Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Dawn broke and all was still in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sky was painted orange and purple, clouds parting to reveal the masterless sun. Daylight shone down upon the village, but what it brightened was not of bliss.

The village was attacked weeks prior by the legendary Nine-tailed Fox. It laid waste to many homes and many innocent lives. Burnt rubble was sprawled across empty streets, dust being blown off intact buildings by a small breeze; traces of old blood stains littered corners and pavements; the happy lives that poured through the streets were reduced by a large margin; and buildings were reduced to crushed wood and ash.

A massive funeral was held for those that died on that fateful day, names being etched into a shrine and written into records; but it did not take long afterwards for dutiful men and women to begin rebuilding their homes. The people of the Leaf all had a will of fire within them, a drive that always kept them going no matter how tough life became. Men focused on the reconstruction of the village while the women focused on tending to their families and the assisted in the reorganization of homes.

The wounded warriors of the attack remained at the village hospital under the direct care of the medical corps. Ninja of all ranks had occupied a hospital bed.

A Hokage was no exception.

Hidden away in a room secured by ANBU in various directions, there was a blonde-haired man wrapped in bandages. An oxygen mask and various tubes linked the man to a complicated machine but nonetheless, he was not ready to disconnect from it.

Footsteps sounded outside the hall way. It was an old, bearded man cloaked in traditional Hokage garb. He approached the ANBU members that stood guarding the door and nodded. They nodded in acknowledgement and sidestepped in unison.

"Good morning, Lord Third," they said.

The old man hummed in reply, "Good morning."

Upon entering the room, he saw a female medical ninja in the corner of his eye, tending to a small bundle.

"Good morning, Lord Hokage," she greeted quietly over her shoulder.

"How is he doing?" he asked, hands knotted behind his back.

"The child is perfectly fine," she began, "and the seal hasn't caused any problems at all." She turned her head towards the man on the hospital bed. Her face morphed into a solemn expression. "Lord Fourth is a different story."

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi walked slowly, examining the state of the wounded man. He saw the bandages, the machinery and all. The man slept with a pained face, mouth slightly open, lips dry from dehydration.

Lord Third sighed heavily, shaking his head in disapproval. "Will he wake?"

"It's been many weeks," the kunoichi frowned. "Virtually all of his abdominal organs were severely damaged. They are healing slowly up to this day, but... ever since he was taken to the emergency unit, he never woke up."

"I see." He stroked his short beard, staring at the Fourth's motionless face. After hearing several slow heartbeats from the machine next to him, Lord Third exhaled deeply once more and turned his back for the door. "Let me know when he wakes then."

"Y-Yes sir..." She whispered, choked from the sudden thought of the Fourth's critical condition.

The old man's hand twisted the door knob and quietly shut the door behind him. The kunoichi turned her head to look at the small bundle before her, at its calm, shut eyes. Her lips pursed into a wider frown as she stroked the infant's cheek, fearing for the child's only remaining relative.

* * *

As the ruckus in the village grew with every hammer that pounded on a nail, Lord Third sat at his desk, reviewing the written status of the Leaf Village. It was making steady progress in recovery and would soon be back to a normal state in a matter of months. He blew a puff of smoke from his pipe in relief, rummaging through more files of paperwork. Hearing the villagers' peaceful chatter amidst the repair of buildings was soothing to him, and he was also approaching peace despite the mounds of reports he had to sift through.

However, the peacefulness was ruined by the sudden entrance of a medical ninja. Hiruzen lashed his eyes at the violently opened door, and a medical ninja stood gasping for air.

"What is it?" He asked, breathing in through his pipe.

"It's Lord Fourth...!" The ninja panted. "He's awake!"

Hiruzen's eyes widened, astonished. Needing to see for himself, he shot up from his seat and made haste to the Fourth's room. Barreling quickly past corners and weaving through loyal crowds, a smile had remained on his wrinkled face. Another set of peaceful news indeed, he thought, elated to hear of the Fourth's new condition.

That day marked a new beginning for the village.

The Leaf was certainly working towards a period of newfound peace.

* * *

Hiruzen stood at the Fourth's bedside, examining his exhaustion-filled eyes. They stared at the ceiling, as if in a trance. His breaths were shallow and still slow; his sense of hearing was still dulled; and his sense of touch had yet to return. His system was flooded with pain-numbing medication — he could barely feel a thing let alone move any part of his body.

"Minato," Hiruzen began. His smile had been wiped away. "You gave us all a scare, you know."

