Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The girl shuddered in his arms and he instinctively reaffirmed his grip on her. The trees were racing by as he leapt from branch to branch, finding the fastest way back to Konoha. She was no hindrance – despite being famed for her sturdiness, Kushina Uzumaki was actually quite small for her age – fragile almost, when he held her like that.

He couldn't help but be amused by the sheer willpower hidden beneath her seemingly gentle frame. Fortunately, the Kumogakure nin hadn't harmed her, apart for a few bruises and scrapes she must have inevitably received on the way. She was highly dehydrated and over-exhausted, though, and her skin felt cold and clammy to the touch. He was certain that anyone in her place would be unconscious by now, overpowered by the weariness and the stress of the situation. She, however, despite being too still and pale, was awake and alert in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder slightly as if unsure whether the physical contact was acceptable.

Her stamina was impressive, but he found himself unsurprised. He had always known it and told her as much not more than ten minutes ago – she was strong. They hadn't spoken much since, apart from her asking a few quick questions about her parents, but the silence didn't feel uncomfortable as it might have in most such cases. The girl seemed to trust him enough to do the right thing, content to be carried back to safety, and Minato felt a pang of warmth spill down his chest at the thought.

He looked down to make sure she was still conscious and met a pair of curious eyes studying his face. The reassuring smile appeared on his lips before he knew it and she reluctantly replied in kind. Yes, she trusted him, but she didn't know him and this proximity was new to her. He should change that, he thought, and talk to her more often.

Surprisingly, she had been left with the impression he didn't like her. He pondered over it for a beat. He had never treated her antagonistically unlike a large part of their classmates, but he had to grudgingly admit to himself that he hadn't shown his good opinion either. He couldn't shoulder all the blame, Kushina had kept everyone at a distance for most of their academy years. But then again... how could he blame her? If he had been so scorned, he might have reacted the same way.

He was dragged abruptly out of his thoughts as he felt the approach of two other shinobi on either side of him. He tensed at once, not faltering in his step as his grip on Kushina tightened, his mind whirling ahead, calculating the best defence, vaguely aware of the alarmed look on her face-

Two ANBU appeared on either side of him, racing through the trees in pace. He felt himself relax infinitesimally, easing up his speed as he noticed the nearest of the two masked men putting away a kunai. The man was wearing a monkey-shaped mask to conceal his face. Minato could feel, rather than see, their eyes fixing on Kushina at once.

"Is the girl hurt?" the Monkey asked.

"No, but she is exhausted and dehydrated, I am taking her to the hospital."

"I'm fine, ya know! I could have walked this myself, ya know!"

Her vexed voice was weak and utterly unconvincing.

The Monkey nodded towards the other ANBU before he disappeared into the trees, most likely alerting the others that Kushina had been found.

"I will escort you to the hospital. Under whose orders are you operating?"

Minato frowned. He knew it would come down to this.

"No one's orders, sir." He answered carefully. "I came after Kushina in my own free will."

"You are aware that this was an A-class mission with possible international consequences."

It wasn't a question, nor an accusation. He had stated it evenly, as a fact. Minato nodded, feeling Kushina direct a frown towards him in her own turn. The ANBU looked ahead in silence, sparing him the questions that would probably be asked later, by someone else in authority.

They were coming up to the village walls when Minato saw him up the path and paled. For the first time since rescuing Kushina, he came to a stop, a nervous apologetic smile springing to his face.

The plump green frog, no bigger than his head, was not buying it.

"You are in serious trouble, Mina-chan" he said, batting eyelids "To worry me and Jira-chan like that…"

"Forgive me, Gamariki-san," he said, inclining his head. "You can let Jiraya-sensei know that both Kushina and I are safe. I have to make sure she gets medical care before I meet him."

Kushina was giving the frog incredulous looks, her face frozen in a mixture of surprise and half-hidden horror. Minato had to wonder what was shocking her more – the talking frog, his female attire or the names he tended to use when referring to him and his sensei. Perhaps a mixture of all three. The ANBU stayed indifferent, giving no sign of impatience.

"Yeah, yeah… but be careful Mina-chan, he's most irritated." the frog said with an exaggerated sigh and disappeared with a poof in a cloud of smoke.

Kushina was still staring in disbelief.

"One of Jiraya-sensei's summons." he explained with a sigh as he started moving again, entering the village. The sentries stationed there took one look at the ANBU accompanying them and waved them in without a word.

Kushina chuckled and Minato couldn't help glancing curiously at her. The smile tugging at the corner of her lips was in no way innocent. Mischief flickered through her eyes before she looked away and he felt his stomach drop. She would never drop it, he realised, mortified. As far as she was concerned, he would be tagged 'Mina-chan' in her books for every jibe. He felt colour rising to his cheeks and inwardly cursed Gamariki-san's timing.

As tired as she was, Kushina had her dignity – upon arriving at the hospital she shrugged out of Minato's arms before he could parade her through the main entrance like a ragged doll. She underestimated her own exhaustion, however, and her legs gave in to her weight as soon as they touched the ground.

She never fell; Minato's arms caught her and steadied her before the ANBU could even react. He had been expecting it, but he might as well have gone and explained to the nearest wall that it needed his help before any such words would reach Kushina Uzumaki. He sighed and slipped her arm over his shoulder, supporting her weight.

"Always the fighter."

"Can't return you the compliment, ya know" she retorted with a pout and he felt his lips pull up in a smile, finding himself surprisingly amused by her stubborn jibes.

Her free hand brushed a lock of fiery hair from her face absent-mindedly as they walked towards the door and his eyes caught the movement. He smiled, trailing her long mane with a look. How anyone could make fun of it was beyond him – her hair was beautiful, tangled as it was after the incident.

It turned out they were expected, ANBU's instantaneous network of informants working wonders. Tsunade-sama swept forward as soon as they entered the premises, kneeling before Kushina and touching a hand to her forehead. Behind her stood the current jōnin commander, whom Minato recognised only as Shikaku Nara's father, and the Hokage himself.

"It's okay, you can let her go now, I will take care of her." Tsunade-sama said quietly and he realised he had been holding firmly onto Kushina, not releasing his grip.

Kushina didn't seem the least happy about being parted from him either, which only proved his earlier observation that she had indeed grown to trust him. He had to suppress a smile at the thought.

"Oh. Yes. Of course." he said sheepishly and reluctantly stepped away from the girl as Tsunade picked her up perhaps too gingerly and carried her down the corridor, only stopping to assure Sandaime that Kushina was okay and would make a quick recovery.

The Monkey-masked ANBU with Minato took this chance to hurry before the Hokage, dropping to one knee before him and explaining briefly how he had located Minato on the way back. The boy couldn't help but feel a cold drop of sweat trickling down the back of his neck as both the Commander and the Hokage directed a look at him.

"Minato Namikaze, ah? Why am I not surprised…" Sandaime said mildly.

There was a twinkle in his eyes, a speck of good humour in his look.

"So this is the Minato-kun I keep hearing about. My son tells me you give him a run for his money where shogi is concerned." The black-haired man said through a smile, arms crossing against his chest before turning back to the Hokage. "To think a genin would do better at finding her than your own men, Sandaime-sama…"

"I have no doubt that Minato would be willing to enlighten us about that particular feat as soon as his wounds are treated."

"I'm not wounded."

The men's eyes widened.

"You... mean to tell us that you bested a chūnin and were unharmed?"

"Two to be precise, and a jōnin. We have already detained them and escorted them back to the T & I headquarters. They all live." the masked ANBU interceded, voice carefully void of any opinion on the matter.

Silence followed his words, blanketing the quiet hospital entryway.

"Well then." Sandaime said quietly. "If you are truly well and unhurt Minato-kun, and if you don't mind, I would invite you to my office. I'm afraid I will have to deprive you from a good night's sleep for a little longer until we appease my friend's curiosity. And my own, for that matter."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime dismissed the ANBU shinobi and turned to leave the room, followed by his advisor. Minato padded after them, throwing one last look down the corridor where Tsunade had disappeared with Kushina, wondering when he'd get to see the fiery girl again.

Chapter Text

Wood creaked loudly as Kushina planted another well measured kick at the training post in training field three. Sweat was coming down her forehead and neck, her face flushed from the effort. Her muscles ached from the repetitive movements, the burn in her limbs indicating that she was reaching her limit. She had been hacking at the wooden log for the good part of an hour now, venting rage and exasperation.

She directed a high kick at the post, and then another, wood splintering where her foot made contact. A hiss escaped her as one of the splinters scratched her leg, leaving a burning red trail. Her legs were trembling, breath coming out in rough pants.

It had been two days since the incident and she still hadn't seen Minato. She had left the hospital early in the morning the following day, escorted by her parents who felt that she would be safer at home. She had to roll her eyes at the thought. She had been kidnapped from home in the first place. She didn't protest in the slightest though - she had already recovered completely during the night. After all, she had always healed at a rapid rate ever since… well.

As boring as hospitals were, being locked up at home wasn't any less tedious so Kushina had taken it up to the training grounds. What started at first as a mere distraction soon grew into an exhausting training marathon, a whole new drive egging her on. The blond boy's smile, his smile, would often flash before her eyes and her cheeks would burn hot from the training efforts. He had praised her and acknowledged her in a way no one had before.

Because I know that you are strong, both in body and spirit.

Rumors of his own skill had spread all over Konoha in no time, some of which quite exaggerated, telling of his bravery and strength. The prodigious child, they all called him in praise.

Another punch and the log creaked.

She wouldn't let herself fall behind him. Not now, when he had acknowledged her. Now, of all times, she would train and catch up to him and next time she would be the one helping him.

A snigger came from behind and she whipped around at once, still breathing hard. Her stomach clutched uncomfortably at the sight of the boy standing there – she had seen him before, and more unpleasantly she had hit him before, a couple of times, after being mercilessly called 'Tomato' for days on end. The genin - was his name Aro? Taro? - was grinning mockingly, one hand holding a bag of kunai – he had come to train.

"Well well, if it isn't the tomato." He said with a sneer, obviously noticing her exhausted state. "What's wrong tomato, appears someone else almost plucked you. You didn't beat up those men, did you?"

"Shut your mouth right now! I would have beaten them bloody, ya know!"

"Oh, were they weaker than the wooden log? Since it seems to be giving you such a hard time already."

Kushina clenched a fist and took a step forward, ignoring the burn in her muscles.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The familiar voice startled her and she stopped in her tracks, turning abruptly to her right. Sure enough, he was there, kneeling in the branches of a nearby tree, watching the other boy through calm eyes. This reminded her of a similar incident not too long ago, when she had noticed him observing yet another confrontation of hers. That time, however, he hadn't interfered. Her eyebrows furrowed with annoyance. Had he forgotten his own words? Why was he butting in now?

"Is that you, Namikaze? You better listen to your new bodyguard, tomato, if you don't want troubles."

"I wasn't talking to Kushina-san." Minato said calmly, jumping from the tree before the girl could say anything, hands casually tucked in his pockets. "I meant that I wouldn't bug her if I were you." A warm smile spread across his face, "Because she would kick your butt before you know it."

Kushina's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she grinned, taking a threatening step forwards, fists clenched. The genin seemed to reassess the situation, his eyes quickly jumping from her vexed expression to Minato's calm smile, and back to the nearing form of Kushina.

"Whatever. Not like I wanna get my hands dirty." he retorted a bit too loudly and turned to leave.

"Coward!" the girl cried out after him, waving a fist, but the boy didn't flinch, trudging away as if highly uninterested.

A soft chuckle from behind made her turn around. He was still there, she noted, realizing suddenly that she had half-expected him to disappear. He didn't seem the least worried by the situation, leaning lightly against the tree from which he had jumped, the same warm smile on his face. This time, however, there was a nervous tint to it – perhaps this was as awkward for him as it was for her. After all, they hadn't really talked much before he had rescued her. Kushina quickly ran a hand through her hair absent-mindedly.

Your hair is beautiful so I noticed it right away.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, the first thing on her mind. A stupid question. It was the training grounds, what else could he be doing there. His answer, however, surprised her.

"I was looking for you." He said quietly, that smile never leaving his face. "Sakumo-sensei said you would be here."

She blinked in surprise.

"Looking for me?"

Minato's smile turned even more nervous as he scratched the back of his head absent-mindedly. "I went to the hospital the following day, but you had already left… I wanted to see if you were okay."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she threw him a testing look.

"I'm fine, I told you back then, I didn't need your help, ya know."

She walked away from him, going closer to the stream running through the training meadow and kneeling next to it. Her hands scooped water and splashed it on her face, washing away the sweat and grime. She sat back with a huff and closed her eyes, pulling her hair over one shoulder, allowing the wind to soothe her heated skin.

She felt him approach before she heard him – he was quick and quiet as it appeared. With one light move he sat down next to her, eyeing her wordlessly.

"Let me guess – you think I'm pushing it and that I should be in the hospital recovering?" she asked through annoyance to which he smiled and shook his head.

"I think I wouldn't be able to force you back there even if I wanted to."

His voice was warm and honest. There was a calming lilt in it.

Finally she gave up the disinterested attitude and turned to stare at him openly. His manner was friendly and his stature relaxed – he really was at ease with her. The setting sun was playing colours with his hair – turning it a richer gold than usual. He was like a little sun himself, she thought through amusement, seeing the warmth in his face, and the smile with which he answered her scowl, and those light blue eyes that couldn't hold anger.

She felt her cheeks warming up before she looked away, choosing to follow the sun – the real sun – instead of trying to read his face.

"You're pretty good." he said after a few seconds of silence and she turned a questioning look at him. "Your moves are really swift and powerful. I like your fighting sty-"

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded through a scowl.

"What do you mean?"

"This. You're being kind. First my hair and now my fighting style, why?"

He sighed. "You have a problem with compliments."

It wasn't a question.

"I'm fine with compliments, ya know!" she said a bit too loudly, twisting a lock of hair through her fingers "the true ones anyway…"

The last part was a mumble, but it made him sigh again. In one swift move he was up on his feet and facing her. She looked up in surprise, her eyes falling first on his warm smile and then on his outstretched hand.

"Come on, let's train." he said lightly. "I'll show you that my compliment wasn't a wasted one."

She blinked before a grin stretched across her face. With exaggerated slowness she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her off the ground.

His hand wasn't soft, on the contrary, it was already too calloused for that of a child – the result of countless training with kunai and shuriken, chakra moulding and climbing – he was a true shinobi in the making.

"I'm not gonna hold back, ya know, so you better not slack off!" she shouted as she took her stance some twenty feet away from him down the meadow, kunai in one hand.

He smiled and took his own stance. "Wasn't planning to."

Kushina appraised him with a long look, trying to decide how to go about this. She was still tired, but the short break had somewhat revived her senses, easing the ache in her limbs. She wasn't going to lose to him anyway. Of all people, she wanted to prove to him that she was truly strong.

He wasn't smiling anymore, his face carefully wiped of emotions – Good, she thought smugly, he is taking me seriously. He was waiting patiently across the field, intent gaze on her, calculating the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, analyzing. He was good at that, she suddenly remembered and scowled. Could he read her right now? She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

With that she charged, head on, aiming for a high cut to the chest - blunt as their training kunai may be, it would surely hurt to be struck forcefully in the ribs. Had she hit, she might have even winded him; but Minato blocked it with a blade of his own, side-stepping her, trying to stay out of her field of vision. Her body shifted fluidly in his direction, trailing his movements while pivoting on one leg, the other already brought up for a high side knee-kick.

He seemed to be anticipating her moves as well, as he twisted his kunai-hand, sending her own weapon flying behind her. His other arm had already flashed down to block her kick before she had even neared him dangerously enough.

He's quick, was the short observation that crossed her mind as his parry turned into offense, his own kunai aiming for her exposed chest while still blocking her sidekick. She cursed inwardly as she dodged by jumping backwards in a cartwheel, her hand wrapping around the hilt of her fallen kunai as it touched the ground.

Minato didn't waste any time – as soon as her feet were on solid ground he was off again, dashing at her irregularly. He was a worthy opponent for a spar, his fighting style so very different than her own – they had both started off with the standard taijustu style taught at the Academy, but the brief time spent in a genin team after graduation had already altered his moves drastically. While she kept a firm step and aimed rapid punches and kicks, relying on intensity, he was light-footed, swift and quick, dancing about her at an impressive speed. If she was fire, he was wind; and just like the wind fanned flames, so did his sure swift attacks rile her up, desire to win thrumming through her with each next move.

In no time she found herself pressed on the defensive while he kept coming at her in irregular intervals, intercepting her moves, blunt kunai clashing audibly in the small meadow. And Kushina was suddenly certain that he could read her moves better, already having adopted an altered fighting style to better match her own.

She grunted as she dodged another swift well-aimed punch at her exposed side. This wouldn't do - head-on attacks against the class's prodigy had always landed her on her back during taijustu sparring at school; time seemed to have done little to change his edge. If predicting his opponents' moves was his strength, though... then she need only be a tad bit more unpredictable.

She sprang away from him before breaking into a run down the riverside instead, betting a chance on him following - he had the advantage, he would surely press.

He did not disappoint.

She heard his light steps as he dashed after her, gaining on her with little difficulty. A wry smile ran across her lips as she ran straight at the tree from which he had observed her earlier; and didn't stop.

Her momentum carried her upwards as she gathered chakra at her feet, running up the bark at full speed. As Minato reached the same spot she was already jumping, pushing herself back in a summersault in the air. Minato rooted to the spot, whirling around, putting his back to the tree to anticipate her landing behind him.

She grinned mid-air. Instead of planting her outstretched arms on the ground and continuing into another cartwheel to steady herself, her too-close-for-comfort summersault carried her for an aerial attack straight at his figure. She heard a startled hiss as Minato leaned backwards in the last second, his back smacking in the tree, restricting his movement. Her hands landed on his lower thigh, her hair spilling below her as she propped herself head-down, aiming a swirling kick straight at his face. Her unusual attack earned her a wide-eyed look of surprise as Minato barely managed to lift his hands before his face to block her kick.

As quick as he was, his block was clumsy and the momentum of the kick saw him flying sideways, losing balance and falling in the river with an audible splash. Kushina had already jumped away from him, landing in a threatening crouch on the bank.

"Read that one, Mina-chan." she said through a grin as he rose, water dripping from his clothes, and to her immense satisfaction his eyebrows furrowed at the belittling name.

She couldn't help the smirk – a vexed opponent was a distracted opponent and one that didn't react well to surprises on top of that. And she had plenty of those.

When he dashed at her again, splashing water about, she blocked him and stepped back, feigning a head-on counter attack before planting her foot firmly on the ground in front of him instead and swirling around. Her hair whipped around her, blocking his sight of vision as he pressed his attack. She noted his eyes widening before she rapidly dropped down in a crouch, stretching a leg out in her whirl. With a swoosh she swept his feet off the ground and Minato fell back with a thud.

"Aha!"

The note of victory rang through her voice as she threw herself over him, lodging her blade at his throat. As soon as she met his eyes however, she knew that something was wrong. He was smiling a warm apologetic smile.

"Sorry." he mouthed before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

"Wha-" was all she could say before she felt the cold kiss of steel at her own throat. Her eyes widened. "Kage Bunshin" she breathed, her eyebrows furrowing. "But when…"

An image of Minato splashing in the river appeared before her eyes and she cursed him inwardly. That sly bastard.

She could feel his laboured breathing behind her – the fight had dragged on longer than he had expected – he was at his limit, as was she. But she wouldn't lose to the likes of him, not after such vile trickery. In one quick move she grabbed his kunai-hand and moved it to her mouth. Minato was too surprised to react and before he knew it her teeth closed around the side of his hand. He yelped and jumped back quickly, holding his hand up, throwing it a startled look.

Kushina turned around to face him too, her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face.

"You bit me." He said incredulously, alternating glances between his hand and the fuming girl before him. "You actually bit me."

And with that he started laughing. She stared at him, surprised in her own turn.

"Stop laughing, ya know!" she shouted, her hands balling into fists.

"I'm sorry… It's just that… just that… you bit me." He was saying in between gasps, starting to bend forward, clutching his stomach with laughter.

"Stop laughing at me!" and with that she ran towards him, planting two hands on his chest and pushing him back, hard. He didn't even attempt to dodge it, choosing to fall back instead, his chuckles continuing from the ground where he sat down hard. In a few moments his laughter eased and he directed a merry look at her.

"You really are something else you know." He said through pants, his breathing still not back to normal after their spar.

Kushina felt her own exhaustion creeping over her as she smiled at him, her anger having vanished with his sunny smile. Her feet were trembling, fresh fire was coursing through her muscles, her own laboured breathing causing a stitch in her ribs. She carefully plopped down on the grass next to him, throwing a glance at the horizon where the sun had already set. The first stars were starting to appear and she lay back on the soft grass, eyeing the small specks of light.

"What do you think they are, truly?" she murmured, stretching a hand straight up as if to catch them.

The boy stayed quiet for a while.

"My mother used to say that the sky is dusted with soul-light. She'd say they are the spirits of our ancestors, watching down on us from the next plane." He said quietly, an undertone of sadness in his voice. Kushina bit her lip.

"I'm sorry. About your parents."

He sighed and turned to look at her, a warm smile on his face. "Don't be. They died as true shinobi, protecting their people... it's how they wished to go. I'm proud to be their son." With that he glanced upwards at the stars too "I'm sure they are watching over me now. I'm going to make them proud too. One day I will make people acknowledge me and I will become a great Hokage admired by everyone."

"No way, ya know! I will be the Hokage!" she snapped up, directing a light punch in his direction. He chuckled.

"It's a challenge then." He said and smiled. "I'll watch out for your bites."

"You're on. There's no way you're gonna win, if you fight like such a flake. Next time I'll be the one saving you."

To her surprise he laughed.

"I told you you're quite good."

Her answer was a grunt before silence fell again, disturbed only by the sound of awakening crickets.

"Hey, Minato-san?"

"Mm?" he looked at her questioningly and she was grateful that the falling darkness hid her burning cheeks.

"Thank you, ya know… for before. For helping me."

The familiar warm smile spread on his face as the wind picked up the stray bangs of his hair.

"Always."

He was leaning against a tree besides the river crossing Training Field Three. On the other bank he could make out the two figures of his student and his new friend. They had sparred until not too long ago, before settling for a break in the meadow. The sun had already set and he could hardly make out their outlines in the fallen dusk. His companion sighed and Jiraya glanced at him absent-mindedly before returning his attention to the children.

"He's a good friend for her. He pushes her forward. I've rarely seen Kushina try quite so hard in spars before." the crouching white-haired man mumbled, without taking his eyes of the two students.

"You've taught her well, Sakumo. To press Minato so hard for air, it's likely a first for him too. Her stamina is impressive."

The other man grunted in response. "It's not me who she should thank for that stamina."

Jiraya understood the remark and remained quiet.

"Any news?"

The Sannin shook his head slowly.

"The captors didn't know why they were after the girl. They were only instructed to take her and bring her back unharmed. That should explain the poor condition she was in; if they had known exactly who – or what – they had in their hands, they would have never treated her like that. Whoever gave them their mission was very careful not to reveal his identity as well. It was all conveyed through letters. Inoken couldn't get much out of it." A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Whoever it was, they are orchestrating this whole thing from the shadows. The Raikage is refusing to take responsibility for the captives, claiming them to be nuke-nin for Kumogakure. He is being careful to avoid war… for now. From what I heard they still haven't found a compatible host for their Bijuu. He granted us permission to dispose of the criminals as according to our laws. All we can do for now is wait… Sandaime has strengthened the security around the village. She should be safe Sakumo."

"It was my fault. That she got captured in the first place. I was supposed to protect her."

Jiraya scowled and shook his head.

"You are her sensei, not her warden. It's our responsibility as Konoha shinobi to protect each other. No harm will come to her." He said before a grin spread on his face. "My stubborn-headed student has vowed to protect her after all." He said and waved in the children's general direction.

Sakumo Hatake couldn't help but smile as well.

Chapter Text

"You're doing it again, Kushina-san." Minato's calm voice came from her lower right where he was sitting, observing her efforts.

The girl gritted her teeth, deciding to ignore him. She had closed her eyes, doing her best to avoid distractions and her eyebrows furrowed now in her attempts; a drop of sweat was coming down the side of her face as she tried to mould the right amount of chakra, her hands forming the seal before her chest. Her chakra stream was picking up, burning her hands with its intensity.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" she shouted and heard the poof as a shadow clone appeared next to her.

Her eyes flashed open, searching for the result of her efforts. Her spirits quickly dropped, as she saw yet another imperfect copy, pale and ghastly, barely standing on its feet. The clone Kushina wheezed a few breaths before disappearing in the same puff of smoke she had appeared in only a second ago.

The original Kushina snapped her teeth with an audible cack as she clenched her fists, breathing heavily. Her palms still tingled from the abnormal amounts of chakra she had put in this simple technique, which had, nevertheless, turned out unsuccessful. Again.

She heard him sigh and decided to ignore him again, closing her eyes and taking the same stance, hands forming the seal before her chest. Concentrate, she chided inwardly, feeling her chakra pick up again.

"Kushina-san." His quiet voice broke through her wall of concentration and her eyes snapped open to find him standing right in front of her. "You are doing it again; you're overexerting yourself."

"I'm doing my best, ya know!"

His answering warm smile didn't surprise her anymore.

"I know, but you are not applying your efforts correctly. You are moulding too much chakra – it rushes out with no control and disperses. In fact, with the amounts of chakra you have wasted like that so far, I am surprised you can keep this going, your stamina is truly impressive." He said, encouraging smile never leaving his face, "But this technique is about chakra control before magnitude, you need to channel the right amount of chakra into the shaping of the clone. It needs to divide evenly between yourself and each clone you make. Once you get the hang of it, it will come naturally – then it becomes a matter of stamina and chakra stocks – the more you have, the more clones you would be able to produce with the proper amount of chakra channelled for each of them." Minato explained patiently for what appeared to be the twentieth time.

She had to admit he would make a fine teacher one day – he had the patience to deal with slow unresponsive students like her and repeat the same theory without a hint of annoyance. Anyone else in his place would have long given up trying to teach her a technique that she obviously sucked at. His explanation wasn't bad either; it wasn't his fault that her chakra control had always been so abysmal.

"What are you, a walking textbook? I know all that, I heard you the first twenty times, ya know. It's not like I'm not trying, it just doesn't work for me!" she snapped, slashing the air with one hand.

He was already shaking his head through her outburst.

"That's not true, you've shown good progress, you've been at it for only a couple of days. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, don't give up. Just focus on your chakra flow instead of moulding large amounts for now."

"Of course I will! I never give up, ya know!"

She had already closed her eyes again as she said it, forming the now-familiar handseal before her chest.

Small amounts, steady flow. She felt the surge of chakra rushing forward again and her breath caught as she fought to suppress it and control it. Split it evenly…

A hand touched her shoulder, another placed gently at her back. Her eyes flashed open again as she jumped at the unexpected touch, turning a startled look to Minato.

"Relax." He mumbled, stubbornly avoiding her eyes. "Straighten your back here."

His fingers pressed slightly at her back again and she realised his face was flushed, a blush dusting the bridge of his nose.

"Don't hold your breath in, breathe slowly and deeply, chakra circulation comes from the breath. Yes, like that." his soft voice encouraged as Kushina straightened her posture and pushed her shoulders back, her cheeks burning uncomfortably.

It had already been a few weeks since the kidnapping incident – a few weeks that had proven to be quite different to the pattern she was used to... all thanks to Minato. To her surprise, instead of abandoning the contact after rescuing her as she had imagined he would do, the sunny boy had stuck by her side, doggedly chasing her company. It had started with their sparring meetings, first irregular and random (as random as it was that they suddenly started visiting the same Training Field at roughly the same times). Their training sessions soon turned into a pattern as they started meeting almost every evening out of missions. Their taijutsu quickly became in sync, both having gotten accustomed to each other's style and techniques.

The next step was ninjutsu and to Kushina's distaste Minato had very prominently excelled. Comparing his light-stepped style to the wind hadn't proven to be too far off the mark as he had proficiently demonstrated a variety of Fūton techniques only a few days later. To make matters worse, he was already attempting to master a second element while she was still stuck at her first.

As mortifying as the experience was, she had accepted at one point that she had to ask him for tips. Luckily, he had turned out to be more than willing to cooperate. His instructions were patient and collected, which only seemed to frustrate her more often than not, as Kushina struggled to comprehend how he could keep his calm when her rage was growing proportionally to her failure rate.

Despite being often angry (in truth mostly with herself for being so inferior to him), she had soon realised how much more mellow she was in his company. While her desire to outdo him kept driving her to merciless and passionate training sessions, the sharp edge in her behaviour had slowly started to ebb away. She snapped at him regularly and threw light punches in his direction every now and then, but he met them with a smile and a laugh. His calm demeanour had started to rub off on her too and she had started smiling more.

Before long she found herself chatting excitedly every time after their spar, telling him about her missions and her sensei. It was a new feeling, having someone else but her parents, who enjoyed listening and talking to her. Someone to train with. Someone to share with. Someone to laugh with.

She was starting to get to know him better as well, with each day spent in his company. His ever-present smile had already been a hint enough of the sunny person he was, affecting everyone with a subtle magnetism that seemed to radiate around him. Kushina observed through disbelief as his mere presence positively brightened up people's mood, but he never seemed to bask in it. In fact, she was almost certain Minato was mostly oblivious to the effect he seemed to have on other people, or at least to the very oddity of it.

And odd he was, so very unusual compared to most children their age. He was always calm and collected, preferring to observe than to interfere, but Kushina had learned to see the perceptiveness hidden in his look. When he did speak, he did so eloquently, almost elegantly, picking up many a topic with little trouble as time went on and he started relaxing more in her company. He was clearly well-read, his knowledge rather unusual for that of a twelve-year-old, often surpassing her own. And if she had wondered at first, it was all quickly explained when she caught him more and more often with a book in hand. It was his hobby, she realised, watching him smile slightly, lost in between the pages of yet another tome. She herself didn't enjoy reading as much, driven by a restless energy that always frizzled through her when she sat still for too long; but she loved listening to him recount tales of what he had read, his arms moving about calmly as he would try to paint a picture with words while they were lying in the grass in Training Field Three after their spars.

It felt as if she had finally, after all those years, found a friend.

Friend.

The world rang positively in her mind whenever she thought of him. She hadn't realised how much she had needed this sort of bond until she had formed it. Having suffered enough in the past, however, had initially made her shut herself away again when she had acknowledged to herself that she had started getting attached to the carefree boy.

"You're avoiding me"

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, not having heard his approach. She turned to look at him before frowning and looking back ahead, over the rooftops of Konoha. Ironically enough, it was sunset again. They always had to meet at sunset.

She shifted slightly, bringing her legs up to rest her chin on her knees, wrapping two hands around them. How had he found her? The rooftops weren't a popular pedestrian area. Minato saw her lack of answer as encouragement and went to sit next to her, much like the first time he had appeared in the training area.

"I waited for you today. And yesterday. And the day before that too. Don't you want to train together anymore?" he asked lightly, looking ahead as well.

The girl stayed quiet again.

"What's wrong, Kushina-san?"

The wind picked up, sending a gust of dust in her face and she felt her eyes water. It made her angry. At the wind. At the dust. At him.

"Why should I train with you, ya know?! When you train enough and become stronger you will leave as well, like everyone else. Everyone who ever smiled like that to me, left. My brother and Sasshi-sensei… Even Mito-sama, ya know… And now you want me to train with you and then you'll leave too, I know you will. Everyone leaves." Her hands clenched into fists.

It wasn't fair, she knew. Mito-sama and her brother were dead and Sasshi-sensei couldn't keep teaching her once she graduated. It hadn't really been their choice, and yet it had hurt. How much worse would it hurt if he left too, this time willingly? Or worse... if she lost him too, to some freak accident, like her brother. If something had happened to Minato weeks earlier she would have been shaken, as would be the case for any former classmate, but she wouldn't have suffered overmuch. But now... the mere thought of it pained her inexplicably, twisting in her chest.

Silence followed her words, an uncomfortable pause that stretched for far too long.

"Kushina-san." He said quietly, but she didn't turn to face him. "Kushina, look at me. Please."

Perhaps it was his quiet voice, or maybe it was the sudden lack of honorific, her name coming out strangely intimate out of his mouth.

She turned an angry look at him. Accusatory. She knew he didn't deserve it, because he hadn't done anything bad. Yet. She was already blaming him for the mistakes she feared he would make.

For once he wasn't smiling. He looked… conflicted?

"I'm sorry." he breathed. "I'm sorry that I never showed you that you weren't alone. I have always considered you a fellow comrade, ever since you stood before our class and shouted out your dream. You have the same goals as me, we share the same dream, see? That makes us comrades." He frowned through half a smile. "If I have to be honest, you were quite scary, you seemed so angry at everyone and so strong. But I always admired you for that very same strength. I know I am four years too late to tell you this, but Kushina, I am not leaving. Believe in that. Because…" and he smiled, his warming, sunny, pure-hearted smile "Because you are my friend."

Friend.

Yes, he was her friend. Despite having slowly shattered the wall that she was building around herself, however, Minato had still kept a distance, giving her time to get used to him, time to learn how to trust him. Time to believe that he won't leave, she thought.

Now, after all those days spent contently in his distant company, for the first time he had broken that distance, allowing himself casual close contact. Well, outside of spars. Punches didn't count.

"Kushina-san, are you listening?" he asked, dragging her out of her thoughts as he moved to face her. His one hand was still lightly perched at her shoulder. "You are doing the opposite of what I said, your breathing picked up. Take deep, slow breaths."

"I heard you the first time, ya know!" she snapped louder than necessary and shook his hand away, fighting her quickened heartbeat.

She closed her eyes again. Tsk. He wanted her to concentrate, yet he kept distracting her with his presence. But she needed his tips as well.

It had been only a few days ago when she had lost yet another spar because of his Kage Bunshins. She was growing frustrated with the technique, while admiring him as well for having mastered it so well. It was an ingenious move really, having numerous uses, as Minato demonstrated often enough, coming up with new ways to trick her.

Finally she had given up and asked him through burning cheeks whether he could teach her how to do it too. He had agreed with a smile, saying nothing about how appropriate it would be to share the knowledge, or, in this case - how inappropriate it would have been for anyone else but Minato. It would be years before she learned that the Kage Bunshin had likely been intended to be passed from teacher to student - that Nidaime Hokage had invented it and passed it down to his student, who had been the Sandaime, and that Hiruzen Sarutobi had then taught Jiraiya, who had taught Minato. And yet, the sunny boy never once wavered at her request, setting about his calm instructions at once.

Good as he was at explaining though, she was still struggling some three days later, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. She should have expected it really, knowing full well she had already had problems with the Bunshin. Compared with that one though, the Kage Bunshin was a whole new level of hell.

She wasn't about to give up, however. If he could do it then so would she.

She took a deep breath, already feeling what he was referring to – her chakra stream responded with every measured inhale, slowing down along with her own calm breathing.

"Very good." He murmured from somewhere near her and she felt a twinge of pride as he acknowledged her efforts. "Try it like this, imagine your chakra flow as a steady river stream. At the end of it there is a dam – those are your hands, forming seals. It is up to you to control the speed and amount of water that leaks on the other side. Bring it down to a trickle."

His voice was calming and she found it easy to picture what he was talking about. She could feel her chakra flow steadying. A trickle of water, controlled chakra flow…

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Poof

Kushina blinked, turning to eye the results, her lips already set in a triumphant smile. Her hands hadn't burned this time and her chakra hadn't picked up and raged out of control. Sure enough, next to her stood a perfect copy of herself in full-colour and health. The clone Kushina grinned victoriously and raised a thumbs-up.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, giving herself a high-five.

Minato chuckled and the girl directed her attention to him, raising a hand to point at him.

"Just you wait, Mina-chan, now I will be the one to kick your ass in fights, ya know!"

"Well sure, but Kushina-san, making a single clone is just the first step-" he started mildly, but she cut him off.

"Alright! This training is making me hungry, I say victory ramen!"

"Yes!" the clone Kushina joined in happily.

"Minato, it's your treat this time."

The boy whipped a dubious look between the two grinning girls, his expression growing nervous as he patted the pocket where his wallet was.

"Both of you? I mean you, two times?"

"Are you saying I am not worthy of ramen, ya know?!" the second Kushina snapped, waving a fist at him.

"N-no, of course not." Minato exclaimed, shaking his head quickly through more nervous smiles as he took a step back, hands raised up before him in a placating manner.

Kushina giggled. With a quick wave of a hand-seal she dispersed the clone and stepped towards Minato, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Thanks." The smile came to her lips easily now in answer to his own. "But you're still treating me ramen."

Chapter Text

A loud splash came from behind him as Tora threw yet another rock in the river below them. Minato was leaning on the bridge railing with a book in his hands, but his mind kept skipping out of the contents and he ended up rereading the same paragraph over and over again. The other boy's impatience hung heavily about them, and, with a quiet sigh Minato closed his book and put it back in his backpack.

Splash. Another pebble ended up in the water, thrown with more force than the previous ones.

"Stop it already, Tora, you'll make a dam of pebbles before he shows up." Mikoto said through mild annoyance, voicing Minato's thoughts.

"I can't stand this anymore, he always does that! And if I am ever late, he makes me carry his bags as punishment!" the brown-haired boy fumed up, eyebrows knitted in anger. "We've been waiting here for more than an hour now!"

"It's less than last time." Minato said slowly through a smile.

"Don't give me that mellow face, you weirdo, I don't get how you can stand so calmly around when he is being so disrespectful!"

"Tora, don't talk to Minato-kun like that…" Mikoto started quietly.

Tora opened his mouth to retort back, but stopped midway through as familiar booming laughter reached their ears. They all turned to look in the direction of the noise, following the steep riverside with its many small, cosy buildings. It was the leisure part of the small bathing town, where pubs, restaurants and small betting houses excelled. Minato and Mikoto both sighed at the same time, seeing their sensei make his way out of one such pub, red-faced and laughing uncharacteristically loud while shaking hands with a smiling woman. That too was nothing new. Nor was Tora's reaction.

"Bastard!" he growled, balling fists and taking a step towards the riverside. Mikoto's hands wrapped around his arm instinctively, holding him back.

"Don't make a scene, Tora, let's just go home." She pleaded, planting her heels in the ground as she yanked back.

She might have been trying to restrain a raging bull, for all the good it did her. Tora took two slow steps ahead, literally dragging the poor girl behind him.

Minato smiled softly while watching them.

By the time the brown-haired boy had managed to free himself from Mikoto's grasp, Jiraya had already made his way to the bridge, still grinning widely.

"How dare you?! You're more than an hour late, we had to stand here waiting for you while you were drinking saké with women?! What kind of sensei are you, aren't you supposed to be an example for us?!" Tora snapped angrily, his voice picking up high octaves as usual when he got pissed.

Jiraya blinked at him a few times before placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry, sorry, I lost track of time." He said and laughed loudly, before side-stepping the boy and moving forward.

"You always say that! You can't always lose track of time, you are simply disres-" Mikoto's hand slapped the back of his head, cutting his sentence midway through.

"That's enough, Tora, stop yelling at sensei, you're making a scene, everyone's looking at us!" the girl chided, glancing around nervously.

Jiraya, now having his back to both Tora and Mikoto, made a pouty face as his shoulders slumped, much to Minato's amusement.

"Why do I have to be stuck with the loudest of brats…" he mumbled before turning back rapidly. "Listen here, you brat, I was teaching you a valuable lesson! Hear that, teaching!"

Tora's expression mirrored Minato's internal scepticism, but while the blond boy was having fun with the whole situation, Tora was still thoroughly vexed.

"How is being late teaching?" he said in a somewhat subdued voice.

"I am teaching you patience, since you obviously lack it! Until you learn how to deal with it, I will be late every time!" Jiraya said with finality.

Tora growled.

"Bullshit, this is not ninja training, you're supposed to teach us strong techniques and how to counter powerful enemies, not patience."

Jiraya's expression darkened and Mikoto took a step back.

"If you believe this is all there is to shinobi training, brat, then we should go back to the bell test and start all over, you haven't learned a thing. Minato and Mikoto have both excelled while you remain just as ignorant."

Minato sighed. He knew what his sensei was doing - if there was one thing Tora hated, it was being compared to others... and especially to Minato. The boisterous kid seemed to have developed an inferiority complex around him. What made Tora different, however, was the fact that having his pride squashed in such terms only inflamed his desire to outdo Minato further.

As expected, his reaction was fiercer than before.

"It's always about Minato, Minato Namikaze can do everything better than me!" he said, promptly ignoring the fact that Mikoto's name had been mentioned as well. "Well just wait and see, I'll prove to you, I can be twice as patient as him!" Tora shouted and trudged down the bridge past his team.

"Tora-kun, I-" Minato began, attempting to placate him, but the boy silenced him with an angry look.

"Just leave him Minato-kun, you know he'll cool down in less than five minutes, he always does that…" Mikoto murmured, picking up her bags.

Jiraya was grinning.

"Well then! Let's head back to Konoha and report a successful mission!" he said and started after the fuming brown-haired boy with Minato and Mikoto following close after.

"We won't make it back before sunset…" Mikoto mumbled quietly. "I'll miss dinner. My mom always makes the best tonkatsu damburi on Thursdays… My mouth is watering just thinking about it."

Minato's smile never quite reached his eyes.

"I'm sure she will save you some."

"Yeah, of course, but it won't be as tasty as when it's steaming and melting in your mouth." Her face held a wistful expression that made Minato chuckle. "I just wish we could have headed back earlier, we finished the mission five hours ago, why did we have to stop through this town anyway, it's not like we were tired."

"Sensei had work here, you know, his research…" Minato said nervously, having started to have suspicions about the exact manner of research his sensei was conducting. "But I know what you mean; I had hoped we'd be back before sunset too."

Suddenly Mikoto turned to him with a wide smile.

"Training with Kushina-san again?"

"Yeah, I had told her we would probably be back today, but I guess I won't make it… I had promised I'd help her with a new technique she's working on…" his voice trailed off as his thoughts turned to Kushina. He was somehow certain she would spend her entire afternoon training herself to exhaustion once again.

His sensei had called him reckless once, but that was likely only because the Sannin hadn't met Kushina personally. While Minato admired her strong will and her amazing stamina, he couldn't help but admit that she always overdid it beyond what was reasonable. When Minato was not there to keep her in check, the girl had the masochistic tendency to keep practicing until she dropped.

An involuntary smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he had to squash down the urge to walk faster. Mikoto's earlier remarks had made him self-conscious, reminding him yet again that there was no one in Konoha who awaited his return; no one to cook him dinner and welcome him with warm words.

No, a small voice in his head was saying, there is someone who will laugh and chat happily when I return, after scolding me for being late.

"She makes you smile." Mikoto said quietly, not bothering to ask if it was true.

Warmth crept up Minato's cheeks without him fully knowing why, and he looked away from the black-haired girl next to him, afraid that she will take it the wrong way.

"Well sure-" he mumbled and decided his behaviour was suspicious enough to call for further explanation. "I mean- I was just wondering how she's faring with the technique she's learning. I hope she hasn't despaired yet."

"Which one is it?"

At this he grinned.

"Your specialty actually - she's working on the elemental ones, and her affinity is also fire. She was set on learning the Gokakyu."

"And she asked you for help?" Mikoto jibed, trying hard to suppress a willy smile.

"Hey now, it's not my element, but I've watched you perform it a hundred times. And my chakra control tips can be useful sometimes." he said through a grin.

He generally disliked talking about others without their permission, but he didn't feel bad about talking to Mikoto in this particular case. She was a rational person and a good listener, and above all she was kind. He knew that if there was one person from the academy who had never made fun of Kushina and who had accepted her for who she was, it would be pure-hearted Mikoto Uchiha.

He was glad that he was assigned on the same team as her – they had managed to become friends over the months. He listened to her advice and she listened to his, and despite rarely sharing personal things, they knew they could trust each other about many a topic. Plus, Mikoto had no qualms on informing him when he was being an idiot, such as this very moment of time. He saw her roll her eyes at his words and somehow already knew what would follow.

"And you didn't ask me for help because...?"

"...I assumed you'd be busy?"

"With what? Missions? We do the same assignments, I'm free when you're free." she said pointedly and Minato was somehow certain she had omitted the word "stupid" from somewhere in that sentences. He was just about to answer her, explaining about not wanting to be an inconvenience, but Mikoto waved him away knowingly. "Where do you train?"

"Training Field Three, down by the river… you don't have to, Mikoto."

"Hey now, Fire Techniques are my clan's specialty. Who'd be better suited to making sure Kushina-san doesn't singe off both your eyebrows?" she said with a wink and Minato couldn't help laughing.

"Thank you Mikoto. I'm sure it would mean a lot for Kushina."

The dark-haired girl beamed.

She sighed with exasperation, letting herself fall back in the grass. The heavy book had ended up open over her face. There was no use, she wasn't getting any of it, it made no sense at all.

She heard him approach a few minutes later, sharp as always. The girl sighed, not even bothering to move, knowing that the progress she was supposed to have made until he showed up for their field training had been no progress at all. She was stuck in the beginning of the horrible book with no prospects of advancing further.

"Since you usually detest reading, I can only conclude that there's a book eating your face." Minato's merry voice came from above her and her annoyed growl answered him from below the book.

"And they say you are supposed to be perceptive…" she mumbled without moving before lowering the book down to find him leaning over her with that usual warm smile illuminating his face. She scowled and growled again.

"I don't get it at all, ya know, those techniques don't make any sense." She whined and threw the book aside, rising in a sitting position.

"And what techniques might those be?" Minato asked curiously, springing lightly next to the discarded book and picking it up.

His swift moves no longer surprised her, nor did his sudden interest in possible new techniques – her friend loved challenges. He glanced at the cover curiously.

"Fūinjutsu." He whispered before smiling again. "Your clan is renowned for their skills with Sealing techniques, there are rarely Fūin users who can outmaster them."

He returned to sit next to her, still holding the book.

"I know what my clan is famous for, ya know!" she snapped. "I've got the starting stuff down, but this one is just... it's impossible. My father keeps going on and on about making the family proud. Apparently, at my age he was already nearing advanced level. But I don't get any of it and this is barely a step above the basics too." she vented, suddenly unable to hold her anxiety. "I'm going to disappoint everyone. I don't even want to learn Sealing Techniques, I do just fine with punches."

And with that she crossed her arms before her chest in finality, a stubborn look on her face.

Minato chuckled.

"You said the same when you started learning the Kage Bunshin and yet you can make more shadow clones than me now."

"But I wanted to learn the Kage Bunshin!"

"Why don't you want to learn Fūinjutsu?"

"Because it's boring, ya know."

"You can't know if it's boring if you can't understand it."

"It's boring trying to understand it." she mumbled in a pout.

"Since when does the great Kushina Uzumaki give up so easily?" Minato teased through a smile.

"I haven't given up, ya know! Why don't you try it, if you think it's so easy, Mina-chan?!"

"Okay." was all he said before opening the book to the first page.

"What- now? We were supposed to train." She said incredulously, not having expected him to agree at all.

"I am training. Fūinjutsu." He said through a smile before returning to the book with a stern look.

Kushina grumbled something about Mikoto and quietly walked away.

He furrowed eyebrows in concentration as he drew yet another circle of kanji, practicing basic calligraphy. It had been a little over month since Kushina had challenged him as a joke to try to 'decipher' the 'horrible' Fūinjutsu book. Two weeks, during which all he had dealt with was Seals.

At first the intricate symbols had confused him as well, but before long he had started making sense of the explanations, growing more and more fascinated with the beauty and hidden possibilities that this particular type of techniques offered. The user could do most anything imaginable, given enough time for preparation – and even the limitation of prep time needed seemed to be possible to trump, if one held mastery over a seal and could apply it with a touch.

The book that Kushina had given him grew more and more intricate with each following step, explaining a variety of basic techniques from different masters. He had progressed slowly at first, going back to the basics of it many times to reconfirm different theories, but his pace had gradually picked up as his understanding deepened.

He ended up finishing it within four weeks, his new passion having driven him restless until he knew more. By the end of the book he had acknowledged that the majority of Sealing techniques in it were original ones, created by someone else who had knowledge enough of the art to experiment. Some of them seemed to be quite useless, created for the sake of creation, while others were immensely powerful. And immensely complicated.

He had wasted no time at all before he supplied himself with Fūin books of his own, continuing to read hungrily, starting to practise from the very basics of Sealing – calligraphy. When he was not training with Kushina he was writing page after page of neat kanji, perfecting the shape of his handwriting as well as the time it took him to complete it.

The girl was astonished by his sudden love for the 'annoying' subject, but his efforts piqued her curiosity and, in the end, he found himself explaining the basic theory to an eager Kushina, who seemed determined to keep up. They started practising calligraphy together before or after every spar, sometimes attempting to draw simple seals. His living room soon turned into their favourite hang-out, coffee table and floor all covered with stacks upon stacks of papers, all sporting messy writing and makeshift seals. In no time they were both delighting in it, exclaiming happily whenever they found something new or got the hang of a particularly difficult one.

Jiraya-sensei encouraged his efforts as well, after being very much surprised initially that Minato could actually understand and enjoy learning about seals. His surprise had soon turned into pride as he acknowledged his student's progress, noting that he himself hadn't progressed much in that direction and definitely not at such a young age. What Jiraya-sensei considered as 'minimal progress', however, turned out to be far from 'minimal', as his sensei sat down with him one afternoon and explained to him a few seals that were so complicated that Minato could feel his head starting to swim in less than an hour.

Jiraya's pool of knowledge about seals, however, turned out to be nothing compared to what Kushina was receiving from her parents. After having seen her newly developed passion for Fūinjutsu, Kushina's father had more than gladly started spending evening after evening with her, explaining the subtleties of the art as no one else, but a Fūin Master could. Much to Minato's surprise, Kushina excitedly shared everything with him afterwards, not caring if she was supposed to or not. If her parents knew, however, they didn't protest.

Minato smiled as he looked at the paper before him, experimenting with one such trick that Kushina had shared with him earlier that evening – if it worked properly it was supposed to relieve the Fūin user from losing too much chakra with more complicated seals. He felt the familiar excitement that surged through him every time that he experimented with something new, the same determination gripping him as always, not letting go until he mastered it.

The Will of Fire, Sandaime called it. The will to never give up.

She heard a tumble of rushing footsteps followed by a loud thump and a yelp of pain and she sighed. Her daughter was always clumsy when in a rush. Ryūmi placed the plate with onigiri on the table just as Kushina burst through the door massaging her elbow furiously.

"Good morning, mom, dad!" she said quickly, taking a few fast steps to the table and snatching up a few onigiri, stuffing one in her mouth and putting the rest in her pockets.

Ryūmi sighed as her husband quietly put down his cup of tea and pinned their daughter with a chilly look.

"Just where do you think you're going, young lady?"

"Sorry dad goffa go, meefing Minafo." She said through a rush, still chewing, bits of food flying out of her mouth.

"Kushina Uzumaki, hold it right there." Her husband said sharply and the red-haired girl froze, giving her father an annoyed look.

"Dad, I'm lafe-"

"Do not talk with your mouth full."

Kushina chewed quickly and gulped, fuming quietly.

"Now will you explain to me why you are so disrespectful to your mother, who spent the entire morning preparing breakfast, and you won't even sit down and appreciate it?"

"Daad, I'm late, I have a meeting with Minato, we got appointed on the same mission today and we are meeting earlier to prepare together, I don't have time for breakfast!"

Ryūmi smiled affectionately as she saw her daughter waving hands chaotically while trying to argue with her father. They looked very much alike – she had inherited his dark red hair, characteristic for his clan, and she possessed the same sternness in her eyes. The length and easy flow of her hair, however, and the easy care-free smiles were all her.

Her husband sighed and closed his eyes in defeat.

"You spend an abnormal amount of time with that boy…"

"He's my friend, so what of it?" Kushina snapped, suddenly on the defensive.

"What your father meant to say" Ryūmi said quickly, moving behind her husband and placing two hands on his shoulders. "is that you and Minato have grown very close, but we still haven't met him personally. We would love to have him over for dinner sometime; maybe you can invite him after the mission?"

Kushina's face positively lit up as it stretched into a big grin.

"Thank you, mom! I'm sure he'd love to!" she shouted quickly and rushed to her mother, standing on her toes to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hai, hai, now off you go before you are late!" Ryūmi chided through a smile.

Kushina didn't need to be told twice – she waved happily and bolted through the door with another onigiri already in her mouth.

Hyōjin Uzumaki sighed again and lifted the tea cup to his lips.

"I am not sure about this, Ryūmi." he said heavily after a few minutes of silence during which the woman had started rinsing the dishes behind him.

"He is the first friend Kushina has made, dear, she is very close to him."

"That's what bothers me; they are too close."

"Dear." Ryūmi said, exasperated smile tucked in her voice. "They're children, they're barely thirteen. You shouldn't be worried about such things."

Another heavy sigh reached her ears.

"You're right, of course, but it's not the present that worries me." he said quietly and Ryūmi frowned.

"Let's think about the future when it arrives at our doorstep."

"You know as well as I do that friendships like that easily grow into infatuations."

"Hyōjin... your daughter is still a child. You're being overprotective for no reason. Besides, what of it, Minato is a sweet boy, the entire village is praising him."

Her husband was really blowing things out of proportions. Had he forgotten how very young their daughter still was?

"You know this is not just about me doing my role as a father. As Kushina's guardians we cannot let Minato Namikaze make such a choice without being fully informed of Kushina's… situation. It will only hurt the boy. Nor can we sit him down and explain it as of yet... he's just a child."

"Precisely. He's just a child, you said it yourself. Even if he weren't, it wouldn't be up to us to inform him of anything. It is Kushina's burden and it is her choice to share it. For now, cast that thought aside. There is time until the future. Let her enjoy the present."

The low grumble from behind her was all the assent she needed before she smiled.

He scanned the area again, trying to catch a glimpse of anything out of order. The moon was nearly full, making the night a bright one – it would be hard for anyone to sneak up on them.

When he didn't see or hear anything out of place, Minato returned his attention to the delicate slip of paper that he was working on, carefully writing kanji in an intricate web while embedding it with chakra to create a simple seal. He squinted, trying to see a particular corner of the small paper, making sure he didn't omit anything. The scarce light made him move closer to the fire, trying to see better.

His eyes involuntary slipped over the two figures next to it – Sakumo-sensei leaning on a tree, fast-asleep, and Kushina, curled in a ball under her travel cloak, equally subdued.

The smile sprung to his lips before he realized it, watching the peaceful expression on her face and the way her hair was coiled in every direction like a carpet of flames. He looked back at the seal he was forming – the paper had the same gorgeous colour – and his smile grew larger.

Yes, he had chosen well.

A hollow branch tossed in the fire popped, sending a loud crack through the still night. The noise made Kushina frown, half-awake. With a stifled yawn she turned around and her eyes fluttered open to scan the meadow just in case. It hadn't been too long since the end of her sentry shift – Minato was still on guard, sitting peacefully by the fire. Her movement had caught his attention and he was now looking at her through a smile, his hands clutching something small in his lap.

She smiled back and closed her eyes in an attempt to dive into her dreams again, but sleep eluded her. An image of Minato, face illuminated by the fire, shadows playing in his hair, came before her eyes and she looked up again, as if to confirm that she hadn't fallen asleep yet. Minato had shifted his attention to the small object in his hands now, scrutinizing it with a frown on his face. This caught her attention.

With a yawn she stood up and slowly approached him, sitting next to him in the grass.

"You should really take some rest, Kushina, you just finished your shift." The boy said slowly.

"I'm not tired." She murmured and yawned again, to which Minato simply raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I am, but I can't fall asleep, ya know." She said quietly, eyeing her sensei to see if their voices were bothering him. The man seemed to be genuinely asleep, after having spent the better part of the night on watch. "So what are you doing?" she asked curiously, peeking over his shoulder to see what he was holding.

To her surprise he pulled it aside, a nervous smile appearing on his face.

"It's…" he began, but stopped midway through, eyeing her carefully.

The girl's eyebrows mashed in suspicion.

"What, ya know? Are you developing some new technique?" she asked pointedly, pulling away with a pout at having been rebuffed.

To her surprise he laughed softly.

"I suppose I might as well show you, since it's already the 10th in a way." He said quietly and she couldn't help but notice the nervous tint to his voice. It piqued her curiosity even more. "Give me your hand."

Kushina stared at him with wide eyes as warmth rushed up her face. Had she heard right? The fire popped loudly in the sudden silence.

Minato held out his own hand, waiting for her to take it. She hesitated for a second, before doing as he asked, feeling goose-prickles running down her arm at the warm touch. He smiled before gently turning her hand palm upwards and moving his other hand over it.

"Happy Birthday, Kushina." He whispered, moving his fingers away, leaving her to stare at the little slip of red paper he had placed in her palm.

"Um… thanks?" was all she managed, lifting a questioning look at his face.

He chuckled and waved a hand before his face, forming a quick one-handed seal. The slip of paper in her hands suddenly came to life, folding in on itself many times, as if guided by invisible hands. Kushina stared in astonishment as it slowly started resembling a flower – a perfect imitation of a flower, insomuch that it no longer looked like paper as much as it looked like a real blossom.

A beautiful red cherry blossom lay in her palm, pulsating gently with a subtle surge of chakra.

As soon as it stopped folding, taking its final shape, the air filled with the scent of it. Could paper have a scent? This one definitely did, reminding her of spring afternoons spent in Field Three below the cherry trees, laughing as a cascade of such blossoms, only white, fell all over her.

The girl couldn't help but stare at it, her mouth forming a silent 'o', overwhelmed by the sudden surge of emotion. He had remembered her birthday. He had given her a gift; no, the most wonderful gift. It was simple and that's what made it so beautiful. No one had ever given her any gifts, her parents excluded, so she found herself at a loss for words. For once she didn't know how to react.

Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his warm blue ones and she blinked, seeing… hesitation? The boy picked the origami from her hands with exaggerated slowness, as if expecting her to jump away from him, and then leaned forward. Kushina froze, cheeks burning, her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

Minato didn't notice, or if he did, he pretended not to, as his hand gently tucked her hair behind one ear, placing the cherry blossom behind it and fastening it with her hairclip. He quickly withdrew after that, nodding once to himself, the same warm smile on his face as before, cheeks reddened to match her own.

"There now." He whispered gently. "It has the same beautiful colour as your hair and the same beautiful scent. I've embedded my own chakra in it, so it will never wither as long as I live. It's my promise." He said and met her eyes with a stern look. "That I will never leave."

"Minato…" she began, but chocked on her own voice as she felt her eyes water.

"I know." he said through a content smile, saving her the effort to remember how words work.

The boy quietly turned to look at the fire again, his merry smile never leaving his face, as he leaned peacefully on the fat treetrunk he was sitting next to. Kushina imitated him, gazing at the dancing flames. A lump had formed in her throat, stealing her words and hitching her breath. Surrendering to her lack of eloquence, she leaned on Minato to the side, lowering her head on his shoulder and finding his hand with her own, giving it a quick gentle squeeze.

"Thank you."

"I'm sure it went this way." She said sourly, scanning the meadow below them.

Minato chuckled. Her annoyed pouty face was always an amusing sight.

"Stop laughing, ya know! It's a shared mission, help me find the goddamn beast!" the girl exclaimed, waving a fist from ahead of him.

They were both perched on two separate branches of a tall tree, using the advantage of height in their attempts to locate their client's pet. It was a C rank mission at best, and that mostly because of the ridiculous amount of payment the client had promised to anyone who managed to deal with what he described to be 'a sweet, but willful' beast.

He sighed, thinking of the absurdity of the situation. They wouldn't have been assigned with something so bothersome if Kushina hadn't called the Hokage 'Geezer' before his entire office when they were reporting back from their single shared mission. While the Hokage had laughed off the disrespectful name, he had also decided to show a sense of humour in his own way – by making them take care of a mission that any newly found genin could carry out.

"It's not my fault, ya know!" she snapped, as if having read his thoughts. "He is old."

"That doesn't mean you need to say that to him…"

"So what, he is the Hokage, he should be able to deal with the truth, ya know! When I am Hokage, I'll let people call me however they want to!" she said with finality.

"Fair enough, but until then you better address me respectfully or I'll make you chase cats even as a jōnin." Minato teased through a grin.

"You'll never make Hokage before me, ya know!" she snapped and threw him an angry look.

He shook his head and laughed.

"The only title you'd deserve anyway would be Mina-chan." She continued and finally, to her immense pleasure, he scowled.

"You'll never drop it, will you?"

"Never." she said through a wide grin.

"Since you'd allow people to call you anything, how does Yondaime Hokage Tomato sound to you?" he teased back and Kushina gasped.

He had never called her like that. She knew that he was not putting the same scorn behind the name, as all the other children at the academy had; she knew he was only using it to vex her in return.

But it had worked and vexed she was.

"You did not." She said, turning to face him from the branch on which she was standing, parallel to his.

He only grinned. With a growl Kushina launched herself forward, jumping from her branch head first with her arms outstretched, planning to crash into Minato and push him off the tree. He seemed to be expecting it, however, for as soon as she was in the air he dropped his legs down, sitting on the branch instead. He leaned back parallel to the ground below and Kushina shot right over him, her eyes locking with his for a split of a second as she sailed over, her flight taking on a vertical trajectory with her headed face-first towards the ground.

Two hands wrapped around her wrists out of nowhere and held her back, her body continuing the momentum and ending up with her doing an involuntary half-summersault in the air, changing her fall to one of feet-first with her back to the tree.

Kushina never fell, however. She found her feet to have ended up a good few meters from the ground as she still hung in the air. She looked up quickly, meeting Minato's laughing face right above her own.

He was hanging head down from the tree with his legs firmly wrapped around the branch, holding her wrists tightly. His golden locks were in disarray, pulled down messily by gravity, giving him an odd, but pleasant look.

As pissed as she was, Kushina couldn't help but laugh as well at the absurdity of the situation.

"You could have let me fall, ya know!" the girl said through a grin. "You know I'm agile enough!"

Minato shook his head with an amused smile on his lips. "I'd never let you fall."

Chapter Text

"Miinato" he heard her call his name again and smiled, not opening his eyes, lying on his back calmly in the grass.

Soon enough he felt her hair tickle his face as she came to stand over him and leaned down to inspect if he was sleeping. He chuckled and his eyes flashed open, light blue meeting dark purple.

His smile widened, finding his face surrounded by blazing red, inhaling the soft cherry scent about. He blew a fiery bang away from his cheek where it kept tickling him and lifted his hand absent-mindedly, gently running his fingers through her locks.

She blushed and smiled back.

"I knew you were not asleep, ya know." she said merrily, pulling away and sitting down next to him, handing him the one end of a two-stick ice-cream.

Minato raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we should celebrate." She said excitedly, waving the ice-cream around.

He smiled back a brilliant smile as he pushed himself up in a sitting position and grabbed the stick, breaking the ice-cream into two with a quiet pop.

"Congratulations!" she announced through a grin. "You must be the youngest chūnin in the history of Konoha, ya know!"

"Sandaime was thirteen when he became a chūnin."

"So are you."

"I'm almost fourteen." He corrected through a soft smile, acknowledging the compliment nevertheless.

"But you are still thirteen now, ya know." She said through a half-annoyed expression, rolling her eyes as if he was a slow student unable to comprehend an easy theory. "In any case you were the only one from our age group that passed, that was quite impressive."

"There weren't that many people from our year in general, I suppose fourteen-' he stopped as she threw him a measuring look "-I mean thirteen, is probably too young of an age… but Jiraya-sensei insisted that I can do it."

"He knows your abilities better than you do, it would seem." She said in a scolding manner and he had to laugh at the absurdity of it.

Since when was she scolding him for lack of confidence?

Kushina smiled at him again before biting into her ice-cream in content.

He heard footsteps approaching the door and subconsciously straightened his back as a fit of nervousness came over him. He had never before come to Kushina's house uninvited and he felt terribly wrong for it, as if encroaching on her personal space. His friend had been gone for over two days now, however, and with Sakumo-sensei out of the village as well, he had no other way to know where Kushina had disappeared to and if she was alright. As worry started to gnaw on him he had decided to look for her at the only place it made sense for her to be – at home.

The door opened and Minato found himself looking at the soft smiling face of Kushina's mother.

Ryūmi Uzumaki had the same long silky hair like Kushina, only it was a not-so-vibrant light brown colour. Her eyes, however, were the same as Kushina's both in colour and in brightness. He smiled back and bowed his head in respect for the older woman.

"Minato-kun, what a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed through a merry voice.

The tightly-wound worry in his chest lessened. Surely Kushina's mother wouldn't be so care-free if her daughter was ill.

"Ryūmi-sama, I apologise for the unexpected visit." He began quietly, feeling at once how very ridiculous it had been to worry for his friend – Kushina did have an amazing recovery rate, there was no way she could be sick – maybe she just needed a break from all the training.

Maybe she got bored of him. He shouldn't have come.

"Don't apologise for such things, Minato-kun, it's a pleasure to see you, you know you are always welcome at our home." She said softly and he looked up in gratitude. "Is it Kushina that you're looking for?"

A nod. "I hadn't heard a word from her for the past few days…"

"You got worried? Naturally…" her eyes held a mellow look. "Come in, she would be happy to see you."

Minato nodded in gratitude and stepped inside, taking his sandals off and continuing to pad bare-footed after the kind woman, who was leading him deeper into the house.

"That girl, I swear, she loses track of time constantly, I am sure she didn't even think you would be worried, she should have let you know that she's busy." Ryūmi muttered under her nose as she stopped before a door, sliding it open and stepping aside to let Minato enter.

The first thing he registered was Kushina, kneeling on the floor by her bed. She looked at him in surprise before smiling warmly and greeting him with a loud "Os!" through a large grin.

He was just about to answer when shrill laughter reached him from behind her, a small hand reaching out and latching onto one of her locks, pulling back victoriously as if having accomplished a long-attempted task.

Kushina yelped, hands flying to hold onto her hair as she tumbled back besides a gleeful silver-haired toddler, small hand still gripping her hair in a vice-like hold. Laughter bubbled up the girl's throat as she stretched a hand out, tickling the little boy and he squealed, quickly releasing his grip.

"You cheeky monkey, taking advantage of my distraction." she said and the child giggled, pushing up to its feet and waddling across the room.

He couldn't have been more than a year old, Minato thought, as he followed the kid with a look. He hid behind a chair very determinedly, thinking himself unnoticeable, and Kushina got up to her feet, feigning confusion.

"Where, oh where, could he be…?" she said through a sing-song voice and Minato chuckled, stepping forward as if dazed – he had never seen his friend around kids, a whole new side of her springing before her eyes.

His laughter made the toddler notice him finally and he could feel the small grey eyes fix on him curiously. He smiled, waving a hand uncertainly, but the boy hedged back, face scrunching up in distress.

"Oh, there, there, Kakashi-chan, Minato is a friend, ne?" Kushina said, rushing forward and sweeping the child up in her arms.

Kakashi-chan? Then he must be…

"I missed our training, didn't I?" she said as she finally turned back to him, rocking the boy against her hip.

He smiled back.

"A spar or two, don't worry about it."

"But it's so nice you're here now, I can officially introduce you, ya know!" she said happily and approached, turning slightly so Kakashi could peer tentatively at him. "So, Minato Namikaze, this is Kakashi Hatake. He's sensei's son. Sensei had to go on a mission for a few days and the lady that usually watches him is sick, so we volunteered to take care of him in the mean time since…" she said quietly, "You know… he doesn't have a mom…"

Minato nodded quietly before directing his attention to the boy just as he heard the door behind him slide shut, Ryūmi Uzumaki having left them with the kid.

"Hello, Kakashi-chan." he said softly and, to his horror, Kakashi made a choked sound and turned his head around, burying his face in Kushina's hair.

"Awh, don't be grumpy now. He gets like this when he's hungry, don't worry about it. It's not personal, ya know."

Minato still took a step back, just in case. He had never handled such young kids before, at least not out of missions, and he had no idea what he had done wrong.

The child had started squirming now, little feet waving against her side and Kushina sighed, gently letting the boy down and following him with a look as he made his way to a pack of stuffed kunai to the side. He plopped on the ground, small hands wrapping about his toys.

"He's a bundle of energy and pouts right now, but he's honestly a joy to have around, ya know. Wanna stay some, exhaust him proper? He likes playing tag in the garden. Don't let him fool ya, he can be crazy fast."

"I… I don't think he likes me much…"

"Nonsense. He'll love you, you'll see. You're pretty hard not to like."

His eyes widened, colour rising to his cheeks, a feeling of warmth shooting down his frame as he directed a startled look at her. Kushina took a moment to realise what she had just said and then her mouth clamped shut, face turning a similar shade to her hair.

"I mean- I meant-" she gulped, "You're- you know- sociable, ya know."

Before he could say anything else Kakashi had made his way back to them, bringing a handful of toys with him and dumping them at Minato's feet.

"Play." he said and the blonde near-jumped.

"I… I guess I will stay awhile, if that's alright."

"Sure. I mean. Not that I care, ya know. It's fine."

He nodded, cheeks still burning, an inexplicable feeling of heat melting in his chest as he knelt beside Kakashi, ruffling his hair with one hand.

"So this is it, huh?" Mikoto said quietly and leaned back at the tree she was sitting next to.

Minato and Kushina both turned to look at her from where they were lying in the grass, still breathing heavily after their last spar.

"Our last peaceful afternoon." the black-haired girl continued with down-cast eyes, as her hands plucked a dandelion absent-mindedly and she held it before her face, twisting it around.

The other two remained quiet for a while, the silence broken only by the cry of the cicadas. It was a hot summer's day, ideal for time spent by the stream.

"Don't think of it like that, Mikoto-san." Minato said finally, voice heavier than usual.

"How am I supposed to think of it then? We're all getting deployed tomorrow. From now on this…" she said and waved a hand in the general direction of the meadow. "…will be rare… a treasured memory. We'll spend our afternoons in battles at the front, in trenches."

The wind picked up, making the dandelion disperse and sending its seeds flying around them.

"This war will be over in no time and then everything will go back to how it was, ya know!" Kushina said merrily, rising into a sitting position as well. "We'll protect our village and our people and we will be heroes, ya know!" she said through a cheeky grin.

Mikoto smiled softly.

"Heroes are the ones who die for peace." she said through a barely-audible whisper and her eyes directed towards the Memorial Stone at the edge of Training Field Three, hidden by foliage.

Her words hung in the air, as if a shadow had suddenly dimmed the bright sunny day. They had all feared it, even Kushina, who was masking her worries with an enthusiastic smiling face, but Mikoto was the only one to voice it.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't made chūnin… My mother kept telling me that fourteen is too young, but I wanted to prove myself…' Mikoto continued in the ghastly silence. "If we were still genins we wouldn't be sent to the Warfield. Don't get me wrong" she added hastily, seeing Kushina's skeptical look. "I want to protect my village and my friends… but I am not sure I am ready for the horrors of war… to kill scores of people for someone else's ideals. I just want to live like this, like now. I don't want to face tomorrow, I want to stay here… by the river, in the field with the dandelions."

Minato sat up with a sigh.

"If we do not protect our village all of this will be gone. There will be no field with dandelions when we come back. We have to fight for what we cherish… we're not children anymore. We can only do our best so that the generations that come after us will know the peace we knew until now. Just as our predecessors fought to give us that same peace." He said quietly and turned to look at his two friends with a smile. "Besides, we have each other. Nothing will happen to us. One day, when this war is over, we'll come back here and lie down with the dandelions again."

"Promise?" Mikoto's voice was shaky, but held more force than before.

"I do." Minato vowed and stretched a hand out in the air.

"Un! Let's show them the Fire Will of Konoha, ya know!" Kushina exclaimed, putting her hand over Minato's.

Mikoto nodded, adding her hand to theirs with a smile.

Minato felt a hand squeeze his shoulder lightly as he was crouching below the gray memorial stone. He kept his face down, eyes closed, not wanting to face whoever it was giving him consolation.

His mind was painting pictures before his eyes, pictures of the care-free laugh-filled days that his team had spent in times of peace. Tora had been laughing then. He had always laughed, shouting the loudest, charging first. He had been a pain in the ass more often than not, but he had also been fun. He had been a friend. He had been someone who Minato always admired for his strong will and resolve. Minato had always been a few steps ahead of him, excelling in most everything effortlessly, but Tora never gave up chasing after him.

Minato opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the new names engraved in the stone just recently.

Ayame Shino

Oniri Tosaku

Tora Otakebi

He gulped, his fingers tracing his friend's name quietly. The person standing behind him shifted and Minato finally looked back to see Mikoto, standing behind him with her head bowed down. There was a bouquet of white flowers in her one hand, contrasting sharply with her plain black clothes, very much like his own. She had come to mourn too. Her other hand was still on his shoulder, shuddering lightly with the girl's quiet sobs.

Wordlessly, Minato stood up and walked away, giving her a moment of privacy. He had seen the admiration with which Mikoto had looked at Tora and he had come to acknowledge her feelings. Feelings that could never be, he knew full well, because Mikoto had been promised to someone from her own clan upon her birth. That had not stopped her from cherishing Tora, however, and he knew that if there was someone from Team 7 who truly suffered right now it was Mikoto.

He hung his head quietly, cursing this war.

He knocked on the Hokage's office room and waited patiently for his sensei's response. With permission granted, he entered quietly to find Hiruzen Sarutobi standing by the window with his back to him, gazing over the rooftops of Konoha. It was midday and the autumn sun was burning mercilessly, creating a haze over the heated tiles. A trickle of smoke was escaping the Hokage's lips as he sucked on his favourite thin pipe.

"You called for me Hiruzen-sensei." Jiraya said lightly, allowing himself the lower title of 'sensei' when there was no one around – to him Hiruzen Sarutobi would always be the teacher before the Hokage.

The older man turned with a heavy look and nodded, going to sit behind his desk.

"I'm sorry for your loss Jiraya. Tora Otakebi was a talented shinobi. He died with honour." Sandaime said quietly and Jiraya's throat clenched.

He nodded an acknowledgement. In fact his student's death was resulting badly on him. It hadn't been his fault – they had been appointed to completely different divisions – but Jiraya still felt like he had let him down. Like he hadn't managed to teach him well enough for the boy to survive.

Again.

An image of three smiling kids flashed before his eyes. Yahiko. Nagato. Konnan.

Gone.

He quickly cast the thought aside, burying it deep down.

"You did all you could, Jiraya. For the brief period that you taught him, for three years is brief indeed, you were as good a teacher as I ever was. This war was untimely. If the boy was given the chance to train under you further he would have grown to be a strong shinobi, perhaps surpassing his predecessors as well."

"Hokage-sama…" the sudden official title made Hiruzen look at him through a serious face as well. "I believe you didn't call for me to give me condolences."

Sandaime sighed and slowly placed his pipe down.

"Indeed I did not." he said finally in his diplomatic voice. "I called you here, because I have need of your extraordinary talents, Legendary Sannin Jiraya. As you may know, when it comes to open-front wars such as the one we are having now, the intel units are as important as the fighting divisions. With the sharpening of the tensions between the nations, however, our network of informants seems to be faltering. Many capable shinobi do not succeed with their infiltration missions, or if they do, they stop transmitting information shortly after. One disturbing piece of intel that we managed to receive before our informant was taken down, came from Kumogakure. Apparently the Raikage has finally found a compatible host for the Hachibi, but his intentions in the war are still unclear. Unfortunately our knowledge in the matter stops there.

Our biggest problem right now, however, is Iwagakure, who, as you know, we would be facing on the field if the current peace treaty doesn't hold. Their security is heightened and infiltration is nigh impossible. We managed to receive some information about a possible arming of squads around the neutral zones, but things were unclear as our informant was soon rooted out. Sunagakure is also stirring, with prospects of entering the war should it resume, unknown on whose side. With so many variables and unknowns, even my brightest battle strategists are feeling as if asked to gamble rather than devise a plan. We are at a stalemate and I believe that the current peace is taken as an opportunity to restock both sides before continuing." Sarutobi paused for a moment giving Jiraya a long testing look.

"You have, so far, proven yourself to be the best shinobi infiltrator that Konoha has. As powerful a warrior as you are, and as useful an asset as you may be on the field, it is crucial that we set up a new reliable network of intel and I believe that you are most suited for the job. If things don't change… I believe we might be facing a Third Shinobi World War in the future."

The white-haired man nodded. He had expected something of the sort.

"Jiraya of the Legendary Sannin. I appoint you with the S-rank mission to infiltrate the nations of the Lighting, Earth and Wind, and provide us with intel about the enemies' strategies, plans and any other information relevant to the war for as long as it continues. I hereby disband Team 7 from its active duties until the time of your return. Your students will be assigned under a new jōnin leader. Will you accept this mission?"

Jiraya grinned.

"Who else, but me?" he said cheekily and the Hokage smiled through a nod.

"Very well. You are to prepare accordingly in the following day and leave first thing in the morning the day after." Hiruzen sighed and fixed him with a soft look. "We are counting on you, Jiraya. The whole village is counting on you. Good luck."

Jiraya nodded somberly.

"Dismissed."

But the white-haired man stayed rooted to the spot. Sandaime lifted an eyebrow.

"Is there something unclear about the mission I assigned you?"

"No, Hokage-sama, everything is clear." He said and remained silent for a few seconds before continuing. "I request your permission to take on an apprentice."

Silence hung in the room.

"Minato Namikaze?" Sandaime said heavily and Jiraya nodded again.

"He is my brightest and most promising student. I wish to train him further over the course of the next few years while carrying out my mission."

"Our peace treaty is fragile, Jiraya… If the fighting resumes we will need every shinobi in this war…" Sandaime said quietly, his voice trailing off with uncertainty. Jiraya scowled.

"The boy will be an even greater asset if he is allowed to grow into the powerful shinobi he can be. Allow me to nurture him, Hiruzen-sensei, allow me to train him and guide him and if this war is not over by the time I'm back, he will be the one to end it. I believe in him. I… I believe he might be the child of prophecy."

The room fell silent once more as Sandaime picked up his pipe and took a few draws, not taking his eyes off Jiraya.

"Very well…" he said finally in a tired voice. "I shall believe in your judgment as well. With the boy's assent, I assign Minato Namikaze as your apprentice. He is to leave with you the day after tomorrow."

Jiraya grinned in gratitude and bowed his head.

"Thank you, Hiruzen-sensei."

The Hokage smiled warmly.

"Watch over him, Jiraya. If you are right, he might well be the saviour of this world."

The sun was setting slowly, bathing the whole village in a golden colour. Minato could see its rays reflected in the windows of the houses, making them look as if aflame. The Hokage Monument offered a grand view of the entire village, but although it was beautiful, it did not stir him.

His thoughts were far away, still focused on the teammate he had lost. A small tack from behind him announced someone's arrival and Minato already knew who it was without looking, recognising instantly his sensei's familiar chakra signature.

The white-haired man sat next to him wordlessly and directed a stern look at the horizon. They had both arrived back for Tora's funeral, for which Minato was grateful. His sensei's presence was strangely comforting, even in silence, as it happened now.

After what felt as an immeasurable amount of time his sensei sighed and turned to look at him, the same serious look never leaving his face.

"As of today our team has been disbanded." Jiraya started carefully and Minato felt his throat tighten. "I have been assigned a new mission. A prolonged one. I am leaving the day after tomorrow and probably will not return for the next few years."

Minato blinked, his mind refusing to wrap itself around the information presented. He had just lost his teammate, his friend… and now his sensei was leaving too? His sensei, who had been like a father to him through all those years, was leaving now? He tried to hide the sting of pain that the news brought him, averting his eyes to look at his hands instead and managing a stiff nod.

His sensei reached out and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"Minato… Do you want to come with me?"

His eyes widened.

"It will be a few years away from home, but it will be a few years during which you will have my full, undivided attention. I will train you in every shinobi art known to me and share my knowledge best as I could."

Minato stared in disbelief. On the one hand he had Konoha… and Kushina. All the people that he wanted to protect in the war and now he had to leave, not knowing how they can fare without him. He had made a promise with Kushina and Mikoto that they would fight this war together; training now seemed like abandoning this promise and running away.

On the other hand, he had his sensei, his mentor, the Legendary Sannin Jiraya, who he had come to love as a father, offering him the honour of an apprenticeship that some could only dream of.

He bit his lip. He had promised to Kushina that he would never leave. But… he wasn't truly leaving, was he? He would be back in just a few years, stronger than before and able to protect her and the entire village. Protect them as he could not protect Tora now. He would still be helping them in the war, it was a mission that he was setting out with after all, along with his sensei.

Jiraya must have seen the change, for he grinned and tossed his question once again.

"So, Minato Namikaze, do you accept being my apprentice?"

"It would be my honour, Jiraya-sensei." He said with a slight bow of his head and Jiraya laughed loudly.

"Damn right it would be! Hokage-sama already assigned you as such, the question was only a formality." He said through a grin, ruffling the boy's hair.

Minato smiled, feeling the sting of sadness along with his elation. How on Earth was he going to tell Kushina?

"Kushina, Minato is here!" came her mother's voice from the front of the house and the girl stopped arranging her backpack and quickly stood up.

She was supposed to head out of the village again, having been allowed a few days back in Konoha to attend the funerals of a few fellow shinobi in her year. Tora Otakebi, Minato's teammate, had been one of them.

She had met with her friend briefly upon her arrival and they hadn't had the chance to talk much, but that short moment was enough for her to see how much the loss had affected him. Minato's usual warm smile now had a sad tint to it and his eyes held the pain of war. She had expected him to need time to mourn for his friend. Therefore, her mother's announcement made her start before she headed towards the door in quick steps.

Sure enough, Minato was waiting for her, his back now turned to the door, his hands tucked leisurely in his pockets.

"Minato." she breathed and an involuntary smile lit her face, only to be extinguished as he turned to face her and she saw his conflicted expression.

His eyes tightened as he saw her and whatever it was that he was about to say froze in his throat before he had opened his mouth.

"What's wrong?" she said quietly, deciding that this pain was something new, unrelated to Tora.

The blond boy sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"Walk with me?" he said through a deceptively calm voice and she could only nod before putting on her sandals and following him down the lane.

He stayed quiet for awhile, walking aimlessly as if deep in thought. Kushina decided, against all the curiosity and worry welling up, to remain quiet and give him time to think.

Finally, when crossing one of the many red wooden bridges over the Konoha river, Minato stopped and leaned over the railings. Kushina did likewise, stealing a side-glance at him. Finally, when the silence seemed to stretch unbearably long, Minato sighed.

"Kushina… I..." he began, but choked on the words.

"What is it, Minato, just spit it out already, ya know!"

The boy straightened his back. "Jiraya-sensei was assigned an extended mission outside the border of the Land of Fire. He is leaving tomorrow and he has offered me to join him as his apprentice for the next four years." He said slowly and turned to face her with a stern look. "I accepted."

A gust of wind swirled the branches around them, making the old wooden bridge creek.

Kushina stared, numb to everything around her. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to find the proper words.

"You said you wouldn't leave." she said finally in a hollow voice.

"I won't. I am not leaving, Kushina, I will be away for awhile, but I will be back before you know it. And I will be stronger than before and I-" he paused, his hands clenching in fists. "-I will be able to protect those who matter to me. I will protect everyone."

Kushina nodded and wordlessly turned to go, leaving a dumb-struck Minato alone on the bridge.

The morning was a pleasant one, the sun barely having made it above the horizon. The northwest gate of the village walls was empty, save for the small party that had gathered there to send Minato and Jiraya off.

Tsunade had appeared, bringing two fully-equipped medical kits for both of them, accompanied by Sakumo-sensei, who wanted to wish them luck and safe travels. Mikoto had also arrived after a few minutes, replacing the tear-stricken face from yesterday with an encouraging smile, telling Minato how much stronger he will grow by the time they meet again. Minato smiled in gratitude and nodded absent-mindedly.

She hadn't come. She wouldn't come, he had known it since yesterday, but he realised now with a pang of pain that he had still hoped. Mikoto noticed his downed spirits, but didn't ask further, having guessed the source of his unease. After a few more minutes of brief discussions between Jiraya and Sakumo, Jiraya sighed, inspected the streets with a quick look, and armed his backpack.

"Come on, kid, let's head out. Morning's not getting any brighter."

Minato nodded and picked up his own heavy backpack.

"Thank you for coming, Mikoto. Take care, okay?"

The black-haired girl, however, didn't look at him, focusing on something behind him instead and smiling.

He quickly turned, his eyes immediately locking on the small running figure, fiery hair dancing behind her with each step. Minato couldn't stop the smile from spilling on his face as he stepped forward to meet her.

Kushina stopped a few feet before him and doubled over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"You came." He said lamely, not knowing how else to start the conversation after their awkward parting yesterday.

"Of course I did, dummy." she said through heavy breaths and straightened her back, giving him a cheeky smile.

"Thank you." he murmured, trying to embed in the words how very much this meant to him.

"Don't thank me, ya know. I came only to tell you that if you go back on your words I'll kill you. So you better stay alive, ya know! We have a challenge, so don't you dare back out! I'll be fighting you over the title for Hokage one day, ya know!" she exclaimed and put her hands on her hips.

Despite everything, Minato found himself laughing.

"You know I won't step down that easily" he said finally through a grin and Kushina's expression softened.

"Here" she said, taking something out of her pocket and handing it to him. He took it curiously, glancing down at what appeared to be a yellow slip of paper. His lips spread in a smile even before Kushina waved a seal before her and the paper started folding in a familiar way. Soon, in his hand stood a perfect life-like miniature of a bright sun. Similar to his own gift, the origami pulsated with Kushina's embedded chakra, almost radiating warmth. His smile grew larger, throat clamping up as he held onto the little sun, her gift meaning more to him than anything he had ever been given.

"There see, it has the same colour as your hair too." She teased and he chuckled, before she added through blazing cheeks "And it's also warm, like your smile. It will be warm as long as I'm fine, ya know, so that you can know I'm safe too. It's my promise. That I will wait for you."

Minato couldn't believe his ears, a sudden warm feeling spreading within him, a feeling that he hadn't felt before, or if he had, he hadn't truly acknowledged. His new revelation left him tongue-tied, but Kushina didn't let it register.

"So you better come back faster, ya know!" she finished and as usual, aimed a light punch at his shoulder.

The blond boy was just about to chuckle and thank her when she did the most unexpected thing – she stepped closer and quickly pecked his cheek, before once again turning around wordlessly and running off. Minato stared after her, frozen in place, his cheeks burning and his whole face once again 'as red as that damned girl's hair.'

Chapter Text

"Here we are again, kid."

"After all this time… It's good to be back."

Jiraya grinned, eyeing the peaceful smile on his student's face. Standing at the top of the Hokage monument, eyes closed and hands in his pockets, hair dancing in the wind wildly, Minato Namikaze was radiating joy. Far below, Konoha had started to stir with the first sunrays.

"Well, we better be off, Sandaime will expect a report as soon as he hears we're back. Might as well surprise the old man early on."

Minato nodded and crouched down, placing a hand on the stone representation of Sandaime's lock of hair. A shadowy seal crawled from his palm, nestling in a crack in the rocks. Jiraya grinned.

"Planning a visit again, ah?"

"You know me much too well, sensei."

The Hokage scowled, eyebrows mashing together in distaste, as he inspected another report, this one from the medical unit of Division 5 on the border with Suna. Amongst the many losses that had reduced the efficiency of their team over the last year, there were new problems added – the medics were running out of supplies. And with Suna's altered invasion plans, supplying any of the units of Divisions 5 and 2 had grown increasingly difficult.

He had to admit the Kazekage had stepped things up – the man was causing serious problems ever since Sunagakure joined the war, renewing the hostilities short of a year ago. Now their attacks, mostly of sabotage nature, were leaving his forces crippled. His ninja were invading rather than attacking head on, assassinating the much needed medics and cutting off their supply lines.

Hiruzen sighed in annoyance and tossed the paper aside; he already knew the information; he had read it twice. His fingers kept drumming on his desk absent-mindedly as he picked up another report from Division Three, recently relocated to the border with Iwa. His eyes were skipping over the contents and he realised soon that he wasn't getting anything of what was written – his mind was still coiling around the situation with Suna, worry gnawing on him like a worm might an apple.

