The Fourth Hokage's Son

Chapter Ten

"The reports from our spies in Iwa are alarming, Hokage-sama," Ibiki announced as he stood in front of the council. It was the second time in two days since the fiasco with Itachi Uchiha had begun.

Honestly, the more Minato thought about the report, the stranger they seemed.

"As of yesterday, Iwa has recalled all active shinobi, including those who have already retired," continued Ibiki. "Furthermore, the Tsuchikage has cancelled all mission requests outside of Earth Country, and Iwa has begun stockpiling weapons. We estimated two thousand shinobi ready for battle."

"Did we receive an official declaration of war from Iwa?" asked Minato.

"They haven't yet sent us any formal declaration. Instead, they again demanded for the child to be returned," Ibiki answered, "And if we still refuse to do so, they'll commence their assault on our borders."

The council took a moment to absorb this.

Then, all hell broke loose.

"It's war!"

"They'll attack if we don't surrender the child?"

"I knew that Uchiha would snap sooner or later!"

Minato drummed his finger on the council table as he impassively observed the chaos before him. He raised his hand solemnly, and gradually, the council submitted to his authority and fell silent.

"We will overcome the threat Iwa has presented before us in due time," Minato assured, determined to maintain his calm. "Mobilizing such a force will take days if not weeks. We have that time to form a strong, well-thought out response to these demands."

"If I may speak, Hokage-sama," interjected Ibiki. "That decision is far closer than you think. Six Iwa shinobi who are approximately Jounin level have been sighted entering our border with Akatsuchi leading them, they are fast approaching Konoha. We assume they were chasing Itachi Uchiha," and with that, whatever semblance of control Minato had was lost completely.

"What!?"

"Akatsuchi?!"

"Isn't that the Tsuchikage's personal guard?!"

Even the major clan heads who remained silent since the start of the meeting couldn't help but react now.

"Hokage-same, this is getting out of hand," Hiashi said gravely, a frown creasing his forehead.

"If the Tsuchikage is desperate enough to order his own personal guard to retrieve the child, then that only means that the child is extremely important," Inoichi added and the rest of his fellow clan heads nodded in agreement.

Mikoto Uchiha, who came to represent her clan on behalf of her husband, could no longer stay silent. "We barely know anything at all. We should at least question my son before giving out judgment."

"Nonsense," said Danzo, not even bothering to look Mikoto's way. "We mustn't stray from the path to peace because of the sentiment a mother has for her wayward child. Itachi has invited war upon Konoha, and to avoid it we must never allow him to set foot in it again."

"Hokage-sama, I agree with Danzo-dono. I know you said that you are ready to face war with Iwa, but I still believe that we can stop this without losing any of our Shinobi. We can still return the child. It's obvious that the child is a relative of the Tsuchikage if he is this desperate to retrieve him," Elder Homura reasoned.

"Sacrificing one shinobi is better than one-thousand. We must immediately send a message to the Tsuchikage assuring him that we will return the child to him and that we will not condone what Itachi Uchiha has done," Danzo firmly stated.

"Itachi Uchiha has to be punished and executed for treason! He has caused an international conflict between two nations and we are on the verge of the Fourth Shinobi War now!" Koharu demanded.

There was a glint in Mikoto's eyes as her lips tightened into a thin line. Minato couldn't blame her for being upset.

He propped his elbows on the long table and interlaced his fingers in front of him as he leaned forward in contemplation. He could feel Shikaku's gaze, silently asking him for his input; and yet, it was too soon.

'How could a single child cause this kind of desperation to the Tsuchikage? Is the boy a relative? If that's true, then why did Itachi kidnap him?'

Minato's eyes narrowed. 'Suspicious, very suspicious. What are you up to, Tsuchikage?'

Frustrated by his silence, the members of the minor clans started to protest.

"Hokage-sama, we have to do something to stop this!"

"Hokage-sama!"

Minato was already developing a headache with all the mindless demands he was hearing. His forehead creased and he was ready to silence the chattering adults for the second time around.

"Issue an order to stop Itachi Uchiha at all cost"

"Hokage-sama, we shouldn't let Itachi Uchiha enter Konoha!"