Drowsily, the blonde-haired shinobi shifted his gaze to the elderly man beside him. With a hoarse voice, he spoke to his predecessor. "Lord... Third..." He struggled to turn his head to him. "Is... Is the village...?"

"The village is safe now." Hiruzen's grin returned. "Thanks to your endeavors." His smile subtly dropped into a slight frown. "Although what you did back there was uncalled for. Surely there could have been another way."

Minato was silent and could only stare at the Third. It took too much energy to speak, with the huge lack of chakra he had ever since the attack of the Ninetails.

"I'm still very surprised that you managed to survive that feat, Minato. The Reaper Death seal should have killed you."

Minato opened his mouth, needing to speak what he had kept in the back of his mind for days on end; but Hiruzen read his mind: "What Jiraiya said must have been true then."

"You heard...?" Minato struggled.

Hiruzen nodded and spoke quietly. "He told me a long time ago that he believed that you would be the Child of Prophecy. And coincidentally you survived the Reaper Death Sealing Jutsu." The Third became silent, pondering over Jiraiya's notion. It was impossible to come out alive from such a forbidden jutsu; but surely, the details of the prophecy were what saved the Fourth's life. There was no other force present that day to help him or his family.

Jiraiya was right all along.

The room was quiet. The only thing that could be heard were the beeping of the hospital machine and the deep breathing through Minato's mask. Minato swallowed hard and began again, "If I was the Child of Prophecy... Then I... Would... Have..." His breathing became labored — he was not ready for deep explanations. Especially not with a broken body.

"Lord Fourth, you shouldn't try to speak so much..." A male medical ninja warned from behind Hiruzen. "You might reopen some stitches..."

Minato's eyes sank towards his shoulder. Pulling the seat from Minato's bedside, Hiruzen sat with his old bones creaking. He took off his Hokage hat and placed it on his lap, speaking in a serious tone. "Because you are wounded and recuperating, I will be acting as Hokage in your place. As the leader of this village, you must be able to defend it both from behind the front lines and on it. You are unable to do both."

Minato closed his eyes in understanding and partly from exhaustion.

"And..." There was suddenly a sense of grief hidden in his voice. "There is one other thing that I must tell you. It's about what happened on that night."

Minato rapidly opened his eyes and lashed them at Hiruzen. "N-Naruto... Is he...?" His eyes were wide with panic, heart rate slowly beginning to quicken.

Hiruzen glance at the monitor next to him and motioned over the male medical ninja. He carried a bundle and laid it down beside Minato. His heart rate decreased in response, signaling his calming state. The bundle was sound asleep, cheeks rosy and healthy with his face at peace. Unable to feel even his right arm, he shakily reached for the child. He saw with his own eyes that he was alive. He wanted desperately to embrace the precious boy.

But it all seemed like a dream to him.

_My son..._ He thought. His fingertips brushed against the boy's cheeks, searching for his warmth, but there was only nothingness. It was as if the boy was not truly there, but he was real, alive and well. It saddened him, knowing that he was not strong enough yet to hold his own child; he was in no condition to do so after all; but he was truly grateful that he too made it out alive on that cursed day.

Minato was not alone anymore.

The medical ninja took the sleeping boy and carried him away to his crib. Minato stared at his hand, fingertips deprived of sensations. In the silence, he recalled his wife Kushina before he had sealed her chakra away. He pictured her blood-stained hand holding his, despite having been impaled by the Ninetails' claw.

Memories of them literally acting as a shield to protect their child flooded his mind, and he began to hurt all over. He was numb, but he felt pain. His heart ached, remembering the bloodied and weakened state of his beautiful wife. Her face was still vividly clear in his head, as bright as her red hair.

"Kushina..." He whispered. He looked towards Hiruzen, hand trembling. "Tell me... Is she...?!"

Hiruzen closed his eyes, brows furrowing in sadness. Such a question from Minato was one of the last things he wanted to hear. However, breaking the news to him was not any better by any means.

"Lord Fourth, please stop..." The medical ninja approached him. "Keep straining your body like this and you might—!"

"Where is she...?" Minato interrupted in one hoarse breath.

There was only silence.

He watched Hiruzen's face sink into despair. After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally replied:

"Kushina is dead."


	2. Chapter 2

Months have passed ever since the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village.

They were long, difficult months but still somewhat enjoyable for many.

The mourning was over. It had to be, but there were others that could not find an end to it.