He had sent what he deemed to be the most appropriate teams for the job, being given the task to counter the Kazekage's shrewd plans, but he still felt like he wasn't doing enough. He wasn't helping enough. He couldn't be everywhere.

Despite the brief period of strained peace, the last three years hadn't felt calm at all. None of the Great Nations had made any steps towards demilitarizing their units, nor had they retreated from the front lines fully. Everyone had been prepared to launch back into militant activities as soon as a good enough cause presented itself.

Sunagakure announcing war on Konoha had been an excellent such occasion for Iwagakure to rejoin the fight as well.

For almost a year now they had been forced to lead a war on two fronts. Too long, he thought. His people were exhausted and hungry for peace, which didn't seem possible in the near future. The casualties were growing, as were the defeats, and Konohagakure soon found itself pressed for men and funds. The Land of Fire was losing territories at the Iwa border, being forced on the defence for the past few weeks and now things had started to deteriorate with Suna as well.

The man closed his eyes and lifted a hand to massage his temples, feeling the oncoming headache. All in all, things were not going well for Konoha and it felt like he – the Hokage who was supposed to protect everyone – was not helping enough.

Part of the nagging feeling came from the fact that he couldn't leave. Being the village's protector entitled residing within the village at all times, regardless of the situation on the borders, dealing with paperwork instead of actual enemies and anticipating a direct attack on the village that could never come.

"All this paperwork is making you lose it, Hiruzen-sensei."

Sandaime smiled.

"Jiraya." He said and the relief was evident in his voice as he turned to the windows behind him to find the white haired man sitting leisurely in the window sill. "We hadn't expected you back so soon."

The Sannin grinned.

"A hero always arrives unexpected."

Hiruzen found himself chuckling despite the serious situation at hand.

"I've been keeping tabs on some of the reports in and out of the villages where I could, Konoha included. Looks like this war isn't going too well." Jiraya said in a somewhat sombre voice.

The Hokage slowly took out his pipe from a drawer and lit it wordlessly, getting up from his chair to stand next to his student and look over the rooftops of Konoha. His one hand, out of habit, clenched a light fist behind his back, while the other raised the pipe to his mouth for a draw.

"I'm afraid so." He said slowly, suddenly aware of how old and tired his voice sounded. Like that of a man who had lived through it all. "We lost many good shinobi and still there's little prospect of change… or, if there is, it's most unfavourable." He murmured, smoke trickling past his lips.

"There is still time to change things for the better, now that the strongest and brightest shinobi in Konoha has returned." Jiraya said, a grin on his lips once again.

Hiruzen had to suppress the urge to chuckle again. His student certainly had some eloquence to describe himself.

"Jiraya, you know the intel that you have been providing us with has saved many lives and secured many victories, I still need you out there, now more than ever."

Jiraya would indeed be a formidable addition to the front, but his skills were more needed elsewhere.

"Actually, sensei…" Jiraya said and mischief twinkled in his eyes. "This time, I wasn't talking about myself at all."

Minato sighed realizing where his feet had taken him unintentionally. He had spent the largest part of an hour wandering aimlessly around the village, enjoying being back for the first time in what appeared to be a little over three years.

Despite having been an interesting journey, it had felt like ages spent away from his dearest place and somehow the feeling of longing for his village had never dulled.

He glanced around absent-mindedly, taking a mental note of all he saw, observation skills kicking in by habit. Things hadn't changed much; buildings were mostly the same, slightly altered here and there, renovated or retouched. Some new shops had sprung up across the main street, newer stalls replacing old ones, temporary markets opening at corners to accommodate the wares of refugees.

Difference marked the eyes of people, however, hiding in stooped postures and hollow faces and in hurried steps. He had to repress a sigh. Despite being away from the gruesome warfronts, the dire situation was taxing for everyone, even for the civilians who lived in relatively peaceful areas. The war spared no one the pain.

The absence of familiar faces only fed into the creeping feeling of alienation – he had assumed that most of his friends and teammates had been sent to different warfronts to defend the country of Fire, and so far he seemed to have been correct.

He made his way down a familiar path, straying away from the bustling streets and nearing the greener outer regions of Konoha. The song of the cicadas was high and shrill here, complimenting the rustle of the trees all about. Leaves danced merrily with the warm summer breeze, whispering the melody that gave Konoha its name – the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

How much he'd missed that, too.

His legs had carried him towards the training fields without thinking, having picked the route out of habit after many afternoons spent there with Kushina. He sighed and ran a hand carelessly through his hair, thoughts wandering to his friend, a bout of nervousness overcoming him at once.

Would she be happy to see him again? Or would she have forgotten all about him, outgrowing the childish affection she had felt for a friend who had promised he'd never leave and had still done just that? Would it be rude to drop in unannounced after all this time or should he wait for her to hear he was back?

And would she even be in Konoha now, with the war going on?

He didn't realise when he had reached their favourite training field, still mulling over fervent thoughts, when his attention was pinned by a frazzled chakra signature up ahead and he paused in surprise. A small figure was moving in between the wooden posts, throwing shuriken and kunai at targets with surprising accuracy.

Minato could only stare. The kid, for a kid it surely was, had developed impressive accuracy for such a tender age – he couldn't have been older than five. If that hadn't shocked him enough, he was downright flabbergasted when the child ran up the one wooden post, gathering chakra at his feet and using his momentum to aim more kunai at the post to his right.

Using chakra manipulation at this age? Just who was this kid?

"You'll swallow a cicada if you keep that up, boy." Said an amused voice from beside him and Minato turned around with a start, having been too fixated on the boy to notice the approaching chakra signature.

"Sakumo-sensei." Minato acknowledged with a smile, "I hadn't expected to see you here."

"As glad as I am to see you again after all those years, I have to return the remark, Minato-kun. We hadn't expected your return until after the year's end. Is Jiraya with you? Has something happened?"

Minato shook his head with a reassuring smile.

"No emergencies. Jiraya-sensei decided to visit Konoha earlier though… we've been hearing about the course that the war is taking." The blond man said cautiously.

The white-haired man sighed, adopting a serious look.

"Ah… yes, any help is welcome in times like these. I shouldn't be too surprised, the situation has been rapidly deteriorating in the past few months... and we do seem to always need more men. It's a rare sight to see a capable shinobi in the village proper these days."

Minato raised an eyebrow pointedly at him and Sakumo had to chuckle.

"Hey now, don't give me that look, I'm simply visiting. Gotta keep an eye on my son every now and then, don't I?" the white-haired man said through a grin, gesturing towards the still-training boy, obviously enjoying the startled look of recognition that entered Minato's eyes.

He turned to the child again, noting the familiar silver hair.

"Kakashi? He's grown."

Sakumo laughed.

"Like a weed. Feels like only yesterday he was waddling around."

Minato nodded, his eyes following the silver-haired boy as he aimed a blunt kunai at a distant target, hitting a near bull's eye without breaking a sweat.

"He's come a long way from waddling though, it would seem." The blonde said with a smile, "To be able to manipulate chakra at such an early age, he's incredibly skilful. Have you been training him personally?"

Sakumo sighed and turned to the boy as well, look following him fondly across the meadow.

"Whenever I can. I can't be here for him always… But I dare say the boy was born talented and with wits on top of it all. He progresses well on his own, as far as basic techniques go. In fact, I believe he will be able to graduate the academy by the end of the year."

"At such a young age?" Minato couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

It was unusual for a child to be enrolled so early in the academy at all, not to mention graduating. Kakashi was undoubtedly a prodigy, but entering the shinobi system at such an early age…

"Well… You've been away from the village so you wouldn't know, but the academy graduation age dropped considerably due to the war and now stands at an average of nine years. Kakashi is advanced in his preparation, but even so he will graduate with only three years of a head start. It won't be a bad thing, seeing as he has already mastered most of the basics taught by the academy and since I can't be here always to guide him further, the only logical solution would be to find a sensei for him until he is of age to join a team."

Minato nodded slowly. He had already known about the dropped graduation age; it was a standard procedure during war, the same having happened during the Second Shinobi World War when the graduation age had been dropped to ten. The village needed the funds from missions to maintain the military state during war and with most chūnin being sent on the battle-field, missions became a priority for available genin, thus resulting in a more intensive academy tuition and an earlier graduation age.

Now things had escalated further. He had to acknowledge the rightness of Sakumo's words however, even after observing Kakashi for no more than a few minutes – the boy had clearly mastered what the academy had to offer and was ready to be placed below a jōnin for further development.

Minato smiled.

"You must be very proud, Sakumo-sensei, your son lives up to his father's reputation. I'm glad to see he is doing so well."

His warm words caused the older man to smile too and nod in agreement and gratitude for the praise.

"You've grown too, kid. Why you're almost as tall as me now! Has Jiraya been watering you?"

Minato grinned.

"You could say so."

"You're finally taller than Kushina, for one. And by a lot I'd say." The white-haired man continued merily and Minato felt his heart skip a bit, eyes widening at the words.

Sakumo's smile mellowed out.

"She'll be happy to know you're back already, you know."

"Is… is she in the village?"

"'Afraid not. She's at the Iwa border, got deployed recently as reinforcements to a squad that lost a lot of men. She's doing well, don't fret. In fact, she's one of the few chūnin that are regularly in the village and away from all the fighting, the so-called Home-Defence squad. Her deployment now was more an exception than the norm. As I said… not enough shinobi to go around. She will be back in no time though, worry not."

Minato nodded, filing away any further thoughts on the matter. Having a small force of defending shinobi to protect the village was all well and good but… that role usually fell to ANBU – they protected the Hokage and the village itself against any sudden enemies that might penetrate the frontal defense. Having powerful chūnin, such as Kushina, withheld from the battlefield, when there was a need for men was… odd. And in line with certain suspicions he had harboured for a long time.

He cast the thought aside for now and was just about to thank the man for reassuring him when he felt the wisps of a well-concealed chakra signature down the path. He turned around just in time to see an ANBU land before him and Sakumo on one knee.

"Sakumo Hatake and Minato Namikaze, your presence has been requested by the Hokage immediately."

"Thank you, we will meet with him right away." The white-haired man said, adopting the serious expression of a seasoned war veteran.

With a last glance at the silver-haired boy, Minato leaped up in the tree branches and sped up towards the Hokage Tower.

Five pairs of eyes fixed on Minato and himself as they entered the Hokage office and somehow Sakumo just knew. Something had happened; something bad.

He quickly scanned the room, glancing from one face to another. Jiraya was leaning against a wall with a harsh look, while Shikaku Nara stooped over the Hokage's desk, now full of scrolls and maps. Shikadai's son had proven himself to be an ingenious strategist in his father's absence.

Sandaime himself bore a cold look under furrowed eyebrows, urgency seeping in his voice as he turned back to the ANBU kneeling before him.

"Assemble the squad by tomorrow morning at the latest and set out immediately. Dismissed." He said with a harsh ring in his tone and the man left with a quick nod.

Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi turn towards the two newcomers, tired eyes fixing first on him and then on Minato, look lingering on the blond boy for longer than usual. The white-haired man glanced at the chūnin openly as well, noting narrowed eyes and stiff posture – he too had sensed something was afoot.

"Hokage-sama" Minato said quietly, inclining his head again in respect for the village's leader.

His voice was very different than the warm manner in which they had conversed mere minutes ago. Quiet, but clear, it was a voice able to hold attention. A voice able to influence. A voice able to command.

"I trust you have managed to rest from your travels, Minato-kun." The Hokage began and Minato nodded in return. "I wished I could have welcomed you in a friendlier manner, but the time and circumstances won't allow it. As it is, I have called you both for a mission. I received a report less than an hour ago, that a fresh wave of reinforcements has been sent out against our shinobi at the Iwa border."

The man paused before turning to Shikaku and the dark-haired man sighed.

"The enemy's intel has been thorough; their men seem to be headed towards our most weakened squad. Fending them off without reinforcements will be… hard. Iwa's likely to try breaching our line and pushing into our land and with the cut supply lines, Squad 15 of our third division is currently weakly supplied and suffering a loss of men, barely holding off their ground as it is."

Sakumo's eyes widened as he felt the air rush out of him in a huff. "Squad 15! But that's-"

Hizashi. Kushina.

He suddenly understood why they were called in such a short notice and why this was causing such panic already. It wasn't just about the men that would perish at the hands of the increased Iwa forces – it was the village's Jinchūriki that was at stake. And perish she would, he knew it already, for Kushina would never abandon her friends even if it meant her life.

From the corner of his eyes he saw recognition enter Minato's look as he took into account the white-haired man's reaction.

"Every squad within radius is facing a similar threat in their own turn and is unable to aid them without leaving territories unprotected. According to the information we last received, the reinforcements should be somewhere here." The black-haired man said and tapped a finger on the map, indicating a rocky isolated pass in the mountains between the lands of Fire and Earth. "Our men were pushed back to here, right before the mountain pass. The Iwa relief should be there sometime tomorrow evening or during the night. It's safe to assume they'd attack sometime later… my bet would be the late hours of the night after going over their own formations and plans. If reinforcements of our own are to leave right away and move at top speed, they can reach the Mountain Pass by morning the day after tomorrow. We can only hope that Squad 15 will be able to hold out until then, although…"

Sakumo gulped.

He knew the odds. He had been following the situation with Squad 15 ever since his two students had been sent as a part of the reinforcement unit. Hizashi, recently appointed jōnin, had assumed control, trying to make use of their limited resources and Kushina had been stationed as one of their few remaining defensive shinobi. Knowing how ill-supplied they were and how unprepared to meet long-ranged attacks… Iwa would probably resort to long-range offensive, as they were known to do. And Kushina would be the only one to stand between their attacks and her squad.

And she wouldn't back down.

"I've ordered the formation of a reinforcement squad as soon as possible." Hiruzen Sarutobi said quietly, "But most men are currently away from the village, returning later today or during the night. The full assembly will take too long and at the moment time is of the essence."

"I'll leave right away." Sakumo stepped up, not caring if the Hokage needed him as an advisor right now.

To his surprise, however, Sandaime nodded.

"That's why I have called you, Sakumo. You and Minato are to depart immediately for the Tokutsukai pass to aid our men and hold the enemy back until our own reinforcements arrive and push them back. From what little intel we have I'm afraid the odds wouldn't be good; they are like to outnumber you at least four to one. Minato, I hear from Jiraya that you have perfected a few techniques of your own that will be helpful when facing greater numbers?"

The boy nodded again. "Yes, Hokage-sama. With Sakumo-san's help we should be able to defeat them easily enough."

The Hatake found himself looking at the blonde curiously once again. There was no arrogance or conceit in his voice, only conviction, as if he had stated an obvious fact.

A snicker broke the following silence and looks directed at Jiraya, who spoke up for the first time, a large grin on his face.

"Knowing you, brat, you won't let Sakumo enjoy even half the pie."

Minato frowned in a non-serious manner.

"You give me too much credit, sensei."

The Toad Sannin chuckled, but chose to remain silent as the Hokage cleared his throat.

"Right then. Sakumo Hatake, Minato Namikaze, I appoint you with the A-rank mission of providing relief for Squad 15 of Division 3 of the Konoha forces, located at the Tokutsukai pass. You are to leave immediately after your short preparations and are to remain there until the new squad arrives and takes up their position, escorting the injured shinobi of Squad 15 safely home."

When both shinovi nodded Sandaime turned towards the desk and picked up a scroll, handing it to Minato. "Those are medical supplies that might be of use to the medics at the border, seeing as their supply line has been cut off. Speak with Tsunade, she'll provide everything listed down. You'll find her at the hospital."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." He said, taking the scroll and tucking it in a pocket of his chūnin vest.

The Hokage paused briefly before smiling, somewhat sadly.

"I believe there is no need to tell you that speed is of the utmost importance."

The blond boy nodded again.

"That will be all then, Minato-kun. Dismissed."

Minato threw a quick glance at Sakumo, having noted that he was the only one being dismissed at this point.

"Meet you at the northwest gates in half an hour." Sakumo murmured and Minato nodded before exiting the office.

The White Fang sighed.

"That boy…" he began quietly and shot a look at Jiraya, who just kept grinning at him. "How strong has he become, Jiraya?"

"Strong enough." The Sannin said cryptically through a grin.

The jōnin's lips twitched in a smile before he directed a look at the Hokage.

"I suppose you have another mission for me."

"Indeed. I want you to observe Minato Namikaze's every action during this mission. You'll have to be his chief evaluator. I expect you to asses his progress, determine his rank and report to me."

Sakumo nodded. He had expected as much. War left little time for official test – field promotions were standard protocol.

"And one more thing." The aged man before him said and paused, eyes narrowing in a heavy look, "Bring her back Sakumo, regardless of her physical condition. I should have never deployed her on the front lines. I fear that Iwa might have chosen to attack her squad for other reasons than convenience. If she falls in enemy hands this might be the end of Konoha."

"So this is it, ah, kid?" Jiraya asked through a mild smile, leaning casually at the gate, a backpack of his own in one hand.

He was leaving as well, having felt as if this nasty situation was partially his fault – if he had checked in with his informants on time instead of detouring home, he might have found out about Iwa's reinforcements much earlier, giving Sandaime more time to plan an effective defence. He sighed inwardly, knowing that he had stalled enough – it was time to leave. His eyes directed to his student again.

Minato's smile was ever-warm, but the Sannin could see the subtle sadness hidden underneath it all, now mixing with agitation for the situation at hand. He had been the one to teach him how to hide his emotions after all – he could still read the boy well enough.

No, he thought suddenly with a tint of pride, not a boy anymore. A man.

"You say it with such finality, Jiraya-sensei." The blond man said in a scolding manner. "I shall expect to see you soon enough, as long as you don't lose your head in those bath houses."

"Bah! As if I'd choose to visit before enjoying a nice bath devoted to my research." His sensei said through a grin. "You hold yourself high, brat."

The boy shook his head with a smile. "If you continue in that particular area of research you won't have another choice but to return, with a room at the Konoha Hospital. You won't have me saving you this time after all."

"Such insolence!" Jiraya scoffed but then grinned again. "It would appear I have taught you well."

"Indeed you have, sensei." Minato said through yet another smile made of warmth and, for the first time, extended a hand for farewell. "Thank you."

Jiraya stared for a few seconds before grinning back and shaking his hand.

"What's the situation?" she asked, squinting through the darkness.

"They are spreading out in formation. It should begin soon." Hizashi Hyūga whispered from her right in a strained voice, following the enemy's movements closely through his byakugan.

His eyes were easily able to observe the Iwa troops across the field, even behind their trenches, with little difficulty, despite the pressing darkness.

Kushina nodded, thanking inwardly that she had been deployed along with her teammate. She had learned to rely on him and his invaluable dōjutsu, knowing that in this situation it had been his skill that had given them enough time to set up a decent defence.

Well, as decent as it could be, under the circumstances.

It was nearing dawn now. Squad 15 had fallen near silent, having taken their positions in the trenches and preparing for the inevitable attack, with only a few people still going around and making final preparations. Everything around them was still to the point of being unnerving.

She felt her throat tighten, knowing well that they stood little chance as things were right now – if Iwa attacked they could barely hold the Pass, much less defeat them and with no reinforcements of their own being spotted, the battle was pretty much pre-decided.

That didn't stop her from burning with grim determination, same as her fellow comrades – they would hold the line as long as they could and die for it if they had to, taking down with them as many Iwa opponents as they could. A part of her kept pondering what her death would mean for Konoha, with her circumstances being a bit more complicated.

She tossed the thought aside. Right now she was not a Jinchūriki. She was a shinobi protecting her village and her people.

She glanced to her left quickly and a scowl shadowed her face, cursing inwardly at the horrible situation that presented itself in the young boy by her side. It was one thing for her to die, but Kemuri Sarutobi… he was just a kid, barely having made chūnin at fourteen and already deployed to the front after his own insistence. Kushina could only guess how Sandaime might have felt upon having to send out his eldest son to the battlefield.

But Kemuri was a shinobi of Konoha now, who had as much right to defend it as anyone else. Heck, some could say even more, with his relation to the Hokage. It wasn't like the boy wasn't skilful, but he was inexperienced and much too hyped for battle, underestimating his enemy's potential and overestimating his own. And if Kushina had learned anything from this war, it was that such self-confidence and vehemence led to an early end.

She gulped.

Kemuri was a sweet boy, even if he was a boisterous loudmouth; he was passionate about his village, much like his own father. Much like her. It was too early for him to go, before having tasted so much of life.

The boy felt her look and turned to her with a smile, giving her a thumbs up. Her own smile was strained, but he didn't seem to notice, turning back to peer into the darkness and try to make out the enemy's line. She clenched her fist involuntarily, vowing to herself that if she could, she would protect this boy – that if anyone should live from Squad 15 it would be him.

Footsteps came from behind them and they all turned to look at the light-haired man approaching them quietly, long hair pulled back in a pony-tail. He kneeled next to them, tired look marring a pale face and even in the dim light Kushina could make out the deep shadows under his eyes.

"Last minute check-ups, is everyone okay? Do you need a mend-up?" he asked through a dry hoarse voice and Kushina had to wonder how many people he had managed to heal in his current state.

He was most likely running on will-power alone right now, having depleted his chakra to minimum levels. What was worse, Dan Kato wasn't a medic nin – no one there was. Iwa had done a brilliant job at picking off their medics first. Dan was the only one left who at least knew some of medical ninjutsu, thanks to his association with Tsunade-sama, and was doing his best to put it to good use, even if it cost him abnormal amounts of chakra, the man not having mastered chakra efficiency for complex medical techniques.

But his help was vital. And he had taken it to heart.

The red-haired girl shook her head quickly, along with Hizashi and Kemuri.

"Your chakra levels are dangerously low, Dan, take a soldier pill." Hizashi said quietly, having noticed the obvious through his byakugan.

Dan shook his head.

"With the supply line cut off, we're running low on these as it is. I will need them for trying to heal people after the battle." He said and Kushina frowned.

She bit her tongue against what she thought they were all thinking – there likely wouldn't be an "after the battle". And if there was, she expected heavy injuries that Dan probably wouldn't be able to handle, not even with baskets of soldier pills at hand.

"Good luck. Stay alive and all that. Don't cause me too much work afterwards." Dan said through a smile and stood up to walk further down the line.

Well if they were dead they wouldn't cause work anyway.

Her throat tightened with the bitter thought and she felt a stab of guilt. An image of her parents appeared before her eyes, followed by that of a blond boy, smiling warmly as he always had. A distant memory from a carefree childhood. A treasured memory. A promise. Would he know if she died now? Would he be angry with her for breaking their promise? Would he mourn her?

Questions flooded her mind, along with regret. Yes, she would die for her village if she must, but she had wanted – oh how much she had wanted – to at least see her friend's smile one last time.

"Kushina-neechan." Kemuri's quiet voice came from beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts and she directed a look at the young boy. He was grinning. "Will you go out on a date with me?"

She laughed. As absurd as the situation was, she couldn't help but laugh at the child's persistence. He had taken a liking to her from the very first day since he had joined Squad 15 and they had become good friends. His childish question was directed at her every now and then and she would usually ruffle his hair or flick his forehead telling him that he has to grow up a few more years before asking women such questions. He would always pout and claim to be a man grown already, despite reaching up to her shoulder.

Her chest tightened.

"Tell you what, Kemuri-kun, after this battle, when we are back in Konoha, I will go out on a date with you."

The boy's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"I promise."

Kemuri whooped joyfully, throwing a victorious fist in the air.

"Alright! Let's get this over with, I have a date, yo!" the child said excitedly with a grin.

Kushina only smiled. If this promise kept him alive then she would promise it all over again.

"I will take you to Ichir-" he began, but a hand from Hizashi cut him off, silencing both of them immediately.

Kushina felt the chill running through her body, the familiar tension before an upcoming battle already nestled in her stomach. Hizashi made a high tooting whistle twice – the signal. They were moving out. Fire coursed through her body, chakra swirling at her fingertips, senses sharpened to the world around. Kemuri had paled next to her. It was his first open-field battle, she realised, and quickly found herself wishing she had given him more advice.

It was too late for that now.

The quiet sound of light footsteps up ahead reached her ears. They were approaching rapidly, nearly reaching a distance suitable for the first wave of attacks – the long-ranged ones. Her body tensed.

"So it begins."

Smoke was rising up ahead through the dusk, drifting from the distant battle-field. Shikaku had been right, the battle had already begun during the night. Minato sped up, hands clenching into fists, as he prayed silently that they hadn't been too late.

Beside him Sakumo sped up as well with grim determination in his eyes. They had run for more than a day now, taking only small breaks to regain strength before dashing again. The older man's stamina was good, but his speed was considerably slower and the blonde found himself slowing down to match the jōnin's speed. As urgent as the situation was, he knew he needed Sakumo to counter the enemy forces efficiently. Even so, their pace had been good and they were now only a few miles away.

It happened out of nowhere.

A bright light erupted far ahead, momentarily engulfing the horizon in blinding intensity. Minato and Sakumo both stopped abruptly, perching on branches and covering their eyes with a hand. Then followed the blast – a deafening roar that could only indicate an explosion of dangerous proportions. Branches and leaves snapped as the blast wave hit them even at such a distance, whooshing past and leaving a frightening calm behind, ears ringing from the sound.

"Kushina!" the name rolled off his tongue without him thinking, and then "Release!"

The weight seals etched across the skin of his ankles released with a sizzle and he shot ahead forward, a blur through the trees, leaving the other jōnin well behind.

Her adamantium chains rattled as another shaft of explosive kunai hit the barrier, going off behind the protective chakra wall. Kushina felt the drain in her chakra stocks almost immediately, each blow having turned almost palpable, sapping her of strength. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her neck, her breathing turning laboured as she fought the trembling in her hands.

Her barrier stood tall, showing no sign of her weakened state; she'd hold it in place until her last breath. She was the only defence shinobi left to their squad and she'd be damned if she didn't do her job well.

Despite having the advantage in numbers, the enemy had stopped just within range for distant attacks and was now mercilessly flinging techniques at the chakra wall that she had extended to protect her comrades where the trenches and sparse Earth walls weren't enough.

Chakra chains were shooting out of both her arms, hanging in the air before them, tangled messily, forming an invisible barrier between the two armies. It was a powerful defence, but it also required abnormal quantities of chakra that only an Uzumaki could afford. Even so, she was starting to run low.

Water, Fire, Lightning and even Wind techniques battered at the barrier, mixed with explosive kunai that all diminished her strength further and the drain on her chakra stocks soon turned into physical pain, a new stab with every attack she repelled. They wanted to drain her, she realized, attacking from a distance on purpose to neutralize their only defensive shinobi before they moved in for an open clash. Hizashi had tried sending a small team to flank them while they were at it, but their men had been intercepted, pinning them back in place.

That left them with long-range attacks in their own turn, but Iwa's Doton barriers blocked their attempts well enough.

Another round of explosive kunai hit the barrier, blasting against it with a dull echo, the sound as if coming from underwater, somewhere far off. But she felt the energy drain, chakra chains rattling as it went. She gritted her teeth, leg wobbling, causing her to drop down on one knee.

"Kushina-neechan!" Kemuri shouted from somewhere beside her.

"I'm fine, Kemuri-kun, keep your eyes on the enemy." She growled and felt the fire coursing through her muscles as she pushed to get back up.

"Kushina, this is absurd, drop this barrier, you're running out of chakra already! Let us dodge their attacks as best we could, force them into close-combat and defeat as many as we can. You can't protect us forever, this is a stale-mate, they won't stop until your chakra is spent!" Hizashi said quickly, flinging a set of explosive kunai at the enemy, the blades passing effortlessly out of her barrier – it had taken her awhile but she had learned how to make it one-sided.

"They have the advantage of numbers, ya know!" she shouted back over the sound of the battle, "If I drop it they'll force us to dodge and separate us! They'll take us out individually, ya know, we won't be able to hold the pass! At least this way we're buying time for reinforcements to arrive!"

"They're not coming, Kushina! Save what chakra you have left and let us fend them off!" the Hyūga said before nearing her with a stern look, "Need I remind you what will happen if you fall? You should flee before it's too late, Konoha can't afford to lose you-" he hissed in a lower voice, unheard by those around her.

Anger sparked within her, along with indignation.

"I'm not running away, ya know! There are innocent people whose lives depend on us, Hizashi! If Iwa break through and invade they'll slaughter anyone in their path, shinobi or not!"

Hizashi's nostrils flared.

"This is about more than just a goddamn Mountain Pass-"

"I will not back down, Hizashi!"

Anger was swirling within her, revitalising her with its spark, clouding her vision near-red. Having her team know of her… circumstances… was inevitable, but the way they treated her at times, as if she was a tool rather than a fellow shinobi, was enough to make her lose her calm. Her thoughts jumped to the fox uninvited now, temptation zinging on the inside before she quickly shut it down.

Yes, the fox was a giant mass of chakra, but it was also an entity consumed by hatred and malevolence; she couldn't control it. Attempting to draw on its chakra now would most likely cost her comrades' lives instead of protecting them.

Hizashi drew himself up at full height beside her and she somehow knew what would follow even before he began.

"Kushina Uzumaki, as Squad 15's Commander, I command you to-" he started before stopping midway, hearing the sudden hush.

As if on cue, all of the Iwa shinobi seized attacks, a deathly quiet settling over their front line, unsettling enough to cause goose-bumps to crawl down Kushina's spine. She fixed the opposite site with an uneasy look, same as her teammate beside her, squinting to see through the dust. It was already dawn, the first sunrays illuminating the horizon, making it easier to make out their enemy line.

A black-haired man stepped in front of the other Iwa shinobi, his long red cloak flapping in the wind. Below it he wore a standard shinobi uniform, an Iwagakure forehead protector strapped to his arm. She didn't know why his presence suddenly filled her with dread, calm demeanour and small smirk causing her to tense up.

He raised his arms, forming seals, and Kushina felt panic surge through her, feeling already the upcoming attack, knowing that it would be different in magnitude. This man hadn't attacked until now, he had waited long enough for her to be at her weakest.

A white small ball appeared in the man's hands, seemingly constructed of nothing more but energy and chakra. A light transparent triangular shape surrounded it, with its tip pointed towards the barrier. Her eyes widened just as Hizashi sucked in a breath beside her. They knew this technique; they knew this bloodline. There were few who didn't.

"RETREAT" the Hyūga shouted at the same time as the Tsuchikage's son shouted "Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu" and flung the technique towards her barrier.

Too slow, she thought as she saw the pulsating ball of chakra flying towards her.

Too slow, as her comrades barely managed to jump back, some of them rooted to the spot with confused expressions on their faces.

Too slow, as Kemuri yanked on her arm before Hizashi wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled him back, shouting at her to move.

The compressed energy ball hit her barrier with such intensity that Kushina fell to her knees, feeling the chains rattling under it, bending, giving in, her energy melting with her attempt to hold them in place. The chakra barrier shone bright in the morning light as the technique collided with it with a clear high ring.

And then the world exploded into a blinding white light. She felt the blast wave pick her up, everything spinning around her madly, making her lose all sense of direction and time.

The next thing she knew was silence. Blissful peaceful silence engulfed her along with a feeling of timelessness. She dimly remembered a fight. A barrier. A Blast. It all seemed so far away.

Feeling returned to her limbs gradually and the feeling of weightlessness disappeared, making her far too aware of her heavy limbs, tangled in a weird angle below her. She was lying sideways on a cold stony surface, bits of crumbling rock biting uncomfortably in her side, body thumping with pain. Warm liquid was coming down her face. Sweat? No. Blood.

Muffled noises began reaching her, as if echoes from a distant crowd and she frowned again.

Was the battle over? Did they think her dead? She opened her eyes slowly, taking in the blurred sights, much too bright for her liking. She blinked, now starting to make out shapes, figures moving in a blur before her eyes, clashing and falling back again. A bright flame erupted several feet away from her and a part of her mind – the drilled shinobi part within her – recognised it as a Fire technique.

She took a few shallow breaths and attempted to move her hands below her, to push herself up despite the wounds. Her limbs felt numb and heavy, as if they were not her own and she recognised the sign of severe chakra depletion – she could barely move. The mere effort sent fresh waves of fire through her ribcage and she groaned, realizing that she had broken more than one rib.

With a shallow cry she pushed herself up on her elbows, ignoring the screaming protest of her every joint. A wave of dizziness and nausea overwhelmed her, head swimming with each move.

She had been thrown several feet back from where she had been standing before, with a small crater now existing where the man's Jinton had collided with her barrier. The earth around it had cracked and shattered with the blast, turning the entire battlefield into a shock of upturned jagged rocks and unconscious bodies sprawled in between. Silent tears streamed down her face without her knowing it as she made out a few Konoha forehead protectors lying ragged on the ground.

The remaining shinobi had jumped to battle, fighting in close-combat for once. They kept jumping around and meeting more than one opponent at once in a last desperate attempt to hold the Pass against the oncoming enemies, their shouts somewhat muffled all about. She raised a hand to her one ear instinctively, feeling blood.

A silent curse rang through her head, aimed at the dark-haired man who had reduced her to such a state.

As if having heard her morbid thoughts, the very same shinobi appeared before her, a good distance away. His eyes sought her out and locked with hers and the only thing she saw in them was cold determination – she, the defence shinobi, was his target and he hadn't finished his job just yet. He took a step towards her and then froze as another person appeared right before her out of nowhere, blocking his path.

Kushina blinked, not having felt him approaching. She looked up and squinted, feeling dizziness tugging at her. Blond hair and a grey tracksuit. A smiling sunny boy. Her saviour.

She shook her head, blinking furiously to clear her vision. No, she realised with a start, no, it's not him. He's not here.

This boy was a different boy, in a different time. His hair was brown and he was not smiling. An angry scowl had twisted his face, a trickle of blood coming down the side of his forehead and cheek. His hands were clenched in fists and his breathing was coming out in harsh pants.

Kemuri Sarutobi. Recognition finally set in and with it – horror. What was he doing here, why hadn't he run away? She opened her mouth to say something, but the only sound was a hoarse whisper, a choke. Her throat felt raw.

"Not a step further, bastard!" the boy yelled. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me!" and with this he spread his arms before her, shielding her from whatever may come.

"No." she breathed, fighting her own exhaustion, trying to get up, to push the boy aside. "No. Kemuri. Run."

"I will protect you, Kushina-neechan." The boy said with fierce determination.

"No, please. Please, Kemuri, run away, ya know! For the love that you bear me, run away!" her voice was picking up as she saw the man before them smirk and lift his arms again, forming seals.

This was not how it was supposed to be, she was supposed to protect him.

"I'm sorry, Kushina-neechan, but I can't allow you to die now." And he turned towards her with a grin. "You finally promised me a date after all."

"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!" came the now familiar shout as a smaller white sphere shot out towards Kemuri, sure to wipe out both of them at once.

"NO!" Kushina shouted, a terrified shriek, muffled by the shouts of war.

She reached out a hand, pushing herself up regardless of her weariness, moving on willpower alone. Her movement was clumsy, sluggish, slow. She stumbled half-way up and fell to her knees, forced to stare in horror as the white chakra sphere flew towards Kemuri to kill. She felt the tug of the fox's chakra beneath the surface, waiting to be released with the pain.

She wanted to close her eyes, to look away, but she couldn't – she owed him that much. This was his choice, his sacrifice – for her. Time hadn't slowed down, but her brain ticked faster with adrenaline having rushed in and she saw the ball approaching with crystal clarity, feeling the surge of power as it flew straight at Kemuri's face.

It never hit. With a subtle ring the sphere stopped as if having hit an invisible barrier and a web of kanji expanded in thin air before it, blocking its trajectory. A seal, Kushina realised through incredulity, staring at the complicated mixture of symbols extending like a star from the centre of the seal where the Jinton sphere had hit – she had never seen anything like it. Instead of repelling it, the seal slowly sucked the ball into nothingness with a whoosh. Did it consume energy? That was even more taxing than simply blocking it. A blast from somewhere far off behind made her turn back just in time to see the dying explosion in the distance. She blinked. A space-time barrier then? Did it just teleport the entire blast?

Impossible.

The air beside her stirred as someone shunshin-ed next to her and she turned quickly to see a shock of white hair.

"S-Sakumo-sensei?" she breathed, looking at the man's frantic expression.

Relief gripped her; reinforcements had arrived.

"Kushina." He said, voice laced with worry. "Don't move, I'll get you out of here."

A thudding sound drew her attention back to the battlefield just in time to see a score of kunai embedding themselves in the ground ahead of her and Kemuri, even as a rain of them fell towards the fighting armies, wind chakra-coated blades fixing amongst the rocks with little difficulty, sporadically thrown across the entire field. She scowled at the nearest one – it was the first time she saw such kunai, a very unusual, impractical design. They were all three-pronged. A seal was wrapped around their handles and she squinted trying to make it out with little success.

While the first score of such kunai seemed to fall freely with no particular aim, the last one had pinpointed the Jinton user mercilessly and forced him to jump back with an incredulous look. Another one was already flying to the place where he was retreating, embedding itself in the ground right next to him.

"It's useless, such a pathetic attack cannot-" he began and froze, eyes bulging, staring ahead without seeing.

Before Kushina could realize what was happening he coughed out blood and sagged to his knees just as the air behind him stirred with a glimpse of yellow. The man fell forward, motionless, a kunai protruding from the back of his neck.

"What-" Kushina began in a weak voice before every noise in her throat died out.

Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap.

A shower of gold rained before her eyes as she saw the same glimpses of yellow appear almost simultaneously throughout the field, Iwa shinobi falling dead or dying all about.

Kushina stared, unable to comprehend what was happening. She threw an incredulous look at her sensei, who seemed to be just as shocked as she was, staring wide-eyed at the battlefield before him, his worry all but forgotten.

She looked back, willing her numbed senses into control. It was a person, she soon realised with incredulity, seeing glimpses of a kunai, a foot, an arm. Whoever it was, he was moving at an incredulous speed, too quick to follow, his movements being erratic, irregular, chaotic, flashing at one part of the field for a second before disappearing with a flash to the other, impossible to track.

The Iwa shinobi stopped their advance in confusion, unable to understand what was happening, some of them already retreating in horror. They tried to regroup, only to be broken again as a quiet zap stirred the air in between them. They turned to face a spark of yellow before being thrown back in a blast of wind. A Fūton technique, Kushina recognised as she saw the miniature cuts that the air wave had made in the shinobi's clothing and skin.

Someone shouted in horror and broke into a run, followed by others, under rash orders of "Retreat" and "Regroup". Before long the remaining attackers had fallen back to the mouth of the mountain Pass, having formed an uncertain line, looking in every direction frantically, trying to identify their attacker.

Their side of the field was now empty, safe for the corpses of both friends and foes. A lone figure finally materialized before Kushina, Sakumo and Kemuri, standing in a crouch next to a three-pronged kunai. He stood up slowly, picking the kunai up with him and Kushina felt her heart skip a beat.

Blond hair, the colour of summer-sun danced with the wind over a Konoha forehead protector. Blue eyes, filled with liquid fire glared at the gathered Iwa group with cold determination and threat.

"You will go no further."

"Mina…to…" was all Kushina managed before the emotions, coupled with the chakra exhaustion overwhelmed her senses and darkness claimed her.

Chapter Text

Ringing laughter. Rustling leaves. The whisper of the trees. A wind chime. The scent of cherry blossoms. Cicadas singing. A curtain of white petals all around. A swing. Blue eyes sparkling. Golden locks waving in the wind. A smile.

"Push higher, I want to fly."

Black wings and falling feathers. A scream. The gleam of metal and a clash. The tattered clothes of war. The blood. A blast and pain. And pain. And pain. A streak of red. A cry.

A fire – the rustling leaves were burning. A storm – the petals blown away. A fading light – the smile tarnished; the golden locks had scattered with the wind.

A splash. A metal cage. A fox. Red chakra and burning hatred. Despair. Darkness. Death.

"… hear me?"

A voice. The quiet shattered.

"…you hear me?"

A stab. Her chest was aching. A blow. Her limbs felt numb. A jab. Her side was burning. A cut. Her throat felt raw.

"…do you hear me?"

A gentle touch. A push. A spark of chakra. The cold retreated.

A golden flash. The sun.

"Kushina, do you hear me?"

"Kushina, do you hear me?" the blond man before him repeated for what felt like the fifth time, his voice seemingly calm and collected. Sakumo was not fooled.

Upon entering the medic's tent earlier and seeing Kushina lying on the floor, unconscious, pale and barely breathing, he had been much too aware of the blond man's reaction. The jōnin had seen how Minato had frozen in place, eyes widened in alarm. He had knelt next to her, placing a finger on the ground, before the sharp intake of breath came, two fingers quickly checking her pulse.

Dan, who had been kneeling on her other side hadn't protested, clearly having no idea how to go about treating the girl who was slipping away. He had probably assumed that the boy was a medic ninja come to help. Sakumo was just about to ask if that were the case when the boy had started forming seals.

With a final flick he had placed a hand gently over Kushina's chest, just below her collar bones, and a web of kanji had expanded below it, forming an intricate seal over her skin and bandages. Blue light had appeared below his palm, the pulsing chakra slowly getting absorbed by the seal.

That's when Minato had begun talking, calling out Kushina's name calmly and patiently, over and over again, his voice a bare murmur as his hand kept pouring chakra into the seal. His breathing soon became laboured, sweat trickling down his forehead as he gritted his teeth, but didn't stop.

Sakumo had no idea what he was doing, but if it helped Kushina he couldn't care less. His attention shifted to the girl and he knelt by her side also, finding her hand with his own. Her quick, shallow breaths felt like a painful stab each time.

Hang in there, girl.

Her pulse fluttered unevenly below his fingers at her wrist and he threw a desperate look at Minato. The boy looked intense, but confident. Something about him made Sakumo shiver.

The change was small and he wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been looking at Minato intently at the time – the boy's eyes suddenly relaxed, the edge disappearing from his strained posture. And then he smiled. It wasn't a real smile, more like a twitch, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly just before Kushina gasped, inhaling a deep breath and groaning in pain.

"Kushina, do you hear me?" Minato repeated again, through a hoarse voice.

There was a slight twitch in her fingers upon hearing his voice – it was all the reaction Minato needed. He nodded once and released the seal, sagging back with arms outstretched to support his weight. His breath came out in heavy huffs, as he threw his head back, face flushed, staring at the ceiling of the tent.

A pregnant silence followed, interrupted only by Minato's heavy breathing, both men eyeing him in surprise. A wince from Kushina made them snap back to the situation at hand and the blue-haired shinobi jumped into action, checking the girl's vitals and continuing trying to heal her wounds. A quick warm look at Sakumo's direction told him everything he needed to know.

She would be alright. She would heal.

His shoulders slumped with relief as he gave Kushina's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't know you were skilful with medical ninjutsu, boy." Sakumo said quietly in a groggy voice.

The blond man straightened his back with a heavy sigh. Dark rings were visible under his eyes, breathing still somewhat laboured. With all the chakra he had spent during the battle, wasting so much now had taken a toll on him.

"I'm not. It wasn't a medical ninjutsu at all."

The White Fang raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't think so either, but the results…" Dan spoke up quietly, still running a chakra-infused hand over her side. "What exactly did you do, Minato-kun?"

The boy stayed quiet for a while.

"Her problem weren't the wounds, she recovers fast… but she was out of chakra, she was…" the mask of calm was cracking. "She was slipping away. I gave her some of my own chakra."

A pause.

"How?"

"Through a seal that I created. It allows the user to mould some of their chakra within another person's system, using their tenketsu as a receiver rather than a transmitter. It's not fully balanced yet, though, as you can see… I spent as much chakra when using it as I was transferring. In other words, I just moulded twice as much as I gave." He said quietly and ran a hand through his hair.

Sakumo gaped at him. This man, this boy, created his own seal? A seal that complicated and powerful, on top of it all, despite being unfinished?

What on Earth have you been teaching him, Jiraya?

"I know her chakra was depleted, but if she had wasted it on her last barrier, she would have di-" Dan began, but quickly corrected himself as he saw the wince in both other men. "-I mean she would be gone before she even made it to my tent. She was unconscious at the time, how come her chakra levels dropped further…"

The question wasn't really directed at anyone. The medic didn't expect them to know. Yet Minato answered nevertheless.

"She kept subconsciously moulding chakra even when unconscious. I don't know the circumstances of it, but well… Knowing her, I can suspect a seal of some sort." here Minato paused and looked at Sakumo. The white-haired man stiffened.

A knowing look.

"…I can only guess she subconsciously kept pouring chakra into it, despite being on the verge herself. With her chakra supply so low, the amounts she spent were greater than her own natural recovery rate, which must have been slowed down further by the wounds… At one point she wasted too much to sustain herself and she started slipping away. That's when I used my seal."

Sakumo winced. He knew all too well what Minato was talking about. He had felt the spike in the Bijū's chakra when he had joined Kushina on the battlefield. Coming so close to losing a friend had thrown her into emotional mayhem, her despair allowing for the Kyūbi's chakra to leak through the seal and mix with her own. Kushina had held it together, suppressing the demon's power with her own, but her weakened state had further ruined the balance between the two chakras in her body.

Sakumo could only imagine what had happened after Dan had appeared by their side, taking Kushina and Kemuri away. Even unconscious, even close to death, she had continued suppressing the weakening seal with her own limited chakra, pouring everything that she had in preventing a disaster. Even if it meant her death, she would go and take the Kyūbi with her rather than let it take control and harm her friends.

Had the boy figured it out? Kushina's state was not common knowledge within the village, the information kept under wraps in an attempt to keep the identity of the Jinchūriki hidden during such precarious times.

"That's all well and good… But how did you know?" Dan asked quietly.

Despite being tired, Minato somehow still managed to give them his signature warm smile.

"Senjutsu. I am in no means expert at it, nowhere near Jiraya-sensei's level. Actually, you could say I'm barely a beginner, definitely still in-training. I can't use the natural energy, but I can feel it." And with that he tapped a forefinger at the ground. "For example, when I do this, I can feel chakra signatures through the energy in the ground in a radius around me." His eyes fell on Kushina again and the smile dropped from his face. "And her chakra signature was fading at a rapid pace. And speaking of which, Dan-san, there is a man two tents down in the clearing whose chakra signature is frighteningly weak as well."

The blue-haired man nodded through an incredulous look.

"I… I will come back later, for now she is stable." He said quietly and stood to go.

"One moment, Dan-san." Minato's voice stopped him as the blond man stood up with a wince.

He quickly retrieved two scrolls from his chūnin vest and unrolled them in a swift move, tapping them with chakra-infused hands, releasing the seals. With a puff of smoke the tent floor filled with baskets of herbs, medicine, soldier pills, bandages, needles and other medical equipment.

"Special supply delivery from Tsunade-san, along with her good wishes for your health." Minato said through a warm smile and Sakumo could see the tired grin on Dan's face as the man thanked him with a slight bow.

The white-haired jōnin finally exited the tent, heading for Hizashi's pavilion and Minato sighed quietly. Much as he admired Sakumo-sensei, the man's intense look had started to make him feel uncomfortable throughout the last hour.

Minato hadn't expected anything less, already having guessed that the jōnin would be assigned with his evaluation and would be asked to report on his progress. Still, the attention that he was receiving at times, along with the looks of what he could describe only as bewilderment, were disconcerting.

With Minato's current weakened state, Sakumo had decided to give him some time to rest while he discussed the current situation and defense measures of the camp with the remaining survivors. With reinforcements expected to arrive no sooner than the following day, they had to rotate sentry shifts to avoid a second attack, even if unlikely – they had dealt a rather definitive blow.

His stomach clenched at the thought of it and the manner in which said defensive blow had been dealt, before Minato tried to push the images away. He didn't think anyone could particularly enjoy killing, but he knew for a fact that the act was perhaps more disturbing for him than it should be – he was a shinobi after all and that entitled death in every nine missions out of ten. If it wasn't someone else's death then it would be his; that's how the shinobi system had always operated – kill or be killed yourself. And much as he disliked it, he couldn't bring himself to regret it - he'd do it all over again and gladly if it meant her life. If they hadn't made it in time...

Minato shook his head, pushing the grim thoughts to the back of his mind, and turned towards the unconscious girl lying next to him. A quick touch to the dusty tent floor informed him of her even chakra signature and he sighed in relief. Colour was returning to her skin and her breathing had stabilized – her incredible recovery rate had already kicked in, making her injuries seem less threatening than they should have been.

Now that her life was out of danger, Minato allowed himself to relax at her side, an involuntary smile springing to his lips as tired eyes fixed on his childhood friend's face. He hadn't noticed it before in all the panic, but despite being somewhat the same, Kushina had still changed quite a bit throughout the last three years. Even in her dirtied, blood-staked state, he couldn't deny that her features had become more elegant and feminine. Her face had lost the roundness of childhood, only to be replaced by a soft oval shape and high cheekbones – a look further complimented by full lips and eyes framed in thick, long lashes.

All in all, Kushina the perpetual tomboy didn't look nearly as tomboyish as she had before. Even if her loud boisterous attitude had remained intact, it was hard to place it with the feminine features of the woman that lay beside him now.

His eyes fell on her fiery locks, tangled in a bloodied mess below her and his smile widened. Her hair had grown longer than before, retaining the same gorgeous rich colour, making it seem alive every time that the sun played with her locks.

He reached a hand out tentatively, brushing a lock away from her face - to spare her discomfort, he told himself - and his cheeks grew warmer with the brief contact. The longer he looked at her, the harder it was to avert his eyes, taking in every little detail of that familiar and yet different face. A part of his mind, the one that remembered Kushina's violent side, was telling him that this was highly inappropriate and that if she were to wake up right now, he'd eat a well-deserved punch in the gut.

With difficulty he tore his gaze away, looking at the baskets with supplies and at the tent walls – at anything really – to keep himself distracted from the woman by his side. A distant memory of an innocent kiss on the cheek surfaced before his eyes and Minato realised with a groan that his heartbeat had quickened, blood rushing to his face.

What was wrong with him? Had he been this ill-prepared to face a friend who had, after all, changed?

He wondered for a second if he would seem just as changed to her as she did to him. He didn't think he had grown up to look particularly different than he did three years ago. He still looked quite ordinary, bright hair excluded.

Or maybe he thought so because he had seen his reflection most every day, growing accustomed to the changes gradually over time? Maybe he would seem different to her? He wasn't certain if that would be a good thing or not – Kushina had teased him, over and over again, for looking like a flake. Maybe the added considerable difference in height might make her see him differently.

And why should it matter what he looked like to her?

He groaned, running a hand over his face, trying to calm jittery nerves.

The light sound of footsteps reached his ears and Minato directed his attention to the tent entrance instead. The dark green cloth moved aside and a shaft of light outlined the dust flying calmly in the air. The face that appeared in the gap was unfamiliar, but the look on his face clearly indicated that he on the other hand recognised Minato very well – he was looking at the chūnin before him through wide eyes with what could only be described as awe.

"Are you Minato Namikaze?"

Minato stood up slowly, ignoring the slight ache in his muscles as he did so. At least his legs had stopped trembling at the movement – the break, even if not very long, had allowed him to recover some of his strength.

"That would be me."

"Hizashi-sama requests your presence, sir." the boy mumbled through, not taking his eyes off him.

Minato frowned at the sudden formality, unused to being addressed as 'sir', but he didn't comment on it. He nodded taking a three-pronged kunai out of his holster and laying it down beside Kushina. With a last glance at his friend he turned and followed the newcomer out of what had now turned into the supply tent.

The camp didn't consist of many tents at all, as the number of survivors had now been drastically reduced. A small meadow had provided all the space needed in the current situation with no more than ten tents dispersed irregularly in it. There were few people going around, but Minato could feel the presence of three more shinobi in between the surrounding foliage, not counting the chakra signatures of the injured men within the tents.

"What's your name?" Minato asked quietly, looking at the boy next to him, who appeared to be stealing silent glances in his direction every now or then.

"U-Usaggi Mai, it is an honour, Namikaze-sama."

If Minato wasn't paying attention he might have tripped upon heaering the honorific.

"I heard the tales, sir. You defeated the entire Iwa-army single-handedly; if it weren't for you we would have all…"

If Minato hadn't felt uncomfortable by being addressed with such a degree of formality, being referred to as 'sir' again certainly made him feel even more self-conscious.

"Please, 'san' would be enough." He said calmly, the smile never leaving his face. "And those tales would be highly exaggerated, Usaggi-kun. Before we arrived your squad had already reduced the enemies' numbers significantly, despite the uneven odds. You are the real heroes of this battle, so the honour is all mine."

The boy's eyes widened and he gaped at him openly.

"N-no, not at all, Namikaze-sama- I mean Namikaze-san…" he mumbled again and Minato chuckled before stopping close to the other end of the meadow.

"Thank you, Usaggi-kun, I can find my way from here."

The nearest grey tent stood slightly larger than the rest, marked as the leader's pavilion.

The boy nodded quickly, still eyeing him with disbelief, before taking to the trees and joining the other sentries.

Hizashi's tent was more spacious than the rest, but it didn't contain any more comforts, apart from a constructible desk, which was now heavy under the numerous scrolls, documents and maps spread over it. Sakumo and the Hyūga were the only ones present, leaning over the papers as Minato entered.

The dark-haired man directed a curious look at him and the blonde smiled, greeting first, as expected of his rank – until appointed otherwise, he still technically counted as a genin, now in the presence of jōnin.

"Minato-san." The pale-eyed man echoed the greeting, gesturing for Minato to join them. "I heard from Sakumo-sensei that you were resting after exhausting a large amount of chakra for Kushina's recovery. I apologize for asking for your presence so soon, but there are a few things I would like to discuss with you."

"I have already recovered substantially, thank you for the concern. I am ready to take up any duties in help of Squad 15." Minato said, approaching the table and throwing a glance at the detailed map of the Land of Fire.

Hizashi nodded curtly.

"That's good to hear."

"What's the situation?"

The Hyūga heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "Not good at all I fear. We are down to thirteen men, counting you and Sakumo-sensei, four of whom are incapacitated and three are lightly injured, but are recovering as we speak. We lost twelve men on the battlefield and two more died of their injuries afterwards. And their number would have increased by one more if you hadn't helped Kushina in time, for which you have my gratitude."

Minato smiled at the honesty in the man's words. Initially, Kushina had deeply disliked her teammate, finding it next to impossible to communicate with him. As far as Minato knew, the feeling had been mutual. Where she was loud and energetic, he was quiet and calm, where she was rash and boisterous, he was thoughtful and observant. They couldn't be more different, which is why, Minato realised now, they had been placed on the same team. They could influence each other moderately and learn how to accept differences.

It was a system as old as time and it had always worked well. With the years Kushina had learned how to tolerate Hizashi and their relationship had improved, the two of them becoming unlikely friends.

"I'm glad we could help, but… I'm sorry about the losses. I wish we could have helped more."

"The ones you did save are already more than I had hoped to see after the battle. Sandaime himself should be indebted to you, you saved his eldest in the nick of time."

Minato gave him a confused look before realization struck. The boy protecting Kushina must have been little Kemuri Sarutobi… not so little anymore.

"I wasn't the only one fighting, Sakumo-sensei was-"

"Mostly covering for you." Sakumo interrupted, eyeing him with a weird look. "Don't try to put your accomplishment down, boy. My help in this battle was very little and I'm confident that you would have won regardless, although it would have probably been more costly."

Hizashi nodded next to him.

"That's what I thought as well, after having observed parts of your unusual attack. It's thanks to you that Konoha prevailed. Your skills are more than impressive."

"Thank you, Hizashi-san. I suppose my Hiraishin proved to be a good counter to their long-ranged attacks."

The black-haired man eyed him with a questioning look.

"Hiraishin?"

"It's not as popular as it probably should have been." Minato said through a nervous smile, one hand rubbing the back of his head absent-mindedly. "Hiraishin no Jutsu is a Fūin based technique that was initially used by Nidaime Hokage, although I use it a little differently. It's a space-time technique that allows for teleportation to a pre-marked location. I use a specific type of seals as markers, to which I can teleport instantly."

"Nidaime's technique?" Hizashi began wide-eyed, "but that's…"

"An S-class technique that will be of great importance for the war." Sakumo finished for him in a calmer manner, although his eyes betrayed the same level of surprise. "You were always one of the fastest shinobi in our village, even at your young age. When I saw you moving instantaneously, I assumed you had developed your speed further, which was quite impressive in itself, but… to think you would master Nidaime's techniques which no one else could duplicate…"

Minato's radiant smile lit up his face.

"I had a good teacher."

Hizashi nodded next to him, a glint of curiosity playing in his eyes. "I suppose we shouldn't expect less from the student of one of the Legendary Sannin… Those markers you speak of are your kunai?"

Minato nodded quickly before pulling a three-pronged blade out of his holster.

"The seal wrapped around the handle allows me to teleport next to it, as long as it is within a certain distance from me. The farther away I try to teleport, the more taxing it is." And with that the blond-haired man threw the kunai casually at the other end of the tent.

Before it could tear through the cloth, he had already reached out with his mind for the subtle speck of light that was the seal, feeling the familiar tug as he stepped through space and time, appearing instantly by the weapon and catching it mid-flight.

Sakumo slowly shook his head through a small smile as the chūnin made his way back to the center of the tent. A gleeful look had entered Hizashi's eyes.

"But how did you manage to teleport within their lines after they pulled back from your kunai?"

Minato smiled and tapped the inside of his elbow, indicating for the white-haired jōnin to look at his own arm.

"What…" he began and fell silent, his eyes fixing on the black kanji nestled in between the folds of the blouse.

"Forgive my insolence, I should have asked before placing the seal on you, but given the circumstances I didn't have the chance. It was a precaution." Minato explained through a nervous smile. "It does the same as the one on my kunai – right now, if I wish, I can use you as a beacon and teleport next to you at will. I can place the seal anywhere upon touch."

"…so you tagged some of the enemies to use as markers and teleport behind enemy lines in case they figured out the kunai trick…" Sakumo finished for him, a smirk spilling on his face. "Impressive, kid."

Minato's answering smile had a playful tint to it. "Hiraishin allows for a few such tricks."

"And how many such Fūin techniques do you know, boy?"

"A few. Most are simply improvements to other interesting seals."

Sakumo grinned in return before Hizashi cleared his throat, drawing their attention to more serious matters.

"Your technique, this Hiraishin no Jutsu, it can help us keep watch more efficiently. Have you recovered enough from your chakra loss to begin patrol?"

Minato nodded.

"I'll need a plan of the sentry routes and shifts taken up by the able shinobi. I can set up seals in the remaining key positions around the camp and the Pass and rotate sentry posts."

"That's a good plan, but don't spread yourself too thin, boy. We don't know when we'll need you in battle again." With that Sakumo paused and looked back at the maps with a thoughtful expression. "I assume that it would be too early to expect a second attack after our decisive victory, but we should stay alert nevertheless. You can speak to Gorou Haruka about the current sentry system. He should be on watch here."

The blond-haired man nodded briefly, taking note of the location pointed out on the map, before passing the kunai he had thrown earlier to Hizashi.

"The seal on the kunai alerts me when it flies. If you need me, use it and I will teleport next to you as soon as possible."

Hizashi took the blade gingerly, inspecting the seal.

"As expected, I don't understand a thing of it…" he murmured and Minato chuckled quietly at the disappointment in his voice.

"I placed one such kunai in Kushina's tent, if… if something happens…" he started quietly, eyeing Sakumo.

"You will know." The older jōnin promised.

"Thank you. With your permission, Commander?"

Hizashi nodded once. "Dismissed."

A low buzzing sound reached Kushina's ears as her senses gradually opened to the world. She frowned at the disturbance, not wanting to leave the safe haven that had been sleep. Exhaustion still weighted heavy on her, shrouding her thoughts.

After what felt as an immeasurable amount of time she determined that she was somewhere, lying down on her back. She took a deep breath and winced, feeling a stab of pain in her chest. Her broken ribs hadn't healed completely yet.

The noises were getting louder, now suspiciously resembling distant murmurs and Kushina strained her weakened senses to hear better. A part of her mind reminded her that her hearing had been impaired not too long ago. She frowned, trying to remember the last events prior to her injuries.

Scrambled thoughts and images jumped through her mindscape, not making any sense. She could vaguely remember a battle and a blast, but her tired mind refused to piece the images together. She groaned, feeling the oncoming headache, and gave up her efforts for lost.

Her eyes flickered open, blinking in confusion at the surrounding semi-darkness. There was a faint light from an unknown source, somewhere to her left, far off in the distance.

With a groan she pushed herself up, ignoring the burning sensation that came with the movement. A wave of dizziness crashed over her and Kushina felt thankful for not having eaten anything as her stomach clenched at the nauseous feeling. She blinked instinctively, willing the spinning light-spots away.

Gradually the world came into focus and she realised that the lack of light was due to the time – it was night time and the tent she was sitting in had no light source of its own. Someone outside had lighted a fire not too far away and the orange shadows were dancing on one side of her pavilion, illuminating the insides of what appeared to be a supply tent. A score of baskets filled with medical supplies were scattered along the floor some feet away from her improvised cot.

People were talking somewhere not too far away outside, their voices having been the first thing she had registered, but they were too far off to make out what was being said.

Her shaking fingers explored bandages that seemed to be covering her entire ribcage and parts of her stomach. Even this tiny movement caused a shiver down her arm and she quickly dropped her hand. Skin came in touch with something sharp and cold and she looked to the side instinctively, trying to find the source of discomfort. Her eyes widened as she took in the outline of a three-pronged kunai, lying by her side.

A sudden onslaught of memories came rushing back. The battle with Iwa, the barrier, the Jinton-user, Kemuri defending her, the seal, the space-time barrier… she frowned.

What had been that seal?

Her hand reached out absent-mindedly for the kunai, running a finger down the kanji-inscribed handle. She could remember the battle, but she couldn't make sense out of it. At one moment there had been a rain of such kunai and in the next she had seen someone who killed their enemies with inhuman speed.

Someone who had suspiciously resembled Minato.

At this point she didn't trust her senses much. It was too early for Minato to be back and she had been exhausted. Only moments before the sudden appearance of reinforcements she had confused Kemuri for Minato too. A frown crossed her forehead. Why did she always think of Minato in such dire situations? Was it because he was the first man that had ever saved her when she truly needed help?

She picked the kunai up mindlessly, bringing it closer to her face for inspection. What was it doing by her side? Was this a test of some sort? What if she was actually in enemy territory, captured by their foes? There were no guards by her tent and no sentries, but there were no friends around either.

Her grasp on the kunai tightened. It felt heavy in her hands and she was certain that it wasn't just due to her exhausted state – the weapon was heavier than a normal kunai, thicker hilt allowing for inscriptions and compensating for the weight of the added blades. Why anyone would prefer using something so impractical rather than the standard shinobi weapons was beyond her.

Her finger automatically slipped through the metal loop at the end of the handle and she spun it around, testing its balance. It felt off.

With a final flick she grabbed the handle before casually sending the blade at the centre wooden pole holding the tent up. Even as she threw it she knew that she had to exercise more force than should be needed for aiming a weapon, already expecting to see it go astray and land somewhere in between the baskets with products, instead of hitting its mark.

The kunai did neither.

A figure materialised in the middle of the tent with a quiet zap, wrapping a hand around the flying weapon and breaking its flight. Kushina gaped, instinctively pushing her blankets off and scrambling away, ignoring the pain in her muscles as she kicked at the ground to back away.

The newcomer whipped around instantaneously, kunai held at the ready as he searched the tent through narrowed eyes, his face set in a threatening scowl.

Kushina froze just as his eyes finally found hers, posture visibly relaxing as he concluded there was no threat.

Even in the dim light she could make out the familiar face, light-coloured eyes holding her own through a worried look.

"Minato." she breathed incredulously, still staring at him through wide eyes.

She was most likely dreaming again. After all, people didn't just happen to materialise in the middle of a tent without any prior chakra signature indicating motion, as was the case with the Shunshin no Jutsu.

His answering smile made her insides burn. It was the same warm smile that had brightened her childhood – carefree and understanding, the smile of her own little sun.

"Hi."

Seconds passed as they both stood in place, Kushina looking at him through bewilderment and Minato seeming more amused than anything else. Finally his one hand tucked the weird kunai away in a holster, as his eyes moved from her own down to the bandages covering her body and he frowned. He quickly crouched and placed a forefinger on the ground before him as if it was the most casual thing to do. Kushina raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, that concludes it, this can't be a dream, my imagination wouldn't come up with something so weird." she said through a frown, eyeing his weird hand movement.

A chuckle escaped his lips, the shadows finally lifting from his face and the girl felt shudders run down her spine upon hearing the pleasant thrum of his laughter.

"I would expect you to dream of better things."

Kushina felt her sides warm up.

"So would I. For starters, less lethal wounds and more ramen, ya know." she said, feeling the smile tugging at the corners of her lips already.

His answering look held both worry and mirth, as if he wasn't sure whether he should laugh at her joke or scold her for getting in trouble. She knew that look all too well, which made it even more incredulous. He really was there, in that small stuffy tent, having appeared out of thin air mere seconds ago.

She had known it the moment she saw him, for if she ever dreamt of him he was always a child in those dreams, the very last image of her friend that she had.

The man who stood before her now looked similar but different still. He was much taller now, shoulders wider and face narrower, any excess childhood fat having melted in favour of slim straight features, complemented by a strong jaw. His hair was longer too, although still spiky in a chaotic manner with two stray bangs framing his face – a tint of carelessness in his otherwise serious look.

Minato remained quiet as her eyes carefully studied him, taking in every little detail of the man before her, every little change that she had missed with time. He was still crouching in the middle of the tent by the supply baskets, a good eight feet away from her, as if afraid that any sudden movement would frighten her. With a scowl she realised that his behaviour was logical – her first reaction had been to scramble away from him as quick as possible. Maybe he feared she was still confused and disorientated.

With a sigh she eased up her tensed posture and tried to rise up. An involuntary groan escaped her lips as pain shot through cramped muscles and her legs gave way beneath her halfway through. The wall of dizziness returned viciously and she found herself falling back.

Hands were about her before she knew it, easing her gently to the ground and she blinked in confusion at his ridiculous speed. In one moment he had been standing in the other end of the tent and in the next he was beside her, catching her mid-air in a firm grasp.

All too soon the gentle touch disappeared and her eyes opened to meet his own. Blood rushed to her face as she realised how close he was standing, kneeling beside her and leaning over with a worried expression.

"Don't overexert yourself, Kushina…" he murmured, worry lacing his voice. "By all rights you shouldn't even be awake yet, not to mention walking around."

The girl flashed him a tired smile.

"Don't worry, I heal fast, ya know."

She quickly pushed herself up in a sitting position, not wanting to have to look up at him. His disapproving look told her what he thought about her attempts, but at least he didn't stop her, waiting by her side in case he needed to interfere again.

"Stubborn as ever, I see." he said through a small smile. "Some things never change."

"And you are the same mother hen, worrying over minor injuries."

Minato raised an eyebrow at her.

"Three broken ribs and a fourth cracked one, a sprained wrist and two broken fingers, a puncture stomach wound, internal haemorrhage, possible brain concussion, impaired hearing and to top it all – severe chakra exhaustion that almost cost you your life. Now which of those exactly is a minor injury?"

Kushina blinked at the exasperated, yet calm narration, her eyebrows shooting higher and higher with every word. She knew she had been injured pretty badly, but that went beyond anything that a normal person could easily recover from. She had to silently thank for Kyūbi's healing powers, appreciating the one good thing about being a Jinchūriki.

"The broken fingers sound like a pretty pathetic one, ya know." She offered through a nervous smile, flexing her now-mended fingers instinctively, and to her relief her friend chuckled, the seriousness leaving his face. "Since when have you become such a medic anyway?"

A playful look entered his eyes. "Ever since I found out that my best friend has the destructive tendency to push herself to extremes."

A sudden warm feeling spilled through her chest as she noted the casual mentioning of 'best friend' and she realised that she had been afraid until now without even knowing, fearing that things between them would have changed. Three years was a long time after all, long enough for people to change.

Despite being different however, in a way, Minato was still the same. Relief washed over her as she saw the same concern in his eyes now, the same ease in his proximity, as if he took comfort in her presence. As if he had missed her too.

The smile came easier to her now, slipping back into old habits.

"Sounds like quite a reckless person, that friend of yours, ya know."

"Indeed she is… But then again, she's the strongest woman whom I have ever met, so I suppose that if anyone can deal, it would be her."

Kushina started, eyes widening, sides reddening despite herself. A lump had formed in her throat and she tried to swallow past it. It had been too long since anyone looked at her like this.

She had made friends in the past years, outgrowing her image of the Red-Hot Habareno, becoming less of an outsider and more of a true Konoha shinobi. She had people who cared now, people who worried, people who understood. It was entirely different, however, to have someone who simply believed. Someone who knew her better than anyone else, weak points included, and still had unwavering faith in her, which no distance or time could shatter.

A knowing smile was playing on his lips as he took in her startled expression.

"She also happens to have a problem with compliments. Another thing that time hasn't changed, it would appear."

Kushina blinked the surprise away.

"You've changed." She said quietly, adopting a more serious tone.

Minato raised an eyebrow, remaining quiet. If Kushina didn't know better she might have thought she saw a look of uncertainty cross his face.

"You're taller." she offered after a pause and he laughed.

"I hear age does that to you, yes."

"And you're more confident." she added quietly and for once Minato didn't answer right away. His expression changed to a thoughtful one, as if he wasn't sure whether Kushina's remark was a positive or a negative one.

She had noticed it right away, the subtle change in his countenance. There was an air of confidence and strength about him that was unmistakable. It was him, she realised and the revelation struck with such conviction that she didn't need to ask. He had been the one to cast the seal, saving both Kemuri and her before defeating the Iwa army only seconds after, for defeated they should be if she stood in that tent right now, alive and well.

It all seemed perfectly logical now, as if it was exactly the thing he would do. Appearing out of nowhere in critical moments to help her when she needed him most, but least expected him – it spelled out Minato through and through.

'Always.'

His promise from years ago ran through her mind and she knew that he had meant it then and meant it still. If defeating an army was what it took, then she had no doubts that he would.

A new thought entered her mind and she turned towards him with a frantic expression on her face.

"What happened? Did we hold the pass? Where is everyone?"

The look on Minato's face was conflicted, eyebrows knotted in a painful scowl.

"We held the pass…" he began slowly, pausing briefly as if to assess her reaction, "…but we lost a lot of people. I'm sorry, Kushina, we couldn't make it in time. By the time Sakumo-sensei and I arrived, the battle had already broken out. Fourteen are dead. Three more are heavily injured and Dan is tending to their wounds right now."

"Hizashi? Kemuri?" she whispered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"They're alright, don't worry."

She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath until the air rushed out of her lungs in a relieved hoof upon hearing the news.

"It's something to be happy about at least, ya know." she started mildly. "Thank you… Though I'm starting to suspect foul play with your dramatic last-minute rescues."

He laughed softly, shadows finally lifting from his look. She shouldn't have liked the sound of his mirth as much as she did, a feeling of warmth spreading down her chest as she heard it, lips easily lifting up in an answering smile.

He was just about to answer when he froze midway, eyes glazing as if seeing something far off in the distance.

"Ah… it would appear the replacement unit for Squad 15 is nearby. They should arrive by the hour." he murmured quietly before chuckling at Kushina's perplexed expression. "I'm keeping watch while here."

Her eyes widened.

"You're a clone?"

He shook his head quickly.

"When I felt the kunai fly I feared that you… I… I left the clone down the sentry route while I teleported here. In any case, it just dispersed to transmit information about our approaching reinforcements." he explained, for once not meeting her eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. "I should probably alert Hizashi-san."

Kushina nodded, eyes following the movement quietly.

"How come Sandaime sent only- Wait, did you just say teleport?"

"Um… well… that's a long story…" he began through a nervous smile, one hand rubbing the back of his head absent-mindedly, just as footsteps before the tent entrance alerted someone's presence.

They both turned to see Dan entering, carrying a lantern and a basket of medical supplies. His clothing was covered in blood, face pale and ghastly, indicating the chakra exhaustion he was putting himself through once again. His eyes quickly fixed on Kushina, widening in surprise upon seeing her awake with Minato kneeling by her side.

His lips quickly broke into a tired smile.

"I'm glad to see you recover so quickly, Kushina-san. You gave us a fright there." he murmured, placing the lantern on the ground and kneeling at her other side. "If you don't mind?"

He quickly started taking her vitals as his hands ran over her bandages, emitting green chakra. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Minato place a finger on the ground again and frown.

"Dan-san, your chakra levels are lower than acceptable. Please take a break, or if needed a soldier pill."

Kushina threw him a questioning look. Dan's exhaustion was obvious enough, but the weird hand-movement gnawed on her curiosity.

"Later." Minato promised through a smile and she nodded. She would hold him to it.

"The patients were worse than I expected them to be… But worry not, Minato-kun, I will rest soon enough. I just want to make sure that Kushina's wounds are healing well."

Minato nodded once before standing up.

"Either way, the replacement squad is almost here and they have medical ninjas with them. Please don't overexert yourself until their arrival." And with that he took the same three-pronged kunai out of his weapon-holster and handed it to Kushina. "If you would hold on to that for me? It's heavier than the normal kunai and the design is different, but once you get used to it, it has its benefits."

The girl raised an eyebrow, eyeing the seal wrapped around the handle, but held her tongue. He had a lot of explaining to do when 'later' came. Instead she took the kunai with a quiet nod.

"Alright then, I suppose I will meet with Hizashi-san now." He murmured and nodded to Dan, who replied in kind. His eyes fell on Kushina's and he smiled. "This will probably be a wasted effort, but please stay here and rest for now, we have it all covered."

Kushina's answering smile had a wily tint to it.

"You're right. It is a wasted effort."

The blond man shook his head through an exasperated smile and lifted a hand before his chest, fourth-finger and pinkie bent forward. With a quiet zap he disappeared from the room, leaving Kushina to stare wide-eyed at the place where he had stood only seconds ago.

Chapter Text

A warm sunray broke through the dense forest canopy, caressing his face. The light morning breeze made the leaves around him rustle quietly and Minato closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth and calm of the summer morning. Weariness tugged on his senses the moment that his eyelids shut and he quickly flashed a determined look ahead, postponing sleep yet again.

The replacement squad had finally arrived at camp about an hour ago with first light and everyone had hurried into setting up the new defence position of the Pass. The new hastily-formed squad consisted of about forty capable shinobi, eight of whom specialized in medical ninjutsu much to Dan's relief. Minato was sure that their numbers, along with their various areas of expertise, would ensure a good enough defence system at the Tokutsukai Pass for the time being.

With a sigh he straightened his back from where he was sitting, trying to avoid drowsiness further. The correct alignment of the vertebrae allows for a larger stream of chakra to reach the brain, making you more alert, he recited in his mind, remembering the basic anatomy lessons on chakra circulation that they had once exercised in the academy.

Unfortunately, escaping the degrading consequences of sleep deprivation through straightening one's back only seemed to take you so far, especially when you hadn't slept proper in over two days. He could clearly feel his senses numbing and his reflexes slowing. If a fight were to break out at the moment, he was certain he would be at a major disadvantage.

A bright chakra signature entered his field of senses, the subtle energetic pulse traveling through the ground and resonating within his palm long before the shinobi had made their way to the clearing in which Minato was keeping watch. Their chakra signature was familiar, but the blonde couldn't quite place it. He was certain, however, that the newcomer wasn't an enemy – they didn't attempt to hide their arrival in any way, chakra imprint casually open to the world, the sound of rustling foliage and cracking branches announcing their approach.

"Well, well, if it isn't Konoha's chūnin prodigy himself." a voice cracked from behind him, a tint of amusement colouring the words.

Minato turned around slowly, favouring the man with a tired smile.

"Kumori-sensei." he acknowledged, rising slowly from his lotus position.

A slight wave of dizziness attacked his senses again, causing him to sway on his feet and he shot a hand out at the nearest tree to steady himself. The man before him raised an eyebrow over crimson double-ringed eyes. He hadn't changed much, Minato noted, apart from the subtle age-lines now marking his forehead below the bandana-style forehead protector.

"I always thought that associating with Sakumo's student will bring you troubles. You are already adopting her habits of making a wreck of yourself."

Minato's smile took on a nervous tint. Blunt as always, sensei. "I can only take that as a compliment."

If the blond man didn't know better he might have thought that the man before him smirked in an unpleasant diabolical manner. Being somewhat close friends with Kumori-sensei's team, however, Minato had come to realise the jōnin's inability to smile in any other way. Therefore, what others might have seen as a mocking vulture's attempt at mirth, Minato recognised as an honest, albeit a bit unnerving, smile.

"Your optimism is incurable, Namikaze."

"So I've been told."

The black-haired man rasped a throaty laugh.

Despite Kumori Yuhi's harsh exterior, he had come to like the genjutsu master. He displayed rowdiness and cutting bluntness, but his rough words held little intended offense. What's more, Minato had actually witnessed first-hand that there was a mellow side to his character that he rarely displayed with anyone but his daughter Kurenai.

"How is Tsume? And Shibi and Hiashi? My stay in Konoha was quite short given the circumstances and I couldn't meet with anyone before being dispatched here"

"You wouldn't have met them even if you stayed on your ass throughout the whole mission. They are all at the Suna border, as was I before I got deployed here. But they are more than fine, worry not. They are currently giving hell to those ungrateful sand snakes."

"I wouldn't expect any less of them." Minato said through a smile and the jōnin before him chuckled.

"You've grown, kid, I gotta owe it to ya. I didn't think Jiraya had it in him, but he actually made a man out of you."

Minato's face dropped ever so slightly.

"I should be taking offence most likely, but if I have to be honest I've been getting that a lot lately…"

Here Kumori barked a laugh again.

"A shinobi shouldn't take offence in the face of truth. You were a strong kid, but you never looked very reliable. I suppose being taller helps. But who am I to speak of looks? If people took me at face value, I'd be tagged in every bingo book. I hear from the boys at camp that you managed to pull off some flashy techniques and beat a handful of Iwa mongrels. Seems like your height wasn't the only thing that improved."

"You are going out of your way with compliments, Kumori-sensei. I might get the impression that you actually approve of me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, boy." the man rasped through a grin, lightly springing on top of the boulder next to which Minato had been sitting. "Come on, scram. Sakumo wanted to see you to discuss your departure, I suggest paying a visit before you drop dead."

The blond man smiled.

"Yes, Kumori-sensei."

His hand was already before his chest, forming the familiar seal. He could feel the remaining Hiraishin tags in the area around him, pulsating subtly with energy, like faint light sources within his mindscape.

Within no time he located the one still resting on Sakumo's arm. He closed his eyes and let his mind instinctively reach out for it, feeling the familiar tug and the brief squeeze of air around him as he stepped on the other side in the now-lively camp meadow. Sakumo, who was just sorting through provisions, jumped in surprise, one hand already sporting two kunai between knuckles.

"Darn it, Minato, you'll give me a heart-attack with that technique of yours." he growled, quickly tucking the weapons away as the blond-haired man smiled apologetically.

"I heard you were looking for me."

"Kumori took over sentry? Good, good, I was just preparing some of the provisions for our trip back to Konoha." With that the white-haired man stopped transferring ratios in backpacks and turned towards him with an appraising look. "Minato, how long has it been since you last slept?"

The blond man gave him a nervous smile. "A while."

"A while, huh? You look like the walking dead, boy, I'll wager you haven't blinked since we left Konoha." when the only answer he received was pointed silence, Sakumo shook his head. "Go get some rest, I can deal with the provisions myself. I'll speak with the medics later to ascertain the condition of the men still being treated, but if everything is alright we might be able to head back around the afternoon. I expect you to be awake and jumping by then."

Minato nodded reluctantly.

"I haven't had the chance to set up a tent and I guess it's pointless doing so right before we depart… I'll find some quiet place to rest my eyes for a while."

"Get me Dan on the way to it. Last I saw he was making a list of what Tsunade sent in the supply tent."

Minato nodded quickly before heading down the path towards the pavilion in the other end of the clearing.

The small meadow had filled with men and women since the last time he saw it and he quickly felt their looks on him as he passed. Quiet murmurs reached his ears, travelling from mouth to mouth and getting louder by the second.

"…defeated an army…"

"...Jiraya-sama's apprentice..."

"…Namikaze you say?"

It wasn't like their attention was unflattering – on the contrary, it was recognition of his skill that he had always dreamt of as a child. That, however, didn't make it any less unnerving when a crowd of people stared curiously at him, as if inspecting a highly interesting specimen. Well what do you expect Minato, if you are to become Hokage one day you won't get any less attention than that, he chided himself inwardly, forcing his feet to slow down and straightening his back as he continued down the path at a normal pace.

A quiet sigh of relief escaped him as he finally reached Kushina's tent and let the entrance flap fall behind him. The welcoming peace and quiet was an almost tangible pleasure.

As Sakumo had predicted, Dan was sitting down not too far away from him, jotting down ingredients on a large scroll. He turned towards him quickly and smiled, nodding a quiet greeting. Minato quickly understood why as his eyes directed to Kushina and he smiled involuntarily upon seeing her huddled beneath a blanket, fast asleep.

"Sakumo-sensei needs to see you, he is down by the provision tents." Minato mouthed in a barely-audible whisper and Dan nodded, setting the scroll aside and rising quickly, heading for the exit.

Minato was about to follow when Kushina shrugged in her sleep, quietly shifting to the side and shrugging the blanket off her. He smiled once again, seeing the girl tangle herself further in her own fiery hair, and his legs carried him to her side without thinking, kneeling beside her and pulling the cover back over her shoulders ever-so-gently - all for her sake, he kept reminding himself; the mountainous region was quite cold this time of year.

And yet he lingered after. She was like a magnet – once having laid eyes on her, he could hardly look away, eyes sweeping over her face instead and his throat tightened uncomfortably at the sight of the fair girl before him.

Just then she shrugged again, turning to the side and smacking her lips quietly through a murmur. Minato directed a curious glance at her, expecting to see her waking up. To his surprise, however, Kushina was still very much asleep, her breathing a deep and even pattern and her eyes jumping beneath closed eyelids, indicating that she was probably dreaming.

Curiosity gnawed at him as he wondered in vain what she was seeing right now. Most likely a giant bowl of ramen, he thought merrily and had to suppress a chuckle.

As if to confirm his suspicions she mumbled again and a small smile appeared on her lips. If leaving had been difficult before, it was next to impossible right now, creepy stalker attitude be damned.

She looked serene and peaceful in her sleep and almost vulnerable in a way that Minato had never seen before – it was bewitching. A small voice in his head, much too insignificant to be noticed in such a moment, was asking him pointedly why he was becoming so fixated with his friend. It's not normal, it was saying, and yet seeing Kushina like that made it seem as the most natural thing in the world.

"Mmmm…"

Minato froze in place again, subconsciously holding his breath.

"…Mina…to…" she murmured quietly, the small smile never leaving her face as her fingers twitched ever so slightly.

The feeling that spread through him in that moment was indescribable. He remembered feeling something similar once, a long time ago, when a girl with fiery hair had kissed his cheek. It had been nothing in comparison with what he felt now as he stared at her through wide eyes. The sensation swelled through his chest, threatening to burst, making his entire body feel hot and cold at the same time, wave after wave of emotion overwhelming him.

She had said his name.

She was dreaming about him.

She had smiled.

He never understood when his lips had spread in a serene smile or when he had leaned against the baskets with supplies behind him, eyes calmly gazing at Kushina through a dazed look. She might have been dreaming of happily suffocating him, but for the time being he decided to discard that thought in favour of happier scenarios.

Perhaps she was dreaming of the past days spent with him. Or maybe she was reliving the brief moment of their reunion, enjoying it as much as he had. Or maybe, just maybe, she was dreaming of that same innocent kiss that had changed his perceptions completely, setting his senses ablaze.

He could see it before his eyes even now, the way she had smiled innocently before reaching up on her toes and pecking his cheek, the scent of cherry-blossoms all around him. He had turned to her then and cupped her cheek with a hand, one finger tenderly caressing soft skin, causing her to blush in the charming way that only she could. He had done those things, had he not?

Minato never realised when he had fallen asleep, confusing dreams taking over his memories.

The dream had been a pleasant one. She scowled, trying to remember what it had been about, but it kept eluding her, slipping away the moment that she felt she'd grasped it. The only thing that remained was the subtle scent of pine-needles around her and a tingling sensation of happiness that she wasn't willing to let go of just yet.

So instead of admitting defeat, she lay with her eyes closed, waiting for sleep to take her again and hopefully continue the pleasant dream from where it had left off.

After a few minutes of silence during which drowsiness slipped further and further away, she finally gave up her efforts for lost and slowly opened her eyes.

Yellow.

She blinked a few times, trying to make sense out of the image before her. Realisation struck with a sharp intake of breath and Kushina froze in place, staring wide-eyed at the person lying beside her, only inches away. He seemed to be sleeping, as indicated by his even breathing, lying slightly to the side and facing away from her. His golden hair had been the first thing that Kushina had seen and she blushed madly upon realising the exact source of the pleasant scent she had felt earlier.

What on Earth was he doing there, lying down so close to her? A tentative smile lit her face and she exhaled a shakily, eying how his golden locks stirred with her breath. A sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair rushed through her.

She gritted her teeth resolutely and carefully pulled away despite herself, rising in a sitting position as quietly as possible. Minato continued sleeping by her side, oblivious to her movement.

A quick glance at his side informed her of his uncomfortable position and she frowned. The pile of baskets next to him appeared to be misplaced so she could only assume that he had come to visit and had fallen asleep, which wasn't too far-fetched given how tired he had looked the first time she saw him.

He had probably ended up sprawled on the cold ground, dressed in nothing but a shinobi uniform and a chūnin vest – an attire too light to keep him warm, especially in the mountain area of the Tokutsukai Pass. Hoping that he hadn't caught a cold already, Kushina quickly slipped out of her own blanket and gently covered his sleeping form, careful not to wake him up.

Minato shuddered briefly at the sudden warm sensation before his body visibly relaxed. She could have sworn he was smiling, but a stray bang of hair had fallen across his face so it was hard to tell.

Kushina reached a hand out absent-mindedly, wanting to brush it away and simply look at him, just as he stirred slightly and her arm froze in mid-air. She bit her lip and quietly withdrew her hand. Inappropriate, highly inappropriate, she chided inwardly and forced herself to look away.

Her eyes fell on her backpack and her chūnin vest, which someone had conveniently hauled over to this tent and she quietly stood up, tip-toeing to her belongings and looking for something to put on. Her fingers quickly wrapped around a soft clean tunic and she pulled it out, hastily putting it on under her shinobi flak jacket.

A quick glance at Minato informed her that, thankfully, he was still asleep. A metal glimmer from the floor near him caught her attention and she recognised the kunai that he had left with her earlier that morning. Moving as quietly as possible she quickly snatched it, tucking it away in her own holster before she sighed, throwing a last soft look at the sleeping man before silently sneaking out of the supply tent, leaving Minato to his dreams.

The afternoon sun was high in the horizon, bathing the small clearing in warm light as she made her way through the crowd towards Hizashi's pavilion.

To her surprise the Commander's tent was emptier than she had expected it to be, with only three other shinobi present apart from Hizashi.

"Hizashi-sama." she said quietly as she entered, slipping into the appropriate honorific when addressing her Squad Leader in front of others. "I have recovered substantially from my injuries and chakra exhaustion and am reporting for duty."

She didn't miss the pointed looks that her teammate and their sensei exchanged.

"I am glad to see you have made speedy recovery, Kushina-san." Hizashi replied carefully, as if choosing his words with great care. "Your only duty for the time-being would lie in assisting Sakumo-sensei in the preparation of provisions, as well as preparing your own valuables."

Kushina eyed Hizashi with disbelief, eyebrows mashing together.

"You're sending me back to Konoha?"

Hizashi stole another quick glance at Sakumo before clearing his throat and turning to the other two men present in the tent.

"Arata-san, Hideki-san, if you would excuse us for a few moments."

Both men nodded quickly as they made their way out of the tent hastily. Kushina could barely wait for them to be out of ear-shot before she turned to Hizashi in a fuming voice.