He again raised a hand to silence the pandemonium; but then, the air and space distorted in front of him and Obito exited his kamui.

The council froze.

Silence engulfed the whole room.

Minato frowned. "Obito–"

Before he could even finish what he was going to say, Danzo reacted before anyone else could. "Boy! We are in the middle of a very important meeting!" He looked livid enough to throttle the Uchiha. "How dare you–"

"Sorry! No time to explain, Minato-sensei," Obito cut the older man off. "We're on a tight schedule." Before anyone else from the council could protest, his student was already pulling him into the kamui dimension.

"Hokage-sama!"

The last thing he saw was the horrified and furious expressions of the council before he was completely sucked into the Kamui's vortex.

Everything was spinning around him. There was a pulling sensation in his stomach and the only thing stopping him from retching his breakfast was his experience in his own space time ninjutsu.

Seconds felt like an eternity as he landed on hard, pale, gray, ground, almost linoleum. Beyond him were featureless rectangular prisms, each of different height and width with no aberrations or markings. The prisms extended outwards in all directions, and seemingly arose from infinite nothingness. They could almost have been a city skyline, too perfect to be naturally formed, and yet the dimension felt equally vast and empty.

"You alright there old man?" chuckled Obito nervously, his voice slightly echoing.

Minato groaned, arriving at a half kneeling position with Obito's hand steadying him.

"You have some explaining to do, Obito." He narrowed his eyes at his student who was fidgeting in front of him.

"I-I can explain, Minato-sensei! Y-You see…" Obito nervously darted his eyes around as if looking for someone to help him.

"Obito," he called in warning.

"W-Wait, Sensei! There's a big explanation to this! I can't just drop Itachi off in your office after what I've discovered! I don't have a choice but to drag you inside my kamui, and–"

"Itachi?" Minato's eyebrow raised in surprise. "What do you mean? Where is Itachi?"

"Hokage-sama…" a wary voice called out behind him.

Minato turned around to see Itachi, standing on top of another prism, holding a bundle in his arms covered in dirty blankets.

"Itachi?" he called out in surprise.

Itachi bowed his head. "I apologize for summoning you like this, Hokage-sama; however, Obito and I decided that this is the safest way."

Minato stood there quietly, observing the teenager who became as close as a son to him. Itachi looked worse for wear, sleep-deprived, his clothes bloodied and dirty. His eyes traced the bundle in Itachi's shaking arms, quickly seeing the outline of a child's body.

Minato took a deep breath, withholding judgment until Itachi explained everything to him. "Alright, Itachi. I am here now, tell me… why did you bring this child to Konoha despite knowing that war will be its consequence?"

Itachi stared directly into his eyes with an unwavering gaze and strong resolve. "Because I believe… that this…. is enough to justify war, Hokage-sama."

Itachi put down the child to stand on his own and murmured something to the child that Minato couldn't hear. The bundle moved, before the Uchiha removed the dirty blanket obscuring the child's appearance from view.

As soon as the child's face was beheld, Minato felt his whole world shatter, and rebuild anew. He was left frozen where he stood, his eyes taking in the child's whole appearance like a man who had seen water in the desert for the first time.

The child barely reached Itachi's hips, and he was holding onto the Uchiha's pants as if his life depended on it. His clothes had seen better days, and his face and arms were a bit dirty – but his eyes. He had shining cerulean eyes; they were gazing at him warily, but with eagerness and anticipation. His round face, so distinctly Kushina. His bright blonde hair, identical to his own.

It was unthinkable, it had to have been impossible! Kushina was gone, and there was no way they–

'We weren't trying to conceive but it wasn't as if we were careful before she went on that mission. What if Kushina was pregnant all along before she disappeared and…'

"Naru-chan, he's the Fourth Hokage. Go on, introduce yourself," Itachi urged the child, pushing him forward, closer to Minato.

The child hesitantly looked towards the teenager and back to Minato before he reluctantly approached him and tightly closed his eyes before he started shouting so loudly that his voice echoed all over Obito's kamui dimension.