* * *

Gray clouds began to hover in front of the sun – the first sign of rain in over six weeks. Not long after the sunlight had dimmed, the clouds began to shower the village with fresh, cold rain.

The rain gave the citizens a chance to relax indoors with their families and friends – perhaps even with drinks in their hands – to take the day off after countless days of working and rebuilding. It even allowed new village crops to flourish. Reestablishing the edible plant life for markets and stores was high on the priority list as the remaining food supply was continuously being used for the welfare of those who survived that fateful night. Although the food supply had a long ways before being completely drained, simply knowing that there will still be food in the future brings content to all of the villagers.

The rain worked as the villagers' substitute. It was a massive reprieve from hard labor.

Through a different scope, however, it was also a calling for children.

Children of all ages flocked the streets, stomping in puddles and basking in the falling rain; kicking water at their friends and collecting the rain droplets in their cupped hands. They paid absolutely no heed to the coldness of the rain or the wetness in their sandals and shirts. They laughed whole-heartedly with each other, enjoying the sight of smiles all around. Their laughter echoed throughout the maze of streets and was regarded as joyous music to the village's ears.

They laughed as if nothing could ever hurt them again.

* * *

Sitting on a railing at the very top of the Ninja Academy was a blonde haired man wearing a green flak jacket. His eyes glazed over the village, watching the rain fall and disappear into the streets. His ears perked up when he caught the sound of the village children's distant laughter, and he cracked a small smile.

The rain did not bother him one bit despite becoming drenched from head to toe; the droplets fell all over him, but he was calm and collected, seeing the village in its peaceful state. He tilted his head towards the gray sky and closed his eyes. He drew a deep breath. Drops landed on his face and ran down his cheeks as he exhaled. When he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed a cloaked ANBU member had suddenly appeared, knelt behind him in respect.

"The paperwork has finally been processed, Lord Fourth," said the ANBU. "Lord Third says you're now able to return home."

"That's good news," Minato looked over his shoulder, at his company.

The ANBU continued to report: "Everything has been rebuilt with the exception of several of your safe-houses, sir. The damage to them was so great that we could not recollect the appearance and structure-"

"It's okay," Minato interrupted. The ANBU held his tongue. "I don't think I'll be needing those safe-houses any time soon anyway."

"Yes, sir."

Minato climbed over the railing to approach the ANBU but was suddenly overcome by a sharp pain in his stomach. He grunted slightly with his hand instinctively racing towards the sting. The ANBU rose in alarm.

"L-Lord Fourth?"

"I'm fine," Minato chuckled as his hand remained on his stomach, and the ANBU relaxed slowly. "It's nothing!" He smiled at the ANBU for reassurance and jokingly said, "I'm just glad I can finally go home!"

The ANBU nodded, having concluded his report and disappeared into the rain. Minato was left by his lonesome once more. His smile then sank into a small grimace. He looked over his shoulder again, towards the village, and stood listening for the distant, high-spirited laughter before departing. The sound rung into his ears, almost sending him into a trance of peace; but immediately he was anchored to the earth by waves of pain.

His lips pursed from his aching center, and his hand began to shake. He looked down towards his stomach. Shakily, he lifted his palm from his flak jacket, turning it at the wrist slowly. He held his breath as he found crimson – a small stain of blood, sitting in the wrinkles of his hand.

He swallowed hard, and the trembling worsened.

Abruptly, he remembered _that night. _An image of Kushina's blood-stained hand appeared in his mind, her fingers intertwined with his.

Swiftly, he grabbed his own wrist to stop his trembling, returning to reality.

His breathing had become erratic, _traumatized._

He stared into his reddened palm. _Why did I suddenly have to think of you now...?_The grip on his wrist tightened in frustration._  
_

He swallowed once more and faced the complete reality of things, continuing onwards.

Onwards to a place that he could no longer truly call a home.

To a place that could forever be incomplete without _her_.

* * *

After spending what felt like an endless string of days with the medical corps, Minato had finally returned.

He stood at his doorstep, hand nervously placed on the doorknob. He had expected to see ANBU as soon as he had returned to his house – ANBU that waited inside with his son on Lord Third's orders. After assuring the safety of his son, it was Minato's responsibility to tend to the child, despite not being fully healed. The child had to become familiar with his own father - it was absolutely necessary, in Minato's eyes. Spending months without him due to injuries was of no help at all.

Slowly, Minato pushed the door open and stepped inside.