"What is the meaning of this, Hizashi? You know as well as anyone how fast I heal, I don't need to return to Konoha, ya know, I can still fight. Didn't I prove already that my barriers are useful in combat?"

"Kushina. Calm down." Sakumo said through a quiet voice and the girl reluctantly held her tongue. "It's not Hizashi's choice. It's under Sandaime's direct orders that I am to bring you back to Konoha until further notice."

"He wouldn't."

"He would and he did. You know very well why this is necessary, for God's sake, Kushina, you almost died. If it wasn't for Minato Namikaze you wouldn't be here now and, as much as it pains me to say it, your death would have horrible consequences for Konoha. Have you considered the possibility that the Jinton user was after you not because of your barrier, but because of the Kyūbi?"

The girl gulped nervously past the lump in her throat, brushing a lock of hair away with sweaty palms.

"They can't know…" she began, but her sensei quickly cut her off.

"Can't they? How can we be certain? By all rights Kumogakure shouldn't have known either six years ago, but they did kidnap you and you know that it was also probably because of Kyūbi."

Kushina couldn't help but flinch upon hearing the Bijū's name, trying her best to avoid Hizashi's eyes.

After experiencing the unpleasant alienation within her own team upon learning the truth of what she was, Kushina had firmly decided that she would never make her status as a Jinchūriki publicly known – the hesitant looks she was receiving from her two teammates were bad enough. Seeing the same look in everyone's eyes would be too much to handle. With a secret so closely guarded, she couldn't possibly understand how Iwagakure could have in any way acquired such information.

No, she concluded, it must be a coincidence. And yet… what were the odds that the very first time she was sent out of Konoha in months would end in a near-disaster? And not only that, but the Tsuchikage had sent a member of his own family after their already-weakened team…

"You know I value your combat skills better than anyone here, Kushina…" Hizashi murmured through a calm voice. "But those are Sandaime's orders. He is only doing what is best for the village."

Somehow, Hizashi's collected manner called for the anger welling up inside and her hands quickly balled in fists.

"That old man and his bats of advisors view me as nothing more but a tool, ya know! I'm not some weapon that needs to be tucked away until the right moment to use! I'm a shinobi, same as you, I have as much right to defend my home! If you truly value my skills then you would let me stand and fight!"

"Are you asking me to defy direct orders?" Hizashi asked incredulously and Kushina recoiled as if stung.

A distant memory sprung to her mind uninvited of a sunny boy coming to her rescue despite orders against it. Defying them all, for her.

How different they were, those two men she called friends.

Sakumo heaved a shaky sigh, one hand rubbing at his temples.

"No one is going to defy anyone's orders. Kushina, please calm down and think rationally, we've discussed this before." The White Fang said, "If a sudden attack were to fall upon Konoha while all the shinobi were at the battlefields, you would be one of the very few people truly capable of defending the village against whatever may come. Instead of seeing yourself as a weapon, you can be Konoha's ultimate shield."

Kushina shook her head slowly, refusing to meet his eyes. She acknowledged the wisdom of his words of course and she was certain that he was right. That, however, didn't make the decision any less painful.

Knowing that her friends were dying somewhere off on the battlefronts and being unable to aid them, being forced to sit and wait for an eventual attack that may never come… It was all too much.

With a final look of fury she stormed out of the tent.

"What do you mean you don't know who it was?! There are only so many Konoha brats that can stand up to my son and defeat him in battle!" the Tsuchikage shouted out through blood-shot eyes, his hand balling an angry fist, twitching with the effort not to lash out. "I want his name- No, I want his head on a stone pillar before me! He will pay for what he did to my son!"

Rage was clouding all of his senses, the bloodthirst slipping out uncontrollably, coiling thick in the air. Grief would come later. First came revenge. His advisor retreated a few steps through wide eyes and stutters.

"M-my most s-sincere condolences T-Tsuchikage-sama." he murmured and instinctively jumped back as Ōnoki yelled in rage and slammed a fist in his own table, cracking it in two, for once ignoring the pain in his joints as he did so.

"Your condolences will not bring my son back! Your condolences will not take care of his widowed wife! Your condolences are meaningless!" the Tsuchikage rasped through gritted teeth, almost feeling the ache in his jaw from the pressure. A vein was pulsating in his forehead, throbbing painfully.

"Only blood can appease for blood. Describe his techniques, if it's a Konoha spawn then I've probably fought him already." he spat.

"T-the men say he was unlike anything t-they have ever seen. T-they say he was faster t-than lightning, attacking at a f-few places at the same t-time-"

"That's called Kage Bunshin, you good for nothing excuse for a shinobi!"

"N-n-no, I beg your p-pardon, T-tsuchikage-sama, the men c-claim that it was only one shinobi and t-that he flew through the battlefield seeping death. T-they say the they only saw a yellow flash – the bringer of death. T-the few who survived say it was a man with yellow hair. N-no one knows him, sir. T-they all call him K-Konoha's Yellow Flash."

With a last chakra-infused punch Ōnoki shattered his own table, wood splinters flying in every direction.

"Konoha's Yellow Flash." He let the moniker roll off his tongue, venom dripping with every syllable. "You will pay."

Kemuri's hand moved methodically, gripping the handle of a kunai, drawing a pattern in the dirt with its tip. His mind had long ago wandered off to more exciting topics and his movements had turned automatic, drawing circles within circles and chaotic lines.

No matter how many times Sasshi-sensei praised the importance of the sentry for a team, he couldn't help hating the job. It was just plain boring. Therefore, the sudden appearance of a tired-looking, but enthusiastic Gorou Haruka was like a whiff of fresh air after the prolonged torture of boredom.

"Gorou-niisan!" he exclaimed, the large grin already spilling over his face as he sprang up to his feet.

The brown-haired man smiled an affectionate smile and ruffled his hair.

"No wonder no enemies came around, Kemuri-kun, I would have turned my tail and ran too if I knew you'd be on guard." he said lightly.

"They'd better!" the boy yelled and swung a fist in the air, aiming at invisible opponents.

Gorou laughed lightly.

"There, there, you little monkey, save it for the enemy!"

"Os! You'll see, I'll protect everyone!"

Saying the words made a torrent of painful memories spring back to his mind and his enthusiastic smile dropped as he directed a concerned look at the chūnin before him.

"Say, Gorou-niisan, why are you here? My sentry shift is not over yet. Is anything wrong…?" …with Kushina-neechan?

Gorou quickly shook his head, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Not at all, she is very much alright." The chūnin said, guessing quite well whom Kemuri had been worried about, "Actually she already woke up around noon today and joined in the preparations with the departure team. She'll be heading back to Konoha."

The happiness that swept over him upon hearing that she was alright quickly evaporated, only to be replaced by a sullen look. Kemuri tried his best to keep the pain off his face and, judging by Gorou's reaction, miserably failed.

"Yeah, I'll miss her too, kid. But hey, hopefully we'll be back in Konoha soon as well."

Kemuri scowled, face dropping. He had grown used to goof around with her whenever he got the chance. She always paid attention to him and made him laugh, actually taking him seriously despite his age – something that almost no one had done since he got deployed. They all saw him as the Hokage's son; she saw him as Kemuri Sarutobi, a man of his own making.

Staying on the battlefield without her suddenly seemed very dull. He had always been eager to fight and prove himself in battle, but now, for the first time, he found himself looking forward to the time he would be deployed back to Konoha, taking his future wife (for she would surely be one day!) on their first date.

As if having read all of those emotions on Kemuri's face, Gorou chuckled lightly.

"Speaking of departures, I hear there is a certain hot-headed kunoichi, who wants to thank her saviour before she goes." he said and his chuckle turned into full-blown laughter as Kemuri's expression lit up and he whooped merrily, right before all the mirth disappeared from his face mere seconds later.

"When is she leaving? My shift isn't over until two more hours…"

"She is actually leaving just about now." he said and Kemuri couldn't have felt more miserable if he had witnessed an entire Iwa army kick a puppy to death.

"But-" Gorou quickly added. "-I have some time to spare and I'm quite tired. Maybe sitting down for a bit would do me good. And I might as well look out for enemies, since I'm here anyway." he said and winked playfully at the young boy.

The grin returned to his face with full-force and Kemuri Sarutobi couldn't stop himself from jumping in the air.

"Thank you, Gorou-niisan, you are the best!" he shouted ecstatically. "I'll be back before you know it!"

If the older man answered anything, the boy didn't hear it, already running through the trees towards the camp area. The forest soon came to an end and Kemuri jumped past the first few tents of the clearing, looking around for any sign of Kushina or her sensei. It took him a little under five minutes to finally locate the Konoha returnees southeast of the main mountain road.

Kushina was noticeable from just one glance, her wonderful red hair pulled in a low ponytail, reaching down to her hips. She quickly turned around, having felt his fast-approaching chakra signature, and a merry grin spread over her face. Thankfully, she didn't seem as injured as he thought she would be. With a few more bounds he was standing before her, hands on his knees as he bent forward, trying to catch his breath.

"Ah, so Gorou found you in time." her sweet, honey-laced, warm voice murmured and he looked up, a confused look on his face.

"You made Gorou-niisan switch shifts with me?"

"Well of course I did, silly. As if that windy-head could ever come up with something as ingenious. Besides, he owes me a favour or two, ya know."

Kemuri beamed.

"As expected of my girlfriend!" he exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up.

The woman before him seemed to not appreciate the moral support, for she simply rolled her eyes.

"How many times do I need to tell you, shrimp, I am not your girlfriend…"

"Yet! But you agreed to go out on a date with me if we survived the battle!"

Kushina raised a hand to her forehead, massaging her temples through an exasperated look, mumbling about 'circumstances' and 'forced'.

"You promised, Kushina-neechan!" he shouted, flinging a finger at her face.

"Hai, hai…" she relented through a sigh. "We'll go out on a date. But only this one time!"

"Yatta!" the boy exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. "You'll see, you'll be in love with me before you know it!"

"Why do I doubt that, shrimp…" she mumbled through annoyance, one hand moving over his head to level his height with her own, stopping a bit below her shoulder.

Kemuri flushed, sticking his chest out and straightening his back.

"I'll be taller soon, you'll see, I'll be taller than everyone in the village and I will be Hokage too and you will see how amazing I am!"

"You'll find your words wasted on her when it comes to height, Kemuri-kun, she's quite stubborn when judging a man." an amused voice came from behind him and Kemuri jumped around in surprise, not having felt the man approach at all.

It was the same stranger who had miraculously appeared in the nick of time and saved both him and Kushina. He had heard the tales around camp, glorifying Minato Namikaze's skill in battle, naming him Konoha's genius shinobi, claiming that he alone had held the Pass.

That seemed quite exaggerated.

Surely that goofy-smiling blond hedgehog couldn't be that great of a warrior, could he? His mellow face looked quite different from the cold threatening look he had had during the battle and Kemuri found himself wondering if he was seeing the same person before him now. He didn't look threatening at all.

One look at Kushina strengthened his opinion about the man.

Kushina – unflinching, unyielding Kushina – was, to his mortification, smiling sweetly in return and, if his eyes were not deceiving him – blushing. Blushing! A gnawing feeling settled in Kemuri's stomach, tearing on his insides like a wounded animal, and his face furrowed in a scowl. Yes, he definitely disliked Minato Namikaze.

"She claimed with no doubts that she will forever be taller than me." the blond man continued, not having noticed Kemuri's rolling antagonism.

It was hard to believe that Kushina had ever been taller than the annoying guy – even if he disliked him, he had to admit that Minato definitely outdid him in the height department, being taller than he was ever likely to be – Kushina just about reached up to his eyes.

"I wouldn't advise you to start the Hokage argument either, if you value your health."

The last part didn't seem to be directed at him at all as Minato threw a peculiar look at Kushina, a small smile playing on his lips, as if enjoying some sort of private joke. They either knew each other for longer than it appeared, or they had become exceptionally close in the last three hours during which Kushina had been awake.

Maybe she was overly grateful that he had saved her? Maybe she had fallen in love with him for it! What was it that Gorou had said… 'I hear there is a certain hot-headed kunoichi, who wants to thank her saviour before she goes.' He hadn't said that Kemuri was that savior. So this man stole from him not only his spotlight, but also his love!

"Given that you never dropped it, should I assume that you don't value your own health, ya know?" Kushina asked the blond man, Kemuri completely forgotten.

Minato's smile grew wider as a playful look entered those unpleasantly piercing blue eyes. Kemuri's scowl only deepened.

"I think I might have learned a trick or two to keep me safe for now."

The girl raised an eyebrow, the smile still on her face.

"We'll see about that, ya know."

Kemuri wanted to gag. They couldn't get any more obvious. What made matters worse was that they seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were obvious, insomuch that they hadn't even noticed the way that they were so obviously flirting without meaning to.

Kemuri was many things, but he was not blind. His father had drilled it in his mind that a good shinobi observed before acting. He could see the way Kushina's eyes positively sparkled whenever she met Minato's gaze, and the way she subconsciously altered her body stance to mirror his; her posture eased in his presence, even when he was standing closer than a stranger would. Her smile came naturally to her face and her one hand jumped to brush her hair away absent-mindedly. Kushina never dealt with her hair, as if she considered it insignificant and annoying – now however, she seemed to be trying to fix it.

The hedgehog wasn't being any less transparent, although Kemuri couldn't quite compare his attitude to what it was normally, not having met him before. Maybe he was always smiling nervously and subconsciously leaning closer to people when he spoke to them? Maybe it was usual that his eyes would hold a stranger's look as he spoke to them, looking at them just as intently? Maybe it was normal that he would joke provocatively with most any girl he met? In any case, Kemuri felt very much displeased by his arrival.

"What are you doing here anyway, you should be resting before your next shift is up. You really wore yourself out." she said quietly and Kemuri couldn't quite place the nervous look that entered her face as she looked away from Minato (finally!), her cheeks growing redder.

Weirdly enough, his reaction was similar.

"I, er… I'm sorry about before… I didn't mean to…" he started and then paused, throwing a quick look in Kemuri's direction before straightening his back. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." she mumbled and Kemuri wished that he hadn't mentioned it at all. And hoped that he never would again. Ever.

No matter what it was that they were talking about, it seemed intimate. In other words: very, very bad. He could almost feel Kushina slipping away from him. Enough was enough.

"What would you know about Hokage anyway, Hedghehog?" Kemuri spoke up finally, glaring at the blond man through an annoyed look.

Minato blinked a few times, taken aback either by the sudden antagonism in his words or by the unexpected nickname. Kushina on the other hand guffawed with laughter, bending forward to hold her stomach through merry spasms.

"You won't be Hokage anyway, I will be! And I will be an even greater Hokage than my dad, just wait and see! Kushina-san has already recognised me too, she even agreed to go on a date with me!" he exclaimed loudly, a smug smile spreading over his face as he saw Minato direct a surprised (and somewhat quite amused) look at Kushina.

At the last part of his heated-speech, the red-haired girl suddenly jerked upright and directed an exasperated look at him.

"Will you shut up with that date, ya know?!" she snapped, raising a fist in the air.

"But Kushina-neechan, you promised!"

If looks could kill, Kemuri would probably be long gone by now. Or well, maybe not entirely, but he was sure he'd be very much unconscious. For a long while. Perhaps bragging about their date before the man Kushina liked was not the smartest move he had made that day.

He didn't regret it, however, since said man clearly needed to have things set straight. He was crossing a line and Kemuri would not have him encroach on his territory. Kushina was going to go out with him, she had promised, the blond hedgehog had to butt out now.

What did she like about him anyway? His hair was a complete mess, giving him an unpleasant ruffian look and its colour was quite absurd – no shinobi valuing their life should have hair like that, they'd be the worst infiltrators. He was too tall – if she tried to kiss him she would have to rise on her toes and that would be painful for her feet, so clearly he was the wrong choice. Furthermore, he was too lean – a man had to be really muscular if he wanted to truly protect his girl, everyone knew that women liked strong brawny men.

Minato Namikaze was neither – in fact his goofy smile should have been proof enough of how unreliable he was. Really, it was all crystal clear to him, so why couldn't Kushina see?

"Now, now, Kushina, I thought you never go back on your word?" Minato asked, barely holding back laughter.

"Shut up, Hedgehog." she grumbled, much to Kemuri's pleasure. She was finally seeing the truth.

Minato couldn't stop himself from laughing this time.

Before he could answer they heard someone clear their throat besides them and Kemuri turned to see Sakumo-sama standing a few feet away from them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to discuss our traveling formation with you, Minato."

Kushina's dubious stare directed at the blond-haired man.

"Aren't you staying here?" she asked incredulously.

"No, my orders were to escort the injured back to Konoha after the replacement squad arrived. I haven't gone through an evaluation of my current skills just yet, so I can't be appointed with an official mission or station on the fronts." he said through a nervous smile, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"But then why…"

"Because he was highly recommended by Jiraya and he was one of the few available in the village when we received news of the attack." Sakumo answered quietly, eyeing Kushina with a weird look that Kemuri could not place. "There was no time to do any evaluation – at the time Minato had been in the village for no more than an hour or two."

The look she threw at the blond man at that moment was unidentifiable as much as Kemuri tried. It seemed a mixture of worry, happiness, gratitude and sadness at the same time. He had never seen anyone look so conflicted before, but then again his father had always said that women were very complicated.

"I'll see you in a bit." The blond man murmured to Kushina, before turning to Kemuri with a gentle smile on his face. How he could look so kind after Kemuri had insulted him, the boy couldn't know. "I was meaning to thank you, Kemuri-kun, but I never got the chance. Seeing as we will part ways, allow me to do so now. Thank you for protecting Kushina with a risk to your own life – that was most brave of you and for it you have my respect. Thank you for being there when I couldn't be."

"Hmph. I didn't do it for you." the boy growled and turned to face away from him.

"Thank you nevertheless." He said lightly through an unwavering kind smile, as if Kemuri had most politely said 'you're welcome', and quietly headed towards Sakumo, finally leaving him alone with his love.

The boy's eyes followed him through a scowl before he snorted quietly.

"Such a show-off, he thinks he'll become Hokage just because he defeated a few Iwa shinobi."

He had expected a heated agreement from the hot-headed girl before him, but when he got nothing but silence he looked up at her to find her gazing after Minato with a pensive expression.

"Yeah… Minato Namikaze as Yondaime… who would imagine…" she said to no one in particular, her voice lacking its usual conviction.

"Hoy, Kushina-neechan! I won't allow you to drool over him on our date! It has to be about me, you should see how great I am!"

"Will you quit it with that dat- did you just say 'drool', you shrimp?!" she shouted and lifted a fist, aiming at his face.

Kemuri instinctively took a step back, closing his eyes and lifting his hands before him, knowing full well that he was too slow, expecting the punch. It never came. Instead, he felt a pair of soft lips peck his forehead and his eyes flung open in bewilderment, his whole face frozen in shock and his cheeks burning.

"Thank you for not leaving, Kemuri." she said through a fond smile. "Take care of yourself and come home sooner."

The brown-haired boy could only nod in return as if dazed. Kushina chuckled and quickly armed her backpack, heading down the road towards the other Konoha returnees, turning just briefly to wave goodbye. Kemuri's smile couldn't have been larger as he waved in return.

"Tell my father to hold tight to his hat, I'll be taking it soon! And tell Asuma how amazing his big brother is, he should be proud of me!" he shouted merrily after her before turning back and heading towards his sentry post.

Chapter Text

He paused, crouched high up amongst the branches of a tree, surveying the area before brushing a finger against the rough bark. His senses took in the flowing natural energy around him, feeling the dull flicker of the living forms around him brush against his mindscape like a million faint flames.

Despite being very much underdeveloped, every living being had a chakra system within, even the lowest forms of animals. They all faded in comparison to the bright blaze that alerted a person's presence, but they were still there – the amount of specks of light around him, albeit subtle, would have been quite overwhelming to most untrained shinobi who accidently happened to discover the way of sensing natural energy on their own. Not so to one used to it and Minato smiled, revelling in the feeling of life that surrounded him.

After a few seconds of peaceful musings he sighed and quickly sprung up, continuing leaping lightly from branch to branch, completing the outer circle of the sentry route.

Sakumo had suggested that they share the tree-level sentry around the main party that was, much to Kushina's displeasure, walking down the main road at a pace most commonly associated with civilians and not shinobi.

It was unavoidable of course, as many of the injured ninja returning to Konoha couldn't afford to keep up the pace that he and Sakumo could otherwise set up. After her initial protests, Kushina had finally relented to remain with the main body of their group, giving Minato one last disappointed look before taking the formation's right flank just as Dan took the left. She and the blue-haired man were the only ones in condition to aid the others in case any close-range fighting broke out without Minato or Sakumo having noticed. Something, which he was determined not to allow.

Having set out early in the afternoon, they didn't have the advantage of a full sun cycle to make progress and the distance that they covered during the first day was relatively small. Therefore, a short six hours after departure camp was set again and the sentry shifts were given out.

Minato, who hadn't returned from his tour around the campsite, was given first watch. By the time he returned the others had quieted down, with most people already asleep by the fire, overpowered by exhaustion.

Sakumo was still up, waiting for his report, but Minato could see that the jōnin wasn't any less tired – he hadn't had the chance to rest his eyes earlier during the day as Minato had and now the stress and work overload were paying off. After informing the blond man of the allocated sentry shifts and exchanging a few words about the trip, he quietly retreated to a shadowy corner of the meadow, wrapping himself in a blanket and giving in to sleep.

Minato quietly leapt up in the branches of a nearby tree, settling down for his watch. Within minutes the quiet of the night and the peaceful song of the crickets had lulled him into a lethargic state and he had to stifle a yawn. He quickly retrieved a small piece of chipped wood from within his pouch along with a kunai and his hands fell into the familiar pattern of wood carving that he had developed over the last few years.

Two years ago he had visited the country of rice along with Jiraya and they had stumbled upon the shop of a civilian wood carpenter in search of information about a missing nin. The man hadn't been very helpful, but he had taken a liking to the man and his hobby.

Until then he had always prided himself in his shinobi abilities, considering ninjutsu and taijutsu as a form of art in itself. This man however, having no particular skills in either area and possessing a fairly underdeveloped chakra system, had turned out to be one of the most talented artists that Minato had ever seen. He created elaborated wood furniture for a living and decorated it in a unique way, making each piece different to the previous one.

There had been a tender expression on his face as his hands moved over the logs with a chisel, and Minato had realised the true source of the beauty of his creations – love.

Minato had been so fascinated with the man's work that he had ventured as far as trying to carve something himself. His attempts, of course, were mostly unsuccessful at first and barely average later on, but he had found a certain pleasure in the activity and had taken it up regularly when he had time to waste.

It had turned into a hobby of his own, his hands already moving automatically as the sharp kunai bit smoothly into the wood, shaping it further. It wasn't as precise as a chisel, but it was all the instruments he possessed so he had learned how to work with it instead.

His fingers ran over the rough splintered surface, tracing the tiny curves and edges that were hidden from his eyes under the faint light, and he carefully adjusted the angle of the blade, continuing his work.

A man from the meadow below shrugged in his sleep, moving closer to the fire, and Minato immediately fixed his eyes on him before surveying the entire clearing for any disturbances. There were none. His look slid sideways on its own accord, lingering over the jumble of red locks sprawled under a blanket and he couldn't help his smile.

His cheeks grew warmer as he remembered waking up in a tent some hours ago, only to find that he had fallen asleep by her side and put her through the trouble of covering him with her own blanket upon waking up.

Things couldn't get any more embarrassing and the fact that he had actually slept through her actions didn't make it any better – he was a shinobi for God's sake, if that had been an enemy with a kunai instead of Kushina with a blanket he would be very much dead right now. It only went to show how very tired he had been if his senses had been so very shut to the world.

Only that they weren't really, a small voice in his head was saying, I did feel Dan enter as I woke up later on. He knew very well of course, why he hadn't reacted to Kushina's presence – he was simply used to it; he had grown accustomed to the warm chakra signature, the very same one pulsating from a pocket of his shinobi flak jacket wherever he went. The little origami sun in which she had embedded her chakra was always by his side, even when he slept and now, feeling the same chakra signature in the tent with him hadn't felt off in the slightest. His senses hadn't alerted him and he had slept right through her sweet gesture.

His cheeks burned ever warmer as he recalled the distinct scent of cherry blossoms that had clung to the fabric, making him shiver at the thought.

The branches up ahead creaked suspiciously and she looked up in the general direction only to see Sakumo throwing a measured glance at their group before jumping ahead in the trees again.

Kushina groaned inwardly and kicked a pebble with enough force to send it flying in the bushes. The man could be honestly infuriating at times.

He had asked for Minato's help with the sentry routes, but not her, what was up with that, ya know?

Thinking of Minato made her sigh, somewhat melting the edge of her thoughts. She had hoped to spend more time with him on their way back to the village so she could ask him about the foreign seals he had demonstrated, but circumstances had not allowed it.

Last night she had been tired despite herself and had managed to fall asleep before he returned from his sentry tour. They had exchanged a few pleasantries the following morning, but the crowded camp and the awaiting road didn't allow them much privacy or time for talking and he had quickly departed after giving her a brief apologetic smile.

Even so, the short time spent in his company had been enough to brighten her day.

With another groan Kushina shook her head and tried to push the thought away. She should think of something else. Maybe willing pebbles to have Sakumo's features was a less dangerous topic to let her mind dwell on.

And so it was that during the second day of their travel many pebbles suffered kicks that might have broken a grown man's ribs.

The evening was no different than the previous one as they all sat down around the fire, eating the remaining food ratios of their provisions in silence. Minato was once again missing, completing a last circle around their chosen camp area, while Sakumo had returned recently and was currently drafting the sentry shifts.

This time Kushina was given first shift, followed by himself, Dan and then Minato – the jōnin was still insisting that the others needed as much rest as possible. Judging by their hollow looks, Kushina could only agree, although there seemed to be a new light shining in their eyes with every step they got closer to Konoha. Closer to home.

Before she knew it, the others started preparing blankets around the fire and the silent dinner was over through an unspoken agreement. Kushina quietly left the circle of people and took her post at the north end of the clearing, just beside the steep edge of the rocky cliff they had chosen for their camp that night.

It offered a good enough view of the surrounding forest, with ever more trees to the south of them, level with the clearing, and a green sea of foliage stretching on below her for as long as the eye could see. The moon had started to fill again, a silver crescent donning the starry sky, peaking from behind light clouds.

It offered all the light she needed as her eyesight adjusted to the darkness and she surveyed the forest for any disturbances. Nothing stood out.

She quickly sat down, knees brought up to serve as a writing surface, and took out a small scroll from her pouch along with a brush and an ink cartridge. The familiar kanji rolled off the tip of it as she set about drawing seals in between glances at the forest below.

It was a tedious task, but a needed one – having the common seals prepared in advance saved a lot of time when needed in battle. A smug smile appeared on her lips as her eyes took in the neat and elegant shape that her writing had acquired after hours and hours of practice – even in the current lack of light her fingers were shaping the kanji automatically, swirling the symbols in a graceful manner, quite unnatural for her fiery character.

Even so, there were a few lines that were longer and sharper, as if made through a quick confident stroke – her temper was still visible in her pencraft after all those years – a fact she was not entirely displeased with.

After some minutes of diligent writing her fingers started itching and she carefully dropped the brush by her side, straightening her back and inhaling through the surrounding pleasant aroma of fresh ink.

Kanji were dancing before her eyes, forming seals by themselves without her mind puzzling out the shapes in advance. Strangely enough, the calligraphy webs that took shape in her mindscape were quite foreign, the product of a memory rather than knowledge – the pattern that Minato had used for an unknown type of barrier.

Her eyes flashed open and her hand quickly retrieved his dagger from inside her kunai holster, lifting it before her eyes for inspection as she had already done a couple of times during their travels.

The seal before her was a mystery, much like the man who had used it – its shape and structure were unique and unintelligible, a novelty within Fūinjutsu, both simplifying some complicated aspects and making others so intricate that she could not follow. She clearly recognised the kanji for 'space', 'time', 'wind', and 'construct', but the others were woven within symbols, making them hard to differentiate.

The seal itself was wrapped around the cylindrically-shaped handle of the unusual kunai, making it hard to determine which angle was the correct viewing one. Kushina frowned, twisting the weapon in her hands, trying to will it to spill all of its secrets through a harsh look.

"Any luck so far?" a quiet voice came from behind her and she jumped.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Minato standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, studying her through an amused look. Upon meeting her gaze his lips spilled in a warm smile almost subconsciously and Kushina felt herself respond in kind before she knew it.

"No, but I'll crack it eventually." she said with a wry smile, returning her attention to the three-pronged kunai and hoisting the sealing scroll on her leg, unrolling it to a white piece of parchment.

Her other hand quickly grabbed her brush, tipping it in the small ink vile strapped to her forearm with an armband, and she set about copying the exact structure of the kanji before her eyes. As usual, the task was engulfing, so when she finally finished her work and looked up, she was surprised to see Minato standing right behind her, looking at the scroll in her hands through a dazed smile. She hadn't felt him approach at all.

"Brilliant." he muttered quietly and Kushina felt her sides warm up at the sudden praise. "I hadn't seen anyone get so close to the original formula after having inspected it for such a short period of time… Not even Jiraiya-sensei managed to imitate it half-so well."

She scowled. He had said that she had gotten close to the original seal, but hadn't gotten it entirely right. So it was even more complicated than she had expected.

Minato chuckled at her annoyed expression and lightly sat down next to her, crossing his legs in a loose lotus position. Kushina held her breath instinctively. Was it just her imagination, or was he sitting closer than socially acceptable, with one knee almost touching her thigh? Was this socially acceptable? Why did it seem like such a big deal all of a sudden?

And why didn't it bother her at all?

The moonlight was giving his hair a silvery tint, making him look surreal in the surrounding pressing darkness, and Kushina felt the same inexplicable urge to run a hand through his locks, imagining him smiling at it.

"Here, let me show you." he said again in a soft voice and leaned closer, stretching a hand out half-way through, waiting for her to pass him the brush and the scroll.

She did so through warm cheeks and he quickly spread the scroll on one knee and set about weaving a seal.

Kushina was transfixed.

If she had thought her calligraphy skill anything special, Minato's one was the highest form of perfection, alternating between elegant twists and confident sharp strokes. His kanji were neat and his movement stable and precise, forming the familiar shape faster than she would have thought possible. Within seconds he had completed a perfect copy of the seal on the kunai handle, bringing a hand up against his chest in a quick seal before tapping the paper with chakra infused fingers. The red-haired girl was staring at him through wide eyes.

"You embed your chakra in it?"

"Not precisely, no. It was the general system I operated with, but it was impractical so I altered it." He said through a smile, earning another incredulous look from Kushina.

"What do you mean you altered it, there is no other system…" she began, the words dying off in her throat as she saw the nervous smile on his face. "You came up with one, ya know."

"Having my chakra stored in the seal made the weapons easily discernible by chakra-sensory type shinobi which gave me a disadvantage in battle, so I tried to come up with a way to trump that. See this kanji here?" he said, pointing at the lower left corner of the seal. "This used to be the kanji for 'to store', but I altered it into one that interweaves with 'link', see? Instead of storing chakra in the seal itself, I create a link, or a connection with my chakra stream that remains active within certain distances. That allows me to use it as a beacon for instant movement between marked locations, thanks to-"

"-the kanji for 'space' here, right? And is this 'distance'? It forms a strange pattern with 'construct', I don't understand… unless… Minato, does this link…"

He gave her another appraising smile. "You are amazing with seals, have I told you that before?" he said quietly, ignoring the small smug smile that tugged at the corners of her lips now. "If given enough time you would have seen through it in no time. Yes, it links with 'time'. It's a space/time Fūinjutsu. As I mentioned before, it doesn't simply allow me to move over large distances, but to move instantaneously too, or to put it otherwise, I shift through space and time, reconstructing it around me."

"Teleportation…" Kushina mumbled through a shocked expression, staring no longer at the seal, but at him instead, wide eyes taking in his features anew.

Before her stood Minato, her friend… and the man who had revolutionized Fūinjutsu and improved upon an impossible-to-use-seal, the very creation of the Second Hokage himself.

He must have felt her intent look, for he turned towards her with a quizzical expression, arching an eyebrow at her stunned look. That movement alone was strangely charming and Kushina was suddenly very aware of his proximity in the darkness and the brief moment of privacy that they had managed to steal for themselves after all.

He held her look, not glancing away for an instant, but there seemed to be an emotion brimming under the seemingly calm demeanour, which Kushina could not place. Whatever it was, it brought a new light to his eyes and the girl quickly looked away as her heartbeat quickened inexplicably. Her eyes fell on the scroll before her and she quickly picked up the first thing needing explaining.

"What is this one then, ya know?" she asked quietly, clearing her voice from the raspy whisper.

"Ah yes, it's a part of a link, so its structure is more complex. It's the kanji for 'element', which continues to-"

"You linked it with this one, ya know?" she asked instantly, tapping a forefinger at the scroll just as he moved to point at it too.

His hand brushed against hers lightly, but neither of them hurried to move away. His fingers lingered, perhaps a second longer than acceptable, before he pulled away, exhaling a shaky breath.

"Yes, very good." He murmured quietly, as if the previous moment hadn't occurred at all. "It links with the kanji for 'wind'. I find it more potent if the specific chakra affinity is used, instead of the general kanji for 'chakra'. Therefore, since my affinity is wind, I used that kanji instead. Wind chakra type also happens to be the rarest one, so if another person manages to copy off my technique from a kunai and attempt to use it without understanding it, they will have a hard time doing so when their affinity clashes with the one specified. See, you had almost copied it right, but the shape is different here and here." he said, pointing to the upper incomplete seal that she had made in her haste.

"The link is also incomplete here. This changes the overall structure and makes it unstable. You would have probably managed to feel the presence of the web of such kunai around if your chakra affinity was wind, but teleportation to one would be impossible. It's a delicate balance… it took me quite awhile to get it right…"

"That you got it right at all is incredible, ya know… it is amazing, I… I had never thought this possible." She mumbled, pulling the seal from his knee and bringing it before her face for a closer look. "How on Earth did you happen upon Nidaime's work?"

"I would have to thank Jiraya-sensei for that one. He doesn't boast it much, but he's actually quite proficient with seals."

"But Jiraya couldn't use it. No one but Nidaime could. And now you."

"Because people were trying to use it directly. Seals… well I mean you know it better than I do… they don't work like that. You have to truly own it, to understand every aspect of it, in order to use it readily in combat. I had to alter it… and make it my own." he said quietly.

And she understood. Much like handwriting, like signatures, seals were all individual, every master's style being their own. No two were alike.

"When you said you'll come up with a seal of your own I thought you were just boasting, ya know." She said lightly and couldn't hold back a chuckle of her own, the memories of their Fūinjutsu studying sessions springing back to mind.

"Ah well, you were a good teacher."

Kushina frowned. "If you are mocking me, Hedgehog…" she began, eyes narrowing down in a threatening manner. What was he talking about; he had always been the one who explained things to her – the slowpoke.

Minato's soft laughter broke through the sudden eerie silence – apparently he found his new moniker endearing instead of taking offense.

"No, not at all actually. I was referring to your infectious ideology. I told you that I would create my own sealing style and… you see, I never go back on my word." he said playfully through a signature smile, but Kushina knew that he meant every word of it.

A warm feeling was spreading through her.

"You didn't forget."

"You're surprised that I didn't."

Kushina let her eyes wander over the forest below them, looking without seeing, as her mind raced ahead. He expected her to say something about it, but she didn't want to venture into the topic of her past insecurities.

"So how do you use it?" she asked instead, when the silence stretched for far too long.

Once again she was reminded of Minato's wonderful personality trait – patience. He didn't push the topic further, choosing to let her speak of it when she deemed appropriate. Instead he smiled again, a slightly nostalgic look in his eyes before returning his gaze to the seal-inscribed scroll.

"I'll show you sometime when the circumstances allow it." he said and she smiled back, nodding quickly in agreement.

"Sometime soon, ya know."

"As soon as possible." he promised through a light chuckle, smiling widely at the eager look in her eyes. Their passion for seals was shared as always and her impatience seemed to be rubbing off on him, making him look just as restless.

"You've learned a lot during your travels, haven't you?"

"This and that." He acknowledged through a wry smile and she gave him an elbow shove in the ribs.

"Since when have you become so very cryptic, ya know? Spill."

Minato laughed again and Kushina was reminded once again that she liked the sound of his merriment much more than she should – laughter indicated happiness and his happiness seemed to be directly interlinked with hers. If he was smiling then so was she.

They spent the remainder of her shift talking, recalling events from the last few years. Despite Minato being the person who had travelled most in that time, she ended up talking almost as much as him, answering his curious questions about Konoha and her team, and their friends, and her parents and her hobbies.

But it was the tales of his adventures that excited her most. Within the short period of three years he had been to all elemental nations, having seen more and met more people than she had in her whole life. He recalled many places, villages and meadows, mountains and shadowy valleys, deep forests and snowy fields, painting the pictures with simple words.

There was an eagerness to his voice that made her smile excitedly as she drank his words in. He almost seemed impatient, as if he had been keeping it all inside for much too long, excited to share.

They never felt the time passing and it seemed as if they had just started talking when they both felt the stirring presence behind them and turned instantaneously to look at Sakumo's rising form.

"I guess my sentry shift's over." she said quietly and a chuckle reached her ears.

Minato had lain down in the grass beside her while talking. He had just been telling her of a particularly beautiful forest meadow filled with fireflies in the middle of May.

"I thought you dislike sentry shifts." He mused.

She looked down at him and felt her cheeks warm up as she saw his one hand intertwined with her hair, which had spilled freely behind her. His eyes were following her every move.

"They can be quite tedious when you're alone."

"We ought to change that." he said with the softest smile and she could only nod, thanking the darkness now hiding her blazing face.

In one light move he sprang up to his feet and turned back to offer her a hand up. Her mind quickly brought back memories of a similar situation – a young sun-kissed boy smiling down at her and offering friendship. She had hesitated then, eyeing him in disbelief and wonder.

This time she smiled. His hand was warm and gentle against hers, causing a burning feeling to run down her frame and swell in her chest.

Sakumo's eyes instinctively turned to Minato as he was passing him and heading towards the sentry post, his look lingering on the fond smile playing on his lips and the near-dazed look he had directed at Kushina, oblivious to the world around him.

There was a level of fascination in his eyes that made Sakumo groan inwardly. He had always feared this, but it didn't make it any less problematic when it occurred. In any other case he would smile knowingly at the subtle signs of budding feelings, but in this case things were different.

Kushina was not just any kunoichi – she was the Kyuubi's container and, most importantly, she was not indifferent – the natural smile that sprang to her lips was a constant event ever since Minato had returned and in that brief time she had laughed more than she had for the past whole month. Her eyes constantly sought him out and lingered, her sides reddening ever so slightly with each look.

Ryūmi and Hyōjin Uzumaki had postponed talking to her long enough, sparing her feelings for as long as possible – it was time to tell her now, before she could get hurt even worse. With a displeased scowl he resigned on speaking with them as soon as they returned to Konoha.

It happened out of nowhere. One moment she was trudging ahead alone, subconsciously falling behind the column with every step they got closer to Konoha – to her home and future lockdown – and in the next he was walking by her side, looking at her with a quizzical expression latched on his face. She should have gotten used to his sudden quiet appearances by now, but her muscles still locked instinctively with surprise.

His lips spread in an apologetic smile upon seeing her reaction as his hand shot up to rub the back of his head nervously – a typical mannerism that Kushina found exceptionally endearing. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Sakumo joining the main party too, falling into step with one of the older shinobi, whom he seemed to be acquainted with.

Their sudden presence could only mean one thing – they were close enough to Konoha for them to abandon the estimated sentry routes – their journey was coming to an end and it had been, thankfully, uneventful. Now that they had entered Konoha's protective outskirts, monitored by ANBU, both men could afford to relax and join the others.

Kushina didn't answer Minato's unspoken question, choosing to look ahead instead, enjoying his company in silence. He didn't push things either, moving soundlessly by her side and the red-haired girl had to look a few times in his direction to make sure he was still there – his moves had acquired a naturally stealthy edge and she was certain that if he so wished she wouldn't be able to detect him at all.

His chakra signature was there, however, casually open to the world, pulsating in a familiar way by her side.

"You seem tired, Mina-chan. Not enough sleep last night?" she teased and was rewarded with an amused huff.

His shift had come shortly after hers, leaving him awake for most of the night. She had planned on waking up to wait it out with him, keeping him company as he had done for her, but she hadn't managed to, tiredness carrying her asleep through the rest of the night.

"Someone kept me up with curious questions." he teased back.

"Funnily enough, me too."

He laughed and she couldn't help but join in.

"Alright, I give up. I may have been quite curious." he continued, "and I still am. Three years is a long time… I feel like I've missed so much. Tell me more."

The same impatience was hidden in his voice and she couldn't help but think that he had been waiting for this moment the whole day – the chance to join her on the road and speak again. Or maybe that was just her?

"What do you want to know?"

The last leg of their trip lasted no more than two hours, time pleasantly spent in jokes and stories. All too soon the trees started to part, revealing the familiar fork in the road with one path leading down towards the forest below the rocky cliff and the gates of the village, and the other leading along the cliffside towards the mountain of the Hokage Monument. Directly ahead of them and below, Konoha bathed in the warm afternoon sun, bustling with life.

Its many colourful and peculiarly-shaped buildings gave it an odd and uneven look, each seeming different than the other, making the village highly unsymmetrical. This, however, made it strangely beautiful in an unconventional way – Konoha was a jumble of characters, tastes and cultures, all clashing and blending, living peacefully in acceptance and understanding – it made the village interesting, different, alive. It was a feast for the eye and it spelled measured chaos and unconformity – something that resonated well within Kushina.

Within the tumble of colours and shapes there was also a pervading feeling of peace and comfort that almost made the girl sigh in relief at the sight. The gentle rustle of the trees around, which seemed to be forming a whispering melody unlike any other in the world; the quiet rumble of the rivers; the perky songs of the forest birds; the shrill laughter of children in the distance – it all painted a picture of idyll, which made Kushina smile despite herself.

So what if she was locked here, unable to go out for months on end? She wouldn't just be sitting around, she would be protecting what she held dear. She had grown to love this foreign village much the same way that she loved Uzushiogakure, in its own unique way – throughout the years Konoha had become home.

She realised that the group of returnees had already started down the hill, impatient to return home, while she had been observing the village from the edge of the cliff. But she was not alone. Minato had stopped beside her and upon noticing his presence she turned a curious look at him.

He never noticed.

He was gazing at the sight before him through half-lidded eyes, a peaceful smile playing on his lips, hands tucked away leisurely in his pockets. Something in Kushina stirred and another piece of the puzzle that Minato had become fell into place.

There was so much love and devotion written on his face in that single moment that it took her breath away. She had hardly ever seen someone look onto anyone or anything, with the same level of quiet, tender attachment as Minato did upon seeing Konoha. There was a level of subtle ferocity in his look that Kushina could only recognise as one – the will to protect, regardless of the circumstances and the danger, regardless of the price.

And in that moment a conviction latched itself deep within her, like the roots of a tree, unwavering in its certainty. It had been his dream to become Hokage and Kushina had never doubted the honesty of those words or the will to protect and nourish. Now, however, upon seeing Minato's face, she didn't doubt the man. She didn't see his words as a childish dream anymore; she believed in them – in him – realising that if anyone deserved the position it would be him.

And their challenge meant nothing. And her own boisterous proclamation meant nothing. She had only wanted acceptance and upon achieving that, she had wanted what's best for Konoha and now she knew it stood before her eyes – Minato Namikaze would be Hokage one day and she would support him through it with all her heart.

"You're glad to be back." she murmured quietly, not taking her eyes off of him.

She had intended it as a question, but something about his look altered it to an unquestionable fact.

"You have no idea." he replied quietly, the same smile never leaving his face, his eyes still locked on the village before him.

"Welcome home."

His eyes, when he turned to look at her through a slightly surprised expression, spelled out quiet gratitude as his warm smile grew wider, and Kushina couldn't help but think that those simple words had meant more to him than she could ever comprehend.

There was a knock at the door and Hiruzen stood up slowly, calling out permission for entry, abandoning the latest report he had been glossing over. Something more interesting demanded his attention right now as Konoha's White Fang entered his office and inclined his head in greeting, murmuring a respectful "Hokage-sama" before moving to stand before him.

"Hatake-san, it's good to see you. I hear your mission was a success."

"It was, Hokage-sama, but not without casualties. I'm sorry we couldn't intercept the enemy in time."

A saddened look crossed Hiruzen's face as he remembered reading the names of the men lost.

"They died honourably and shall be honoured as heroes. I have already arranged for their names to be engraved on the memorial stone as soon as possible. Their actions saved many innocent lives and their sacrifice will be remembered in time." With this he paused, allowing a minute of silence in honour of the ones lost. "Even so, my dear friend, you underestimate the success of your own little team. The people who you saved are more than I dared hope to see alive."

"I had little to do with that success."

Hiruzen arched an eyebrow at the man's honest statement.

"Am I to assume this will have to do with your personal secondary mission?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well then, you may proceed with the requested report about Minato Namikaze."

Sakumo's lips quirked up in a wry smile.

"You're gonna like this."

"Oh? I had no doubts he'd perform well."

"'Well' is a laughable understatement. The kid's exceptional." The white-haired man said and Hiruzen felt his curiosity flaring.

It took quite a bit to impress Konoha's White Fang.

"He's unlike anything I've seen. He seems to have picked up or created an arsenal of powerful techniques, but the one that won us this battle... I had only heard of it, never witnessed it myself. It's Nidaime's Hiraishin no Jutsu."

Hiruzen started. Sensei's…? Impossible.

"What's more, he seems to have improved on it, but I'm not familiar with the specifics of it. He's using pre-marked kunai that he teleports next to rapidly in battle. Combined with his natural base speed, which is a feat in itself, the kid turned the battle around on his own. He nearly wiped out a whole squad single-handedly."

Sandaime could only stare. When asked how powerful his student had become Jiraya had simply grinned the other day, like a dog with a hidden bone. Now Hiruzen could suddenly make perfect sense of the teacher's smug confidence.

"That technique aside, he demonstrated high level analytical and strategic thinking, combining it with a large arsenal of ninjutsu, using them resourcefully and efficiently. They are not his ace though." with that the white-haired man paused, smile deepening, "You should see the kid with seals. He could probably give Kushina a run for her money. He even demonstrated some of his own design; one of these was a chakra transferring technique which saved Kushina's life."

Sakumo paused again, taking in the Hokage's incredulous expression.

"There's more though."

"More?" Hiruzen said incredulously, not having expected even that much. The boy wasn't even eighteen yet, this was getting ridiculous.

"You can see Jiraya's hand in his training as well… he demonstrated a basic knowledge in senjutsu, so I can only assume he's signed a contract with the toads too, although no summoning skills were demonstrated during the fight."

"He can use senjutsu?"

"Not use, just sense, but even that he's developed exceptionally well. He can sense a person's chakra signature in a radius around him by simply placing his finger on the ground."

Sandaime's pipe fell out of his mouth and only his shinobi reflexes saved it from hitting the floor, spilling ash. Minato Namikaze could use that move? He could sense his enemies the same way his sensei could? Not even Jiraya, with all his knowledge of senjutsu, could feel the natural energy around him so well without standing still for a long period of time and entering sage mode.

"That's… exceptional indeed."

The white-haired man nodded.

"My personal opinion of him is that he is rational, observant, insightful and quite knowledgeable. He can operate better than most shinobi under stress. Despite being Jiraya's only apprentice, he respects teamwork and works well with others – I covered for him during the fight and he coordinated excellently with my actions and my attacks. Also… there is this other… trait."

Hiruzen nodded curtly, already suspecting what Sakumo was referring to. The jōnin scratched his chin absent-mindedly, trying to form his thoughts into coherent sentences.

"It's hard to describe… it's a feeling, rather than an observation, but he seems to have some sort of influence over others. He does it subconsciously… in fact he is quite modest for the skills that he demonstrates and he never seeks attention. Still… people tend to listen to him and take his words at heart. He's naturally enigmatic."

Hiruzen felt his lips spread into a smile. So he wasn't the only one seeing this, not that he had doubted it. He had noticed Minato's peculiar 'charm' ever since he was a child. He wasn't surprised that this particular aspect of his character had blossomed in such a way.

A frown had marred the white-haired man's face with his last words, however, and Sandaime felt compelled to ask.

"Your account of his skills is quite positive, but you seem conflicted. Is there anything you wish to add on the negative side?"

Sakumo took his time to think things through.

"I'm conflicted, because I'm confused, Hokage-sama, if you would allow me to speak so freely. I have never seen anyone progress this much in such a short period of time, as talented as the boy has always been. It's hard to determine his ideology and his beliefs after such a short period of time, much less his thoughts, but I believe that regardless of the duration of time spent with him, he will always surprise us. So much power concentrated in the hands of one individual can be very beneficial for the village… or very detrimental."

The Hokage "humm"-ed knowingly, choosing to keep his thoughts on the matter. In truth, Sakumo's words had hit the heart of the problem, which Jiraya's prophecy circled around.

'A harbinger of a great revolution to the shinobi world… The child of the prophecy would either bring peace to the world, or utterly destroy it.'

"My negative comments are few and sparse." The jōnin continued, not having noticed Hiruzen's oncoming pensive mood. "He can be rash when his close people are in danger, but he compensates for it with a quick mind. He tends to push himself to extremes, tiring himself excessively by shouldering too much work when others depend on him. His taijutsu is irregular, but also hard to follow, so I couldn't determine its weaknesses. If there are any, he compensates for them with blinding speed. I didn't observe any genjutsu abilities in this particular fight. His ninjutsu appears to be at an elite jōnin level as is his Fūinjutsu. In conclusion, I believe that a suitable post for him would be that of a jōnin, or if Hokage-sama deems it appropriate – a member of the Konoha ANBU Black Ops."

Sandaime smiled a brilliant smile.

"But you don't believe that making Minato an ANBU member would be a good idea." The older man said through a knowing smile – a statement, not a question.

"No, Hokage-sama. I… I don't believe Minato Namikaze was made to serve behind a mask. I believe the boy is meant to lead. If given a jōnin team he can accomplish much and more."

"Precisely." Hiruzen said, the wide smile never leaving his face. "Everything that you told me tonight is quite interesting, Hatake-san. Minato Namikaze…" he murmured, a trickle of smoke rolling out of his lips once again as his pipe rested in his hands. "It would appear Jiraya was right about him. He has truly become exceptional."

Sakumo's expression was a confused one, as was expected. If only they could know how very special this boy was, if Jiraya's suspicions were indeed correct… So far Minato had done nothing to prove him wrong.

"Thank you for your report, Hatake-san. I will take it all into consideration before officially reinstating the boy within the village's shinobi system tomorrow morning. Your detailed report will also be expected. Dismissed."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The white-haired man said with a bow before quietly exiting the room and leaving the older man to his thoughts.

Hiruzen approached the windows behind him slowly, lost in thoughts. The sunset was a cloudy one, bathing the sky in a dark violet colour, making long shadows crawl down the Hokage's office and outline Sandaime's long willowy figure. His lips spread in a nostalgic smile as he sucked in another sip of tobacco from his wooden pipe, sweet memories flooding his mind.

Nidaime Hokage's encouraging smile danced before his eyes and he could almost hear his words clearly in his head now – Tobirama Senju's legacy to him, the future Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, from all those years ago.

'Even a small man can cast a magnificent shadow if the fire in his heart burns bright enough.' his sensei had said.

Hiruzen hadn't understood him well then, youth clouding his perceptions. Not so now.

His fire had burned brightly and fiercely and his shadow had grown strong and towering – he had protected all those he held dear for many years and despite living through two wars, Konoha had endured. Now, however, the fire was burning down and more often than not he saw in his shadow the outlines of an old man. Another set of words rang clear in his mind, Tobirama Senju's voice guiding his thoughts even from the afterlife.

'Listen Saru. Guide the people, and believe in them, for it's from among them that one will come who will carry on when your time is done.'

Hiruzen smiled as his eyes directed subconsciously towards the portrait of his predecessor, hanging on the one wall of the Hokage office. My time is not yet done, sensei, but I believe I might have found the one you spoke of all those years ago without even knowing him. And his fire burns even brighter than mine.

The last rays of the sun were warming his face, diving below the horizon, retreating before the pressing inky blackness of night. The Hokage welcomed it with a peaceful expression on his face. Night was needed in order to appreciate the true beauty of dawn. And he knew that when the new day came it would be even more brilliant than the one that passed.

"I know I'm late, but I was called on a mission earlier, so I couldn't visit in time. I hope you can forgive me… Tora." He mumbled, tracing the name carved in the smooth stone with one hand. A nostalgic smile was playing on his lips. "I promised I won't allow anyone else to suffer the same fate as you… and I failed." he continued whispering, eyes taking in the many names added after his friend's. "But… thirteen names less will be carved here tomorrow and I'd like to think it was partially thanks to my interference."

Thirteen names less… and yet it would have been one name that would have torn him on the inside, one name that he hoped he would never read from a marble tombstone, not as long as he lived. He wouldn't bear it.

Minato had parted with Kushina upon entering Konoha as she headed up towards her parents' place. She had generously invited him over for dinner, but he had refused, knowing full well that this would be a moment of reunion that he couldn't intrude on. So he had excused himself on the pretext of being tired and allowed the Uzumaki family some privacy. He had a family of his own to visit after all.

He hadn't been to his parents' graves in years and his brief stay in Konoha from one week ago hadn't allowed him to. Now he took the time to do it properly. He visited the Yamanaka flower shop, picking three white bouquets and meeting Inoichi while at it, much to his pleasant surprise. The blond mind-reader had been delighted to see his friend again, quickly promising a reunion night with his team over pork barbeque at Yakinuki. Minato agreed whole-heartedly. He had missed his friends and the fun evenings they sometimes spent together, with Inoichi's jokes, Shikaku's genius theories and Choza's kind-hearted stories. For now, however, it would have to wait.

He had headed towards the cemetery after that, finding his parents' graves with ease and placing a bouquet before each stone, mentally thanking the genin in the Academy who spent the time daily to maintain the small tombstones which no one could visit. The grass was just as green and freshly cut as he remembered it, the stones polished.

Minato smiled, kneeling before the two graves and bowing his head, spending a good half an hour in silent memories and prayer.

His next stop had been the memorial stone where he left the last bouquet and where he had been kneeling until now, talking mindlessly to a stone as if Tora was listening.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and directing a look at the setting sun, obscured by clouds. There was something nostalgic about sunsets and spending them at a graveyard didn't make them any less melancholy.

Shrill laughter reached his ears and he quickly looked around, seeing a little boy with short black hair running towards him.

"I found him!" he exclaimed happily, pointing at Minato with a triumphant smile on his face.

The blond man gave him a quizzical look before noticing the smiling woman approaching from behind the boy, her long light-brown hair tied into a high tight ponytail, waving gently in the wind.

"Asuma, I told you not to bother a man in his prayers." she chided and the boy before her pouted through a scowl.

Minato quickly rose to his feet, nodding respectfully to the woman.

"Biwako-sama." he murmured and the woman smiled wider.

"Minato-kun, how much you've grown. Forgive my son for the intrusion, he was most impatient upon recognising you."

"There is nothing to forgive." he said with a warm smile, patting the boy's head. "I was just about to leave."

"So we were just in time then. We were looking for you earlier and Inoichi-kun was kind enough to direct us to you, suggesting we might find you here."

"How may I be of service?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face, taking notice from the corner of his eyes how little Asuma was staring at him through with an incredulous expression on his face.

"You already have been, Minato-kun, more than I could have ever hoped you to have been. I heard about your mission." with this Biwako paused and a soft light entered her eyes. "You saved my son's life, for which I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. Thank you."

And with that, Biwako Sarutobi, the Hokage's wife, bowed before the chūnin, bending low at the waist. Minato was shocked, frozen in place and staring at her through wide eyes. The little boy next to him seemed to take example from his mother, because he bowed too, mumbling "Thank you Minato-sama."

"No, please, you needn't thank me, I only did what anyone else would in my place…" he began when the shock started wearing off and Biwako finally rose, shaking her head through a smile.

"Anyone else could have done it, but it was you who did. Allow a mother her gratitude to the man who saved what's most precious to her."

Finally, Minato smiled back.

"You are welcome. I am glad to have helped."

"Minato-sama, did my brother kill anyone?" Asuma blurted out through wide eyes and Minato understood why the boy had been so eager to find him, joining his mother on her search for the man who had helped his brother. He doubted that the child understood the danger Kemuri had been in, but he was sure he was curious about his shinobi skills.

Minato knelt before him with a smile, shaking his head.

"No, he didn't, but he did something much more important. He protected a precious person. He faced danger and he never even thought of running away. There was no fear in his heart. Your brother is one of the bravest people whom I have ever met. He is a wonderful shinobi and a hero. It is an honour to know him."

Little Asuma's smile spread across his face like a brilliant sun.

"Big brother is so cool! I want to be a great ninja just like him!"

"I'm sure you will be one day. Until then, you should be proud to be his brother." he said softly and finally directed a look at Biwako who simply nodded, mouthing a silent 'thank you' at him. Minato smiled in return.

This child was a part of what his parents had died for. What Tora gave his life for. What the shinobi who died at the Tokutsukai Pass wanted to protect with their last breath – Konoha's legacy. And he was now smiling despite the war.

All of a sudden, the sunset didn't seem so melancholy after all.

Chapter Text

"Enter."

The door creaked on dry hinges and the blond chūnin walked in quietly, murmuring a formal greeting. There was no trace of drowsiness on his face despite the early hour; Minato seemed to be a man of early risings who enjoyed sunrises as much as any normal shinobi despised them.

"Ah, Minato, yes, right on time. I see you haven't learned your punctuality manners from Jiraya, good, good." the older man said with a chuckle and a knowing nervous smile spilled on Minato's face as if he meant to apologize for his sensei's absent-mindedness.

"Someone had to compensate."

Hiruzen's quiet laugh filled the room. He stood up from his chair and rounded his desk to stand before it. His mind was bringing back memories of a similar situation seven years ago when Minato had been still just a boy, standing in this very room before the entire counsel, bearing a confident sharp look unbeknown to many children his age.

He had been impressive then and he was impressive still. A man of steel and warmth, ice and fire. The opposites didn't clash with him, but rather complemented each other, creating the peculiar man that was Minato Namikaze.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." The Hokage said, noting once again the fundamental difference between his student and the blond man before him – where Jiraya was bawdy and shameless, Minato was polite and humble; where the teacher was loud and boisterous, the student was quiet and observant; Jiraya wrote, but Minato read; the Sannin was a hopeless pervert, but the boy was virtuous; Jiraya was always late, but Minato was punctual.

And yet, despite all the differences, they matched each other perfectly, each one learning how to accept and understand the other, working in harmony. Sandaime's smile grew wider.

"Now, you must know already why I called you here." the Hokage begun, knitting his hands behind his back and observing Minato through now-serious eyes. The chūnin nodded. "Your progress has been evaluated during your last mission and I have decided on your rank within the village. After discussing your skills with my advisors we have all agreed that the most suitable rank for you for the time being would be that of a jōnin. Do you accept this position?"

If Minato was surprised by the Hokage's question, he didn't show it, dropping down on one knee instead and bowing his head.

"I accept and swear my loyalty to the village of Konoha, its Hokage and its people."

Hiruzen nodded with a slight smile on his lips.

"You may rise. I have a few things to clarify about your upcoming missions. Thanks to Sakumo Hatake I learned about your new technique and its effects. Am I to assume that you are the only person who can use the Hiraishin no jutsu at the time being?"

"To my knowledge, yes."

The older man nodded.

"That, combined with your outstanding combat skills, especially versus larger units, places you in a different position to that of most shinobi of the village. It is my firm belief that it will be a drawback if we send you to any one particular front for an extended period of time. You have an improved method of transportation speed-wise, so you will be able to aid any one squad in need of help within a day.

Therefore, the main role I'd assign to you for now would be that of instantaneous offensive support. You will be stationed in Konoha, since the village is equidistant from the majority of war fronts. It would also save the time that would be needed for a messenger bird to reach you at any other location. I trust you'd be well suited for the job.

Jiraya has spoken very highly of you, praising your skills, intelligence and will. He believes that if anyone can end this war it would be you. I have chosen to believe in my student's beliefs. I am giving you a position of great importance to the consequences of the war. I am relying on you. Konoha is relying on you."

His last sentence finally managed to break through the man's composure and Minato's eyes widened in surprise before he rallied his emotions.

"I will not fail you, Hokage-sama." he said in a fervent voice.

His look held liquid fire, burning with the intensity of the man's conviction and for a second it was easy for Hiruzen to understand where Jiraya was coming from – in that brief moment he could imagine it was the child of the prophecy that stood before his eyes.

The Savior of the World.

"Man, you're always late, Shikaku… It would be a miracle if you ever show up on time." Inoichi grumbled through half a grin, as Shikaku finally joined him and Chōza before the Yamanaka flower shop.

The black-haired jōnin yawned widely and directed an annoyed look at the rising sun, as if it was the main source of discomfort in his life.

"That I am here at all is a miracle in itself… Remind me again why I must wake up with the roosters on a Saturday."

"You're supposed to be the genius, figure it out." The blond-haired man shot back through a grin and slapped a hand at his back.

Chōza chuckled in between snacks, quickly stuffing chips in his mouth.

"Your enthusiasm will be the end of me, Inoichi."

"Don't know about mine, but your lack of enthusiasm for our training might as well end you. We're the only three-man-team stationed in the village right now, our skills are getting rusty, we need to work on our formation." Inoichi said with a gleam in his eyes and Shikaku groaned.

"On a Saturday morning? Do you know how hard Sandaime's working me ever since he sent my dad to the Suna border? I can barely sleep even without those early practice calls… Being an advisor is much too troublesome…"

"If you trained half as much as you complained we'd be in top shape."

"If you two acted half as much as you talked we'd be halfway through our training." Chōza said through a smile and both men directed a bored look at him.

"Come on, Shikaku, you know Inoichi has to help at the shop later in the day, we have no other time for training. Let's get it over with and you can sleep after that. My dad always says that we should do our work first and then rest on a clear conscience."

The black-haired jōnin rolled his eyes, but started heading down the street towards the training grounds still, muttering "troublesome" under his breath.

"Your dad's a wise man!" Inoichi said, grinning, and started down after his friend, followed by a pleased Chōza.

"You better not be planning anything tomorrow, Inoichi, it's my only day off. Unless something urgent comes up and it usually does, but I do enjoy the concept of a free day in general." Shikaku muttered through another yawn.

"Nothing for early morning, but I have an idea for the evening!"

"Oh here we go…"

"How does an evening at Yakinuki sound to you?"

The Nara gave the blonde a measured look.

"I thought you said you were sick of pork for a month."

"I was, but there's a special occasion this time."

At this the black-haired man grinned, while Chōza alternated glances between the two, question spelled out in his look.

"So you saw him too?"

"Ah! You knew he was back and you didn't tell me!" Inoichi chided, hands on his hips.

Shikaku wondered if the Yamanaka knew how very much like his mother he looked when he did that.

"There was no time, he came back just yesterday after a mission at the Iwa border. I heard he will be officially reinstated in the village's shinobi system right about now."

"So he's back for good?"

"Who are you talking about?" Chōza asked finally and Inoichi smiled apologetically.

"Ah, sorry, sorry Chōza, I forgot you don't know yet. Minato's back, he passed through the flower shop yesterday."

"Ooh, he is? That's great, he probably has many interesting things to tell!"

Chōza had always loved listening to the tales that travelers brought from around the shinobi nations. His friend was naturally kind-hearted and curious of the world.

"I can't wait to see how much he has improved! To train individually with one of the Legendary Sannin… Gotta challenge him to a one-on-one sometime soon!"

"You're getting too perked up, Inoichi. After going through some of the reports from yesterday… He'll make short work of you. In fact, I think even all three of us would be hard-pressed."

Inoichi halted with his words, directing an incredulous look at Shikaku. Chōza didn't seem any less surprised.

"Wait, you're serious?"

Shikaku could see what had shocked his blond friend. Despite having mainly support-skills and average offense ones, when working together their formation was one of the strongest in the village. The Ino-Shika-Chou formation had been ascertained as the most efficient team strategy and had continued as a tradition within their family lines throughout the ages. Shikaku, Inoichi and Chōza had formed one of the strongest such teams, elevating their teamwork to legendary levels – they were Konoha's strongest three-man-team. Stating now, that there was a man who could possibly take all three of them down, was quite the claim to make indeed.

They hadn't read what Shikaku had, however. They hadn't heard what the Konoha returnees explained.

"Whoa… I knew he'd improve, but that's..." the Yamanaka murmured quietly as he started ahead again, "I saw him only briefly yesterday and he seemed quite changed indeed, but who would have thought…"

Chōza shrugged.

"I'm not that surprised really." he said quietly and both Inoichi and Shikaku turned towards him with a quizzical expression. "I always liked Minato. But, you know... I wasn't the only one. Everyone liked Minato and he was nice to everyone, even to Kushina-san when the others shunned her. I always thought he'd be strong one day. You know, not physically-wise, though if Shikaku says so then he must be that too. But I mean, people respected him. My dad always says strength comes from your friends."

The Nara heir couldn't help the wide smile that spilled on his face.

"Your father is a wise man indeed."

"So it's decided then? Barbeque at Yakinuki tomorrow evening?" Inoichi asked through a knowing smile of his own.

"Tsch. So troublesome. But I'll make it work…"

In truth he really looked forward to seeing Minato again in a less formal setting. He missed his friend. He had always been one of the smartest shinobi he knew; their talks were always entertaining and their shogi games even more so.

A wide grin spilled across his face. Yes, Minato had to join him for a shogi game sometime soon.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to will his ragged breathing steady. He could feel the stinging sensation in his right arm where the chakra concentration had burned his flesh.

Minato ignored it.

The pain was irrelevant – it was a part of the whole process – unavoidable. The exhaustion that weighed on him was the most pressing matter, but he still had enough chakra for a last attempt.

Exhaling a shaky breath, he reached for his chakra stream with his mind, willing it to pick up, directing it at his extended arm and hissing through grit teeth when it dashed uncontrollably. His chakra control was amongst the finest according to his sensei, but this technique was still putting it to a test.

His chakra rushed forward, a powerful torrent that spiralled in a chaotic vortex in his palm. The blue chakra orb in his hand was rough, varying in size as it spun out of control. He tried guiding his senses further into shaping the concentrated chakra jumble into a compressed perfect sphere.

It flared on all sides before bending to his will, compressing in mass and size, but its shape was elongated and far from perfection, resembling a raging round chakra storm, rather than the smooth-surfaced orb that he was trying to imitate. Feeling the fine control slipping through his fingers, Minato let the technique go, chakra evaporating through his fingers.

The blond man groaned and sagged back groggily, too weakened to trust his legs for the time-being. Sweat was trickling down his face and neck, chilling him with the slight breeze as he tried to calm is breathing.

He was starting to get the proportions right in terms of applied power, but he still had to work on the form manipulation. As soon as he recovered some of his chakra he would try again.

Minato hissed quietly as the stinging in his right palm slowly increased and he straightened his back, bringing said palm up for inspection. His whole hand was shaking through involuntary spasms, the skin now an angry blazing red, starting to swell around the centre of his palm where the chakra release had been strongest.

He scowled, flexing his fingers through a wince and gingerly resting his arm on one knee, making to get up. His other hand brushed against the grass as he did so and he froze in place, head whipping to the side, having felt involuntarily the familiar pulsating chakra signature some feet behind him.

Another presence tugged just beyond the edge of his senses and Minato recognised two ANBU guards in the distance, wondering what their business around the training fields was. He promptly ignored them, focusing on the girl before him instead.

As numbed as his senses were, he might have gone on without even sensing her presence. She was leaning against a thick tree by the entrance of the Training Grounds, her eyebrows mashed in a disapproving frown.

A tired smile sprung to his lips involuntarily as he took in her features, his stomach clenching in the now familiar way that he could associate only with her presence. His eyes moved down on their own accord for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough to register again what their first encounter had hidden – she had been covered with a blanket then so he couldn't have noticed it, but Kushina's form had become pointedly more feminine in a way that could make any man stare.

In the past few days Minato had found it hard not to blush whenever he passed by the walking party during his perimeter rounds and his eyes fell on Kushina on their own accord. Her walk, which had resembled a flat trudge before, was now light and strangely graceful – straight back and slightly swaying hips pinned his look for longer than acceptable and Minato had almost hit his head in a stray branch more than once. The tight shinobi clothing that all kunoichi wore was only complimenting her looks and Minato found himself willing his eyes forcefully to stay fixed on her face.

This fact alone was enough to vex him thoroughly – Jiraya-sensei's horrible ideology was getting to him.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked lightly and made to stand up, wincing at the sudden ache running through his muscles.

Kushina rolled her eyes before shunshinning before him, two firm hands pushing him back down. Minato was so surprised that he didn't even try to protest, flopping back on the grass and staring silently at his red-haired friend, who sat before him, cross-legged.

"Long enough to see that you are a reckless hypocrite, ya know." she murmured while pulling his right hand in her lap for inspection.

All of Minato's earlier efforts to steady his breathing were wasted as his heart picked up again, drumming unevenly in his ears and he had to hold back a pleasant shiver as her fingers gently probed his palm through a scowl. His eyes fixed on her face without thinking, taking in her features anew, revelling in the proximity and in the subtle scent of cherry blossoms that seemed to always cling to her very hair and skin.

A chuckle sprung to his lips upon hearing her reproachful tone.

"How am I a hypocrite?" he asked politely, despite knowing full well what she was going to throw at him.

She didn't disappoint.

"You know full well how. Scolding me for overexerting myself beyond reasonable and then doing this to yourself, ya know."

She tapped two fingers against her wrist as she said that, a storage seal gleaming briefly across her skin when she released it and he couldn't help the smile that sprung to his lips upon noticing she had etched a storage seal in the same place he bore one too. They had discussed the notion a long time ago, when they had dived into storage seals together in their studying sessions, going on at length about the numerous applications such a seal on your own person could have. Apparently they had both followed through on the idea.

A quiet poof and a pack of bandages and small glass jar appeared in her hands before Kushina lifted the lid deftly, setting about applying cooling ointment over his palm.

"There's a difference between overexerting oneself to lethal outcomes and suffering a minor chakra burn." he said, smile never leaving his face.

"If a fight were to break out right now, this chakra burn could cause a lethal outcome, ya know."

"And that's precisely why I didn't train as much while out of the village. I trust no battles will break out any time soon in the middle of Konoha."

"What if something comes up and you have to rush out again? Do you think you would have managed to save Kemuri and- and everyone else if your palm had been like this?"

Kemuri and me, she had meant to say, he was certain.

Having arguments with Kushina had always been a dire matter. In fact, he could hardly remember winning one. She was as stubborn as she was irritable when it came to such situations and her flaring temper and annoyed expressions were enough to make Minato smile inwardly, despite the argument – somehow he found her 'angry' state to be exceptionally endearing. Therefore, more often than not, he relented and let her have her way, just to enjoy the victorious gleam in her eyes.

This time, however, he scowled, a hard edge entering his eyes.

"Yes, I would have. Nothing, especially not a mild graze, would have stopped me then." Because you were in danger. Because it was your life that was at stake.

Kushina looked up at him and paused, her face softening.

"I know." she said finally and returned her attention to his palm, bandaging it in silence.

Do you? Do you understand how much you mean to me? he might have said, but the words were stuck in his throat. He was starting to think he didn't understand either. His feelings raged in an unfamiliar, confusing, uncomfortable way.

"There, as long as you don't chakra-barbeque your own hand anytime soon again it should heal just fine." She said, his palm still in her hand, her fingers brushing absent-mindedly against his own for the briefest of seconds and he could feel his breath hitch in his throat.

"I will try not to." he murmured as Kushina quickly withdrew her touch, eyes darting away from his for once.

He pulled back, flexing his fingers. The pain was still there, but it was less prominent, already pushed to the back of his mind.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, ya know."

With that she leaned back and peered at him with a wry smile.

"Soo…" she began and he lifted an eyebrow, a sudden feeling of nervousness overcoming him.

"Yes?"

"You promised you would tell me more."

Her hand sneaked inside her kunai pouch and she took out his three-pronged kunai, the same one he had given her two days ago in the tent. He suspected it had become an object of scrutiny for her in her free time, feeding her curiosity all the while.

She had been impatient to ask. Impatient to know.

His smile turned lopsided, a glint of mischief playing in his look as he took the kunai from her hands and threw it in a random direction in the clearing. Before it had the chance to hit anything, he had already reached out for it with his mind and stepped forward through a Hiraishin.

Within a blink he found himself some twenty feet down the meadow, his fingers closing around the hilt of the kunai and breaking its flight. Without pausing his momentum, he turned around and flicked the blade back towards the tree under which they had been sitting.

The whole thing happened in a second. One moment he had been in the middle of the meadow and in the next he had returned back next to her, sitting down casually before a wide-eyed Kushina who had followed the whole thing.

Minato spun the kunai around one finger before catching it and handing it back to her, hilt first. He couldn't stop the grin from spilling across his face, seeing the amazement in her eyes.

"What would you like to know?"

Alright, maybe he was showing off. Just a little.

"Everything." She breathed, reaching out for the weapon and leaning closer, as if a child about to learn a secret.

His breath caught in his throat. He gulped, trying very hard not to look at her lips.

"For example, what's your range of teleport?"

"I…" he started before clearing his throat, "Maybe I can show you."

She hesitated briefly before nodding. His answering smile was brilliant as he quickly embedded the three-pronged kunai in the ground beside him – a marker to return to.

"Give me your hand."

Sitting this close to her, observing her every move, it was easy to see the blush spreading over her face as she reached out and placed her palm in his. It was enough to make him giddy.

"Hold on tight." He breathed through a smile and closed his eyes, diving into the network of seal markers around him, reaching for the furthest one, created a few days ago on a whim. He let his senses guide him as he rushed through the familiar constricting darkness of space alteration, stepping on the other side within less than a second.

A strong gust of wind picked his clothes up, flapping them about and he opened his eyes to find himself standing on top of the Hokage Monument, Kushina frozen beside him, still gripping his hand tightly.

"The Hokage Monument… That's over a mile!" she said through laughter, slipping her fingers out of his and taking a few steps sideways to the edge of Sandaime's giant stony lock of hair.

Before them Konoha bathed in the last rays of the sun, windows reflecting the light like a thousand little flames. The sunset was a rare cloudy one, painting the sky in multiple colours, blending across the horizon as if marred with a brush. Bloody red was mixing with angry orange and subtle pink before darkening to a sharp violet, followed by the inky darkness of the upcoming night. It was all interspersed by golden thin clouds, stretching across the sky like yellow rivulets, clashing sharply with the darker background, giving it a peculiar rich look.

"You know, I hadn't climbed up here for a sunset in a long time." she murmured through a brilliant smile, eyes sweeping over it all. "So beautiful, ya know."

Minato saw none of it. Before him stood Kushina, blazing locks spilled in every direction behind her, dancing with the wind like living fire. Before him stood she, a peaceful smile lodged on her face, graceful features eased in a relaxed posture, fervent eyes locked on the sunset far ahead. It all faded next to her. Its light was dull when hers was blazing.

"I couldn't agree more." he murmured through a dazed look.

She caught his line of sight from the corner of her eyes and turned to him, surprise written over her face anew before her sides grew redder – such a lovely sight – and she looked away again, this time purposefully, avoiding his gaze.

This shy, uncertain Kushina was something new that he was not used to and yet it was a charming trait that reminded him much of his own stance – uncertainty, confusion and instinct ruled his relationship with her more often than not in the past few days.

"Have you ever wondered what it's like? To fly, ya know." she asked suddenly, eyes locked on a flock of birds circling across the skies. "You could soar high above everything and go wherever you will."

"It's not as impossible as you may think."

"Oh?"

"There are some techniques that imitate or allow flight entirely."

"I'm not talking about a chakra-infused high jump, ya know."

Her eyes held a sceptical look.

"Neither am I." he said, the smile never leaving his face, as he sneaked a hand in his pouch, retrieving a small notebook.

He sat down slowly, bringing his legs in a loose lotus position by habit, and flipped the notebook open, pages flapping in the wind quickly under his careful touch. They were all written out in elegant kanji, interspersed with sketches, diagrams and calculations. He quickly found what he was looking for, straightening the yellow parchment with his bandaged hand and tracing a few lines with his finger.

The girl sat down beside him carefully, peaking over his hands.

"Apart from the obvious method, which is of course signing a summoning contract with winged creatures, there is also this. A flight technique, most likely an alternative of Doton: Chōkeijūgan no Jutsu, used by the current Tsuchikage and his predecessors. It requires a very fine Doton mastery, I doubt the majority of shinobi can perform it, but it can be used on others, not only on oneself. Its effect is precisely that – it makes one's body light enough to allow flight." he explained calmly, tracing his notes with one finger and pointing at his quick sketch of a flying figure in the lower corner of the page. Kushina was looking at it with wide eyes.

"Impossible, ya know…"

"I thought so as well, until I witnessed it for myself and I assure you, it's quite real." with that he quickly flipped a few pages ahead, stopping at the title Jiton: Satetsu Fuyū and tapping a finger at a quick illustration. "There are other, more inferior techniques that allow flight, such as the Kazekage's fine control of iron sand through his Magnet Release, which lets him elevate himself above the ground on iron sand tuffs, although it is at an abnormal cost for his chakra stores."

He had already flipped to another page, tracing a passage that he had scribbled down in haste.

"Doroki of the Iwagakure Explosion corps can form exploding creatures out of mud, usually shaping them in the likes of animals. He can form birds too, although his control over them seems to be imperfect from my observations, and they can't rise too high above the ground."

Kushina blinked a few times, lips spreading in a grin, eyes spelling curiosity.

"May I?" she asked, reaching a hand out tentatively for the thick notebook.

He passed it over happily and Kushina quickly set it on one knee, flipping through the pages with incredulous eyes, eyebrows rising higher and higher with every new technique she read about.

"Did you compile this?"

Minato's smile grew to a nervous one as he lifted a hand to rub the back of his head absent-mindedly.

"One of many. I keep the rest of them sealed." He said and tapped his forearm where a storage seal had nestled, much like the one at her wrist.

She laughed, noticing the similarity in their preferred ways to organise possessions.

"Travelling had its good sides; I got to see many new things, including techniques which I had thought impossible before. At one point, though, it got a bit overwhelming, so I began writing it down. Some of those I fought against, others I simply observed, so some of the techniques I listed are better explained than others. Jiraya-sensei never let us linger at any one place for too long, so I often didn't have enough time to study them thoroughly. The notebook turned quite invaluable later though. Studying foreign techniques gave me a good base of ideas and calculations for creating my own techniques… and besides, it's always useful to know more about your potential enemies' powers."

"It's amazing, ya know!" she exclaimed, the pages now flying under her fingers as breathy laughter broke through her lips. "You've seen so many thi-"

She paused, eyes widening in distress and hands freezing over the page, twitching into a fist involuntarily.

Minato raised an eyebrow at the sudden reaction, quickly directing a curious look at the technique that had startled her so. His stomach clenched.

'Bijū Dama'

His eyebrows furrowed, smile dropping from his face, replaced by a subconscious chilling look. The slight tremble in her hands told him enough on the matter and his suspicions flared anew.

"You fought against a Bijū?" she asked through a barely-audible whisper.

He shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes off of her, just as hers were stubbornly fixed on the page through a shocked, saddened look.

"I doubt I would be standing here now if I did. No, I simply observed for a few days, when Jiraya-sensei and I infiltrated Kumogakure to learn more about their current Hachibi host."

She turned to him in an alarmed expression.

"Jinchūrikis can't use Bijū Dama." she said flatly and his eyes narrowed instinctively. She must have sensed her slip up, for she quickly bit her lip and looked away. "At least that's what Sakumo-sensei said." she added hastily.

Minato was not buying it, but he knew well that it was pointless to push matters when the topic was distressing for her.

He paused for a second, wondering if he could answer her unvoiced question, seeing as the topic had horrified her so. The information was classified, but if there was a person he trusted with his life it was precisely Kushina Uzumaki.

"Sakumo-san was right. Jinchūrikis can't use it, but a transformed one, in full control of their Bijū Mode, can. That's what the current host of the Hachibi was trying to master when we managed to get close enough to observe."

"That's insane." the girl beside him exclaimed, anger slipping in her voice along with some other emotion that Minato could not place. "He'll kill everyone, Bijūs can't be tamed."

"As to that, I can't say; we were forced to leave before we could see the results of the training. For one you are right, though, people did die. The Bijū was uncontrollable in its transformed form, causing destruction everywhere. The Kumo corps had difficulties bringing it down after every unsuccessful attempt of the host to control it. That's where I witnessed the Bijū Dama. He, or rather it, used it repetitively. It's a very powerful technique and its creation is unique. Here, see?"

He tapped a finger at the page over her hands, pointing at the long calculations and scribbled conclusions, most of which scratched out only to be replaced by new, more accurate ones.

"It's an ingenious use of chakra manipulation and compression, creating the ultimate attack. The technique that you saw me practice earlier…" he said quietly, flexing his bandaged hand instinctively. "I've based it precisely on the Bijū Dama."

With that he flipped to the last pages of the notebook to reveal his many scribbles and sketches for his own technique, along with new pages of calculations and additional notes regarding the light and dark matter that chakra comprised of.

"I haven't completed it yet, but I've been working on it for the past two years, I know I'm almost there."

The girl besides him gulped.

"Leave it to you to come up with something as reckless, ya know." she said quietly, but there was no mirth in her voice and her eyes still held a saddened look, all the previous excitement drained from her face.

It was quite unacceptable, Minato thought, wishing more than anything that he had left the notebook back in his pouch where it belonged. Hearing her laughter had had him giddy, his answering smile never leaving his lips. Seeing her unease now, eyebrows furrowed anxiously, had the very opposite effect.

Those full lips were meant for smiles; that ringing voice for laughter; those blazing eyes for mirth and mischief.

He slowly took the notebook out of her hands, with little protest on her side, and quicky tucked it away, springing lightly to his feet and walking to the edge of the rock, throwing a measuring glance down.

The girl behind him got to her feet too, looking at him in confusion.

"I can't fly, but…" and with that he brought his hands up, quickly forming seals.

The wind picked up from below, throwing a gust of air vertically to the ground and sending the stray bangs of his hair dancing upwards. He turned back with a smile and extended a hand to Kushina, waiting patiently for her to take it. A couple of emotions crossed her face as she took a step forward, glancing quizzically at the upturned air current behind him and then at his face.

"Trust me."

He could almost hear something click within her as her eyes widened before her look softened and a smile broke across her lips. Without a word she closed the distance between them, slipping her hand in his. His answering smile was brilliant as he stepped forward confidently, pulling her with him.

Nothingness engulfed them for a second and he could see her eyes widen as they started gliding – so very different than the expected headlong plunge to the ground. The air barrier that he had created was causing a powerful air current to surge upward and slow their decent, fighting gravity, reducing it. It was a technique created exactly for such purposes – to soften free-falls from dangerous heights.

Kushina was staring down disbelievingly, her mouth once again spread in surprise. For a second Minato wondered how absurd they might look to the rest of the village – two lone figures sailing slowly through the air below the Hokage Monument.

Right now he couldn't care less; he had eyes for her alone – her lips broke in an amused smile after a few seconds as quiet laughter escaped her and she spread her arms out, one hand still holding his, enjoying the swirling wind against her face, scarlet locks fluttering behind her.

The same brilliant smile lit his face and he surrendered to the bubbling feeling of bliss in that perfect moment of time. If he could remember her somehow, it would be like this – fervent eyes shining with excitement, lips spread in a triumphant smile, hair dancing with the wind. It spelled her out, defined her – she was a bubble of laughter, energy and fiery will – a natural phenomenon that took his breath away, stopping his heart in one moment and making it drum in his ears in the next.

"I don't know why you don't get around like this always, ya know!" she shouted over the wind and his smile widened as he tightened his hold on her hand.

He pulled her closer in a swift move, one arm finding her back, the other placed below her knees, much to her surprise. Her hair lashed out about them with the air currents and he laughed, finding himself surrounded by fiery locks in weightlessness. Her cheeks had reddened to match her mane, a look of startled disbelief about her and Minato couldn't help his lopsided grin.

He had pulled her close for a reason, feeling his chakra reserves waning, not wanting to risk losing his hold of her hand upon cancelling the technique… but holding her in his arms had stolen the breath from him, giddiness spilling through his frame.

With a whoosh the air barrier receded and he had to suppress more laughter as he saw her eyes widen for a fraction of a second, a mild shriek making its way past her lips as they plummeted down.

They never hit the ground. Within seconds he had already reached out instinctively for the Hiraishin kunai he had left behind in their Training Field, feeling the brief constriction of his technique before landing in the soft grass. He ended up crouched on one knee with Kushina awkwardly propped in his arms, clinging to his form, hands wrapped tightly around his neck as she tried to grasp what had happened.

His smile was brilliant as the girl blinked a few times, finally realising where they were, releasing a shaky breath. It fanned against his neck, tickling his skin and he felt his chest constricting, heartbeat fluttering as his breath caught. And then, before he could quite react, she had let go, rolling out of his arms clumsily and sitting on the grass beside him, hand clutched to her chest.

"We made it." she said through wide eyes and Minato chuckled, sitting down beside her.

"You seem surprised." he murmured, willing himself calm.

"Allow me a moment of doubt when I feel the ground travelling towards my face at a dangerous speed, ya know."

"I told you before, didn't I? I would never let you fall."

The look she directed at him then was almost-startled, eyes wide, a new emotion wavering in the corners of her lips as she must have recalled the same sunny moment from their childhood along with Minato's easy promise, made on a whim. Was she surprised to know he had meant it?

"You did... Though jumping off the Hokage Monument was hardly the scenarios I had pictured, ya know." she said mildly, lips spreading in an easy smile as he laughed. "Not that I'm complaining though, don't get me wrong! That was amazing! Can we do it again?"

Excitement crackled through her look as she turned to peer at him, the experience from before finally sinking in.

"Ah, I would love to, but I'm afraid after that training session, I've reached my limit for one day."

Another chuckle escaped him upon noticing the dejected expression on her face.

"What?" she asked, noticing his mirth.

His chuckle grew into quiet laughter.

"What are you laughing at, ya know?"

"That face…" he managed through chuckles.

Her expression distorted in a mortified look as her hands quickly shot up, uncertain what to fix first in her look. They went to her hair in instinct, trying to untangle her wind-swept hair.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." he corrected quickly, reigning in his mirth. "I could never mean that." with that he reached a hand out absent-mindedly, taking a long fiery lock and twisting it between his fingers, smiling at its silky texture. "As if I could ever dislike it."

It was beautiful, tangled and windswept as it was right now – untameable, much like the woman who bore it. She was about to say something, but the words died out in her throat as she threw a quick glance at his hand before looking up again, cheeks reddening under a blazing look. A new light was playing there, a subtle fire in her eyes, and suddenly his heart was racing again, his breath coming out unevenly despite the stillness of the meadow. He felt like the very blood in his veins was boiling, the heat threatening to overwhelm him.

She was sitting right beside him, turned to face him, looking at him through wide eyes. A quiet shaky breath escaped her and his eyes flickered to her parted lips on their own accord as he felt desire course through him like never before, erasing every rational thought. He swallowed hard and looked up again, the uncertainty gone from his look, replaced by a burning need. She had seen the longing in that glance, the same new need mirrored in her eyes, and he felt his self-composure crumbling entirely.

Without knowing he found himself leaning forward, one hand still clutching her fiery lock gingerly, the rest of the world all but forgotten. All that mattered was Kushina and those full lips meant for smiles… meant for kisses… His nose brushed against hers as he leaned ever closer, immersed in her scent and the melody of her flying heart.

"Kushina."

The steely voice broke through his reverie like an arrow might pop a bubble and Minato froze in place, mind rushing to catch up to his tangled senses.