"M-My name is N-Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze–dattebayo!"

There was no mistaking it. Minato had a child.

'Naruto…Naruto is a character in sensei's book. It's the name that Kushina and I agreed to if ever we had a child. And he knows my name! And Kushina's – no I shouldn't ask that yet. Not when I already know the answer.'

His reality crumbled, and his breath got caught in his throat. Before he knew it, his legs gave out underneath him as he gazed at the boy… no, his son.

"S-Sensei!" he heard Obito cry out in surprise behind him but he paid him no mind.

His whole being was only focused on the child in front of him. Slowly, like he was approaching a wild animal, he reached out a shaky hand. He brushed the child's whiskered cheek – who surprisingly let him.

The child was looking at him in awe, and with watery eyes as if he was the hope that he had been searching for all of his life. He leaned into Minato's hand as tears slowly rolled down his eyes.

"A-Are you…m-my d-daddy?" his voice croaked, and Minato melted. He placed two trembling hands on the child's face as he felt his own tears wet his cheeks.

He nodded as he swallowed the lump in his throat, "Y-Yes, Naruto… I-I am your daddy," he engulfed his son, Kushina's son, into his arms, burying his face in his small shoulder as he lost himself in the feeling of his child's body heat, of finally embracing his son for the first time.

Naruto melted and bawled into his chest. "I-I've been waiting for you!" he cried, "A-All this time...all this time, what took you so long to find us!" he sobbed, clutching Minato's shirt, "It's so awful, i-it's awful and hard, d-daddy. It's so hard without you!" he hiccupped, breathing becoming heavy and harder by a minute.

Minato's heart broke into a million pieces as he listened to his son's cries and he couldn't help but blame himself all over again for failing to find Kushina for four years.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…daddy is so sorry," he repeated the mantra over and over again as the two of them broke down together.

There were so many questions Minato wanted to ask him, some of which had implications on the impending war, but his son came first…

"Daddy… there's a lot of things I want to tell you a-and…and… waaahh!" Minato rubbed Naruto's back as the both of them cried.

He couldn't imagine how alone he was out there, how he was able to survive? What had he been eating while Minato was eating comfortably here in Konoha? Where did he sleep? There were so many questions unanswered, so many regrets he couldn't even put into words. Where could he ever start atoning for his sins and misgivings?

Minato took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "I-It's okay, N-Naruto. We have all the time in the world. You can tell me anything and daddy will listen to all of it." He wiped his son's face, tracing all his features. His heart ached so painfully, and the weight of this sudden revelation threatened to devour him.

Naruto sniffled as his small hands wrapped around his neck. "I-I wanna have ramen, 'cause one time I had it in Iwa, and… I also wanna see the big trees and fruits in Konoha 'cause Iwa is filled with rocks, and my friend Kura-chan also said that my daddy is so powerful that he could o-obli-obliterate anything in his path and Iwa would be turned into dust, and… ah, also there's frogs! Gigantic frogs! Can you really make frogs, daddy? And, and…"

"Slow down there son, we have all the time in the world," laughed Minato, hugging his son again. "I can't make frogs, but I can summon toads, and I am friends with lots of them. I can have some of them out to show you later on." In truth, it enraged Minato hearing how Naruto was deprived by Iwa, but justice could come later. His son had found him now, and that was what's important.

'He's a precocious little boy, probably gets that from his mother.'

Minato was grateful that Naruto seemed as healthy as he did. Rather than being malnourished, he seemed almost large for his age. Still, Naruto might have been hurt from the journey. Minato brushed his fingers through Naruto's unkempt hair, and softly across each cheek, seeing if it caused him pain. Gently, he raised each arm and bent each knee, systematically making his way through each body part. Thankfully, Naruto did not even flinch, and Minato nearly collapsed in relief.

"Naruto, I don't know what Iwa did to you, but I promise as soon as we can, we are going to Ichiraku Ramen and we're going to have a real meal."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "T-Then I can go out there? With daddy? I can play with you? Like how Itachi-nii-san played with me?" Naruto hesitantly asked.

