the smoke flow from his lips before looking at me, a smile crossing his face and filling his eyes.
"Namikaze Minato, over the past few years your name has spread far and wide, you single handedly stopped this war from fear of facing you." I paused waiting for him to continue. "Which is exactly why you have been selected and pre-approved to be Konoha's Yondaime Hokage." I jerked my head slightly, my mouth falling open slightly, Hokage? Me? Why me? Who was I up against? There had to be better options than me.. Couldn't there?
"Hokage-sama, I - I mean I. ahem Thank you Hokage-sama, I… I won't let you down." I mentally cursed as I heard the quiver in my voice.
"Does something concern you Minato?" I looked into his experienced eyes and smiled brightly.
"Of course not Hokage-sama, I am honored, it's been a dream. Feels like a dream." He gave a nod and I took my leave quickly before my smile broke.
I leaned in the alley below the office letting out a shaky breath before continuing my way home trying to process this. Why was I chosen? I mean yes, like Hiruzen said my name was famous and I was considered a prodigy from the academy age, trained personally by one of the legendary sannin, Jiraiya, and yes, the Tsuchikage surrendered because of my skill, but it didn't change my opinion I was nowhere near ready for that title. On top of that I didn't want to be Hokage. Yes, growing up my dream was Hokage, it was the only thing I could think of, 10 years ago had he called me in and said that, I probably would have jumped all around the room until I crashed through the window and potentially hurt myself. But that was then, this… this was now.
Now all that mattered was raising a family with my one true love, that was my dream, that was the most important thing in my life. I was supposed to focus on a village of judgmental people who had open mouths and closed minds. Yes I loved my village, I would defend my village with my life, that's my duty as a ninja, but my wife and maybe someday children would be at the top of the list. It wasn't like I could tell him no, I had to do as my Hokage ordered.
I glanced up at the hospital as I passed the tall building and paused, that was another reason I couldn't wrap my mind around this, I literally lost my whole entire team of genin, well almost my whole team. Obito sacrificed himself to save the team, I wasn't fast enough to save him in time, and Rin - kami Rin just killed herself for the village, she threw herself in front of Kakashi's jutsu, and Kakashi was locked in the hospital from that mission and Kami knows how this would affect the boy now, and this was all just over a year! So, that made me good enough to be a Kage level?
I arrived at my home eventually and was hit by a wave of delicious smells making me realize I was hungry. My wife stood in the kitchen humming as she cooked supper, her beautiful red hair swayed with her movement. I leaned in the doorway silently just watching her move around before I sighed announcing my presence to her. She whirled around and flashed a brilliant smile at me.
"Hi Mina!" She chirped my nickname, I pushed up standing closer to her and smiled.
"Hi." I rumbled watching a tiny blush creep across her cheeks.
"So, what did Sandaime want? Did you get scolded?" She teased, I chuckled before sighing again.
"Actually, he wanted to talk about something," I held my chin. "He announced that I am now the Yondaime Hokage."
"Oh? Well, I wouldn't pay too much attention to what he says, it's not that important- EH!? What did you say?!" She exclaimed, finally processing my words.
"I've been named Yondaime." She blinked twice before she let a grin fill her face before she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck tight.
"Congratulations 'ttebane!" She cheered, I stuttered as she squeezed me tight before pulling back and clearing her throat. "I mean, congratulations, thank you much." She gave a respectful bow, I smirked tilting her head up, locking our lips together. She giggled mischievously pulling up against my body, I grabbed her hips and yanked her up, her legs locking around my waist as I turned around fully intent to celebrate the news.
"Supper." She reminded me, I turned around flipping the stove off and continued my path to the bedroom. She let out a purr as I laid her on the bed and began to pepper kisses all over her.
o0o Two Months Later o0o
I huffed as I stirred the bowl of dry ingredients for supper that Kushina was planning for. Today was a very rare day, Sandaime filled in for me so I could spend time with her, at least until I walked in only to give Kushina a goodbye as she went to the hospital to visit Tsunade due to her being sick for the past few weeks off and on, when I offered to go with her she assigned me cooking duty instead. So my first day off in nearly a month and I was stuck cooking. I clapped my hands free of flour on my pink apron that she so humorously picked out for me. I read the cookbook she had marked down.
"Minato!" Kushina's voice cried out as the door opened, I jolted, nearly dropping the bowl all over the floor. I rushed out looking at her carefully, she huffed for air as a large smile was painted on her face still.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm pregnant."
"What?!" I squeaked, she giggled, touching her stomach nodding rapidly. "A… a baby, we're gonna have a baby." My breath hitched.
"I'm gonna be a mom!" She cheered with a jump, I let out a shaky laugh walking shakily up to her, she threw her arms around my neck. "A mom 'ttebane!"
"I'm gonna be a father?" I whispered, smiling bright before it faded slightly as I looked down at her head nuzzling me. I was ecstatic but yet I couldn't help but think about how complicated things were about to become.
First thing in the morning I woke up early like normal, moving with pure stealth as I got ready and let Kushina sleep in, I placed a departing kiss on her stomach before heading to my office. As I walked through I watched parents walk with their children towards the academy, or to a stand, I wanted to be able to do just that, I wanted to play with my child, spend time with my wife, not sit behind a desk signing papers, giving missions and hoping I would see them before they were in bed. What a mess I got myself into.