The warmth of her face disappeared all too suddenly when the girl jumped back and sprung to her feet as if stung, wide eyes staring disbelievingly at the rude intruder behind him. Her sudden disappearance left his senses raw after the sweet indulgence that had been her proximity and he felt like groaning at the emptiness. His mind cleared with a sharp intake of breath as he finally recognised the person behind.

"F-Father." she mumbled and Minato slowly rose to his feet as well and turned around, inclining his head respectfully at the red-haired man before him. He must have been quite out of it if he hadn't felt his approach at all.

"Uzumaki-sama." he greeted, doing his best to master a polite tone despite the awkward timing.

"Minato-kun. I'm glad to see you have returned safely."

Somehow, his tone made Minato doubt the sincerity of his words entirely.

"Thank you, sir."

"Excuse my daughter, but she is done for the evening. You can resume your… training… some other time."

Minato felt warmth sneaking up his neck as the man turned around to go without another word, obviously expecting Kushina to join him for the way back. She threw a nervous apologetic look in his direction, her face still redder than usual, and an embarrassed smile spread over his lips without him intending it to.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he murmured and the girl nodded through a brief smile of her own, quickly following after her father.

Minato's eyes trailed her retreating form with a wistful look on his face. The night felt chilly after the comforting warmth of her presence and he felt himself shiver.

What on Earth had come over him? His mind presented only one answer: Kushina Uzumaki.

She had reappeared in his life like a blazing fire, burning away his self-composure and rationality, confusing his feelings and tangling his perceptions like never before. In her presence everything else faded and he found himself engulfed by her, unable to control himself, acting irrationally, without thinking, surrendering to instinct. There was only seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, immersing himself in the rich picture that his senses were painting, making him want more.

He gulped and ran a shaky hand through his hair, exhaling a pent-up breath. Yes, he had definitely 'lost it entirely', just as his sensei had predicted that he would.

Chapter Text

They walked in silence. Hyōjin Uzumaki didn't even spare her a glance, looking ahead through a scowl, and Kushina chose to follow, fuming quietly by his side.

A sense of mortification plagued her. What was her father doing there? Why had he interfered now of all times? Her hands subconsciously balled into fists at two sides, nails digging in her skin as she gritted her teeth in a conscious effort not to snap at him.

As angry as she was, she followed him home still, having been raised to respect her parents' wishes regardless of her age and standing – a teaching that she found very hard to comply with right now, if not for her wish to demand answers as soon as they were somewhere more private.

His chilling attitude towards Minato and his abrupt demand that she follow him home were far off from his usual behaviour and he owed her an explanation. It was a conversation she had never expected to have with her father – he had never interfered with her private affairs, why should her choice of friends be different?

A small voice in her head reminded her quietly exactly how her relationship with Minato had started to alter, possibly seeming quite different than a normal friendship to anyone watching from the side. She gulped instinctively, feeling the warmth sneak up her cheeks again.

Okay, perhaps that standing needed a re-evaluation.

"Does he know?"

Her eyes widened at the quiet question and she felt the air rush out of her lungs, the initial anger evaporating faster than a flicker in a downpour. She had little doubt what he was asking about. Before her stood her father no more – it was Hyōjin Uzumaki the Jinchūriki Guardian that demanded answers.

"No."

He nodded once and continued walking ahead in silence, leading the way home. His face was unreadable and Kushina couldn't grasp whether the presented information was a relief or a disappointment.

His lack of further comments was no surprise, since her father had never been particularly loquacious. Even so, the red-haired girl could feel the upcoming storm as soon as roof was above their heads – he would talk tonight and somehow Kushina knew she wouldn't like it, whatever it was he had to say.

The rest of the way home passed in the same icy silence.

Ryūmi Uzumaki was waiting in the living room, sitting by the table quietly, eyeing her knitted fingers with a distant look, her thoughts far away. She quickly looked up upon their entry and the feeling of unease strengthened within Kushina as her eyes fell on the worried crease between her mother's eyebrows and her stiff shoulders – something was up. Something big.

What was left of her anger left her, confusion taking its place. Hyōjin didn't say a word as he strode inside, the very same scowl donned on his face, his lips set in a hard line. His feet carried him to the window where he shut the blinds with a decisive flick before weaving a few quick handseals. The protective Fūin tags around the room glowed with a dull orange light briefly as they activated, isolating the Uzumaki family from anyone within hearing range. Kushina gulped.

"Why were you there?" She had meant to sound angry, but her voice came out quieter, laced with confusion.

Her father refused to look at her once again, choosing to move quietly by the room, inspecting the activated seals for any loopholes.

"You disappeared." he said flatly, as if it was the most logical explanation in the world.

The girl scowled.

"I didn't disappear, I told you I'm going to train-"

"You disappeared from the training grounds, Kushina, without a trace."

She was about to counter his statement when realization struck and she stopped half-way through, eyes widening and cheeks warming.

"How would you know that?" she felt the anger returning when her father continued moving around the room without a word, the answer presenting itself in his pointed silence. "Sandaime dispatched ANBU to watch me, didn't he?"

No answer again.

Of course he would, she thought bitterly, he wouldn't want his precious Jinchūriki harmed. It all made sense all of a sudden – her father's cryptic silence during their walk, his current actions, the sudden appearance in the meadow – of course they would alert her parents if she went missing all of a sudden with no clue to her current whereabouts, for she had no doubt that this is precisely how Minato's technique would seem to anyone watching from the side.

There was no way for them to know that he was simply showing her his Hiraishin technique. With no prior warning about it, the ANBU sentries had assumed the worst and raised alarm. It had happened once already after all, when she had been kidnapped by Kumogakure.

She scowled, realising now how worried her parents must have been during her brief visit to the Hokage Monument. This new piece of information called for little understanding, however, her anger flaring instead. The thought of having constant sentries that followed her every move irritated her to no end. She could see why the Hokage would want the extra protection, but she wasn't ten years old anymore, she could take care of herself excellently without the additional vigilance.

A new thought dawned on her and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Suddenly Hyōjin's cold attitude towards her friend seemed justifiable, despite being heavily misplaced.

"You thought Minato would try to harm me?" she asked, disbelief heavy in her voice. Her father's obvious assumption stung in a new unfamiliar way and the girl felt a new vicious urge to prove him wrong. "You did, didn't you? You knew I was with him and that we disappeared together, ya know. Really, father, Minato of all people, hurting me, ya know?!"

"Kushina, dear, we thought-" Ryūmi began, but the red-haired man silenced her with a long chilling look and Kushina recognised one of their familiar silent exchanges, so very foreign to anyone but her parents, who seemed to have mastered this form of communication to perfection.

Whatever wordless argument they were having right now, her mother seemed to be on the losing side for she finally relented, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she nodded once and closed her eyes in defeat. Finally Hyōjin directed his eyes at Kushina for the first time this evening and she couldn't help but flinch. There was no warmth in his emotionless look, no trace of the fatherly figure that she had grown to respect. It was the guardian that faced her and the guardian that spoke.

"Stay away from that man."

He might have flung a bucket of icy water at her and she would have been less shocked.

"No." she growled lowly, determination layered thick in the monosyllable.

"You do not understand-"

"You are the one who doesn't understand, father, if you believe him capable of ever harming Konoha or me, ya know. I refuse to even discuss this-"

"Kushina. This is not about Minato's allegiance to the village." he paused, eyeing the surprised red-haired girl through a harsh look.

For once she quieted down, her eyes spelling scepticism. Hyōjin sighed.

"There are things you do not know, things you do not understand."

"Explain then, because I'm curious, father, how those things would affect my friends!"

"The liberties that you allow yourself with this friend of yours are the source of the problem at hand."

Her eyes widened in disbelief and her jaw dropped considerably as blood rushed to her cheeks again, eyebrows mashing together in an angry scowl. Did she hear right? Was this really the source of her father's horrid attitude?

This could not be happening.

"I-I allow myself no liberties, ya know!" she snapped, perhaps louder than usual as her one hand slashed the air in her heated denial.

"That's enough, Kushina. I am not planning on arguing about your attachment to Minato Namikaze or his attachment to you, the situation is quite clear. Regardless, this cannot go on. Not without your full knowledge of the extent of harm you can do."

Kushina could only stare, mouth opening and closing, unable to find the right words. Her lips felt dry and she ran a tongue over them nervously, willing the sudden fear away.

"Harm?"

Her father nodded once and closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Yes, harm. Need I remind you that your position is precarious? The decisions that you take affect not only you, but the entire village as well, in this case more than ever. There is something you need to know, something that your mother and I didn't tell you earlier, because we didn't think you ready to understand the implications of the information presented."

The girl remained quiet, her eyes flickering between her father's harsh face and her mother's pained one.

"As you know, when Mito-sama reached an age too dangerous for maintaining the Kyūbi, the Konoha council started looking for a new host for the Bijū, focusing on members of the Uzumaki clan as the primary candidates." her father continued, moving to stand beside Ryūmi, not taking his eyes off Kushina. "Our clan's large chakra reserves along with our longevity made for ideal Jinchūrikis and our additional mastery of Fūinjutsu helped the case further. As the shinobi nations found out throughout the years, the younger the new host was, the higher the chances were for a successful Bijū transfer. Therefore, Konoha was looking for children within a specific age range.

What you do not know, however, is that they were looking for young boys. Only when no compatible male hosts meeting the criteria were found, and only then, did the council turn to you – the Uzumaki child with the largest chakra reserves, you were the most suitable candidate and the perfect Jinchūriki, like it or not."

"Male hosts? But why, ya know?" Kushina heard herself ask, for once too surprised to let the worry register.

"Approximately fifty years ago, a few years after Mito-sama married the Shodai Hokage, a new threat endangered Konoha and almost led to the village's destruction – the Kyūbi almost broke out of its seal in a manner most unexpected."

"B-broke out of the seal?" she muttered, one hand flying to her stomach instinctively as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. "How?"

"The one weakness of the Jinchūriki seal unplanned for by the sealer, turned out to be childbirth. Mito-sama had conceived a child and during the approximately ten months pregnancy the Bijū seal weakened as the energy needed to hold it in place was diverted to the growing baby. Finally, during the birth of her child when the seal was at its weakest, a catastrophe would have occurred, if not for Shodai's fast interference and his expertise in Fūinjutsu following Mito-sama's teachings. Even with Hashirama Senju's vast power at hand the situation was a dire one that almost cost everything to Konoha – a mistake that no one had planned for." he paused, directing a harsh gaze at Kushina, who had frozen in place. "This is why female hosts are unfavourable for Bijūs. This is why the sacrifice that a female Jinchūriki has to make is greater than that of a male one – it is a choice that no child can understand, which is why your mother and I never told you of this earlier."

"But-" she began, feeling the panic bubbling under the surface. "But Mito-sama told me… she said… she said that I could be happy if I filled myself with love… She had a family, she-"

"Her situation was different than your own. She was the first Kyūbi's Jinchūriki and as such the difficulties of her situation were unknown. Do you really believe that the council would have let her conceive a child if they knew of the dangers that this would pose to the village? Do you believe they would have taken such a huge risk without any precedent of a successful Jinchūriki birth, if they had known that it could cause the destruction of Konoha and the loss of their Jinchūriki?

Even if they had somehow known, Mito-sama's standing was different than your own. She was the wife of the Shodai Hokage, she would have been allowed liberties that you are not. She was under the direct protection of the leader of the village, a position that few dared counter. You need to understand this, Kushina, this is a risk that the current council will not allow – we have the experience, but we lack the power to suppress such a strong Bijū if things come to that. Without Shodai's Wood Release, Kyūbi cannot be controlled. Konoha would be, once again, in danger. Can you willingly make this choice? Would you knowingly put the village at stake for one individual's desires?"

The walls seemed to be shaking and Kushina shook her head to clear the annoying feeling of instability. Oh. How idiotic. She was the one trembling. Shackle after shackle, the Bijū sealed within her kept binding her further and all of a sudden she felt as if there was not enough air in the room, iron clutches tightening around her lungs.

"I never wanted to be the one… I never wanted to make this choice, ya know!" she rasped through a shaky breath, "I didn't know any of this, is it even a matter of choice now?! You knew! You knew all of this and yet you- How could you- Why?"

Her mother flinched and pointedly looked down at her hands again, but Hyōjin held her look levelly.

"We did what we had to do. There was no one else who could have taken your place, it was needed to keep the balance between Bijūs – the Kyūbi could not be allowed to roam free without a host. It is a great honour, my daughter, to be chosen as the keepers of the strongest Tailed Beast. It only goes to show how strong-willed you are – the strongest Uzumaki within our clan." Finally his eyes softened and Kushina saw a glimpse of the father, hiding behind the expressionless mask. "I know what Mito-sama told you and I am sure that it is the truth. But there are different kinds of love that one can experience and still find happiness. There is the love of family and friends and the love for one's home. There is the love for your teachers and your students and all your comrades. Love, probably not as captivating, but just as rewarding as any. I am sure that this is what Mito-sama meant when she spoke to you, for she of all people would have understood the danger that your proximity to this boy would pose. Your relationship with Minato cannot go on."

The air rushed out of her lungs as if someone had punched her forcefully, leaving her chest aching. The anger had evaporated, leaving the raw sensation of emptiness behind. She felt numb, her tongue suddenly thick in her mouth.

"I… Minato and I are just friends, I…"

"Kushina. Think rationally now. After what I witnessed tonight, I can hardly say your relationship is limited to friendship. If you allow his feelings to grow and yours along with them, your situation will only hurt you both when the truth is revealed."

With that he paused, nearing her slowly, eyes never leaving hers.

"Think on it carefully and tell me truly, do you believe Minato to be a man to give up the chance for a family of his own, an heir to his line, after he grew up all alone without parents or siblings? Even if he does give it all up for you, do you think it fair? Not only that, but do you think it fair to let him fall in love with you when he knows nothing of this, letting him learn of the truth only when it is too late to step back? Does he not deserve to know the truth? If you are set on making this choice, at least let him make an informed choice too. Children may not be on your mind now, but when one relationship grows in time, the lack of such can turn into a painful manner that can ruin you. Allowing yourself to love this boy while witholding the truth from him… will ruin you."

Every word felt like a painful stab in her heart, the invisible knife that were his words twisting with each sentence. Her hand instinctively shot up to her chest, gripping the blouse in a tight clutch, trying to ease the ache to no avail.

"That's enough, Hyōjin." Ruymi said sharply, rising from her chair with a grinding noise along the floor. "You are taking this too far. She is just a child."

"No, she is not, Ryūmi, she is a woman grown. She needs to know of those things before she can make the wrong choice." with that he walked to the red-haired girl, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder and willing her to look up. Another emotion seemed to be flickering in his eyes, hidden deep behind the ice. Suddenly she knew; this was hurting him too. "Steel your heart, daughter. Strength now... to do what is right."

Without another word he turned, exiting the room.

She could only stare after him, numb. A gentle touch on her shoulder informed her that her mother was still in the room, now standing by her side and watching her through saddened, watery eyes.

"I'm sorry." she whispered quietly. "I'm so sorry that we caused you this, my dear, but part of the reason for our decision was our faith in you… that you will be strong enough to bear this pain. As your Guardian I must guide you to the right choice… but as your mother I will support you regardless of it. But you are not the only one that has to choose. Minato is a sweet boy, he deserves to know the truth."

"I can't." she rasped through a whisper, eyes staring blindly ahead. "I can't lose him too. You don't understand, mother… You haven't seen their eyes…Hizashi and Gorou and even Mikoto… everyone who ever knew the truth never looked at me the same way. For them I turned into the Jinchūriki... into an asset to be protected or feared... into so much more, or less, than a normal friend. I can't bear to see this look in his eyes too."

A sigh. He tossed his blanket aside and turned around, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling without seeing it. His mind was locked far away, emotions too raw to allow sleep even when his body ached all over and exhaustion weighted on him.

He had dozed off a few times during the night, waking up shortly after, right before plunging into the next confusing dream, each of which seemed more realistic than the previous one. His memories of them were tangled and he could not make sense of them – a jumble of flames, smiles, laughter and blazing locks mixed wildly in his mindscape, the intoxicating scent of cherry blossoms being a constant presence at the back of his mind.

It wasn't just that, he thought distantly; cherry blossoms could never hold the same sweet scent that maddened him. No, it was also lilac and lavender and wild strawberries, a subtle scent that clung to her hair and skin constantly. It spelled Kushina, defining her, distinguishing her, complimenting her, just as her vivid voice did, the ringing laughter resonating in his mind. He could hear it even now, the lively lilt in it that always made him smile. Had he dreamt of it? Had he dreamt of her?

He already had his answer, despite not remembering - his body reacted strangely at the thought of those dreams, as if it remembered even if his mind did not. His breathing picked up and his palms felt sweaty all of a sudden, excitement boiling in the pit of his stomach, running down his body to the tips of his fingers, burning along his skin as images flashed before his eyes uninvited.

The need in her eyes, her rosy cheeks, her silky hair in his hand, her warm breath, the zinging electricity of her proximity, her full parted lips, looking so soft and sweet… Somehow he had always woken up before he could touch them, Kushina slipping away from him in the last moment, her ringing laughter echoing from far away.

It was maddening.

With a groan he pushed up and got out of bed, shaking his head to clear the burning thoughts away, running a hand through messy hair. His legs carried him to the bathroom without thinking and Minato filled the basin blindly, trying to slow his breathing down and push the alluring images out of his mind.

The icy water was refreshing as he splashed it over his flushed face and he felt his senses awaking from the semi-daze of his confusing dreams. Sleep was out of the question now – he needed a distraction, something to occupy his attention and keep his mind off Kushina.

As there were no missions assigned to him yet, he quickly decided on training. He would use the free time for working on his new technique – it was a gruelling enough exercise that wouldn't allow any stray thoughts.

He cast a glance out of the window, noting that it was still murky outside, possibly shortly before dawn. Perfect. Training Field Three would be empty. A sudden feeling of excitement filled him at the thought.

Oh who are you fooling, a voice in his head was saying quietly, it is because you would see her. Because she would, possibly, hopefully, show up later, just as she did yesterday.

Suddenly there was a new urgency to his moves, hurrying along with his clothes and breakfast as only Minato Namikaze could – he wasn't called the fastest Konoha shinobi for no reason. Even so, by the time he exited his home and took to the roofs, leaping from one building to another, the sun had already started rising, bathing the awakening village in a soft golden light.

The early birds' songs could be heard easily through the stillness of the still-sleeping Konoha and a smile sprung to his lips as he took in the fresh morning air, filled with the soft scent of summer flowers. If he had to pick a favourite part of the day it would be precisely dawn. There was something revitalizing and warming about the breaking of the new day, a feeling of energy and life that always refreshed his senses. He was truly a morning person – a fact that usually irritated his sensei to no end.

A chuckle sprung to his lips as he thought of Jiraya's unintelligible grumbles and growls whenever Minato tried to wake him up earlier than noon. He gave up his attempts entirely after the Toad Sannin had taken to throwing heavy objects in his direction at the lightest noise.

"I never knew I took a rooster as an apprentice." he would say through large yawns, glaring daggers at the blond boy.

Minato smiled at the uninvited memory, wondering for once where his sensei was currently and what he was up to. Knowing him, he was willing to bet on a number of bath houses that the perverted old man had shown a particular preference for. A hopeless case, that's what Jiraya was when it came to women.

Just as I am, he thought grudgingly, although in a different way.

When it came to women, he might have been the slowest, most unresponsive student that Jiraya could have ever stumbled upon. Not once throughout the past three years had he made advances on any of the girls Jiraya so fervently chased, calling for a few far-fetched comments by Jiraya about his relationship preferences; and while the quips didn't bother him particularly, he suddenly wished that he had at least paid attention to Jiraya's mistakes and attempted to learn from them.

Not once had he bothered to ask his sensei for any form of advice in what he referred to as "those delicate matters". And although the Toad Sannin seemed to be quite the failure in that particular field (contrary to his own claims), he, and anyone else for that matter, surely had more experience than Minato did.

There were many things in which he excelled, plenty of areas in which his skills were above average, if not amongst the best, but, to his imminent mortification, women were definitely not one of them. Suddenly he found himself at a loss when it came to courting a girl that he admired – he had no clue how to go about that, acting entirely on instinct.

Is that what I want to do, win Kushina over?  Something inside him stirred pleasantly at the thought and he had to acknowledge before himself that he had started attempting to do just that without having planned to. He was praised as the genius of his year, but it didn't take a genius mind to reach to the obvious conclusion – he was falling for his friend. As the verb suggested, it was just like falling down – easy, effortless, bringing with it a sense of weightlessness. It had happened after only a week or so of contact, a few merry days spent in her warming presence. Or had it? Minato had always cared about her in an irrational manner, much more than a simple friend would. What his childish intellect could only acknowledge as an innocent attachment and devotion, he was now beginning to see... differently.

And, as inexperienced as he was, he was starting to hope that Kushina might feel the same. After all, she hadn't seemed reluctant yesterday when he…

He swallowed thickly and shook his head to clear the thoughts away. How had he ended up dwelling on that matter again?

Minato sighed and sped up, the trees becoming a blur all around.

Upon finally reaching Training Field Three he threw himself back to his training with renewed energy, ignoring the stinging ache in his already burned palm, picking up from where he left yesterday, working on retaining the shape of the stormy sphere.

The exercise proved to be quite effective in the one area he needed it to be – it preoccupied his thoughts like nothing else had earlier, and he was quickly lost in between calculations and diagrams, working without rest for a good part of the morning with no sense of time passing. When his right hand failed him due to the unbearable chakra burns, he switched to his left, and although his chakra control was not as fine with it, he quickly progressed, mending some aspects and stabilizing others. It was a good exercise for even chakra dispersion, toning up his ambidextrous skills.

The sun was already high in the horizon when he finally stopped, feeling exhaustion creeping in once again. Overexerting himself like he did yesterday was imprudent, since he didn't know when Sandaime would call him in for the next mission, so he decided to take a break before completely wearing himself down.

With a heavy sigh he sat down under the large cherry tree by the river side, crossing his legs in a lotus position, hands resting on his knees. Habit kicked in uninvited and he found himself straightening his back and closing his eyes, diving into the trance-like state of meditation that relaxed his senses entirely. To dream while you are awake, Pa had called it, and indeed it worked just as sleep might, lifting the tension from his muscles and clearing his mind.

He felt the presence before the person had even entered the Training Field, the sound of the light footsteps resembling that of a loud drum for his currently heightened senses. The chakra signature was remotely familiar, as if he had felt it once, a long time ago.

Whoever the person was, they didn't make any efforts in hiding their approach as they finally rounded the pathway and stopped before the meadow.

A distant sound of small, shallow breaths, indicating lungs too small to accommodate large gulps of air. Light footsteps of a short, skinny person. A child.

Suddenly Minato had a very good idea who the newcomer was, even without having opened his eyes just yet. His hand slipped to the ground beside him in instinct, wanting to confirm his conclusion, but the transmitted feeling surprised him, eyes flashing open and fixing on the young boy standing a dozen feet away from him.

The silver hair marked him for who Minato was certain he would be – five-year-old Kakashi Hatake, Sakumo-sensei's son. The chakra signature that he possessed, however, was nowhere near the expected one for a child of his age. It was acutely developed, resembling that of a much older kid. Minato could only stare, bewilderment written in his look.

Kakashi was looking curiously at Minato, studying the sitting blond man in silence. Seconds turned into minutes, but the boy would not budge and neither did Minato, who suddenly felt a wave of curiosity, wondering what this peculiar kid would do next.

Freezing in place was not what he had accounted for. Perhaps he disliked having company while he trained? A small smile appeared on his lips as he closed his eyes again, steadying his breathing and diving into the same meditation state. The displayed lack of attention seemed to be working, for soon after Kakashi finally indicated signs of life, untangling locked muscles and moving hesitantly towards Minato, light footsteps threading quietly down the dusty field before coming to an abrupt stop a few feet from the jōnin.

"What are you doing?"

Minato's eyes flashed open again only to find a pair of curious dark ones staring intently at him, studying his posture. The smile returned uninvited.

"I'm training."

The child's scowl deepened.

"But you're just sitting down."

"Meditating is a form of training for the mind."

"My father says that you train your mind when you spar with people. He says it develops observational skills and strategic thinking."

Well, Sakumo-san was never one for standing still too long. "That's another way to do so, yes. Your father is a smart man."

"The smartest." the child said with conviction and crossed his arms with all the seriousness that a five-year-old could muster. "And the strongest too. He is the best shinobi in the leaf village."

Minato smiled.

"We can expect the same of you I'm sure, since you are the White Fang's son."

The boy's eyes widened for a second, eyes taking in the blond man's features anew. Apparently Kakashi had decided that Minato was a stranger, but the mentioning of his father's moniker triggered recognition of some sort. He doubted that the boy remembered him from years past, as amazing as his intellect seemed to be, and he groaned inwardly, realizing that the hype about his new technique must have reached Konoha within the one day he had spent there.

"You are Minato Namikaze." Kakashi said finally, stating the fact with such conviction that anyone addressed would have briefly believed themselves to be said person. "You are Jiraya-sama's apprentice."

"I am, yes. It's a pleasure to see you again, Kakashi-kun, although you probably wouldn't remember our first meeting." Thankfully so, he thought, remembering the terrible influence he had somehow had over the toddler at first. "You have grown into quite the talented young man. Sakumo-san praised you restlessly."

Apparently this time Minato was somehow making a positive impression unlike before, for Kakashi's eyes widened again, a new light playing on his face.

"He did? He really did?" he asked, excitement visible in the childish voice.

The jōnin resisted the urge to scowl. Didn't Sakumo praise him? Didn't he show the boy how proud he was?

"Anyone would in his place, you have excelled so much for your age. Even if he doesn't show it often, he is very proud."

Kakashi blinked a few times, elation lasting briefly before his face fell again.

"But I still can't hit all six targets." He explained quietly, throwing a glance at the wooden posts. Minato raised an eyebrow, the question written on his face. "I am training throwing accuracy and chakra control. I climb up the wooden post and shoot at six different targets at the same time, but I always miss the sixth. Father can't be proud of me if I miss the sixth."

Most boys your age don't even know what chakra control is. "That sounds complicated. Can I see?"

Kakashi threw another measured glance at the wooden posts, apparently debating inwardly whether it was alright to demonstrate his progress (and faults) before a man whom he had just met.

Finally he nodded curtly, a flash of determination in his eyes, as his hands dipped in the two kunai holsters, coming out with three weapons in each, sported between knuckles. Suddenly the young boy was a child no more. He bent forward, eyes narrowing and body instinctively taking an offensive pose, muscles tensing for the upcoming jump. There was something lethal about his look, heavily misplaced for the face of a child and Minato had to suppress a shudder.

The palm resting at the ground informed him of the spike in Kakashi's chakra system as the boy gathered enough chakra at his feet for the run, mind already calculating the best way to go about his attack. With a final glance at the drawn marks around the wooden posts he was off, dashing ahead with a surprising speed, footsteps barely making any noise. Within seconds he was by the posts, one foot latching up the wood as he continued his movement upwards, level with the ground.

His eyes snapped amongst his targets as he reached the top and pushed himself backwards in the air, and his hands flashed forward, sending all six kunai flying in different directions with a flick. A quick backflip in mid-air assured him a steady landing in the soft grass along with the quiet thudding sound of kunai hitting their marks.

Minato slowly stood up, a small smile playing on his lips as he recognised the move that Kushina had used to take him off guard during their first spar. It seemed to be a specialty of Sakumo-sensei, now having passed it down to his son, not only his hot-headed student.

The silver-haired boy eagerly dashed around the marks in the dirt to check his success-rate. It was pointless, Minato knew already, he had seen the altered trajectory of the last kunai. It had missed, just as Kakashi said that it would, and it was easy to spot why.

The disappointment written on the boy's face upon reaching said weapon still felt disheartening, however, and Minato felt a sudden urge to explain as best he could to him, that it was an easily fixable mistake.

"Come here, Kakashi-kun." he said gently as he waved him over. The boy approached with a sullen look on his face, pocketing his kunai in silence. Minato smiled, tucking his hands in his pockets as Kakashi stopped before him, looking down. "That was very good, you're almost there. Your chakra control is great, I'd say you have already mastered that part of the exercise."

"But I still missed." he mumbled, refusing to look up.

"Because you didn't see the targets."

Finally the boy looked up, an angry scowl on his face.

"Yes I did, I was looking at them as I jumped, didn't you-"

"Looking isn't seeing." he explained quietly. "You have to learn to see things with all of your senses, not your eyes alone; they might betray you one day. The six targets are dispersed in a 360 degree radius around you, there is no way to look at all of them at the same time as you throw. You need to have a clear picture of the area around you in your mindscape, to know exactly where each target is without looking. When you can do it in here-" he explained, tapping a hand to his temple. "-you would be able to do it anywhere."

"What do you mean see without my eyes, that's impossible." the boy said stubbornly.

Minato raised an eyebrow, his hands moving to the back of his head as he untied his forehead protector only to slip it lower and tie it firmly over his eyes. His hands quickly took out six three-pronged kunai out of his holsters in a similar manner to the silver-haired boy and he dashed at the wooden posts without a word.

Wind whistled past him as he gathered speed, reaching the posts within a second, already running up as Kakashi whipped around to stare at him with an incredulous expression at his face.

Minato saw none of it. The world was dark all around and filled with light at the same time as his senses drew the picture of his surroundings with a sharp clarity, scents, sounds and tastes showing him what his eyes could not. Before he knew it he was at the top, pushing himself back and throwing his kunai with a sharp flick, twisting in the air much as Kakashi had and landing in the soft grass without a sound.

One, two, three, four, five, six. All kunai hit the ground with a dull thud and a small smile spread his lips as he felt already that they had pinpointed their targets with deadpan accuracy. The sound of light footsteps reached his ears as he was standing up and he quickly untied his forehead protector, moving it in place, eyes following Kakashi as the boy ran through the targets to verify what his eyes had already seen.

Finally he stopped, staring at Minato with wide eyes, jaw hanging open.

"You hit all of them. Blind-folded." he said flatly.

The blond man nodded, suppressing a chuckle.

"How?" the boy asked finally, surprised look still latched on his face

"Remember the three Cs. Concentration, Calculation, Coordination. You need a clear head, no distractions. Calm your breathing, feel your chakra stream within you, reign it in control, pour it in your senses, sharpen them. Push all stray thoughts to the back of your mind, it's only you and the target. That being said, do not isolate the world around you. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.This is where calculation comes in. Calculate how to use your surroundings to your advantage, making your attack more effective. Assess all external factors that might influence your offense, such as the wind direction and its speed, the target's mobility, the time needed for impact, the gravity. When doing so, eyesight goes only so far and then come the rest of your senses – or to put it otherwise, coordination. Even with your eyes closed the world around you keeps spelling itself, you just need to know how to read it."

Minato paused, crouching down and digging fingers in the ground, bringing a handfull of dirt up before letting it spill through his grasp.

"Smell. The world consists of smells; even seemingly odourless objects such as stones and dirt have a faint scent that you would be able to feel if you get accustomed to it. Use the wind to your advantage, it will bring the scents to you when standing downwind or help you hide your own scent when windward. An enemy might be able to hide from sight, but never from your nose if your sense of smell is acute enough. The targets that you are aiming at have been dug in the dirt with a kunai, possibly retraced a day or two ago to make the lines sharp again. The dirt smells differently where the blade has bitten, the scent is faint, but richer and more moist."

With that he reached for the nearest target that he had crouched next to, tracing it with one finger as he spoke.

"Feel. Different objects have different temperature, humans most of all. If you picture it in colours, the river would be an icy blue, while a person is a rich warm red. Same goes for animals and plants. Take the sun's position into account, or that of any present heat source, and estimate what the usual temperature of the objects around you should be. This will tip you off if there are any inconsistencies, which could be possible traps. Taste. Much like scents, although less developed, your sense of taste can help orientate you during a chase."

Minato got up, purposefully shuffling his feet against the grass.

"Listen. Every shift of the wind brushes through the grass and the trees, it hits in stones and buildings and the sound trails them, it makes the water whisper with the air. Every movement of the wildlife, every step around you resonates within the ground, producing a thrumming sound of different magnitude. The sages of Mount Myoboku say that in silence you can hear a humming bird's heartbeat, if you have developed your hearing acutely enough. Silence is not what you will have in battle, but you should listen all the same. It might be exactly the enemy's frantic heartbeat that will betray their location when they most need to remain hidden. Most importantly, use all of your senses together, along with your eyesight, to paint a detailed picture of your surroundings in your mind. Next time when you aim, don't just keep the targets in sight, feel them. In doing so, you will be able to really see the world around you clearly." he finished and smiled, winking playfully at the child. "It can be quite eye-opening once you get it right."

He didn't know why he was explaining something so complicated to a five-year-old, or why he had the inexplicable feeling that said kid understood him perfectly, despite his tender age. There was an air of intelligence and perception about the young boy that were surprising, but unmistakable.

Kakashi stood rooted to the spot, gazing at him with a new emotion in his eyes, jaw still hanging open as he soaked up every word eagerly.

"How do you do that? How do you develop your senses so well? Why can't I hear or smell the wind?"

Minato's smile grew even wider.

"You meditate. Concentrate, Calculate, Coordinate. Sit down and straighten your back, steady your breathing, feel your chakra stream, disperse it evenly. With time you'll learn how to sharpen your senses with chakra. Still yourself and open your senses to the world. Immerse yourself in it, be here and everywhere at the same time. See."

The boy nodded once, not taking his eyes off the jōnin.

"And then I will be able to hit all the targets?"

"With time, patience and practice, yes, I am sure you would be, and much faster than I did too. But don't neglect your training in favour of developing your senses alone. Balance it out. For example, you will find meditation to be a very suitable way to relax when you overexert yourself physically. Know this, your father is also right – in training your body, you train your mind too and your senses along with it. Find your own way to progress, the one that matches your style best." with that he smiled again and turned to the nearby trees. "Speaking of your father, when are you planning on stepping out, Sakumo-sensei?"

He had felt his approach somewhere around the middle of his long monologue, but the man had chosen to remain out of sight instead of interrupt, allowing Kakashi to concentrate on what was being said.

The boy turned in his general direction as Minato called the white-haired jōnin's name and he smiled widely, striding forward to meet his father half-way through as Sakumo rounded the trees and finally made to join them. Minato nodded in greeting through a quiet smile just as Sakumo did the same before directing his eyes to the young boy and ruffling his hair.

"Father, father, you should hear what Minato-sensei says about meditation, I'll be able to hit all targets if I practice it as well!"

A surprised choke escaped Minato's lips as his eyebrows shot up, not having expected the title Kakashi bestowed on him. Sakumo's reaction was similar, directing a quizzical look at the blond man, curious to see his reaction.

"'San' would be enough, Kakashi-kun." he hurried to correct. "I am not a 'sensei' at all, I haven't been appointed with a genin team… yet." he added hesitantly, as if unsure if he was ever getting a team at all.

With everything happening recently he hadn't even stopped to consider the possibility. He was a jōnin now, so he could take up his own students if he so wished and if the Hokage deemed it appropriate. Did he want that?

"I apologise, Minato-san. I assumed you've taught before, you explained everything very well." the boy said politely, slipping into a more formal countenance in his father's presence.

"There's nothing to apologize for, the fault is mine, I should have made my standing clear."

"My son is correct, however. You do have a way with teaching from what I heard. You explained things very well to Kakashi. I would have thought this matter too complicated for him, but the way you spoke of it made it easy to understand. Have you considered taking up a genin team?"

"Thank you Sakumo-san, but you praise me overly so, I am much too inexperienced to teach others."

"Nonsense. I was your age when I began teaching my first three and I was twice as green as you are now. Consider it, Minato, it might suit you."

Minato's smile grew nervous as his hand shot up to rub the back of his neck in habit.

"Thank you for the advice, I will keep it in mind."

"You're welcome, boy. It's the least I could do after you wasted your morning in baby-sitting my kid. He was supposed to train while I did some work and met him later to assess his progress, but apparently he spent his time otherwise. Kakashi, what have I told you of disturbing other people's training?"

The silver-haired boy scowled through a pout.

"I didn't disturb, Minato-sens- san asked to see me throw kunai!"

"It's true, Sakumo-sensei, don't be angry with him, he was most polite. You could say I intruded on his training and I hope he doesn't mind. It was my pleasure to spend some time with him. Your son is truly talented."

"That he is, but talent alone is nothing without hard-work. He has more to train before he can call himself strong, right, Kakashi?"

"Yes, father."

"Let's continue now that I'm here. If we progress quick enough we'll go out for dinner tonight, how about that?" Sakumo asked and Kakashi looked up, excitement now shining in his eyes.

"Can we invite Kushina-san too, I still haven't seen her." he asked merrily, barely able to hold in one place.

Minato couldn't stop the way his body reacted upon hearing that name, the way his breath caught in his throat and his heart inexplicably quickened. He directed a look at Sakumo without knowing, curious to hear the answer. Somehow it seemed of vital importance.

"No, we can't. Kushina is… otherwise engaged." The white-haired man said through a scowl, his eyes meeting Minato's and holding his look "In any case, it's not polite to suggest inviting a person absent without inviting the one present." Sakumo said and waved a hand in Minato's direction.

Cheeks reddening, the boy quickly turned towards the blond jōnin, about to shoot out an apology and a hasty invitation, when Sakumo's hand came to rest on his shoulder, silencing him.

"-however, I heard that Minato might be busy as well." Upon meeting Minato's quizzical look he added "Shikaku mentioned he wants to speak to you when I dropped by Headquarters earlier today. He was grumbling something about additional work on Sundays and how he had plans for tonight and needed to talk to you. I suppose one involves the other."

An involuntary smile lit up Minato's face as he remembered Inoichi's promise of a fun evening at Yakinuki. He longed to talk to his friends again and learn more about their lives in the last three years.

"I suppose I should go find him and see what he wants." he said quietly, said smile never leaving his face and Sakumo nodded with a smile of his own.

"Have fun, kid."

"Likewise, Sakumo-san, Kakashi-kun. It was a pleasure. I look forward to the day when I see you hit all six targets." he murmured, inclining his head respectfully and the boy mirrored the movement quickly, mumbling a goodbye, intent eyes never leaving his face, much to Minato's quiet amusement.

Yes, Kakashi Hatake was truly an impressive child.

The wind picked up, throwing her hair around messily as she walked down the empty grassy path between the numerous gravestones. She quickly brushed it out of her face with one hand, the other tightening around the bouquet of white chrysanthemums, pulling it closer lest the wind ruins it.

It had been awhile since she last visited and a feeling of guilt settled with the realization, making her quicken her pace. It was a bright sunny Sunday afternoon, weather аt clash the idea of mourning.

A million questions surged through her mind, each seeming more important than the other and Kushina found herself lost amongst them. Somehow, she felt like visiting that grave would help her sort things out, at least temporarily. The woman had always been a sort of spiritual guide for the red-haired girl when she was alive, and Kushina had taken to the habit of visiting her grave whenever she found herself lost.

She stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on the lone figure kneeling in front of that particular grave, long blond hair dancing gently with the wind, hands tracing the engraved name with a thoughtful expression on her face. Mito Senju, it read, but somehow the few people who knew her, seemed to remember her as Mito Uzumaki, the fiery daughter of the Eddies. The Shodai's wife. The first Kyūbi Jinchūriki. The mother. The Grandmother.

A saddened look crossed Kushina's eyes as she joined Tsunade quietly, kneeling by her side and placing her own bouquet next to the one already resting before the stone. They both missed the elderly woman, she knew, but there was a difference in their motives to visit whenever time allowed it.

Tsunade simply missed her grandmother, the last remaining relative that she had had after Nawaki's death. She had loved her as any granddaughter would, cherishing the connection, commemorating it by bringing flowers every other week and praying in Mito-sama's memory.

Kushina saw things otherwise. Yes, Mito had been a distant relative, much as Tsunade now was, but it was not because of their shared blood that she visited, but because of her gratitude for what the woman did for her in a time when she was most in need. She visited for guidance. She visited for remembrance. For really, if she didn't remember her predecessor when no one else did, how could she hope that someone would remember her when she one day passed?

People seemed to pass by this place, their eyes sweeping over the smooth stone without seeing it, Mito-sama's sacrifice all but forgotten. Is this what was going to happen to Kushina? Would she be forgotten too? One nameless vessel to a dangerous monster, one girl who had once smiled, hoped, laughed, loved – all of it meaningless, thrown in the wind.

With a pang she realized that unlike Mito-sama, she would never have a loving grandchild who would commemorate her memory. There will be no Tsunade to shed tears at her funeral, no Nawaki to leave flowers at her tomb. Another forgotten stone. Maybe her poor successor would visit her occasionally, feeling pity for her meaningless life.

"Kushina?"

The quiet voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she directed a guarded look at the older woman beside her, who seemed to have noticed her gloomy mood. A worried look was latched on Tsunade's face as she studied the girl's hollow expression, the crease between her eyebrows deepening with every passing second.

"What's the matter with you?"

She swallowed thickly and forced a smile on her lips. Misplaced. Unnatural. Pained.

"Nothing, ya know. I was simply thinking of Mito-sama."

Tsunade hesitated before nodding, obviously not buying it, but deciding to let her be for the time being. After all, she wasn't one to press for information against someone's will. If Kushina refused to talk of it, then Tsunade would comply.

"I will leave you to your thoughts then." she said quietly and rose to her feet, turning to go.

Suddenly Kushina wished that she had asked further, feeling a certain feeling of emptiness settle in with the retreating figure of the Sannin. She was confused, enraged, crushed. She might have been a private person, but she needed to talk to someone, someone who understood her position and didn't shy away from her.

Someone who held no position of guardian, no obligation to overlook her personal needs for the greater good. Someone who didn't look at her as if she might lose it the next moment. Someone who cared.

"What would you do, if you knew you were hurting Dan by being by his side, even if he didn't mind the pain?" she heard herself ask without thinking, eyes still locked on the tombstone before her.

The retreating footsteps stopped and silence followed, broken only by the snapping wind.

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Just curious, ya know."

Silence again.

"It's a hard question that you pose and it's even harder to answer it right away, out of context as it is. But I suppose, when you put it like that, the right answer is obvious. It would be selfish to place my own needs above his, and selfishness has no place with love." she said quietly and paused. "Sometimes, if you truly love someone you need to let them go."

Love… is this what love was? Did she love Minato? Did she love him enough to let him go?

Quietly Tsunade turned and left, leaving the girl to stare ahead, gaze locked on the dancing grass of the distant hill. She saw none of it. Before her eyes was Minato's smiling face, warmth emanating from his calm look as he stood at the edge of the Hokage Monument, arm outstretched at her, the setting sun playing colours with his golden hair as the wind tossed it around. Waiting for her to join him, by his side, as she had always wished without even realising it. He was captivating. He was the sun, he was warmth and comfort, security, laughter, light, love. He was all that she couldn't have. For him, for the village, for everyone, she had to step back.

Another picture appeared in her mind uninvited and she felt tears rise to her eyes. It was an image she had never thought about, an image she was too young to consider, an image that now latched itself deep within like a parasite, its very presence thrumming like a dull ache.

There stood Minato, smiling peacefully as ever, gazing with a loving look at a golden-haired boy before him, running in the grass. It stopped and looked at her, familiar light blue eyes holding her look with all the innocence that only a child could muster, before it turned around and ran up to its kneeling father, wrapping two thin arms around his neck.

Minato murmured something quietly through a smile and picked the boy up, turning around and wordlessly walking away. It seemed so right, so natural, so real that it took her breath away and Kushina heard the muffled sob escape her lips without her knowing it. Hyōjin Uzumaki's words rang clear in her head, etched deeply within her memory, resonating with their truth. Do you think it fair?

The image was fading in her mindscape, obscured by the red blaze of a giant fox. Her heart clenched at the thought, her chest feeling raw. One by one her dreams of him shattered before even being formed.

Strength now... to do what is right.

The air seemed to be thin in oxygen because she suddenly found it hard to breathe and her hand shot up to her chest, clutching the blouse in an attempt to ease the construction. Is this what it meant to lose what you held dearest? She already had her answer and with it, she had her choice.

If you truly love someone, you need to let them go.

Tsunade's words echoed through her mind and with them came a feeling of certainty... and resignation. Yes, she wouldn't lose him entirely. She would be his friend. She would discourage his feelings and if he ever looked at her with those burning eyes again, if she ever saw that urgent need in his look, she would look away. For him and for everyone else. For the golden-haired boy that she believed would one day come to be. She wouldn't allow herself to feel. She would steel her heart.

She would let him go.

Chapter Text

"Another portion of negi tanshio please!" Chōza called distractedly, not moving his eyes from the plate before him and his flying chopsticks.

"Coming right up!"

Shikaku smiled and leaned back in his seat, lifting the small cup of saké to his lips, eyes merrily jumping between Chōza and Minato as his comrade kept throwing questions at the blond-haired man. The newly-found jōnin met the barrage of curiosity with a kind smile on his face, answering everything with the patience that only Minato Namikaze could muster.

Having always been noticeably eloquent, he was explaining effortlessly the peculiarities of his travels, focusing knowingly on the Akimichi's area of interest – the foreign cuisine that he had experienced in the various lands he had visited. Chōza was nodding with a sombre look on his face, committing every dietary detail to memory while gobbling the latest portion of the grill with enviable speed.

A small scowl appeared on the black-haired man's face as his eyes fell on Minato's plate and he noticed that he had barely taken a bite from his own food, not given the chance by all the questions he was assaulted with. Chōza, oblivious to the man's predicament, kept asking further and even Inoichi followed the conversation with too much interest to notice such a trivial detail. The blond man didn't seem to mind. Some things never change, Shikaku thought through amusement, shaking his head. Even after all those years, his friend was the same selfless person.

As if having read his thoughts, Minato quickly flashed him a knowing look and smiled, quietly bringing a chunk of meat to his mouth. Shikaku grinned. Sharp as always, it would appear, if not even more so.

Shikaku had been quiet for most of the night, observing the blond man with growing interest, taking into account every subtle change that he had gone through in the last few years. Apparently, he was not the only one. Despite being seemingly engaged in conversation, Minato was just as attentive, displaying the same observational skills even when his attention should have been preoccupied otherwise. Another mental note: his friend was, as always, highly perceptive.

"They really serve fugu sashimi in the Land of Earth? Wow, I really need to know how it's made…" Chōza mumbled through bites, nodding to himself as if mentally ticking off an important detail of the dietary program of the Land of Earth.

"I wouldn't experiment too much with it if I were you, it can be quite lethal if not prepared expertly." the blond man said with an apologetic smile and Chōza's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"With this war raging I'll never get to try it out…"

"Of course you will, there's plenty of time. I'm sure the war will unfold soon."

Shikaku sighed, putting his cup back on the table. Minato directed a questioning look at him and he cleared his throat through a slight scowl.

"I'm sure you have been briefed about the current situation… Things aren't looking good for the Land of Fire. If the war does indeed end in the near future, chances are, it won't be with a victory. In any case, such a development is unlikely, if nothing changes soon the skirmishes might as well continue in the next few years."

"Then we simply have to make that change." The blond man said through an enigmatic smile.

There was a certain level of conviction brimming under his seemingly light tone, a fierce determination burning in those calm eyes that held Shikaku's look longer than necessary and the black-haired man felt the hairs on his neck rise.

This was new. Minato had always been a magnetic person, but the level of influence he was exerting now through a simple look, entirely subconsciously, was unseen before by the Nara heir. The man that stood before him now had truly grown into a most intriguing person.

"Now, now, we went out to have fun, I thought we agreed we won't speak of the war tonight." Inoichi retorted through a scowl of his own, finishing off his last saké with a quick sweep and pouring himself more. "Boring food questions aside, let's talk about the real hidden treasures of the Land of Earth."

With that he flashed a grin at Minato and Shikaku found it difficult to resist the urge to groan. Why wasn't he surprised that his friend would pick this topic yet again? Without knowing it, his eyes immediately focused on Minato, curious what his friend had to say on this particular topic. For the time being, the blonde seemed oblivious, cocking an eyebrow at the Yamanaka's ambiguous statement.

"Food is not boring, Inoichi, you simply haven't learned how to appreciate the pleasures of life yet." Chōza mumbled quietly, shaking his head.

He was used to his friend's indignant attitude towards his favourite topic, not even bothering to take offense anymore.

"Oh I know how to appreciate them alright. The real ones anyway. So. I've heard that the ladies in the Land of Earth are amongst the most beautiful. Hard as a rock and fair as a diamond, other men call them. Are they really?" he said through a grin, throwing an expectant look at Minato.

The man before him blinked a few times, obviously taken aback by the sudden direction the conversation had taken, before shrugging.

"They are alright I guess." he said calmly, taking a sip of his saké, as if highly uncertain about the right answer to that unexpected question.

"Alright? Just alright? Come now, Minato, surely you met some interesting kunoichi during your travels. What about the Lightning Country?"

"The same I suppose… If I have to be honest, I'm not the most creditable source for such information, I had other things on my mind."

Inoichi's eye twitched as he stared at Minato incomprehensibly. Shikaku chuckled. The Yamanaka heir could be the most serious person during missions, and the most reliable friend when matters concerned their team, but women were his one weakness. Being one of the very few teams without a kunoichi amongst the trio had resulted badly on Inoichi's view of female shinobi – he didn't understand them and regarded them as trophies rather than comrades – an attitude that was as annoying as it was funny when met with cold rejection.

"Even you must have needed a break, come on, we all know Jiraya-sama's reputation, he must have dragged you around bars every now or then!"

"He did, yes."

"And?"

Minato sighed. "And nothing, Inoichi. I'm sorry, but I didn't meet anyone of notice."

Shikaku shook his head slowly. "Excuse him, women are a weak point of his. He takes interest in them far too much."

"Tsh. You don't take interest in them enough. We are men now, Shikaku, it's normal to notice the beautiful representatives of the fairer sex." An amused cough escaped the Nara's lips. He could never get over the perfumed speech that Inoichi adopted whenever referring to women. "You know even you will have to find a wife one day."

Shikaku winced inwardly, remembering the last time he had spent alone in a woman's company – he had been assigned a shared mission with Yoshino Matsui and the kunoichi had acted so indignantly that he had vowed to himself to never try to be nice to a woman in the near future.

"Women are too troublesome to deal with. I suppose when I meet the right woman I will know. That doesn't mean I have to throw myself at every woman in my path in an attempt to find her." The black-haired man grumbled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at him.

"Not every, only the special ones. You have to have an eye for them, Shikaku, it's like walking into a store full of dandelions and spotting the hidden rose."

From the corner of his eyes he saw Minato's lips twitch in a slight smile, amusement written on his face at the typical Yamanaka comparison. Shikaku on the other hand had heard it one too many times to consider it endearing.

"Speaking of beautiful women, guess who passed through the store today." he said and grinned.

This time the black-haired man did roll his eyes pointedly.

"Are you still going on with that?" he mumbled and Chōza simply shook his head.

"Bought chrysanthemums again and she actually smiled at me, although if I have to be honest she seemed quite out of it… Looked damn good as always though." Inoichi continued as if not having heard his teammate's remark at all.

"You are interested in this girl simply because she is not." Shikaku said quietly, stealing a glance at their newly-returned friend.

"Not going that well I assume?" Minato asked quietly, an amused tint in his voice.

Whatever his expectations of this night had been, Shikaku was willing to bet that the blonde had not planned on having discussions prompted by untameable hormones.

"She turned him down three times already and he still has bruises from her last animated rejection…" Chōza murmured and Minato winced slightly at the idea of it.

"That woman is a beast, I'm telling you, she always was, you'd know best Minato. Who would have thought she'd grow up to be so damn beautiful. I hoped she'd mellow out throughout the years, but she's the same wildling as always." Inoichi grumbled, downing another cup of saké.

Minato simply chuckled, pouring more of the drink for himself, eyes locked on the cup without seeing it. His thoughts seemed to be far away, as if enjoying a personal joke that had little to do with Inoichi's statement. Even so, he remained quiet, listening politely through the ramble.

Shikaku grimaced inwardly. It would appear his friend was still oblivious to the current topic of conversation, for he definitely expected some sort of reaction by now. Inoichi had really chosen the wrong time to start this particular discussion.

"But it's not so surprising she reacted like that, you did tell her that she should pick you, because no one else would ever want her. My father always says that if you want to win a kunoichi over you should pay her compliments and that wasn't a very nice thing to say at all…" Chōza said through a scowl.

Inoichi was already shaking his head through the statement.

"I never said that! I simply meant that if she acts so rowdily with everyone, no one else will be brave enough to approach her. I swear I haven't seen her so much as look at a guy all those years… Maybe she is not interested in men."

The black-haired man sighed, two fingers rubbing his temples through exasperation.

"I think you might be going a bit too far there."

Inoichi flashed him a brilliant smile. "Why else would she say no?"

Minato scoffed through an amused smile, lifting the saké cup to his lips. Shikaku opened his mouth with the intent to explain just how unattractive such self-confidence was to most women, just as Chōza broke in distractedly through a mouth full of meat chunks.

"I don't know, Inoichi, but calling her 'Tomato' through our academy years certainly wasn't very helpful I'm sure."

A cough. Shikaku's look had fixed on the blond man even as Chōza had started forming the sentence, taking in every little twitch. Minato's eyes widened significantly as the information finally struck home and his grip on the cup tightened instinctively, a dry choke escaping his lips as the saké went the wrong way.

Unstable fingers quickly returned the cup to the table, spilling the drink along the way while his face distorted in a grimace with the fiery liquid burning his trachea. A few dry rasps later and Minato regained his composure entirely, a new hard edge entering his eyes as he flashed a chilling look in Inoichi's direction before his expression smoothened.

Within seconds the brief animosity was gone, hidden behind an expressionless mask and Shikaku was certain that if he hadn't paid attention to his friend and if he were any less observant, he would have missed it all together. As things were, he knew for a fact that his teammates had seen nothing of it.

Finally there was the reaction the Nara heir had known was coming ever since the Yamanaka had brought the topic up. Even if he hadn't known how close Minato and Kushina had been during their childhood, he had seen the look in Minato's eyes when the red-haired beauty had been mentioned during his mission appointment a week ago, the unquestionable ferocity in his expression upon learning that she might be in danger.

His lips quirked up in a smile and Minato directed a quiet look at him once again – guarded, measured, calculating. His smile grew larger before a clicking noise from his teammates' side of the table drew Shikaku's attention to the animate Yamanaka heir once again and his shoulders slumped.

"…everyone else!" Inoichi was explaining through a scowl of his own.

"My dad always says that the fact that someone else does it, doesn't mean you should do it too."

"Your dad is a smart man, Chōza, but I didn't have his advice when I was only seven years old, what could I do, I didn't know better!"

"No, but I told you before that it isn't nice, Inoichi." The plump man mumbled, a tint of exasperation in his voice.

"I got called with dozens of names during my childhood years too, but I don't treat people bad because of years past! It was just a joke anyway."

"Not to her."

Minato's voice had been quiet, but the two men stopped their bickering and directed a curious look at him nevertheless.

"Come now, Minato, you know we were just kids, you can't blame us for being hot-headed. How could I know that naming her after a vegetable would be so distressing for her… I mean, I beg your pardon, but she did look like a bloody tomato, with that round face of hers and that bright hair." he blurted out quickly, "Not that she looks anything like it now of course, if anything she's amongst the most beautiful kunoichi I have ever seen really…"

You are really not making things better, Inoichi, Shikaku thought with a hint of amusement. How could his teammate still remain oblivious to the real source of their friend's animosity?

"The problem wasn't in the object of comparison that our classmates chose, but in the belittling attitude they had with her, simply because she was an outsider. Instead of attempting to make her feel better for being forced to leave her village, they did everything to make her feel very much unwanted and despised for being different."

"Well I didn't see you welcoming her with open arms either, not before that kidnapping incident anyway."

If they hadn't been in public Shikaku might have planted his face in his palm through exasperation. Although Inoichi had a point, hiding his own faults behind someone else's was definitely not the right way to go about this. He had to owe it to Minato, however, the man didn't lose his nerve for a second.

"My faults are my own and I believe I've made amends for them. Have you?"

"Well I am trying to, if only she would accept to go out with me…"

"Have you considered that you've chosen the wrong approach then?"

"What's so wrong in wanting to go out with her, forget the past, have some fun?"

"Do you want to go out with her because you want to apologise for past slights, or because you find her pretty?"

"I…" Inoichi began, but the words died in his throat.

Chōza's eyes widened along with Shikaku's. Inoichi, the heir of the Yamanaka clan, famed for their mastery of psychological superiority, the one jōnin who could lie without batting an eyelid, weaving stories so convincing that even the most talented interrogators placed their trust in him, glib, golden-tongued Inoichi, had just been rendered speechless by a man he hadn't seen in more than three years.

Said friend held Inoichi's look a second longer before his expression softened. Shikaku hadn't realised how chilly the atmosphere had grown until he felt the tension lifting along with Minato's ire.

"You're right, though, we were just children and I'm sure she knows that. In any case, I'm sure that a simple apology would mean a lot to her."

The other blond man hung his head through a subdued nod.

"Yeah, you're right perhaps. I'd risk another cracked rib if it means getting on her good side." he said through a slight grin. "Hey, look, Minato, I'm sorry-"

"No, not to me, to her. You have nothing to apologise to me for." he said and Shikaku had the urge to laugh out loud at the irony of the situation – despite always having been quite annoyed with his sensei's sudden mood-swings, Minato seemed to have picked up the same curious mannerism. His cloudy mood had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Yeah, I will. Maybe she'll finally agree to go out with me after that."

…alright, it had almost vanished, Shikaku thought as he noticed the involuntary twitch in Minato's eyebrow upon hearing the last cocky sentence.

"Maybe." was the curt reply.

Shikaku could only pray that Inoichi would show a tint of quick wit and perceive the obvious hint.

"Alright, what's this about?" Minato asked quietly as soon as Inoichi and Chōza were out of earshot, going down another street after wishing a merry goodbye and promising another barbeque evening.

The Nara heir cocked an eyebrow, feigning surprise so convincingly that most anyone would have believed him to be truly oblivious. The blonde knew better.

"There is an alley two blocks down that takes you directly before the Nara compound. Instead of taking it, as you always used to do, you chose to make a detour around the medical centre and past my house, knowing full well that both Inoichi and Chōza will leave first." he explained calmly, starting down towards his place. He could feel the alcohol getting to him and he quickly shook his head, aiming for a clear head.

Shikaku's lips twitched in a smile.

"Where's the fault in wanting to spend more time with the friend I haven't seen in years?"

The same smile was pulling at the corners of Minato's lips as well now.

"You have always detested early risings and tomorrow is a Monday. Postponing efficient rest is unlike you."

"I am a man of interests."

"I swear, Shikaku, if you start drilling me about the Land of Earth's hidden treasures…" he started with a wry smile.

The Nara laughed.

"I'll spare you, though I'd delight in telling Inoichi you launched into a detailed explanation after he left. I'd love the look on his face."

Minato couldn't help the chuckle, already certain that Shikaku had a point.

"You've developed a taste for riling him up, haven't you?"

The dark-haired man grinned.

"Now that's one of my pleasures in life. It has the benefit of being somewhat easier to obtain than fugu sashimi." he said, much to Minato's amusement, "…and much easier to obtain than hot-headed redheads."

His smile had frozen on his face, Minato trying his very best not to slip-up again even though his chest constricted at the implication.

"That's… new. With him." he said slowly, conversationally.

Shikaku's smile was all too knowing.

"Do you mean his obsession with Kushina-san or his attitude with women?"

"Both, I suppose." Minato said slowly, realising just then that he wasn't sure whether Inoichi hadn't fancied his friend all these years.

He certainly hadn't noticed anything of the sort and Kushina hadn't mentioned it either. But then again, would she have mentioned it even if she had noticed? Relationships was simply a topic that they had never discussed… something that hadn't even crossed his mind. Not until now.

Shikaku shrugged.

"People change. We are fickle creatures."

"Not in essence." Minato said as he stopped before the small door to the modest yard of his house.

His friend shook his head.

"I would like to believe that too. War, however, can shake a man down to the core. Some people sink lower, becoming guarded and prudent; they fear life. Others embrace it, living as if tomorrow might never come, which might just be the case, you never know. Such people become frivolous, throwing themselves at every temptation that life has to offer, desiring it for a week before moving on. The thrill of the chase helps too, fleeting as it is."

Here Shikaku's lips twitched in a smile as his look held Minato's longer than necessary.

"And others," he continued unperturbed "simply learn to appreciate small things in life, troublesome as they are. Like a late walk with an old friend." with that he turned to leave, lifting a hand lazily for a goodbye. "Although I would appreciate a good game of shogi too, sometime."

Some things don't change after all, Minato thought through amusement, shaking his head slowly and heading up towards his front door, the keys clinking in his hand. He wondered briefly just how vexed he must have seemed in that restaurant if Shikaku had felt the need to justify Inoichi's levity additionally.

He had attempted to hide his annoyance as good as any shinobi might conceal emotions, and for a time he had been certain that he had succeeded, before he had seen Shikaku's look. The shrewd jōnin had seen through him like an open book, only one calculating glance telling him enough of Minato's thoughts.

The door closed with a dull thud and he moved ahead instinctively, not even bothering to flip the lights on as he went, mind locked far away. His thoughts had returned to the main topic poisoning his rationality: Kushina. He hadn't seen her the entire day – he had hoped she would appear at the training grounds as she had hinted that she would do, but the redhead had been a no-show.

His hopes to spot her around the village later had been quickly dashed as well, and he had grudgingly accepted the fact that this was probably not the day for meetings; he had assumed that she was spending time with her family, as people often did on Sundays, most likely in Konoha's outskirts, away from the hustle and bustle of the village.

That was until he had learned from Inoichi that she had been around, having visited his flower shop during the day. The momentary confusion had cleared up when the Yamanaka had mentioned that she had bought chrysanthemums – of course, she usually visited Mito-sama's grave on Sundays, honouring the distant Uzumaki relative… who also happened to have been the first Kyūbi Jinchūriki.

Suddenly, the continuous Sunday tradition acquired a whole new aspect as his suspicions flared anew. Yet another reason behind his urgency to see her.

Being a calm, collected person usually, Minato found this new impatience incredibly distracting, burning below the surface of everything he did, resulting in an overturned market stall when he thought he had seen a fiery mane in the distance, only to be disappointed by a red scarf, as well as a broken pot and a slightly bruised old man, in whom he had accidently bumped in a moment of uncharacteristic clumsiness.

The sudden need to see her again was maddening – his tangled emotions had brought on confusing dreams and longings, images imprinted in his mindscape as soon as he closed his eyes, causing a vexing inability to tell reality from reveries – did she really smile so warmly when she spoke to him? Did her eyes really hold his own with the same intent look? Did she really blush so charmingly when close to him? Did his proximity really make her heart beat faster?

Had he imagined all those things? Had she really seemed eager to kiss him yesterday or had he misjudged? Where did reality end and where did dreams begin? Her ringing laughter sounded in his head again and he closed his eyes through a scowl, trying to shake the memory away.

A smile. Full rosy lips. A kiss. Her hands in his hair, around his neck, clawing at his back. Dreams.

He groaned, and shot a hand out at the wall to steady himself, eyes flashing open once again, head spinning with the images. Yes, he had definitely had too much saké tonight. With a quiet swear he flopped on the bed, vowing he would never let Inoichi pour saké for him.

The next few days passed in a blur.

He didn't get called in by the Hokage, although he was quite sure there was a variety of average missions available, judging by the steady trickle of merchants and travellers into the village. War brought with it uncertainty and such precarious times meant heightened requests for escort missions when travelling through dangerous territories.

Sandaime, however, had apparently decided to keep Minato for military appointments only. Thankfully, there had been no skirmishes that required his immediate deployment and he was left with a few days of rest.

But rest was proving to be increasingly frustrating.

To his chagrin, Kushina was nowhere to be found, even though he was certain she was still in the village. The need to see her again after their last encounter had led him to frequenting some places within Konoha that he knew she loved too. But Training Field Three remained empty save for Kakashi's periodic appearances; she wasn't at Ichiraku's either, nor at the red bridges that she so loved down the riverside.

He could go to her home, of course. He knew where she lived and he knew her parents well; he had been there before uninvited as well, inquiring after her health. And he had started worrying, as before – maybe she truly wasn't well this time? Maybe he should try a visit once again?

Last time it had turned out that Kushina had simply been preoccupied with babysitting Kakashi; this time he was quite certain that no toddler demanded her attention.

And yet, every time when he thought of visiting the Uzumaki home, something twisted unpleasantly in his stomach. Perhaps he had misread the situation. Perhaps Kushina simply didn't want to see him at all. Had he ruined their friendship with misplaced feelings?

Whatever the reason for her disappearance, he suddenly felt most unwelcome at her home and any thought of going there was quickly rebuked.

There was something else to distract him from his newly found obsession, however, and he had quickly decided to use the free time given to return to his old calculations. The sealing project was something that he and Jiraya had worked on in the last year, the idea having come to them after an attack on Konoha which they hadn't managed to prevent. A Sunagakure shinobi had managed to sneak in undetected, despite ANBU's best efforts to screen the whole village, and while he had been caught and dealt with fairly quickly, the successful infiltration had outlined some faults with Konoha's current security system.

The idea for improvement had come on a whim, influenced by his own completely unrelated training. Jiraya-sensei had helped and together they had brought his calculations to a presentable state.

Undoubtedly now was a good moment to talk to Sandaime about it. Unfortunately, said idea brought him back to square one – once again he would need to reach out to the Uzumakis; and wasn't that irony in itself?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

An endless cycle. How many days had passed in this state of lethargy, of constant waiting? He was too tired to count. A sense of timelessness had settled in him long ago, as if he existed outside time and space.

And every minute was a lifespan long. And every lifespan was but a minute.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

How long had water trickled through the soil, disturbing the absolute silence of his world? A minute now? A month? A year? Perhaps it always had, since the beginning of time to the very end of it. Until I end it. Or maybe it will still trickle down even then, to mock me.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

A different noise now. A tremble through the floor that resonated through his bare filthy feet. So he was coming back. Something must have happened, in the outside world. Back there, where space endured and time ticked mercilessly. He existed both here and there – the there was vital for his plans. He needed the information, yet somehow it all seemed unimportant, the doings of this hateful forsaken world. Another battle and another death. And hate, and vengeance, and despair.

With a sloshing sound the ground before him twisted up as if a mud pile shaping itself, slowly resembling the form of a human; face half missing and grinning, skin taut and pale and stringy, as if his limbs would at any moment drip off. A masterpiece. A man, who was not a man at all – a pawn.

"Listen up, listen up, the war is killing people! So many people, dying! Dead! So much blood in the soil, it reeks of hate!" he said through a sing-song voice, the same ridiculous smile stretching across half his face.

Another figure neared the newcomer, one that had until now slumbered into nothingness until it heard the voice of its sibling and now approached, poking a swirling face through the darkness.

"Hey, hey, let's play a game! Guess how many dead ones I have felt in the soil up north?" the newcomer asked its sibling and clapped with his hands as a child might.

"I feel what you feel, how is this game fun?" the other one asked curiously and the first one laughed.

"Why are you here, Zetsu?"

The heavy voice quieted them both, although the half-faced one kept grinning as he always did.

"To tell you of the war, oh the war, how it has killed! The sand village joined the war and Rock is back in it as well, and there's death everywhere! Oh how the Leaf is squirming!" he almost sang, excitement in his voice. "And just a week ago, a bloodbath for Iwagakure; I felt young Kage blood, a son! Konoha killed him for a dime!"

So that village still endured. He wasn't too interested; the day would come when it would fall along with all the rest. But in order to drive his plan to fruition he would need the leaf weakened, he would need their allies scattered, or better yet – dead. How good indeed, that things had gone this way. He couldn't care less of Konoha, but this war he could work with, he could play it well. For the first time in eons – or was it years now? Or simply days? – he felt the lethargy wear off, giving way to thought. The wait was coming to an end now – it was time he started pulling strings and fitting pieces as he pleased; it was time he shaped this world.

"Zetsu. Make sure the Mizukage learns of those events. He would be most curious to know that his biggest impediment is vulnerable now that their protector is fighting a war on two fronts. It is high time the rest of the villages joined this war. Do not show yourself; I have yet to find the pawn to influence this man directly, but it will not be you. He needs to know that Konoha is vulnerable, however… and it will be even more vulnerable with one ally less."

Yes, his plan would work perfectly, but for that he needed that village wiped off the map, that clan gone. If there was a group of people that could retaliate it would be that rowdy bunch in particular; he could not, would not allow it. He would make sure the Mizukage, being the pawn that he was, would wipe them all before things even began. They were right at his doorstep after all – a brilliant plan. A brilliant loss.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Chapter Text

Tone melting into tone, she never noticed when she had started to hum as her hands moved methodically, dicing the vegetables for dinner. It had grown into a habit, the melody that of her childhood – her mother had sung the song for her when she was a child and she had sung it for Kushina years later and Kushina… she…

Her voice caught in her throat and she slowly let the knife go, gazing at the light reflecting off of the stained blade. Kushina, her only daughter, her hectic, joyous, energetic child, would sing it to no one. Because she would have no children of her own. Ryūmi and Hyōjin had stripped her of the possibility of one of life's greatest joys before she could even comprehend it.

Because this time there was no Hashirama Senju with a handy Wood Release to suppress the demon, no necklace to hold it back. There was no Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu – Kakuan Nitten Suishu. No matter how skilled at sealing they were, once the bond was weakened the demon became uncontrollable, that much she knew.

"I'm home…" came a quiet call from the hallway and Ryūmi hurried to wipe the moisture in her eyes, quickly leaving the food and hurrying out of the room.

Kushina was still at the entrance, fumbling slowly with her sandals.

"Welcome home, honey. You're just in time, dinner is almost ready! We're having yakisoba tonight."

"That's great, mom." was the stiff response as the otherwise talkative girl slipped into the living room wordlessly, hanging her flak jacket on the way.

"Would you like to help me finish it?" Ryūmi asked gently, following her daughter in the room.

Kushina simply nodded, padding to the sink and washing her hands before tying an apron about her and securing her hair back with a band.

The older woman observed her quietly, noting the stiffness in her shoulders and the edge to her features, a trait that was ever present as of late. Kushina was doing her best, she was certain, seeing how her daughter strained to act as if the events of few days ago had never occurred. She was strong, perhaps more so than Ryūmi and Hyōjin could ever comprehend.

She knew that Kushina was acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary, just as she wanted others to believe. Her mask was slipping when she was home, however, the tiredness seeping through the cracks and marring the tentative ghost of a smile.

"How did it go?" she asked casually, returning to the vegetables that demanded her attention.

The girl shrugged, arming herself with a pair of chopsticks and setting about flipping the meat on the grill.

"As usual. Sealed enough herbs for the next supply team leaving for Suna tomorrow."

"Busy day then?"

"No more than normally."

"You know the hospital is happy to have your help. I'm very proud of you for stepping up."

The girl simply nodded, gazing distractedly out of the window, following the sun that had started to set. The older woman sighed quietly, scooping the now-cut vegetables and pouring them in the pan where the noodles were frying.

"Where is he?" Kushina asked quietly and she finally understood what the girl had been so intently looking at – the low table on the back porch where her father would spend most of his late afternoons, working on seals.

Ryūmi couldn't help but notice how very rarely Kushina spoke directly of Hyōjin Uzumaki those past few days. Not once since the "incident" had she referred to him as 'dad' or 'father'. It was always 'he' or 'him'.

"Your dad was called to the Hokage office earlier today. He should be back any minute now."

The girl hmm-ed distractedly and didn't comment anymore.

"How is Minato-kun doing?" Ryūmi asked, determined to keep her daughter talking lest she falls in another pensive mood.

Her tone had been a casual lilt, but the reaction she received was less so. Kushina froze mid-flip, stubbornly staring at the charred pork in her grip.

"Well I assume." she said quietly, evenly. And then, "I haven't seen him, ya know."

The brown-haired woman sighed, brushing a lock behind one ear.

"Kushina..."

"Don't."

A now-familiar pain gripped Ryūmi, the invisible wound of the mother that could not protect.

"You know you can talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about. I'm fine, mother. It's not like I ever wanted a family anyway, I'm a shinobi, ya know. Can you picture me with children, that would be a laugh! I'm such a klutz, those poor kids would be better off homeless, ya know!"

There it was again, playing on the corner of her lips, the mask she wore constantly now to put those she cared about at ease.

"You don't have to play strong before me, Kushina… I know you better than you think."

Silence followed. The deceptive smile had finally dropped from her face, leaving an empty expression as Kushina refused to meet her eyes. Before she could speak a word, the front lock clicked in the corridor, gunning the silence away, door opening and shutting loudly as her husband finally arrived back home. Kushina straightened up as if zinged, hastily taking off the apron.

"Kushina-"

"The meat should be ready now, ya know. I'll go." she shot out and headed towards the door just as the sound of heavy footsteps announced her father's approach. They met at the doorway, Hyōjin stopping in surprise and Kushina bolting past him, not even looking up.

"Kushina, honey-" Ryūmi called after her, the voice catching in her throat, just as her daughter interrupted in a dry voice.

"I'm going training."

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry. I can eat after."

"This is no hour to go training-" the red-haired man begun, a pinch of severity entering his voice, but the girl had already made her way to the hallway.

"What can happen to me? I have two loyal dogs on my tail day and night after all." she called back and slammed the door behind her, leaving her parents with the ringing silence of her absence.

Ryūmi simply shook her head tiredly as she made her way back to the kitchen, for the first time feeling twice her age.

"Welcome home." she murmured quietly as she heard a chair creak behind her, her husband taking his place at the table, discarding a pile of papers and scrolls to the side.

"Thank you. How is she doing?"

"The same." was the quiet response and silence settled, pregnant with unspoken worries.

A heavy sigh came from behind her, familiar and eloquent as any comment might have been. Her hands moved methodically as she added the meat to the now fried noodles and portioned it before bringing two plates to the table.

"What did Sandaime-sama want?" she asked as she dug into her food, wanting a lighter topic of conversation for once.

She had expected her husband to be happy about the shift of topic, allowing the stiffness to subside. Instead Hyōjin didn't answer right away, eyebrows mashing into a stony grimace.

"I was called in after a request from Minato Namikaze." he announced finally and Ryūmi, stopped mid-bite, tentatively returning the food to its place.

"You were… what? Why?"

"Hmph… You are familiar with the defensive barrier system that Shodai set up around Konoha with the help Mito Uzumaki?"

"Of course."

In fact, she was better familiarised with the system than most shinobi in Konoha, having married into the clan that had played a part in the creation of said barrier. It was a fortification barrier extending above and below the village wall for about a hundred meters in each direction, all of it based on the Uzumaki barrier sealing system, the powerful Shishō Fūin integrated seamlessly into it.

"What does that have to do with Minato-kun?" she continued, eyeing him curiously

"Very little until this afternoon." The red-haired man grumbled out and fell silent again.

Ryūmi knew better than to ask – her husband was a man who demanded patience. Instead she returned to her yakisoba, waiting for Hyōjin to make up his mind.

"The boy has come up with a way to improve it." the man said finally and a clank followed as his wife dropped her chopsticks, abandoning any attempt to have a sound meal this evening.

"A way to improve it? An Uzumaki-based Kage-level barrier?"

"I was just as sceptical, I assure you." Hyōjin stated evenly, a pinch of distaste in his voice. "There have been attempts to better it of course, but they have all been impractical."

"You mean to say his wasn't?"

Instead of answering her husband motioned to the folded parchments and scrolls in the corner of the room, quietly observing as Ryūmi hurried to retrieve them, opening them with a swift move. A series of calculations and diagrams danced before her eyes, some scratched out or corrected, others underlined, mixing with sealing formulas in every other line.

Something about them stirred her, scratching on the wall of Fūin knowledge that she had built and she recognised numerous familiar patterns interwoven with ones she had never seen. They weren't the main figure demanding her attention however; in the centre of the largest scroll lay a carefully drawn complex sketch of a seal-infused ball. No… not a ball, but…

"…an ellipsis." she whispered, eyes widening as she finally started to make sense of the kanji woven in the seals.

The red-haired man nodded slowly from beside her, leaning back in his chair.

"An ellipsoid barrier with Konoha in the centre of it. It would eliminate the weaknesses in the one Shodai set up, not only making Konoha protected against underground attacks like the one from some months ago, but also protecting it from aerial attacks, which are not excluded with the Tsuchikage's abilities. The boy seems convinced the old man might attempt an attack in the near future, hence the rush. Something about killing his son."

"But such a structure… it would be unstable, it would collapse before even being set up."

Uzushiogakure had a circular barrier around it, but it was maintained on a daily basis by Seal masters. The village itself was built to accommodate the barrier around it, rather than the other way around. Spheres were symmetrical, the distribution of energy smooth and even – they were naturally balanced and therefore possible to maintain.

Konoha's elongated shape simply didn't allow for a perfect sphere to be constructed around it, not without covering a much larger ground, which would have required an unreasonable amount of chakra poured into it.

At this point the Fūin master had lifted a hand to rub his temples slowly, as if fighting an oncoming headache.

"I would have claimed the same had I not seen his calculations and diagrams. They are not perfect, mind you. As it is now, you would probably end up being right, it would be too unstable to maintain, which is why he requested my assistance. He is basing his ideas on the current barrier and his knowledge of its Uzumaki elements is limited. With my help, however… Ryūmi, this could be a thing. This barrier… it's not impossible."

"But how? The barrier is held in place by the interwoven Four Symbols Seal, adding another dimension to it would destroy the balance of… of… no way…" her voice died out as she traced the diagram once more, making sense of the bottom of it, the final fifth seal added…

"Indeed. A Five Symbols Seal, the fifth one mirrored along its axis, would, theoretically, sustain it well enough."

"You mean to tell me Minato Namikaze came up with a valid formula for a Five Symbols Seal?" When her words were met with nothing but pointed silence Ryūmi felt herself slump back in her chair, eyeing the diagrams with unbelieving eyes. "Gods be good, the boy is no more than seventeen, how could he come up with anything of the sort?"

"Jiraya had a hand in this idea, but… You recognise some patterns in his work, I'm certain. Although heavily limited, he is no stranger to Uzumaki sealing techniques, thanks to our daughter to be sure." the man began, carefully folding the parchments back up. "The rest, however… It's unlike anything I've seen before, or rather a mixture of many styles, creating a unique one. It's far from perfect, he has much and more to improve in terms of technique, but his ideas… His travels are reflected in his work."

"Anyone could travel and take notes, you know it isn't that alone. The way he has perceived and linked the information... to innovate Fūinjutsu at such an age, even if imperfect… The boy is a natural at this, Hyōjin." Ryūmi whispered, no light amount of awe entering her voice as she regarded the boy of her memories in a whole new light for the first time.

She had always known Minato to be an intelligent child; now, however, she realised all of a sudden that said image had gradually started to shift – the "child" of her memories was no longer a boy at all, but a talented shinobi. A seal-master in the making.

"What are Sandaime's thoughts on this?"

"Shock and awe for starters. You could see he was quite impressed with the boy. In the end it was agreed unanimously that if practically possible, improving the current barrier would be the best decision. The council will personally supervise the process."

The scowl was still present on his face.

"What's bothering you?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head once, a curt movement that might have seemed dismissive to many, but Ryūmi knew better – there was a trace of indecisiveness there, a confusion that the Uzumaki clan member was hiding well.

"The boy asked for an apprenticeship."

A smile spilled over her lips before she knew it, despite trying consciously not to read into the significance of the gesture. How oddly life would spell itself when you least expected it – that the man whom Kushina loved would acquire the knowledge of her clan. It was a natural step, for Minato seemed to have mastered what scrolls and research could offer without the help of a Fūinjutsu master to guide him further. And with such a brilliant mind she was certain that the jōnin could accomplish much and more with the proper teacher.

"I refused." Hyōjin said firmly and rose from the table, his words cutting through Ryūmi's reverie.

The smile wiped from her face, replaced by an incredulous expression as she hastily mirrored her husband's movement.

"Refused?!"

The man flashed an angry look at her, and although she was certain that the displeasure was directed at himself more so than at anyone else, she still had to resist a shiver under the heavy stare.

"Yes, refused. Talented as Minato Namikaze may be, he is no Uzumaki clan member to be instructed in our art of sealing."

"I bear no Uzumaki blood and yet you taught me well." she reminded him quietly.

"Two completely different things! You are my wife, you have had two Uzumaki children, even if not both are present today. You are as much Uzumaki by bond and will as any of us, you bear my name. He does not. He will not." Her husband rasped out with finality and Ryūmi finally understood.

Of course his first thought would be of Kushina, the daughter he loved more than life itself. Kushina, who was familiar with the Uzumaki lore of preserving the full extent of Fūin knowledge only for members of the clan. Kushina, who knew that one was allowed full access to their clan's sealing methods only if admitted Uzumaki either by blood or by bond before the Gods. She could understand such an arrangement wrong and read an intended slight into it, another way for her father to mock the impossibility of her situation – by ignoring the customs as if she were impotent, and teaching the one man whom she wanted to bond with, but could not.

All of a sudden her husband's earlier distaste when speaking of Minato started to fall into place: he was dealing with a brilliant young man, who had managed the impossible – he had impressed even Hyōjin Uzumaki; if there ever was a shinobi worthy of their daughter that would probably be precisely him. And yet, such scenarios were unthinkable; for better or for worse Hyōjin found himself forced to turn him down, because of the choices he himself took some ten years ago.

The sentiment was heartfelt, but based on all the wrong conclusions. Such reasoning was no solid cause for spurning the man who deserved knowledge more than many of the Uzumaki children who showed no passion or talent for the art.

Furthermore, Ryūmi knew her daughter well enough to be certain that, although pained, she would be happy for her friend. Kushina, before anyone else, had recognised Minato's talent and had shared her knowledge with him. She would stand by him in this and would want his improvement in any way possible, even if the situation pained her.

"You know I have supported you through every tough decision you have had to face. I have trusted you to make the right choice, so I beg you now, trust me when I tell you: you are wrong about this, Hyōjin. The rules you cling to are as old as the world, they need be abolished. Minato may not be Uzumaki by blood or marriage, but he bears the same will as any member of our clan. The spiral of the Eddies may not be embroidered on his clothing, but it is engraved in his heart. Give the boy a chance."

Seconds ticked slowly as her husband looked down at her through an impassive grimace, eyebrows mashed in confusion and distaste. He seemed to be rethinking her words, turning them around in his head and weighing them against the ideals that he had upheld through the years, the rules he had grown up with, shaping his ideology.

And remembering that her daughter wasn't stubborn for no reason, Ryūmi suddenly knew what his answer would be even before he set his teeth resolutely and squared his shoulders, eyes boring into hers with the force of his conviction.

"My decision is final, Ryūmi. I will help him complete those seals for the good of Konoha, but that is all the Fūin knowledge he will receive. Minato Namikaze will not learn from me."

The wind had increased, making the branches of the trees around snap and creak, lifting the stolen leaves in a mad swirl. Black clouds were racing across the horizon, promising a stormy night as they finally covered the last rays of the setting sun. Kushina sighed, throwing one last look at the illuminated windows of his house.

She had made for the training field, unwilling to discuss anything that had to do with the Kyūbi with her parents, seeking the consuming distraction of field training instead. She hadn't planned on taking detours or stopping on the way and she most genuinely wouldn't have, had she not seen Minato in the distance just as he was making for his home. Spotting him in between the crowd of busy central Konoha was a pleasant surprise, throwing her off track as she quickly rooted to the spot and followed him with a look.

He hadn't seen her, she was quite certain and quite complacent to stay that way, observing him as he made his way up the outer staircase of his house and deftly unlocked the door, slipping inside without a sound. Seconds later the light had buzzed to life, announcing his warming presence in the little house that she associated with so many pleasant memories of her childhood.

Kushina had somehow remained in spot, transfixed. It had been days since she last saw him, not by his fault, although she was quite certain that the jōnin had been busy in his own turn. Even so, she was certain that, had she approached him, he would have found the time to talk or train. It had been her who had avoided such meetings, making sure she kept herself well occupied at the hospital and at her home, lest she randomly saw him just as now.

In truth, the girl had no idea how to act around her friend. She had decided that distance would work best for them; she wouldn't suffer the impossibility of her foolish feelings and he… he would forget his with time.

The less he saw of her the better, yes, that would be best.

But then, she foolishly countered her own reasoning, why am I keeping the truth from him in the first place? Hadn't she chosen to keep her secret precisely in the name of the friendship that she was now convincing herself to leave behind? For she had to admit that no friend would avoid the other like the plague, just like she had been doing stubbornly.

If she was going to continue drifting away from him, she might as well be honest with the one person she trusted most. She might as well tell him the truth and then, come what may. She would watch him drift away, she would see the caution in his eyes, but she would know that such a scenario was probably for the best; she would have been honest… she would have tried.

Splat, a lonely drop fell on her forehead and quietly slid down her cheek. Splat, splat, splat.

The rain began to fall with a murmur, drenching her slowly, plastering her hair to her face as she stood frozen in place, gazing resolutely at the illuminated windows up ahead.

Fiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

The kettle whistled loudly as the water finally came to a boil and Minato hurried to remove it, pouring it into a large mug with a quick swift movement. It had started to rain outside, the weather becoming considerably cooler than the warming sunset that he had enjoyed not more than an hour ago.

Then again, that was the magnificent thing about summer storms – you never knew when to expect them; in a matter of moments they struck down with a terrible force, but never lasted for more than a few hours at a turn. The perfect occasion to enjoy them with a cup of tea in one hand and seals in the other.

He quickly slipped the sachet of herbs into the steaming water, carrying it to the table just as a lightning struck outside, followed by the loud rumble of thunder. The raindrops drummed against the windows rhythmically and he smiled, enjoying the sound as he sat down by the low table, placing the heated mug beside him and pulling the numerous scrolls closer. He had just reached out for his inkpot when a quiet knock reached his ears, followed by a pause before repeating.

The jōnin stood up quickly before heading towards the door, wondering who dared this dreadful weather, picking exactly this moment for a visit. Whoever it was, making the person wait in the cold rain would be quite impolite, given the trouble they had gone through to reach him just now. It had to be either urgent, or necessitating the privacy that an empty street would offer, he reasoned silently as he finally made his way to the front door and opened it in a swift move.

For the second time this day Minato Namikaze found himself quite speechless, frozen in place as he beheld the woman before him, all drenched from the pouring storm, tightly wrapped in a traveling cloak. Whatever he had expected, seeing her on his threshold at such a time had been quite low on the list and he found himself ineloquently gaping at her, blinking a few times in surprise.

"Good evening, Minato-kun." she murmured, starting the conversation first as it did not become her, managing a warm smile. "I apologise for the unexpected visit, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Uzumaki-sama." he finally managed, inclining his head respectfully and quickly stepping aside to allow the woman inside. "Not at all, I was just preparing some tea. Please, come in."

The woman nodded in gratitude, stepping past him and taking off the drenched cloak, flipping her long hair to the side.

"I apologise for the state of my living room, I have to admit I did not expect company." The jōnin began, quickly moving to the table and scooping the numerous scrolls and parchments that were scattered over it. "Please, make yourself at home. Would you care for some tea?"

"That would be lovely, thank you." she answered in a typical melodic voice, following the blonde inside the small living room. "I should have warned you of my visit, but circumstances did not allow it. Even so, may I say your home is lovely as it is. You should know I don't mind sealing scrolls when I see them, I'm most used to them by now. They are quite impossible to keep tidy too, not without an enormous effort on your part and the will to never use them again in the near future."

A cheerful smile and a wink and Minato suddenly felt very much at ease despite the unexpected visit and the long years that had passed since he last saw the kindly woman. Time had not altered her much; her face had retained its heartiness, traced in the cheerful dimples of her easy smiles; only this time he could also notice the fine lines that had started to line the graceful eyes. Age had spelled itself in her flowing hair too, with silver sneaking its way through the auburn tresses. The feeling of comfort that she seemed to easily call upon, however, hadn't changed one bit and Minato was glad of it.

"I do my best, although I have to agree with you. An aspect of Fūinjutsu that no one cares to warn about." he said through a smile, pouring tea in a second cup, and the woman's laughter reached him from behind him.