His answer was immediate. "Of course, Naruto. You can always play with daddy, whenever and wherever you like."

Naruto beamed at him, eyes lighting up with happiness and he whooped with his fist up in the air. "Alright, daddy. That's a promise!"

His son suddenly paused as he furrowed his eyebrows, "Huh, what do you mean, Kura-chan? Of course I can play with frogs!"

Minato blinked, 'Kura what?'

"No, I would never eat frogs!" Naruto whined.

Minato shifted his gaze to Itachi, looking at him in confusion.

Itachi flinched. "Oh, uh…" he walked closer to them, clutching the blankets in his arms. "When I found him…he was actually playing with…ah…the Kyuubi's chakra. That was what originally caught my attention."

Minato's eyes widened in surprise, and as soon as he started connecting the dots, he also felt the large amount of chakra in his son.

"Being in Anbu, I became privy to classified information such as who was the last Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and since Kushina-sama has been missing for years along with the Kyuubi, I was surprised to see Naruto playing with its chakra. That's when I made a few assumptions, and based on his appearance… I concluded that there's a possibility of him…being your son, Hokage-sama," Itachi continued warily, gauging Minato's reaction.

It hit Minato like a truck, hearing that. He'd spent years searching, hoping, grieving for Kushina, and yet having the final proof of her death right in front of his eyes ripped open every old wound anew. Naruto was the Jinchūriki and that meant Kushina was gone. And yet, he still hoped…hoped that she was still somewhere out there, still waiting for him.

Minato tried not to let a tremble seep into his voice. "When we get back, we shall prepare a funeral for Kush– for Kush– for my wife. I'm four years late – I'm not waiting a day longer." He bit his lip trying his best not to show more of his vulnerability in front of his son.

To his surprise, Itachi only looked puzzled and even more confusing was when he and his son exchanged looks. Before Minato could ask about it, Naruto ran over to Itachi.

"Hokage-sama, she's actually–" Itachi tried to say something.

And Minato just had to cut him off. "More important than the war? Yes, she is. I won't hear otherwise."

"Hokage-sama–" Itachi tried again, handing a bundle to Naruto.

"Konoha owes her a great debt for her loyalty. Iwa, the council, all of it can wait." By this point, Minato was muttering things just to keep himself grounded.

Itachi tried to say something again, but Minato completely ignored him and he turned to his son instead as he ran back over to him.

"Daddy, it's okay! She's still here with us!" Naruto urged, grabbing a fabric of his pants and pulling lightly.

Minato smiled bitterly as he rubbed his son's hair. He couldn't believe that his son was much more positive than he was. He was supposed to be the adult here. "You're right, Naruto. Your mother is always gonna be with us, especially since she left such a gift before leaving this world."

Naruto shook his head. "Daddy, that's not it! She's right here," he said as he thrusted his arms upwards, showing a rabbit from the bundle he got from Itachi. Minato's heart twisted in pain at the sight of his son's shining innocent eyes.

"I completely understand," he replied, giving his son a small smile as he knelt in front of him. He couldn't stop a bittersweet tear from rolling down his cheek as he stared at Naruto.

"Dadd–"

"She must have given you this creature as a pet and raised it with you so that you'd always remember her tender care. It's true Naruto, her legacy lives on through this rabbit, you, and anybody else she's helped. What is its name?"

Suddenly, everyone became quiet. His son gave him a hesitant look as he shifted his eyes on the rabbit in his hand and back to his face. It was then that Minato noticed the rabbit looking at him with irritated eyes. 'What?'

"Daddy, that's not it, c'mon hold it!" Naruto urged him to hold the rabbit who was glaring daggers at him.

'Uh…that's a really creepy stare.'

Before he could say any more words, his son grabbed his hand and placed the rabbit in his palm. "E-Eh?" Minato hastily received the glaring rabbit like it was an explosive kunai. "N-Naruto? I don't think your pet likes me very mu–"

"Hokage-sama!" yelled Itachi, making him flinch in surprise. "Brace yourself!" His index finger rested on the bridge of his nose as he shouted, "Release!