He left his sandals by the doorstep, and strangely enough, he found another pair of _smaller_ sandals, sitting beside his. Proceeding with caution, he saw the same coat rack, and hung his flak jacket to dry. He then saw the same kitchen table, the same kitchen, and even the same couch; but something completely out of the ordinary was sitting on that couch: a stranger with silver hair. Minato approached the stranger with an idea of who it could be; but at the same time, he prayed that his son was not at the mercy of this unknown figure. _Not like last time._ Now was not the time nor place for any tricks – his body had yet to reach a fully functional state when it came to combat.

Any sort of physical conflict was the last thing he wanted.

Suddenly, Minato heard a baby's giggle, and his nervousness had completely dissipated. Stopping right behind the couch, he craned his neck over to see who had accompanied him. Sitting comfortably in Minato's couch was a silver-haired young man, clad in dark clothes; lying next to him in a giggling bundle was Minato's own son, Naruto.

"It's about time, sensei," said the young man.

"Kakashi?" Minato raised a brow.

"Lord Third made me wait with him. And I've been waiting for hours, you know. Luckily he's been sleeping most of the time." Kakashi looked towards Naruto who kept giggling. The boy reached for Kakashi's mask with a wide smile. Kakashi simply watched in confusion and continued, "He was crying a lot when he woke up, but then he started laughing out of nowhere and started reaching for my face like that."

Minato chuckled and went to the bathroom. He lifted his shirt just above his stomach, revealing the Reaper Death seal permanently printed on his skin. He lowered his shirt, wanting to hide that dreaded mark - a symbol which ultimately served as a reminder of the excruciating pain he felt that night; but it was then that he found a bloody, open stitch. It was nothing too serious, and thankfully, the bleeding had stopped long before he entered the house. He dampened a wash cloth and wiped the blood off his skin. After several attempts of rubbing the blood off his shirt with no avail, he tossed the cloth into a wash basket. The shirt would end up in the pile of dirt laundry anyway. Besides, blood was a simple thing to clean. The markings on his stomach were a different story – a story he hoped he would never have to delve into ever again.

He shook his head and tried to forget about the markings, lowering his shirt to hide it all away. _You can worry later,_ he said to himself. After all, what mattered most was that he finally had the chance to fully interact with his own son after many months in recovery.

Minato looped around the couch to greet Naruto. Kakashi scooted to the side, and Minato cradled Naruto into his arms.

"Infants are strange things," Kakashi sighed.

"You just haven't been around them much," Minato said.

"You haven't either, sensei."

Kakashi watched as Minato held Naruto. The two smiled at each other, but Kakashi caught the sight of blood on Minato's shirt.

"What happened to you?"

Minato glanced at his student. "Oh, this?" He looked down at his stomach. "It's nothing. I guess I reopened a stitch earlier."

"Geez, after all that time, you're still in bad shape, sensei."

Minato chuckled in embarrassment, and Naruto looked towards Kakashi. As the boy happily continued to reach for Kakashi's face, Minato leaned him closer to see what the boy had wanted. Kakashi reeled back slightly with furrowed brows, looking at his sensei with perplexity. Suddenly, the child's hand grabbed hold of Kakashi's silver hair and yanked.

"OW!" Kakashi backed into the couch, rubbing his head as Naruto laughed harder.

Minato laughed with his son as he pulled him away from Kakashi. "I think he likes your hair."

Flustered, Kakashi stood, "Well I like my hair too but not when people yank on it like that." The boy could not stop giggling. "Ugh. Anyways, now that you're here, that means my mission is done."

Minato watched as Kakashi made way for the front door with ruffled hair, all thanks to Naruto. He slipped his sandals on quickly and pulled the door open; but before he could even step foot outside, he stopped himself. The house was silent with the exception of the pouring rain sounding from outside.

Minato tilted his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly cut off. "I'm glad you're alive," Kakashi stated with his back turned to his sensei.

Then, in a moment's notice, the door shut, and he was gone.

Minato stared at the door in sadness. _If only others were alive too..._

* * *

Night fell, and Naruto was eager to sleep. Minato had just finished washing the dishes, but all the while, his son cried loudly to be in his father's arms.

"Time for bed then," Minato spoke softly.

He carried the boy from his highchair and made way for a wooden staircase. Minato's fingers fumbled around the various light switches and with one flip of the finger, the entire floor was blackened.

