Work Text:
It was early morning within the Uzumaki household. The hallways were unusually quiet in the absence of the boisterous nature of the louder Uzumakis. Only the sounds of Hinata’s footsteps echoed almost bombastically against the dead silence.
The shadows of night were just being pushed back by the newly rising sun. She soaked in the warmth as she slowly walked down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of them and looked out to the porch, she sighed forlornly.
It was of little surprise when she saw the figure of her son Minato Jr sitting alone, eyes not truly looking at anything as shadows nearly swallowed his whole body. This was his nature for as long as she could recall. Minato was a quiet and contemplative child unlike her two other children.
Hinata could nearly see him submersing himself into a deep solemnity. It pained her heart to see him share so much with a younger Neji. She took it as a personal failure that any of her children would share the beaten spirit that Neji so jealously held onto to.
Hinata walked onto the porch and spoke to her son, “Would it be alright if I joined you?”
Minato jerked in surprise before collecting himself, “Please do, Mother.”
She thanked him and sat on the warm and lit portion. Taking a moment to enjoy the warmth she observed her child. Behind the fatigue and redness there was a heavy indecision in his eyes. Not able to look at the sight any longer, she spoke with as much compassion and empathy as she could, “Are you alright?”
He unsteadily turned his eyes towards her and she sees something else. Minato, her son, looked so utterly lost. As mature as he typically acted, at this moment he never looked more the child that he was.
“I don’t know,” he admitted at last. His voice held little strength. “How does one find purpose in life?”
With that demeanor and his appearance, she could’ve sworn that she was talking to a male version of her younger self. Hinata collected herself and spoke with a firmness built upon by kindness, “I asked myself that a lot in my youth as well. That’s a question that is different from person to person, sweetie. I believe each one of us can find purpose in what brings our heart the most peace. I guess purpose is like the home of your heart. I found purpose in the bonds and love I forged with others. It gave my heart security and a place to rest even when things become unbearable. Does that make sense?”
Minato sat in quiet contemplation and she dared not interrupt him. Heart beating madly, she prayed that her words reached him and aided in any way they could. When his solemn frown grew into a warm smile, her heart nearly leapt in joy.
“It makes sense. Thank you, Mother. I love you.”
Hinata pulled him closer to her and planted a big kiss on his forehead as the rising sun illuminated the whole porch, “I love you, too.”
They sat in silent but amiable company until the rest of the house woke up.
Himawari Uzumaki was a happy and energetic child and why shouldn’t she be? Things were happy and great in her life. Today she was helping her mom make sushi. Her sushi designs weren’t as good as Mom’s but she’d get there or she wasn’t the daughter of the Uzumaki household!
“Mommy, can I bring big brother some of my sushi?” she asked with a nearly beaming smile, dimples forming on her cheeks.
“Of course, sweetie,” Mom said with a soft laugh that reminded her of singing birds.
She cheered at Mom’s answer and packed her handmade sushi on a plate and made her way to her brother Minato. Minato was the coolest and nicest big brother ever! Sure, she loves all her family but she felt Minato really got her. Yeah, Boruto was alright but he could be jerk sometimes and he never wanted to play with her when he was training for the academy.
Himawari ran into the backyard where she saw Minato punching a worn out sandbag that was tied to one of the trees. Sweat poured down his face. Now that was a guy that could use a pick me up.
“Take a break! I brought some sushi for you!” she exclaimed.
He stopped the punching and flashed her a small smile, “I appreciate it. Did you make it yourself?”
“Yup, Mom helped a little bit,” she said as she puffed out her chest.
Minato took the plate and plopped one in his mouth as he sat on the ground, “It tastes delicious. It looks like you’re going to be a chef one day.”
She flushed at the praise, “Honest?”
“Of course,” he threw another in his mouth.
Plopping beside him, she giggled, “Eat it all.” While he ate, she stared deeply at his bruised knuckles, “Why are you training? I thought you didn’t want to be a ninja. You’re not even in the academy.”