"It is our most prized secret. If we told rookies what a mess Fūinjutsu was we wouldn't have even one willing follower!"

It was Minato's turn to laugh now as he brought the tea back to the now empty table, taking his place before his guest at the same time. Ryūmi Uzumaki inclined her head through a graceful smile, studying him quietly as he did so.

"Look at you," she exclaimed after a pause, "how much you've changed! You look so much like your father! Although I dare say you are taller." and after a pause, "He would be proud to see you now, you know. You've grown a fine shinobi and a fine man, Minato-kun."

"Thank you." the jōnin murmured quietly, trying to embed in the simple phrase just how much the praise had meant to him. "I can hardly return the compliment, Uzumaki-san. You haven't aged a day."

The woman smiled, a wry edge dancing across her face and for a second Minato could imagine himself looking at an older version of Kushina, the same mischief sparkling in the merry eyes.

"I see you have inherited your mother's eloquence, however. Kaiya was just as generous with her words."

"Only when naming the truth." he stated quietly, answering smile widening on its own, and the woman before him chuckled, inclining her head in acknowledgement of the compliment. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Uzumaki-san?" he continued, allowing a more serious expression to take place. "Is something the matter?" …with Kushina?

The woman seemed to hear the unvoiced worry for she flashed another calming smile at him, knowing eyes lingering as if looking for an answer to a question she dared not pose.

"Ah." she started finally, lifting the teacup to her lips. "I'm afraid I am here to discuss the same troublesome topic that we already established brings the trouble of untidiness in both our lives."

He regarded her quizzically before briefly flashing to the Fūin scrolls, now moved to the side, and back to the woman before him.

"I happened to hear of your prowess with Fūinjutsu. I suppose it isn't unexpected, given your early interest in it. The progress you have made was a pleasant surprise, however. I had a look at your calculations for the barrier, the ones Hyōjin brought back home. They are ingenious." she explained calmly and Minato could only look down in momentary surprise, finding himself praised by a Fūin expert.

"Thank you, Uzumaki-san, but I didn't work on them alone. Jiraya-sensei helped me for a large part of it and, even so, as you must have seen yourself, my calculations are incomplete. They are simply the basis for a barrier that would be impossible to complete without your husband's outstanding work."

Ryūmi sighed, putting the mug down resolutely, the smile gone from her face for once. A frown had furrowed her elegant eyebrows, giving her a mildly annoyed look.

Although she was looking straight at him, Minato was quite certain that the annoyance was in no way directed at him per se. Whatever had infuriated this sweet woman, it must have strayed far from the path of her morals to have even calm Ryūmi Uzumaki lose her nerve.

"Calculations that would be precise enough, had you been provided with the proper instructions in every aspect of the Sealing Arts." she said quietly, jaw set for once and Minato could only smile briefly at the cutting comment.

Finally he understood what the true purpose of the visit was; somehow, for reasons he could not begin to comprehend, Ryūmi Uzumaki felt guilty for her husband's refusal and had taken it upon herself to apologise in his name. And although the gesture was incredibly kind, Minato hardly thought it necessary. He understood Hyōjin Uzumaki's reasons well enough and respected them.

"The person who finishes the seal is irrelevant. The desired effect is what matters and that is the improved security system of the village. Uzumaki-san, I understand your husband's reasons to refuse me and I have no quarrel with-" he began but the woman silenced him with a hasty hand movement.

"You didn't let me finish, if I may, Minato-kun." she said quietly, apologetic smile melting in her features. "I'm not here to speak of my husband's decisions and their irrationality. I'm here to speak of my own and they differ from his. I realise that I am no Uzumaki-born Fūin Master, but I believe I have become knowledgeable enough through the years to provide you with the guidance you need."

If the jōnin had been surprised before he found himself downright shocked upon hearing the woman's words now, staring at her through wide eyes, disbelief written over his face.

"I realise that you are not an Uzumaki clan member, but I firmly believe that this should be no reason to hinder those eager to learn. I myself am no Uzumaki by blood, yet I consider myself no less skillful. As such, I might be the most suitable person to instruct you as well." she continued with a smile, "I can't offer you a formal apprenticeship, but correct me if I am wrong, this isn't what you're looking for either. It's knowledge that you seek and I am willing to share all and everything of what I know. I have made up my mind. Will you accept this offer?"

Wordlessly Minato rose to his feet, rounding the small table only to drop on one knee by the kind woman's side, head bent low in respect.

"It would be my honour, Uzumaki-san."

"You're a coward." Kushina muttered to no one in particular, slamming the front door behind her, slowly making her way through the empty silent corridors. Water kept dripping dully from her drenched hair and clothing, leaving a trail of puddles behind.

She had run. She had chosen silence before the truth. Again.

"A coward. You truly are." and it was alright talking to herself, as long as she didn't start answering back.

Chapter Text

He waited patiently, sipping on his tea without a word. It had been more than twenty minutes now, twenty minutes during which the older woman before him had stayed utterly silent, keen eyes expecting all and every aspect of the Fūin notes, diagrams and ideas that he had jotted down throughout the years, including the technique journal that he had compiled and the numerous inscriptions over textbooks that he had acquired in one way or another.

Apparently the woman had decided to familiarize herself with his work so far, before deciding how to go about teaching him. Her speed was enviable – she needed no more than a mere minute per seal, hands moving expertly to note her observations. A few times she scowled, working out specific uncertainties around some seals, and, at others, she would direct a piercing gaze at him before wordlessly turning back to her work.

Minato had decided that it was best not to disturb her, if she had questions she would ask and something was telling him that that time had yet to come. There was no hurry. A tiny part of him was curious to see how much Ryūmi Uzumaki could puzzle out of his work – many of the seals that he had invented or improved upon were at least partially new to her after all. Something told him that, even so, she could understand most of them just fine.

It was not impossible to see through his techniques; he had never thought them too complicated or intricate for the well-educated shinobi. Quite on the contrary, their true usefulness lay in their simplicity, had one the eye to understand it. After all, Fūinjutsu was based on innovation and mixture of styles – much like paintings or carvings, no two Fūin styles were quite the same. All Fūin masters had their own signature, added to their work, defining it and it was precisely this individuality that could hinder many in deciphering it.

"Quite interesting." She said finally, setting the papers down and pulling the list of techniques she had noted, briefly scanning them with a firm look. "Your work is exceptional, for one who hasn't studied under a Fūin master."

Minato nodded briefly, acknowledging the compliment. "I wouldn't have gotten half as far without the help of my sensei."

The woman's lips quirked up playfully.

"Ah, yes, Jiraya of the Sannin. A peculiar one, that man is. His knowledge of Seals is most unusual, but I suppose sufficient. He has taught you well, but those seals… They exceed his works and you know it."

His hand lifted to rub the back of his head, instinctively, out of habit, as he flashed a nervous tentative smile to the shrewd woman before him.

"I had a lot of time on my hands to improve his work while he was… otherwise engaged."

Quiet laughter followed his words, Ryūmi seemingly understanding precisely what the jōnin meant. She shook her head, casting some unknown thought aside, before focusing her attention back on the list before her.

"Jiraya's works don't seem to be the only style you have been researching it would appear." She said through a wry smile, tapping a finger at her notes and Minato smiled in kind, immediately recognising the name that had caught her attention. "You seem to have researched Nidaime's works."

The jōnin simply smiled.

"His usage of space-time techniques was ingenious, but quite complicated at first, when I started working with it. I was on the verge of giving up when-"

"When Jiraya made you sign a summoning contract, am I correct?" Ryūmi interrupted quietly, knowing eyes crinkling at his following dubious expression "What now, don't be so surprised. The very first summoning contracts were based on Uzumaki techniques, derived from the techniques used by the Sage of The Six Paths to tame the Juubi. They have been heavily altered throughout the years, but they are based on the same principle: space-time Fūinjutsu. They allow for a creature to be summoned instantly to any location, altering space and time around them. Same goes for people in the reverse-summon version of it, something which Nidaime exploited quite cleverly. His Hiraishingiri was based on that very same principle, altered so that he could, in a way, reverse-summon himself to a pre-marked location. Something which you seem to have picked up as well, although your technique has taken it further." With that the woman paused, throwing an expectant look at him and Minato hurried to shake off the awe at the ease with which Ryūmi Uzumaki seemed to have understood a technique that took him years to better grasp.

"The Fūinjutsu that I had researched more thoroughly focused on explosive tags and their variations, which is, I suppose, a sound start for anyone dealing with the arts. Nidaime's techniques, however… they were on an entirely different level. My understanding of them was quite limited. But once I realised the similarities with the principle used in Summoning Contracts… it was like a new door opened. The toads helped as well, their knowledge in seals is profound. It was only when I realised how close reverse-summoning and Hiraishingiri are that I started understanding Tobirama Senju's work… His technique was spectacular, although, as any technique, it had drawbacks."

"So instead of copying his work, you decided to improve on it?" Ryūmi asked through a knowing smile to which Minato simply inclined his head.

"The biggest impediment that I saw was the range. Tobirama Senju limited himself to the usage of his sword, which made his attack moderately predictable. If I could increase the number of weapons used and create a link in between…"

"Ah. And that brings us to the question at hand." Ryūmi said quietly, fetching a few scrolls from the pile of paper on the side, the ones that Minato had filled up with scribbles about this particular technique. "There aren't many accounts on the precise methods which Tobirama Senju used to develop his technique, but it's safe to bet that he based it on the principle of Summoning Contracts. A costly technique in terms of chakra used even when applied to only one weapon, not to mention doing so with many. And the chakra signature stored in each blade, to the mind of a sensory shinobi, would be like a sign spelling danger – a trap; another drawback. How did you go past it?"

Instead of answering Minato took an empty piece of parchment, quickly scribbling down a Hiraishin seal.

"I had to find a way to compensate. If storing chakra was impractical, I had to find a way to link the seal to my own chakra reserves so that it would be accessible within certain ranges… which reduced the time needed for activation. It didn't go quite as smoothly from the start I'll have you know… The first time I attempted it I disappeared into nothingness for more than two minutes apparently, although to me it seemed no more than a second. Sensei was furious." he said with a nervous smile, scratching his chin with the back of his brush as the memories danced before his eyes.

Ryūmi chuckled, shaking her head. At this point she had pulled the scribbled seal before her, having started to break it down, grouping it into links. She carefully traced every kanji and Minato had to smile, thinking how very much Kushina resembled her mother in moments of thought. Upon stopping his explanation Ryūmi quickly circled a group of kanji, a large smile spilling on her face.

"The evening when Kushina came back from the border she didn't stop talking about your sealing and how you had found a way to replace chakra storing seals. So this is what she spoke of."

Once again Minato nodded.

"I can use it with numerous kunai continuously, it creates a network, an irregular pattern that is next to impossible to predict or counter. However, it only works within certain distances from me. Range is limit."

"Lethal and absolutely brilliant. I believe it can be improved further, if you let me study it."

He nodded and quickly withdrew a Hiraishin kunai from his pouch, passing it to her.

"Please, keep it. In gratitude for your help."

She smiled, inclining her head and tucking the weapon in her own pouch.

"I will inspect it further when I have the time. There are a trick or two that could increase your range and possibly reduce the chakra needed to maintain the link active… We'll work on it. A larger range could help with this one too." She said quietly and pointed at a different technique further down the list before her.

Minato nodded a quiet assent before propping an elbow on the table and leaning his chin in his hand, patiently waiting for what would come next.

"A Fūin barrier, based on the Hiraishin, teleporting attacks to pre-marked destinations instead of teleporting yourself, isn't it? I'll say, that's quite new and powerful. Judging by the way you have constructed it… it can whisk away most any attack, the only limitation being the chakra reserves of the caster. Which means that the stronger the attack, the larger the range of teleport you will need… so the improvements would be welcome. How did you come up with it anyway?"

"As I mentioned to Kushina before, I have had a few sources of inspiration. The toads taught me barrier techniques. I simply improved on those, mixing them with my own style."

"It's good you had the opportunity to sign a Summoning Contract, it seems to have been quite beneficial for your Fūinjutsu. We'll work on the Uzumaki aspects of those seals as well. Contract seals have many more uses than the most commonly known ones. For example, a better understanding of them would allow you to not simply forge them, but to disrupt them as well. You would be able to undo a contract seal, breaking the bond between the caster and the creature summoned. In order to do this, however, you need to understand all and every element of it, Uzumaki aspects included." Ryūmi said, jotting something down again while Minato looked at her with a surprised, yet eager expression.

He could feel his curiosity flaring, the need to learn more engulfing him as it often did when presented with the opportunity to develop his skills further. It was a peculiar driving force that made him restless with an edgy single-mindedness.

Unaware of his inner musings, the woman before him fell silent, distractedly taking a sip of her tea before turning to the list in front of her again and pointing out the technique he had yet been unable to work further on.

"This one here. Is this the technique with which you saved my daughter's life?"

A sharp intake of breath. He nodded curtly once again, suppressing a shiver. A soft look had entered Ryūmi's eyes along with a tint of something else that Minato could not quite place. Was it… sadness? Regret?

"I never could thank you for that." She said softly and he found himself shaking his head even before she had finished that line.

"You needn't thank me. I would always…" he stopped, the words dying out in his throat. His hand balled in a fist as he tried to say more, suddenly stumbling with a surprising lack of eloquence, his eyes dropping to the table on their own accord.

Why was this so difficult to say?

A gentle hand gripped his own and he quickly flashed a surprised glance up only to meet a pair of warm violet eyes.

"I know. For which I thank you. My daughter is lucky to have you."

The words sank slowly, warming him on the inside, stirring an unfamiliar sensation within that tightened his throat and he found himself, yet again, grasping for words that would not come. Her acknowledgement, not from the stance of a teacher, but from that of a mother, meant more to him than he could easily put into words.

"Now, this seal is absolutely magnificent, although unfinished." She continued, slipping once again into the serious persona of the Fūin instructor, as if the exchange of seconds ago had never occurred, "Transferring chakra from one person to another is quite impossible for many shinobi, exactly because every person's chakra is different, as you said. The receiver's body would reject the foreign energy, often quite violently with horrible consequences. You, however…"

Minato cleared his throat quickly, guessing that he was, once again, expected to elaborate.

"There's a clan in the Land of Rain, which has a most useful bloodline ability – they can master any chakra element, because they can purify their chakra affinity. That is to say, they can exude chakra in its natural pure form, unpolluted by elements. It's a costly technique, but this method of purification, it was brilliant. I tried to achieve something similar through Fūinjutsu and even though it will never be as quick or easy as it is for them, I believe it comes close as possible. When using the seal you transfer purified chakra that can't be rejected by the receiver. It's proven efficient so far, but it's still very costly."

A scowl had spilled over his face as he was once again reminded about the unfinished seal that had caused him not one or two headaches.

"Originally, I was planning on taking it a step further and reversing it. Chakra is energy and no energy is ever lost, it's simply transformed in a different type of energy. So, if I could forcefully drain someone of their chakra, leaving only enough to sustain living functions, purifying the rest to its natural state and thus transforming it from elemental chakra to natural one, rooting it, so to say, then I would be able to disarm people without necessarily killing them."

Ryūmi's eyes widened as she quietly rested her tea cup back on the table, throwing a quick look to her notes before returning her attention back to the jōnin before her.

"Such a powerful technique… to incapacitate an enemy entirely, it can have far-reaching consequences."

"Not any more so than the Gentle Fist. I assume it would have its drawbacks, as any technique really, even if I try my best to reduce them. It would probably be costly and require precision of timing. I haven't worked out the specifics of it yet, not before I finish its original version, which is… still quite unstable, as you can see. It's costly on its own, even in its first stage, not to mention an attempt at the second…"

He fell silent, all too aware of the wide smile that Ryūmi Uzumaki had suddenly donned, her eyes alive with the flickering flame of the challenge that he was presenting.

"I was right about you, you know. You are a natural at this, you just need some guidance and you will shine. I have a few suggestions regarding that technique, you can stabilize it further, but you would have to alter its structure, if you don't mind."

Minato cocked an eyebrow, quickly taking a brush and sketching the formula for that particular seal, right next to the previously scribbled Hiraishin tag.

"I use a circle here" he explained quietly while drawing.

It was the most basic structure for seals, representing a continuous flow of energy, uninterrupted, a union between spiritual and physical energy – the most basic, but most stable as well.

"And then I use a second one, a circle within the circle, stabilizing it further. This one deals with the energy to be expelled and this one with the energy to be tampered with. They are linked here and here. If I change the overall structure I will lose the balance already achieved…" he began quietly.

"Circles are indeed the most stable symbols to contain what you're willing the Seal to do. Your links, however could be strengthened."

"How?"

Ryūmi Uzumaki smiled.

"How about a spiral?"

Minato blinked a few times.

"A spiral? But surely…"

"What does a spiral consist of?" she asked quietly, smile never leaving her lips.

His eyes widened. It was as if someone had just hit him on the head with a brick, the information presenting itself so clearly in its simplicity. Kushina had shared some of her knowledge of Uzumaki techniques, but it had been imperfect, seen through the eyes of childhood and impatience, focusing mainly on the results rather than the logic behind their accomplishment and somehow, despite studying it for all those years, he had missed the most basic of principles that the entire Uzumaki system seemded to have been based on; the simplest of reasons for the clan's advanced Sealing and for their unique insignia.

It wasn't the clan's signature, inspired by the insignia, added to their techniques out of vanity… it was the insignia that was inspired by their techniques in the first place, the spirals that he had come across in his studies easing the Fūin structures rather than complicating them, as he had thought.

"Why of circles, of course…"

The older woman chuckled, nodding briefly.

"A circle within a circle within another circle, all collapsing into one another, to form a seemingly chaotic figure that is, however, linked stronger than any other and is thus more stable. It creates an uninterrupted flow as well, but in a different way – it represents the endless flow of energy; a spiral stands for continuity. Of course there are numerous problems that arise from interweaving other elements and aspects with a symbol that does not close the started circle immediately, but that is why I'm here. To teach you."

Minato nodded as if dazed, quietly handing her the brush and Ryūmi Uzumaki smiled wider, taking it gingerly and turning her attention to the parchment before her.

"You have some understanding of Uzumaki techniques I believe, from what I saw in your work. I will skip the basics and continue to the more advanced parts. Which is precisely where our favourite spirals come in." she said through a lilt, her hand drawing expertly on the list.

Twirl after twirl, soon enough before his eyes appeared the elegant form of a whirling spiral.

Once again he was coming home at an ungodly hour, the sun having already set long past. He didn't mind the darkness; Gods knew it had always been his friend. His clan thrived in darkness and as any self-respectful Nara he had stopped fearing it before he had even learned how to properly talk. No, it wasn't this aspect that annoyed Shikaku; it was the work.

His newly acquired position as advisor and Jōnin Commander in the absence of his father strayed far from the lazy path that he favoured and the extended working times did not ease the mild annoyance that it had turned into. He would happily handed the post to someone else, had he been given the choice.

Tst. So troublesome, he thought, mind already skipping over a dozen names that he was certain would make fine enough advisors if groomed properly. Grudgingly he had to admit, however, that given the state of the village right now, they couldn't afford the time to guide newcomers through the office. Like it or not, he was a Nara; he was gifted with impressive mind-prowess, or so all claimed, and in times like these people like him were needed most.

He was just considering the possible disadvantages that he would have experienced if he had played it intellectually inept since the very start, when he rounded the last corner to the Nara Compound's street and quickly stopped in his tracks, faced with a most unexpected person.

Chōza and Inoichi sometimes sought him out to invite him for barbeque or for a drink respectively, and the Konoha police, represented in the face of Uchiha Fugaku as of recently, would also come knocking whenever may, when the situation required it. None of those people, however, were expected at this time of day, and yet he would have been much less surprised to see any of them in the place of the woman standing in front of him now.

She straightened her posture upon noticing him, arms crossing before her chest unforgivably as an annoyed scowl marred her face, giving her a rather furious appearance that Shikaku would usually associate with ravenous birds rather than what Inoichi referred to as "representatives of the fairer sex".

An involuntary grunt escaped him, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach as his instincts suddenly hinted run, troublesome as it may be. Him being Shikaku, he had perfected the handy ability to sense when trouble was looming on the horizon and now, looking at the angry face of the woman before him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that no other situation had ever deserved the label "trouble" better than the one at hand.

He might as well have been less apprehensive if it had been a group of blood-thirsty Iwa shinobi that awaited him. With such he knew how to deal, with vicious women – much less so.

Unfortunately for him, he was also a man and a clan heir at that. Running away from an unarmed woman was a tempting idea that had to be immediately discarded and Shikaku simply sighed, bracing himself for whatever Yoshino Matsui might fling at him.

"Shikaku Nara." She began with a sharp edge to her voice, flinging her hair back with an impatient toss.

"That would be me. How can I help, Matsui-san?"

"Don't you sweet talk me now! Where have you been?!"

Shikaku simply blinked, his mind thrown into the chaos of absolute confusion for the first time in quite a while now. No matter how he twisted her question and turned it around in his head, he didn't have the slightest idea what she meant. Really, the woman was not just putting him on edge, but also making him feel, simply put, quite dumb.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." He said carefully, tasting the words that seemed so odd coming from his mouth.

Yoshino properly snorted, a sound that he acknowledged to be very unladylike, as her hands moved to her hips, the woman taking a step closer to him and Shikaku had to fight the urge to step back.

Man up, Shikaku, it's just a girl.

"You know full well what I mean! It's been a month since our mission now and you never showed up, not once!"

Showed up? Showed up where? The thoughts raced through his supposedly genius mind, hitting into a wall of incomprehension every time. Was he supposed to visit previous temporary mission-comrades after the mission itself? He had never been informed of such a custom, nor had he ever heard of it and if nothing else, he did know quite a bit on many a topic, etiquette included. Nara members were nothing if not respectful.

In the end he simply concluded that someone had been tasked with informing him of a meeting with Yoshino and said someone had, for one reason or another, failed to do so, which in its own turn had led to his current predicament.

"You're not even going to say a thing, are you? Such a typical man! And I thought you were different, Nara!"

I'm sorry, was the first thing on his mind, although he didn't quite know what he would be apologizing for. It was perhaps the safest bet, although he was itching to go with something in the lines of What the hell? and Troublesome.

"I didn't know I was expected." He explained finally and the girl before him rolled her eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you are plenty smart, you knew precisely what my scarf meant!"

"I don't-" he began and fell silent as he finally realised what she was talking about, the memory having been passed over as something very much ordinary and not demanding further analysis in any way.

They had run into an enemy patrol during their shared mission and although the enemies had proven to be quite inexperienced, in Shikaku's carelessness he had ended up with a grazed forearm, favour to a stray shuriken he had dodged very sluggishly. Later, after the battle, Yoshino had bandaged his arm using her own scarf, seeing as they were at the Suna border where medical supplies were running low due to the cut provision lines. Shikaku had politely promised to return it as soon as possible, most likely when it was not crusted with blood, but Yoshino, after scolding him for being careless, had simply waved him off, insisting that he keep it to remind him what happens to slack-offs.

He had shrugged back then and put the whole deal to the back of his mind – she had said one thing, that was that, he had no reason to believe that she had meant another. Was he expected to return the scarf after all? Women were much too troublesome… To think she'd come all the way here, at this time, to demand her scarf back…

"I have your scarf at home somewhere, I am certain, if you wait here for-"

"Oh no, I am done waiting for you!" she said angrily tossing her hair back again, and the black-haired man could have sworn there were sparks coming off those dangerously narrowed eyes.

"Alright. Would you like to come inside while I look for it?"

"No, I-" she started suddenly cutting herself off as she slapped a hand to her forehead, a strangled choke of exasperation leaving her mouth. "I don't want the bloody scarf!"

She made no sense. At all. He could only stand there, gaping at her.

"I thought you just said-"

"Gods, you really are a hopeless case, aren't you?! Seriously, and they say you are smart! I don't need the scarf itself, but what it meant!"

What did scarves mean? That she was cold? Was he expected to get her another scarf to warm up? But it was summer and the scarf itself had been a light one, a decoration rather than anything else. And why on earth was he overthinking a scarf?

"I don't-"

"The camellia! It had a camellia on it, you lazy Nara!" she cried and Shikaku could only blink again.

Now that he thought of it, there was a camellia embroidered on the tip of it – a pretty design, quite girlish at it too – he had made naught of it. Now, for the first time, he actually focused on that simple gesture that he had considered to be quite insignificant. Was she referring to the language of flowers? Was this a joke? Did he look even remotely like his blond flowery teammate? He had thought she bandaged his arm out of good will, not because she had been trying to relay a message. Couldn't she have simply said what was on her mind, why complicate things?

What did the camellia mean? He grunted inwardly, remembering how very often Inoichi had spoken about flowers and their significance for women and how very often Shikaku had discarded his words as quite unimportant. For the first time now he wished he had paid at least half a ear to what his boisterous friend was saying.

Thankfully, Shikaku knew about flowers as well, the topic being a compulsory one in the academy, along with that of herbs and other plants – their meaning had to be known. It often happened during intelligence gathering missions that circumstances prevented direct contact and shinobi had to use any tool at hand to convey a message – one of said tools being flowers.

Come on Shikaku, you studied this. What was the camellia? Longing? He felt his face warming up uncomfortably at the thought. No, that was the yellow one, the one on the scarf had been white…

'Oh no, I am done waiting for you!' her words from seconds ago came back uninvited and with them – the answer.

Waiting. The white camellia meant waiting. Waiting for what?

"I still don't-"

"Gah, Shikaku!" she exclaimed and he flinched. Apparently she was determined not to let him finish even one sentence.

And since when had they dropped the honorifics and switched to first names? And what on Earth was going on? He felt so very much out of his depth that it was indescribable. Never in his life had the genius Shikaku Nara been so very lost and absolutely clueless about what was happening around him. His head was beginning to throb painfully from the strain to keep up.

"Listen here now, I haven't said this to anyone else so open your ears once and for all! My mother gave me this scarf when I was entering adolescence; she had given it to my dad once as a sign for her affection. She told me to wait until I find a man whom I think worthy of me and then give him the scarf. She said the camellia will speak what a woman should not, but a man should! But you never appeared, you oblivious Nara!"

The insult should have bothered him probably, but it barely registered. His head was trying to wrap around the information presented.

"Oh." was his very eloquent response.

"'Oh' indeed. Well I'm tired of waiting so I have come instead."

His mouth propped open on itself, trying for words, which stubbornly eluded him and he ended up gaping at her through disbelief. Her patience was, apparently, running thin, for she sighed, placing her hands on her hips again and leaning closer.

"Shikaku Nara." She said firmly, a steely edge in her voice. "Invite me out for dinner. Now."

He gulped, sweat running down the side of his temple.

"Yes. I mean I will. I mean, would you like to go out for dinner, Matsui-san? With me that is." The words tumbled out of his mouth incoherently, embarrassingly so for someone supposedly on the bright side.

An inexplicable smile lit her face, erasing all of the previous animosity as if it never were and the Nara heir found himself dumbstruck by the sudden change of character as the before-vicious woman now appeared to be smiling sweetly at him in an expression that spelled unseen-before radiance.

"I would be delighted." She said simply and giggled, a most unnatural sound for someone like her, "And 'Yoshino' would be enough."

His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he scanned the board before him, one hand tapping lightly on his knee. Blue eyes jumped in between pieces sporadically, assessing and calculating possible outcomes as his lips pursed in a thin line. His friend observed him through a wry smile.

"Could it be you've gotten rusty at it, Minato?" Shikaku asked placidly and Minato chuckled.

"That, or you have greatly improved, my friend." he murmured, one finger casually tipping a pawn forwards to clear a path for his bishop.

The thin smile never left the Nara's face as the man quickly strengthened his King's defence by moving a Gold piece – a move that seemed quite pointless at this stage of the game, but the blonde was certain that his friend had just prepared for an attack he anticipated some moves ahead in the game. An attack that he happened to be gradually preparing over the last three rounds. Darn Shikaku's insight – the man could hardly be surprised.

Silently he switched to plan B, bringing his bishop out earlier than he had planned.

"Hardly. There was little time and proper company to practice with."

A quick move and Shikaku's bishop had pinned his own taking it mercilessly before Minato reciprocated accordingly, exchanging his own figure for the enemy's same. It was a valid strategy, allowing him to place it anywhere on the board.

An amused smile quirked the blond man's lips as he regarded his friend through a playful look.

"I believe the company issue has been dealt with accordingly."

"Yes, thank the Gods for your return."

Minato cocked his head to the side, said smile never leaving his lips.

"My company was entirely not what I spoke of."

Here the Nara heir grunted, finally understanding what, or rather whom, his friend spoke of.

"Women are quite troublesome." Shikaku muttered, much to Minato's amusement, who simply chuckled good-naturedly at the statement. "I suppose you would know best." The black-haired man stabbed back and Minato's laughter died out faster than a flicker in a downpour.

"Yes, well."

It was Shikaku's turn now to smile wryly as he positioned his rook close to an opening.

"How is Kushina-san doing?" he asked casually and the blond jōnin couldn't prevent the sigh rolling off his lips.

"Is it that obvious?"

"To the keen eye."

Silence fell as the blonde turned to measure the garden with a look, following the sluggishly crawling clouds with an uncertain look.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted finally, a sense of relief seeping over at the opportunity to talk with a trusted friend, although it hadn't been his goal at all.

His hand moved to push a pawn forward distractedly and the careless movement cost him a rook as Shikaku answered mercilessly with a knight.

"I am hardly the one to talk to about such things. If Yoshino hadn't demanded my attention, I might have gone oblivious to my old age. However, I don't believe Kushina-san to be impartial."

A sigh. "She has been avoiding me lately, most diligently. I can read through many a situation, Shikaku, but Kushina Uzumaki is a mystery to me. I don't understand her."

"And that's what drives you. Believe me, I know." the strategist said through a chuckle, his comment finally cracking a brief smile on his Minato's face. "I would say give it time. If she is anything like Yoshino, and I believe that she is, she will state what's on her mind sooner or later."

"Time… We seem to have that quite abundant on our hands at the moment." Minato said quietly, flashing a solemn look at his friend, changing the light topic for a heavier one and Shikaku only hmm-ed, catching up instantly.

A crease in his forehead indicated the first tint of worry that the man had displayed through the whole day. His ever-present smile had dropped from his features, replaced by a thoughtful expression as he also threw a long look at the pond in his back garden, the sunlight dancing playfully over the surface.

"I'm at a loss." The Nara heir said finally and Minato could only assume his friend spoke of anything but their shogi game, which he seemed to be winning so far. "If pressed for reasoning I could come up with some forced explanation to Iwa's current withdrawal, what with the death of Ōnoki's heir and all the unfavourable skirmishes around the borders. Suna, however… They had the upper hand before they stopped all movements. This idleness… it's unnatural and illogical. I can't explain it."

The Nara was advancing a pawn along with a silver piece now, going for an obvious attack that was most likely a diversion.

"You think they are up to something."

"What do you think?" Shikaku asked evenly, only a tint of his curiosity evident in the steady voice.

The blond jōnin sighed.

"The quiet before the storm they call it, although Jiraya-sensei would have warned us if a storm was approaching. It could be an intimidation tactic; playing on our expectations, because they know our strategists would assume the worst-case scenario and delay our own advance." A quick move and his lance opened up the side front. "Konoha is currently weakened. They could have assessed Iwa as the bigger threat, relocating troops to their borders instead and leaving the Land of Fire to its own defenses."

Once again Shikaku hmm-ed, crossing his arms before him and bending his chin low – a posture that Minato could only associate with the man being deep in thought.

"Inexperienced as the new Kazekage might be, I thought him shrewd enough to avoid opening a second offense front when he had the advantage on the first."

A small smile spilled on Minato's lips as he regarded his friend with a mild look.

"Not everyone is as smart as you are, my friend." He said lightly before the smile dropped from his face again. "There's little we can do without more information. I will try contacting Jiraya-sensei to see if he has any leads."

Shikaku nodded, advancing his own lance distractedly to mirror the side-offense on the other end of the board.

"It's this waiting that's driving me restless and it is a dark day when a Nara can claim being restless. Something about this whole situation doesn't look right, Minato and I'm afraid I will rue the day I learn what this is all about."

"We won't simply wait, Shikaku. We'll use the time to prepare, fortify and gather our strength. Whatever they fling at us, we'll answer accordingly."

Finally the black-haired jōnin turned to look at him, a speculative glint in his eyes as he regarded him wordlessly. His friend was intelligent enough to reach the conclusions that Minato was offering him; it wasn't wisdom that he sought, but reassurance and strength.

"You are quite convinced in our success."

"I am, yes."

The words came easily, lightly, ringing with the conviction that eased his worries, for he was certain that with the help of his friends he could turn this war around. It was what he had been preparing for throughout the last four years. Failure was unacceptable.

The wry smile finally returned to Shikaku's lips as the man returned his attention to the shogi board before him.

"We both have the brains, of that we all know," the Nara heir started quietly, "but you have something much more valuable that only one in a thousand has. You have the ability to translate dreams into reality and that is a handy ability indeed."

It was during a quiet sunny day that he finally dared broach the subject, sitting casually across Ryūmi Uzumaki in a library study room.

They had chosen the Konoha Library as a meeting point for their Fūin Training sessions, wanting to avoid inappropriate speculations if Ryūmi started visiting Minato in his home every single day. Today the Seal Master had arrived no more than an hour ago, having brought with her a new set of notes as she had done every day for the previous week.

It had been a week filled with excitement and new information at every corner, a week for learning, growing, perfecting his skills. Ryūmi was a patient mentor, gifted not only with the subject itself, but with teaching as well. Their relationship had been strictly professional, focusing on Seals and Sealwork the whole time – a fact which was starting to gnaw at the back of his mind.

Wonderful as said week had been, it had also turned out to be increasingly nerve-wracking for Minato. In spite of his best efforts to find Kushina and talk to her again after their last meeting, he hadn't seen her at all. She had simply vanished, leaving him with a worry and an unquenchable burning need to talk to her again.

He had meant to ask Ryūmi and he had always put it off, fearing that personal sentiment had no place in a professional relationship. But the more days passed, the more difficult it became to ignore the nervousness. The worry. The pain.

So finally, a week later, he gave in to his own insolence, praying the older woman wouldn't take his question as a slight.

"Shishō…" he began, the words coming slower, heavier than usual. "No, Uzumaki-sama. I have a question to ask you."

The warm woman simply lifted an elegant eyebrow, letting the sealing scroll she was inspecting rest before her.

"Yes?"

"It's not related to seals."

He thought he saw some emotion flicker through her eyes, so quickly that it was indiscernible.

"I hope I can help?" she prompted, eyeing him expectantly.

Minato gulped.

"It's about… well it's about Kushina. Forgive me, I know it's not my place to ask, but… I haven't seen her whole week and I was worried. Could you please tell me if she is well?"

Ryūmi simply sighed, looking at him through saddened eyes. Whatever she had wanted to say, it felt like it took her a tad too long to formulate an adequate answer.

"She is well, and I thank you for your concern. I know you're close, I don't mind you asking me. About her absence…" the brown-haired woman hesitated, "I can only ask you for your patience. Give her time. Your early return was a surprise to all of us, Kushina most of all I believe. She needs some time to sort out her feelings. I ask your patience in this… the patience of a friend."

Some invisible hand that had gripped him on the inside eased up with the news that Kushina was, after all, well. Ryūmi's words, however, hadn't been entirely reassuring.

So he had been right; his misplaced feelings had confused her. His clumsy attempt at intimacy had cast her away. He could only hope he hadn't ruined the friendship that he so valued – she was so important to him… the thought of it alone was enough to make his stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Of course. All the time she needs. I just wanted to know she is well. Thank you, Uzumaki-sama."

He could only hope his answering smile had contained none of the worries that now plagued his mind.

Chapter Text

Tap, tap, tap, his fingers measured silently against his temple as he regarded the man before him with a curious look.

"Can you give an estimate?"

"Two, maybe three months. Every detail needs to be accounted for and with a barrier this large…"

Sandaime nodded, inclining his head to the side as he regarded the quiet jōnin before him, who had still not budged.

"Your progress on the barrier was not all you wanted to discuss." The Hokage stated evenly as he knitted stiff fingers on the table before him.

"I wanted to ask for your permission, Hokage-sama, to spread a few Hiraishin tags around Konoha and later around the Land of Fire. You're aware of what my technique does; I would appreciate having easy access to key locations around the village, in case quick intervention is needed."

Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow, a small smile fighting its way to his lips. "What would you have in mind, Minato?"

"Well, apart from a marker in each quadrant, I was thinking of placing seals in some key locations for starters. Perhaps the Hokage building, the hospital, the police headquarters, the academy, the civilian school and the main gates. Establishing such a network around the main routes in the Land of Fire would also help in case I need to cross large distances over a short period of time. Ryūmi Uzumaki can vouch for the effects of my technique and the validity of the seals placed. They would not put the village or its occupants at any risk and would be used by myself alone as means of transportation only."

Hiruzen nodded, waving a hand carelessly before him.

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of your technique. I believe it quite invaluable really, I think that's a splendid idea. You may place your Seals as you wish, although I would consult Uchiha Fugaku before putting a Hiraishin Tag in any premises he occupies." Sandaime said with a good-natured chuckle, to which Minato responded with an amused smile.

"If I may?" he asked quietly and Sandaime nodded his assent, eyeing the man curiously.

Without another word Minato knelt before him and placed a hand palm-down on the cold floor, closing his eyes briefly as if to concentrate. The spike of chakra lasted no more than a millisecond as a shadowy seal slid from his palm and nestled between the tiles, unnoticeable to the naked eye if one did not know to search for it.

"There. I thought it more suitable than a kunai; it would be harder to tamper with. Thank you for the permission, Sandaime-sama. I will use this seal only if absolutely necessary." The man said quietly as he stood up again.

"I had no doubts. Now, you mentioned you want to place similar seals around the Land of Fire?"

It was the jōnin's turn now to nod his assent. "Seeing as how the war fronts have settled into a temporary stale-mate, I believe this is a suitable time. I will do so gradually, starting from the west path to the Suna border before returning here and setting out again to the northwest later. That way I will have the chance to reciprocate if something happens meanwhile. I would also like to continue my Fūinjutsu training in between."

"Sounds reasonable. You may leave when you are done with Konoha's locations.

" With that Hiruzen paused, a new wave of curiosity assaulting him and for once, he decided to indulge it.

"Speaking of the Konoha locations… You said you would place your tags around key-positions in the village. I understand the hospital and the police compound, as well as the one you just placed and the ones at the gates. Why the academy and the civilian school, however?"

The jōnin blinked in confusion. Apparently, whatever the answer was, he considered it obvious enough not to necessitate further questioning.

"Because in times of emergency, helping the children of Konoha should be a priority. They are the village's legacy."

The smile that spilled on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips couldn't have been more radiant.

Laughter.

The hospital corridors rang merrily with it as Kushina grudgingly narrated the story of her forced date with Kemuri and her supposedly good and understanding friend decided to express her compassion through bellows of laughter.

"I can't believe he called Minato a 'Hedgehog'!" Tsume echoed through laughing spasms. "You have to admit it, Kushina, the boy's got guts! Standing up to Konoha's Yellow Flash like that… Are you sure you don't want to date him, he'll grow taller- Ow!"

The protest was a playful one as Kushina aimed a light punch at her, grazing her shoulder.

"You've gotten mellow, Uzumaki. That punch was pathetic. I was right to bust you out of this damn hospital, all those seals are turning you soft!"

She had, once again, spent most of the day at the hospital before her friend had conveniently dropped by for a check-up after a prolonged stay at the Suna border. She had insisted most stubbornly that Kushina take a break and at least see her off, pushing her out of the stuffy room she now called her working premise, and rushing her down the white corridors.

"As if. The truth is, Tsume, that you're here just because you quite fancy that black-haired medic trainee you met when you visited me last time." she said through a sing-song voice and to her credit, the dark-haired woman grunted, despite managing an indignant haughty look.

"No clue who you're talking about."

"Oh, so you mean I shouldn't have called him to meet us for lunch, ya know?" the red-haired chūnin started, jumping to the side just in time to avoid a very determined side-chop.

"You didn't!"

"Calm down, I'm just teasing." The red-haired girl started through laughter. "Seriously, Tsume, to think that a man would have you so jumpy..."

She had intended it as a jibe, but to her surprise the usually-loud woman simply sighed.

"The day will come, Kushina, when you lose your head over some poor misfortunate guy and I will be the one laughing at your weird notions."

"I sincerely doubt-" she began in a voice quieter than usual, stubbornly fixing her eyes to the floor tiles, just as Tsume shot out a warning of "Kushina!" upon their turning the corner past the main counter in the foyer.

The air rushed out of her lungs in a huff as she collided with someone head-on, having completely missed their presence in her distraction with the miserable topic of love interests. A muffled "ow" left her as the impact sent her staggering backwards. Caught by surprise she tripped in her own sandals in a manner most unbefitting to anyone bearing the title of 'shinobi'.

A firm hand wrapped around her wrist quite forcefully, suggesting an instinctive reaction as her 'assailant' snatched her arm mid-fall with enviable reflexes and pulled her back up before she could flop disgracefully on the ground. He had misjudged the force behind the hasty movement, however, for he tugged back with more force than was needed and the red-haired girl was sent flying in the opposite direction straight into the solid form of the person she had initially bumped into. Again.

A low grunt escaped him as the hasty manoeuvre ended up with an accidental elbow to his ribs, made only so much worse with the force behind that instinctive 'rescue'. This time no rebound followed, the man's hand gripping her shoulder quite firmly as if to make sure that her clumsiness won't harm anyone else in a radius – a most thoughtful gesture, it might have been, were she not forcefully pressed much too close for comfort. The whole deal took no more than a heartbeat, the girl managing a confused blink as her mind finally caught up to the tangled situation and her throat tightened.

She knew this chakra signature.

She knew this scent.

Ta-dup

Her heart skipped a beat before picking up again, drumming treacherously in her ears as warmth sneaked up her face.

"Minato-san!" a worried voice came from somewhere on their right, probably from behind the counter, only proving what Kushina was suddenly all too aware of.

Judging by his following reaction, she could only conclude that he had indeed reacted out of instinct, not having the slightest idea who he is aiding in such a rush. He must have realised around the same time that she did, if the way in which his posture stiffened was anything to go by, a tremor running through the hand at her shoulder, the grip tightening before disappearing entirely.

"Redefining the phrase of "to run into someone", are we?" he murmured quietly, a tangible smile hidden in that voice that she had, oh how much she had already missed.

She hadn't met him in more than half a month now, purposefully avoiding any contact. She made sure she trained early mornings or late evenings, devoting her days to the work at the hospital. What was he doing here now?

She gulped past the sudden lump in her throat, willing herself to look up before anyone noticed the oddity of her stubbornly staring at the tiled floor in such a situation.

Steel your heart.

He sported a surprised smile as light blue eyes regarded her merrily. She couldn't help noticing that he still hadn't stepped back despite breaking the contact, still standing closer than was socially acceptable with the red-haired girl having to arch her neck to meet that familiar, tantalizing look.

"I'm all about innovation, ya know." she answered quickly, breathlessly, and felt like punching herself for playing along with the easy banter that seemed to always come naturally with him.

He chuckled, warm breath tickling past her in the proximity, freezing her into place when she knew full well that she ought to step back.

Darn him and this abnormal allure that he held; it was unforgivable, the way he affected her simply by being close to her, causing her knees to soften and her palms to grow sweaty. Simply absurd, that happened only in Jiraya's idiotic books; how could Minato, her friend Minato, make her lose her head so absolutely. Was this how Tsume felt around the handsome medic?

"Minato-san," the initial worried voice reached them again, "are you alright?"

With a sigh indiscernible to anyone standing further away than the red-haired chūnin, Minato finally turned back to the counter, taking a moderate step away from her, breaking the spell of his presence and Kushina exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Now, finally, she allowed herself to trace his look as well, glimpsing the owner of said voice for the first time – a young woman, leaning worriedly over the counter as she inspected the blond jōnin with wide eyes.

"Perfectly fine, Aoki-san." He said smoothly, favouring the startled woman with his signature smile.

"Thank the Gods! I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you, Minato-san! You gave me such a fright when I saw you walking in here… Although I was happy to see you as well, of course…"

There was an unmistakable sultry undertone to her exaggerated speech, the words arching lustfully with each following sentence. It was so obvious that Kushina wanted to gag, a disbelieving snort escaping her before she could stop herself. The look that Aoki-san threw her could define the word 'dirty' in most any dictionary. Minato on the other hand pretended not to notice, although Kushina didn't miss the way that he eyed her briefly from the corner of his eyes, his lips quirking ever-so-slightly into an amused smile.

"Your worry is heart-warming, but I assure you both I and Kushina are in good health." He answered, stressing on her added name, using the same exaggerated tone.

Something about the mildly mocking way he answered the haughty woman made Kushina exceptionally pleased.

A light cough from nearby made her snap back to the situation at hand and she finally directed her attention back to Tsume, whom she had completely forgotten about in the unexpected encounter. Her friend was eyeing her with a raised eyebrow, alternating surprised looks between the Uzumaki clan member and the man next to her, her expression spelling Something you need to tell me?

Minato noticed her as well, turning towards her with a smile.

"It's been awhile, Minato." Tsume said through a grin, lifting a hand for a casual salute.

"Far too long, I have to say. How have you been, Tsume? How are Shibi and Hiashi?"

"Worse off now that I'm here." The Inozuka heir's smile had grown haughty. "I'll be sent off to babysit their asses again soon enough. But that aside, what takes you to the medic's?"

Kushina also directed a curious look at him, wanting to know the answer to that peculiar question as well. She had to squash a most irrational fear that it would be something in the lines of 'Aoki-san'.

Thankfully it wasn't.

"Running an errand or two."

"I was helping him just fine, Tsume." The receptionist threw back in and Kushina had to notice that the displeased scowl was not favouring the woman's otherwise pleasant features.

"Helping him how? By drawing him a detailed map to your cheap bedroom?" Tsume shot back, eyes narrowing dangerously.

To her credit, the sultry girl blushed more convincingly than most maidens.

"Wh- I- I would never!" she stammered out and tossed her hair indignantly. "J-just because you would invite him back home!"

Tsume simply laughed her throaty laugh.

"He wishes."

"N-now now, Tsume, Aoki-san was simply giving me directions." Minato interjected, a nervous edge to his voice, cheeks flushed.

The Inozuka girl smirked.

"You're as oblivious as it gets, Minato. It's amusing. We should catch up sometime, for old times' sake. In any case, good luck." She said, already having dismissed the fuming receptionist entirely. "Come on, Kushina."

Throughout the whole exchange she had been stealing silent glances at him, following his baffled and amused expressions. Tsume's words had caught her off-guard, not having really followed the conversation.

It had been so brief, this moment in his presence that she had managed to steal for herself. She hadn't wanted it to end. But all too soon Tsume was turning to leave and calling her name to follow and she was throwing a final look at him, only to lock eyes with his.

She wanted to stay there, to find a reason to talk to him longer, to spend a minute more in the crowded hospital corridor. Just a minute more with him.

With an unvoiced sigh she finally peeled her eyes away from his, turning to leave with whatever little resolve she had left. It was all in vain as his hand reached out without him thinking, wrapping around her wrist and holding her back as a hasty "Wait" left his lips before he even realised what he was doing.

Decorum caught up with him and the light touch disappeared as quick as it had occurred, the blond man clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"Forgive me, I mean… May I have a word?"

I'm busy.

I can't, it's getting late, I'm expected.

I shouldn't.

Stay away from me.

No.

"Yes." She breathed, an unfamiliar feeling of anticipation and worry coiling in her stomach.

She cast a quick apologetic glance at Tsume who simply shrugged, raising a hand for a hasty goodbye and shouting a "See you later, Kushina." before turning to leave. If the sly smile on her lips was anything to go by, the red-head was certain that Tsume would corner her with questions as soon as possible.

"Thank you for the time spared, Aoki-san." He said quickly, casting a brief glance at his new acquaintance before returning his eyes to her.

Whatever the poor girl answered, it went very much unnoticed by either, as Kushina headed wordlessly towards the exit with Minato by her side, preparing herself mentally for whatever may come next.

A gnawing worry inside seemed to be hinting to the most obvious of conclusions about the upcoming conversation.

He didn't seem to be someone who would send her flowers restlessly to prove his affections like Inoichi would – he was a rational man who knew what he wanted and how to achieve it. If he indeed had feelings for her, he was sure to talk to her directly sooner or later and she feared that that time had come sooner than expected. That also meant that the time had come for her as well: the time when she had to firmly cast her feelings aside and reject him openly, push him away for good. Because she had to. Because it was right.

Her hands knitted together as she twisted finger over finger, chafing them worriedly. Could she do it? Could she hurt him so, cast him away forever? For forever it would be certainly; no man valuing his dignity would chase after a scornful woman. Well, no man Inoichi excluded.

Do you think it fair?

She should speak first, not letting him broach the topic; it was the most reasonable choice. She should tell him the truth, she should have him understand that his sentiments were touching… tempting… but she could not return them. That he ought to direct them to someone, who deserved them better than her. Someone like Aoki for example – sweet and loving and unbroken.

An invisible hand clutched painfully at her chest upon that thought, clawing on the inside like a wounded animal, clamping her throat most effectively. Yes, telling him was reasonable, but that didn't make it easy.

They had exited the hospital now, heading down towards the outskirts of the village where her house was located. Apparently he had decided to see her off, early as it still was. The sun was still high in the sky, its rays still licking the horizon in a bright golden colour, turning the day into a hotter one than she was used to and she quickly pulled her hair over one shoulder, letting the light breeze cool her heated skin. Out of the corner of her eye she could feel Minato watching her, his eyes lingering on the casual movement, tracing her locks and the curve of her neck.

Your hair is beautiful so I noticed it right away.

She pretended not to notice, trying to will the colour away from her cheeks as she walked ahead without a word. Soon enough the commotion of the main streets was replaced by the quiet of the forests and fields of the outskirts, the only sound reaching them being that of the cicadas all around. He walked in silence by her side, his pace associated more with that of a casual stroll rather than a hurry to a certain destination.

"Won't you say anything, ya know?" she asked finally, the silence playing on her nerves for longer than she could stand.

She should speak first, yes, but he was the one who had insisted on this conversation in the first place and curiosity had gotten the better of her.

His answer was a brilliant smile as he regarded her with an amused look.

"Forgive me. I was simply enjoying this." He said quietly, waving in her general direction distractedly.

Ta-dup

She lifted a hand to her hair absent-mindedly, twirling a lock between two fingers.

"It's been awhile." He continued through a sigh.

There was no judgment in his voice, no accusation and even so, she couldn't help but flinch.

"I was busy at the hospital." She said quietly.

A lame excuse, but she felt like she ought to say something – she ought to try, she owed him that much.

"So I see." Was the quiet answer, completely understanding and she wondered if this kind man could ever allow himself to condemn.

"What were you doing there anyway, ya know?" she shot out before being able to stop herself, having found the previous answer of 'an errand or two' to be much too vague to satisfy her curiosity.

To her surprise he chuckled, his thoughts straying, most likely, in the same direction.

"I was leaving a Hiraishin seal. I meant to place some at important locations around Konoha in case they were needed."

"Oh."

That actually made a lot of sense.

"In a way, that has a lot to do with what I wanted to talk to you about." He continued before pausing unsurely. "I'm leaving tomorrow, briefly. I want to leave some Hiraishin tags on the main routes in the Land of Fire in case I need to move quickly in between locations. I'll be back within five days or so if all goes well. I wanted to let you know in case… Well, just in case." He said and stopped in his tracks, turning to face her just below the spotted shade of a whispering poplar, the smile absent from his features for once.

She mirrored him, one eyebrow lifting curiously, unused to this tense, conflicted Minato that stood on edge. Anticipation thrummed on the inside, tying her stomach in a knot. Finally he sighed, hand quickly sneaking in his kunai holster to retrieve a now-familiar three-pronged one, offering it to the red-haired girl with a soft, uncertain smile.

…wanted to place Hiraishin seals at important locations…

"You left this one in the Training Grounds when we last met. I wanted to return it to you and… I would like you to keep it." He murmured, eyeing her expectantly.

"Minato…" she began, ignoring the thrill that ran through her upon whispering that particular name.

Somehow she was certain that this was a gesture that he hadn't done with most of his other friends. This was different. This was just for her.

"I… This is most kind of you, but I don't need protection, ya know."

"I know. I'm not giving you this kunai so that I can rush protecting you. I'm asking you to take it so that I can fight by your side when needed. As an equal, as it should be."

She blinked, surprise washing over her. A certain warmth was blossoming in her chest, sneaking down her form, making her giddy. Her hand wrapped around the handle instinctively as she nodded, throat too tight to allow for words of any sort.

His answer was a sunny smile that could become only one man.

"Thank you."

It took her too long to come to her senses, to realise that she was still staring disbelievingly at him as if he had just spilled gold coins out of his mouth, a peculiar gaze that he simply arched an eyebrow at. By the time she snapped out of it, it was too late. The sunspots were dancing merrily over his face, bringing out the blue of his eyes as his look changed, passing from a baffled to a mildly amused one, studying her eyes restlessly before jumping to her hair and the crease of her neck again, lingering. His breathing had picked up, a tremor passing through his hand as he took a step closer without thinking.

Her heart had gone flying, drowning out the song of the cicadas, swelling in her chest, making her own breathing much too uneven. Blood rushed to her face, washing away all rationality. There was only him and those captivating eyes and that alluring voice-

Without a word he lifted one hand with exaggerated slowness, blue eyes holding her own as if through a daze. Soft fingers brushed a lock of her hair back ever-so-gently, tucking it behind her ear in a whisper of a touch. Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat as she froze in place.

"Be safe." He murmured quietly as the brief contact disappeared before she could even realise what was happening.

Without thinking, in a moment of most uncharacteristic lack of eloquence, the red-haired girl simply nodded. Minato smiled before turning to go, leaving her to stare disbelievingly after him, lost in the sound of her drumming heart and the song of the cicadas.

Arch after arch, the Torii slowly winded up and around the stony stairs as he climbed them in silence, the only sound reaching him being that of Ryūmi Uzumaki's footsteps. The older woman led the way without a word, no rush in her step, an air of calm resolution visible in her straightened form and squared shoulders.

It had been more than a month now, a month during which she had devoted many precious hours on instructing him, patiently showing him technique after technique of the sacred Uzumaki Fūinjutsu that only a few had been initiated with.

From basic tricks for improving the stability of already existing seals, to complex ones that he struggled to completely understand, seals that allowed the storage and inordinate use of chakra, alteration of one's appearance and exceptional regeneration, the Uzumaki system circled around improving, strengthening and revitalizing, already boosting the existing connections between spiritual and physical energy, giving it shape. It thrived on the principle of energy conversion and preservation, stripping all limitations before the masterful user: there were as many sources of power around them as there was life and Ryūmi Uzumaki had set about teaching him exactly this balance of the energy around him; perceiving it, understanding it, using it, respecting it.

No element was left unnoticed, no detail overlooked – it all came together harmonically, complementing the final seal. Gradually, without knowing when, Minato had surrendered to the arts, becoming completely and absolutely fascinated with the subject and the fine mastery which the Uzumaki clan had achieved. Spirals were dancing behind closed eyelids whenever he rested his eyes, seals weaving in his mindscape subconsciously, taking new shapes.

The rich scent of ink had become a constant companion, his fingers turning blackened at the tips from ink smudges that had no time to fade – hour after hour he spent bent over books and scrolls, practicing. Daytime was saved for learning with his new Shishō, but the night belonged to him alone – he would often sit with a warm cup of tea, a piece of parchment, ink and a brush, and he would dive into the exhilarating feeling of experiment, combining what he already knew with what he had just learned, integrating it with his own style.

The woman would often scold him that he was overexerting himself, shaking her head disapprovingly whenever she met him after a restless night of practice, eyeing the shadows beneath his eyes and mumbling that seals could sustain someone only so far and then came water and food and rest.

There was no actual anger in her voice, however, an undertone of mild amusement surfacing from time to time as the good-natured smile never left her face. It took him awhile to notice, but the woman was impressed with his work, following his progress with no small amount of pride twinkling in those mellow eyes.

Every now and then, when she thought Minato much too preoccupied to pay attention, she would direct a puzzling look at him – inexplicably fond, but saddened, as if a great weight was pressing her down and there was only so much she could do to bear it. Minato never commented, deciding that if she wanted to speak of personal matters she would. Instead he focused on her lectures and the numerous scrolls she brought.

And numerous they were, tightly secured with various locking seals, varying in sizes and shape, scroll after scroll and book after book, as his living room soon started to resemble the chaotic office of a scholar more than a home. He flipped through the pages with an enviable speed, soaking the words up hungrily and even so writing could offer only so much. Vast as it seemed to be, the majority of the information presented came from Ryūmi herself as she narrated formulas and sketched diagrams that no scroll held.

"You won't find these Fūin techniques anywhere else, but in Uzushiogakure. They have been deemed too sacred to be spread on paper, lest someone steals them and applies them unjust. Their secrets lie within the village itself, recorded through history for all future generations to see – they have been carved through the stones of our temples and halls, whole walls and corridors and ancient halls telling the story of the greatest Fūinjutsu methods known to man. We walk in history, our buildings speaking that which we cannot. Each family has their own shrine in which new techniques are chiselled, to be traced back generations old. It is a great honour to have your works carved there, next to those of your ancestors." She would narrate quietly and he would listen hungrily, no small amount of fascination hidden in his eyes.

Gradually he would learn more about the home of his friend, a sense of nostalgia settling in as well as he realised how much she had left behind. Kushina had spoken of Uzushiogakure before, but she had left it much too young to remember most of it. Here, now, Ryūmi Uzumaki spoke of the beauty of the one village he had never had the honour of visiting; the one village that he would like to see above all. With each passing day he learned more not only about their techniques, but about their culture and traditions – an invaluable knowledge that interested him no less. A feeling of harmony and timelessness was hidden in her words, the idyll of a culture that bore the knowledge of the ages in its heart.

Learning of their customs, however, brought with it a sense of gratitude that he could hardly express – he was no Uzumaki clan member to be entrusted with such knowledge and the fact that Ryūmi Uzumaki had chosen to share it with him regardless meant more to him than all of the knowledge presented in his hands. It was the highest form of acknowledgement of his skills and will.

Whether Hyōjin Uzumaki agreed with his wife's decision to share said knowledge, he didn't know. The man was aware, of that much he was certain, for it was hard not to notice his wife's absence when she devoted so much of her time to a student he had spurned. Minato could only sincerely hope that the woman's kind decision had not driven a wedge between the two of them. To him Hyōjin never said a word regarding, making up for his lack of eloquence with an even icier behaviour whenever they met to discuss the barrier that they were supposed to work on together.

Regardless of his distance, their work was going smoothly, gradually picking up pace as Minato's own understanding of Uzumaki techniques deepened. He was able to work alongside the Uzumaki clan member now, giving suggestions that were as valid as any that the older man could have come up with. Once or twice he noticed a peculiar glint in the red-haired man's eyes, a speculative look that would disappear momentarily, leaving the young jōnin wondering whether he was imagining things after all.

With the improved pace the barrier was almost ready now, despite his absences as he left every few days, tracing down the main routes of the Land of Fire in any one direction at a time. He had started with the routes leading to the border with Suna, leaving seals along his way, their shadowy form coiling unnoticeably in tree bark and stone crevices down the roads.

Soon enough a network was formed, covering the southwest area of the country and Minato could only pray now that it wouldn't need to be used. It had taken him no more than four weeks, advancing with an enviable speed, although he hadn't made a headlong run out of his travels, allowing himself the time for rest and Fūin practice while on the road.

The time spent at home he cherished above all, however, grudgingly realising that it could not last. Whatever it was that had caused this illogical stalemate on the fronts, it would soon end, he was certain, a heavy feeling of foreboding growing in his chest with every passing day.

Therefore, he had made it his goal to enjoy this unexpected peaceful time as best he could, relishing in the calm summer evenings spent in his village, diving in the whisper of the leaves and the song of the brooks.

One thing alone could make the time spent even more precious and he was careful with letting his thoughts stray in that particular direction, lest he lost his head again. Traveling and Fūinjutsu practice had reduced his free time greatly, allowing for only so many chances to meet with Kushina again and he had ended up seeing her briefly only twice more after their unexpected meeting at the hospital three weeks ago.

Both times happened to be 'supervised' by Hyōjin Uzumaki's heavy gaze as he happened to meet his daughter when he met with the man to discuss the seal barrier. Kushina's reactions in her father's presence had been stiff and awkward, bringing about the suspicion that she wasn't on the best of terms with the man.

Her behaviour had been tangibly different to that of their last meeting alone, the memory of which often made his heart race and his breathing speed up. The image of her scarlet face and wide disbelieving eyes had imprinted so deeply within that it was impossible to shake off, and he often woke up in the middle of the night tasting the scent of cherry blossoms on the back of his throat, blazing locks burning bright in the darkness as they fell thickly over the gentle line of her neck.

He would gasp then, drowning helplessly in the zinging sensation running down his body, his fingers tingling blissfully at the memory of a burning touch and the sweet sensation of her silky locks between his fingers and the soft curve of her ear.

Maddening.

She was maddening.

It had taken all that he had to pull away then, not to give in to instinct and cup her cheek, leaning closer, claiming full lips that sang of kisses and of warmth. Invading her personal space yet again, as he had done some weeks ago in the training field. Forcing himself on her without a word. Confusing her further.

It didn't seem like she was impartial, but she was uncertain. Perhaps she wanted to remain just friends. Perhaps she had never seen him in that way at all and his own confused emotions were clouding his judgment, making him feel wanted when his advances were clearly not.

Perhaps it was good that he hadn't seen so much of her after all. He didn't know if he could trust his restraint around her; he needed a plan, a way in which to approach her and talk to her before 'attacking' her so blatantly. And it was alright for his inner confusion and insecurity that he was suddenly presented with so much work to handle, leaving the baffling topic of feelings to the back of his mind.

Now, after all those weeks of fervent practice, Ryūmi Uzumaki had announced that it was time she showed him the Uzumaki clan's most praised technique – a powerful Fūinjutsu that gave one control over death. The way she had said it left little doubt to the sincerity of those words, but there was a darker undercurrent to it, speaking of the weight and magnitude of what was to follow.

As if to confirm that observation the woman had refused to speak more of it while sitting at the small table of the library Study Room, tying a travelling cloak about her instead and demanding that he follow her. Rarely had they had lessons at her house and judging by the general direction that they took he had quickly discarded the possibility; they were headed somewhere new now, a location he had yet to learn of.

In silence they had approached the Konoha gates and left through them without a word, only a quick nod from Ryūmi to the security guards indicating that they were aware of this detour. He had assumed then that whatever technique he was about to learn was much too powerful to be exercised within the boundaries of Konoha, necessitating some sort of desolate meadow far away from the village walls.

He had been wrong, again.

Now, eyes fervently taking in each following red arch, feet slowly climbing up the large stone steps, he finally reached to the obvious conclusion – a shrine. She was taking him to a sacred Uzumaki temple, the closest one located around Konoha – the shrine that Shodai had built for Mito Uzumaki to honour his wife. He had never visited it, of course, as it was not his place.

Soon enough the final, biggest red arch was before them and on its other side lay the small building, a grand spiral decorating the wide entrance, announcing to the world that what lay beyond that threshold belonged to a sacred clan.

A stone basin was hidden in the gentle foliage at the side, merry birds puffing through its water and chirping a calming song. Ryūmi approached it with a smile, dipping one hand in the cool liquid and tapping it over her wrists – a purifying ritual before entering the temple, which Minato wordlessly repeated after her, before following the woman below the grand insignia and in the shrine itself.

It was relatively small as far as temples went, the ceiling arching tall and spaceous with high windows casting light from above. Most of it was wooden, as became a building made by Hashirama Senju, with wooden walls, floors and stairs, which led to a higher platform before the opposite wall. A furrow ran through it, dark flames flickering quietly in reverence to the Gods.

It wasn't the ornaments or the flames that pinned his attention, however, but the wall before which the fire crackled – it was whole covered in ritual masks from top to bottom, each one representing the vicious face of a deity, looking down on the world before them through unseeing porcelain eyes. The blood in his veins ran cold before the formidable view as he suddenly felt himself observed and judged by too many eyes, his whole being stripped bare before the eyes of the Gods.

Ryūmi Uzumaki was the first one to move, slowly gliding ahead until she stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the flames, kneeling down and clapping her hands before her chest, bowing once in respect. Quietly, slowly, as if transfixed, Minato imitated her, kneeling on her right.

Minutes dragged by in silence as they both faced the magnificent wall in silence, their only companion being the licking tongues of the dark fire ahead. Minato was prepared to wait, regardless how long it took; the woman would speak when she deemed it proper and he was nothing if not patient – he wouldn't interrupt her when in prayer.

Finally, after what felt like an immeasurable amount of time, the brown-haired woman turned towards him, the ever-present smile for once wiped from her lips.

"I have taught you of the cycle of energy in life and everything that surrounds us. Now it is time to teach you of the energy that transcends it. This is an Uzumaki shrine, where we worship those whose power is beyond us. Beyond us, unless we pay a price." With that the woman paused, firm eyes boring into his. "This is the Uzumaki clan's most powerful technique. Shiki Fūjin."

Rushing footsteps broke through her reverie and she turned towards the door just in time to see a rushed Tsume slam her door open and freeze at the doorstep, breath coming out in huffs. The brush dropped from her hand without thinking, falling over the unfinished seal and splattering ink all over it; Kushina couldn't care less. All that mattered was Tsume's pale face and the look of fear and worry in her eyes.

"Suna… They've attacked again…" she said through heavy pants, leaning low to catch her breath. "One thousand men, broke through our defences at the Grass Canyon. They are invading in full force."

He knelt quickly by the jagged rocks a good few meters from the main road, placing a hand on the uneven surface and letting the Hiraishin seal slide off his palm and nestle in the shadows where it could hardly be seen even by him.

Alright, that should do it for now.

Two more to go, further up ahead and he would have reached as close to the northeast Suna border as he could allow himself to go without causing unneeded trouble. Perhaps two more days of travel, if he didn't rush himself, and he would be done with this particular route, finally heading back home. This expedition had taken him longer than usual as he had decided that it was better to be careful than quick, taking a slight detour in order to mark the location thoroughly – after all the region was close to the Triangle – the zone in which the Suna, Iwa and Konoha borders almost met after most of the minor villages in between had been assimilated during the war. In other words – the main areas of conflict.

He had just straightened up, eyes squinting through the falling dusk, and was tapping the dust out of his knees when a familiar chakra signature spiked nearby, followed by the unsubtle rustle of leaves. He already knew what would follow, having recognised the chakra imprint straight away when the tiny creature appeared from in between the bushes and halted hastily on the large rock before him.

The toad bent low in raspy huffs, planting two warty hands on its knees, trying to catch its breath.

"Gamaketsu" Minato acknowledged, no small amount of surprise evident in his voice as he quickly tucked the kunai back, a sudden worry gnawing on the inside.

The small fellow was the toad's fastest runner – not a talented fighter, but an excellent messenger, Gamaketsu lived by the way of the transportation wells of Mount Myōboku, constantly running in between. "What's happened?" He tried to keep the worry out of his voice and failed, the words coming out in a hasty rushed demand.

"Minato-sama… Jiraya-sama… Jiraya-sama is…"

The jōnin's eyes widened, an icy hand tightening around his throat.

Oh no.

BOOM

The rumble came out of nowhere, a pulse running through the floor and the walls of the hospital, sending a shiver down her spine. A violent gust of wind buffeted her window, picking up a dust cloud the size of the whole building, partially obscuring the massive figure that had just thunderously landed in the Konoha hospital backyard.

Tsunade jumped to her feet, only one brief glance being enough to discern the nature of the emergency before she threw said window open and leaped down frantically, coating her soles with chakra to withstand a fall from the third floor. The impact sent a tingling stab up her legs, causing her to crouch to better steady herself as a cough escaped her, the dust particles still hanging heavy all around.

People were running around panicked, fleeing from the unknown source of commotion. She paid them no mind, worried eyes locking on the giant purplish toad before her instead as she dashed to it hastily, already knowing what she would see. There could be only one reason for Jiraya's Summons to appear out of thin air at the doorstep of the Konoha hospital, causing such a ruckus that was sure to frighten most anyone around.

The toad noticed her almost right away, turning towards her with a low grunt that rolled over the yard, resonating in her throat.

"Tsunade-san." it acknowledged dryly, yellow eyes slanted in a fierce emotion and the Slug Princess felt her heart sink in fear.

With exaggerated slowness the toad bent lower, bringing its cradled arms to the ground, webbed-fingers opening to reveal a familiar form in between, so bedraggled that Tsunade might not have known him if she hadn't seen the frog.

"Jiraya!" she heard herself cry out as she found herself by his side almost instantly, assessing the situation through e feverish frenzy.

He was breathing, thank the Gods, still very much alive, his breath coming out in shallow dry rasps, a gurgling sound indicating blood in his lungs, suggesting internal haemorrhage. The scent of blood was about him, acrid like the smell of death itself, pungent on the back of her throat and she gulped, shaking fingers reaching out, past the toad's giant ones.

His whole clothing was reddened dangerously, blood crusted to the side of his face where it was still gushing from a deep wound on the head, colouring his hair crimson and gluing it to one side. His one arm was twisted horribly in a most unnatural angle, broken and painfully misplaced from the joints at more than one place, swollen an angry red from the inflammation that had followed. None of those wounds, however could compare to the final one – the reason why the toads had rushed him here without a moment's delay.

A kodachi was still impaled in his stomach, only inches away from the kidney if she could asses right, perhaps thanks to a miraculous dodge from Jiraya in the last moment possible. Whether in a moment of insight or feebleness, he hadn't removed the blade yet, which had probably saved his life, for if he had done so he would have probably bled to death before even reaching her.

As things were right now, his condition was still critical, blood gushing thickly out of the wound. A low grunt escaped him, his one able hand reaching out with a tremor to grasp the blade steady as the weakened man before her pushed to get up. His breathing broke into wet coughs, blood rising to his mouth and pouring down his chin just as Tsunade reached ahead to steady him firmly.

It had been quite a while since she had seen her teammate wounded so heavily – he was in no condition to walk, the fact that he was conscious being a miracle in itself.

"Stop. Don't, Jiraya, please, don't move." She pleaded with him breathlessly, chakra already burning in her fingertips as she gathered an abnormal quantity without thinking, palms moving to the kodachi, ready to pull it out and stop the bleeding immediately.

A grizzly hand slapped her own away with a surprising firmness coming from a man half-conscious, his fingers gripping her shoulder like iron claws instead.

"Sandaime." he rasped firmly, feverish eyes boring into hers. "Get me. Sandaime-sama. Now."

His eyes scanned the map again, one finger tapping impatiently at the angry red cross scribbled at the Suna border, indicating the location of their sudden advance of not more than a day ago. One thousand men strong, able shinobi of chūnin rank and higher, probably withdrawn from other battlefields to form one desperate spiral attack that had won them some territories, but left them weakly protected elsewhere and could ultimately cost them the war.

Why? It made no sense, the Kazekage knew that when it came to men Konoha had them plenty – as soon as the words reached them, they had sent out every squad available, having already prepared for the worst. The only reason that Suna had managed to take over territories was because the Leaf shinobi had retreated, only to regroup with their reinforcements after word of the 'surprising ambush' reached them two days prior thanks to Jiraya's intel.

Even if the Sannin hadn't managed to inform them, they would have still had the upper hand – the latest quiet on the battlefronts had been quite unusual after all and Shikaku had had all teams on high alert for exactly this eventuality. Prepared and now rested, more than three hundred men had set out, joining forces with the ones already dispersed around the borders, forming a line that was sure to push the enemy back.

And if that wasn't enough, they had already dispatched one of the fastest messenger birds, sure to quickly reach Minato, who was at this time still on the road. Luckily, so far he had managed to spread his tags in precisely those regions, anticipating himself a similar attack – he would be able to reciprocate instantaneously.

The Nara heir scowled, a nagging sensation burning on the inside, buzzing at the back of his head; a most annoying feeling that he was forgetting something, that something was slipping through the cracks, unnoticed, unplanned for. The sensation hadn't left him through all of the emergency council meetings and the stages of planning, through the distributions of provisions and men and the emergency sending of squads.

Now, finally alone with his thoughts and with a staggering pile of documents and maps, he stilled his breathing and bent his chin low, diving into the webs of logic. He grunted, eyes scanning the map once again. The Grass Canyon was a poor location to attack – the very most distant point on the border, low in the southwest regions, it was neither a key territory, nor was it richly supplied. There was no gain in taking it and its rocky unfavorable terrain suggested more effort in keeping it than it was worth.

The Kazekage's chances of success were poor and even so he had sent a baffling amount of people, much too large for the simple taking of a poorly defended region. It was almost as if the man was trying to lure the main part of Konoha's forced away from… away from what? The village was located at a relatively equal distance from almost any border point so why attack precisely there? What lay on the other side of the map? His eyes flickered unsurely to the eastern seaside, searching for anything that could stand out, trailing down the remote coastline and stopping on an island not too far away…

His eyes widened, the breath catching in his throat as he jumped on his feet in a swift move, the chair crashing audibly on the floor behind him just as someone threw the door to his office wide open with a bang, a hurried young chūnin flying inside in a rush, panting, face red from the run. Shikaku already knew what he would say even before the man opened his mouth, the words tumbling out rapidly.

"Nara-sama! Uzushiogakure… Uzushiogakure no Satō is under attack! Kirigakure have joined the war!"

Somewhere off in the distance a boom shook the ground as a giant toad appeared out of thin air next to the Konoha hospital.

Chapter Text

"I need a list of all the diminished herb stocks prepared within the hour, send someone to the Yamanaka clan with it and make sure our supplies are replenished by the end of the day. I need laboratory 3, 5 and 6 ready for work on the medicines in this list, they are the ones reduced to one third of their intended capacity. The second medic team will be dispatched early morning, their names should be listed here, talk to their team leader and make sure he has everything needed. Contact the Fūinjutsu team, we need the equipment prepared tight in scrolls by then, we have no time to lose, people." Tsunade said briskly, waving two men off before tossing a folder full of parchment on the receptionist's desk, the girl's eyes widening in alarm at the brash tone of her superior.

The people she had addressed were already making their way out of the hospital, hurrying towards the destinations appointed them.

"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama!" the girl croaked – what was her name? Akio? Aoki? – jumping to her feet instantaneously. "Should I contact Uzumaki-san about the Fūinjutsu-"

"No. She is otherwise engaged. Focus on the men present, I will be in the emergency ward if nee-"

A surge of chakra cut her sentence off, the blond woman turning around just in time to see a figure materialize out of thin air in the middle of the bustling corridor, a mad torrent of chakra swirling about him, sending the papers on the reception desk flying to all sides.

A subdued shriek came from the receptionist as the woman made to retrieve them, scurrying hurriedly around. It was followed by a few surprised gasps, staff and visitors stopping in their tracks and backing away in alarm, staring at the blond-haired man who had just appeared in between them, tensed form still crouched after the wild landing, one finger placed suspiciously on the floor before him. Crazed blue eyes sought her out instantaneously, locking with hers as Minato sprang to his feet, an unguarded look of worry on his face.

He knew.

"Follow me." was all she said before turning on her heel, soles scraping on the linoleum floor as she marched down the hall in a determined step.

The jōnin was by her side before she had taken two steps, catching up effortlessly and soundlessly. Numbered doors raced past them as Tsunade led him away from the crowded reception area, which was unusually lively despite the ungodly hour – war gave little time for sleep. On their right a soft orange glow streamed through the tall windows of the west wing of the hospital, street lamps spilling light. Finally silence engulfed them, the clamour of the atrium falling well behind.

"One of the toads brought him in this morning." she announced hurriedly as soon as privacy was ensured. "His condition was critical; six broken ribs and internal haemorrhage, one pierced the lungs. Partial skull fracture and a brain concussion, broken arm, puncture wound dangerously close to the kidney, lost enough blood to reduce my blood pill stocks by a third. You get the picture."

The man by her side took a sharp intake of breath, eyebrows shooting higher and higher with every listed wound his mentor had sustained, the worry in his eyes increasing proportionally.

"Current condition?"

"Out of immediate danger for now."

Minato nodded curtly and Tsunade's eyes fixed on the tension leaving the set of his jaw, shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

"The toads informed you, I assume? Did they have any information about what happened?" she asked.

"Little and less. I know he had followed a lead into Kirigakure, having received information on developments around their supposed armed neutrality. According to the runner that contacted me, he summoned Gamaken to aid his retreat." the man explained quickly, running a hand through his hair while at it and Tsunade couldn't help but notice the slight twitch in his fingers, the otherwise calm man being suddenly put on edge. "Was he in any condition to explain?"

The woman exhaled a deep breath, clutching Jiraya's medical file tighter as she recalled the feverish look in her teammate's eyes, the words he forced out as he fought his own exhaustion.

"He was barely conscious when he arrived, asking for the Hokage, but by the time Sandaime arrived he was already in haemorrhagic shock. The perpetrator is still unknown. The toad said that all he was aware of was that Jiraya had fought a group of seven men, all of them at once. Sword-wielders."

"The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Minato said straight away, a grimace distorting his face.

"I thought so as well. The only thing we got from Jiraya was what a messenger announced shortly after. He kept repeating that Kirigakure have joined the war and Uzu is under attack and-" once again she stopped mid-sentence, realising that the jōnin had frozen in his tracks.

"What?" was the stunned word that made its way past his lips, his face whiter than she recalled ever seeing it.

"You didn't know?"

"I was out on the sentry routes, this was the first place I teleported to as soon as Konoha was within range." well, at least that explained the backpack and the dishevelled look, as if the man hadn't seen sleep in a while. "I received a message by hawk on the way here, but it informed me only of the attack at Suna."

The Sannin could only sigh, letting the weariness she felt creep into her figure as she leaned on the wall heavily, arms crossing before her chest.

"The Suna attack was a diversion apparently, Shikaku hasn't outruled the possibility that they are working together with Kirigakure for the time being. Whatever it was, it worked – our main forces are down southwest and when Uzu called for help we were ill prepared. They were attacked today, we can only assume Jiraya attempted to prevent it and ended up like that. Sandaime sent an emergency team of whoever we could spare about four hours ago and dispatched birds to the Suna front, requesting immediate backup. They wouldn't make the trip fast enough, however, their location is very conveniently as far away from Uzu as possible."

The jōnin appeared to be fighting very hard to control the numb shock from the news, the stunned silence continuing for a second too long before reflexes kicked in.

"What is the current situation on both fronts?" he demanded in one breath.

"Our forces are prevailing at the Suna front. Uzushiogakure… we have little news, but last we heard their defenses were still holding. They are outnumbered, however, and the squad we sent will do little difference I'm afraid."

There was no point in misleading the man – Uzu's current situation was dire and Konoha was in no position to aid them proper. Suna had played their cards well, there were scarcely any men left in Konoha that could reach their ally in time. In truth, Uzushiogakure's chances of withstanding were low.

The only reason that the village held under a full-out attack from Kiri were the numerous seal-masters who lived there, creating a defensive force to be reckoned with. Even so, she was well aware that barriers would only go so far – the defences would hold yes, but for how long?

Apparently Minato had reached the same conclusion.

"I will report to Sandaime-sama immediately. Will Jiraya-sensei…" he began, words dying out as he apparently found it hard to phrase this particular question; the question that had made him rush through half the country and come to the hospital first when he knew full well that it was the Hokage who he should have reported to after receiving a first class priority hawk messenger.

"He will be alright, Minato, though it will take time to heal. I'll stay here with him for as long as I can."

The blond man nodded, eyes spelling gratitude as he turned to go before stopping once more.

"Tsunade-san, this question may seem out of line, but… what are Kushina Uzumaki's current whereabouts?"

"She is in Konoha." she said, trying her best to keep the edge out of her voice, which was proving to be quite difficult after the latest scene that the girl had caused, and not without reason. "Her parents were amongst the squad dispatched a few hours prior to Uzushiogakure. As to her current whereabouts… my best bet would involve Sandaime."

Confused silence followed her words and Tsunade could almost hear the gears in his head turning.

"She is being forced to stay." he stated evenly and it was far from a question.

"Yes."

The familiar constriction of space-time-alteration lasted no more than a heartbeat before the stuffy air of the choked office filled his lungs, Minato blinking once to clear the fleeting confusion of the complete change of scenery.

He had claimed that he wouldn't use the seal marker in the Hokage's office unless there was an emergency – there were few situations that could classify as one and Minato was certain that half of them were less demanding than the one at hand. Having their oldest and most reliable ally threatened by imminent destruction was an instance that did not allow him to waste time in dashing up rooftops from the hospital to the Hokage Tower, fast as he was, not when there was a quicker alternative.

Right before him and behind his imposing desk Sandaime stopped in his tracks from an apparent pace, turning towards him with a brief surprised look before the slightest glimpse of relief passed through his features. Some feet to the right of the jōnin and behind him, a second chakra signature burned brightly, leaking so much anxiousness and pure anger that even a non-sensory shinobi would have been able to feel it with no strain. To the mind of a sensor like him, it shone bright and furious as a beacon.

He swallowed thickly, a crease passing through his forehead as he recognised it at once, turning quickly to acknowledge her presence with a nod.

Kushina Uzumaki was staring at him through wide eyes, face still tinted crimson after whatever discussion he had promptly interrupted. Her hands, he couldn't help but notice, had balled into fists, trembling ever so slightly with unvoiced emotions, the nature of which he could take an accurate guess at. The girl pursed her lips, an inexplicable emotion flickering in her eyes as she purposefully looked away from him, pinning the nearest wall with a gaze that suggested an inexistent point of great interest.

"Sandaime-sama, forgive my interruption. I was informed of the current situation only moments ago by Tsunade-sama and I judged the situation urgent enough to utilize the Hiraishin." he explained briskly, adopting the detached tone of a drilled shinobi reporting a mission.

"On the contrary, Minato. It's a relief that you managed to arrive so quickly. You are most needed." as the blond man nodded Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a deep breath slowly, allowing a glimpse at the tiredness beneath the façade of control. "You spoke to Tsunade you say? Any changes in Jiraya's condition?"

Minato shook his head.

"No change, he is still unconscious and Tsunade-sama is doing her best with his recovery. I'm unaware of the circumstances around his attack, the frog runner who informed me didn't know much more than the summon who carried sensei back to Konoha. I do know, however, that he was near Kirigakure when attacked; I suspect he learned of the upcoming attack and attempted to prevent it, unsuccessfully."

A sharp intake of breath came from behind him, Kushina fighting with whatever was on the tip of her tongue.

"I suspected as much." the older man said quietly, one hand lifting to rub his temples wearily. "Still, to have someone of Jiraya's calibre put in such a state… I fear Uzu will be facing an adversary of greater skill than expected."

"An adversary of greater skill than expected, ya know! You know it as I do, Jiji! They will need every man and woman and you want me to sit this out, ya know?!" she demanded, teeth clenching together with an audible cack through her passionate outburst.

Subconsciously she took a few steps forward, now standing level with Minato without even casting a glance at him. No, what's more, she seemed to be very stubbornly avoiding his eyes.

"We've been through this, Kushina, Konoha is doing everything in its power-"

"It's not enough! So long as I sit here, it will not be enough, ya know! You know, you know better than anyone, that I can help them!" she said, voice rising with every word, her eyes imploring an understanding of some sort that Minato felt excluded of.

His eyes narrowed, jaw clenching as he recognised the hidden meaning in her words, the skills, nay, the powers, she was offering to utilize in order to save her people and through the whole absurd suggestion she had still managed to express herself cryptically enough to keep her secrets well concealed.

She was close to dropping pretences, he realised, her worry and ire making her reckless enough to trespass the boundaries of her own privacy. Yet she hadn't made the decision of being open with him – her words were still convoluted, attempting to deceive. Through boiling anger at the unfairness of her situation he bit his tongue, holding back the bitterness, deciding to play oblivious until she decided to approach the topic on her own. He had intruded after all, now listening to a conversation that he was in no way privy to.

"There are others that can help them just as effectively. Don't you trust your comrades?" Hiruzen said, a chill running through his words as his eyes fell pointedly on Minato.

The girl next to him bristled.

"Uzushiogakure is my home."

"So is Konoha. Most of our forces are on the fronts, the majority of them facing Suna. Whatever was left for Konoha's protection I have already sent to Uzu-"

"Yes, you sent my parents, but not me-"

"-in an attempt to aid them. This village is currently left more vulnerable than it has ever been – should an attack ensue, Konoha will fall faster than Uzu could."

"If you expect me to stand here and wait for an attack that may never come while my comrades are risking their lives out there-" she almost snarled, her face acquiring the familiar crimson hue now associated with anger, before Sandaime cut her off.

"I do, yes. That's my final decision and for the last time, Kushina, barging in my office will not change it. You are needed here; this is your place; you will stay here." the man said quietly, stressing on the words with so much authority that Kushina had to avert her gaze, fists now trembling visibly. "Konoha needs you. Or do you not care what happens to this village?"

Shocked silence followed his words, Kushina returning to stare at him in disbelief, mouth hanging open in a manner that might have been otherwise comical.

A flash of anger passed through the blond jōnin, the Hokage's methods of conviction sitting ill with him even when he recognised them as needed.

There was very little doubt in his mind with whom Konoha's Bijū resided; he understood the need to have the Jinchūriki protected in the village, as well as have the village protected by the Jinchūriki. Understanding that need, however, did not necessitate liking it and Sandaime's words were simply pouring salt in the wound of injustice. For the first time in years, without thinking, succumbing to a twisted sense of protectiveness of the woman beside him, Minato Namikaze couldn't stop himself from speaking out of line.

"Everything that Kushina has ever done has been for Konoha's benefit. She has devoted her life and her dreams to protecting it." he said quietly.

He respected Hiruzen Sarutobi, yes, but he respected Kushina Uzumaki no less; he could not in good conscience allow such demeaning words even if he realised they were needed.

The surprised look that Kushina directed at him spelled so much relieved gratitude that it was almost tangible.

Eyes hardening, shoulders squaring, a new conviction settled within him and he crossed what little space was between them to stand before her.

"You have devoted yourself to this village that you have come to love as your own home." he echoed his own words from moments ago. "You have protected it with your life; I ask you to do so for a while longer. Allow me now to protect your home; trust me with this and I swear, so long as I stand Uzushiogakure will never fall."

Kushina stood before him frozen in her place, staring at him transfixed, as if seeing him for the first time. She opened her mouth, meaning to say something, but no words came out, lips closing again resolutely as she fought with her own convictions and demands, the little storm that must have raged within her, born by the need to protect what was hers. Slowly her anger retreated.

Wordlessly, agonizingly, she nodded, succumbing to a fate she was complacent to pretend he knew nothing of. She would accept her standing rather than voice her protest and reveal the secret she was intent on keeping. Did she really believe him that oblivious to her predicament?

This was not the time to find out.

"Thank you." he whispered, brushing her shoulder with one hand, fingers squeezing tightly once as if to convey his own certainty and the gratitude he felt at the trust bestowed him. The trust that he would be damned if he ever betrayed.

With that he turned to Sandaime, the hard edge never leaving his eyes, only to find the man looking at him with a hint of surprise in his own face, a sense of mild amusement spelled in his features.

"With your permission, Sandaime-sama?"

The Hokage cleared his throat, back straightening.

"Minato Namikaze, you are to leave for Uzushiogakure as soon as possible, aiding our ally in any military affairs and helping defend their borders until further notice. Should a diplomatic conflict arise between our village and Kirigakure, I trust you to solve it accordingly. How far have you managed to spread your seals so far?"

Here Minato grimaced. Had he intended to join the Suna warfront his journey would have been near-instantaneous, his Hiraishin tags already covering most of Konoha's western borders where attacks were expected. Having judged the eastern seaside as fairly secure, he had left it for last. Whether through bad luck, good calculations from their enemy or simply bad timing, easy travel to Uzu was impossible – he had to run the distance instead, much as he had done some weeks ago to a different destination – a different emergency that had somehow, miraculously, ended happily after all.