They went up the stairs and into a large bedroom. He pulled on a lamp's metallic string to bring forth a dim light, and it was then that he noticed the boy had stopped crying. Even in the dim light, the boy's face was vibrant. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly with, but there was still so much energy within his small, resting body – he was a sleeping ball of sunlight. Minato caressed the boy's blond hair and laid him down gently onto the bed. Won over by the precious sight, he smiled and laid down beside him, also exhausted.

"Ugh…" He grunted quietly in pain from stressing his stitched abdomen. He then looked towards Naruto with tired eyes and found that his son had found peace for the night. Naruto was sleeping soundly.

Minato too had found a form of peace – the two were finally together after so long; he was relieved that he could finally keep him under his care, to finally spend time with him, _raise him_. The fact brought a pleasant pang into his chest, and he leaned in to kiss the boy's forehead. Subtly, he pulled part of the large blanket over Naruto's tiny body and placed several pillows on the opposite side of the bed for the child's safety.

"Good night, Naruto," he whispered and rested on his back with his hand over his stitches.

His eyelids began to sink down from exhaustion, no longer used to staying up late; and as he slowly entered his sleeping realm, he remembered the important details that Lord Third had told him several weeks prior.

There were secrets that need to be kept, and the boy was a growing secret himself.

Minato closed his eyes, and he saw the Hokage desk.

* * *

Hiruzen sat behind the old desk, smoking his pipe with paperwork sprawled over the desktop.

"Now that you'll be returning to your actual home soon and raising Naruto as your own, there are some things we need to discuss. Some guidelines."

"Yes, Lord Third," Minato responded. He was standing before Hiruzen, lacking his Fourth Hokage haori.

"Because you are injured and still need more time to fully heal, I will be acting as Hokage in your absence. In order to be Hokage, you must be able to protect the village and its people. In your current physical state, you are incapable." A mini-scule pout formed upon Minato's lips. "You must continue to rest."

The blond Hokage nodded in agreement.

"Also, because you will be taking direct care of Naruto, I hope you realize that danger will follow him wherever he goes. Such as the _Akatsuki._" Hiruzen blew out a puff of smoke and placed the pipe back in between his lips.

"As his father, it is already my job to make sure that he is protected. I promised to protect him even before he was born. I can assure you that deviant organizations such as the Akatsuki will _not_ lay their hands on him."

"Even so," Hiruzen continued, "the village can be a threat to him as well."

"…I know."

"The villagers will remember the attack of the Ninetails forever; and they will tell their children about it; their friends; the next generation. They will all know about the attack, and there is absolutely no way to stop them. Several of the villagers know that the Ninetails had been sealed within him. Others simply believe that he is trouble. Unfortunately, Naruto has a tough road ahead of him, Minato."

Minato bowed his head in guilt. _I know._

The villagers' hatred towards the Ninetailed Fox easily carried over towards Naruto. He was the vessel of that dreaded beast, meaning the beast was a part of Naruto now. They were recognized by the village as two of the same thing: _evil._ The hate and sorrow that would cover the road for Naruto was caused by none other than his own father – the man who sealed the beast inside Naruto himself.

The amount of guilt Minato felt for developing such a difficult path for his own son was too much to bear. It welled up anger within him. Sadness. Frustration. A mix of emotions he did not want to feel let alone remember.

Minato clenched his hands into fists.

"You must understand," Hiruzen began again, "I want to protect that boy as well. But I believe that the best method of protection for him is that no one must know that he is the son of the Fourth Hokage. Know that the amount of danger that would accompany him would be too great should that secret be revealed. That is why-"

"We must keep his name as Uzumaki…"

Hiruzen placed the pipe back into his mouth and drew another puff of smoke. "Precisely."

The room was quiet.

Minato was at a loss for words.

"I know that from the very bottom of your heart, you want to raise your son. I will not strip that right away from you. But at the same time, he must not know that you _are _his father. In due time, he will want to know the truth, but for now at the very least, I want the boy as far from danger as possible. We _must_ keep his name as Uzumaki."

Minato could only nod in acknowledgment.

Hiruzen stared at Minato's sullen face, knowing there was something eating away at him from the inside. He then leaned back into his chair and broke the silence within the room: "Judging by the way you hang your head, you are most likely not satisfied with any of this, Minato."

There was still no response.

"Looking back, I know now that there was nothing else that could be done-"

"That was the _only_ thing that could be done." Minato interrupted, relaxing his hands.