Minato looked sneakily back and forth and whispered in her ear, “I think it makes me look super cool. If I want to be a good big brother I have to keep up with your coolness don’t I?”
She snorted that was such a Minato thing to say but she could help, “If you really need to practice your coolness I have a great idea.” Jumping to her feet she ran into the house. Ignoring Mom’s cries to be careful, she jumped right back out with a radio, “Do a few dances with me and your awesomeness will explode!”
Minato rubbed his chin, “That sounds like a wonderful idea. You are a wise one.”
“That’s my job. Wait! We need three people for this, but Mom and Dad are busy and Boruto never wants to join in. I know, call one of your cool summons.”
There were stars in her eyes as Minato snapped his fingers and a real life pixie with a purple leotard and butterfly wings appeared.
The pixie flew around her with a smirk, “Let’s boogey down kid.”
“I love your summons.”
Minato raised his eyebrow, “Just them?”
“I love you too, silly.”
“And that’s why you’re my favorite sister.”
Himawari cheered and they danced the Uzumaki Dance of Awesomeness.
Naruto dragged his feet home. Today, like many days, had been a long and rough day as Hokage. Being Hokage was a dream come true, but man could it get tiring. Still he had a smile from a day of good work.
When he walked into the front door, he was surprised to see his son Minato sitting in the dining room studying. There was a near mountain of pages piling up on the desk. Naruto was a bit curious about the bout of studying that had hit his youngest son years ago. Whatever it was, it made Hinata especially pleased to see him passionate about it so Naruto didn’t bother too much.
“Hello, Father.”
Naruto casually waved, “Hey buddy. Sorry I couldn’t make it to you and Boruto’s birthday party in person. Things got a little hectic in the office today.”
Minato shrugged without looking up from his studies, “It’s fine. I had plenty of fun with the rest of the family. Mom’s food was delicious and Himawari put on a little magic show for us. Boruto took your absence pretty hard though. The shadow clone probably didn’t help things.”
Naruto winced. He did recall a pretty angry Boruto dispelling his clone. Looking at Minato, he failed to see any of the same anger on his feature. Then again, Minato had always done things at his own pace but with a passion as though fueled by his own personal Will of Fire. Sometimes, it felt that he was being pushed out of his youngest son life. Talking to Minato was like talking to a well adjusted Sasuke from his academy days.
“I’m sorry for disappointing you two, but I have a responsibility as the Hokage. I need to treat everybody in this village like my own family. That responsibility sometimes comes with difficult sacrifices that I hope you’ll understand one day,” he said with a truly remorseful voice.
Minato closed the book he was reading and looked Naruto straight in the eye, “Please stop it. I know being Hokage was your great dream. You put your all in earning that position. I’ve heard all the stories. Achieving one’s dream is a beautiful thing. That does not however mean you are dismissed from your responsibilities as a father. If it was too taxing then you needn’t have had children. You say that as Hokage it’s your job to treat the villagers as your family, but it doesn’t mean you have to treat your family as random villagers. I’m sure you’re trying your best, but you hurt most of your children with your inaction.”
A cold silence spread between them. Naruto was unsure what to say to his son. Where would he even begin? The worst part of all this was that Minato didn’t seem too bothered by his absence and only spoke on the behalf of his siblings. Did he already lose a place in Minato’s heart? The thought was more frightening than any S-rank mission he had taken.
“Good night, Father. Oh, this is for you,” Minato said as he passed a covered plate full of food from the birthday party.
His son didn’t spare him a second look as he collected his research materials and walked up the stairs.
Naruto sat alone on the dining table and thought of his own childhood.
Today was turning out to be a pretty good day. Pawning off the Hokage hat to Naruto was the greatest decision he ever made. Now he could just relax and enjoy his favorite masterpiece book series. Strolling through the village, he appreciated how far things had come since the Allied Shinobi Wars.