He could only pray that this one would result in a similar manner.

"I have covered most of the western pathways; the East is yet to be marked."

Sandaime nodded.

"I had suspected as much. Speed is of the essence here; prepare for departure immediately. Our hope rests with you. Godspeed."

She was leaning on the railing down the road which lead to Konoha's Eastern Gate. The usually-busy road was deserted in the early hours of the morning, an eerie calm settling around. The wisps of morning mist were sneaking past her feet, chilling her in her wait.

They had parted ways no more than fifteen minutes ago, Minato using a Hiraishin to return to his place quickly and prepare for his trip before setting out. He would pass through here next, she was certain, eyeing the streets ahead for a glimpse of yellow. Her hands were clutching the small scroll in her hands nervously, picking at the locking seal without thinking.

A sudden spark of chakra drew her out of her thoughts as she turned towards the open Gate only to find Minato standing by it, as she already knew she would.

Of course, he said he would be marking the Konoha gates, Kushina recalled quickly, wanting to punch herself for having spent the past five minutes in a pointless scan of the nearby area. An unfamiliar feeling tightened in her stomach, chest heaving with unexpected difficulty as if something heavy was constricting her lungs, liquid ice sneaking down her spine.

His eyes were instantly on her, as if he had somehow known she would be there. Silently he moved towards her.

"Kushina, I-"

"Here." she said, thrusting the scroll in his hands. "Medical kit with all necessities. It's a pain to make, so you better not use it, ya know." she said as jovially as possible.

"Thank you."

"No… Thank you. For your words back then… and for your promise. Just… please, Minato…" she suddenly found herself unable to continue, a lump in her throat making it difficult to swallow.

He simply nodded, eyes lingering for a few seconds longer before he turned to go, bright hair dancing in the light breeze as the first rays of the sunrise kissed it. An inexplicable twinge of finality gripped her as she stared at his retreating figure, this man she so cared about now walking away from her to a chasm of uncertainty and once again she was powerless to aid him.

Without thinking, acting entirely on impulse, she stepped forward, crossing the distance to him in two leaps before gripping the fabric of his traveling cloak, effectively freezing Minato in place. Before he could react she had bowed her head forwards, touching her forehead to his back, hands trembling ever so slightly where they had clutched his cloak.

"Please… come back home." she whispered, the words leaving her like a heavy sigh.

Whether the man had nodded in agreement or not she had failed to see in her moment of uncharacteristic vulnerability, but a few moments later the jōnin moved ahead again, fabric easing gently out of her grip, cloak dancing with the breeze just beyond her grasp as Minato Namikaze walked away from her and towards Konoha's gates, leaving her behind in a firm step.

A dull crash could be heard as Oishi Saigō, captain of the third Kirigakure division, sent his cup flying across the spacious wooden room in which he had decided to hold war council. It was the largest premises they could find on the otherwise scarcely inhibited smaller islands of the Uzu archipelago.

The majority of the citizens had already retreated to the main island on which the damned Village of the Eddies was located, hiding behind the powerful barriers of their Fūinjutsu masters. The lavish hanging bridges in between the small islands had been destroyed soon enough, crumbling in the azure waters below them and cutting off any access save for a chakra-infused water run, which could turn taxing soon enough.

What Oishi had hoped would be a quick victory over the unsuspecting Uzumakis, had now turned into a prolonged attempt to bash a defensive barrier that had withstood centuries. Forced to reconsider the failed sneak attack, the division leader had regrouped their forces on the largest of the small islands surrounding the Uzu lagoon, using the now-abandoned villa of a local merchant as his Command Centre.

From here he had repositioned his troops in a loose circle around their enemies, effectively cutting off their escape routes and forming an improvised siege line while his shinobi tried all the while to batter the barrier, facing Uzu's own squads on the battlefields in between.

For all the able-bodied shinobi they had, greatly outnumbering their supposedly unsuspecting enemy, Kirigakure was still making slower progress than expected. Now, on top of the initial disappointment, the captain of one of his squads was kneeling before him and explaining through a clenched jaw that a small team of Konoha reinforcements had managed to join the Uzushiogakure forces before their own formation was fully tested. Not only that, but judging by eyewitness accounts said team had been joined by Hyōjin Uzumaki, Konoha's expert Fūinjutsu master – and that was one set of skills in their enemies' hands that Kiri could do without.

Oishi ground his teeth. The Hokage had reacted faster than expected; most of his men were supposed to be down on the Suna fronts, the sudden attack was supposed to cause confusion for long enough to allow little aid for Konoha's ally. With every passing minute of stalemate, however, the chances of effective reinforcements grew and with them grew Oishi's disquiet as he slowly came to the realization that they had little choice after all: they had to use it, and come what may.

Much as he disliked the idea of simply handing their strongest weapon in their enemies' hands, he was quite certain that precisely the potential of said weapon backfiring was their best chance at bringing Uzu down quickly enough. Kirigakure couldn't afford a long-standing war after all; it had never been their plan. With a solemn look of resignation, he turned towards the willowy elder by his side, the man giving him an uneasy look under bushy eyebrows.

"Do it." he grumbled.

"Saigō-sama… are you certain...?" the elderly man began in a quivering voice before his commander cut him off with a cold look.

"I had hoped we wouldn't have to resort to this, but we have little choice. From this point on, it's plan B."

The elder nodded once, retreating in an ungraceful limp and exiting the room through the back door leading to the gardens, the echo of his footsteps dying out.

"Jinin-san? Are your associates in position?" Oishi asked, now glancing at the stout sword bearer, eyes running down the imposing axe linked to the massive hammer swung over one shoulder.

Kabutowari.

One of the famous seven swords of the mist, formidable to behold, much like the man who bore it. An aura of impatience was rolling off Jinin Akebino, small beady eyes fixed on the axe's blade as he kept honing it in precise movements, the sharp grinding noise bouncing off the walls ominously. Upon hearing his commander's words he stopped, glancing back at the man with the closest resemblance of a smile that the fleshy man could master.

"They'll be there. They'll spread out along the coastline, ready to intercept from any direction. Should any more Konoha scum try to cross us, my comrades will make quick work of them." he announced curtly, attention returning to the beloved blade in his hands.

Oishi nodded, fighting back the urge to shiver under the coldness of that look. Whoever the Hokage sent next would have a most misfortunate encounter with almost certain demise awaiting them. All the pieces were on the board, he had done all he could; now Oishi Saigō only had to wait as Uzushiogakure fell from within… and hope that his men would not fall with it.

The room was quiet when she entered, eyes falling on Tsunade's hunched figure right away. The Slug Sannin was leaning over the only bed present in the room, a number of cables wired between it and the machinery on the side, which was now steadily measuring the patient's vitals. A brief glance from the medic and she nodded, quickly turning her attention back to her teammate, chakra-infused hand resting on his forehead.

Her eyes, when directed to Kushina, had been tired, betraying the lack of sleep as she tended to her comrade, now sprawled unconscious in a medic cot. She moved ever so slightly, taking a step back and tending to the man's shoulder, allowing a glimpse at the heavily bandaged figure next to her.

To say that Jiraya looked unwell would have been a gross understatement – shadows were marring his pale face, cold sweat running down his brow as the Toad Sannin's breathing appeared to be laboured, much too shallow to breed confidence. Bandages covered most of his form, soaked through with blood every here and there, indicating the extent of the wounds sustained.

Kushina bit her lip subconsciously, moving ahead in a quick step, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, as if she were witnessing an intimate moment that she was not privy to. It was under Tsunade's orders that she was here now, however, delivering the precious cargo that she had rushed to obtain as soon as asked to.

The Slug Princess seemed to be aware of what had transpired not long ago with Minato's departure and she had correctly assumed that distraction would be most welcome. As soon as the redhead had stepped through the hospital's threshold Tsunade had riled up on her, giving her a list of tasks that had taken the better part of a day now, having her running in between the Fūinjutsu corps and her own Sealing work, along with a report trip to the Hokage tower that she had grudgingly made with little complaint.

Sometime in between all the tasks, she had managed to steal two hours for rest, eyes closing heavily, treacherously, despite the worry that kept gnawing on her with little peace. The dreams that had followed had been shallow and disturbing, Kushina jumping out of them more than once before groggily diving back into the network of terrors. She did not recall exactly what she had seen, but an unmistakable feeling of foreboding was shrouding her subconscious, making her feel even more tired than she had been before waking up.

Therefore, she was more than glad to be dragged out of her idleness by a worried-looking Tsunade, who had barged in her office, requesting that she search through her library for medic Fūinjutsu scrolls from Mito.

It had taken her no longer than half an hour to locate every such scroll and the girl had promptly made it back at an alarmed pace, suspecting a deterioration in Jiraya's health that necessitated advanced healing.

"How is he?" she mouthed quietly, placing said scrolls on the nightstand and moving to the other side of the bed where she wouldn't be in the way.

"No change." The woman mouthed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind one ear, eyes sweeping to the scrolls her relative had just brought in. "I'm worried about that head wound. It caused a heavy concussion and might have tampered with his memories. I'm certain my grandmother had done quite a bit of research in the area."

"Yes well, I hope they help, ya know. If there is anything else that I can do-" she began, but never got to finish her words as Jiraya's eyes suddenly flashed open, pupils shrinking in shock as the man regarded the ceiling above him without blinking.

Both women froze in their places, the unexpected change catching them unprepared, before Tsunade's years of medical experience took over, the blond woman jumping into action, taking his vitals and leaning tentatively over her teammate.

"Jiraya? Can you hear me?"

The only response was a hoarse choke, the man stumbling with whatever he had intended to say, eyes sweeping around the room without seeing, fleeting from one image to another.

"San…" the broken whisper came, the man choking on the word. "San-"

"Sandaime was here. He knows, you did well, Jiraya, rest now." Tsunade said, taking a guess at the problem weighing on him.

The heart-rate monitor picked up, the beeping now increasing to an uneven staccato as the white-haired man lifted a grizzly arm in delirium, attempting to push himself up from the bed. Without thinking twice Kushina had crossed the little distance separating her from the scene, one hand firmly pushing him down much as Tsunade was fighting to do on the other side, restraining the man's movements before he hurt himself in a fit.

"I need your help!" the medic was saying now harshly, not taking her eyes off from Jiraya's struggling form as she spoke. "I've got him, it's alright, listen to me now, the second drawer from top to bottom on the left, you will locate syringes-" she continued urgently, effectively restraining the man's movements in a manner that would have been quite impossible had it been any other woman dealing with a man a whole head taller than herself. "I need you to bring me one, and a glass vial from that cupboard over the sink, it would have a label-"

"San…" Jiraya was saying again, his voice returning to him, and Kushina hurried to comply, hands retreating even as the man continued to speak. "San…bi. Sanbi… in Uzu… warn them…"

The red-haired girl froze, Tsunade's rushed words flying past her with little effect as the whole world shrunk to the faint words coming from the white-haired man.

"Sanbi? The Bijū? They are attacking with a Bijū?" she demanded, syringe and medicine vile all but forgotten as she eyed the man with wide eyes, a feeling of dread effectively holding her in place.

"Warn them." Jiraya repeated again more urgently, without talking to anyone in particular, mind locked in panic mode.

Somewhere from beside him Tsunade cursed, turning to shout for help. A door slammed open behind them as someone else made their way in the room; a white-clad woman was now rushing to bring whatever sedative Tsunade had requested earlier, administering it to IV attached to the man's arm. Jiraya's eyes rolled up in their sockets and he gradually went limp in his teammate's hands, the medicine taking effect immediately as his figure slumped back in the pillows heavily.

The Slug Princess had now turned towards Kushina with a worried look on her face, lips moving in words that sounded much too distant, like an echo from far away.

Her thoughts were racing elsewhere, eyebrows shooting high in shocked realization. They had decided to pit this monstrous entity against her home, against an unsuspecting village in neutrality, sinking it in destruction? For what else could follow after a battle with a demon whose hatred alone could engulf whole nations in flames?

She shuddered, the painful memory of that malevolent chakra sneaking through her body now resurfacing, remembering the pure horror as it had surged through her system for the first time, drowning her in pain and despair and wrath and hatred and agony and misery and-

"Kushina!" two firm hands grabbed her shoulders, giving her a rattling shake and her eyes snapped back to reality, focusing on a pair of brown worried ones. "Snap out of it!"

"They're going to send a Jinchūriki against them." Kushina said dully, one had grabbing Tsunade's wrist in an iron grip. "Tsunade-san. They will attack with a Bijū, ya know."

The woman before her hesitated, clearly conflicted.

"You knew."

"Suspected. We know Kirigakure is in possession of a Bijū so we suspected-"

"And Sandaime?" when silence followed her question, she felt the anger returning in a tenfold. "He knew about this. I may be the only person who can stand on par with them and he knew and he commanded me to stay here, ya know."

"Kushina, you are in no control of your Bijū, expecting you to utilize it is madness, it can easily cost you your life-"

"And how many people will die if I don't try, ya know? You don't know. You haven't felt it, that power, you can't stand before it, no one could-" she cut herself off, eyes glazing over. "Minato. He is running into something he can't hope to defeat without even realising-"

"Minato knows that Kirigakure have Sanbi. He studied Bijūs with Jiraya, if ever there was someone suited to fighting one, it would be him."

She felt like someone had pulled the rug from underneath her feet, leaving her disorientated in her own shocked ire. Suited to fighting one? He knew as well as she did that facing such a beast meant death, he had said as much when discussing the Bijū Dama. His words from mere hours ago had suddenly acquired a whole new meaning.

"…I swear, so long as I stand Uzushiogakure will never fall."

So long as he stood… and when she had begged him to come home he had remained silent. Her hand sneaked in her flak jacket's pocket out of instinct, trembling fingers wrapping around the pulsating origami blossom like steel claws.

"Kushina. Hey, look, calm down, breathe deeply. Listen- No, listen to me!" she called desperately as the red-haired girl made to retreat from her, only to be pinned in place by a firm hand. "The Uzumaki clan are amongst the most talented sealers in the world, they have dealt with more than one Bijū in their time, the seal holding down the Kyūbi is their specialty after all and Sanbi is three times weaker. Their barriers are amongst the most effective ones ever created by shinobi; they can withstand any attack. No one can enter the village without their permission. There is no way that this Jinchūriki will ever get near enough to cause damage, do you hear me?"

Exhausted, numb, overwhelmed, Kushina simply nodded dully, accepting the indisputable fact that she would never be able to reason with Hiruzen Sarutobi or this kind woman, who seemed to be taking his side in her efforts to console. Words only went so far, after all, and then came actions and there Kushina Uzumaki was at her finest.

A muffled cry.

Saitō Uzumaki watched the red-haired woman before him bow over the corpse of a bloodied young man, hands clutching his flak jacket in a trembling grip as she called his name over and over again, quiet tears spilling down her cheeks.

Saitō ground his teeth, looking away in an attempt to grant his comrade some privacy.

The view that awaited him offered little consolation, however, the aftermath of the surprise attack spelling itself around him in the lifeless figures sprawled on the shore, limbs twisted in the unnatural angles of death – the men, who had remained on the smaller islands of the archipelago in an attempt to hold the enemy back as long as possible until the civilians made their retreat. They had engaged in a hopeless battle with little chance of success, Kirigakure shinobi outnumbering them at least ten to one.

It had been a massacre.

Destruction marred the area now, the vast expanse of foliage before him being charred, fires still cracking about them uncontrollably where the enemy had torched their adversaries alive. The acrid smell of burning flesh was heavy in the air, thick with the fumes blanketing them, making his eyes water and Saitō was soon fighting the reflex to gag.

Bards would often sing songs of heroic battles, praising the determination with which brave men died in the name of honour, a grateful smile frozen on their face. Tsch. The greatest lie ever told. There was nothing fine in death, despite the beautiful sentiment behind it; it was all the same, bloody and terrible, a heart-wrenching loss for one or another, a miserable ordeal. And for what? For honour? Now, standing in the ashes of scores of lost souls and asking their ghosts if honour mattered, the only answer Saitō ever got was ominous silence.

"Saitō-sama!" an alarmed voice some yards away called him to attention and the red-haired man hurried towards the new source of commotion.

Had they found something? Hope surged through – if they could find one, at least one survivor in between this sea of death, it would make their mission meaningful. That was why they were sent out here in the first place after all – seek and retrieve, aid fallen comrades best they could. Up until now Saitō Uzumaki had been convinced they had been too late.

Soon enough he was kneeling by the boy who had called him, staring down at the charred figure of an unknown and unrecognizable Uzumaki member, fiery hair burned by the edges but announcing the man's heritage like a neon sign, along with the weakened vast chakra signature that only a member of their vivacious clan could possess.

A fit of nausea overcame Saitō as he beheld the survivor's condition, the skin burned excessively in patches to reveal the bloodied flesh beneath, setting the man in enough agony to cause septic shock. His eyes had rolled up to reveal the ominous white standing out against the burned skin, the man's whole figure convulsing in dry heaves.

The shinobi who had found him gave his squad leader a pained look, awaiting orders and Saitō found himself staring at the man before them in utter disbelief.

By all rights he should be dead. Exceptional longevity Uzumakis might posses, but surviving such extensive trauma was either a severe stroke of luck or an indication of amazing skills the likes of which Saitō had hardly witnessed. Whatever had kept this man alive, the leader of Squad 8 would be damned if he let said man die now after help had finally arrived.

"Prepare him for transport. Make haste, he needs medical attention as soon as possible, bring him to the mainland hospital and make sure he gets priority attention. We'll continue sweeping the area for more survivors."

The boy nodded once, turning towards the Uzumaki survivor once again and making to pick up the poor soul. Another shinobi had appeared by his side, her chakra signature pulsating in a comforting, familiar manner.

"Saitō." She commanded his attention at once with quiet worry in the soft voice. "Those are chakra burns, he burned his own skin off. His chakra levels are all over the place. He is unstable."

She was a brilliant sensor shinobi, granted, but sometimes her disregard for human life could be daunting.

"All the more reason to treat him." he said, bending down to help his comrade in picking up the stranger.

A guttural choke broke through said man's lips upon being moved, a pained groan vibrating through his chest along with the quick shallow breaths.

"Don't." he croaked and Saitō could hardly believe that he could speak at all. "Let me. Die. Don't. Help. Threat." the man managed to drive past his lips before his body convulsed once more.

"Get him to the hospital at once."

The swishing sound was his only warning as his feet touched the sand briefly before he threw himself to the side, effectively dodging the kunai which pierced the space that his neck had occupied seconds ago, embedding itself in a trunk behind him. No sooner had Minato leapt up than a figure had jumped ahead from the foliage, swinging a massive blade at his airborne figure.

His hand lashed out in instinct, throwing a three-pronged kunai behind him and teleporting to it as it struck a tree a safe distance away. He took a second to orient himself, coating his soles with chakra to steady himself as he inclined sideways, eyeing the newcomer before him.

It had taken him a little under two days to reach Konoha's coastline and he had finally made it, grey sand coating the vast beachline before him and past it – the sea. Proximity, however, also meant possible ambushes as Kirigakure attempted to prevent aid for Uzu. He had prepared for worst case scenarios, senses heightened in anticipation of possible attacks.

And yet he hadn't felt the man before him, Kiri's shinobi apparently expertly trained in concealing their presence even to sensor nin like himself. Good as they were, they couldn't fool senjutsu and Minato quickly took advantage of the fact he had now stopped still, brushing a hand at the trunk beside him. Thankfully, he seemed to be facing only one enemy, chakra signatures spelling themselves in a radius around him. Apparently whatever team Kiri had sent to intercept had decided to split up instead, covering a larger ground – they were most likely determined to let no one slip by.

Whether by sheer luck, or by careful calculation on their part, for he had taken the shortest, fastest route from Konoha to Uzu, the opponent that had decided to intercept his path was perhaps the strongest warrior that Kirigakure could throw his way; Minato already knew as he recognised the man.

There was a peculiarly lifeless look hidden in his face, eyes half-shaded under unusually white bangs, the rest of his hair pulled back in a topknot. An oddly shaped blade rested in his hand, covered in bandages as if to hide its true form.

"Mizuken Hōzuki" Minato acknowledged him through a cold voice.

Wielder of Hiramekarei, the Twinsword, and also effective leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. This wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"Oh?" the white-haired man started, raising an eyebrow. "You are pretty well informed. I regret to tell you that although I've never heard of you, you've had some ill luck today. Though I bear you no grudge, for the sake of a better era, I will have your life."

And with that line he lifted his sword in an attack stance, Minato mirroring him with a single three-pronged kunai in hand.

Chapter Text

Fifteen minutes.

It had been whole fifteen minutes since they had entered that bathroom and Rat was growing anxious. The Hokage had warned them that the girl is being exceptionally volatile right now and that they should keep efficient watch. His fellow ANBU comrade, who had also been deployed on sentry duty with him today, was watching the building from across the street – there really was no way in which Kushina Uzumaki and her friend would manage to leave the building unnoticed.

And yet something in the whole situation worried him, a sense of unease brimming just underneath the surface. Mere minutes ago Hawk had signalled from ahead that there had been a spike of chakra from inside the small building, quickly dying out soon after. Perhaps they were practicing a technique?

But… in the bathroom?

There was definitely something wrong here.

A Hyūga would have helped clear the situation, if only all effective Hyūga ANBU shinobi hadn't been dispatched to one warfront or another – he had to rely on Hawk's sensory skills alone, not that he didn't trust his comrade's keen senses.

Not to mention that convincing a Hyūga to use Byakugan on a pair of girls in a bathroom was next to impossible, darn them and their moral codes.

Just as he was starting to debate with himself whether they should inspect the building closer, the girls stepped out still laughing from whatever joke they had been discussing. Their target had now keeled over, clutching her stomach in guffaws, just as the other girl – was it Inozuka Tsume? – was leaning against the wall and wiping tears. That too, seemed odd. Kushina was vivacious indeed, but one would think she would be a little more distressed with her home being in danger and all that. Rat frowned.

With a few more words they parted ways, Tsume heading down one street while their target sneaked up towards her own compound. A hasty hand sign to his comrade and Rat quickly followed suit. To his surprise, however, the girl didn't head straight home – for the next one hour or more she wandered down the main street, visiting almost all open stalls, clearly having succumbed to a shopping spree.

Sometimes the ANBU member wondered why his job was indeed considered prestigious in Konoha.

When Kushina finally filled her basket with whatever she needed, she headed towards the outskirts of the town, finding a deserted training field and striding inside with a show of determination.

Whatever Rat had expected her to do next, it had been a far cry from what followed. The girl whipped around in his general direction and an apologetic smile spilled on her features, eyes imploring some sort of understanding as she waved a hand sign before her chest. A spark of chakra, a poof of smoke, and the shopping basket tumbled to the ground spilling its contents, the shadow clone holding it having disappeared without a trace.

Rat pursed his lips, cursing inwardly.

Some miles away a dark-haired girl was determinedly making her way towards Konoha's outer wall, silently shifting through the eastern outskirts with evident speed. She had made plenty of confusing turns and had even backtracked a few times in an attempt to throw off any potential pursuers. Even ANBU would have difficulty following her – no one knew Konoha's back alleys quite as well as she did, courtesy to a prank or two too many in her childhood.

One more block crossed quietly and she found herself staring up at the giant defensive edifice, gathering chakra at her feet as she prepared to run up it, thanking all the Gods above for the slow progress on the improved Konoha barrier. She had seen the sketches and plans in her father's office, Minato's brilliant ideas catching her quite by surprise – there was little doubt that if that barrier had been erected already, sneaking out wouldn't have been nearly as simple.

Her muscles tensed, ready to jump ahead, just as a cloaked figure landed before her, effectively cutting off her advance. The girl grimaced, eyeing the Hawk ANBU mask with obvious distaste.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave, Uzumaki-san." the man said, clearly not buying the black hair at all.

Damn it, they were good, she had to admit it. However, Konoha's ANBU sometimes had the terrible tendency to underestimate.

"I'm afraid I disagree, ya know." was the snappy reply as she waved a hand before her chest and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hawk had already turned around, dashing towards a certain public bathroom that had remained terribly unobserved after two shadow clones had left it, one in disguise.

Somewhere in the Hokage Tower Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, suddenly, inexplicably, feeling very much ill at ease.

Kushina shuddered as the second of two clones popped, relaying the unpleasant memory of having been discovered too soon. With a frown she pumped chakra to her feet, doubling her speed as the trees raced past her, the girl already having made her way out of Konoha's outskirts, angling east towards the seaside. Silently she apologized to Tsume for having used her as a cover, knowing full well that the girl wasn't even in the village anymore, having been dispatched back to the Suna border to aid her team.

Thankfully it was highly unlikely that the ANBU stationed to watch her knew the full list of shinobi deployed to the Suna border. She knew, however, that in this case Tsume would forgive her – it was her home that was in danger after all and she was the only one who could stand before a Bijū and have the slight chance of survival.

She would not sit this one out. If only she could make it in time.

Straight ahead of him shimmered the vast sea expanse, his opponent standing on the beach, effectively blocking his way, a chilly chakra imprint emanating steadily from where he stood. Minato's eyes narrowed.

He had but a moment to raise his kunai before the white-haired man lunged forward, massive sword brandished for a circular sweep and Minato ducked instantaneously just as the chakra-coated tip slashed the air above him where his torso had been just a moment ago. A chakra wave dispersed with the swing, denting the trees ahead of them, the very air shimmering with the power of it.

A mighty sword, whose attacks Minato could hardly afford to block directly as it turned out, but kunai gave him a certain degree of mobility, which he was determined to use. Without a second thought he thrust his blade forward from his crouching position, aiming for his enemy's exposed stomach. Mizuken turned out to be as fast as he was impatient, however, leaping back towards the shore before the kunai came near him.

Minato swore inwardly. He was significantly tired after his headlong run and under pressure to reach Uzushiogakure in time.

He had promised that he would.

He had promised her.

The white-haired swordsman branded his massive blade on one shoulder with surprising ease for a man of such short stature. It was imbedded with chakra, as he had felt previously upon tasting the energy around him with a touch; the blade itself thrummed more vividly than the shinobi he was facing. Did it have the capacity to stock reserves? And if so, for how long had its wielder been charging it? Did the abnormal quantity of chakra saved allow Mizuken to wield it with such ease and grace as if he held nothing more discomforting than a kunai in his hand?

It appeared to have the ability to dispel chakra with each swing, making up for the otherwise blunt edge – it wasn't a lethal cut that would end him if he failed to dodge a hit; it was the pure amount of chakra barrelled with it, dense enough to fracture bones.

Any moves that Minato might have expected next fell short, as the man turned around instead and ran for the sea behind him, sandals brushing soundlessly over the rocky shore. The blond-haired man hissed, eyes narrowing, as his mind quickly wrapped around the enemy's not-so-subtle plan – a retreat that he would be forced to follow, for he was certain that he wouldn't reach Uzu before he defeated his opponent. And time was of the essence.

This retreat, however, would lead him away from land.

Within a heartbeat he gave pursuit through the last trees and towards the open water expanse. With a measured chakra-infused throw he flung a kunai towards the retreating white-haired man, poising himself for what he was certain would follow. Sure enough, the swordsman leapt to the side moments before his sandals touched sea, precise side-flip carrying him away from the kunai's trajectory, forcing Minato's weapon to embed itself in the pebbled ground before him where the waves kissed shore.

Within the blink of an eye the blond-haired man had reached out for it, materializing next to it with his back to the water surface he refused to be dragged onto, already pinpointing the crouched Mizuken with a chilly look, which the other man answered in kind.

A wave washed over his feet in an ice-cold embrace, soaking his sandals and shinobi bandages. Somewhere nearby a seagull cawed, as if announcing the end of their stare-down contest just as Minato's hand dug in his weapon holster, whipping out three-pronged kunai in between knuckles.

A rapid flick and the Hiraishin tags were in the air, littering the ground around him and his enemy. Mizuken was a blur, diving in between the raining kunai, twisting gracefully around them as he lunged for the spot Minato was standing in, blade poised for attack. Three more steps, two, one and the swordsman was within range, swinging towards him in mid-throw, demonstrating speed that could have possibly matched his own some years back.

Without thinking Minato dived in the network of kunai spread around him, beacons lighting in his mindscape like little flames, and he reached out for the nearest, flashing away just as the massive blade cut the swirling current left behind.

The constricting feeling didn't even register anymore, the motion having become second nature for him as he flew from one light to another, following no certain pattern, simply reaching out for tag after tag without pause. It was a clear objective that presented itself in his mind: intimidate, confuse, take by surprise.

For a second everything stood still.

In between fragmented glimpses he could see Mizuken turning around rapidly, attempting to follow the sporadic movements through an intense look, but his whirls were slowing, missing patterns that would have ended him had Minato landed closer and attacked.

A flash and then another and he was some meters to the swordsman's right, armed hand lashing out as soon as his feet touched ground, sending a kunai flying towards his opponent. No sooner had the blade left his grip than he had jumped away again, reaching out for its blaze as it travelled towards the unsuspecting enemy.

Minato's fingers wrapped around the hilt within a hand's reach from the man's side and he dove down just as Mizuken whipped around with enviable speed, brandishing his blade in a counter-offensive slash. The sword swished over him, but this time its bearer was prepared for the crouched dodge, turning the sword around in mid-swing and bringing it down with two hands as if meaning to cleave a cornered animal.

Fingers brushed against rough fabric, the seal formula leaving his palm automatically and latching in the folds of his enemy's hakama even as the blonde was already teleporting to a kunai safely away.

With a thunderous boom the blade connected with the ground Minato had been standing on a second earlier, cracking the rocks underneath and sending them flying in a heap of dust and rubble. Its wielder remained seemingly unfazed by the unsuccessful blow, turning to face his opponent with a blank look.

An air of nonchalance hung about him, a nerve-wracking calm that spoke of confidence no man should have possessed when facing a capable enemy.

None of it mattered.

He was marked.

The Hiraishin Tag twisted between the folds of his clothing, pulsating subtly in Minato's mindscape – the last beacon that spelled this man's death. A chill crept down his spine as his mind wrapped about the indisputable fact that in that split moment of time, he held someone's fate in his hands; the power to take life away or grant it – it was an overwhelming, corrosive thought.

"It's over." the words slipped through before he even realized; because anything else would have sounded bland; because this man was a worthy opponent who deserved recognition before he was butchered mercilessly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he had already stepped through space and time, materializing behind his opponent and slashing at his neck. The swordsman began to turn, grip tightening around his sword – all in vain. He was too slow this time with his enemy having appeared but inches away; the motion seemed almost sluggish to senses sharpened with adrenaline and Minato saw with crystal clarity his kunai diving at the man's jugular. A dull silence had enveloped them, the heat of battle roaring through his ears, and he could almost hear Mizuken suck in a breath, his heart thumping treacherously with the frantic beats concealed by a stony demeanour.

With a sickening slosh the kunai sank through flesh, liquid pouring through his fingers, but the sensation felt off. The man's neck, so convincingly solid moments ago, was now losing form, as if liquefying on a whim, the very skin oozing down and around the kunai that should have cut it open.

Was it a Mizu Bunshin? No. He had maintained one hand firmly rooted through his jumps, sensing his surroundings for any such surprises – the man he had marked had been the real deal. Was this a bloodline limit?

His opponent didn't give him the chance to ponder over the details, finishing his momentum and turning towards his enemy. Having been caught by surprise in a fight that he was convinced would have finished a second prior, Minato found himself caught unprepared. Reflexes kicked in on themselves and his hand let go of the latched kunai in the last moment possible, reaching for the nearest beacon.

A hissed breath and he was crouching besides a dangerously close three-pronged kunai, just out of the massive sword's reach as the blade sailed past him at an alarming proximity.

The slightest of twitches in the corner of Mizuken's mouth was the only warning he received.

There was a sudden burst of chakra, the energy wrapping around the blade and extending outwards in a tangible form and Minato threw himself back in instinct.

Too slow.

Pain erupted at his shoulder and down his chest, sneaking through his right arm like living fire and he sucked in a startled breath, reaching out this time for the furthest beacon he could find and jumping to a kunai half-submerged in shallow sea-water.

His violent retreat had led to an ungraceful landing, and the blonde dropped to one knee with a splash, left hand clutching at his shoulder. A shallow cut ran diagonally down his torso to his left ribs, thumping sharply with each breath he took. Blood welled through his fingers, dripping in the water expanse below him in crimson inky patterns.

Blue eyes fixed on the white-haired man immediately, only to find him already running through seals.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

With a wild roar the water beneath his feat erupted upwards and Minato found himself thrown backwards, shutting his senses to the pain best he could and pumping chakra in his soles to remain on the surface.

Instead of aiming for him, however the water dragon crashed into the shore in a whirlpool of jagged rocks and wild currents, successfully cutting Mizuken from view. The momentary confusion of the seemingly pointless move didn't last long as Minato felt all of the beacons of his Hiraishin Tags dwindle out almost simultaneously. A rush of chakra and the liquid monster formed again, its form muddled by the rubble dragged from shore.

The blonde had but a second of warning as it turned its massive head towards him, before lunging forward blindly, cutting off his way and making him retreat further in, away from land. One water lash and another, they beat at him repetitively, forcing him farther and farther away from land until the shore became nothing but a blurry outline in the distance.

His moves were slowing, each jump enflaming the fire in his chest and shoulder and he swallowed past an unvoiced groan of pain as his feet touched water for what felt like the fiftieth time. The surface below him did not agree with his acrobatics, however, an artificial wave sending him flying sideways, skidding to a stop across the shimmering expanse like an oversized pebble.

A hiss of pain escaped him as he slowly pushed to his feet, not letting the swordsman out of his sight. Mizuken stared back evenly, for once deciding to allow him a chance to get back to his feet in grace. With a final roar the water dragon dissolved, heaps of water raining around and over the two shinobi, drenching them thoroughly.

A tremor ran through his right hand, the fire of pain sneaking through it and Minato had to admit that his fighting abilities with it would be impaired. His left hand dug into a kunai pouch instead, bringing out a three-pronged kunai, fingers wrapping around its hilt in a breathless grip. In the span of no more than a minute this battle had taken a 180 degrees turn.

His opponent seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

"I wouldn't proclaim the end of a duel before finishing the enemy off." the man said in a flat voice, betraying no emotions. "You are wounded and forced to fight away from land; we are, so to say, on my terrain – water is my strongest ally. Whatever technique you're using, it's wasted here. You can't spread your kunai and even if you could get to me, it would be a wasted effort. You know you cannot hit me." with those words the swordsman lifted a hand to his neck, where he should have been cut moments earlier.

"I have to admit, it is a rare occasion for me to demonstrate this ability at all. I guess you are pretty skilled. What is your name?"

Minato hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to engage in mid-fight talks.

"Minato Namikaze." he said finally, evenly, deciding to play along for now.

"Minato Namikaze… Good as you may be, I'm afraid now you know – there is a reason for someone as young as me to be the leader of one of the deadliest shinobi factions – I cannot be hit. I cannot be killed. I cannot be defeated. Do you understand now? You have no choice, but to die by my hand today. I was made to serve a greater cause; I represent an ideal… a dream, if you will – the dream of a better era for my village and my people. And dreams, Namikaze-san… dreams cannot be killed."

"I need another dose of morphine and fresh bandages!"

Ryūmi's voice rose above the clamour and a red-haired girl, no older than thirteen, dashed towards her, lightly sidestepping the improvised cots along the way. A red spiral on white cloth, wrapped around her upper arm, marked her for who she was – a volunteer at the Uzu hospital, for there were too many injured and too little active healers to deal with a catastrophe of such proportions.

A forehead protector with a spiral was donned around her waist; a genin perhaps, one of the many such that were deployed as support to the healing corps or the supply lines. The girl kneeled by the older woman, throwing a pained look towards the wounded shinobi on the floor. A basket full of supplies was attached to her, a shawl tied through its two handles and slung over the girl's neck to serve as a makeshift carrying tray. It was already half-empty. Trembling small fingers started digging through the jars of ointments, looking for the correct one.

"We're running low on antibiotic herbs!" came a medic's voice to their right and Ryūmi risked a side glance.

Beads of sweat were rolling down the healer's forehead and dripping on his bloodied cloak, but there were not enough assistants free to aid him – he paid the discomfort no heed, hands hurrying to stop the severe bleeding from someone's torn arm. The patient's faint cry of pain could barely be heard, mingled with the onslaught of agonized moans and chokes, all drawn out with the frantic shouts of the medics.

"Water… please…anyone…" an elderly man not too far away was whispering, clutching his bandaged stomach where a dark red stain had soaked through the dressings and was colouring his mangled hands. The girl next to Ryūmi had heard him too, pursing thin lips. A volunteer sidestepped him, running as fast as the crowded corridors allowed him, carrying a basket full of IV bags.

"It's no good, we need to amputate! Prepare a stretcher, we need to-"

"All the operating rooms are full, there is nowhere we can move him to!"

"I can't operate in the hallway, I need a room, we're talking about amputating a leg-"

"Three more injured are being brought in from the western front!" someone shouted from the door, hurrying to swing the gates open as a group of shinobi entered, carrying stretchers. The sharp stench of burned flesh enveloped the hall, making the hairs on Ryumi's arms rise. Bile rose to her mouth and only seasoned reflexes forced her to suppress the reflex to gag.

"Second to third degree extensive burns, incoherent, needs immediate medical attention…" a shinobi was explaining, pointing towards the blackened shape of what Ryūmi would have sworn to be a corpse if not for the quick shallow breaths that made the person's chest rise and fall like punctured bellows.

"Lay them down on the floor past the counter-"

"There is no space-"

An anguished cry drowned out the rest of their words, as a medic wrestled with an elderly man, trying to affix his dislocated shoulder, the arm protruding in an unnatural angle to the side.

"Is-Is this the medicine you were looking for?"

The trembling voice of the girl next to her shook her out of the momentary stupor and Ryūmi directed her attention back to the man at her feet. He had clenched his teeth in mute pain, tendons in his neck standing out like wires as he fought to suppress the groans. Blood was soaking through the rags that she had pressed at the gaping wounds in his chest, the crimson liquid welling through her fingers.

Her eyes quickly jumped to the small vial being handed to her, the liquid inside swirling with the tremor in the genin's hands - the girl was terrified. Ryūmi was ready to wager that she had never seen a single person die before, much less a whole building of dying men.

She opened her mouth to give further instructions just as a terrible wet choke reached her ears, a man two cots down having started to shake violently, bloody froth rising to his mouth as his eyes rolled up in their sockets.

Septic shock. Frantic eyes sought the medics around only to see too few nearby, all of them bent over a patient. The only available ones had taken up the newly brought injured, rushing them down the halls. A quiet curse rolled off her lips and she turned a look to the wide-eyed volunteer next to her. The girl's face had gone incredibly pale, eyes fixed on the writhing man, lower lip trembling with the shock of what she was witnessing.

"Look at me." Ryūmi instructed quietly, urgently, and a painful second later two distressed pale eyes had pinned her in alarm.

"What's your name?" the older woman asked and the second it took the girl to answer felt like a second too long.

"Shachi."

"Shachi-san. Listen to me. I need you to place your hands over his chest and push down, alright?"

Shocked silence was the only answer she received, fear distorting the child's features in a grimace before she nodded curtly. Her hands, when moving forward, trembled so badly that the vial slipped through her fingers and met the floor with a loud clink.

"There now, keep the pressure on his wounds, alright? I'll be right back."

"Wait…", her patient choked out through reddened lips, grabbing her wrist tightly as she made to go, "…don't… leave me… don't…"

"Forgive me, I- That man needs help, I'm-" was all she managed before one last strangled choke reached her from behind and the seizuring man lay still.

In three quick leaps she was beside him; he had entered cardiac arrest. She turned his head to the side so he wouldn't choke on his own blood as her hands flew to his chest. One, two, three, four, five, six…, she pushed down rhythmically, feeling for the faintest of heartbeats.

Too slow. She had been too slow in coming to his aid, if only she had been a bit faster, a bit lighter on her feet…

One, two, three, four, five…

She risked a glance at his smeared face, at the lifeless eyes that stared at the ceiling without seeing it, and oh, there, from around his neck spilled an open locket, the merry picture of a smiling red-haired toddler beckoning from inside…

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… Live, goddamn it. LIVE!

A firm hand clutched her shoulder, but she paid the intruder no heed. They could wait.

With a strangled grunt she took out a kunai from her pouch, tearing the man's shinobi vest and blouse open, exposing bruised chest. There was no need for brush and ink, her fingers already dipping in the pool of blood by his head and smearing it across his chest in basic Fūin glyphs, the simplest of seals she could muster, the only other way she could think to save a life. A quiet prayer, a hasty handsign and she slammed her palm at the man's chest, a weak Raiton bolt wrecking his torso in a zinging shock.

Nothing.

Only the smell of burned flesh and the scorched skin remained, the shell of a vacant soul.

A cry escaped her before she realized the person holding her shoulder was talking, words blending in with the cries of the injured and the dying and of the healers who died over and over along with each one.

"-let go. Please. It's too late, Ryūmi-sama, we cannot help him." someone was saying. "We need your help. Please. We need the space, the hospital is bursting. There are no rooms free, the corridors are crowded, we have to operate on the ground. We don't have the men to aid everyone. We need you." the man whispered and she now recognized him as one of the active medics, having tried to help her save him, in vain.

With one last shaky breath she composed herself, nodding briefly at the medic before rising to her feet. Her head swayed with the motion as she threw a sweeping look at the chaos around her, once again fighting nausea.

There were many who pictured war as a gruesome battlefield, submerged in chaos and bereavement, blood and agonized cries. Very few were those who thought of war hospitals – the white battlefield where the battles were no less terrible and the loss no less stark.

The great hall before the entrance was filled to the point of bursting, all sofas, tables and desks having turned into makeshift beds, just as injured were brought in and left lying down on white sheets on the floor wherever space could be found.

A child was crying somewhere not too far off. Wounded were begging passing nurses for help, stretching bloodied hands in silence. Only their eyes burned with a delirious fever, untreated wounds festering as they lay. Medics were rushing around, pale-faced, terrified but stoic, trying to organize the chaos that screamed from all around. The green glow of chakra shined in every direction, blinding her, painting the whole scene in unrealistic, ominous colours.

"There is no space." she whispered and then, louder, "There is no space, the hospital cannot sustain them!" The personnel around her all fixed her through an anxious look. "We need to start treating people outside. Cut off the area and start setting up cots outside. We need medics stationed at the entrance of the encampment to check everyone brought in and asses their condition. Tie cloths to their forearms – red for immediate treatment; white means they can wait. Black for deceased, they are to be carried in the backyard of the hospital, there is no more space in the morgue. You can use the tents set up outside for white fabric and the red flags of the medic corps. The remaining healers, assess the situation of patients inside; red get higher priority for rooms, white can be moved to the hallway; if there is no space, carry them outside. I need a relocation group formed – any shinobi or civilian recovered enough to walk is to evacuate immediately to the hideout caves where the rest of the civilian population is hidden."

People were already rushing to comply, a tint of relief visible in their eyes; they had needed this, she realized, seeing how the faint hint of order within the surrounding anarchy was enough to rekindle determination on their face.

With a heavy sigh she knelt by the man whose life she had failed to preserve, fingers wrapping firmly around the hilt of her discarded kunai. A quick slash and she tore a strip of her dark tunic. Her hands were steady this time, almost gentle as she slowly wrapped the black fabric around his forearm and secured it in a knot.

With a final wordless prayer, she guided his eyelids down, praying that whoever he was and wherever he was, he was seeing a smiling dimply toddler and hugging it goodbye.

Chapter Text

She didn't know how much time had passed since she had arrived at the Uzushiogakure hospital, donning on the white cloak and offering her help to the stressed medics. She had lost track of all the wounded men, women and children that had passed through her hands, her world being reduced to the constant smell of medicine and the warm blood smeared over her skin.

How many men had she lost by now, how many black rags had she tied, marking her failure to make a difference?

A feeling of numbness was spreading inside her, a terrible inhumane apathy, associated only with the medics who saw more death than they could handle without turning off a switch. Her hands moved mechanically, automatically, all horror and fear locked deep inside – there was only her mission and the injured, who needed bandages and medicine or a brief goodbye.

Somewhere nearby a woman was crying silently, chapped lips pressed in a thin line as she fought the agony of an open fracture, her broken bone protruding through the mangled skin of her leg and oozing blood. The crimson liquid was pouring from a deep cut in her shoulder too, running down her arm and colouring the white cloth wrapped there red. Ryūmi didn't stop to consider the significance of this, kneeling beside her with a silent nod instead, hands fluttering through the small bag of supplies slung over one shoulder and looking for antiseptics.

Her fingers had just wrapped around the vial when she froze, muscles locked in place tightly as a thunderous wave of malicious intent crashed over her, causing an involuntary gagging noise to escape her throat. Complete silence had befallen the otherwise bustling building, the very air having grown so thick that she could fancy herself cutting it with a kunai.

She knew this feeling, this chakra that was permeating the premise, leaking hatred and disdain and agony and pain and-

A choked scream reached her from a child not too far away as it collapsed to its grazed knees and heaved the contents of its stomach on the white tiled floor.

"W-what is-" a medic gasped out through a tight throat, managing a few steps back before stumbling over a patient and falling loudly on his back.

It… It can't be…

For a second Ryūmi found her legs unresponsive, her whole body paralyzed with the heavy feeling of dread that was enveloping her, and then the moment was gone as reflexes kicked in and the woman jumped to her feet, surveying the whole room with a frantic look.

There, near the counter, a man was groaning painfully as his whole spine arched upwards, shrunk pupils staring blankly at the door behind. The killing intent seemed to be rolling off of him in heaps, stifling any reason in the people who had happened to be around him, to the point of foregoing the instinct to breathe.

Ryūmi was already halfway down the hall before she knew it, jumping nimbly over anyone in her way, thanking all the Gods above that she had already encountered the terrifying sensation of a Bijū's chakra, for she was certain that if she hadn't, she would freeze like most anyone else present.

Two more leaps and she was beside him, throwing what was left of his scorched shinobi attire upwards to expose the seared skin of his stomach. The burned man, a part of her subconscious recognised him, remembering how improbable his survival had seemed when he was brought in. Now, staring at the stark outline of an unstable Bijū containment seal, which pulsated brightly with the evil chakra leaking through it, Ryūmi finally understood.

Crazed eyes zoomed in on her briefly and the man's burned lips moved slowly, forming words in between the pained groans.

"N-n… N…"

Red bubbles were forming at his limbs, the chakra taking shape around him, and the woman acted without thinking, fingers digging in her pouch with enviable speed. The scroll she required was in her hand before reason had even caught up with instinct – one of the few suppression seals she always had on her person, because of Kushina – and she unrolled it in a swift move, slamming it down over the man's stomach, steady palm pumping her own chakra in it, locking it in place.

Sealing glyphs surged out of it, stretching across the man's torso and legs and moving down to the floor around him, shifting soundlessly to form a complex circle, kanji swirling all around. It blazed once in brilliant white as it activated and Ryūmi couldn't hold back a hiss.

The drop in chakra stocks was tangible, as a burning feeling ran up her arm, coiling thick in her chest. For a moment she was no longer in the shock-ridden hallway of that hospital, but standing in a vast expanse of nothingness, a formidable entity made up of malicious chakra looming ahead. Compared to it, she was nothing – a grain of sand in an ocean of agony and hate.

The woman blinked, shaking the feeling away and grasping at much-needed clarity, mind returning quickly to the situation at hand. Sweat was running down her forehead and the back of her neck as she gathered whatever strength she had left to suppress the demon for as long as she could.

For there was no doubt, from the moment she had felt that chakra swirl in the air when the man had lost his quiet battle for control, that she was facing nothing else but a raging Bijū. It was a feeling she could mistake with no other, experienced as she was with Jinchūriki in a string of unfortunate choices.

But why? Why was there an unstable Jinchūriki in the Uzushiogakure hospital of all places, beast locked in a member of their own clan? As far as she knew, the village had no Jinchūriki of their own. Had they hidden information from Konoha and from Hyōjin and her as Konoha citizens?

The man who lay beside her had to be an Uzumaki, scarlet hair and vast chakra stocks announcing his heritage to the world. And thank the Gods above that he was, for she was certain that if he had been from any other clan, he wouldn't have had enough chakra control to repress the beast for this long.

Said man had stopped writhing, red chakra receding and for a brief second Ryūmi felt a pang of pity well inside as she looked him over, taking in the scorched skin, blazing an angry painful red.

"I… I t-tried to… I s-said…" he was muttering, now staring at her easier, the feral shock absent from his eyes.

"Shh, preserve your strength. You'll need it, we have to fight this down, ok?"

A soft groan escaped his lips.

"B-burns…"

"I know. I know it does, but you need to endure it for a little longer, ok? You have to suppress it, the… the thing inside. I will help you." she was saying, trying and failing to keep the desperate tone out of her voice.

It was a lost cause, she knew it even as she said it; she knew her seals well enough. This one was fresh, its binds being forged not more than a few hours ago and the man's system was rejecting it. It was sloppy work and Ryūmi was beginning to wonder whether that was intentional or not – the demon's chakra was seeping into his system chaotically, uncontrollably, burning through his chakra coils, charring him on the inside.

He had tried to suppress it with his own and had failed, its power proving toxic for a fully developed chakra system that was not accustomed to its presence gradually over time. That was why the Bijū hosts chosen were always children; that was why adults subjected to this burden could hardly survive. Even if the man could, by some unseen miracle, accommodate for the change and pull through, the seal craftsmanship was much too flawed, as if it was meant to break…

Ryūmi's eyes widened and her free hand subconsciously balled into a fist as a string of curses rose to the back of her mind, cussing viciously the fanatical rashness of their enemy and the bleak situation at hand.

Of course… of course!

How mad, how cruel and yet how simple their plan was! The man would lose control of the Bijū and release it in the middle of Uzushiogakure, the demon going rampant. The barrier, which was meant to protect the Uzu citizens, would turn into their prison, trapping them inside with a deadly beast – should they flee, they would be faced with an army. Should they stay… Uzu had many brilliant seal masters, but most of them had been sent out to battle-fields or were sustaining the barrier around the main island of the Uzu archipelago. A sealing technique of such proportions required too many people in order to stay stable under the constant external attacks – there were more than a hundred able-bodied men and women, who were constantly pouring chakra into it to the point of losing consciousness, just to keep their defences up.

There would be too few left to deal with a Bijū in its full form and those would be exhausted beyond measure… too few to stop it in time, before the whole village was destroyed on the inside, without Kiri even breaking a sweat. Oh how brilliant it all was! How terrifying!

Through a mad stroke of luck she had happened to be near the now unstable-Jinchūriki, she, the one person who could prevent the imminent outbreak for the time-being. Stalling the inevitable for an unknown amount of time. And it was too late to move him now.

Her quick interference and the temporary seal were the only thing stopping the demon from taking over his Jinchūriki and destroying their island. A groan rolled off her lips without her quite realizing it, mind racing through possible solutions, only to find them all futile. The additional chakra chains with which she had bound the Bijū would not last forever, she too would succumb eventually to the strain…

"What on Earth is happening here, Uzumaki-sama?" she heard someone ask warily behind her and turned to see one of the head medics, a middle-aged plump woman, who had shaken out of her initial stupor and approached her, fear clear in her eyes.

"Ishida-san," she breathed, trying to beat the panic down as she beckoned the woman closer. She gulped, stepping ahead slowly and kneeling at her side. "I need you to listen to me very carefully. I know this will sound preposterous, but I will need you to do exactly as I say. The hospital is to be evacuated immediately." she said quietly, ignoring the outraged look in Ishida-san's eyes. "Everyone, no matter how sick or gravely wounded they are, everyone, is to be relocated to a large enough distance as soon as possible under the circumstances. The hideout caves perhaps, or somewhere equally remote-"

"Do you hear yourself, this is madness, we are at war and we have wounded coming in by the minute, I can't just relocate the only hospital-"

"You have to. Believe me, it's not a matter of choice."

The woman's nostrils flared, pale lips pursing tight.

"I have men and women with shrapnel lodged inside their bowels, I have people with shattered rib cages and extensive internal hemorrhage; I have a man whose skull was split open by a Raiton technique; I have a child with a fractured spine; if I so much as move any of them again-"

"There is a Tailed Beast locked inside this man and he will lose control over it any minute." she said quickly, her words hanging heavily between them.

Shocked silence followed her statement, the woman's eyes bulging out like saucers as her jaw fell open before she could compose herself.

"If you don't evacuate this building immediately, they will all die. Trust me, when I say this, the place needs to be evacuated. Now. Do not tell them why. Panic will be the end of us."

A few painful seconds passed before the woman finally nodded curtly, face as pale as a sheet, and her one hand grabbed Ryūmi's shoulder in a tight grasp.

"What about you?"

The brown-haired Seal Master smiled weakly, throwing a glance at the seal she was still pouring chakra into, hand pressing it firmly over the man's sloppy one.

"I fear I'll have to stay awhile."

With a final pained look and a gentle squeeze at her arm the head medic rose to her feet, calling all personnel around her sharply and giving new instructions, trying to outshout the disbelieving cries that followed her words.

Despite the plea for rationality a newly fed feeling of panic was enveloping everyone as scuffles reached her ears, people hurrying to leave and medics fighting to restrain them; others were demanding explanations, refusing to budge. The only thing Ryūmi had eyes for was a pair of light-coloured ones some meters down the hall, the volunteer who had helped her earlier now frozen in between the clamour, staring at her in fear.

"Shachi-san!" she called, perhaps sharper than she would have liked, and the girl snapped to attention, running to her as fast as the premises would allow. "Listen to me very carefully now, I have a task for you. Forget everything else you were doing so far, this is of utmost importance. Treat it as an A-rank mission, understand? You have to go and find someone for me, can you do that? He should be at the southwest quadrant of the defensive barrier, about an hour from here at fast pace. He is a seal-master, his name is Hyōjin Uzumaki. Tell him Ryūmi Uzumaki says he is to come to the central hospital at once. Tell him it's code one. Do not stop for anything or anyone, run straight there as fast as you can. Can you do that for me, Shachi-san?"

The girl before her nodded in a determined look before turning around wordlessly and disappearing into the crowd.

Godspeed, child. For the sake of everyone on this island, may you reach him in time.

The blond shinobi before him was eyeing him warily, a calculative air about him, reassessing the situation and his strength.

Mizuken was doing the same.

He had a pretty good idea now what his hellish technique did, having noticed the seals on his kunai handles, only to spot the same mark on his own clothing while sending waves after his opponent. In one swift move he tore the part of his hakama that bore his seal and tossed it in the water, not taking his eyes off the Konoha shinobi lest the man tried to stop him.

He was smarter than charging him blindly right now, Mizuken had to owe him that, for if he had tried to prevent him from removing that seal he would have gotten cleaved on the spot. His sword was at the ready, light as a feather, pulsating with the chakra he had stored in it over the years.

He would not give his opponent the pleasure of coming up with a strategy. He would take his life now and end his misery. With a raised sword he balanced his weight on the balls of his feet, gathering chakra in his soles before pushing off, flying forward.

Instead of leaping away as the kenjutsu master expected, his opponent slammed a palm on the water surface with lightning speed. The kanji that expanded from his hand seemed to flow in the water, ink gleaming over the waves.

A seal? Had he been trained in Uzushiogakure?

Seals were tricky and not a specialty of his. He could recognize the most common ones, but this one was neither of them. He couldn't afford the man the time to cast it. He brought his sword forward, bracing to impale.

With a hiss the water around him erupted, steam blinding him. His opponent had disappeared, sword slicing through nothing, but open air. He swivelled in one place, trying to catch a glimpse of Namikaze, but the steam had settled in thick even as the choppy water below his feet calmed down. With a jolt the purpose of the unknown seal became clear to him – the curtain of steam was meant to hide his enemy and give him time to plan an attack.

"You have chosen the wrong technique for your opponent. Hiding in the Mist is a technique any child in Kirigakure can easily perform. Or counter." he called out, stilling himself and closing his eyes to better concentrate.

He was calm as water, still as a midnight tarn. He was but water, liquid defining him and swelling within, the blood limit that was as much a part of him as his own body. And what was mist if not thousands upon thousands of droplets of water, spread in the air? Every move one made within shifted them, created waves that amplified, expanded, reached him and went through him, water stirring water, informing him better than his own eyes could.

Namikaze had made his own life a living hell.

As things stood now, he was surrounded. Clones then? How predictable. No matter, he would deal with them in no time. The first one came at him almost sluggishly compared to the man's speed previously. He sliced through it with barely any effort, the form of his enemy dissolving into water all around, right as another batch came at him from all sides.

They were easy enough to tell apart, judging by their reckless headlong rush. They threw themselves at him with a ferocity a wounded man would not possess and he made quick work of them, blade slicing through liquid, scattering droplets everywhere.

The abundance of water explained that otherwise desperate move, but even if his enemy made a good enough use of the element he should have known that their attack would be futile. Namikaze himself was standing further back, his stillness and unwillingness to join the fray distinguishing him. Did he think himself unnoticed? Surely he was smarter than that.

Mizuken leapt towards him, taking a kunai from his back pouch with his left hand to quicker dispose of the water clones that blocked his path. Minato had just begun to turn when the Kiri nin was on him. Chakra thrummed, coating his blade, elongating it to a longsword, creating a sharp edge. The blonde leapt back, awkwardly, sluggishly, his injuries obviously hindering him. His attempt to flee was wasted. The sharp blade caught him in the back, cleaving him in two.

Water erupted from the figure, splashing everywhere. Mizuken frowned.

He had been certain it was the real one. A ruse?

A hand shot up from the water surface, wrapping around his ankles firmly just as a dozen three-pronged kunai flew at him from every direction, splitting the mist. In one swift move he swung his massive sword, imbedding it blade first into the water. The pulse that travelled through it was palpable, churning and chopping up the surface into waves, dispelling the clone underneath just in time for him to jump up high above the barrage of kunai.

Another three-pronged blade was already flying towards his airborne figure, but his opponent had misjudged the distance, said weapon sailing harmlessly above his head.

Or so he thought.

The shadow from above was his only warning as he looked up, eyes narrowing. Minato had materialized right above him, hand extended downward towards him, inches away from his head. Chakra swirled in his palm in preparation for an unknown technique and Mizuken reacted in instinct, pushing chakra into his blade and expelling it forcefully into empty air, using it to propel himself sideways just in time.

Namikaze fell past him, dangerously close, only inches away as his fingers brushed against his ponytail. In no more than a second he had put distance between them again.

The blond man had regained his balance with a mid-air flip, landing as gracefully as his wounds could allow him on the water. The look on his face seemed oddly calm.

"This one would be more difficult to remove." he said and flexed his hand.

The swordsman's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened, the lightest of touch being enough for the man to plant his seals. His hand dove into his pouch, ready to retrieve a kunai and cut his topknot off, but it was too late. With a quiet zap the man before him disappeared and the air behind him stirred, announcing his presence once again dangerously close.

He was already twisting, pumping chakra in his blade, its shape elongating in a blue blaze and taking the form of a scythe as he pivoted on one leg, ready to dodge and cleave the man in two as he did so. Minato, however, wasn't aiming for his back at all.

"Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba!"

The wind blade was aimed sideways, already anticipating his turn. The gale caught his right arm, cutting through the fabric of his yukata and into his arm, which liquefied in instinct. With a sickening slouching sound the technique sliced through his extremity completely, whole arm dispersing into liquid below his elbow and his sword flew sideways, skidding across the surface of the water as the chakra blade extinguished.

"If I can't kill you then I can slow you down enough to force my way through!" Minato said and his other palm was a storm of chakra, a rough orb forming in his hand, screeching with the speed of a small tornado. "Rasengan!"

He was sitting cross-legged between four massive stone pillars, covered with an oval roof, forming one of many peculiar shrines on Uzushio's rocky cliffs. The high-rises had been chosen as strongpoints for Uzushio's complex spherical defensive barrier, each point marked with a structure which was covered in glyphs. Sealing markings were expanding all around him, covering the ceiling and the columns and the floor, glowing in a light blue glow. They seemed to dim and brighten with every breath he took, merging with the expanded shimmering barrier before him as he kept pouring chakra into it, sustaining it.

Right before him and below, outside the haze of the defensive barrier and directly on the water surface below the cliffs was the Kirigakure army, waiting for a chance to pass. It would never come, he knew, for he was one of many guardians currently sitting the same way between sealing structures across the whole island, sustaining the world's strongest barrier.

"He's busy right now, you can't-" a voice carried from behind him and he did his best to ignore it, concentrating on the barrier.

"I have to, it's my mission, an A-rank mission-"

"This is not the time for missions!"

"But it's an emergency-"

"Do you not realize the whole village is surrounded, he is sustaining the barrier, find someone else-"

"Hyōjin-sama!" the squeaky voice called from behind him as the sounds of a scuffle reached him, someone trying to remove the child that was trying to contact him. "Please! Ryūmi Uzumaki sent me!"

He straightened to attention, casting a dubious look behind him. Ryūmi knew what he was doing. She wouldn't send for him unless it was important.

A young girl was struggling in the arms of an older shinobi, who was restraining her gently but firmly, pushing her back. The genin, however, kept fighting back viciously, kicking and punching in the empty air.

"It's okay, Denma, let her through."

Reluctantly the older man stepped back, eyeing the barrier uneasily.

"Be quick." Denma said, noticing the ripple that ran through its surface at precisely this quadrant as its Guardian peeled his attention away from the task at hand.

The girl hurried to approach him, dropping on one knee and panting heavily. Her face was flushed, skin glistening with sweat. Had she run the whole distance?

"Hyōjin-sama… I was at the hospital, I was helping Ryūmi Uzumaki, she-" the girl paused, trying to steady her breathing. "Something happened, sir. The entire hospital is being evacuated."

The two men shared an incredulous look.

"She sent me here to find you, sir. She said it's an emergency, code one."

He inhaled sharply, body freezing in shock.

Code one? Kyūbi breaking out of its seal? Impossible, Kushina wasn't even here, there was no way-

"Please, sir, you have to hurry!" the girl was saying, large eyes filled with fear.

"Denma. Take over. I need to find Ryūmi."

"But-"

"Just do it! You, girl, take me to her, now. And tell me exactly what happened."

They were running out of time.

It had been over an hour now Ryūmi judged, although her time estimate was off. The hospital had quieted down. The initial panic had left with its occupants as doctors, nurses and volunteers did their best to relocate the wounded as quickly as they could. Gradually, painstakingly slowly, the corridors and rooms had finally emptied as much as possible, leaving just a few staff at hand, tending to the most heavily wounded that were difficult to move.

Beads of sweat were rolling down her neck and forehead, dropping soundlessly over the charred clothing of the man before her. Her breathing was becoming more and more laboured by the second. Her chakra stocks were diminished, dropped to a minimum as she did her best to contain a Bijū.

They were running. out of. time.

The red-haired man had stilled under her seal, only his periodic grunts betraying the agony from having this corrosive chakra spread through his system despite her best efforts to push it back.

"Kill me."

His voice was choked, a gurgle, a broken rasp. Her hand on his stomach twitched.

"I- I can't do that." she mouthed quietly.

"Please. You know I can't. I'll die. This is. I can't. Please."

Her lips pursed, the lump clamping down on her throat. If she killed him, if he died, the Bijū would die with him. It would take it months, maybe years before it rematerialized again in this plane. Uzu would be safe. But…

How could she kill him, take his life, why? Because he was the host of a Bijū? For a second it wasn't the red-haired man before her, but her own daughter, host of the Kyūbi, losing control. Could she kill her daughter if it meant saving a village full of people? How was this man different? Could she kill him now?

She cast one last hopeless look towards the hospital gates, praying that she would see them open. Praying that she would see Hyōjin walk through the door.

He didn't.

"Save your strength." she murmured quietly. "You are an Uzumaki, you are strong. We have the world's best sealers. One of them is coming this way right now. He'll help you, I promise. You will live."

A tear was rolling down his cheek.

"P-promise?"

"Of course. You'll live. Just hold out a little longer."

Her voice had been a choked sob, her one trembling hand sneaking to her kunai pouch, fingers wrapping around the cold metal handle.

He was so young. He asked her to kill him, but he wanted to live. He deserved to live, to have a long and happy life, away from Bijūs and wars. But the Sanbi was killing him. She was out of chakra and they were out of time. Uzushiogakure was out of time.

He was a Jinchūriki. He was innocence and hope. He was Kushina.

He was going to kill everyone on this island just by being alive.

"Just… Just close your eyes. Think of what makes you happy. Think of someone you love."

Red chakra was coming off his chest, forming bubbles over his skin, searing her hand as it came in contact. She gritted her teeth, fighting back tears, either from the pain or from what she was forced to do.

"My mother. She always. I couldn't. I wish I could." He was saying, words coming out jumbled through his gasps of pain, eyes shutting resolutely.

"You will."

The blade was ice in her hand; her fingers lead.

Forgive me.

With a choked cry she brought the kunai down, looking at his grimaced face without seeing it.

It was Kushina's smiling face she saw before her eyes as she plunged the blade in his heart.

And the world exploded.

They were so close. The hospital was just ahead, only two streets down, when it happened.

A pillar of dark red chakra exploded upwards into the sky, blinding them. He barely had time to register it before a blast wave slammed into them with the force of a small typhoon, ripping house roofs and bringing rubble with it, making him stagger back.

And the chakra. Thick with hatred and with malice and with murderous intent, seeped through the air, almost visible as it darkened, swirled, thickened, obscuring the sunlight up ahead.

"Wh-what?" the young genin beside him was saying, eyes welling up with tears as she froze, unable to comprehend.

An inhumane roar pierced the air, animalistic, demonic in its nature and Hyōjin knew. Silently he sagged down to his knees, eyes wide and disbelieving. He had no doubt where this had come from. He had no doubt who had been there.

"Ryūmi…" the name rolled of his lips, like a prayer.

And there was pain in his voice, because he knew. He had no doubt.

The swirling ball of chakra impacted with his opponent's torso, initially sinking in him as his body liquefied, just as Minato expected that it would. It no longer surprised him.

But this worked for him too; his goal wasn't to kill, but to scatter, disable him. Even an unfinished Rasengan could do the trick, as long as he poured enough force in the swirl.

Mizuken's eyes widened as the swirling storming chakra ball swirled the liquid that was his body as well, ripping it and he groaned one last time before being thrown backwards in a whirlwind. His body hit the water disgracefully, half merging with it as he tumbled around, whole torso dripping down lazily in rivulets. His sword was nowhere to be seen.

Minato himself was breathing heavily, eyeing his slowly raising form. It was now or never, while Mizuken was disarmed and disoriented. Lightning zinged and crackled at the tip of his fingers, a Raiton technique blossoming in his hand.

His enemy was still liquefying his body, trying to repair the damage that the unfinished Rasengan had done.

And water was an excellent conductor for electricity.

Without a word he launched forward towards his battered opponent. Mizuken was looking at him through panicked eyes and he could have sworn he saw fear for the first time.

A ripple ran over the water surface with such force that it made Minato falter in his step and he skidded to a stop. It hadn't come from the white-haired man, but from the direction of Uzushiogakure instead, he realized just as a blastwave of malicious chakra slammed into them, strong enough to make his travel cloak billow out.

He quickly whipped around, looking for the small island just visible on the horizon, further ahead at sea, and his eyes widened in disbelief. A pillar of dark red chakra was shooting up in the sky, the very air around thrumming with power so rough that it had taken physical form, darkening the skies ahead.

In the distance a terrible screech of a roar could be heard.

"My work here is done." Mizuken said through a strained wet choke and Minato managed to throw one last look at him just before the man liquefied completely before his eyes, disappearing with the waves.

He cursed inwardly. He had little time to spare in pursuit.

Without a second thought he turned towards Uzushiogakure and broke into a run, praying he would make it in time.

Chapter Text

He gritted his teeth against the pain as he willed his feet to carry him forward faster. His shoulder and torso burned with each move, the pain from the clear cut making it more difficult to maintain his pace. Minato ignored it best he could.

He could already see the Kirigakure army from a distance as he approached the Uzu Archipelago. There was a fleet of ships of different sizes, all sporadically interspersed around the main island with scores of shinobi visible on the water surface in between and across the evacuated small islands that surrounded the main part of Uzushiogakure outside the barrier.

The enemy nin had neatly lined in formation, spreading in tight siege lines around the Uzu barrier that silvered in the air ahead.

Their attacks seemed to have halted, however, most likely along with the energy blast of malevolent chakra that had been radiating in a thick beam out of Uzushiogakure proper until minutes ago.

Minato could see from the vantage of distance that the chakra blast had been potent enough to tear through the world-famous impenetrable Uzu barrier - rough gaps had appeared on top making the silvered dome appear ragged at its apex. The seal masters were hurrying to repair it already; the air high above the village was weaving with near-invisible tendrils that mended the patches.

It appeared that the barrier, although impossible to breach from outside, was not as durable from the inside.

Thankfully the dark beam had stopped, but it was followed by screeches and roars that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. With a sickening feeling his suspicions were quickly cemented in his mind - a Bijū had been unleashed in Uzushiogakure.

He skidded to a stop at a safe enough distance. The Kiri army and barrier between him and Uzu might have been a problem in itself for a one-man relief mission, but he didn't spare them a thought. He quickly cast his senses out and delved into his network of markers looking for the one on the kunai he had given his sealing master months ago to study.

He had been aware during the months of his training that she brought it along with her in her own kunai pouch. She had to have taken it here too.

He could faintly feel the distant thrum of the kunai on the beach far away on the mainland, left behind from his earlier duel. They were too far behind to be utilised without using a lethal amount of chakra, barely registering in his consciousness as faint lights.

To his relief another speck burned bright in his mindscape from up ahead - Ryūmi's Hiraishin kunai, it had to be. Bracing for what awaited him on the other side he reached out with his mind and willed himself to step through space, pulling himself on the other side.

As soon as his feet hit solid ground he felt himself sliding sideways and he applied chakra through his soles almost in instinct, stabilising himself on a dangerously tilted surface. He had to blink his surprise away, quickly surveying the area around him. He had landed on an upturned boulder, part of the site of a recently destroyed building. His feet had cemented him over a notch in the smouldering debris. Not far below the upturned stones and ruptured pipes he could see a part of a torn kunai pouch, emanating the familiar thrum of a Hiraishin kunai. His throat contracted in instinct and he tried to swallow past the lump.

She had to have dropped it. That had to be it. The alternative…

A furious roar broke through his reverie and he clamped that thought down. Hard. There was no time for this, not now.

He quickly knelt, brushing two fingers against the stone he had latched himself onto, surveying the area around him through the natural energy. The first thing that attacked his senses was the hideous mass of malevolent chakra not too far away east of him. He could have found the location from the furious roars and the trail of destruction in its wake anyway, but the potency of said chakra signature temporarily rooted him. It pulsated with such hatred and malice that he felt bile at the back of his throat, connected as he was to all energy around him.

There was no trace of Ryūmi.

Another familiar chakra spec was pulsating from just ahead the street, frazzled with distress, and Minato quickly rose, dashing through the debris as carefully as he could in his speed, aiming for the chakra signature he knew to be Hyōjin Uzumaki.

It took him no more than a minute to locate him, frozen in place as the man was, staring at the hospital ahead with an anguished look on his face, mouth drawn in a taut line.

Minato skidded to a stop before him, eyes widening at the older man's expression. There was pain there that was too raw, too wild to be misinterpreted. He glanced at Minato with barely registered surprise at his appearance.

"No…" the whisper rolled out of him in disbelief. "She… she was in that building?"

He had to confirm it. He had to know.

Hyōjin nodded numbly.

"Could she… could she have gotten out? I didn't feel her chakra signature around, but she could have… she must have…"

"She was trying to supress the Bijū."

And he felt his heart squeeze painfully, because despite the dire situation, despite the emergency and the chaos, he couldn't stop the terrible feeling of loss. Because Ryūmi Uzumaki had been the gentlest, kindest, bravest person. In the brief time he had spent in her tutelage she had become much more than a teacher - she had been a friend. And Kushina… this would break her heart.

But this wasn't about him. Whatever Ryūmi had meant to him, it had nothing on what the man before him was feeling right now.

"Hyōjin-sama… I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

The older man finally directed his eyes to him, really looking at him for the first time since Minato had appeared before him, and a bone-weary sigh escaped him. He seemed to have aged tremendously in the brief time he had been gone. His eyes went over Minato with an intent look, as if he was searching for something invisible and hard to grasp.

"She did her duty." he finally said, "And I must do mine."

He had barely finished his last sentence before they felt the frazzle of pure unbridled chakra energy being gathered not too far away. The ball of energy that followed smashed in the opposite direction of them, sending roofs and trees flying with the pure blast wave of it.

The Bijū Dama. Sanbi had gotten around to using it.

"We have to stop it. It will destroy Uzu from the inside. What is your current formation? I could join the offense or defence where needed-" Minato began quickly, already turning towards the Bijū in the distance, deciding resolutely that Ryūmi's sacrifice would not be in vain.

"No."

Hyōjin's curt answer cut across him with absolute finality and halted him in his tracks. A spark of annoyance flickered in him as he turned to face the most stubborn man he knew.

"Hyōjin-sama, I have been sent by Sandaime-sama to aid you. I'm not as experienced a sealer as you and many Uzu shinobi, but I can help."

"I know you can. But I will not allow it."

Another roar from behind was followed by the sound of crashing buildings and screams. A group of shinobi dashed above them, heading for the Bijū, and Minato had to fight quite hard to keep his bubbling anger in check.

"With all due respect, the decision is not yours to make."

Hyōjin's eyebrows drew together in a harsh line and he neared him resolutely.

"Listen to me, Minato Namikaze. You are a capable shinobi and I have no doubt you can help us with the beast, but you are injured already; this is not a fight you can win. This is not a fight we can lightly win. Subduing a Bijū on a rampage requires sealing power that Uzu has and is already utilising elsewhere - keeping that barrier in check. We can't fight both Kiri's military power and a tailed beast. Uzu will fall."

He let his words hang between them, the certainty of them weighing them both.

He was right, of course, Minato knew it, felt it deep inside. Kiri had utilised a terrible brilliant move.

The realisation did little to waver his resolve. He had decided even before he set out.

"And I will protect it to the end. I've made a promise."

The older man weighed him with a look.

"Kushina?"

He nodded.

"She already lost her mother. She is on the verge of losing her home and her father is prepared to die for it. You cannot expect me to walk away."

"And then she will lose you too."

The words made him pause. He had to consciously stop himself from wincing, imagining the anguish it would cause her to lose everyone she cared about in a single day. Perhaps it was presumptuous of him to count himself amongst her closest people, but… she had asked him, begged him to come back home. And yet her home was about to be destroyed. And he had promised.

Hyōjin must have seen the decision plain on his face because he hurried ahead, "I am not asking you to sit this out, boy. There is something only you can do. Uzushiogakure's civilians, children and elderly have been evacuated in underground caves. They are trapped on an island about to fall."

"I don't…"

"You are the only one who can help them. Nidaime's technique, your technique, you can get them to the shore. We might die here today along with our home, but our legacy must not be lost. Our home is not the old buildings that sit around, but Uzu's people. Help them, take out twenty, ten, even one. Save as many as you can." the fire in his eyes was almost palpable as the older man reached out a hand and wrapped it around his arm, grip like steel. "Help them, boy. You are not here to bring death and embrace it. Bring life. Live. For her."

His eyes widened as the full implication of what was being asked of him finally hit him. Even if they somehow won against this Bijū, Kirigakure was still outside.

They were weakened. They were losing. And the massacre was inevitable.

He had been too late. Konoha hadn't been able to help.

Could he get people out? The shore was too far away to allow for teleportation between Uzu and the mainland, not without markers in between and he could hardly leave a trail of kunai in the middle of the ocean. The amount of chakra needed for such a distant jump for one person would probably cost his life, not to mention with more people added to his jumps.

But he had to try. He had to find a way.

Hyōjin must have seen the determination in his look as he assimilated the information, mind already whirling ahead and calculating options, ways how it could be done.

Because it had to be done. There was no option.

The older man nodded, quickly sketching how he could find the caves and granting him the key to enter - a brief seal which he imbedded in his wrist to allow him to bypass the defensive barriers. He had just finished the Fūin technique when the tailed beast threw another Bijū Dama which didn't strike too far away, blast wave slamming in them and making them skid back to avoid flying debris.

"I must go, I've delayed enough." Hyōjin said quietly from beside him, eyeing the Bijū in the distance.

Suddenly Minato felt like there were no adequate words that he could summon in this precise moment of time. This man, the father of the person he cherished most, was walking into his death and he had already embraced it. And Minato was powerless to stop him. Her father was likely to die before the day was out.

Before he could snap out of it the man had already turned to go. A few paces ahead he paused, looking back at the younger man with an appraising look.

"Minato. My office back in Konoha, third tatami row from the window down, middle tatami mat. You will know when to open it." he said and before the blond man could question him further Hyōjin Uzumaki turned around and leapt towards the roaring Bijū in the distance.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

The small frog appeared in a poof of smoke, a visible shiver running through it as it felt the Bijū chakra in the air around him.

"Minato-kun! You're injured!" it said quickly, noticing the obvious slashes and stains of blood on his flak jacket.

"Not serious." he hurried to explain, "Gamatechi-san. I need your help."

The frog ran a long tongue past a comically open mouth.

"You know I'm not the best fighter."

"I don't need a fighter. I need your speed and your summoning scroll. I need your endurance. Forgive me, I must ask you to wade through salt water. If we don't do this many people will die."

The frog gulped, nodding resolutely. Salt could be dangerous for most amphibians, Minato knew well. The salinity caused quick dehydration and could be poisonous to their system if endured for prolonged periods of time. His summons could slow down the process with chakra expelled from their skin, but it was a taxing sacrifice.

Still, he had little choice.

"We are currently in Uzushiogakure. It is surrounded by the Kiri army and a Bijū has been released inside. The people are trapped, I need to get them out."

The words tumbled out of him in a rush, the hasty explanation feeling woefully inadequate in explaining just how dire the situation was. The frog braced, fixing the scroll on its back steady.

"What must I do?"

"I need you to exit through the barrier to the west and swim as fast as you can towards the mainland. Dive deep in case Kirigakure have sensors that might feel your chakra signature. I need you to bypass them and summon two of your brothers further ahead at sea, at equal intervals from the shore. Bunta and perhaps Gamateru; they are large enough and have good chakra reserves to endure the salt as long as they can. Give them these," with that he placed two three pronged kunai in the frogs webbed hands, "and ask them to wait for me. I can use them as beacons. I can get people to the mainland."

The frog nodded quickly and tucked the kunai in its carrying belt along with the scroll.

"Thank you, Gamatechi-san. Get out as soon as you summon them. Do not endanger yourself in the salt longer than needed."

"Os!" it saluted with a webbed hand and jumped into action, quickly disappearing from sight.

Minato sprang into action too. The entrance to the caves behind him was invisible to the human eye; it appeared just as any rocky surface to the uninformed. But he knew better; Hyōjin had explain well. Willing himself to ignore the anticipation of impact he stepped towards the stone and through it, wrist warming uncomfortably as the seal there unlocked the barrier and allowed him passage. He found himself in an enormous stony corridor, rough stone steps descending in the ground. He hadn't made a single step before he felt a kunai pressed at his back.

"I'm a friend." he said levelly. "I was sent by Hyōjin Uzumaki. I am to aid your escape."

With that he lifted his hand, bearing his wrist for the shinobi that had surrounded him. The three men before him visibly relaxed out of their strained postures, but the weapon at his back remained where it was.

"What's going on out there? Has Konoha come to help?"

He paused.

"They've sent me. But our main forces were drawn away from the village proper before this fight even broke out. They will take longer to arrive. And we might not have the time to wait." he licked dry lips. "A Bijū has been released in Uzushiogakure."

The momentary shock that followed his words soon descended in a small measure of chaos as all four started talking over one another.

"A what?!"

"How-"

"Uzu doesn't have a-"

"We're fucked."

The last assessment seemed particularly apt in the current situation, but Minato refrained from addressing it. Gods only knew how he hadn't developed such expressive language under Jiraya's tutelage.

"We have to get the children and elderly out." the blond jōnin said, interrupting them firmly.

A heavy silence followed his words.

"Get them out how? I don't know if you've been paying attention, mate, but Uzu ain't exactly a mountain range. It's an island, the caves go down, not towards the land and we're surrounded by an army. I don't suppose they'd let us through if we ask them bloody politely. There's no getting out."

Minato was already shaking his head halfway through his words.

"I can get them out. This is why Hyōjin Uzumaki sent me. I have a technique… I can transport them out of here."

Four pairs of shocked eyes fixed him with an appraising look before the man from earlier whistled quietly. He had drawn eyes and a bulbous nose, giving him the expression of a ripe fruit.

"Transport them how?"

"Space-time Fūinjutsu. I can teleport them. I have no time to explain how it works, but you have to trust me - this might be our only way."

He could practically feel the gears turning in their minds, weighing everything that was being said.

"Well what are we waiting for, lads?"

The blade at his back finally disappeared as one of the men before him motioned for him to follow.

"The wifey's down there, ya know. I… she's five months pregnant. I don't… if you really can get her out…"

"I will." Minato vowed, breaking into a hurried run down the stairs along with the man who had left his sentry to accompany him down.

The caves were packed with children and elderly, all sitting around on impromptu benches and in alcoves, waiting for news. Other caverns had been occupied by injured men and women, probably evacuated from the hospital. Frantic medic nins and nurses were dashing in between them, trying to make do with the few supplies they had gathered from the hospital. The thick smell of moss, rot and smoke had seeped through the premises, made more pungent by the fires that had been lit for warmth and sterilisation where needed by the medical teams.

A group of people had approached eager for news as soon as Minato and the other shinobi, Teushi, had appeared in the caverns. The news of the dire attack had been met resolutely, with frantic whispers and muffled cries. The panic that Minato had expected had never broken out though, even if distress was now laying thickly all about. The medics in particular didn't seem one bit surprised by the news, carrying on as if nothing of import had happened and the blond man could have wagered anything that they had already known about the Bijū outside.

As if to confirm the revelation, a boom echoed from far away above ground and the caverns shuddered dangerously, dust and small gravel seeping from the ceiling over the crowds below. A few shouts went up in response, children huddling closer together.

He quickly came to the conclusion that these people were prepared; there were much fewer civilians in Uzu as it was a relatively small ninja village. Most people down here were either retired shinobi, impaired or too young to be sent into action. Regardless, that didn't stop a group of elderly men and women, along with some impassioned youths, from having a heated discussion with Teushi, who had hastily shared the plan for evacuation with those who seemed to be in charge, including some medic nins and nurses. Said group grew larger by the minute and before long some 60 strong were marching up the stairs towards the shelter exit. Before Minato could turn to stop them Teushi quieted him with a hand on one shoulder.

"Let them go. They won't go with you first. The children come with priority. They want to fight, buy them time. Age has never been a great deterrent for shinobi."

His tongue felt thick in his mouth. The smoke was choking him. A heavy feeling had settled in his stomach.

Of course they wouldn't go first. They wouldn't go at all.

The caves were packed with hundreds of people. And Minato simply didn't have the chakra to get them all out. He had been boosting his system with chakra during his headlong rush towards Uzu in order to stay awake and run faster; he had fought an opponent of near equal ability; he had run the last leg of his journey over water, continuously expelling chakra to stay on the surface; he was exhausted, injured, running on half capacity.

The frogs would make the jumps possible, but the distance was still greater than expected; Uzu was a good 15 kilometres away from land and with each jump he'd have to roughly jump five. He had already used one soldier pill on the way to Uzu and he had exactly four left in his possession; and even if the medical personnel present provided him with more, he didn't think he would be able to cope with them. They sped up chakra formation and replenishment, but the newly formed energy frazzled agitated, adrenaline-fueled and out of control. Overdose on soldier pills could easily elevate your heart-rate enough to knock you unconscious; or kill you. The crash symptoms after using just one or two were enough to render you in a near-vegetative state; not to mention five.

He felt the medic nin's eyes on him.

"You can really get them out?"

He gulped.

"Some."

She nodded with a knowing look as if she had expected his answer and it made perfect sense.

"Come, let me look at these injuries. Teushi, grab as many men as you need and organise the children. Pregnant women and kids go first. We don't have much time."

Some fifteen minutes later found him sitting cross-legged on a stone pillar, eyes closed, senses cast out for his Hiraishin tags. One was still nearby, buried in the rubble of the building he had now found out to have been the hospital; the others had quickly receded from the island before one had stopped immobile some kilometres away while the other was further away still. Gamatechi was nothing if not fast - he was the frogs' fastest swimmer.

Despite the short time passed since his arrival, the ground had been shaking more and more often, rubble raining over the terrified children. He had cracked his first soldier pill and had tried to rest as much as he could, feeling his chakra surging forward, energy whirling in him and revitalising him along with his healed injuries.

They were running out of time. It would have to be enough.

He finally opened his eyes and looked around at the group of children and few women around him. His hand quickly found the base of the pillar and a shadowy Hiraishin seal slid forward, nestling in the stone - his beacon to return to. In one fluid motion he was on his feet.

"This will be uncomfortable, but it will only last a split second. We have to make a few consecutive jumps but we'll be at the shore in no time. Don't let go of my arms."

With that he extended his arms and three children and a heavily pregnant woman stepped forward after brief hesitation. Their hands wrapped around his forearms, two on each side, as instructed earlier, a warmth that steadied him.

He could do this. He had to do this.

"Hang on tight." he said and reached for the first beacon.

Within a fraction of a second he felt the squeeze of space-time alteration and sea salt air filled his nostrils, his feet firmly latching on a slippery warty surface, chakra rooting him and his companions in place. A startled cry left one of the children as it stumbled on its feet, trying to regain his bearings after the shock of transportation. Bunta rumbled below him, sea water splashing gently over his back.

"Go, Minato!" his throaty voice carried like a boom over him and Minato nodded, reaching for the next beacon and further ahead - the shore.

Kushina swiped at her forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat that had formed there. A feeling of dread had seeped in her, making her headlong run rash and reckless; she had barely rested and she hadn't slept in over 24 hours.
She was still about half a day away from the shore, as far as she could estimate.

Her feet were heavy, system already overwhelmed; she had entered a rhythmic numb state. There was only her run and the quiet horror of what awaited her at the other end. She could barely blink her eyes closed before images of what she could find assaulted her.

Uzushiogakure burning, children slain, Kiri's butchers pillaging her home, torturing her family. Her village obliterated under a Bijū Dama. A tailed beast feeding on the Uzumaki people. Her parents' mangled bodies at its feet. Her parents screaming in agony. Minato crying out in pain. Minato facing the Kiri army alone, broken, bloodied, dying. Minato facing Sanbi, jumping in its path of destruction and death. Minato's lifeless body staring at the sky with unseeing eyes.

A pained cry left her, a choked sob, and her feet burned as she pushed harder, faster. It was too much. She couldn't bear it.

A rumble echoed through her mindscape, the shadow of red chakra swirling in anticipation, feeding her fears and sharpening the images to crystal clarity.

Kyūbi waited.

Minato's feet crashed uncontrollably in the shallows by the mainland shore, knees buckling under him and sending him forward amongst the breaking waves. The children by his side slipped out of his grasp, some stumbling in the water beside him. In his rush he had aimed for the nearest kunai discarded on the beach from his earlier fight, one that had landed in the shallows.

He had brought six people this time. As many as he could. He was running out of time.

A distant worried cry reached him as if from far away. His ears were ringing and he was fighting tunnel vision through a vicious headache.

Every muscle burned and he felt a violent shiver rock his frame, bile raising to his throat. His stomach convulsed and he retched in dry heaves. A feeling of cold was seeping over him; his body felt heavy, his limbs numb. His every breath was agony.

Chakra exhaustion was fighting to render him unconscious. His body was shutting down.

He had already burned through three of his soldier pills. A small group of some fifty people had gathered on the shore, a few women and many children, mostly civilian as most shinobi in training had insisted to go last. They all huddled close amongst the nearest trees. Some of the women had rushed through the shallow water as he appeared, kneeling beside him and trying to help him to his feet.

Their voices drifted in and out of focus.