Hiruzen held his breath and listened to the Fourth.

"I believe sealing the Ninetails inside Naruto was the _right_ thing to do. And I believe that he will find happiness while on this difficult path."

Minato raised his head and looked straight into Hiruzen's drooped eyes. His eyes were filled with sadness, but his face was that of determination. "I feel… so much guilt for establishing this road for him. For making his future days so difficult. But despite all that… I believe that he will overcome _all of this_. That he will come to peace with the villagers and most importantly with the Ninetailed Fox. I feel no regrets."

"So then you whole-heartedly agree with this method of protecting him?" Hiruzen asked, setting his pipe down on his desk. He saw the look on Minato's face, but the sadness in his eyes told him a different story – a hidden desire.

* * *

Minato laid in bed, half asleep. It was almost midnight, but he still opened his eyes to meet the dim light of the room. He turned his head to Naruto who did not stir once. Minato exhaled through his nose and stared at the whisker-like markings on his son's face – a symbol of the Ninetail's presence.

Minato pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

_I will accept the challenges that face us both. Whatever it takes. If it means protecting my son… then so be it._

"Kushina…" he muttered, extending his arm across the pillows, over Naruto's sleeping head. He opened his eyes once more, and for an instant, he saw her silhouette, on the other side of the bed. He saw her turn to him and smile with beautiful, violet eyes; and once he blinked, she vanished.

A figment of his imagination.

"I don't want to do this alone…" he whispered to the vacant side of the bed.

* * *

**A/N: I have no excuse for updating stories so late... But yeah! Super dense chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

It was dark. Pitch black, really. The world around was of pure Nothingness, and the air kept anyone from drawing a hearty breath.

Minato opened his eyes wearily to face the darkness. Sluggishly, he sat up from the black ground he was resting on. He turned his head in all directions, wondering where he was in the midst of that darkness. He was all alone in such a strange realm; and all was silent. Not even his own breathing could be heard.

But then, in a far off corner, he heard a faint voice. It was feminine, sweet, but too far away. Leaning his head towards the voice's direction, he stood and blinked.

After a second bat of the eye, something_ phenomenal_ happened. The silent and menacing darkness was swept away in a single instant – and all became pure white, like a blank page.

The darkness was deafening, but the bright light of where he was now was blinding. Suddenly, he heard the same voice again. It was louder but still beautiful. That voice became music to his ears, and he closed his eyes, smiling at the sound. It was familiar to him and easily comforting. The bright light that surrounded him did not need to blind him so long as he could simply close his eyes and listen to the sweetness of that feminine voice.

The voice grew, and he heard it approaching from behind. He turned around and opened his eyes and was caught off guard. His eyes widened, and he froze, motionless like a statue. He held his breath, trying to absorb the kind of "reality" that stood before him.

There she was: a woman as beautiful as her own voice. Her long, red hair fell over her shoulders and down her back. Her hands were clasped together in front her; and she was clad in white.

"Hello," the woman said softly, smiling affectionately.

"K-Kushina…?" Minato was awestruck. _Could it be…?_ "Is it really you?"

She chuckled in amusement.

"Kushina..." He stepped forward, arms raising from his sides. "Kushina…!" He held out his hands shakily, heart racing in happiness. She had returned to him – it was magnificent! He wanted desperately to embrace the woman before him – his beautiful wife, his other half.

"Did you know that I have all sorts of wishes?" she said nonchalantly. Minato lowered his arms, willing to listen. "There's too much to write down. Although they're more along the lines of hopes and dreams... like… I hope Naruto wouldn't become a picky eater. He needs to eat heartily, so he can grow big and strong."

Minato was sure that he had heard these words before, not too far back in time. He replied to her, "Well, he's still got a ways to go. He'll have time to… _not_ get into the habit." He nodded and smiled in assurance.

"I hope he'll learn to take a bath every day and keep warm. And that he'd know not to stay up late and that he needs to get enough sleep." She turned her back to Minato and began walking away slowly. "I hope he'll be able to make friends… he doesn't need a lot though! Just a few he can really trust."

Minato began tailing her, following her in a path that did not seem to have an end; but the more he walked with her, the distance between them did not change. He walked faster and faster until his walk became a jog. Kushina kept her back to him, unaware of his struggle to reach her. She simply continued on: "Although I was never good at it, I hope he'll study hard! And… practice makes perfect, so I hope he'll practice his ninjutsu. But everyone has things they're good at and things they're not… so when things get rough… I hope he'll know never to give up."