Kakashi’s feet brought him to a certain beloved ramen shop of his once knuckleheaded student. Some habits die hard he supposed. He took a seat by the quietest Uzumaki to date. Clearly Minato inherited his nature from his familial namesake and little bit of Hinata for good measure.
Leftovers of his meal in the form of bowls were piled in front of him, while his full attention was on one of no doubt many images he had been drawing. Minato was in the process of putting some finishing touches on his depiction of a woman dipping her toe into the depths of a sea.
If nothing else, Kakashi could compliment his taste. The woman had striking white that framed an exotic face with powerful yellow eyes. An inhuman presence radiated off her image not unlike Kaguya, but where that monster held contempt and arrogance the woman was a playful mix of cheery and mischievous.
Beneath the surface of the still waters was a sinking statue of Minato.
“Yo. I see you’re dabbling in the arts, looking good by the way. Mind if I ask what you’re drawing?” He drawled with some minor interest as he ordered his own meal.
“It’s my heart,” he said in a soft voice.
Kakashi recognized that voice and look from Obito all those years ago when he thought no one was looking. It was lovesickness and Minato had it bad, “She seems lovely.”
Minato cracked a private smile that told of fond memories and unspoken secrets, “I wanted to see the face of the woman I love. This is my prayer that one day I may see her again. I miss her dearly and fear that the ache in my heart will never fade away.”
His words made Kakashi whistle, those were some serious emotions. It was far deeper than those crushes he had seen playing time and time again in his youth. Minato’s were vast and dense that even he was shaken.
“For what it’s worth, I hope you meet her again. Maybe you could introduce me to her. Anyone that could worm their way into your heart would be a treat to meet.”
That brought a chuckle to Minato’s lips, “I think she would make you pull your hair out.”
“Ma, ma, I survived your father of all people,” he waved off.
“You make an excellent point,” he said with a smirk.
Boruto never felt so humiliated. Dad had made him look lower than dirt in front of the whole Chunin Exams. It was his time to shine and Dad just had to ruin it for him. Worst of all, the rest of the family had been there.
Boruto grumbled to himself as he walked several steps behind his parents and sister.
“Are you alright?” his younger brother asked as he kept pace with him.
Boruto puffed up his chest and assured, “I’m doing great. Today was just a stumbling block.”
His brother did that weird stare that felt like he was seeing right through you. A little brother had no business being that insightful. It was always like this. Sometimes he wondered who the older twin was.
Minato placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned towards their parents, “Boruto had a pretty rough day. Can I hang out with him?”
Dad turned with a frown, “I don’t-”
“Mom,” Minato actually interrupted, “Please?”
Mom looked at him with nothing less than concern. Well it was least nice to know that his brother and mom were still on his side.
“Okay, stay safe you two,” she said.
Minato pulled him away from the rest of the family before he had the chance to say anything else. They went to the bench just outside of a teashop Minato liked so much.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said.
Boruto nodded absently. He clenched his fist in anger at his father. His father’s disapproval shouldn’t be that big of deal. The bastard was hardly ever around and he still felt the need to get his approval of all things. Mom loved him, his sister was alright, and Minato had his back but he wanted a pat on the back from his back like some lost child. Boruto was frustrated with himself. Why couldn’t he be like his brother? Nothing fazed him and he had such a good way of telling the old geezer to buzz off.
A cup of steaming tea was placed in front of him by his brother, “Relax. You’re trembling.”
Boruto sighed and took the cup. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the tea was fruity and sweet for a change. He downed it all in seconds.
Minato drank his tea in a more sedate pace, “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“What?”
“I’m glad you’re alive. I think that’s the most important thing. I’ve heard some pretty bad horror stories about those exams. I don’t think you should be too worried about the whole ninja tool thing. Last I checked, cheating wasn’t a big deal for a ninja. As far as I’m concerned, as long as it doesn’t become a crutch, do whatever you need to return home after every mission. That’s just my opinion as the non-ninja of the family.”