He eyed them warily, glancing briefly at the others on the shore. So few. He had gotten so few out.

...Minato

He peered back at the nearest woman, glazed eyes taking in the familiar face, the flowing red hair reaching past her thighs. She reached out a trembling hand, steadying him and her touch burned through his soaked clothes and his icy skin. Her eyes were blazing, accusatory, angry and he flinched.

He shook his head and the world came in focus with crystal clarity, adrenaline surging through his system. She wasn't there. The woman by his side had short coppery hair, nothing like Kushina's fiery locks.

"Minato-san!" she was saying through a worried voice. "Please. Enough."

Tears were coming down her face, feeding the salt in the sea.

Whether she was crying out of relief, gratitude, shock or anguish for the people left behind, he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was all of these together.

He shook his head.

"I can get six more." he said, willing his unresponsive fingers to twitch, to raise, to get the last soldier pill from his pouch.

"You'll die!" she was near-shouting now. "Please!"

He ignored her, cracking the pill between his teeth and grunting against the near painful surge. It burned his chakra coils and he barely suppressed another wave of nausea.

"Take the children." he said and pushed back to his feet, unable to stop the hiss at the pain that shot through his body from such a simple move. His head had cleared some with the last pill. With a resolute sigh he closed his eyes and jumped back through the markers on his path.

The frogs were suffering, he could feel it amidst his jumps. He prayed silently that they could forgive him for putting them through this. He could have sent out clones. But he needed his chakra, as much of it as he could retain.

"Minato! St-!" came Bunta's rumbling voice, briefly heard amongst his jumps but he ignored it, already aiming for the seal in the cave.

As soon as he landed inside he could tell that something was wrong. The caverns echoed with panicked screams and shouts, along with the roar of elemental attacks and the metallic clashes of weapons. Someone slammed into him and knocked him off his feet as people ran and pushed every which way.

He tried to make sense of what was happening as his exhausted senses rushed to catch up to the situation. He felt a small hand tug at him and he saw a young girl trying to pull him up to his feet. Her eyes were crazed with fear. A stronger hand wrapped around his upper arm and a medic nin pulled him out of the fray, in the corner of the alcove where his Hiraishin seal hid.

"What-" he began just as he heard a loud crack and a portion of the ceiling came down some 200 meters away from them, burying people and patients with it. Minato could only stare horrified.

"The barrier has fallen. Kiri are in." the nin beside him said. She had pulled ten children about her, hiding them in the alcove amidst the chaos. Waiting for him.

They were all trembling. The younger were crying, the older staring horrified at the massacre about, silent tears running down their faces.

"Save them." She begged in panic just as a Kirigakure ninja emerged from the chaos and spotted him.

A vicious smile split his face, showing filed pointy teeth and he stepped towards them in excitement. The medic nin had already stepped before them all, shaking hands gripping a kunai before her resolutely.

"Doton: Iwa Toge Fushido no Jutsu!"

His voiced had been strained, trembling hands slamming in the ground with much less power than he would have liked. The Earth spikes that sprung forth were neither long enough nor fast enough to impale the enemy, but they effectively forced him to jump back and he disappeared in the fray. Minato felt the drain on his already abused chakra system and slumped forward, groaning with the technique. He had cast it in instinct. To protect her. To protect them all.

The medic nin leaned on the wall with a shaky sigh. She had been prepared to die for them. She still was. And he didn't even know her name.

A rumble shook the entire cave, rocking it dangerously just as an explosion of fire and debris flew in from the distant exit. The ceiling groaned and the caverns around it started collapsing in piles of boulders and rubble.

The woman turned to him in a frantic look.

"GO!" she screamed, the dust everywhere choking out her next words and he reached out for as many hands as he could find, wrapping the children in a clumsy embrace as he saw the cave ceiling collapsing ahead. The medic nin's terrified face was the last thing he saw before he willed himself to reach out for the first Hiraishin seal, dragging the children with him as he went.

He flew through the markers in a rush, fearing he would lose the panicked hands on the way.

He felt the little chakra he had recovered with the last soldier pill drain almost immediately. He had taken nine. One had remained behind, broken contact in the chaos. He cursed inwardly. The children were holding on flimsily, his grip on them barely stable and they all stumbled on the beach, spilling about him with terrified cries.

He had already turned and jumped back, through his first marker, to his second. He halted on Bunta's head, feeling the gaping emptiness ahead.

His Hiraishin tags in Uzu were gone.

Pillars of smoke were rising in the distance from what had once been the great Sealing village. The barrier had fallen. The Bijū's roars had died down, but Kiri had invaded to finish off what the tailed beast hadn't.

"Minato… Enough." Bunta's voice reverberated over the water and through him as he fell to his knees over the frog's head, panting hard.

Beads of cold sweat had broken all over his skin, mixing with the saltwater in his clothes. Blackness was tugging around the edges of his vision. The icy feeling had returned, the weight in his limbs doubling as all fight left him, replaced with despair.

"I failed."

And everything hurt. He ached on the inside for everything he had lost. For everything Kushina had lost. His body felt aflame.

"You did all you could." the frog's voice was saying from somewhere far away. He sagged sideways, unable to support himself any longer. With his last wisps of consciousness he realised that the great frog's tongue had wrapped around him and had picked him up as Bunta started moving. He barely felt it; all he saw was the medic nin's terrified eyes as he left without her and the huddling form of a child whom he hadn't saved.

All too soon he was lowered in the sand and hands were about him, lifting him up. The cold was now unstoppable; it was in him, bone-deep. With a last sigh he surrendered to the blackness that he had fought to keep at bay for the last hour.

And all went dark.

Her trembling feet carried her up the hill in a trance-like state.

She had reached the first of the smaller archipelago islands a few minutes prior after making the last part of her dash over water. The hilly terrain of it hid Uzushiogakure proper from her view, but instead of dashing up the slope and over she had first halted, throat thick with the scent of ashes all around.

Her mind was reeling in shock, refusing to grasp what she already knew awaited her - pillars of smoke had obscured the darkening sky up ahead, outlined starkly in the sunset hues.

There was no trace of Uzu's barrier; no trace of a single soul.

Signs of the fight were all around her in the destroyed terrain and discarded weapons. Kirigakure had retreated, their job done - they had known that Konoha's main forces were on their way, not far behind her.

She didn't know what she was hoping for as she made the last steps to the hill's top. That Kiri had left before doing too much damage? That she'd see her parents below, miraculous survivors of the attack? That she'd see Minato waiting on the other side?

The view was beyond her worst fears.

The village hidden in the eddies was gone. The main island was a jumble of destroyed buildings, rubble and debris making it almost impossible to tell that a great clan had once lived there. Fires raged throughout, engulfing the remains in smoke. The flames danced over the water surface all around and in the canals that criss-crossed the once peaceful village. Entire sections of the land had been submerged, the clear craters of Bijū Damas being discernible even from this distance.

Kushina felt the air rush out of her lungs as if punched. Her legs gave out under her and she fell to her knees disgracefully, horror paralyzing her. And all she could do was scream, a terrified, blood-curdling sound that echoed its agony against the destruction all around.

The hellish picture before her eyes faded and she found herself floating in a sea of dirtied water, staring numbly at the rusty ceiling above. A gigantic cage loomed ahead of her, seeping blood-red chakra in the waters around.

"They are all dead." it said and she felt her throat constrict, suddenly short of air. The chakra seeped closer, smouldering, scalding her skin.

Her chest felt raw.

"Tortured. Broken. Murdered." the booming voice said, reverberating all around.

It was all around her and in her, everywhere at once. It was her.

An animalistic screech echoed over the burning remains of what was once Uzushiogakure no Sato.

Chapter Text

Hiruzen Sarutobi had rarely felt quite so old as he did in that instant, bearing the heavy looks of his advisors who seemed to have thoroughly disapproved of his actions.

Homura and Koharu were sitting across from each other on the large sofas provided in the council meeting room, on either side of the armchair that Hiruzen himself favoured. Danzō had chosen to remain standing, eyeing him down with what Sandaime thought to be an open attempt at intimidation.

"What you did put the entire village at risk!" Homura cut through, finally voicing the displeasure that they all seemed so eager to voice.

"What if Sunagakure had attacked? The Hokage's place is in the village, with his people!" Koharu chimed in as well.

Hiruzen sighed.

"I take full responsibility for my actions, but there was no time to consult you in the given situation. Should Konoha be attacked in my absence, I trust in my comrades to defend it. I trust in Anbu and in you." with that he looked at Danzō who had remained impassive throughout the exchange.

"Should Konoha be attacked?! Do you hear yourself, Hiruzen! You can't tell us you're planning on doing this again!"

"Koharu."

This stern voice that he rarely used with his friends had become a greater part of him than he had wanted. The voice of the Hokage had silenced the older woman almost straight away.

"Kushina Uzumaki would have lost control. She was down to three tails and in full Kyūbi-coat mode when our forces reached what was left of Uzu. Had I not gone to retrieve her I fear some lives would have been lost in trying to subdue her, if at all successful. Konoha can't afford to lose its Jinchūriki at a time like this."

Koharu Utatane fumed quietly by his side, grudgingly assimilating his words.

"The girl has become a problem." Homura observed sternly.

"What she did was ill-advised. But, my friends… put yourselves in her stead. If you had heard that Konoha is being attacked, about to fall, wouldn't you rush to its aid?"

The distant thrum of the cicadas outside turned into the only sound breaking the silence for a long time. The hot summer sun was beating down mercilessly, creating a haze above the roofs visible through the one window the room had been fitted with.

"And now our strongest ally is lost. Uzushiogakure has fallen." Danzō finally spoke up, his voice deceptively calm. "How ironic, that the girl who houses our tailed beast would almost lose control of it over the ashes of the ones who could control it best."

"Danzō…"

"You know it can be avoided."

Another heavy silence followed, Sandaime seemingly lost in a quiet exchange with the bandaged man before him.

"I know what you will say. And you know what my opinion is. We don't have the men that Kumo has to spare on subduing their Jinchūriki every time that it fails to achieve control. We can't train her."

"She is a wasted weapon then."

"I see no alternative." Hiruzen said heavily. What Danzō was suggesting, had been suggesting for far too long now, was risky and simply unattainable right now. "Not now especially, with Uzu gone. We can't afford to lose a container to failed experiments. Who would take her place?"

A flash of annoyance finally passed over Danzō's features and his hand tightened over his cane, knuckles paling.

"If you had let me train her earlier this could have been avoided. If she had mastered it she could have saved Uzu. You wouldn't have had to leave after her at all, exposing us at risk." his accusation stung in all the right places, but it had come too late. "Let me have her now. I'll train her well, within the Root system far below. No one need know. She'll disappear and come back new again. Or else it might be Konoha facing Uzu's fate the next time around."

Homura and Koharu were nodding on either side of him, agreeing either with the offer or with the threat assessment stated in the most foreboding manner at the end. He had to admit that from a Hokage point of view it sounded most prudent to have their one Jinchūriki trained. Gods knew she would be unstoppable if she could control her Bijū. Konoha would win the war with ease.

And yet... Mito Uzumaki had warned him against such pathways. She had spoken passionately and with conviction and she had made him swear that the Bijū container, whoever they may be, would not be shrouded in secrecy and isolation.

His hand slowly lifted up to rub his temples in an attempt to fight off the oncoming headache.

"I know you mean well, Danzō, but this is not the way. Kushina Uzumaki is not to be recruited into Root or trained by you. That is my final decision."

A dejected snort was all the reaction Danzō deemed appropriate to voice at his words.

"And what of the girl now?" Koharu asked through a frown.

"She's in the hospital's secure ward, hasn't regained consciousness yet. She's been subdued but the Bijū is further suppressed with seals. She's got second degree burns, but is healing rapidly, as usual. Our best seal-experts are watching over her, just in case."

"And the Uzu survivors?"

"They've been transported to crisis centres in and around Konoha. Most of them are young children. Some displayed shinobi abilities, but the majority are civilians. They are in shock, of course. The women amongst them have spoken about organising an Uzumaki survivor centre, outside of Konoha. They refuse to live in a shinobi village again."

Humura harrumphed his protest.

"Surely they don't think that safer than residing in Konoha?"

"It is their choice. Besides, I can see several reasons why they wouldn't trust Konoha as things are, can't you, friend?"

"They were saved by a Konoha shinobi." Koharu reasoned, "The boy died for their sake, surely they wouldn't say Konoha didn't try to aid them."

"What we did was too little, too late, I'm afraid." Hiruzen sighed and rose, feeling doubly exhausted by their talk. "And contrary to what you may have heard, Minato Namikaze survived, although his condition is critical. Tsunade is overlooking his treatment seeing as Jiraya is out of immediate danger."

The medic nin that entered her room was dressed in a pristine light green robe. It was spotless, sterile, just like Kushina's small hospital room. His rubber shoes made a squeaking noise on the immaculate linoleum floor.

All of this she noticed in an abstracted way, registering somewhere in her peripheral vision. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, never leaving the wall before her. She wondered distractedly if she was on drugs wearing off or if she simply didn't have it in her to care.

The man approached her and waved a hand before her face. He seemed to have said something that she had promptly ignored. Her torso and arms were covered in bandages and her one hand was playing with the hem of one such white bandage methodically.

"I can't feel my chakra." she blurted out, the first thing on her mind.

The scratch of pen on paper. The man was writing something down.

"It's been suppressed with seals."

She nodded most reasonably. A part of her mind let her know that she had known that already.

"How are you feeling?"

The question was so outstandingly misplaced that a comical snort escaped her.

"Just fine, ya know."

She still refused to look at him, staring resolutely ahead.

"Any pain? Exhaustion? Dizziness?"

"None."

He hmm-ed thoughtfully. The pen was scratching at the parchment once again.

"Well your skin is mostly healed. Quite remarkable I would say, it would have taken a normal shinobi more than a month to completely recover from such extensive burns."

"Good thing I'm not normal, then, huh?" she said so flatly that she might have asked about the weather with more enthusiasm in her voice.

Silence met her words. Most men would have apologised, or tried to explain what they had meant. Instead her sealing-proficient medic allowed a quick "Indeed" before returning his attention to the medical chart.

"We'll run some more tests, not all of which medical. We need to evaluate your mental and emotional state before removing the suppression seals."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood. She could tell without looking that he was staring at her with a heavy, calculating look.

"Uzushiogakure was destroyed in the attack."

She inhaled. Exhaled.

"I know."

And she did know, she had seen it herself. And if there had been tears then, none came to her now. She felt drained dry. A sense of chilling emptiness had settled in her instead; she felt numb.

"I'm afraid to report that your parents passed away in the attack. Hyōjin Uzumaki's body was found near the area we have come to associate with the fight to suppress Sanbi. His body was returned to Konoha to be buried with honours. The ceremony is in three days. Ryūmi Uzumaki's body was never recovered, but she's presumed dead as well. I'm sorry."

She nodded. She had known that, too, even if in lesser details. Sanbi had broken out, like Jiraya said it would. Her parents had fought it, like she knew they would. Fool's the one who hopes.

She wondered what kimono they would bury her father in. She hoped it would be his white silk haori - it made him look quite regal, he would have liked that.

After the strained pause continued for what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time, the medic cleared his throat and turned to leave.

"Well, if there's anything you need."

He had reached the door, hand wrapping around the handle when she slipped - her mind, so carefully avoiding dangerous thoughts, had pushed a question forward and she blurted it out without thinking.

"What of Minato Namikaze? Was he... recovered?" she pushed past dry lips and for the first time her voice wavered.

She had finally turned away from the darned spotless wall and the man turned to face her, mild surprise written on his face.

You need to know, she reasoned critically with herself, you need to know and bury it. His words wouldn't faze her. They would float gently above the surface and never quite reach deep down.

"He was found, yes. He managed to rescue some of Uzu's citizens as far as I'm aware. Brave man, that. He was brought urgently to the intensive unit, but... I hear he'll likely make it out okay."

She gasped, a loud uncontrollable sound, sucking in air as if for the first time for the last few days.

And then the tears came.

A clock was ticking from somewhere not too far away, the rhythmic sound measuring the silence most persistently, without pause.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock

A cacophony of sounds seemed to drown it out periodically, drifting in and out of focus irregularly as if someone was tweaking with a radio frequency. They buzzed around him distantly and his mind lazily snatched on separate words, turning them every which way, trying to hone them to clarity with little success. They danced across his mindscape, jumbled, before slipping through the cogs.

Tick tock tick tock

His head felt like it was stuffed of soft cotton. Time seemed to move outside of him and past him.

Tick tock

The persistent sound seemed to gun the haze suddenly and he gasped awake, his muscles contracting in shock and trying to propel him forward. The pain was almost instantaneous and he groaned.

His mind struggled sluggishly to catch up to the sudden flare of panic, assessing the situation around him in a distant, absent way: he seemed to be in a hospital room, judging by the IV-tube attached to his arm and the monitor that had started beeping frantically upon his waking up. The whole premises were covered in the comfortable calm of darkness and the darned clock of his nightmares confirmed his idea: it steadily measured 3:40 at night from the wall up ahead.

A sheen of sweat had covered his body upon his attempt to move and he quickly flopped back, head already feeling unusually heavy and clouded. A new feeling quickly overruled his attention as he tried to swallow past a throat that was so parched that it felt like his tongue could sand away his own teeth.

The lights in the room suddenly flared up with a hiss and a grunt escaped him. He tried to blink away the painful stabs that the offending light had brought. Two hazy figures had entered the room, their silhouettes blurring at the edges.

"Namikaze-san ...awake?"

"...confused ...first stages… get Tsunade-sama."

What little consciousness he had regained seemed to be slipping away.

"Water." he croaked and his voice was a ruin.

Hands were about him and the seconds before the liquid was brought to his lips felt like an eternity.

The clock was stubbornly trying to prove him wrong.

Tick tock tick tock

The next time Minato woke up the sun seemed to be high in the sky, spilling light in his little hospital room. He felt its warmth dancing across his eyelids. He was exhausted, as if each move would cost him a heroic effort to accomplish, but his head was much clearer. The delirious state of the previous night had receded.

"Finally awake, hm?"

His eyes flashed open and quickly found the blond medic-nin sitting by his side. She was looking over a medical chart and glancing his way with a relieved smile.

"Tsunade-sama. What…?" he croaked, clearing his throat past the huskiness.

"You're in Konoha, in the hospital, if you couldn't tell already. You… put yourself through quite the trial, Minato." she said, ticking away in her chart.

It wasn't that he had forgotten what had transpired earlier, but her words brought it to the foreground of his attention and he felt his throat clamp up. His shoulders slumped forward with a weight that he didn't know if he would ever lose.

His look strayed to his lap, suddenly finding it impossibly difficult to look at the woman next to him, the granddaughter of the great Mito Uzumaki, whose home and legacy had been destroyed. Because he had been too late.

He wanted to ask but the words felt leaden in his mouth.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked after seemingly having observed him quietly for the past minute.

"I do."

"Good. Forgive the patronising question, but you've been in a medically-induced coma for the past week, I needed to make sure you're not suffering from memory loss or other cognitive impairment."

"I overdosed on soldier pills."

She paused, leaving the chart on his bedside and leaning back in the visitor's chair.

"You did. And you exhausted your chakra so completely that you nearly died for it. The frogs kept you alive for long enough to get help. We'll have to run a series of medical checks to make sure you're recovering well. Your chakra stocks might take awhile longer to return to normal, seeing as how you near-burned your chakra coils with your stunts."

He simply nodded, running a tongue past dry lips. The woman didn't press forward, content to wait.

The clock's ticking suddenly felt thunderous.

"Ask me." she finally said after what felt like a long time.

He gulped.

"What… What of Uzushiogakure?"

"Gone."

And it felt like a punch in the gut. Well-expected, yes, but not any less painful for it. His breath came out in a shuddering rasp.

"Most of the fallen were buried on the island in a small ceremony three days ago - Hokage-sama deemed it proper to let their remains rest where their home was, but the region was too disputed to allow for an official ceremony to be held there, what with Kiri nearby and their unclear wartime status. The official commemoration ceremony will be held in Konoha in two days. They waited so they could give the chance for whoever wanted to return to the village and pay their respects. And… for Kushina to make a recovery."

With those words he finally looked up to meet her eyes, the surprise at hearing that name shaking him. An invisible hand had twisted in his chest, clawing painfully.

"To make a recovery? Was she unwell?" he finally dared to ask.

"She ran after you. She was rushed back in with near third-degree burns. She must have dived in the wreckage fires trying to do gods know what." and there was a frown on Tsunade's face, as if she highly disapproved of everything she had just said.

The air had suddenly gone strangely thin. The monitor that had been connected to a patch on his arm suddenly picked up its beeps, announcing to the world that his heart had gone flying.

He had assumed she hadn't taken the news well. That she had been in distress, in disbelief, in shock. But to know she had been there, in that hell, amidst enemies and a Bijū, amidst the wreckage of her home, the unmarked graves of her parents... she had waded through the fires trying to find them, in vain.

"She's fine." Tsunade hurried to assure him, quietly glancing at his hands that had clenched over the sheets without him even realising it, knuckles growing white. "She recovers quickly. I'm told she has mostly healed."

"You… haven't been to see her?"

The medic nin shook her head. There was a trepidation in her countenance, as if she was choosing her words with care.

"She's in the secure ward. No visitors apart from her appointed medics and the Hokage. She's to be released in two days, if you wish to visit her then-"

"No." he said quietly.

He should go to her, be by her side, beg her forgiveness, he knew it and yet…

How could he beg forgiveness for something unforgivable?

It's cowardice, a part of him was saying, but he was so tired to stand up and fight his own uncertainty. He was exhausted.

"When will I be released?"

Tsunade hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something more but deciding against it.

"I will need to run some additional checks, but if all is well you can go home tomorrow. You'll be expected to write a full report on the events in Uzu as soon as you're able, of course. Hokage-sama might stop by to speak with you later today."

He nodded, thanking her, and slumped against his pillows giving in to his exhaustion.

He had expected the training grounds to be empty on the day of the Ceremony, but he had been wrong. A lone figure stood in the middle of training field three, all dressed in black, as he was. She was holding a folded black umbrella, eyeing the overcast sky.

Minato hesitated for a second before a spark of recognition hit him. The woman was slender, not too tall, with pleasant, yet rather nondescript features. Her dark hair pegged her as a member of any which clan or none at all and yet there was something familiar to her profile.

She turned to face him just as he was debating whether he should go and his eyes widened, taking in an older and somewhat tired-looking Mikoto.

She smiled, recognising him instantly and moved ahead to greet him. Despite the warmth in her face he was not surprised when she stopped a few feet away from him and bowed down - Uchiha were nothing if not polite and she seemed to have grown into her clan's traditions and customs.

"Minato-san, it's so good to see you after all these years."

"Likewise, Mikoto-san." he returned and if his smile was a little strained it had little to do with the old friend before him.

"My, how much you've grown. You'll give me neck pain for looking at you." she said and on any other day he might have chuckled at her remark.

"I seem to get that a lot. You've changed too, Mikoto-san. It took me much too long to recognise you at first."

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment." she said and winked at him through an easy smile.

"As it was intended." and for a moment it was all alright. For a moment they were 13, meeting up to train, without a worry in the world. For a moment the world held every promise.

And then she looked away, surveying the field and the dark flower pin that held her hair caught his eyes.

Black. For mourning.

"This place hasn't changed much, though, has it? I haven't got much time, I return to the fronts again in a few days. I wanted to come see it before I left again."

He didn't know exactly why he had decided to come this way. He had tried the hospital earlier, inquiring after Jiraya, only to be assured that his teacher would make a recovery, but was still on heavy medication and was and would be out of it for quite some time. Perhaps his feet had then carried him on their own accord, as it often happened, to places that held more pleasant memories in stock.

"Little has changed in Konoha, thanks to your efforts and those of our shinobi on the lines." he allowed.

They stood quietly, taking in the calmness of the grass that whispered with the rising wind. Perhaps she was remembering happier times, same as him.

"When I said I'd like us to meet here again one day, I had different occasions in mind." she said finally, promptly addressing the inevitable.

He sighed, a weary, tired sound.

"You've come back for the ceremony?"

She nodded, a look of sadness entering her face.

"How's Kushina-san?" she asked and he couldn't stop himself from looking away.

"She was in the hospital, I… I haven't seen her."

"Minato-san… she needs us."

There was a lump in his throat and he had to swallow past it.

"I can't… I can't be the one to…" the words were heavy, difficult to form and he found himself stumbling past them, so very unusual for his otherwise eloquent way of speech.

"Minato."

But he had already turned away.

"The ceremony will begin soon. We should make our way there." he said and Mikoto's resigned sigh was the only confirmation he received as she joined him heading towards the exit.

The dandelions danced lazily with the wind, scattering their fluff about unnoticed.

They were standing in a neat line, rows upon rows of people, a sea of black. Most of the village seemed to have come to the ceremony and whoever could be spared from the fronts had returned too.

For once the weather had agreed with the occasion. Heavy clouds had rolled in, hanging low with the promise of rain. A quiet rumble echoed, announcing a distant storm.

The crowd was silent, solemn save for the occasional whispers. A flash of white chrysanthemums adorned their arms, a last tribute for the great man being buried and for the loss of a great clan.

Minato had been shown to the fourth row and his heart clenched at the significance of it all - the people closest to the deceased always stood at the front. He was considered close to the Uzumakis; the irony of it was yet another stab on the inside.

Before him stood the council of elders and other dignitaries of the Konoha elite, preceded by the Uzumaki survivors of the attack. He recognised some of their faces in a distant way - he had been in such a horrified rush that he had barely had the time to see them proper. Most of them were children, primly dressed in black as well. While the younger ones were peering curiously around, the older ones seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation and stood about quietly, heads bowed down in grief. The few women that stood in between were quiet too, wordless tears marking their pain.

And there, at the very front, dressed in a formal black kimono and with hair brought up in an elaborate traditional bun, stood Kushina. It was the first time he saw her since his unfortunate departure - since his broken promise - and his chest constricted painfully in a way he hadn't thought possible. All too suddenly he felt cold.

She had her back turned to him and he found himself terrified and yearning to look at her at the same time. He didn't want to run from her pain; and yet knowing he had been the one to fail preventing it was most terrifying of all.

The Hokage was facing the crowd from the small podium where Hyōjin Uzumaki's closed casket stood. He was saying words of commemoration, the rising wind stealing away at his speech. He spoke about the dignity, the honour and resilience, the vivacity and unquestionable loyalty that Uzushiogakure possessed. About the loss not of an ally, but of friends. His words rooted them, falling heavily and lingering behind.

He heard it all and yet he couldn't take his eyes off Kushina all the while - not as Sandaime-sama took the time to beg forgiveness of the Uzu survivors for their failure to do more; not when he shifted speaking of Hyōjin and Ryūmi Uzumaki individually and of their numerous contributions to the village.

Finally it was her turn - Hiruzen Sarutobi had stopped talking and Kushina stepped forward, as if in trance. Her hands were clutching a stick of incense and she lit it quickly, fingers carrying it through the air with her last blessings before she left it in the urn before the casket. She turned to face the crowd and Minato finally got a glimpse at her face.

She was staring ahead resolutely, not glancing his way for an instant - her look was vacant, empty, dull. She was there and not at the same time. She could have been carved of stone. He had expected to see her in distress, to see her crying with the other women of Uzu - but somehow this lack of emotion hurt even more.

One by one the other Uzushiogakure survivors stepped forward, leaving their own incense in the urn before the others moved forward, a swirl of black, laying chrysanthemums on and all around the grave.

For the man and woman who had given their lives for their home. For the clan who had stood proud in the face of destruction. For their friends. And no words could capture the feeling of loss that weighed them.

By the time he reached the front to lay his own flowers Kushina had been swept with the crowd of mourners.

Hyōjin Uzumaki's casket loomed ahead of him, giant and imposing. The incense was choking him. Somewhere not far away a young Uzumaki child was asking someone when his parents would arrive and he felt his heart give another painful squeeze. Suddenly the air was too heavy, not enough of it reaching him and he felt his breathing pick up shallowly. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead and he realised he must have been shaking, for someone put a hand on his shoulder.

"Minato?" he heard Shikaku's voice from behind him, questioning.

"I'm well. I just need… a minute." he said, feet already carrying him away from the crowd. Away from the ceremony. Away from it all.

The Uzumaki home in Konoha was on the outskirts of the village, surrounded by cherry trees all about. They were thick with green foliage at this time of year, leaves whipping with the wind. A lightning flashed from up ahead and the following thunder was almost instantaneous - the storm was almost upon them.

Minato expected the home to be secured with seals, but from what he could feel the defences had been left down. Kushina seemed to have decided not to bother with them at all, even though he couldn't feel her presence anywhere around. Not yet, at least. He had left the ceremony in a rush, finding his way to her home much too quickly. She wouldn't be back yet, of course - not before the Uzu survivors talk to her; not before the ceremony concludes.

This suited him. It wasn't her that he had come to see. A sense of misplaced duty weighed him down - a secret that he felt he had been entrusted with without having deserved it.

It took him all of five minutes to locate Hyōjin Uzumaki's office.

It had been left untouched since his departure, notes lying on his desk as he had abandoned them upon being summoned. The room was impossibly clean, in a way most unnatural for a seal master. Neat rows of scrolls lined up the cabinets on one side, mirrored by bookcases filled with old tomes on the other. An expensive calligraphy set lay on the nearest side table, waiting for an owner that wouldn't come.

Another lightning flashed from outside, lining the room in opaque light for an instant and Minato felt the hairs on his arms rise.

He didn't belong here, in this home. The man had refused him.

And yet.

My office back in Konoha, third tatami row from the window down, middle tatami mat. he had said, entrusting him with a legacy Minato had no idea what to do with.

He had been Hyōjin's last hope to pass on a secret that he was somehow sure no one else knew of. He owed it to the man to at least see.

Said tatami mat was easy to locate once he knew to look for it, although it would have looked quite the same as any other had he not known. It lifted easily, revealing a locked compartment underneath. An elaborate seal barred him, gleaming at the slightest contact with chakra.

His heart dropped. The formula was complex, unlike anything he had ever seen before. He took out his notebook, copying it best as he could and surveyed all the components of the most complex seal he had seen. He didn't have the slightest clue how to open it and the longer he scanned it the more his head began to swim with the signs, none of them making any sense.

Darn it, he found himself cursing, clenching his teeth. His fist came down on the mat next to it as he bowed his head forward. Darn it all.

He was supposed to be good at this. He had worked so hard, without pause, without a second thought, he had given his whole heart and being to seals. He was supposed to be able to do this, to follow through on a dead man's last wish.

But Hyōjin Uzumaki didn't give you this information, because he thought you were worthy, a voice inside was saying, He gave it to you, because you were the only one he could give it to in his last moments.

Perhaps it was meant for Kushina? But he had said nothing of his daughter. And surely he would have told her if it was meant for her? Her father was dead, she deserved to know. Perhaps she knew how to open it.

You will know when to open it. You, he had said, believing that Minato could.

A feeling of helplessness settled in him.

I can't.

A lock clicked from somewhere far away in the house. Minato startled, quickly brushing two fingers at the floor and his stomach dropped. Kushina's chakra signature thrummed dimly at the entrance, announcing her return. For a second he stood rooted, worry battling his unease as he threw a quick glance at the window ahead of him. It had started to pour outside, rain falling in an angry whisper.

Regardless of his decision, this was not the way to approach her - being found barging in her home without permission. He quickly replaced the mat as he had found it and slipped outside through the window, quietly, crossing the yard with enviable speed and finding himself outside of the Uzumaki compound.

The rain drenched him in seconds, plastering his hair to his face. The cold was outside and inside now and he felt his hands trembling once again as he looked at the Uzumaki compound, fighting his own fears in the storm.

Squelch, squelch her drenched zori echoed with her slow steps in the corridor. Her kimono stuck to her in an icy embrace. The rain had made a ruin of her hairdo, tumbling it halfway down with pins hanging at odd corners under the impossible task to maintain all of her hair in place during a storm.

She found herself entering the living room, the first room by the front door, without thinking. Everything stood as before, frozen in time - her mother's book lay on the couch, a slip of paper marking where she had gotten to. Her father's haori hung by the door. His shogi set was propped up against the low coffee table, ready to be used.

All of it abandoned. The great Uzumaki house was screaming silence at her.

Her eyes scanned all of it, feeling her walls begin to crumble under the very literal walls of her home. Her fingers ran over the light bookcase by the door, tracing tomes mindlessly, clumsily until they reached the spot where her mother's last book had been.

The very last.

A sob choked her and then a cry, and before she knew it her hands had clenched, bringing down the whole row of books.

The unbridled act of violence had broken something in her, had released a desperate rage that she had fought to keep inside.

Her pained cry turned into a scream, full of desperation and anger and her hands were flying through the books and then the bookcase, bringing it all down with a crash.

A fury had taken her, demanding outlet. She upturned, tore and threw without thinking, raining chaos all around until exhaustion took her and she crumbled in the middle of her destroyed living room floor, sobs rocking her whole frame.

Minato stood on the porch of her house, under the archway that provided respite from the storm. Water was coming off of him in rivulets, making a puddle before her door.

He ought to knock.

His arms felt heavy, glued to his side. He was trembling, not knowing whether it was the cold or a deep-driven fear that he couldn't quite name. Facing her and her pain and disappointment had turned into an impossible task.

How he cared for her. How much he hated himself for letting her down.

His hand lifted impossibly slowly and he lay a palm flat against the door, steadying himself, locking onto her chakra signature and revelling in it from afar.

He ought to knock.

A muffled pained scream reached him and her chakra flared. For an impossibly long second he tensed until he realised she was alone, not in danger.

She was just in pain.

A crash followed the sound and then another as Kushina proceeded to destroy her own home with a fury he had rarely seen in her.

Pain flared anew in his chest, took his breath away and winded him. He clenched his teeth and bowed his head forward, resting his forehead against the door, that impossible barrier between.

Darn it all.

He ought to knock.

He ought to barge in there and soothe her, hold her, calm her. And beg forgiveness. And swear to make it all right again.

And he knew it couldn't be made right, not ever, not in the way that she deserved.

What right did he have to console her, he, the one who had asked her to stay behind, promising to protect her home, asking her to put her trust in him. And she had done so willingly, unquestionably. And he had failed her. He had survived while her clan was slaughtered mercilessly before their time.

Inside the house Kushina subsided, the sounds of crashing furniture dying out.

Another chakra signature entered his mindscape from far away and he recognised Mikoto, nearing the Uzumaki compound. She would be there for her, as she had every right to be.

His resolve shattered before even being formed and he quietly shunshinned away.

He stood in the Hokage office, kneeling before the man, head bowed in respect. Despite the late hour, despite the long day he had gone through, Sandaime-sama had granted the requested audience and was now patiently waiting to hear what the blond man wanted.

His request was vital, Minato had realised. He needed this.

"What is it that you ask of me, Minato?" Hiruzen asked quietly.

"To be sent to the fronts. I can… I know I've failed you, Hiruzen-sama. I failed Uzushiogakure. But I can still… This war has to end. We can't lose more." I can't lose more, she can't, he could have said, but the words sounded impertinent and selfish and out of place.

"Minato… you haven't failed me. Or Uzushiogakure. You did all you could."

"It was not enough."

"You saved 64 lives. That has to mean something to you. It surely means everything to them."

Minato remained silent and Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, a weary, tired sound.

"Very well. Aid in the war is always needed and your skills can help many. They do need help at the front with Iwa as they are renewing their attacks in the wake of Kiri's diversion. A squad is leaving in that direction early in the morning," his hands went over the numerous scrolls on his desk, locating one and neatly folding it before passing it to the young man. "You can join them. Find your way to the missions desk and hand them this. They will give you the needed details of your official appointment and information about the squad you can join."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

He quickly rose to go.

"And Minato? Consider my words. Remember the lives you saved in the wake of the lives you may take on the fronts. Failure is not as simple as that."

Minato nodded reluctantly, not sure what else there was to say.

Sandaime-sama sighed once again and allowed his leave, turning to look over Konoha with a pained look.

The child of prophecy would bring stability or great destruction the prophecy words echoed in his head and Sarutobi bowed his head, hoping beyond hope that he hadn't made the wrong choice in agreeing with the young man's request.

Chapter Text

"So in the end we agreed to postpone the wedding with a couple of weeks. Fugaku wasn't too thrilled, but he couldn't go against the clan's decisions." Mikoto was saying, looking out over the Konoha rooftops.

It was a pleasant early morning. The cherry trees were in full bloom once again, raining petals with the slightest breeze and she was glad for the view that her new apartment offered, especially when she could finally utilise the tiny terrace in warmer weather.

It was pleasant to share the time with Mikoto, chatting away over mismatched tea mugs. Her Uchiha friend had been in and out of Konoha throughout the last few months, always finding time to drop by and see her. Kushina was grateful.

"Weddings sound like so much work, ya know." she quipped and Mikoto's smile was only partially strained.

"Tell me about it. But you know… it might be worth it in the end." she said with a wink.

"You sap."

They both laughed before allowing for companionable silence to settle.

"You know… You seem better." Mikoto ventured quietly.

It had been awhile since they had spoken about it.

"I've been better. It's not… it won't be the same, I suppose, but I'm okay, Mikoto." Kushina said and was only partially surprised to find she meant it.

It had been hard.

She had often wavered between engulfing melancholy and numbing apathy, dithering on the threshold of depression. It had been hard to motivate herself to keep pushing. There had been days when she hadn't wanted to do more than stay in and sleep.

And perhaps that's exactly what she would have done, had she had to face it all alone.

But she hadn't been alone at all.

Mikoto had spent as many days as she could have not far away, not intruding on her grief but simply being there, a calm presence in her life.

Tsume had been a ball of energy, as always, helping Kushina channel all her fury into training, indulging her emotional outbursts.

Jiraya had also dropped by to offer his condolences after he had recovered. Kushina had actually found herself stunned for words when she witnessed the bawdy man's serious side perhaps for the first time in her whole life; the sannin had tried to apologise for not getting word sooner, thinking that somehow Uzu's fall had been partially his fault.

Sakumo had been a near constant in her life, inviting her over for dinner with him and his son constantly and in between that and asking her to look out for Kakashi when he was away, she had ended up spending more time at his house than at her own.

Inoichi had also been around to offer his support, for once not alluding to anything annoying, thank the gods for which as she had had very little energy to deal with such headaches. Chōza hadn't been far behind, offering to treat her ramen, and even Shikaku had paid her a social visit to inquire after her health.

Even with all their support, it had just taken time. The pain was still there, it would probably always be, but it had settled down without flaring blindingly every time she remembered her family and her clan. It stung and tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she had learned to live with it.

She got up in the mornings now. She went out. She moved on.

"I've been sent on some missions outside of the village lately, ya know. Nothing too far, just nearby farms and compounds, but it's been nice to get back to a semblance of active duty."

"That sounds quite nice. I do envy the calmness of Konoha sometimes, small missions included. Every time I return I wish less and less that I go back to the fronts."

The soft spring breeze tossed her hair and Kushina hurried to calm it down. The brief tremor in her fingers was the only sign that the sudden topic had somehow unnerved her.

"Things might change soon, I hear." her words very steady, calm. Light and conversational. At least she really hoped they were. "I've been hearing talks of a potential cease-fire."

"We've been hearing such talks for the last two years now." Mikoto answered carefully.

The metaphorical landmine that Kushina was skirting so diligently seemed to be plain obvious to her friend. The redhead gulped.

"Things are different this time. Sunagakure are pushing Iwa back and… and we seem to be winning skirmishes on our side."

Mikoto looked at her with an elegantly raised eyebrow in a clear you don't say look.

They both knew what Kushina spoke of after all. There probably wasn't a Konoha shinobi who didn't know. Konoha's Yellow Flash had become a well-known moniker in the brief five or so months since Minato had been deployed to active duty and Konoha's victories had steadily grown, especially in areas where he seemed to have been spotted. Tales of his prowess had carried throughout the Land of Fire, quickly reaching her as well.

They said he carried victory about him wherever he went. He inspired courage and resilience. He was the fastest shinobi alive, he was untouchable. He was the Second Hokage come alive, he was all of Uzu combined.

To hear the tales, he was more legend than man.

"Have you heard from him?" the black-haired woman finally asked after the lengthy pause.

A stubborn redness was trying to creep up Kushina's neck if the warmth was any indication to go by. She shook her head and her eyes briefly jumped to the little origami cherry blossom on the counter by her bed - still pulsating merrily with Minato's warm chakra. He was well.

"Have…" another gulp, "... have you seen him, ya know?"

She had wanted to ask as soon as she had seen Mikoto at her door. The burning question was finally out and she felt both relieved and on guard all too suddenly, as if having laid something bare.

"Only once. He was deployed to the Suna front for a few days and our platoons crossed paths. He… was okay of course, hero of the war-and-whatnot." Mikoto said, but she seemed to be deliberating.

"But?"

"But… well, he didn't seem well. At least… not that I think. He didn't say anything of the sort, but Kushina you should have seen him. He looked… so tired. And his eyes had this haunted look to them. He just seemed... perhaps a little lost."

Kushina had stilled, trying very hard not to let her fingers shake her mug. The tea had long grown cold.

"I'm sorry, I know how much you care about him, so I thought I should be honest. If anyone could do anything..."

"Thank you. I care about him as much as you do, ya know." she said and she could have sworn her face was made of rubber as she tried to pull a smile. "He's just a friend."

"Kushina-"

The aggressive knock at her door startled them both before repeating quickly. Kushina briefly cast her friend a puzzled look - she wasn't expecting anyone - and jumped to open before the person knocking barged in with the door off its hinges.

She was surprised to find herself staring into the expressionless mask of an ANBU.

If she had to make a list of likely activities to be doing at 10:30 in the morning, being summoned urgently to the Hokage's office would have probably not made it very high up said list.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting behind his desk with a stern look on his face.

"Hokage-sama? You requested my presence?" she said, taking a stand before him.

The older man's face distorted in a grimace.

"Kushina. There has been a development that I've decided you need to be made aware of."

The red-head remained silent, stubbornly ignoring the nervous twist in her stomach. The last time she had been made aware of a "development" it had upturned her world.

What could it be this time? What more could one endure?

Please… please… a voice in her head was pleading and she didn't even fully know what she was silently praying for. A sudden fear gripped her.

"Do understand that the information I'm about to share with you is highly classified for now and is not to be shared with anyone until told otherwise."

She could only nod. The Hokage rose from his seat with a sigh, rounding his desk to stand before her.

"Hizashi Hyūga was captured by Iwagakure shinobi about a week ago. As far as we know he is alive. Our advisors speculate that they intend him for an exchange of war prisoners, but no requests have been made so far." at this Sandaime paused, letting her wrap her head around the information.

Hizashi was her teammate who had grown to be a friend throughout the years and she felt a twinge of annoyance at being notified a whole week later, although she hadn't heard anything on the matter from any other sources - it must have really been kept under wraps. Either the Hokage office was trying to save face before the public or there was more at play here.

As if having read her thoughts, the man pressed onward.

"As it happened, Minato was deployed to join Sakumo and aid his platoon at the border with the Land of Wind, not too far from where the incident took place. Intel reached them about what had happened, asking for assistance in a search and recover mission."

Kushina could feel an invisible coil winding up in her chest, twisting tighter with each of his words, ready to spring. Her muscles had tensed.

"They made contact with Hizashi's squad about two days ago. The last direct communication we have from them is that they were working on a plan to get Hizashi out. And…" Hiruzen paused, leveling her with a look. "During an attempt to locate Hizashi, Minato was captured late last night as well."

She sucked in a breath; the coil sprung, tearing at her composure.

This couldn't be happening, not now when she had almost managed to pick up the broken pieces of her heart. She couldn't find out he was well only to have it all crumble without even having seen him after the Uzu attack.

A fragile sense of hope was fighting to not be swept away. His gift, the origami blossom had stood this morning.

"We don't have much information, our intel actually came from scouts on patrol who had witnessed the skirmish. They sent a messenger hawk immediately. According to them Minato had been alone at the time. He was captured alive."

She didn't even realise she had groaned, one hand reaching up to clutch at the front of her dark tunic. Her mind was hurrying to catch up to it all - Hizashi had been captured and now Minato too, but they were alive; but Iwa were their most dangerous enemy and Minato was Konoha's Yellow Flash; even if by some miracle they didn't know who they had caught they would surely know soon enough. They wouldn't risk keeping Konoha's famed hero alive; no prisoner exchange would be worth it, not when they held the man who killed their Kage's son. They'd execute him.

She hadn't even finished that train of thought before she knew she had already made up her mind that she would follow after him, ANBU guards be damned. It was Uzushiogakure all over again.

And then the realisation struck - if someone could physically restrain her from leaving Konoha, it was precisely this gentle and yet powerful man who had suddenly requested a private audience with her.

Her jaw clenched and she couldn't help taking a step back, chakra thrumming in alarm. Hiruzen felt it, she was sure, for his eyes narrowed at the clear defensive stance.

"Kushina. If I wanted you detained I would have done so before any of this was said." he said and there was exhaustion in his voice.

Somehow she was certain he had considered doing just that.

"Why are you telling me this then?"

The Hokage frowned, locking hands behind his back, clearly annoyed at the mere fact that he was placed in this highly unpleasant situation in the first place.

"Because unlike the situation with Hizashi, this incident had outside witnesses and the spread of information wasn't as controlled as I would have liked. Even at this hour I imagine the news of Minato's capture is probably being carried left and right. And you and I both know how this would have gone: you would have heard of it and attempted to leave again. I'm not saying you would have been successful again, but the resulting skirmish would have forced my hand to have you permanently detained." the older man paused and fixed her with a stern look that soon softened, holding her gaze "And contrary to what you may think, I do not want that."

"So… what are you saying?" she ventured past a heavy tongue.

The Hokage's face suddenly seemed much older than she remembered it. Fine lines had framed his mouth and crossed his forehead, his hair wrought with silver streaks. The war had aged him prematurely.

"So this is how it's going to go instead: you will be allowed thirty minutes to organise your travel gear and you will meet with your ANBU guard at the northwest gate. They will accompany you during your trip to the southern Iwa fronts. You are to report directly to Sakumo upon arrival, no detours and definitely no unauthorised crossing of the hard border. He will decide what is to be done later." here the man paused, ignoring the shocked expression Kushina had adopted.

"If… when Minato and Hizashi are recovered you are to escort Minato back to Konoha, potentially Hizashi as well depending on his medical condition."

The red-head was so stunned that she didn't even realise she was staring at Hiruzen Sarutobi with her mouth hanging open.

"You… you're assigning me an escort mission, ya know? For Konoha's Yellow Flash?"

"Indeed. I think we can both agree that it's time for Minato to return back home, for the time being."

She had practically slammed the Hokage's door in her rush to leave, already calculating how long it would take her to swing by home and get everything she needed - her gear and the origami - when she noticed the man quietly leaning on the wall not too far from the Hokage office.

Shikaku had his arms crossed before his chest in a faux calm expression, but his posture shifted as she approached and somehow Kushina knew he had been waiting for her.

"Shikaku-san." she greeted, slowing down ever so slightly, but firmly determined not to linger.

"Give him my best."

There was the tiniest hint of a smirk playing on his lips and she paused. Suddenly it all clicked and she stopped to look at the shrewd man, Minato's close friend.

"You did this."

Shikaku shrugged.

"Let's just say I may have shared my concerns with Hokage-sama and stood by my ideas. There are certain merits to being temporary jōnin advisor, troublesome as it is."

Her throat suddenly clamped up with the onslaught of emotion. This man owed her nothing. And yet he had done so much for her in this simple gesture, perhaps more than he fully realised he had.

Or maybe he did. His eyes regarded her calmly, his knowing smile not leaving his face.

"Thank you."

It was late in the afternoon on the following day that they finally arrived at the impromptu camp that had been set up at the Iwa border. The killer pace Kushina had set for her and the two ANBU companions assigned to her had reminded her of a similar run some couple of months ago.

Another headlong rush, with fear pushing her forward mercilessly.

It would be different this time, she swore to herself, and bled chakra at an unreasonable pace, impossible to sustain for too long. The Iwa border was closer than the coast though, and Kushina's chakra reserves could allow for it. And if her ANBU escort had a problem with her speed, they didn't voice it.

Thankfully the two ANBU didn't enter the camp with her at all, opting to set up watch at its perimeter instead, quickly disappearing in the shadows as they did best.

The men and women who greeted her at the appointed camp were quick to point her in Sakumo's direction. Her teacher had made temporary camp in an abandoned forest villa, likely left behind some years ago as the skirmishes across borders broke out. She found Sakumo in the spacious dining room, catching him off-guard mid-pace while another man occupied a worn-out chair by the windows.

"K-kushina?!" Sakumo sputtered, rooting to the spot, panicked look sweeping the room as if trying to find some sort of trap. "How… What are you doing here? Did you leave Konoha without permission again?"

She shook her head, stepping forward with a frown. Her eyes caught on the lone three-pronged kunai embedded in the middle of the massive kitchen table.

She gulped, trying very stubbornly to ignore the onslaught of memories such a simple item brought.

She had tried so hard not to think of him those last few months. Not to remember his smile, the calm eyes that haunted her dreams, his gentle fingers as they intertwined with a lock of her hair. The confident stroke of his brush as he calmly explained the workings of the very seal adorning the handle of the kunai before her.

She needed to believe she would see him again.

"Hokage-sama let me go. The news broke out."

Sakumo cursed, one hand forming and easing out of a fist.

"We know. Apparently another patrol spotted it, we couldn't keep it covert."

"Tell me." she said, ignoring the wisps of exhaustion and stress that were grinding her down.

She had once again run with little break for over a day. She could practically feel her nerves vibrating, fear gnawing at her insides.

And suddenly Sakumo was weary, crossing the room and peering out the window before turning to face her.

"You shouldn't have come." he said finally. "Things are under control."

A disbelieving snort escaped her.

"Under- Hizashi has been captured and now Minato as well and you-"

"Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, ya know! I won't sit idly while they are out there, imprisoned, likely tortured, while you are, what? Debating the dining room decorations with your friend here, ya know?!"

The man in the chair shifted uncomfortably as Sakumo's nostrils flared, eyes flashing in anger. He moved ahead, towering over her.

"Are you quite done?"

She had somewhat deflated, still breathing heavily, hands trembling with the rage she hadn't known she had been bottling down. It wasn't fair to take it out on Sakumo, but he didn't seem to be offering any other alternatives for outlet. Like Iwagakure shinobi, for example.

"They'll kill him."

"They won't. They wouldn't, not before trying to interrogate him. There are many things they could get from him, not the least of which is specifics about the technique that has been winning us the war."

"Oh splendid! Let's sit by while we wait for him to be tortured to death, ya know!"

Sakumo sighed, an exasperated sound as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Kushina, Minato allowed himself to be captured." he said finally, effectively shutting her up.

The news took a few moments to register, disbelief clashing with her sensei's apparently very serious demeanour.

"He did… what?"

"The nearest Iwagakure prison facility, which is the one we believe Hizashi was taken to, is heavily fortified and we don't have the men to infiltrate it successfully. Minato… he said he'd done this with Jiraya before, getting himself captured to extract people from behind enemy lines. His technique allows for such stunts."

She was so stunned that she found herself flopping down in the nearest chair instead, staring at him in dawning horror.

"We didn't notify Hokage-sama about the plan for fear a falcon might be intercepted and Minato's life would be put at risk."

Her throat was suddenly dry and she tried to swallow past it. The last sunrays were outlining the dust particles all about them, bathing the stuffy room in an amber glow.

"Why… why didn't you stop him… he's done that before when no one had heard of him, but he's Konoha's Yellow Flash now, they wouldn't take any risks. If they didn't kill him straight away, they'd bind his chakra, they'd drug him, they'd…"

Sakumo sighed again, a look of uncertainty finally entering his eyes.

"It was a risk he was willing to take. I doubt I could have stopped him if I tried. We are both jōnin now, I no longer outrank him."

An invisible hand had wrapped around her throat as she stared ahead without seeing.

The reckless fool. If he survived this she might be the one to end him.

"So… what now?" she said, once again glancing at the kunai embedded in the table, its function finally dawning on her.

A marker to return to.

"We agreed that we would give him three days to make contact before deciding on anything else. Today's the third."

"So we wait." she said and she had to swallow past the feeling of helpless unease that these words brought.

"We wait." he agreed and silence fell, broken only by the cawing of the early evening birds outside.

The rest of the evening passed in strenuous silence. Kushina had learned that the other man in the room was a medic nin, waiting to intervene upon their arrival; he seemed to be one of the few who actually knew of the plan. The rest had been left out of the loop, trying to limit the flow of information as much as possible.

Apparently Minato had infiltrated The Land of Earth behind enemy borders, as Jiraya had once taught him, and scouted out the area up to the prison facility they suspected. He had then backtracked leaving markers on the way to connect a path, before allowing himself to be captured close to the border.

Having heard the plan from Sakumo she had to agree that it sounded plausible, almost logical, looking at it from a clinical perspective. But this was Minato, and he was in the hands of people who detested him. She couldn't abide by it.

She didn't realise when she had dozed off in the shabby kitchen chair she had occupied, giving in to exhaustion, one hand clutching the little origami cherry blossom in her pocket. Disturbing dreams danced before her eyes and she shrugged in and out of sleep constantly, her worry keeping her on edge even in rest.

It must have been some time in the early hours of the morning when it happened.

She had somehow woken up prior, surfacing from yet another grim nightmare and refusing to return to it. The medic nin was asleep. A dim oil lamp was flickering in the corner of the otherwise dark room, elongating the shadows and outlining Sakumo's features in stark relief. Kushina wasn't sure if the man had even blinked, sitting by the table with his head bowed down. His one leg was bobbing up and down, betraying nervous energy with no outlet.

He worried too.

Kushina was just starting to think that this waiting might drive her mad when the air in the room stirred with a quiet zap. Without any warning Minato appeared out of thin air, his shoes sounding out a quiet tack as he landed on the kitchen table.

The stillness of surprise lasted only a split second and then Sakumo and Kushina both bolted to their feet, just as Minato grunted, dropping down to one knee with little grace, his whole body slumping forward as he supported his weight on one arm.

"Minato!" Sakumo called out, moving ahead as the medic nin woke up with a start, jumping up to his feet at once.

With a quick move Minato waved a one-handed seal and the air about him wavered, something breaking and dissipating. Kushina's eyes widened as she recognised a Fūinjutsu being broken - they had bound his chakra, just as she suspected. Then how…?

She found herself rooted in place, staring at the blond man in disbelief. The overwhelming sense of relief that had filled her was slowly ebbing away as she took in the state he was in.

He was shirtless and under the dim light from the lamp she could see the bruises adorning his skin, spreading over his ribs and torso. A similar violet blotch had bloomed around his one eye, reaching over his cheek. It contrasted sharply with his pale face. His lips were dry and chapped, split painfully either from hits or dehydration.

He was hurt. But he was alive.

Just as she dared to exhale the pent-up breath she had been holding, Minato finally lifted his head and spotted her. And froze.

His eyes widened in horror and before she knew it he had jumped back to his feet. In one fluid motion he was off the kitchen table with inhuman speed, backtracking away from her. His hands shot up, lightning speed, and she had only a split second to register the build-up of chakra.

"Release!" he called out, wisps of panic evident in his strained voice as he expelled said chakra violently in a release technique.

No one moved. If Kushina had been caught off guard by his sudden appearance before, she was downright shocked now, staring at him wide-eyed, as were the other two men.

"Minato… it's not a genjutsu." Sakumo said, taking a slow and deliberate step towards her friend.

His hand slowly wrapped around Minato's forearm and Kushina could only guess he was proving his point, forcing chakra in the other man's system and disrupting his chakra flow temporarily to prove they were real.

Minato never took his eyes off her all the while, a pained look having entered his face. His body relaxed somewhat and he finally nodded, easing out of his defensive stance.

"Water please." he croaked and Sakumo was quick to pass him his own flask which Minato downed with enviable speed, the liquid coming down his face.

"They had drugged the food and water" he said by way of explanation, handing back the empty flask, eyes flickering back to her briefly before focusing on Sakumo again. "We don't have much time. He's there, I think I've worked out exactly where. The guards haven't changed for the night yet, they are nearing the end of their shift. They are tired. We should go."

Sakumo nodded just as the medic nin stepped forward.

"Any immediate injuries?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Minato said quietly.

Another quick glance at her.

"You're going back, ya know?" she finally said, daring a step forward.

A momentary silence fell as Minato very obviously refused to look her in the eyes.

"We have to get Hizashi." he said, suddenly finding the floor very interesting to look at.

"You're hurt."

At this he winced ever so slightly.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I'm coming with you." she said, firmly, taking another step forward.

"Absolutely not." this time it was Sakumo's turn to answer her, fixing her with a firm look.

"Hizashi's my teammate-"

"Two people on top of Hizashi are already dangerously many, a third will only make this more difficult for Minato if he had to quickly extract us all and we were separated."

"But-"

"Kushina. You know full well why I can't allow this. Don't make me have this conversation now. Your orders from Sandaime are to follow my instructions. Now, we're running out of time." Sakumo said, cutting her off effectively and she ground her teeth, stabbing daggers at him with a look.

Of course she knew why he opposed it. He wouldn't just hand Kyūbi to one of Iwa's prisons should something go wrong. Minato frowned at that, first fixing Sakumo with a heavy look before finally looking at her.

"We'll be back before you know it." he said and quietly grasped Sakumo's arm.

And within an instant they were gone.

The silence stretched as the medic nin eyed her as well.

"Don't worry, Uzumaki-san. He wasn't lying, he seemed to have taken a beating, but his physical condition was better than expected. If you ask me, it wasn't physical torture that they put him through."

At that the redhead turned to face the man, lifting an eyebrow at his quick evaluation.

"You saw how he reacted when he appeared." he elaborated freely, one hand cupping his chin in thought. "He thought you were a part of a genjutsu. I'd wager they put him through mental interrogation, using genjutsu to break his will."

"But… why did he react that way when he saw me?"

The other man was staring at her with a pointed look.

"As to that, you'll have to tell us, Uzumaki-san. Torture genjutsu techniques revolve around stimulated fear experiences; as they take control of the chakra flow of your cerebral nervous system they overtake your psyche without showing you pre-tailored images; instead they allow for your own fears to manifest visually. It's essentially your own mind torturing you as it knows best."

He let his words hang as she quietly stared at the spot from which Minato and Sakumo had vanished, puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.

They had tortured him mentally in a way impossible to counter or block out, not with your chakra suppressed; if most shinobi had physical endurance and had been trained to withstand interrogation, genjutsu was a whole different kind of terror, especially the one just clarified for her. She was no genjutsu expert, but she knew enough to recognise a damaging technique.

And he had seemed terrified as he saw her; he was so exhausted that reality had blurred with nightmares and he had thought her to be a genjutsu. When confronted with his own fears, his mind had somehow given him her.

It was a mere half an hour later when Minato and Sakumo returned, supporting an exhausted Hizashi between them.

It still had felt like an eternity.

Kushina had expected them this time, along with the medical nin who had prepared bandages and ointments out of his medical bag.

She rushed forward, hands fluttering uncertainly, not knowing whether to support Minato or Hizashi first. Sakumo seemed to be sporting a gash on his arm as well, rivulets of blood soaking through his sleeve and dropping to the kitchen floor.

"Kushina." Hizashi said in a weak voice, managing a small smile despite everything. "Nice welcome party. I'm honoured."

She exhaled a breath of relief, finally grasping that they were all back, all of them well, and she had to fight back the sudden sting in her eyes.

"Late to the event as always, Hizashi. I thought Hyūga had better manners, ya know."

He chuckled as the medic nin swapped out with Minato, supporting the Hyūga's weight and allowing for the blonde man to slump tiredly in a nearby chair.

"He's exhausted. His injuries are old, but they might be infected. I'll leave that to you, Sato-san. His chakra had been suppressed with a seal, but Minato removed it. His stocks should replenish in a day or so." Sakumo explained to the medic nin.

"Your arm?"

"They got whiff of what was happening by the end. Tried to intercept us, but too late. It's just a scratch. Let's get him to a bed, he needs rest. I need to alert the men that a retaliation strike might follow."

"Not before I bandage that scratch, Hatake-sama." the medic said in an exasperated tone as the three men headed for the door. "Namikaze-san, I trust you'll be well in the meantime?"

"Of course. Please help Hizashi-san and Sakumo-san." he said, his voice already resembling a tired drawl.

"I'll take care of him." Kushina said quietly and the medic nin nodded at her, exiting the room with the others.

A few seconds of silence followed before Kushina finally turned to Minato. A new sense of worry had settled in her, unrelated to her earlier fears. He was leaning forward in his chair, forearms rested on his knees, head bowed towards the floor.

Yet again refusing to look at her.

That horrified look of earlier came back to her and she gulped past it.

"I'm well, you don't have to… You should go to Hizashi." he said quietly and she sighed, moving to pick up some of the medical ointments that Sato-san had left behind.

"Hizashi has a medic caring for him, I doubt I'd be much help."

She knelt beside him, all of a sudden unsure of what to say. The golden flicker of the lamp was coming from behind him, casting his face in shadows. His hair was dishevelled, dirtied after the ordeal, giving him a wild look. Despite all the sweat and grime and imprisonment, despite the wounds and bruises, her heart still clenched at the sight of him - she hadn't seen him in so long… her memories had done him little justice.

The sound of the scores of crickets outside was the only sound in the room for a while.

"You look like a tapestry, ya know." she ventured finally, trying to get a better view of his face.

"Nothing new." he murmured and his breathing hitched as she reached out for him, resting a hand on his forearm.

"Let me see."

She could feel the muscles in his arm clench beneath her touch as he deliberated, could see the calculating look in his eyes. She waited.

Finally he gave in, tense edge never quite leaving him as he turned ever so slightly to look at her. His eyes, dark-blue in the colours of the night, seemed to be taking her in desperately.

"You shouldn't be here." he breathed and there was pain in his look.

She gulped past the sudden lump in her throat.

"That release technique… Minato… what did they do to you?"

She was standing so close that she could see his throat move as he swallowed thickly, an involuntary shudder passing over him.

"It was… a standard interrogation technique. They didn't hurt me."

"You were terrified of me."

He groaned, running a hand through his hair without thinking, eyes darting sideways before returning to her. His skin was so hot to the touch.

"A genjutsu. I saw some things. I thought… Nevermind. It's over now."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His answer had been no answer at all, but distress was almost rolling off him; with a quiet sigh she relented.

"It's over now." she echoed, aiming for lighter topics. "I thought we had spoken already about you being reckless."

She had expected him to smile at the jibe, but he didn't, simply closing his eyes instead.

"Hizashi needed help."

Heavy topics it would be then.

"Minato… You could have… they could have killed you. It's a small miracle they didn't."

He seemed to be battling with himself, opening his mouth, once, twice, but no words came and he was suddenly up on his feet in one fluid movement, a nervous edge all about him as he took a step away from her. She stood up slowly, deliberately, and turned to face him.

"Hizashi is a friend." he said, so very obviously not what he had meant to say earlier.

A twinge of annoyance hit her.

"Of course he is. But you… don't you see, Iwagakure want you dead more than anyone else, the risk was far too great, ya know."

"A risk I was willing to take."

"You- You were willing-" she cut herself off, hand trembling in a fist. "Look at me."

And he did. And his look was so conflicted that she was sure there was something else brimming under the surface, something long unsaid.

Something broke in her and words were rushing forward, words that she had been bottling down for five long months.

"Where have you been?" she said, ignoring the momentary confusion in his look. "My clan… my family, my village… I lost so much... everyone was there, Sakumo and Kakashi, Mikoto and Tsume and Shikaku and Chōza and even Inoichi and you… you disappeared. Where have you been?"

Minato sucked in a breath, rooting to the spot, eyes darting away from her, but not before she noticed the painted look that had spilled on his face. His hands were trembling all of a sudden, his breath coming hard and shallow.

"I… " he began, swallowing thickly, before forcing himself to face her, holding her look through feverish eyes. "I couldn't…"

It was unfair to dump it all on him, not now, when he was injured and dehydrated and hurt, but she had waited too long and he was right here now and she couldn't help the feeling that he would disappear yet again.

"I needed you. I needed my best friend."

And there it was, the plain truth. She had been unspeakably grateful that he had been well after the attack. But his absence had hurt her. She had just got him back in her life and she had selfishly assumed that he would be a constant. His disappearance had pained her more than she cared to admit.

Perhaps it was said pain, now worn on her sleeve, that made his eyes harden with a sudden resolve and he took a step towards her.

"I… I'm so sorry." he said and suddenly the words were tumbling out of him, jumbled, halting, "I couldn't be the one you needed, Kushina, I had… I promised I would protect your home, I swore, and you placed your trust with me and I... I failed you and everything you loved was taken from you and I couldn't stop it. I thought… I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, I thought…" he was saying and the guilt he seemed to have been carrying with him so long was there in his desperate voice. "I thought you could never forgive me. I couldn't forgive myself."

She was staring at him wide-eyed, rooted in her disbelief and he glanced away again. In shame, she realised. The utter fool.

"All I could do was try to stop this war and so I left… And then Hizashi… He's your teammate, your friend, and I could see it happen again, you losing another person dear to you and I just couldn't stand by."

He had risked his life for her. Again. Everything he did, to spare her the pain. A tear was making its way down her cheek just as he glanced at her again and he blanched. In two firm steps he closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- Please don't, I caused you so much pain already, but… but I brought back Hizashi, he's well-"

And gods be good, he thought this was about Hizashi.

Without thinking she stepped forward, wrapping her hands around his torso, burying her face in his neck. She could have sworn he winced, either from the initial shock or from the pain the sudden move caused to his already battered body, but he didn't step back. A stunned second passed and his arms were around her, hugging her back, pressing her to him with such fervent need that she thought he might have craved the simple contact nearly as much as she had.

And his face was in her hair, near the top of her head, and she could hear a shaky breath escape him. His skin was burning hot against her body, feverish.

"You foolish man." she whispered against him and could see the slight shiver in him as her breath tickled his neck. "There is nothing to forgive. You couldn't have saved Uzu, no one could have, ya know. But you saved my people and you did as I asked: you came back home. That is enough. It would always be enough."

His shoulders slumped, his body easing even as he held her impossibly closer, sighing against her hair. It would take more than this to ease his guilt, she was somehow certain of it, but a part of him had calmed, some haunted uncertainty settling and dissipating at her words.

She didn't know how long they stood like this, but as they stilled she felt the shift. From the calmness of the needed contact something changed and she was suddenly all too aware that they were alone in this dark room, in the middle of the night and she had pressed herself to him without thinking, in a manner more intimate than she had ever been with anyone in her life. And his lips were in her hair and his arms were about her and, oh gods, he was shirtless.

Her heart had gone flying, lodging in her throat and she could have sworn she could feel his pulse pick up as he felt it too.

All too suddenly they were both stepping back, the warmth in her face betraying the redness that she hoped darkness could hide.

Her parents' last wish had been that she do anything but what she had just done.

"I-I'm sorry." she said quickly, clearing her throat "That was impertinent of me."

He was already shaking his head. "No, I… nothing to apologise for."

Her hands were fretting away at her hair, kneading it nervously behind one ear.

"Come, let me look at that bruise or Sato-san might scold my medical care, ya know."

A smile was tugging at the corner of his lips and she somehow had the feeling that he hadn't smiled in much too long.

"You don't have to." he started saying, but he was moving despite himself to sit back in the chair he had occupied earlier. The ointments were left at its feet.

"Shush." she said and knelt back before him. "I have an escort-mission assigned after all. It's been awhile, I'm not about to mess it up."

He raised an eyebrow as she undid the lid to one cream she was familiar with - reducing swelling and numbing pain.

"Oh?"

"I've been assigned to escort Minato Namikaze back to Konoha."

The look of surprise on his face was almost comical.

"Sandaime-sama wanted you back in the village. Didn't clarify what for, surprisingly, since we're such good pals, ya know. I'm just supposed to fetch you."

He chuckled, the sound reverberating most wonderfully in his throat and Kushina had to suppress a shiver at hearing it.

She had missed it so much.

"Well, if Sandaime insisted, I suppose I have no say in this. Care away."

He had stilled before her, quietly tracing her fingers with a look as she dipped them in the ointment and lifted them to his face. His eyes locked with hers and her breath caught at the intensity of his look. Mute gratitude and relief were mixing with a sense of wonder and another feverish emotion that she couldn't quite place or was too afraid to name.

"How's our patient doing?" came the medic's voice from the threshold and Kushina jumped back as if zinged.

"I'm well… Sato-san, is it?" Minato said, standing up slowly after her.

She could have sworn he was trying to regain his composure.

"Indeed. I see Uzumaki-san was helping that bruise. Come, let me examine you. You must be exhausted; we'll find you a bed to rest soon enough."

"How-" Kushina started and had to clear her throat "-how's Hizashi?"

"He's well. Asleep currently. No dangerous injuries. We have all been incredibly lucky tonight." the medic said, stepping towards the table where the contents of his bag awaited. "Thanks for looking out for my patient. You must be tired too, I won't hold you more."

"Yes, well. Of course." she said, stilted, and threw a quick look at Minato.

A hidden smile was playing on his lips as he looked back at her. Her sudden awkwardness was clearly amusing him.

But despite his improved humour his moves were stilted, deliberate, and Kushina was suddenly reminded just how tired he was, muffled light outlining the shadows under his eyes.

"I'll see you later, okay? Rest." she said and he nodded, following her with a look as she moved for the door.

Chapter Text

Having had little time to set up a tent outside, Kushina had ended up claiming a worn-out sofa in one of the rooms in the small villa. The tattered piece of furniture seemed to have seen better days if its smell was anything to go by, but she had been so exhausted that she had flopped on it with little thought.

Morning found her shifting uncomfortably on said sofa as she drifted in and out of sleep and she quickly gave up her attempts, begrudgingly admitting that she would have probably been much more comfortable on the forest ground outside.

First light had already broken and the day was promising to be grey and chilly, the scent of rain hanging low all about. She shouldn't have been too surprised, what with their proximity to the Land of Rain just south of where the Land of Earth met the Land of Fire over the disputed lands. All in all, it seemed like it would be a wet and uncomfortable journey back to Konoha, at least before they got further down South.

She made her way outside languidly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and popping a ration bar out of her pouch. She assumed that Minato and Hizashi were still asleep, judging by the exhausted state they both had been in, so she quickly decided to locate her sensei instead. Her eyes were just scanning the group of shinobi for any signs of Sakumo when she spotted a shock of yellow and her look lingered on its own accord.

Minato, very much awake despite the early hour, was standing not too far away, talking with the medic they had met the previous night and two unfamiliar women. She felt her cheeks warm up as she noted mentally that he was, thankfully, fully dressed this time, sporting his usual dark sweater, arm bands fixing the sleeves, and shinobi flak jacket to boot.

He seemed to have found the time to shower as well, the dirt and grime from the previous night being gone from his now damp hair. And despite the bruises and the tiredness spelled out on his face, he was as effortlessly charming as he had ever been.

Noticeably so.

Even as she watched, the younger of the two women by his side laughed out most enthusiastically at what Minato seemed to be saying, casually putting a hand on his arm as she did so. His eyes darted to her lingering fingers, but he didn't step aside straight away, stiff posture being the only indicator that he had noticed something unusual in the innocent attempt at intimacy.

Or was it an attempt really? The girl was fair, all smiles and dimples, copper locks pulled back in a messy ponytail. Did he know her from before? He had been away for almost half a year, time enough to make acquaintances.

Time enough to make more than that as well.

A leaden feeling was sneaking down her stomach, cold and burning at the same time. It would be fine if he had found someone. It would be good. It would be best for him.

For the first time in a while her mind briefly glimpsed what it truly meant stepping back - beyond ignoring her feelings for him and pushing him back, it meant one day seeing him together with a dimply beautiful girl, casual light touches and morning laughter.

It meant one day seeing him in love.

And it pained her so viciously and suddenly that she might have gasped.

Just in that moment he lifted his head and spotted her, a look akin to relief passing over him along with the briefest of smiles. In a perceptively nonchalant move he shifted sideways, the girl's hand sliding easily off his arm and he was already apologising, stepping away from their company and moving towards her.

"Hi." she said lamely as he neared, warmth still stinging in her cheeks as she fought the dissipating wisps of the sudden onslaught of emotion.

"Good morning," he answered pleasantly, smile tugging at his lips. "Up bright and early to enjoy the charming weather?"

She scoffed with an amused smile of her own.

"Couldn't resist, ya know. I hear the Land of Rain and its vicinities offer the most consistently monotonous showers."

She shouldn't have liked his soft laughter nearly as much she did.

"It appears we'll have the whole day for enjoying Amegakure's blessings on the road. When would you like to set out?"

She couldn't help but frown at that, propping a hand on her hip as she looked up at him.

"Tomorrow or possibly in two days, judging by the amount of sleep you seem to need, ya know."

The ghost of a smile graced his lips, not quite reaching his eyes.

"I'm quite alright, I assure you. But if you want we could break for camp earlier than usual."

"Minato…" she said carefully, trying to ignore the pleasant thrill at saying his name once again, holding his look as she did so.

His eyes softened at that.

"Trust me." he murmured quietly, only for her. "I actually slept more tonight than I've done most nights in a while now."

She could only cock an eyebrow at that, question burning on the tip of her tongue, but before she could say anything else Minato had turned to greet an approaching Sakumo and the moment was lost.

She carefully filed the information away for later.

The white-haired man seemed to have come to see them off, wishing them a safe journey back. Hizashi had refused returning with them, claiming his injuries were merely superficial and nothing their current medics couldn't handle, and Sakumo had decided to stay until the Hyūga recovered.

That left Kushina and Minato heading for Konoha alone.

Well mostly, Kushina amended internally, looking around for her ANBU escort with little success. They had stayed out of sight throughout the night and the entire morning, falling back to their primary objective: ANBU were not to be seen. They were the ghosts that protected from the shadows.

She was certain they were there as Minato and she set out, holding a sentry perimeter. She should have told him, but letting him know would only lead to her friend asking why ANBU had been deployed away from the village in the first place and that was a conversation she was still most unwilling to approach.

The promised rain hadn't waited for their departure and a light drizzle had started even before they had left. The whisper of it stayed with them throughout the whole morning and most of the afternoon, relentlessly beating down over their travel cloaks.

The northern parts of the Land of Fire seemed to have missed the memo that it was Spring already, warm sunny days and all.

Despite the glum weather conditions Kushina found herself in an uplifted mood; she had been deployed to the northern fronts with Iwa, but she had never been in this part of the Land of Fire and the new sights intrigued her; she had been in a terrible rush coming in, having paid no mind to any of it, but now she was granted the chance to actually enjoy the trip.

The crisp scent of the rain and its rhythmic murmur were refreshing and Kushina found herself elating in them quietly, along with the pleasant thrum of Minato's familiar chakra by her side.

For the first time in quite awhile she felt the warmth of happiness bud in her chest.

"You might be one of the few people actually enjoying the weather around here." Minato said, throwing an amused look her way and she realised her contentment had spilled on her face.

Either that, or he could just read her much too well.

"I've never actually been here. I love Konoha, but I've missed going out on missions. I think I got the wrong job. Should have gone for travelling merchant, ya know."

Her friend chuckled good-naturedly.

"Woe to the other merchants if you were planning on doing business with the same passion you go to battle with."

Her smile had turned mischievous.

"I'd destroy them all. My wares would conquer all of the Land of Fire. Ramen for everyone, ya know!"

At that his chuckles turned to actual laughter and her answering smile was instantaneous.

"Are we in a hurry to reach Konoha?" he asked as he calmed down, merry eyes still on her; ever on her.

She should have said yes. Spending time alone with him like this was wonderful and dangerous, for all of the reasons that made it wonderful in the first place.

But Sandaime had put no limit on their return and they had somehow naturally fallen into a regular pace, not taking to the trees as there was no rush.

She should say yes. But… hurrying back to the confines of the village walls was the most unappealing thought she had had whole day. The only thing making it worse was the realisation that Minato might be sent out again after.

"Not that I know." she answered and he nodded.

"So we'll enjoy the road. Rain and all."

And his voice was calm, warmth spilling in his words as he watched her.

"I guess we will, ya know." she mumbled, all of a sudden painfully aware of how close he was walking by her side. "Have you… Have you been here before?"

He nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"A couple of times… For work." he said nonchalantly and she understood straight away what he meant - he had been here with Jiraya, gathering information before or during the war. "But also for... pleasure. The area has some good hot springs. Jiraya-sensei rather likes these."

And there was an exasperated edge to his tone that made her giggle.

"But not you."

"Definitely not. I mean I enjoy hot springs, but not… I mean- Jiraya-sensei had- I'd never-"

He was babbling in his sudden nervousness, face charmingly red as he probably visualised quite clearly the reason for his hot-headed sensei's appreciation of onsen.

It was her turn to laugh merrily, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. And by gods, how long had it been since she'd laughed like that?

Minato's eyes had softened at that, looking at her with impossible fondness.

"I wonder…" he ventured quietly, one hand shooting up to rub the back of his head, forgetting about the hood of his travel cloak all together.

"Where the nearest onsen is, ya know?" she broke in, enjoying the miffed way in which he exhaled, shaking his head quickly.

She had to suppress her giggles as she tried her best to let him continue.

"What is it?"

"Well… You said you'd like to travel more. Perhaps I could show you."

He was suddenly on edge, eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes. And there was an eagerness to his voice as he hurried to explain.

"I've been to some beautiful places. At least I thought they were beautiful. But perhaps I could take you there sometime. We don't have to leave for much too long, I've left markers around many places in the Land of Fire. We could travel quickly."

She fixed him with a surprised look, lost for words. Did he have even the slightest idea what he was offering? How much she had wanted exactly this, ever since the war had started?

Her silence must have unnerved him as he gulped quickly.

"You don't have to, of course. I just meant…"

"I'd love to." she said quietly. "Thank you."

His answering smile was brilliant as he turned to look at her. And by the gods, were his eyes sparkling? Oh that was just unfair.

"I'm just doing my duty, protecting the country's trade business and all." he said and winked and she could feel her heart skip a beat.

What was this man? He'd drive her mad.

Perhaps going anyplace alone with him was a terrible, terrible idea. It was one thing to avoid him, but being his friend was an altogether new hell. And what was worse, she did not think him impartial.

Yes, going anywhere with him would be the worst great thing she could do.

She didn't know if it would even be at all possible, what with her restrictions on leaving Konoha, but… Minato's Hiraishin did offer some singular ways in which to irk Sandaime and get away from her escorts.

Thinking of his now signature Fūinjustu suddenly stopped her in her tracks and she looked at him through dawning surprise. He also paused, turning back to her questioningly.

"Your technique. You said you've marked most places. We could probably get back to Konoha within a day."

Minato remained silent perhaps a beat too long, holding her look.

"We could." he allowed, casually.

She could have kicked herself for bringing it up. Of course they could. They probably should, now that they were both aware of it.

They stayed rooted to the spot looking at each other in silence.

"It's quite the distance. Travelling this way with two people is probably taxing." she said slowly, but he was already shaking his head.

"Not really. Two people is perfectly manageable." he ventured, carefully, seemingly choosing his words, "But four might be a bit much, not for the whole distance. We'd have to leave your friends behind."

Her breath caught at that, eyes widening in surprise before she quickly looked away, biting her lip. The silence had suddenly turned heavy.

Of course he had felt them. He was a sensor and even though ANBU were experts, he was Minato, Konoha's Yellow Flash. It was easy to forget sometimes how very good he was, what with his relaxing, almost aloof manner.

But she should have known.

"ANBU?" he said finally and she nodded, fixing the muddy ground with a look. "I thought so."

The unspoken question hung between them, deafening in the stillness of the pine wood around. He waited, ever so patiently, allowing for her to speak.

She ought to tell him, she knew. This was crossing the bounds of reason; he was her closest friend. He deserved to know the truth.

But… but she couldn't bare losing his friendship. Not now, when she had found it again. Surely a quiet trip to Konoha with him was not too much to ask for? Just two more days.

She felt like she was selfishly stealing time.

When Minato saw she was not going to explain he sighed quietly, a brief smile gracing his lips.

And he didn't ask. He never would, she knew. He would never pry.

"Well, luckily I hear we're not in a hurry. This pace will do." he said pleasantly, turning to go.

She exhaled a pent-up breath, moving to join him again. And if she was relieved despite the cowardice, it would be just for now. She would tell him sometime soon. He deserved to know.

They spent the rest of the day in companionable walking, jumping from one topic to another. Kushina couldn't remember the last time she spent so long talking to someone, but she felt little tiredness.

An impatience was about her, to talk to him about all the things they'd missed in each other's lives. Minato told her about some of the trips he'd had with Jiraya in the region, asking about her own experiences around the Iwa border as well. They talked about Kemuri and his ridiculous crush (she had to roll her eyes at his amusement at the topic), about the first time she saw his techniques and about his training, before the topic inevitably turned to sealing.

Having found something that they were both quite passionate about, Kushina didn't even feel the time passing and all too soon the light was dwindling with the coming evening.

They had made good progress for the day, but the rain wasn't showing any signs of stopping so she was only too eager to agree when Minato suggested staying at a nearby ryokan for the night. Yes, shinobi often camped outside in fairer weather as it offered a cheaper variant, but that didn't mean they had to get anymore drenched than necessary when a mission didn't necessitate it.

Rain didn't bother her but if she had a choice she'd opt for a dry futon before soggy forest floor on any day.

The ryokan itself was set in a traditional style and she found herself exhaling in content as she was shown to her small room, feeling the rough tatami-tiles below her bare feet; it all rather reminded her of her old home. A sliding shoji up ahead seemed to lead outside to a spacious engawa shared by the neighbouring rooms and overlooking a modest garden.

All in all, it made for a most pleasant escape from the rain. That, coupled with a warm bath and dry clothes, had Kushina in high-spirits as she quickly braided her damp hair in a thick braid and made her way to the small dining area at the front of the ryokan.

Minato was already there enjoying a steaming cup of tea.

"Hey there." he greeted pleasantly as he saw her approach. "Food should be here soon. How are you?"

"Much better." she said as she flopped down opposite him, grinning in content, and he chuckled, eyes lingering ever so briefly on her hair, trailing her long braid with a look.

"One of my better ideas, I suppose." Minato said, not skipping a beat as his hands deftly produced an empty cup and poured hot tea before she had even fully settled.

"Indeed." she grinned, accepting the cup and nodding her thanks. "You seem to have these every now and then. And then you go and ruin it by deciding to put your life at risk recklessly, ya know."

The chiding voice was only partially serious, but his answering smile was nervously apologetic nevertheless as his hand shot up to rub the back of his head.

"Yes, well. I'm sorry?"

She huffed, unsure whether to go for exasperated or amused.

"You know, you never told me. How did you get out of that prison? I thought they had bound your chakra."

"They did." he said, propping an elbow on the table and cupping his cheek with one palm, leaning closer towards her with an amused look. "How did you know?"

She mirrored him without thinking.

"Suspected. Then I saw you break a seal when you returned to the hut the first time. Tied two and two, ya know."

He hmmed appreciatively and she realised that they were leaning so close that she could practically see his throat vibrate with the pleasant sound.

All of a sudden the noise about them didn't matter; there was just Minato and his piercing look, eyeing her with a sense of admiration.

"It takes a Fūinjutsu master to recognise a technique just by observing it being dissipated."

"I know a thing or two." she breathed, feeling her cheeks redden in spite of herself.

Minato was leaning so close that it was impossible not to notice. His eyes jumped down, lingering, before venturing to her lips for the briefest of seconds. His breath caught and she saw the uncertainty in his eyes as he looked back up.

Within a heartbeat he had casually straightened up, exhaling shakily and leaning back as the innkeep appeared with the standard meal for the evening.

She had to will her pulse to slow, her mind bringing back memories of a similar encounter from so very long ago. He had looked at her now the way he had looked at her back in that training field, the thrill of desire flashing in his eyes as he had leaned in so close then, his lips a whisper away from hers.

She had to suppress a groan, remembering how very much she had wanted him to kiss her then. Time had done little to change that.

"So…" she started in what she thought was an admirable attempt at casualness, "the chakra binding seal?"

She was desperately trying for a distraction; the fact that she was genuinely curious about his escape helped tremendously.

Seals of the type used on him were famously hard to handle - it took chakra to disrupt an active seal and when said active seal was binding your chakra in the first place, they turned into a neat little conundrum. Which was the main reason why they were often used in imprisonment conditions when shinobi were involved.

He shrugged, the hint of a smile gracing his lips.

"I expected the bind. They didn't expect the chakra storage seal."

She had just picked up her chopsticks before promptly lowering them, eyes widening.

This would trump the binding of course - chakra storage seals had to be disrupted, the energy expelled in order to neutralise them. You couldn't bind them, as the chakra stored there was technically not a part of one's regular reserves.

But… chakra storage seals were incredibly difficult to maintain. They required a high-level of fine control as chakra was unbridled energy. Her clan specialised in them, but even amongst the Uzumaki not everyone could do them well.

"You can make one, ya know?"

"In its basic form, yes." he said, a sudden sadness entering his eyes as he held her look. "Your mother taught me."

"Oh."

Well, wasn't that one heck of a distraction.

She knew her mother had been teaching Minato before the attack, even if she didn't know the full details around how that had come to be. She knew non-clan members were rarely taught in their art, if ever, but she was glad for the change of rules - she knew Minato was a natural with seals and he could only become ever stronger with further guidance.

She had never asked her mother back then about Minato or his progress, but Ryūmi had mentioned him nevertheless. Carefully, ever so carefully, she had brought him up every now and then, praising his skills and his prowess, making sure Kushina knew he was well. Answering her unvoiced questions.

Her kind, perceptive, patient mother, who had wanted her to be happy so very much.

Her mother who was gone.

She exhaled, feeling the pain flare briefly in her chest, as it always did. As it always would.

But it no longer crippled her.

Minato had bowed his head upon her reaction, hand balling in a fist over the table. Her soft smile held all the melancholy as she reached forward, much like she had done the previous night, covering his hand with her own. His eyes raised quickly in surprise, catching her own.

"I'm glad she did." she said quietly and for once she felt like she could read the emotions crossing his face.

Grief. Guilt. Regret. Relief.

His grip relaxed and she was certain that he'd pull back, but he surprised her, fingers wrapping around her own as he held her look.

"I know I'm overdue with saying this, but… I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents were amongst the bravest, most honourable people I have ever known." he said quietly and she had to gulp past the sting in her eyes.

Somehow, this moment felt more intimate than any other they had shared that day.

"As a smart man once said… Don't be, ya know. They died as true shinobi, protecting their people. It's how they wished to go. I'm proud to be their daughter."

He blinked in surprise, recognising his own words from so many years past and then he was smiling too, sadness not quite having left him, but lessened in their shared pain.

"She didn't speak much of your lessons. Would you… would you tell me more?" she ventured, quietly withdrawing her hand, ignoring the stinging emptiness after his warm touch.

He nodded, taking up the tale from the moment she had appeared to offer teaching him.

The rest of the evening passed amicably, wrapped in nostalgia, in quiet shared tales over dinner and hot tea. Kushina delighted in Minato's stories as he told her of the things Ryūmi had taught him and the time she had spent with him, painting a picture with soft words of a side of her mother that she had hardly seen - that of the patient teacher who had offered help without needing to.

Without realising she had started talking too then, telling him of her childhood before Konoha, whatever little she remembered of her first home and of the parents she had lost.

And she thought it would all undo her, talking of everything she had lost, but she had been wrong. She was surprised to find out that she had wanted to talk of it all, to honour them by remembering, divulging a part of herself that she had hardly shared with anyone in her life.

Minato was a good listener, calm and ever so eager to know more about her life, drinking her words in with little notice of the time passing.

They didn't even realise how late it was until the patron approached them to announce that the dining area was closing and Kushina looked up to see the premises had emptied save for them. The old clock on the far wall indicated that it was just past midnight and she quickly turned back to Minato, berating herself for keeping him so long.

The shadows below his eyes had deepened, indicating a tiredness that he was quite good at hiding unless one knew to look.