"Kushina?!" Minato was running now, trying so hard just to keep up with her. "Wait!"

His cry fell on deaf ears, and she kept walking – the gap never closing. "I hope he'll respect his senseis at the academy… They're the ones teaching him _and _grading him after all! Oh… and… one more _important_ thing…"

"Kushina!" He cried out to her.

"I hope he'll learn how to handle his money wisely… and not to drink until he's 20… and not to drink too much when he _is _20…"

"Kushina, please wait!"

"And as for girls… well… I'm a girl so I don't really understand," she laughed and cleared her throat. "One of these days, he'll start noticing girls… but he shouldn't just fall for the first one he sees! He should find someone… well… like me! And… he needs to be wary of Jiraiya-sensei… Very wary… Isn't that right, _Minato?_"

The harder he ran, the farther she went. The gap never closed, and before he knew it, her body began to fade away into the light. He was breaking a sweat, vying to talk to her, embrace her, kiss her – _be with her._

But it was too late.

She had vanished completely.

She had left him once more.

"_Kushina!_"

* * *

Minato's eyes shot open, and he gasped for breath. There was no darkness; there was no intense, bright light surrounding him. Sunlight seeped through curtains and shone into his room, revealing the ceiling and the furniture. He was in his own bedroom - back in the true reality.

He covered his face, sighing deeply into his palms. From the bottom of his heart, he desperately wanted to communicate with Kushina. His dream had given him a chance, but what did he know? It was only a dream. Not even a real opportunity; and as reality stands, it was impossible. She was gone now. Not even in his own dreams could he ever hold a real conversation with her again let alone even hold her.

She was gone.

_Please_…_ come back…_

Suddenly, something light pressed onto his chest. He moved his hands away and saw baby Naruto reaching for his father's hair. A small, infant noise escaped his lips, and he placed his hand onto his father's blond locks.

"How long have you been up?" Minato grinned as he rubbed his eyes, listening to his son's babbling. He sat up carefully, not wanting to open another stitch. He took Naruto into his arms, and they slid out of bed. "Time for breakfast, Naruto. We don't want you crying from being too hungry, okay?"

Naruto yanked on Minato's hair in response.

"Ow...!" _I guess I know how Kakashi feels now_… "The hairs on people's heads aren't toys, Naruto."

* * *

They sat in the kitchen, eating their breakfast together. A slice of toast sat on a small plate for Minato, and a small jar of baby food was opened for Naruto. Minato held a spoonful of baby food mush and guided it towards Naruto's mouth. The boy stared at the green mush for a moment and jabbered about it. He pursed his lips together, refusing to eat whatever it was on that spoon.

"Now, now, Naruto. You can't be a picky eater… your mother said so." Minato continued to guide the spoonful of food towards the boy's mouth. "You wouldn't want her to get angry… now say ahh."

Compliantly, Naruto opened his mouth and slowly slurped in the mush. He made a sour face but continued sampling whatever it was that came from that food jar. Now that he managed to get food in his mouth, the next step was for him to have it swallowed. _This still isn't much progress…_ Minato sighed and rested his elbow on the tabletop._ He's gonna be a picky eater…_

As Naruto continued to swish the food in his mouth, Minato sat in a stupor. _How would _you_ do this? _He imagined his wife, sitting next to Naruto with a spoonful, making these strange faces all in an attempt to get the boy to open his mouth.

"Open wide~!" she would say, and Naruto would giggle while eating his baby food mush.

All of a sudden, three sharp knocks sounded at the other end of the floor, pushing Minato out of his reverie. He turned his head towards the door and set the spoon down on the high chair tabletop. Of course the boy would end up holding onto it once his father had left.

Minato twisted the doorknob and opened the door to his unexpected visitor. Standing before him was a burly man with white hair - "Well, well, well! Good to see you, Minato!" – and a voice bursting with energy.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato greeted. "Uh, come in!"

Jiraiya stepped inside, leaving his sandals behind.

The two entered the kitchen and sat at the table with Naruto who was flailing his spoon in the air.

"N-Naruto, that's not a toy either," Minato chuckled as he tried snatching the spoon from him. The boy's grip on the spoon tightened as soon as he felt a small tug on it, and he babbled angrily. Minato sighed from his comical struggle, "Oh, Naruto…"

"It's good to see that you both turned out okay!" Jiraiya could not help but laugh at the scene himself. He then turned to Minato and added, "Especially you, Minato."