“So you aren’t disappointed in me?” Boruto cursed how timid he sounded like he was desperate.
“I accept you for your flaws and all. I simply don’t find any of the points Father brought up as important. I think you’ll be alright once you accept your own choices and step out of his shadow. You’re more than his son, you are Boruto. His affection is important to you, but don’t become dependent on it to the point that his words you breaks your spirit. I just don’t want you to be hurt.”
“Thanks. I think I needed that. You know I’ll do things my way. With words of wisdom like that maybe you’ll get the Hokage hat one day.”
Minato laughed hysterically, “No I don’t think I ever will. The hours are horrible and the benefits sound worse.”
Boruto joined his laughter.
Sakura didn’t want to deal whatever that explosion deep inside of a training field she was passing through was because she just had to deal with a long shift at the hospital. She just knew it was some idiot ninja doing some training without the proper preparation. Her shoulders slumped as she felt the familiar guilt and responsibility as a medic ninja overriding her annoyance.
“There better be a good explanation for this,” she muttered as she ran to the epicenter of the explosion. Sakura grimaced once she realized that the source of her current headache was one of Naruto’s kids. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Boruto making a mess of things.
Minato Uzumaki was in the center of a crater staring at the clouds like he didn’t have a care in the world. Heavy burns ran up both his arms and bits of his hair were actually on fire. The boy didn’t have the decency to try to pat out the flames.
Sakura ran to his side and began checking him over. At least he had stayed conscious through the ordeal. Looking around she noticed burned bundles of scroll paper and spilled ink. Now her headache doubled. Pulling out medical spray she went to work on his arms and wrapped them in medical wraps.
“I can’t begin to tell you how reckless this was! Just like any other of the ninja arts, you need supervision for experimentation in the sealing arts. You need to stop whatever you’re doing,” she advised.
“I’m sorry, but no. I will figure this out even if it kills me,” he said in a calm voice.
Sakura reined her temper back from the dismissal of her wisdom, “Your parents would be devastated if something happened to you.”
“That’s regrettable but I will not back down on this,” he said with an unwavering certainty.
Despite her annoyance she couldn’t help but snort. For all the calm he exuded, Minato really was Naruto’s son. The kid had all of Naruto’s recklessness. It was a miracle that Naruto survived long enough to be Hokage.
She pinched his cheek, “Then get a mentor or next time your arms might implode.”
“All the seal masters are… dead. I believe I will follow your advice. I’ll focus on getting a teacher. Thank you Aunt Sakura.”
Well what do you know an Uzumaki that listened.
Minato Namikaze blinked his eyes as he returned to awareness. He had been summoned once again in his reanimated body. His attention turned to the only other person in the clearing. It was a fresh recruit aged kid with blue hair and familiar facial features.
Minato leveled a stern stare with all the authority of a Hokage at the kid, “Why have you summoned me here?”
He was mildly impressed that the kid didn’t waver under his stare. The kid put his hands in his pockets and explained, “I am Minato Uzumaki, son of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga.”
Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Minato couldn’t help but crack a smile at the information, “I have grandkids now? That’s wonderful. It looks like my son is enjoying life now.” Then his smile fell, “What were you thinking using a forbidden technique, Junior?”
Junior shrugged, “It was well within my capabilities. I merely had to use an Uzumaki mask and the help of my summons. There was no loss of life necessary. I don’t need your help with any kind of military action. What I need from you is your expertise.”
Now that sounded like something he could sink his tooth into. His grandson showed him his current project and it was a nice piece of seal work. The design was in a very rough initial stage, but it was impressive all the same.
It didn’t take much arm twisting to get Minato to agree to help his grandson, especially when the knuckleheaded kid threatened to continue his amateurish testing on his own person. Something told him that if he didn’t step in, his grandson was going to become a smudge on some training ground.