Minato was blinded by a loud poof of smoke, and his arms instantly strained from the unexpected heavy weight where the rabbit was. There was no way to steady himself and he stumbled backwards with a startled yelp.

Minato groaned as he blinked his eyes open. Someone was straddling him. Something vibrant red emerged from the smoke, and firm hands gripped his shoulders.

'Wait—red? Red hair? W-What? It… it couldn't be…'

As the smoke dissipated, he was greeted with a very familiar pair of violet-blue eyes.

"S-Seriously, you just have to embarrass yourself… in front of our son," a feminine voice croaked, obviously having a hard time speaking.

Minato's jaw slackened.

Her face had scratches here and there, her hair unkempt. She looked exhausted, but still, her eyes were filled with love and longing. Questions, memories, sweet nothings, declarations of love, she needed to hear all of it and yet where to begin? He could feel every breath she took, the heart beating against his chest. Her weight, her body heat.

'She's alive…she's breathing…her heart is beating…she's alive…she's alive…she's….alive!'

Warm, trembling hands grazed his cheeks as those beautiful eyes shed tears. "M-Minato…" her voice cracked from lack of use, but to his ears, it was the most wondrous melody.

"K-Kush–Kushina?" It was barely a whisper, he doubted she heard him. "Am I…am I d-dreaming?" His voice shook as he covered the hands on his cheeks with his own.

She shook her head, "Mmm, no… i-it's me…it's me…"

He couldn't help it, his chest felt tight, as if his heart was going to explode. Throat closed-up, he was unable to say more as the tears cascaded down his cheeks, and he wailed unabashedly while he clutched Kushina–his wife–for dear life against his chest. He wailed like he had never before. He wailed in relief, as he released all the pent up frustrations and self loathing he had for himself. He wailed in gratitude in having his wife finally, finally back with him.

"Kushina! Kushina! Kushina!" He didn't know where to hold her, his hands were unrelentless, caressing her hair, her arms, her back, trying to reassure himself that she was real, she was solid, and that she was in his arms once again.

'Kushina is here, she's real, it's not a dream. She's here, she's alive.'

"Minato!" She sobbed, squeezing him as if trying to make sure that he was real. He leaned his forehead against hers, relishing the feeling of her warmth. "You're so damn late, idiot. I-I got so i-impatient, I decided to b-bust my way out." She gave him a shaky grin. "Aren't you proud of me?"

All Minato could do was to nod as he cried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I couldn't find you, sorry for making you suffer for so long. I'm never leaving you or Naruto again," he promised, staring directly into her eyes. He missed her so damn much.

Kushina nodded against him. "You better not!"

Suddenly, a weight slammed against them, and Naruto's wail joined them. The feeling of happiness threatened to choke Minato as he embraced his wife and son, his family, in his arms. If this was a dream, he hoped for it to never end, he wanted to stay in this warmth forever. He knew that he had a lot of shortcomings; however, for some reason, he still got his wife back and a son too.

He vowed to protect them with his life this time, and he would make sure that no one would ever threaten his wife and son's safety as long as he was alive…even if that meant he would have to obliterate a whole nation.

They lay together for a long time, their arms tightly wrapped around each other, tearful laughter echoing throughout the vast emptiness. But eventually, Naruto shifted, and Kushina grunted in pain.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" asked Minato worriedly.

"I probably should have mentioned this before," Kushina began sheepishly. "But I'm probably in need of some medical attention, considering I've been stabbed."

"What?!" Alarmed, Minato quickly examined her thoroughly this time. How had he not noticed? She was pale, too pale, and there was swelling in her abdomen. He lifted her shirt and gasped. There wasn't a puncture wound, but a deep purple bruise painted her abdomen.

"We were escaping from Iwa when it happened. We were able to close the wound on the surface, but I still feel pretty dizzy. That's not a good sign, right?"

Minato's forehead creased, "No…it's not."

"Daddy, is mommy going to be alright?" Naruto asked, clutching at his mother's dress.

Minato gave him a small smile. "You don't have to worry, Naruto. Daddy will take care of mommy." He shifted his focus on Obito and Itachi, who had been giving the three of them space.