Minato's face slowly sank.

"You know… performing the Reaper Death Seal was one of the riskiest things you have ever done. I never thought I'd hear of the day when you'd decide to use that damned jutsu."

"There wasn't much I could do…" Minato said softly. "And I already had this conversation with Lord Third…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, gotta cut you some slack. At least you're okay!"

_Not everyone…_ thought Minato.

Jiraiya caught sight of the sadness hidden within Minato's eyes. For so long, he wanted to hide it from everyone, but the amount of stress it put on his heart made it beyond difficult to continue hiding it. He was bottling everything in. _And that's never good, _Jiraiya crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair.

"Man… she was something alright…" Minato's ears perked. "She was one beautiful woman. She definitely stood out in the crowd! She was a real good cook too. And boy could she kick anyone's ass! Heh, even yours."

Minato glanced at Jiraiya. "Who?"

"Oh, you know who."

"Oh…" Minato continued trying to seize the spoon from Naruto's tiny hand.

"Her hair was super long too!" Jiraiya continued at his expense.

But Minato quickly stopped him. "Why are you here, sensei?"

"I just wanted to check on my 'star' student; and I'm glad I did." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book. He set it on the table and pushed it across for Minato. The blond-haired Hokage looked down at the book's bold title: _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi._

"Sensei, you already showed me this…? And I already read it, front to back…"

"I want you to keep it for now so that you can remember a few things," Jiraiya said with a firm voice. "I knew I'd find you bottling things up. That's never a good thing to do, Minato. You should know that by now."

Minato kept silent.

"When you bottle your emotions, you're only weakening yourself. It's always better to let it all go than keep it all hidden away."

Minato looked at Jiraiya with a perplexed expression, still awaiting a real answer.

"Listen to me, Minato. Even though there will be obstacles, be it emotionally or physically, you must overcome all of them and help pave the way for your son." Jiraiya looked towards Naruto and his flailing spoon. "You wanted your son to be like the hero in this novel, right? Then don't let him go it alone… even though he's not allowed to know about who you _really_ are to him."

"Wait…" Minato jumped in, astonished. "How did you… know about that…?"

"The Third Hokage was my sensei, remember? I got connections!" Jiraiya winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I figured," Minato cracked a small smile.

"No matter what comes along your path, as his good ol' papa, you gotta be strong. If you're strong, then he will be strong with you." And with one graceful swoop, Jiraiya snatched the spoon out of Naruto's hand and passed it on to Minato.

But then came the waterworks.

_Oh no…_

The boy had begun to wail both in anger and sadness, slapping his hands against the high chair's tabletop. The two men at the table had eyes widened from fear. _What do we do…?_

Swiftly, Jiraiya seized the spoon from Minato's hand and returned it to Naruto, and almost instantaneously, the crying ceased.

"Maybe… I should leave now," Jiraiya said, scratching his head in embarrassment. He then stood from the table and crossed his arms. "Alright. Time to resume my journey in research! If you ever need me, I'll be out of the village for a while."

"Sensei… going to a hot springs isn't considered research you know…" Minato chuckled nervously.

"_Yes it is!_ Don't deny it!" The white-haired man boasted defiantly, and out the door he went.

Minato exhaled, feeling some of the tension within him dissipate. He then looked at Naruto who continued to play with his spoon. He held the jar of baby food and sighed, "You still need to finish this whole jar…"

The boy looked right at his father and stopped waving the spoon around. He opened his mouth and a faint sound had emerged. "Pahh…"

Minato watched with curiosity, wondering what the boy was trying to say. Naruto fiddled around with the spoon and mumbled again: "Pahh… papa…"

Minato leaned back into his chair, stunned. "Wh-What…? What did you say…?"

"Pahhhh… ahhh... pahh… pah. Papa."

Twice in a row: "papa." Minato was beyond stunned at that point. Rather, he was filled with a huge mix of emotions. He swallowed hard, knowing that in the back of his mind, what the boy had said was supposed to be_ taboo_ between the two of them.

"Papa…"

Minato placed his hand on the boy's soft patch of hair and leaned into his forehead. "Naruto…"

_…You're not… supposed to call me that…_

* * *

**A/N: Kushina's words at the beginning of this chapter are details from the manga that were modified to fit the storyline of this fanfic. I don't own any part of ****_Naruto_****. Just saying! **


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Naruto, Drama, Hurt-Comfort