I smiled as I felt the familiar chakra attach itself to my tail, my last student was tailing me in the shadows like normal.
"Come in," I ordered as I unlocked the office door and sat behind the old desk. I smiled as the boy who despite only being 13 had already hit a growth spurt hitting 5 '6'' already, stood before me, silver hair jutted out from behind the red and white anbu mask that hid his identity for the most part.
"Mitsudan no jutsu." I muttered, feeling the seals that were built in the walls of the office pulse with my chakra, signifying that no one could see or hear what was going on in the room until I broke the jutsu. "Remove your mask, I want to talk to you Kakashi." He gave a small grunt and removed the mask, hooking it on his belt, his left eye scarred now from that cursed mission closed instantly, his lower half of his face covered by the mask he always wore. I looked into his right eye as he looked ahead at attention with no emotion behind the steel gray color. I let out a silent huff at that image, the boy was going through so much and wouldn't be surprised if he would suffer from PTSD, if not already suffering heavily as is. I made him an Anbu member easily upon taking the title of Hokage. I hoped it would help, but so far I was still failing.
"Hokage-sama?" He questioned.
"I told you to call me Minato-sensei." I gently scolded which he blinked in reply, I let that go for the moment. "I have a very important mission just for you, it's not anbu exactly, which means you'll be temporarily leaving your team." I continued. "Kushina is pregnant." I smiled watching as he blinked in mild shock before wiping it away.
"C.. congratulations."
"Thank you." I nodded. "But as you know Kushina is the jinchuuriki of Kyuubi and during the pregnancy the power that holds him dormant in the seal will be weakened to help the child grow. And I know Kushina says he is misunderstood and swore to not harm her, I don't want to take that chance." He gave a nod as I sighed. "So, this also means when Kushina goes into labor he could break free or Kami forbid be pulled from her. So, your mission is to take on the role of her personal guard, stay by her side, protect her and help her, everything I should be doing myself." I muttered bitterly. "I want you to be there when I can't, and you're the only one I trust to do so."
"Yes sir, I won't let you down." He muttered, I dismissed him and leaned back in the chair rubbing my head where the subtle ache was growing. 'What am I supposed to do?'
The day dragged on and on until evening arrived and I found myself sitting on the Hokage mountain staring out over the bustling village, I managed to shake my anbu tail with a few shadow clones, I just wanted a few minutes of quiet.
"You seem troubled." I looked back to see Jiraiya-sensei standing a few feet from me.
"Hi sensei." I muttered as he sat down next to me.
"So, what's troubling yo uso much you'd sneak away and worry your anbu?" He questioned, I chuckled and shook my head. "Uh huh, Minato you forget I can read you like a book, something is troubling you, now talk." I huffed. He was good, annoyingly good sometimes.
"I just don't know what to do," I murmured, he cocked his head. "I have a duty as Hokage to the village and it's people but … I also have a duty to my family."
"You didn't want to be Hokage, did you?" He questioned.
"Not really," I shrugged
"What changed that? Because from the moment I met you, you said you wanted to be Hokage, it was your dream."
"Dreams change sensei, Kushina changed my dream." I said. "That night when she was kidnaped, I saved her and she finally fell in love with me," I smiled. "That night I made a promise to her and to myself that she would come first, that I would protect her and my family," I set my chin on my knee and huffed. "Now we're in family way and I'm expected to protect everyone, I couldn't even protect my students! I'm just confused."
"Why didn't you talk to Hiruzen beforehand? I'm sure he would have found someone else,"
"One I have a duty to my Hokage, I couldn't exactly refuse, plus he confided that there were political issues and I needed to be Hokage," I shrugged. "I had a duty-"
"Stop with that, you could have confided you weren't quite ready, or you didn't feel right about it."
"Sensei I had to, and it's better than me going out on S-rank missions and risking my life far from Kushina." I stood.
"Minato-"
"I gotta get home to Kushina." I walked away from him berating myself for saying as much as I did. I don't think sensei would turn me in for what I said, but I shouldn't have taken the risk it was the last thing I needed right now.
As I climbed the stairs I felt Kakashi's chakra on the roof. "Come inside, now." I ordered the teen, he jumped down and blinked at me, I smiled and ruffled his hair which he didn't react to, man did I screw him up.
We walked inside, Kushina turned smiling. "Welcome home!" She waved. I kissed her lips, she smiled and sighed as I leaned down and kissed her stomach. "Are you gonna do that everytime?"
"Everytime I see you," I tapped her nose and kissed her again making her giggle.
"Fine, it's good to see you Kakashi-kun," he nodded to her.
"I thought he could go for some of your cooking," I pushed the boy to the table and sat myself as she brought the pot over and sat down.
"So, how are your missions going?" She asked.
"Oh, good Kushina-sama," She reached over and flicked his head, he yelped rubbing the spot.
"Don't call me sama! You can call me Kushina or aunt Kushina," he blinked and squirmed as she waited.
"Good … Kushina-san?" She huffed athim.
"Not right, but good enough for now," She squinted at him. I watched Kakashi squirm, it was funny as Kushina was supposed to be given the honorific but she detested being called any form of royalty.
I listened as Kakashi answered her questions politely as possible, he always did as he was told. That worried me, I wondered what would happen to him? Would he do as he's told his whole life? Would he ever have his own dream?