So began a sealing project that was multiple years in the making. Even with his own experience and intellect, the goal of the seal was nothing less than ambitious. Explosions were the norm for their work now.
If nothing he had to admire Junior’s sheer stubbornness to carry this through. Kushina would’ve loved the kid even if he hadn’t been her grandchild. The thought brought a smile to his lips. It was a shame that he and Kushina hadn’t been alive to experience this all in person.
When the developmental seals finally became controlled enough to not explode but create a nearly stable tear in reality itself, both Minatos leapt for joy. Real progress was being made.
Working with Junior was such a treat. Was this the joy of connecting with a grandchild with the same interests? His grandson was too cute.
Hanabi jabbed her nephew in the chest causing him to roll to the ground.
“Again,” he pleaded as he pulled himself back up on uneven steps and a shaky body. Sweat dripped abundantly down his face and his breathing was raspy. Unfocused eyes struggled to focus on her.
At this point even Minato’s Byakugan was struggling to stay activated. It made for an unfortunate image that caused guilt to build up in her but this was his wish. So the training renewed and just like every other session together he faced a well sounded beating.
Minato fell to the ground but struggled back to his feet to start again. Her nephew trained with the desperation of a ninja preparing for an S-class mission. Even on the ground his will didn’t fade for a moment.
Clear frustration was evident in his features and body language.
“I think this is enough. You can’t handle anymore for today,” Hanabi said at last.
“I need this. My chakra level is too low and my control isn’t at a suitable level. Now that I’m at the bottom of my endurance this is the best time to push past my limits. I might make a breakthrough,” he begged.
“Or you could seriously injure yourself and push back all of your progress. I don’t know what kind of goal you’re running towards but patience is a virtue. Look at yourself, it’s like you’re one foot in the grave and I won’t be explaining to my sister why I beat her son to death.”
Hanabi went to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “I need you to trust me. This isn’t the best way to reach the level of competence you want. It’s going to take time. So for the rest of the day we are going to spend time together and relax.”
She playfully pinched his cheek when he attempted to argue, “It’s cute that you think you have a choice.”
No matter what he felt, he was going to get that break. There was no reason for him to make the same faces her sister used to make in the Hyuuga Household. She had failed to reach out to Hinata back then but she wouldn’t make the same mistake with her son. Hanabi had every intention in helping with his training, whatever the motive, but they were going to do this right, the way that Hinata never got when she sorely needed it.
If nothing else, Hanabi learned from her lessons and she wasn’t going to fail another member of her family.
Sasuke stepped into the village. Being back here was pleasant. There was something serene about having a home to return to that he utterly failed to appreciate in his youth.
While enjoying his return, he began his walk to the Hokage’s office to report the success of his mission. A wave of chakra alerted his sense and gave him pause. It would be best if he took a quick look. The level of chakra he sensed had been tremendous.
Sasuke disappeared in a blur of speed towards a forested training area. Leaping from tree to tree he reached the source of the chakra in very little time. Confusion hit him full force as he saw that it was only Minato Uzumaki.
Said boy rested at ease on a single branch. The branch held firm even with his added weight. Around the tree were complex seals with a single weapon embedded at the corners. Beside the boy was a long bodied dog summon with predominately white fur capped with black fur on the head. It floated just beside him.
The dog summon whispered something to Minato and the kid began renewing whatever efforts he was in the middle of. Sasuke’s breath hitched when he realized that Minato was drawing in Sage energy. Since he wasn’t going through any negative effects he must’ve gotten reasonably good with taking in the energy.
Minato snapped his eyes opened and stared at where Sasuke was, “Can I help you?”
“You must have a close connection with your summons to already be learning the Sage arts. It will be a great boon to you out on the field,” Sasuke said in way of a reply.
Minato released an aggrieved sigh of all things, “Sage mode has other applications beside battle. I find those application far more interesting and worth the effort.”