"Itachi, Obito," he called out to them and the two immediately walked towards them.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" the both of them answered.

"We need to prepare for Kushina to be taken to Tsunade directly and—"

Kushina grabbed his shoulder. "Wait, Minato."

Minato looked at his wife in surprise. "Kushina?"

"I think it will be better for me to stay in Kamui for now," she answered with a complicated expression.

"What? Why? Tsunade could heal you better if you're—"

"No! You don't understand. There's a reason why I wasn't able to go back to Konoha four years ago. Can you really imagine a Kunoichi of my caliber getting kidnapped just like that? Everything happened for a reason, Minato," Kushina finished with a grimace, clenching her fist as she embraced Naruto to her chest.

Minato slowly looked at Itachi, silently ordering him to tell him more. Although he was slowly getting the picture, he still needed confirmation because what he was assuming was something hard to believe.

"Hokage-same, before I accepted this task, I was given the privilege to look into Kushina-sama's memories, with her consent, to be informed of their current predicament. In summary, what I saw was that the Tsuchikage blabbed about Danzo-sama's and the other elders' conspiracy, and their plan to make Naruto-kun the new Jinchuriki to control him and add him to Iwa's forces in order to kill you, and have Danzo replaced you, Hokage-sama," Itachi reported and Minato was left speechless. He could hear Obito's indignant shout somewhere but he could barely pay him any attention.

His blood boiled and a silent rage enveloped him. That old war hawk was always suspicious, always doing something dirty behind everyone's back, and kidnapping Kushina was far beyond anything he could imagine.

'For four years, that bastard sat there while I grieved, cried, and blamed myself over and over again, and this whole time he knew. This whole fucking time he knew!?' Minato's fist clenched and shook as he tried his best to reign in his fury.

"Obito, I need your Kamui. We are going to save my wife's life first. But, Iwa and that rat Danzo will repay every drop of my wife's blood ten-thousand fold. "

"So…are we setting up things…in my Kamui?" Obito asked, almost hesitant.

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there a problem?"

Obito immediately straightened as he saluted. "No Sir, my Kamui's ready anytime!"

"That's what I thought," Minato nodded as turn his head towards Itachi. "Obito and I will take care of the medical setup, it's better for the council not to know that you're already here; however, I need your help with planning later on."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Itachi bowed as Minato reluctantly removed himself from the warmth of his family.

"Kushina, I'll head out to take care of some things. I will make sure that you're comfortable here while I take care of the pests outside so you and Naruto will be able to live safely here in Konoha."

"Alright, come back soon, okay?" Kushina said, holding onto his hand.

"Of course, my love." He kissed her forehead and ruffled his son's hair. " Take care of your mommy for me, okay Naruto?"

Naruto stared determinedly at him. "Yes, daddy. I will."

"We're ready to go, Minato-sensei," Obito informed, his Kamui spiraling in front of him.

"Alright." He stood up and walked towards his student, stealing another glance at his family to remind himself what was at stake before he walked into the distorted space head on.

His stomach churned as the space around him began to wobble, but beneath it was fiery determination. The tables had turned. It was time to attack.

*END OF CHAPTER TEN*

NOTES:

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME TO GIVE SPECIAL CREDIT TO to2llyuntraceable, and to welcome him back as my partner in writing and as a wonderful beta reader! This wouldn't be possible without his help! Thank you so much for coming back to us!

Also, special thanks to…

LadyHokageSama and Cubicreates… Thank you so much for being patient with me, although I write so slow. This chapter wouldn't be finished without your insights and corrections. Looking forward to the future chapters with your guidance.

A/N: I FINALLY HAVE THIS CHAPTER OUT! Thank you so much for all the reviews and for patiently waiting for each of my updates. I appreciate all the reviews you posted and leave behind. I want to leave a reply on each of the reviews but I can't at the moment. I am rushing to update this chapter because I have a big event ahead. But I want you to know that all of your reviews are an inspiration and motivation for me to complete this chapter. I hope you enjoy this, and I hope you leave your thoughts after the chapter.

*END*