Sasuke frowned at the tone. That level of detachment from the son of the Hokage was concerning. Clearly Minato had plentiful power that wasn’t be used in service of the village. That tone and attitude were dangerously close to how Itachi acted in the final days of the clan. If not for the village, why did he even bother to accumulate such power?
“I want to use Sage mode to connect better with reality in general and anchor myself. I have no need to hurt someone else. Attaining more offensive power means nothing to me,” Minato assured.
And assured him it did, albeit only marginally. He could hardly read the kid. That boy had big things in mind, but were they truly benign plans? After all his generation sacrificed in their time, he wasn’t going to allow anyone to threaten it, even if it was Naruto’s child.
“Besides,” Minato continued, “I still have a lot to work on when connecting to the earth.”
Activating his Sharingan, he swept his eyes on the intricate seal beneath them. He nearly flinched from the ridiculous amount of energy pouring out from the embedded weapons. It was impossible. Those weapons had enough concentrated energy to wipe out a good chunk of the village and they didn’t have a Nagato around to clean up the mess.
“Fine, I’ll leave you to your business,” he said with as much calm as possible.
Sasuke swore to keep a closer eye on Minato even if he wanted to trust in Naruto’s son.
There was just too much at risk.
Today was the day, the culmination of all his efforts these past years. He had spent too many years and resources to fail at this crucial step. Failure at this stage was disastrous, in more ways than one.
Namikaze stood beside him and patted him on the back, “Calm down. We can do this.”
Minato couldn’t hide his anxious in front of his grandfather anymore. They had spent too many years together at this point to be able to hold a convincing poker in front of the man. Instead of wasting the effort to lie, he spoke his mind, “I don’t know what I’ll do if this doesn’t work.”
“You’ll pick yourself up and come with a new plan. This is too important to you for you to give up so soon,” his grandfather said firmly.
Minato remembered all that he had done to prepare for this moment. Years’ worth of studying and research ran through his mind. There were so many times that frustrations or setbacks threatened to drown him in misery but he made it through. Calmness blossomed within him.
He could do this.
Minato stood on one side of the line bisecting the circle of weapons while his grandfather stood at the other. Within the circle was a dense set of overlapping seals the covered the entirety of exposed earth.
He summoned a Persona for each of the twenty weapons that made the circle. Minato grit his teeth and tapped into his increased chakra and reserves to keep so many of them active at once. Each of the individual Persona held onto the weapons and poured their own energy into them.
Minato focused on stability as Namikaze kept hawk like focus on the composition of the energies waiting for the right moment.
“Now!” his grandfather yelled.
In full synchronization, the pair performed a set of 100 fast paced hand seals while collecting Sage energy before slamming it all into their own ends of the line. Sage energy surged from both ends into the formation.
A deep buzzing noise filled the area and a vortex appeared in the center of the weapons. They used chakra to keep themselves planted to ground as they continued pumping energy into the seal.
At last an explosion burst forth, knocking the both of them to the ground. From the chaos a figure appeared. It was a woman with short white hair and exotic yellow eyes wearing a rich blue dress.
Minato stood on unsteady feet and choked out. He couldn’t believe the sight before him. “E-Elizabeth?” he choked out. Tears were staining his face from an overflow of emotions.
Elizabeth smiled warmly when she heard his voice, “We meet again.”
Minato ran to her side to pull her into a tight embrace, “I knew you were out there somewhere in this crazy universe, but I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again.”
She rubbed soothing circles on his back, “Brave Minato I am here and will never again leave you side. Wipe those tears lest you be unable to enjoy this joyful reunion.”
AS the sun began set, Minato pulled Elizabeth into a deep but soft kiss that held all of their longing.
Namikaze leaned by a distant tree, well forgotten but all the same pleased. A goofy smile was openly planted on his lips as he chuckled, “This was worth it.”