And she knew him well.

His movement throughout the day had been cautious and deliberate, small gestures catching her eye and contrasting with the graceful manner that she was used to by now. She had no doubt that he could still outdo most shinobi in terms of speed if needed, but he had allowed himself to let his guard down with her and she had noticed.

He was weary, a bone-deep tiredness that went beyond last night.

And he needed rest.

She didn't know how Sandaime had known, but she suddenly realised why he had requested Minato's return.

"Shall we?" he said, making to his feet and offering her a hand.

She nodded her agreement, very deliberately not thinking about his warm fingers around hers as she allowed him to pull her up.

They made no noise as they headed for their rooms, utilising their shinobi training without thinking as they seemed to be the only guests awake, and Kushina had to glance back twice to make sure Minato was following her; he could be as quiet as a shadow if he so wished.

The corners of his lips quirked up upon noticing her looks as he raised an eyebrow elegantly and she simply huffed in amusement before stopping in front of her door and turning to face him in the dimmed light of the empty corridor.

"Thank you for tonight." she said softly, trying to imbed in the words how very much she meant them.

A calm had settled in her after their talks, warming her on the inside. He had given her a gift without even knowing it.

"You needn't thank me. I enjoyed the time." he answered simply, calm smile ever present, even when he was so very tired and sleep-deprived.

"Rest tonight. Please."

She hoped she imagined the uncertain flicker in his eyes.

"I'll try." he promised, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Hiruzen turned to the windows, having felt the merry chakra imprint appear outside, thrumming unguarded and announcing the man's presence to the world, and he suppressed an exasperated sigh - his student always picked the unlikeliest of entrances.

"You could use the door sometime for a change, Jiraya." he said, a note of amusement in his voice.

The white-haired man slipped inside his office, bawdy grin on his face.

"Nawh, that'd just be boring."

Sandaime shook his head through a smile, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"Of course. So, what problem brings you home?" the older man asked, voice deceptively calm, the edge of worried seriousness barely noticeable underneath.

"Sensei, you wound me. My presence is not always doom and gloom. Can't I make social calls?"

The Hokage arched an eyebrow, obviously casting a long look at the clock on his office wall, which showed a good hour after midnight. Which begged the question why he was still at his office in the first place, but he decided to think about that later. Biwako would give him an earful.

Jiraya grinned.

"What can I say, I'm all about late dramatic entrances."

And despite his tiredness and the late hour Hiruzen chuckled, feeling an invisible weight lift off his shoulders with his student's casual humour.

"I've decided it's imperative I come home every half a year or so or your advisors might smother you with the cheer they bring."

"Ah. Most considerate of you."

"And I figured I might as well check in on my thick-headed student. I hear he's home-bound." the white-haired man said oh-so-very-casually as he leaned on the wall by the windows, inspecting Konoha's evening lights twinkling ahead.

Sandaime had suspected as much.

"So you've heard?"

Jiraya nodded, smile dropping off his face for once.

"I figured he'd done it on purpose, as we've done before. Quite reckless, what with his reputation."

Hiruzen fixed him with a look.

"You know why he did it, I'm sure." he said and his student exhaled wearily.

"That girl's been under his skin since they were children."

The Hokage nodded his agreement, having reached the same obvious conclusion now that the missive from Sakumo had reached him, informing him of the successful mission and their original plan. Minato's actions had been rash, even if somewhat calculated, and he had no doubt that part of the reason for his quick decision had to do with Hizashi being Kushina's teammate.

He had witnessed first-hand the weight the young man had shouldered, haunted by the events in Uzushiogakure and his friend's pain. Of course he'd try to spare her more hurt.

"I've sent her to bring him home."

Jiraya's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Do you think it wise?"

Hiruzen remained silent, turning the question around in his head.

"She was accompanied by ANBU and headed for where Sakumo was stationed. I deemed the risk manageable, or else she would have tried something reckless again."

His student was still eyeing him, for once serious.

"You know that's not what I meant, sensei."

And he knew, of course, what Jiraya was speaking of, voicing a concern that was so very private and unnecessarily complicated.

And entirely out of their control.

"Things will unfold with or without our interference. We can't shield her from affection. It's their choice."

"I thought as much. But I had figured the council might disagree."

"I wouldn't know. I haven't asked them." Hiruzen said pleasantly through the most innocent smile he could muster and Jiraya grinned at his words.

"As I said, cheerful lot." he grumbled and the older man had to laugh.

"Hiruzen-sensei… what do you plan on assigning next for him?"

And there was honest concern in the Sannin's voice, because as thick as he tried to make himself out to be, his student was as perceptive as Orochimaru, if not more at times. He had heard tales of Minato's prowess and he had realised what his successes truly meant.

And he worried.

"I think he's proven himself highly capable. It's time for him to take some additional jōnin responsibilities within Konoha." the Hokage said pleasantly, smiling all throughout. "It's time he passed on some of those valued skills. And I have just the student in mind for him."

Her eyes fluttered open, scanning the surrounding darkness drowsily. The wisps of whatever dream she had been having were tugging at her consciousness.

What had woken her up?

The faint murmur of the rain reached her from outside, trying to lull her back to sleep. She sought out the sliding shoji with a look, attempting to take in the ghastly outlines of her room in the non-existent lighting and she frowned, something tugging at the back of her mind.

Without thinking she rose to a sitting position, mentally berating herself for abandoning the warmth of her futon. And there it was, a faint scratching sound mingled with the rain, a blade moving methodically in its rhythm.

Someone was outside on the engawa.

Her muscles locked in place before she reached out with her senses, feeling the familiar warmth of Minato's chakra. She wasn't a sensor, but he wasn't attempting to conceal himself either, chakra imprint open to the world.

She should have gone to bed, but her curiosity was piqued. And… it was the middle of the night. Why on Earth was he awake?

It took her all of a minute to locate the casual yukata provided with the room and she wrapped it over the shinobi lightwear that she slept in.

Still, plenty of time for him to leave, if he so wished.

But he didn't.

She slid the shoji quietly, slipping outside despite the chill in the air. He was there, as expected, sitting on the engawa with his back propped against the wall, peering at the persistent rain ahead through tired eyes. His arms stilled as her door slid open, quickly tucking away whatever he had been holding. He had taken off his flak jacket, dressed only in the dark blues of his shinobi suit and she frowned again, weighing in the cold.

He didn't look up at her, even though he had probably felt her being awake ever since she had opened her eyes.

"You'll catch a chill, ya know." she said, barely louder than the rain.

"I'm well, don't worry. Don't let me keep you from your rest." he answered, most politely, glancing her way through a brief smile which didn't quite reach his eyes.

He looked exhausted. Their conversation from the previous morning came back to her and she was now quite certain.

With a sigh she sat down next to him, looking ahead at the spring shower as well. The inner yard of the ryokan had turned into a collection of puddles, hissing with the coming raindrops.

The silence stretched, from seconds to minutes as neither of them moved or spoke.

"You can't sleep." she ventured finally, stating the obvious fact.

He didn't answer, but his stillness told her enough.

"How long has this been going on, ya know?"

He didn't answer straight away and she was just beginning to think that he wouldn't when he spoke up.

"A while."

She nodded. She had suspected as much. He didn't seem well, Mikoto had said and she had little doubt of what her Uchiha friend had spoken.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shifted and she could feel him deliberating. She was somehow certain that he had never spoken of it before.

"There's not much to say." he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair absentmindedly. "It is how it is."

"Nightmares?"

It was his turn to nod.

"What about?"

He hadn't looked at her once throughout the whole exchange. He was as still as a statue beside her, eyes fixed ahead without seeing and she could see the crease in his forehead, jaw setting as he remembered and he blinked rapidly to cast the images away, muscles locking tensely.

She realised suddenly that what she had asked was much too personal. She could guess at the nature of it, but forcing him to say it crossed the delicate border of casual friendship.

And she suddenly felt like she shouldn't have intruded on him quite so, without asking permission, without considering if her presence was at all wanted or if it only made things worse.

Her hands clenched on her thighs and she rose to go when his quiet voice rooted her.

"Most nights it's Uzu." he said and she stilled, looking at him for an impossibly long moment before wordlessly settling back down next to him. "The people in those caves… I… I tried, but I was too late. I keep seeing them, all slain… and you amongst them."

And he shuddered, but he had started talking and the words were coming out now, ever so quietly, as if in a trance.

"And then there's the Iwa and Suna shinobi. Those past few months… Konoha is winning, but the people I had to kill… This technique that I perfected, I… I wanted to protect everyone. But then I close my eyes and I see the mounds of bodies and their blood on my hands. Their horrified look as they realise they are about to die. They stand no chance. It's death at my fingertips, I wield it."

His voice broke and he closed his eyes through a pained look.

She had suspected. But she had no idea just how bad it was. The Minato she saw before her now was so different than the man of some hours ago. He bottled his vulnerability well, but now it had come forth unbidden, crashing over him, a burden that no man should carry.

And she didn't know what to say to make it better.

No, you're wrong? How? It was all true.

"You shouldn't have to bear this. No one should." she murmured, her thoughts jumping briefly to the Bijū sealed within her. "But someone must."

She knew this pain, the soul-straining weight of responsibility that couldn't be passed to someone else.

He was alone in his strength, the one who could lead them to victory in the war. And suffer for it.

But.

The load could be shared.

The wisdom Mito had imparted on her had saved her from a life of misery. She could give him this much.

"You'll likely live with it always." she said quietly, realising it was the truth. Some wounds stayed with you, defined you. "But you are not alone in this Minato, you'll never be, ya know."

Without thinking she quietly moved to kneel before him. His look stayed vacant, looking past her, pained.

"Hey. Look at me, now. I'm right here, ya know." she murmured and he did so ever so slowly, uncertainty spelled in his eyes "All the people you fight for, all the people you have saved, will always be there for you. It is a debt that can never be repaid. For your sacrifice and for your strength. Your technique is deadly, but it has also brought so much life. It saved me and Kemuri, it saved Hizashi, it saved so many from my clan. And whoever saves one life, saves the world entire."

It was an old saying, often repeated with little thought, but for the first time she understood what it truly meant.

He was staring at her desperately, soaking up her words. His throat was working as he swallowed once, twice, looking for words that wouldn't come. He was beyond that.

"There's a place I want to show you when we're back in Konoha, ya know… is that okay?"

He nodded wordlessly, without even sparing it a thought and she felt as if he'd follow her anywhere she asked of him.

Something in her settled calmly, a quiet realisation of something she had always known but never fully acknowledged until this moment of time.

She loved this man.

And the truth of it was so simple that she felt a sense of serene acceptance wash over her, realising that this was nothing new. She had loved him ever since he'd come to save her from Kumo all those years ago. She had loved him in his absence and in his presence and she probably always would.

She gulped past it and nodded, refusing to give in to the sudden sadness that was threatening to wash over her, realising she probably could never be with the man she loved.

This was about him now, not her. He needed her.

She quietly sat back next to him against the wall, leaning her head on his shoulder in quiet support. Her hand found his by her side, warm fingers wrapping over his cold ones and he sighed, turning ever so slightly towards her, lips brushing over the top of her head.

"Thank you." he whispered and there was a torrent of emotion in his voice that couldn't be described as his head relaxed over hers.

Morning found her waking up in her futon and she frowned for a split second, trying to figure how that had come to be before jumping up in a sitting position, face reddening as she remembered Minato nudging her semi-awake during the night after she had fallen asleep by his side. He had half-carried her back to her room before quietly returning to the engawa and sliding the shoji shut. She had been so tired that she had protested very little to it all.

Her hand lifted on its own accord, tracing her cheek as she remembered a soft touch, gentle fingers brushing a strand of hair off her face and she had to wonder whether she had dreamt it all.

She hurried through her morning routine, slipping in her travel gear and tying her hair in a manageable ponytail before hurrying out for the common dining hall.

Unsurprisingly, Minato was there, already enjoying his breakfast with a mug of tea.

Her eyes softened as she took him in, some tightly wound worry easing in her chest.

The shadows below his eyes were still there, but they had receded. He looked better rested than he had in the night.

A cup of hot tea was already waiting for her, Minato probably having felt her approach before she had even spotted him.

"Good morning." she said cheerfully as she sat before him.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

There was no sign of last night's strain in his voice, no awkwardness betraying the moment they had shared, but his eyes were gentle, spelling gratitude as he regarded her.

"Quite well, thank you. You?"

She had gone for casual and was rewarded with a lopsided smile.

"Much better than usual." he said and her own answering smile was instantaneous.

They didn't bring it up further, having reached the unspoken conclusion that nothing else remained to be said.

Instead their second day passed amicably, in jokes and talks of sealing, of her new apartment, of their friends and families, of Mikoto's upcoming wedding and of their hobbies back at home. Minato showed her what he had been doing the previous night before she had found him on the engawa, the tiny wooden figurine he had been carving out of habit, to pass the time, and he told her all about wood carving and how it had all begun. She delighted in it, asking questions and marvelling at his precision, quietly wondering if there was something that this ridiculous man couldn't do.

The day had dawned much brighter than the previous one and had kept getting better as they moved further down south, sun warming them and brightening their mood, and Kushina found herself laughing so much throughout their trip that her stomach hurt.

It was some hours past midnight when they reached the village's looming wall and yet it somehow felt much too soon.

The guards stationed at the gates waved them in with a tired glance, apparently used to unexpected nightly returns from the fronts, and they were suddenly back home, Konoha's bubbling colours muted in the darkness of the night.

The cricket song welcomed them from all about, echoing in the warm spring air and she couldn't help notice the serene smile on Minato's lips, eyes closing calmly, taking it all in.

He had missed home.

"Right, you're through the door uninjured, good. Mission successful, ya know." she said mildly and he laughed, falling into step beside her, apparently decided to see her home.

"Thank you for your hard work." he said good-naturedly and she grinned.

"Yes, well. It had its good sides."

"Indeed."

Her pace had slowed noticeably, delaying the inevitable, wishing she could spend more time by his side. Knowing that she shouldn't. Her excuse before herself to be around him was slipping through her fingers.

If he noticed her languid pace he said nothing, hands tucked in his pockets as he walked quietly by her side in companionable silence.

All too soon they had reached the door to her apartment building and she stopped in her tracks, turning back to him desperately, seeking him out with a look. If he hadn't expected the sudden movement he didn't betray any surprise, pausing beside her casually. His eyes easily found hers in the darkness and lingered, taking her in.

And all too suddenly they were alone in this quiet little street, unnoticed and unnoticeable in the shadow of the building by their side, looking at each other wordlessly. The shift was almost instantaneous, thrumming in the space between them, making it seem impossibly large even though he was standing close enough to feel his warmth and his scent, and she gulped. The very air seemed to crackle with a zinging emotion, almost tangible; she could feel it at the tips of her fingers, an aching need to touch him and she could see he was similarly affected, taking in a breath to steady himself.

"Kushina, I…" he started in a whisper, voice raspy, dangerously low.

Her eyes went to his lips on their own accord and she had to suppress a shudder.

This was bad.

This was wonderful.

She didn't know if she had ever wanted anything as much as she wanted his touch in that very moment in time.

And then she'd break his heart.

"Thank you for seeing me off. Goodnight." she mumbled, closing her eyes, cutting him off with a feat of will that she didn't even know she was capable of.

For him. Ever for him.

And she didn't dare look at him, lest she see the hurt for her less-than-graceful obvious rejection.

Lest her resolve left her and she closed the distance between them herself.

Steel your heart.

"Goodnight." he murmured and she was already slipping in the entrance hall as quickly as she could, heart drumming in her chest, ignoring the sting in her eyes.

She thought she heard a quiet sigh before the main door clicked behind her and Minato was gone.

Chapter Text

He found his student sitting at the top of the Hokage monument, as he knew he would.

Minato's house had been empty after all and a drop-by the Hokage's administrative building had informed him that the blonde had passed by early in the morning - darn his early riser habits - and dropped off a report on his latest missions.

With little else in way of information Jiraya had made an informed guess and headed for their shared favourite spot for contemplation - Sandaime's stony image overlooking the village.

The sun was starting to climb higher, warming the stones pleasantly - it was promising yet another calm spring day and Minato seemed to have decided to enjoy it, eyeing the cherry blossoms scattering with the wind below him and all over Konoha.

Jiraya took in his expression, noting the traces of tiredness and past combat, shadows below his eyes and healing bruises adorning his face and jaw, and the older man sighed.

"How long are you planning on standing there, Jiraya-sensei?"

He had felt him, of course he had. The boy's ridiculous sensor abilities had unnerved him plenty of times and the frogs had only helped him to improve that.

"I was just wondering whether you were asleep sitting." he jibed and moved to join his student.

Minato chuckled.

"I seem to be getting that a lot lately."

"I thought I had imparted the most vital of knowledge to my dear student - you must know better than anyone where the best inns and hot springs for peaceful rest are."

"Sensei… I did my best to try and forget most of these." the blond man said pointedly and Jiraya had to laugh a throaty laugh as more than one merry occasion came to his mind.

"So, hero of the war and all that? I hear you got one of the Hyūga kids out of trouble. I guess our old tricks came in handy."

His bawdy grin was rewarded with a nervous smile from the blonde and Jiraya was certain that Minato was still getting accustomed to his new-found fame.

"I found myself somewhat useful. Although I don't think I'll be able to pull that trick twice."

The Sannin snorted.

"You can say that again. I'd bet you a bottle of the finest saké that they're rewriting the bingo books as we speak."

"What do you reckon?" the younger man said, a mischievous tint to his smile.

"Most likely kill-on-sight. Got it faster than I ever did, damn brat."

His words were met with a quiet laugh.

"Had a good teacher I guess."

"Tsch. Flattery, eh? It will get you places." the Sannin said and flashed him a grin.

It was easy slipping into old antics. The truth was he had missed his clever student and their casual witty banter. He never thought he'd think it, but the time spent on his own ever since Minato had returned to Konoha had been decidedly less pleasant, despite the lack of nagging for his favourite inappropriate activities.

"So, what brings you home? Any problems?"

"Why does everyone keep assuming there are problems when I come back?!"

"Well… for starters your last visit wasn't exactly for pleasure."

To Minato's credit his voice wavered only once as he went for nonchalance.

Jiraya sighed, feeling the weariness seep in him. Pleasant chatter couldn't last them, not with so very many things unsaid. So many things that couldn't be expressed. Uzu would always weigh on them.

He gulped as the silence stretched.

"They were a good people. Friends. I wish we could have done more."

And he tried to imbed in these words how much he meant them. Because they had tried. They had both almost died. They'd done everything they could; but sometimes it was just not enough.

Minato nodded stiffly, not saying anything on the matter; but his eyes bore a weight that the Sannin had hoped he wouldn't get to see in the cheerful man, and he had to suppress a cringe.

He could have warned his student about what it meant to be the hero of the war, losses and successes, all stained in blood. His team had been just that after all, during the last great war.

But it wasn't like Minato hadn't known; if anything his student was much smarter than Jiraya had ever been at that age. He had known it and he had dived in it with little thought about himself nevertheless, all for Konoha. But it was one thing to know it and another to live it.

And the young jōnin had seen it and felt it first-hand.

"You know I've told you about plenty of my victories in the previous war. Because I was pretty great, everyone knows it." he said and winked through a somewhat dashing smile before settling down for a more serious voice. "But I guess I should have told you more about my failures too. And boy, did I fail plenty. It wasn't pretty. I won't mince it for you, I didn't always win. I had to make tough calls. People died."

Minato was eyeing him warily, one hand clenching and unclenching over his knee.

"How… how did you handle it all?" the blonde asked, voice tight.

"Not half as well as you're handling it, I'll tell you that much. It took me awhile to forgive myself, but time helps. And also my stubborn teammates who kicked me back up pretty hard every time I got down. Tsunade has a mean punch, ya know, I wouldn't dare cross her."

At that the younger man did smile, a tentative fleeting sight, not quite reaching his eyes.

"Kushina told me as much two nights ago. About trusting my friends and comrades to be there for me."

And Jiraya couldn't help but grin at that, warmth spilling in his chest.

You seem to be in good hands here, Minato.

"Lucky you, getting off with just an earful. I wouldn't risk having that talk twice. I bet that damned girl kicks no less hard than Tsunade, gods save us from vicious seal-weavers. No offence, brat."

"None taken." his student said affably and something seemed to have lifted off his chest.

"So. I hear you'll be taking on a student of your own."

At this Minato finally looked up, a look between uncertainty and amusement passing over him.

"So it seems. Sandaime-sama appointed me as Kakashi Hatake's instructor, starting next week."

"You look pleased."

"I suppose I am. I guess I wanted to take on a genin team one day… And Kakashi is exceptional, it'd be an honour to teach him. I just hope I'm ready."

Jiraya reached out a grizzly hand, patting his student on the back for old times' sake.

"Sure you are. Just do everything that I did and you'll be fine."

"Everything?" the young man said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Sure. You turned out fine, didn't you? Guess you have to start frequenting hot springs. You're a good stealth, I bet the ladies won't see you half the time!"

"S-sensei!"

She didn't even know how she had gathered the courage to seek him out after her dismissal not but a day ago. Her sides warmed up at the thought of it, of him in the dark and the way he had looked at her back then, and she tried very hard to cast the thought aside.

There was something she needed to do.

Taking in a deep breath she finally lifted a hand and knocked.

Silence answered her at first and she started gnawing on her lip absent-mindedly, worrying that she might wake him up even though it was nearing noon.

"Kushina?" came his mildly surprised voice from behind her just as she was about to knock again, and she turned half-startled.

Sure enough he was there, climbing the steps to the front door of his house with a groceries bag in one hand. Judging by the look on his face he was just as surprised about her being there, before a warm smile spilled on his face.

"Hi." she said past a gulp, reminding herself why she had come.

It was important.

"Hello. Were you waiting long? I was just fetching some groceries, my kitchen's all dust and cobwebs." Minato continued as he neared her, adjusting his grip on the purchases, one hand diving deftly in a pocket to fetch his keys.

He sounded so very casual, friendly smile never leaving his face, that for a second Kushina wondered if she had imagined the events of two nights ago all together.

"Not long. I was wondering if I had been convincing enough in my rants that you decided to spend the days sleeping, ya know." she said and he huffed in amusement.

"The thought crossed my mind." he admitted merrily, unlocking his door and waving a quick seal before his face.

The air before him shimmered imperceptibly, shifting, and Kushina peered at him curiously, wondering what seals he had set up to protect his home.

His lips quirked up upon noticing her look and he paused in the doorway, turning to face her.

"Would you like to come in? I'm afraid the place isn't at its best, I have yet to finish tidying up after all these months away, but still… you're always welcome."

"I… thank you. I would love to, but I was actually here to extend my last offer." she said hesitantly, wondering when was the last time she had been to Minato's house.

It must have been years ago, before he left with Jiraya in the first place, and yet she remembered it with crystal clarity. His home had held a warmth that only carefree childhood could instil.

He inclined his head, holding her look, and she wondered if he was remembering that so-very-intimate night they had spent talking on the engawa of the ryokan.

"The place you said you want to show me when we're back."

"Yes. I'm going today, if you want to join me, ya know."

"And you won't tell me where we're going before we get there." he said, the amused tint never leaving his voice.

She smirked in return, already feeling the confirmation in his words. There were no "if"-s; she'd asked so he would come.

"Nope."

He sighed, running his free hand through his hair and her eyes followed the movement on their own accord. His locks were messy as always, even more tousled as he ran his fingers through them, giving him a carefree look.

Sun-kissed, she had always thought.

Memories came forth unbidden, of merry afternoons spent in their training field, lying sprawled in the grass, his soft hair only inches from her face, both of them bending over Fūin books and talking ecstatically.

Her smile turned mischievous as she found herself easily slipping into old habits, favourite of which had been to tease her best friend.

"I see you were planning on spending the day cleaning though. I'd hate to deprive you of the pleasure, ya know."

"It'd be a shame indeed. But I'm all about selflessness, I'll make the sacrifice." he quipped back, not skipping a beat and she grinned. "Give me a second."

He slipped in his apartment quickly and reappeared not a few minutes later after having dropped the bag off.

"Well ain't you fast, ya know."

A smile.

"I've heard it mentioned once or twice."

A quick seal and he had locked his place, the two of them heading down the stairs and towards the street.

"Have you marked southeast of Konoha?"

"Less thoroughly than up North. Do you have a region in mind?"

"How about east of Akagahara, towards the Tobirama river?" she said, her feet carrying her towards the southern village gates on their own accord. They still needed to sign themselves out if they were to leave the village temporarily or Sandaime might have a fit.

"Hmm… I do have a mark in the area. If you show me on the map-"

"Kushina-neesan!" an excited voice interrupted him and the redhead rooted to the spot, recognising the boisterous outburst with little difficulty.

She turned, lips already pulling in a wide grin, just as the enthusiastic genin barrelled into her, wrapping two arms around her merrily.

"Kemuri-kun! It's been so long! I'm glad to see you well, ya know!" she said and happily tousled his hair before the boy stepped back, positively beaming up at her.

She had kept tabs on him, of course, inquiring after his missions whenever she could, and had been happy to know that Kemuri was doing well despite the long deployment. She had been only too glad to find out that at some point his team had been appointed as guard detail to the Daimiyo's wife (most likely because of his immediate relationship with Konoha's Hokage) and he had in fact stayed away from the war fronts for the most part.

"You're back, finally! I've been in Konoha for a few days now, but I heard you were on a mission to save Konoha's Yellow Flash! You are so cool, Kushina-neesan!"

Kushina had to suppress a guffaw, remembering how very little saving Minato had actually needed.

"Naturally." she said instead, flashing him a proud smirk. "The windy-head would be lost without me, ya know!"

"Indeed." Minato murmured, amusement colouring his voice as his eyes darted to her with an oddly meaningful look "It's nice to see you again, Kemuri-kun."

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too Namikaze Hedgehog-san." the boy said quickly before turning to her again and this time Kushina couldn't hold back her laughter as she saw Minato's dejected expression.

At this the boy's grin grew even larger, as if basking in his pride for making her laugh, straightening his back and making to look taller. Mirth washed over her yet again; it was quite clear what the relentless genin was trying to do. Apparently he hadn't given up on his antics.

"You're as beautiful as always!" Kemuri proclaimed loudly, giving her a thumbs up as if to approve of her lack of change, and she couldn't help her giggles. Who knew which book the brat had read, advising him to compliment ladies. "So, how about that date?"

He was practically vibrating on the spot with excitement.

From the corner of her eyes she could see Minato fighting laughter.

She sighed. Somehow she knew Kemuri had thought of little else in the past months since she had last seen him.

"You promised, Kushina-neesan!"

"Yeah, yeah… But I'm busy right now, Kemuri-kun."

The boy cast the blond jōnin a sour look.

"With him?"

Minato's smile had acquired an apologetic tint.

"With… an important mission. Minato is helping me, ya know."

"I could help you, Kushina-neesan! I'm really great at missions, Madam Shiji was really happy with me! Although she said she'd be happier if I talked less, but I think she is a very serious lady and she likes strong silent men, which I can be! I'm plenty strong!"

At this point Minato couldn't hold back his merry chuckle.

"I'd be loath to stand in the way of your romantic life…" he started and Kushina shot him a dirty look which only made him laugh again.

Much as she adored Kemuri and as glad as she was to see him home, she was starting to feel a twinge of annoyance at his tenacity.

But she had promised.

She tried to aim for a level tone, smile never leaving her face even as she felt her one eyebrow twitch.

"I promised you, brat, so I'll do it, but not today. Pick another day, ya know."

At first the boy's face dropped, disappointment spelled clear in his whole posture, before a new thought seemed to occur to him and he looked back up, excitement crackling in his eyes again.

"Sunday then!" he called and his liveliness gave her pause, wondering what was on Sunday that had thrilled him so.

And then it hit her. She almost groaned.

The Hanami festival. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom. And attending said festival with a date was considered a very public proclamation of your status, as far as old customs went.

Minato had stilled by her side, stealing glances at her through a somewhat thoughtful expression. She felt her cheeks warm up and was glad that Kemuri was too dense to notice, lest he misinterprets it as romantic affection aimed at him.

"Sure, Sunday, whatever, ya know." she said quickly, trying not to roll her eyes at the ecstatic yell of happiness that followed, Kemuri practically jumping in the air with a cheer. "Meet you by the red bridges at noon."

"Noon? But Kushina-neesan, the lanterns light up at night-"

"And adults go drinking at night, it's not for underage gennin. Remember the shinobi vices; responsible young men always respect them." she said matter-of-factly, seeing the boy's smile falter in uncertainty, as if wondering if he was being cheated out of what was promised.

"I hear the cherry blossoms are most beautiful at sunset." Minato said quietly, winking at Kemuri, "It's a very romantic time to part ways."

At this she did roll her eyes.

But it had worked. Kemuri beamed once again.

"Alright! I can't wait!"

"Sunday at noon, shrimp, don't forget. It's impolite to have a lady waiting, ya know." she said and he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll be there!"

The constriction lasted barely a second, squeezing her all about in a now familiar way, as they stepped on the other side of it and Kushina blinked quickly, taking in the forest clearing they now found themselves in. The trees rustled quietly all around them, breeze making them whisper calmly every which way. The rush of the Tobirama river could be heard not too far off in the distance.

It was a breath of fresh air after the hustle and bustle of the busy Konoha streets, now even more hectic with the festival preparations.

Minato seemed to also be taking in the peaceful atmosphere by her side, eyes fleeting closed as he took in a deep breath.

"This should put us some eight kilometers North-East of the location you showed me." he said after a beat and she nodded.

"Shall we?"

"Lead the way."

They took to the trees casually. Most shinobi could make the distance in less than fifteen minutes, Minato probably for half that time, but Kushina was happy to enjoy spring's merits and they were not in a hurry.

"So." she quipped through a coy smile after some minutes of companionable silence. "Cherry Blossoms are romantic at sunset time, huh?"

She could have sworn he faltered in his step, almost missing a branch, his next jump somewhat less confident.

"Or so I hear."

"And I wondered what Jiraya-sensei had been teaching you all those years, ya know."

Despite the swish of the wind past her ears in their run, Kushina was certain she heard him grunt.

"Are you going?" she asked before she could stop herself.

The curious question had been burning on the tip of her tongue ever since Kemuri had brought it up.

It shouldn't interest her so.

And yet.

Minato stole a glance at her, calm eyes studying her quietly before he looked ahead again.

"I hadn't given it any thought. I suppose I would. It's been ages since I attended the Konoha Hanami."

She nodded automatically, swallowing past the newly formed lump in her throat.

Cherry blossoms were romantic at sunset. He'd be there, enjoying them with someone else.

He could go with most anyone. She had seen how girls eyed him, especially now when he was not just Minato, but Konoha's Yellow Flash. He need only ask.

Or just agree. She was certain there were plenty of women who would be happy to do the asking themselves.

"I guess we might run into each other then." she said as she saw the path leading to their destination up ahead and jumped down lightly.

Within a heartbeat Minato had done the same, silently landing by her side.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea." he said through a bemused smile "I don't think Kemuri-kun enjoys my company very much."

At this the redhead rolled her eyes. Again. Kemuri Sarutobi had the power to make her do just that, day in and day out, no matter how fond she was of the adorable loud-mouth of a genin.

"Don't mind him. He sees you as a rival for my affection, ya know." she said, waving her hand dismissively, not even quite realising what she had said.

And then her brain caught up with her mouth, effectively shutting her up.

Fire sneaked up her face as she realised what she had blurted out, eyes widening.

Minato stilled by her side, holding her look.

"Does he now?" he said quietly, a tint of amusement in his voice.

Her throat was suddenly dry.

"I… I just meant… He sees we're close… friends, ya know." she mumbled, twisting a lock of hair in her hands.

Her cheeks were aflame.

"Of course." Minato murmured, warmth ever-present in his eyes and he trailed her fingers with a look as they kneaded her fiery hair.

She gulped.

The trees rustled quietly above them, making sunspots dance merrily across his face, light catching in the cloudless blue of his eyes and she found it impossible to glance away. His look was open, trusting, knowing. And ever-so patient.

You shouldn't look at me like this. I'm a Jinchūriki. I'm broken.

"I… we're almost there, ya know." she said instead, turning abruptly and heading down the path without even glancing back to see if he would follow.

Within a heartbeat he had caught up, falling into step beside her.

"You know, I still don't have a guess about where you're taking me."

"You wouldn't. It was set up a few months earlier, while you were away." she said quietly, not quite daring to look back at him.

If she could guess she'd say that there would be a thoughtful expression on his face right about now, gears turning as he pieced out the information. Already child laughter could be heard in the distance, echoing happily amongst the trees, the merry chaos of the settlement spilling into the forest about it.

She could almost pinpoint the exact moment when realisation dawned on him, his feet slowing down as they approached the break in the trees, sunny meadow stretching ahead of them before the small cluster of colourful buildings.

And above doors and through windows, woven in clothes drying on laundry lines, scribbled in chalk on the hut walls or carved in the wooden porches, from all around them Uzu's familiar spiral looked on.

Minato froze in one spot, sucking in a shocked breath, and Kushina chanced a glance up at him. His face had gone pale, eyes wide with surprise and something more brittle, a masked sense of a deep ache.

There was a reason why she hadn't told him where they were going. She had feared that if he had known he wouldn't have come at all. Now, seeing his reaction, she thought she might have been right.

"Uzushiogakure's survivors refused to settle in a shinobi village again. This place used to be one of the crisis centres turned orphanages with the war. It housed some of them, but later they were all gathered here and more huts were added to house everyone, ya know. They were sixty-four, now seventy-two, welcoming the babies. This place… it's their new home… at least until the children grow up and choose where to settle. The women care for them, along with volunteers. But this way they can grow up together. With a sense of community. And of home, ya know." she said quietly, eyes roaming over the group of children who were playing in the afternoon sun, oblivious to the world around them.

"I come here every now and then. There are some chakra-sensitive amongst them. I teach them basic seals, the clan's art. Most are civilians though. They just have fun with the stories, ya know. They… helped me a great deal. To overcome it. They are what my parents and all of Uzu fought for… a future. And Minato…"

She paused, turning to face him, and he reluctantly peeled his gaze from the sight before him, finding her eyes through a still dazed look.

"They are all here because of you. Because you saved them. They are seventy-two reasons why you didn't fail. And seventy-two reasons to forgive yourself."

She watched it all quietly, which was a feat in itself, as she was so rarely quiet. But she was so very conscious of the fact that this was hard for him, that it took a feat of bravery to confront the fears that plagued your nightmares every night, to stand up to the darkness that was your own and no one else's.

And he was brave and strong, she had always known it, now more than ever as she observed wordlessly, never leaving his side.

She watched him go through shock and agitation, dismay and humility as they all came forth in their own time, all the women who recognised him instantly, as soon as he appeared at their new home.

She saw him tense as they made to thank him, gratitude spilling in their words for the lives he had saved, their own and those of their children. She saw him deliberate, the tense edge to his shoulders betraying the misplaced feeling of inadequacy that she knew he was harbouring.

But there was a shift there too, a fragile sense of hope blossoming in his eyes as he sought her out with a look, as if uncertain if this was okay.

He wanted to be happy that they were well, those people he had saved.

And the answering smile that spilled on her face then was brilliant and honest.

He would be okay.

He was leaning against a blooming tree at the edge of the meadow, arms crossed casually before him as he observed the view before him through half-lidded eyes.

Kushina was sitting in the grass with a group of children, mostly younger girls, all about her, sprawled in the soft tufts or sorting through baskets of flowers, chatting merrily, their ringing laughter peeling around them and mixing with the springtime birdsong.

They were taking turns playing with her hair, trying out elaborate braids and decorating it with azaleas and pansies and any which petals they could find.

And she was laughing along with them, telling them stories, merry eyes crinkled in her mirth. Every now and then she would wave her hands as she dove into an exciting tale and she would yelp as she forgot her hair was otherwise occupied, yanking forward. The children would laugh then as she mock-chided them before settling back, clearly not one bit upset about their ministrations.

Her one hand was currently casually caressing the scarlet locks of a young girl who was sitting by her side and leaning into her. A gentle smile was playing in the corners of her lips, so impossibly full of fondness and of love that it made his heart clench as he watched.

She was so beautiful that it took his breath away.

For the first time in a very long time, Minato felt at peace, just standing there in that meadow, watching her. He thought he could do that always and it would never be enough.

Just then she looked up, meeting his look, smile softening as a blush crept up her face.

How she could make his heart skip a beat with a simple look he would never know.

His reverie was broken by a little girl, not older than three, waddling up to him with conviction, little eyebrows set in a deliberate way.

"Hello little one. What's your name?" Minato murmured as he knelt beside her.

"Kairi." she said before reaching a chubby hand for the plum blossoms above them both. "Up." she continued with all the command that only a determined toddler could have and he chuckled, kneeling to pick her up.

He settled her gently on his shoulders where she could reach the blossoms better, much to her delight, if her elated squeal was anything to go by.

She must have gotten what she needed, because she finally settled, one small hand patting his hair happily before another command was issued.

"Go, 'shina-onesan." she said and he was only too happy to do as she asked, taking her to the others in a few strides.

His eyes found Kushina's straight away and he realised she had been watching the exchange quietly, almost wistfully. She smiled brighter as she saw them approach, gesturing to the ground beside her and he knelt next to her carefully, trying not to jostle the child as he did so. He picked her up lightly and settled her on the grass between them, chuckling at the child's enthusiasm.

The girl giggled, small hand full of squashed petals, and she toddled forward to put them in Kushina's lap.

"Thank you, Kairi-chan, they're beautiful, ya know!" she said, beaming at the girl and patting her hair affectionately before Kairi gurgled a sound of happiness and moved aside, another quest demanding her attention.

Minato followed her with an amused look.

"You're good with kids, ya know." he heard Kushina say quietly beside him, hesitantly almost, and he wondered if he was imagining the sad tint in her voice.

"I'm not so sure. I'll always remember how disastrous my first meeting with Kakashi-kun was." he said through a smile, glancing her way merrily.

To his delight she laughed, seemingly forgetting about whatever it was that had upset her.

It was quite wrong, having her upset. She was made for happiness, this woman who elated him so.

"You've gotten much better then, ya know."

"You are great with them too. They adore you." he murmured, turning to meet her eyes, not even bothering to look away after said look lingered, propriety be damned.

He wanted to drink it all in, making up for lost time in all these months spent away from her.

"They adore my hair, ever the aspiring-stylists, ya know." she grumbled through mock-annoyance and the girls about her giggled once again.

"Namikaze-san, do you like it?" an older girl said, gesturing to the thick braid they had made of Kushina's fiery locks, all adorned with flowers, contrasting beautifully to the rich red of her hair.

He felt his throat clamp up as he beheld her, warmth sneaking up his neck.

"It's beautiful." he said quietly, look holding hers as he did so in a rush of boldness that had suddenly overcome him.

Kemuri had called her beautiful earlier and he couldn't have agreed more, envying the ease with which the child had complimented her. Why was it so complicated to do so himself?

He had so wanted to say it, at the same time being all too conscious of the night he'd sent her off upon their return. Her rebuffal had been kind but clear, Kushina obviously not wanting anything but his friendship overall. He was anything but unobservant and he had seen the signs of distress that his clumsy attempt at forwardness had caused. She had escaped him before he could say a word and he didn't want to make her feel ill-at-ease again.

And yet… he could pay her a compliment, could he not?

If friendship was all she wanted, he'd happily give her that, basking in her company despite the sting that it brought in him every time when he realised just how much he cared for her.

How much he wanted her.

The girls giggled, perhaps noticing the honesty in his words and he saw her sides redden to match her hair.

"You've done a wonderful job." he said, swallowing past the rush of emotion and finally glancing away from Kushina, smiling at her stylists instead.

The appearance of the boys who had been playing not-too-far-off in the meadow saved him from having to answer any curious questions his words might have brought on.

"Kushina-neesan! You promised we'd play ninja together!" an older boy called out, sticking a tongue out at a scowling girl.

The kids were only too eager to have adults pay attention to them in their games it seemed.

A smirk spilled on his friend's face as she stole a quick glance at Minato and inclined her head in a bout of innocence that made him gulp nervously.

"I'd love to, Eiji-kun, but you know, I wouldn't be nearly as good as Konoha's Yellow Flash here, ya know."

The excited shouts that followed her admission indicated that the children had indeed heard of him, but hadn't made the connection before and he couldn't stop the grunt that escaped him, turning a look of betrayal at her.

Kushina huffed out a laugh.

Sorry, she signed in Konoha standard sign talk and his lips pulled in an exasperated smile despite himself as the boys ran to them with a million questions.

A couple of minutes later found him pulled amongst them in the meadow, being asked to join their games and he couldn't help glancing at Kushina who had quietly beckoned a boy closer earlier and whispered something to him, mischief dancing in her eyes. The boy had grinned, returning to his friends.

"What did you say to him?" he called back over his shoulder and Kushina's playful laughter already gave him a hint of what might come next.

"That tall people don't stand a chance before throngs of short attackers, ya know!" she called, just as the boys yelled "GET HIM!" and they all descended upon him, knocking him down in the soft grass through merry laughter.

The sun had set when they finally made to go, promising another visit as soon as they could, the children waving them off in excited shouts.

"That was fun, ya know." she said, turning forward and throwing her flower-filled heavy braid over one shoulder.

"Indeed." he said through a chuckle. "They are wonderful kids."

"They are, aren't they? I think they really liked you too. Not just because you're their badass war hero and all that."

He could see her grin despite the diminished light of the night, crescent moon barely reaching them below the thick canopy of trees. Shinobi had excellent eyesight after all; he didn't miss the way her fiery hair, darkened in the night, draped around her shoulders, revealing the crease of her neck, gentle wisps of scarlet strands tickling her skin, and he gulped, willing his eyes up to her face again.

"Thank you. For taking me here." he said quietly, pausing to signal that they were close enough to reach his markers.

She stopped by his side, meeting his look in the evening gloom.

"Of course. I wanted to share it with you, ya know. I just wish…"

"What?"

"I wish that we could… that you could… with the war and all, you wouldn't be home much. I wish you could visit them more often, ya know."

He blinked, suddenly realising that with all the commotion around Kemuri's appearance and the Uzu survivors he hadn't told her of his new assignment and the smile that spilled on his face was elated.

She wanted to spend more time with him.

"I can, if you would have me. I didn't have the chance to tell you, but I'll be staying in Konoha for a while."

Her eyes widened at that and the fragile hope that spilled in her eyes was easy to read even in the blackness of night. She was so open with him, unguarded, emotions worn on her sleeve, and yet she confused him so - one moment he thought he saw his feelings reflected in her look and then she'd step away firmly, wordlessly rebuking him.

"You will?"

"Sandaime-sama appointed me as Kakashi's jōnin instructor, as he is clearly quite advanced for his age. So you see… I'll stick around for a while, if there are no urgent missions."

"But… but that's wonderful, ya know!" she said, genuine happiness ringing in her voice. "Jōnin-instructor, ya know! Congratulations! Wow, Kakashi will be thrilled. He didn't stop talking about that time you helped him train. And you- you'll be a great teacher, ya know!"

"I hope you're right."

His hand had gone up to rub the back of his neck in sudden nervousness, finding himself praised before he had done any teaching at all. Her enthusiasm was infectious, warmth spilling in his chest.

"I'm always right, ya know." she quipped and he chuckled at that, inclining his head.

"So… if you wish… we could come here again sometime."

"That'd be wonderful, ya know. I mean… the kids would love it." she said, eyes suddenly darting sideways as a bout of uncertainty was about her. "And perhaps…" she started, biting her lip in habit and his eyes darted down on their own accord despite himself.

He felt his self-control slipping, stolen by the darkness about them that had sharpened his senses. He could feel the scent of the flowers in her hair, the warmth of her chakra beside him and the flutter of her heartbeat.

"Yes?" he breathed, feeling his pulse quicken.

By gods, how he wanted to kiss her. How he wanted to run his hands through her fiery hair, trailing fingers across her skin. How he wanted to press her against that tree behind her, to hear her whisper his name and-

The sudden flare of desire rooted him, coursed through him like fire and he had to will his breathing to calm down, fighting a groan. The images danced before his mindscape in a manner that would make his lecherous sensei most proud.

Her eyes had gone wide watching him, breath catching, and he wondered how much of his crumbling self-control she had seen.

"I…" she started and had to cough past a dry throat. "I thought it's been awhile since we trained together."

It was madness being this close to her on a daily basis. Seeing her every day for training again might be sweet torture.

"I'd like that." he said instead, gulping again and willing his heart to stop drumming. "I… we're not far off my first marker."

She hesitated only for a brief second before nodding and he reached forward tentatively, palm held up in an invitation. Ever her choice, he'd never force his touch on her. However much he wanted her.

She slipped her hand in his without looking away and he felt the shivers at the back of his neck, fresh fire running down his form. He need only close his fingers around hers, pull her lightly and close the distance between them and-

He swallowed thickly.

"Hold on." he said quietly instead and reached forward to the first Hiraishin tag, pulling them both across his markers and before Konoha's southern gate.

The loudness of the streets beyond assaulted them as soon as they stepped on the other side and her hand had quickly disappeared from his own, Kushina taking a hasty step back. And just like that the quiet delirium that had gripped them shattered, the emptiness stinging jarringly on the inside.

"I'll.. I'll see you Sunday." she said quietly and waved goodbye, turning to go before he could say much more.

"Yeah. Sunday…" he whispered, following her retreating form wistfully, eyes lingering on the swaying thick braid, a reminder of a wonderfully torturous day.

Chapter Text

"You've turned into an alcoholic, Jiraya…" she said, aiming for a light tone as she eyed the fourth cup of saké her teammate was pouring for himself.

"Nonsense. It's a celebration, Tsunade, lighten up! It's not every day we get to meet up like this!"

With that her boisterous teammate reached out an arm and slapped their black-haired friend on the back through a grin. Orochimaru's eyebrow visibly twitched, the look of annoyance being plain on his face.

"Please don't touch me." he rasped out and Jiraya barked out a good-humoured laugh.

"It's been, what? A year now, has it? Since the last time we had a drink together?" he continued unperturbed.

"Probably about so." Tsunade sighed, pouring for herself as well.

Her second cup. She was being conscious of the number as she knew she was somewhat of a lightweight. Orochimaru had barely touched his first, sitting stiff and straight-backed as if unsure whether he should be there at all. She wondered briefly when was the last time he had gone out for a drink.

"Can't be helped, I guess." she continued, "What with you barely being around. Even Orochimaru and I barely see each other."

"For shame!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell in my ear." the Snake Sannin said with a sigh.

"You need to spend more time with real people instead of books. You've forgotten what a joyous human voice sounds like. And what better than my own to remind you!"

"Gods save me."

"What are you working on now, Orochimaru? I've been so busy with the medical system changes we've been trying to implement that I've completely lost track of it." Tsunade interjected quickly before her dunderhead teammates got in an argument of old.

"Trying to find the cure to your gloomy moods as ever?" Jiraya quipped, cheeks already flushed in his cups.

The briefest of lopsided smirks graced their friend's lips.

"You could say so."

Tsunade couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the cryptic answer even if she had to admit it was most typical for him. Orochimaru had never been a man of many words. Chances were that whatever it was Sandaime had assigned to him was confidential anyway.

And wasn't that irony in itself? She wanted to catch up with her teammates' lives, but their roles throughout the ongoing war had been shrouded in so much secrecy that they could barely discuss it without bringing up something classified.

Jiraya had probably figured as much, but her teammate was nothing if not infectiously cheerful at all times.

"About time. I don't know if I can take another year of your doldrums." he said instead, making Orochimaru roll his eyes in exasperation.

"How about you, Jiraya? Still menacing around hot springs?" she said, voice taking on the sweetest of tones.

The Toad Sannin was only too familiar with said sugary tone. He gulped, smile turning suspiciously innocent.

"Of course not! I'd never! I've just been travelling some, you see, visiting here and there…"

She sighed, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms before her.

"I gotta say I sometimes envy you. I miss our missions of old."

The white-haired man chuckled good-naturedly.

"The tales of my heroic exploits have reached you then, ah? Good, good." he said before a tint of seriousness hedged in his words. "I guess we've taken a bit of a backseat in current skirmishes, haven't we?"

"It can't be helped. We have important roles to play. My work at the hospital is actually changing things, you know... And Orochimaru is vital to the Research and Development Division. And you… you have your uses too." Tsunade said, lips quirking up in a smirk.

They didn't talk of Jiraya's assignment. No one ever did.

His answering smile was brief, shrewd eyes glinting as he nodded in acknowledgement and Orochimaru huffed out an amused snort.

"Look at you two getting sentimental over nothing of consequence. This new situation suits me ideally and it should suit you too. Tsunade, we both know your heart was always set in medicine. And Jiraya… is a good fit for all the babysitting he's been doing."

The Toad Sannin did a double-take, choking on the fiery saké he had just been sampling.

"Babysitting?!"

"If you take on any more kids as students you might make up an Academy class of your own." Orochimaru deadpanned, smirk holding all the teasing mockery he was so brilliantly capable of.

"Well, listen here now-!"

"Don't mind him, Jiraya." Tsunade interjected, trying her best to keep the willy edge out of her own grin. "You're an excellent babysitter, you should be proud."

"Gah!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and Tsunade couldn't hold back her laughter anymore while even Orochimaru seemed to crack a smile.

Gods, she had missed her team.

"You two are hopeless. Tsunade, you're gifted, and I don't just mean your natural assets," Jiraya started with a bawdy grin, hurrying ahead when he noticed the twitch of annoyance flash in her eyes, "You have a lot to offer. And even this snake-loving jerk has got a useful skill or two-"

"-hundred-"

"-Why not take on students?"

"And end up like you? No thank you." the black-haired man said, rolling his eyes yet again.

"I already have an apprentice of sorts, actually. You remember Dan's niece Shizune? She's been most determined, asking me to teach her about medical techniques. Not bad at it too, clever kid. I'm of half a mind to offer her a formal apprenticeship."

"Aha, finally! Good for you, Tsunade! Even if it reeks of favouritism from miles away-"

"Oh don't you start that topic with me, picking Minato over everyone else for your trip, as if that wasn't favouritism at its finest-"

"Minato showed promise-"

"Shizune is showing immense promise-"

"Can we please stop competing about who makes the grandest babysitter." Orochimaru sighed, exasperation clear in his tone.

Jiraya pouted, eyeing his best friend with a dose of annoyance.

"Well what about you then, Orochimaru? You can't hate children that much."

"Oh I don't hate children at all. They are quite… valuable." the black-haired man said and Tsunade could have sworn she glimpsed a menacing tint to his brief smile before it disappeared altogether. "I just haven't found a promising student yet."

She shook her head. The saké was probably getting to her already, darned alcohol.

"Ah, I see." the Toad Sannin said, wiggling his eyebrows. "You were jealous of my successful apprentice."

"You wish."

Jiraya grinned, levelling his pale friend with a look, a tint of seriousness in his eyes.

"You've heard the rumours around him lately, haven't you? The kid's out to get sensei's hat and he's not doing half-bad. If he keeps it up, he might even get it before you."

The change was almost imperceptible, certainly unnoticeable for anyone who was not straining to see it. But the Slug Princess knew both of her teammates well. Orochimaru had stilled, signature smirk never quite leaving his face, but it had acquired a sharp edge now as he slowly lifted the saké cup to his lips.

Somehow the temperature suddenly felt cooler and Tsunade had to suppress a shiver.

"We'll see."

"So, Kemuri Sarutobi, huh? You know, I always figured you for a tall-and-blonde kind of gal." Tsume said through a sardonic grin before she popped a dango in her mouth.

Kushina had groaned before she even finished her sentence.

"Don't even remin- Wait, what's that supposed to mean, ya know?!"

"Oh you know what I mean."

"First Mikoto and now you, why does everyone keep assuming things? We've been friends since childhood."

Tsume rolled her eyes as she chewed the sweet, lowering her sticky fingers by the table to let Kuromaru lick the syrup off of them.

"Oh please. That shit might fly with the Uchiha, but you can't sell it here. I've seen how you look at him, it's a wonder your legs don't part every time he walks pas-"

"Tsume!" she sputtered, slamming her hands on the table as she did so, making the massive dog eye her irately as if highly displeased for the excessive noise.

She could feel the traitorous blush creeping up her face, but at least in this case she could blame it on the Inuzuka's brazen language. Then again, Tsume had always been unapologetically crass.

"What? I don't blame you. He's quite the catch. Handsome, tall, strong, level-headed-"

"I get the picture, ya know." Kushina groaned.

"Do you? 'Cuz you sure ain't acting like it."

"Can we change the topic now, please?"

The silence that met her words was unexpected enough to make the Uzumaki finally look up. Tsume was looking at her with something akin to irritation, grin absent from her face for once.

"Humour me. You fancy him- no, don't even try it-" the dark-haired woman said, lifting a hand to stop her friend as she tried to protest "-and from what I can see he can't seem to take his eyes off you, despite half the female population in Konoha being on his tail. You've been rejecting men left and right for a while now and good for you since most of them were pathetic anyway, but this guy might be worth your while. Why are you so reluctant to it?"

All too suddenly the small dango stall they were sitting in felt inexplicably warm as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.

She hadn't told Tsume about being a Jinchūriki. How could she possibly explain?

"I'm no good for him, ya know." she mumbled quietly, fingers stroking Kuromaru's fur absentmindedly as she did so.

She didn't know she had been expecting a passionate outburst from her friend until she registered with surprise that Tsume hadn't reacted so at all.

"That ain't for you to decide though, is it?" she rasped out instead.

Kushina had to admit that her sudden vexation had a lot to do with her own stubbornness as her eyebrows mashed in distaste with her friend's words.

"There are things he doesn't know."

She refused to meet the Inuzuka's look, but she could have sworn the girl had cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Then tell him."

"It's not that simple, Tsume."

A sigh followed her words.

"I'll be frank, since we're friends and all. The way I see it, this is only making things worse. You're skirting about each other like rabbits, and what you're doing is only fanning the flames. And you'll both get burned."

"And what would you have me do?" she had meant to sound sarcastic, but the words came out more honest than she had intended them to.

Tsume shrugged.

"Either tell him whatever it is you think he doesn't know or enjoy each other for a week and then move on before you drive yourselves mad."

Kushina could feel the heat sneaking up her face again as she realised what the bold woman was suggesting.

"You mean…"

"That's exactly what I mean."

The thought was worming its way in her consciousness uninvited, her mind entertaining images that she had very much wanted to keep at bay. She saw him again standing in the forest that night, saw his eyes widen as they jumped to her lips, lingering, saw him swallow past a dry throat, breathing shallowly, shakily as he wavered on the spot.

What if next time he looked at her with unguarded desire in his eyes she reached out?

She could have almost groaned at the pictures her imagination was painting now. His lips trailing down her neck, hand wandering down her waist, pulling her closer as he sighed, her name on his lips…

And then letting it all go after a week or two? How would that make it better? How would they go back to a semblance of normality after that? Impossible.

"I can't." she said and the desperation leaked in her voice without her meaning to.

"Oh boy… You're in it deep, aren't you?"

"Let's just… let's just talk of something else. Anything else. Please."

There was a pause as the Inuzuka regarded her with raised eyebrows before sighing once again and returning to her signature grin.

"Alright. I got a new topic for you. I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh man." Inoichi groaned as he flopped down on the engawa next to Shikaku. "That was tiring."

He wiped the sheen of sweat gathered on his forehead, bringing a canteen with water up to his lips.

"Yeah. Well fought." Chōza said, already opening a bag of crisps beside him.

Their spar had lasted the better part of twenty minutes as they casually skirted about the wide backyard of the Nara compound. Minato and Shikaku were just finishing their first shogi game when the two men stopped for a break.

"Yeah. Gotta work on my taijutsu though." the Yamanaka agreed, finally throwing a look at the shogi board between his two friends. "I'll never know how you don't get bored with this game, Shikaku."

"Oh I do; when playing against you." the Nara deadpanned, lips spread in a teasing grin.

"Oh knock it off, will you. Minato, I hope you kick his ass."

Said man chuckled, enjoying the easy banter between the two.

"I'll do my best."

They lapsed in silence, basking in the pleasant spring breeze and the birdsong about them. Minato was just considering a rather risky move when Inoichi's next words effectively froze him in place.

"Say, Minato, is it true Kushina-san's going to the festival with Kemuri Sarutobi or did she just use the kid to blow me off?"

Shikaku sighed so quietly that Minato had to wonder whether anyone but him noticed it.

"You asked her to go with you, Inoichi?" Chōza said in between mouthfuls.

"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. I saw her today at the market and it just kind of slipped out. She said she already agreed to go with the Sarutobi kid."

"I wish you would just get the hint already…" their black-haired friend said in exasperation.

"Hey, you know what they say, if you don't succeed, try, try again."

"...until you get another rib broken."

Somehow Minato suddenly wished that Kushina had used Kemuri as an excuse to avoid Inoichi. Would she have said yes if the young boy hadn't asked her first?

An image of Inoichi's arm draped over her slender shoulders flashed before his eyes, her sides reddening in the way that he so loved while the Yamanaka leaned close to whisper in her ear, brushing a strand of fiery hair back as he did so.

He almost grunted with how his stomach knotted near painfully, chest constricting with the sudden blinding flare of jealousy, and he tried to gulp past the discomfort.

"She really is going with Kemuri Sarutobi. She promised the boy a date if he kept himself safe in the war." he heard himself say calmly, despite it being somewhat of an effort.

The other blonde flashed a dashing smile.

"I figured it might be something along those lines. So I still have my chances-"

"-I doubt it." the Nara heir quipped and Inoichi all but ignored him.

"-but in any case, are you going with someone, Minato?"

Shikaku looked up at him knowingly, lips quirked up in an amused smile and Minato had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at him.

"Not really."

"Want to meet up then? Since Shikaku is going with Yoshino-san, we need a new dashing partner for our trio." Inoichi said with a grin.

Chōza was nodding next to him and Minato found himself smiling through his friends' antics.

"Sure."

A smirk was playing on Shikaku's lips when Minato glanced at him again and this time he did groan when he looked down, seeing how the Nara had taken advantage of his distraction, securing yet another shogi win.

"Excellent. Come on Chōza, let's go for one more before we call it a day."

The Nara heir quietly followed them with a look, shaking his head as he did so.

"I know what you'll say." Minato ventured when he saw his friend about to speak up.

"Good. Saves me the trouble."

The blond man chuckled, leaning back on a wooden beam and resting an arm over one knee.

"Hey, Shikaku? Thank you." he breathed and his friend simply smiled, not needing any clarification as to what he was being thanked for. He seemed to be well aware how much Kushina's appearance at the Iwa border had meant for Minato.

Instead he inclined his head politely before laying out the shogi board again.

It was five minutes to twelve when he arrived at the red bridges, smoothening the haori over his yukata nervously. He thought his cheeks might actually start hurting from all the grinning he seemed to be doing this day, but he just. couldn't. help himself.

It was finally happening, out on a date with the woman of his dreams, his future wife. His hand opened and closed around the stems of the thick bouquet of flowers he had picked up from the Yamanaka shop and his mood had been so spectacularly uplifted that not even the quips about "a small man going on a big date" from the blond guy tending the flower shop could bring him down (what did he know anyway).

She came at exactly four minutes past the hour, walking, nay, gliding down the path, a sight of beauty as Kemuri had never seen her before. She was wearing a kimono, blending the colours of the season in pinks and whites and somehow looking more feminine than he had ever thought she could. Even so there was defiance in her hair, not brought up as more traditional kimono styles went, but instead braided to one side, adorned with a flowery kanzashi.

She was a vision. She would be the most beautiful wife. Everyone would envy him. He could already picture her kissing his cheek in front of a crowd made of his friends as they cheered. She would smile coyly, shyly, and say through the sweetest of girly voices-

"Well would you look at you, shrimp, looking so grown-up in your yukata, ya know!"

The boisterous voice shattered his daydream as Kushina grinned down at him.

His smile was suave as he puffed his chest out, closing his eyes and bringing out the deepest voice he was capable of.

"Of course. I am a man now."

She huffed out in amusement, but her eyes were soft as she regarded him. She was falling in love with him already, two minutes in. The yukata his mom had chosen for him seemed to have been an excellent choice and he swore he'd thank her properly for the womanly tips when he went back home.

"These are for you, Kushina-ne- Kushina-chan." he said and shoved the flowers in her hands.

Her eyebrow twitched upon hearing the change of honorifics, but she didn't comment on it, hands wrapping around the flowers instinctively.

"My, my, how did you know, I was dying to carry around a giant bouquet of flowers whole day."

He grinned, pleased with himself. This was going splendidly.

"A man knows these things."

"Indeed" she said through an exasperated smile and he thought he might have seen her roll her eyes as she deftly took out a brush from behind the hair ornaments decorating her braid, which he had to admit was rather bizarre.

He had heard of kunoichi keeping senbon in their hairdos, ready to fight at any time, but a brush was a first. Then again, the girl of his dreams had never been especially conventional.

With another sigh she rolled up her kimono sleeve and he glimpsed a leather band clasped with a buckle around her forearm, lined with small pockets with tiny vials. Deft fingers quickly unclasped one of them and Kemuri realised it was full of ink when he watched her dip the brush in it and scribble a seal on her own skin just below it.

"Kushina-chan! Your kimono-"

"It's a quick dry." she said wryly, finishing the last stroke and tapping the seal with two fingers to activate it.

Within seconds the flowers had disappeared from sight.

"W-what?"

"A storage seal. Don't worry, Kemuri-kun, your gift is safe with me, ya know." she said with a grin as she lowered her sleeve, flicking the excess ink off the brush and adjusting it in her hair again as if nothing had just occurred.

"That's so cool, Kushina-chan!" he beamed, not having expected anything less from his chosen one.

Even when she was the very vision of beauty she remained a powerful shinobi, as should be expected of the future Hokage's wife!

"You're so clever! Now your hands are free so we can walk arm in arm!" he said and proudly extended his elbow.

At this the red-haired woman actually groaned, a most unlady-like sound, but he loved her despite it.

"Come on, let's go." she said, slipping her hand through the crook of his elbow with only slight discomfort (he was growing taller after all!).

The rest of the day passed almost exactly as he had planned, even if Kushina allowed him to treat her at only one food stall despite him having money for at least three, but he had always known her to be a strong-willed woman, kind of like his own mom, so he relented in the end.

The only disappointment came when they ran into her in the market, his feet rooting to the spot as he regarded the girl of his nightmares.

Brattish, annoying, stuck-up and endlessly full of witty teases, Mei-san was his least favourite classmate from back in the academy days and the last person he wanted to cross paths with on this special day. She seemed to be out with her posse of annoying friends, enjoying the food stalls, none of them having bothered with traditional wear.

One of said friends promptly spotted him and elbowed Mei in the ribs, giggling as she did so.

The dark-haired girl turned, somewhat startled, before her lips pulled in a willy smile and Kemuri instantly knew it was too late to withdraw.

"Oy, Kemuri-kun! Nice kimono!" she called out and her friends descended in giggles all about her.

"I-it's a yukata!" he sputtered, feeling the tips of his ears burning all of a sudden.

The little beast smirked.

"Really? Could have sworn it was girls wear."

"Oh yeah? Well- well it's not! It's plenty manly!"

He was suddenly all too aware of Kushina standing next to him, smiling fondly at the exchange as if the monstrous girl before them had just greeted them politely. This was getting out of hand.

"As if you would know! Never seen you look girly in your life!" he fired back and was only too pleased to see the red spots blossoming on Mei's face.

"That wasn't very nice, ya know." Kushina murmured by his side, but he disregarded it as he seemed to have won this time, Mei turning around indignantly at his words.

Her ridiculously long blue scarf whipped about her, trailing her moves and dragging in the dust as she stalked away, followed by her bratty friends.

"She deserves it. Annoying girl." he said, cheeks still flaming as he also turned and trudged ahead angrily, remembering only halfway through to check if Kushina was following.

To his relief she was, an amused smile playing on her lips. Thankfully she didn't comment further and he found it easy to forget the incident as the day progressed.

Having demonstrated his gallantry before Mei had so rudely interrupted them, he was quite keen to show off his humour as well later on while they walked down by the river, enjoying their mochi and admiring the fluttering petals about them. He quickly took the chance to regale her with tales from his escort missions and she did laugh quite a bit.

He knew women loved to hear tales of their man's heroic exploits so he was certain he was doing everything right. She was probably head over heels for him by now.

The time was coming, he realised, looking at the setting sun. They had spent some two hours talking and had come full circle, returning to the red bridges where they had met. The petals were thick all about here, dancing merrily before dropping in the river, forming a fluid carpet of pink. The atmosphere was perfectly romantic as the blond hedgehog had promised.

"Kushina-chan you are more beautiful than all the cherry blossoms here combined!" he said, feeling their time coming to a close and she smiled ever so fondly, looking at him with merry eyes.

"Thank you, shrimp, you sure don't mince it."

This was it, the perfect moment. His first kiss, it would happen now.

His ears were aflame again. He gulped, feeling his confidence evaporate. What if he was a terrible kisser? He had once heard Mei and her friends giggle over a boy from their class who had kissed one of the girls and she had said that he had slobbered all over her. He had spent the whole afternoon after that practise-kissing his own hand.

He quickly swallowed three times, just in case, and closed his eyes, stepping forward and pouting his lips out. And waiting.

An amused chuckle reached his ears, followed by a huff, the rustle of fabric and Kushina-chan was standing before him. Soft lips pecked his cheek and his eyes opened in shock as she withdrew with a smile.

His face was burning, cheek tingling pleasantly as he lifted a hand up to where she had kissed him and he registered that he was both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"Thank you, Kemuri-kun. I actually had a really fun day. You'll grow up to be a great man, ya know!" she said and reached out to ruffle his hair fondly.

Something was telling him that this amazingly romantic moment hadn't gone as it was supposed to have gone, but he couldn't help grinning widely at her affection despite that.

"You bet!"

The main street had somehow become even more crowded with the coming of night, people having gathered to enjoy the Yozakura in the pleasant spring weather. They had lit up the paper lanterns sometime after sunset and the flickering lights were now lining the streets and adorning the cherry trees around the river, bathing the blossoms in warm colours in the night.

With Mikoto being out of the village and Tsume enjoying the festival with her partner - she still couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that her friend was pregnant - Kushina had debated going home after parting ways with Kemuri, but had ended up lingering on the riverside, delighting in the views and the pleasant atmosphere.

The air was thick with the scent of the cherry blossoms, petals whirling around her, winking in the lanterns' glow, while someone was playing a koto not far off, pleasant sound mixing with the laughter all about and she found herself relaxing in the solitude.

The walkways around the river were less lively than the main street, but there were still plenty people appreciating the views and she followed them absently with a look. A part of her, much more insistent than she would have liked, was pointedly looking around for sunshine hair amongst the throngs of people, wondering idly what he was doing in that moment of time.

She wanted to see him and dreaded it at the same time. Had he come with someone? Was he sitting somewhere under a cherry tree, smiling his captivating sun-filled smile at a coppery-haired girl?

Her eyes wandered around aimlessly, lingering fractionally on the couples that went by, either arm in arm or touching casually, walking in demure proximity, revelling in their budding affections.

Cherry blossoms are romantic at sunset, he had said, but she thought they were in fact most captivating at night - a vision of beauty in the dusk, embraced by the soft darkness that hid secrets in its folds. An unseen touch, a lingering look, inviting smiles in the dark.

She sighed. The Yozakura was somewhat melancholic after all.

With a final glance about her she stood, smoothening the folds in her kimono with a hand, heading home.

She was just passing by the main street when she spotted a familiar tuft of spiky black hair not too far away and she paused without thinking, stopping by a clamour-filled bar.

Shikaku Nara was standing near a stall, a distantly-familiar girl by his side and she recognised Yoshino Matsui as the girl she had heard he was together with. She was just about to move forward when Shikaku shifted and she glimpsed Inoichi and Chōza coming out of said stall to greet him, followed by Minato.

Her heart skipped a beat, as it so often did when she saw him without expecting to. Some tightly wound coil in her eased as she realised that he had come with friends and she sighed quietly.

He hadn't seen her yet, merrily chatting with his Nara friend and she allowed herself a few stolen seconds of observing him, before turning her back on the main street in resignation and making to go.

An outburst of roaring laughter thundered beside her in the same moment, coming from the entrance to the bar next to her as three men made their way in the street blindly, swaying on their feet, blocking her way. The pervasive stench of alcohol attacked her senses, thick about the group, and she wrinkled her nose in displeasure, making to sidestep them.

Unfortunately her attempt to avoid them only made the men notice her despite their drunken haze and she found herself faced with the larger of the three who clumsily staggered sideways to cut her off.

"Oho. What 'ave we here? Waitin' on us?" he said and winked, which was a feat in itself in his state.

His cheeks were flushed with the significant number of drinks he seemed to have had, lips spread in a cocky leer that she was sure was mostly alcohol-fuelled.

Kushina only rolled her eyes.

"Certainly not." she said just as his friend looked at her through dimmed eyes.

"'S that Uzumaki girl, Shiro." he said slowly, deliberately and the first man, Shiro, grinned even further, displaying a lovely set of yellowing teeth as he stepped uncomfortably closer.

Her senses had sharpened with adrenaline and she was clearly aware of their third friend who had circled her and was now standing behind, waiting for her retreat. She didn't give him the pleasure.

"'S that so? What do you say, Uzumaki girl, I hear your clan's in need o' revival and all that? I got some excellent assets to offer" he said and in an instant he was reaching out a massive hand, coarse fingers wrapping roughly around her kimono sleeve.

Kushina's eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring as her hand balled in a fist instinctively.

"We were thinking of heading down the river side when we chanced upon you." Yoshino was saying, her warm hand a steady anchor on his arm and Shikaku smiled.

"It was a pleasure seeing you, don't let us keep you-" Minato was saying before a crash from somewhere behind Shikaku broke off the blonde's words.

The Nara sighed inwardly, mentally cursing the drunkards who seemed to be doing their best to make this evening troublesome, and turned around to inspect the sound of the commotion.

The people around them seemed to have stopped, peering at the scene with curious looks, but the advantage of height allowed him to make out two men supporting a third, trying to get him up to his unsteady feet from where he seemed to have crashed in a pile of empty crates. A trickle of blood was coming down his split lip, his whole face purple, twisted in drunken rage.

And before them, kimono and all, was Kushina Uzumaki, strands of hair escaping her thick braid as she stood with a hand raised threateningly in a fist. Even from the distance he could see the fury in her eyes and he had to wonder what they had done to provoke her, even if he had one or two uncomfortable guesses.

He felt Minato freeze by his side and Shikaku just wanted to sigh.

So very troublesome.

"If you so much as touch me again I'll make sure those assets never see the light of day, ya know." her voice rang in the sudden hush, trembling with indignation and Shikaku was suddenly very certain he never wanted to find himself on the receiving end of her wrath.

The girl was downright scary. Those three had made a serious mistake.

"Let go of me, you dipshit!" the staggering man in the middle yelled, shoving his companion away and wiping the trickle of blood off his face, turning to face Kushina with bloodshot eyes.

Inoichi tensed by his side, making to step forward and Shikaku shot a hand out to steady his teammate in his tipsy outrage - this scene didn't need to turn ugly - just as the man pointed a finger at the redhead and yelled "You fucking Uzumaki bitch! You'll die alone, all dried up and shrivelled, 'm telling ya!"

And Kushina Uzumaki hesitated.

From where he was standing he could see the sharp intake of breath, her eyes widening with the drunkard's words and Shikaku could only stare, momentarily taken aback - the fiery girl he knew would have punched the living spirit out of that man. Had he hit a nerve?

His surprise lasted but a fraction of a second and then Chōza gasped as Yoshino positively growled next to him, stepping forward along with Inoichi who was shouting "Hey now-!" as he practically shoved Shikaku's barring arm away and Minato-

Before either of them had so much as made a step Minato was gone, his inhumane speed carrying him across the distance in a heartbeat, faster than the Nara had thought possible - one moment the blonde had been next to them and then he was by Kushina's side, blue eyes narrowed in a steely look so full of danger that it made the staggering man freeze even in his drunken anger. The barest trickle of killing intent reached him and Shikaku found himself transfixed.

He knew Minato would never hurt anyone in Konoha, but the threat was clear: he could if he needed to and there was nothing they could do. For the first time the Nara heir beheld before him not Minato his friend, but Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Had the drunken idiot recognised the man standing before him? In either case, he most prudently took a step back, eyeing Minato with something akin to fear.

And then the Konoha Police were there, three Uchiha surrounding the scene.

"What's going on here?" a dark-haired woman said calmly, narrowed eyes inspecting all parties while her arm calmly rested on her sheathed wakizashi.

If the men had intended to say something their words seemed to have evaporated under Minato's glare who hadn't taken his eyes off them.

"N-nothing." Kushina said in a somewhat steady voice, stealing surprised glances at the blond man by her side. "A misunderstanding. The gentlemen were just about to leave."

Her pointed voice was further punctuated with a meaningful glare in their direction. He had to hand it to the one who seemed to have started the whole thing, the idiot had a dangerous sense of misplaced bravery – he pulled himself upright, as much as the alcohol would allow him, before spitting disdainfully on the ground and turning to leave, followed by his friends.

Minato's mouth twisted in a sour look and Shikaku wondered whether his friend would have stepped forward, but then the police force were ushering the onlookers away and Kushina's fingers had imperceptibly wrapped around the sleeve of Minato's haori and she had rooted him in her presence, a calming force.

Finally his eyes peeled from the withdrawing men and he turned to face her, all harshness melting away from his look, replaced with burning concern and he gulped, inspecting her with a look; and his lips were moving in hushed words, asking if she was okay, if they had hurt her, hands hovering uncertainly, as if unsure whether his touch was welcome; and Kushina was shaking her head, fingers still holding onto his sleeve, eyes fixed on him as if he was the only thing that would ever matter in this world.

"Oh." Inoichi said quietly by his side, realisation finally dawning on him as he beheld them. "Oh. I see."

Because really, it was the simplest, most obvious thing in the world.

Shikaku smiled.

Chapter Text

She was standing before him, all warmth and quiet reassurance. She was calm.

Minato might have found it strange before, having Kushina Uzumaki of all people react rationally to insolence, but that seemed to be just the case.

And there he was, the exact opposite, quiet anger seething below the worry. There had been nothing level-headed about his reaction earlier upon hearing the man's words. Rage had blinded him, thick and burning and he had found himself at her side without thinking - infuriated with the injustice of the cruel words, with the insult, with the implied actions of moments ago.

Despite his reputation, Minato couldn't honestly consider himself a violent man; but the events of the evening had for the first time in a long while had him exercise restraint despite the drunken stupor of her assailants.

And it had been her calmness that had rooted him, her touch jolting him, steadying him, her fingers still holding onto his haori sleeve discreetly.

He had to squash the impulse to take her hand in his own as he swallowed past his irrational concern. Of course she was well. She was more than capable of handling three intoxicated fools.

"They are not worth the breath you spare them, ya know." she said quietly and he exhaled, nodding once in assent.

She was right, of course. He knew it. A part of him was acknowledging the absurdity of finding himself in a situation where his fiery friend would have to calm him down. Somehow he couldn't help picturing his sensei having a good laugh about it; This girl has you malfunctioning, he would say and Minato had to reluctantly admit that no one was as capable of burning through his rationality quite as well as Kushina Uzumaki.

She was looking at him now with mild surprise, said calmness settled resolutely in her eyes. There was a fire in her look, an unwavering emotion brought to the forefront.

"I… thank you. I had things under control-" she started saying before breaking off her own sentence, seemingly feeling rather than seeing the looks boring into them despite the Uchihas' best attempts to get the crowd moving.

He did his best not to react as he felt her fingers slip away from his sleeve, Kushina taking a modest step away from him. Her eyes briefly jumped to the people about them, a frown blossoming on her face before her hands shot up to her hair, trying to smooth it out with a low groan.

"Great, more rumours to be had. It's times like these that make me want to disappear altogether, ya know." she said through mild annoyance and Minato couldn't stop his own lopsided smile.

"You know, I'm kind of an expert at just that." he said mildly and the gleam in her eyes was dangerously disarming.

Her lips quirked up in a mischievous smile and he felt the worry and anger of earlier dissipating in her easy mirth.

"I might take you up on that offer."

He chanced a quick glance in Shikaku's direction over her head, only to see the Konoha police had made their way to where his friends were standing. His eyes skimmed over the dark-haired man who just smiled at him, ushering Yoshino-san down the street, before landing on Inoichi and Chōza. His blonde friend seemed to sigh, shrugging his shoulders and motioning ahead.

Minato was no mind-reader, unlike Inoichi himself, but he knew a thing or two about reading people. His smile held every apology as he nodded at them before turning back to Kushina.

"Any preferences?" he asked and his casual tone seemed to make her chuckle.

"After a day like this one, somewhere near a wardrobe with more practical clothing would be ideal, ya know."

Minato huffed in amusement, casting his senses out for his Hiraishin markers and finding the nearest one to her home; it was still some streets away, but hopefully far enough from the festival to offer some peace and quiet. Within moments he had extended a hand, palm up, a clear invitation.

Her choice; always her choice.

She sighed, reaching forward and brushing her fingers against his. He briefly wondered if the warmth of her touch would ever stop delighting him, feeling his lips quirk up in response as he pulled them both forward through space and time.

The familiar constriction was over in an instant and he found himself in a calm alleyway next to an intersection, Kushina exhaling a pent-up breath from beside him.

"Better?"

"Much. Thank you. Though I've just come to realise that disappearing into thin air with a man would probably not help ease the rumours, ya know."

His eyes widened as he understood what she was implying and he couldn't help the warmth that sneaked up his neck, one hand shooting up to rub the back of his head.

"Ah… I didn't… I didn't think…"

Her soft laughter silenced his ramblings.

"Relax, Mina-chan. It's worth the escape. And they'd talk anyway, what with your daring rescues, ya know." she said, aiming a light punch at his arm, grin never leaving her face.

She looked about as she spoke, recognition lighting in her eyes, just as he sighed in mock-exasperation.

"You'll never drop the Mina-chan, will you?"

"Nope." she said in a sing-song voice as she made to head for her home and he fell into step without thinking, shaking his head with a smile.

Gamariki-san had ruined this one long ago.

"You said once you had left your tags at important locations in Konoha." she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind one ear and Minato could have sworn there was a nervous edge in her voice.

Was she remembering the conversation they had had so many months ago, amidst the grass fields and the songs of the summer cicadas all about?

"Yes?"

"I guess I was just wondering what's significant about that alley. No offence to Konoha's picturesque architecture, ya know…"

He laughed (and by Gods, wasn't he doing that constantly when he was around her?), finally grasping what she was going for.

"I left some at intersections in the different quadrants too. In case an emergency necessitated quick movement about the village."

"Ah. Like when a friend finds herself in an embarrassing situation, ya know?"

"Amongst other emergencies, yes." he said before his smile faltered, a tint of seriousness entering his voice with the following quiet words. "What happened earlier?"

She shrugged, walking ahead without glancing at him.

"A bit too forward with their advances, ya know. Not too bright, to force their touch on someone in a village full of shinobi."

And just like that the anger was back, Minato stilling by her side. He had assumed it was something along those lines, but hearing it somehow felt worse. An image came to him uninvited, of rough hands grabbing her wrist, pulling her forward forcefully and something lurched inside, tearing at him from the inside. His eyes once again landed on the loose strands of her braid, now dancing with the breeze, and the hana kanzashi that had skewered sideways in her outburst.

He didn't even realise his hand had balled in a fist until he noticed Kushina had stopped beside him too, glancing at his hands before meeting his look once again.

"Minato… you do know I could have handled them, right?"

"I know." he said, swallowing thickly, grasping for the rationality that eluded him as his mind kept coming back to the cruel insults. "I didn't step in because I thought you couldn't… I just…"

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. She was looking at him quietly, expectantly, head leaned to one side, and he forced himself to exhale the pent-up breath he had been holding.

"I've known you can handle trouble since the day I met you." he said, small smile gracing his lips, "But this was different, what that man said, I… I didn't think, I was furious... I just reacted."

Kushina was quiet for a while as she held his look, a wavering emotion settling in the folds of her eyes, fragile and elusive in her silences. Within moments it was gone, a teasing smile gracing her lips instead.

"The ever-sensible Minato Namikaze, losing control over a drunk's potty mouth?"

I've been losing control since the day I met you, he wanted to say, but he swallowed past the words uncomfortably.

Did she know it? Did she have any idea what she meant to him? Did she know how radiant she was, fiery hair coming to life in the dusk under the soft glow of the lanterns, flickering light playing in her locks, captivating eyes spelling out mischief even when she was wrapped in the elegance of her kimono?

"You give me too much credit. My control is not nearly as infallible as you make it out to be." he heard himself say quietly before reason caught up with him.

The look she flashed him then was entirely too knowing, her breath catching with his words, and he found himself inwardly cursing those two cups of saké he had had along Chōza and Inoichi earlier in the night.

"Beats mine." was her whispered reply as she fixed the ground with a frown and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Before he could contemplate what her words might mean, she had squared her shoulders, looking up with some new-found resolve.

Her next words caught him completely off guard.

"Do you want to train?"

The surprise gave him pause as he beheld her, so graceful in her traditional wear, all flowing elegance and subtle fire, now asking him to spend the remainder of Hanami sparring. Leave it to her to find a way to solve any conundrum with a fist.

And it was so very Kushina that he thought it was the most unsurprising startling thing that she could have said.

Laughter bubbled to his lips and before he knew it he was laughing merrily, the redhead staring at him with wide eyes.

"Now?"

She shrugged. "As good a time as any."

He couldn't help his further chuckles, throwing an unguarded look down her otherwise lovely kimono and she frowned as she grasped the implication.

"I can change, though you should know I can kick your ass in a kimono just as well, ya know."

He hmmed quietly, tilting his head with an amused smile, the challenge clear in his eyes and she simply quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh you're on." she said and he grinned, feeling excitement rush down his body.

It had been too long.

"Where?"

He could see it only then dawned on her that the training fields were mostly occupied by the festival goers.

It was tradition to spend the Yozakura outside below the cherry trees for whoever favoured the old customs, staying up to welcome the first light of the spring day. The clearings of the training fields made for excellent picnic spots on the very day that most active shinobi took off as well.

Hanami was generally not a day to train. But then again, the fiery woman before him was anything but traditional.

"How about the dojos?" she said and he had no sooner considered it before the lopsided smile had returned to his lips.

The shared training halls were just as readily available for shinobi at any time of the day as the fields, although they were mostly favoured in days of severe weather conditions, if at all - ninja weren't fond of enclosed spaces, even if the dojos were spacious enough to accommodate an active spar.

And even if they were neatly maintained by the newly-minted genin who suffered through their D-ranks - as he had found out the hard-way in the early days of his team, polishing the halls' floors with Mikoto and Tora while Jiraya sipped his tea outside - the use of ninjutsu was mostly frowned upon inside.

So it would have to be taijutsu then. The thought must have occurred to her too, for her smile had turned mischievous - she was good at taijutsu and she knew it. Her stamina could put most shinobi to shame.

But then, he wasn't half bad either.

"Race you there?" he said, the thrill of anticipation curling in his voice.

"What sane person would ever race you anywhere?" she said, but she was already turning, dashing ahead, and he laughed, activating his Hiraishin.

Tsunade sighed, fastening the straps of her backpack. Before her loomed the northern gates of Konoha, guarded by the few unlucky shinobi who hadn't been able to take a night off despite the Hanami festival, now turned Yozakura in the late hours of the day.

She hadn't exactly planned on attending so the abrupt mission had bothered her very little, which was more than she could say for her four teammates who seemed most displeased with their urgent assignment.

Still, it couldn't be helped. They had lost two more medics as their supply lines had been hit in a successful enemy infiltration mission. Konoha had reciprocated by sending their own team behind enemy lines, led by Konoha's White Fang.

In light of it all Jiraya had left earlier during the day while she had requested her own appointment. Thankfully it had been swiftly granted under the circumstances.

Which was good, because she might have left anyway if the mission desk had delayed - it was Dan's team that had been affected after all. She hadn't been able to go to him during the last critical skirmish at the Tokutsukai Pass on account of being elbow-deep in a man's torso, trying to get his heart running at that time; medical emergencies rarely agreed with personal commitments, but this time they somehow had. She wouldn't sit out again.

She had to suppress the urge to sigh as she contemplated how very typical for Dan it was that he would always find himself in life-threatening situations. He barely thought of himself, always rushing to aid others instead.

But then, wasn't that a part of why she loved him so?

And the very reason why he would make Hokage one day?

She glanced back one last time and headed towards the open gates in a firm step, followed by her team. If all went well, they should be back soon, along with Dan by her side. His return was long due.

"Marry me, Tsume."

She rolled her eyes, catching the last dango ball between her teeth and flicking the thin stick at the nearby wooden beam. It struck sharply, imbedding itself right beside her previous throws, thrumming in place with the momentum.

He was leaning casually on the wooden bench across from her, arms spread languidly over the backrest as he eyed her through a disarming grin. His yukata was loosened at his waist, displaying the well-toned upper part of his torso and her eyes kept wandering down as he no doubt intended.

There was an unmistakable easy bravado to everything he did, a sharp confidence that was about him even when he was simply observing her with alcohol-fuelled lust. It would have been enough to pique her interest, but then he was handsome to boot. His roguish charm and sharp wit had won her over, along with his bark of a laughter that he demonstrated often, with no remorse.

He laughed at her crass jokes and made crude comments too, rarely keeping his hands to himself. He was unapologetically forward and nonchalant and she had taken him to bed most willingly, more eager than with any of her previous partners.

She hadn't exactly planned on keeping him around.

But the one night had turned to many and she was soon meeting him for lunch. Before long he was spending the night and she had started seriously debating cutting him out of her life before she got too attached, when the incident happened.

She had heard that the kunoichi pills issued regularly to all active female shinobi were not infallible, but she had never thought she'd end up in that dreadful two percent margin. Not until one morning had found her on her knees in an alley, throwing up so violently that she thought she might have brought up remains from the feast she had had a month past.

And here they were now, in a most unexpected situation. If she had been from any other clan she might have been disowned, but thankfully the Inuzukas had always been mostly slack with customs, gleefully laughing in the face of tradition.

Still, a child out of wedlock might be pushing it. Oh he'd marry her alright. But on her terms.

"What makes you think I want to wed you?" she said, smirk widening to show her canines.

Most men would flinch. He only grinned harder and she had to wonder if there had ever been a challenge that he hadn't met with a lackadaisical smile.

"Because our son would like having me around."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh? A son, huh?"

"Of course. He'll be as strong as his father, you'll see. He already kicked those pills in the balls. He'll be unstoppable, I'm telling you."

Her look darted to his bare chest, eyeing how the muscles rippled just so when he shifted his weight as he spoke.

"Oh the little leech is strong, I'll give it that. Which is why it'll be a girl."

His deep laughter reverberated in his chest, good-natured chuckles showing off a set of brilliant teeth.

"A girl then. A little flower."

"A thorny one. She'll be an Inuzuka after all."

His grin had turned predatory as his eyes so clearly wandered down her body.

"Don't I know it." he said, finishing off his saké cup in one quick move. "So what do you think, Kuromaru? Have I got her now?"

Her companion lifted his head lazily and gave a short bark before returning to his contented rest beside their table.

She wondered if she would have even spared the man a second glance if her canine friend hadn't liked the arrogant shit. But Kuromaru had taken to him like fish to water, much as she herself had.

"So? What say you, beautiful?"

Her grin was as sharp as fangs.

"Why not? You'll have to take my clan's name though. Wolf blood flows through my veins and it won't change anytime soon."

"I expected nothing else." he said and the victorious gleam in his eyes was enough to melt even her wild heart.

The strict-looking lady who was minding the training halls didn't seem at all surprised to see her as Kushina entered the shared premises and she soon understood why - the dojos were not as deserted as she would have expected them to be. Other shinobi who didn't favour the festival seemed to have had the same brilliant idea and she heard the quiet swish of clothing from behind the slammed shoji of a couple of halls - people running through katas and sparring lightly over the soft wooden floors.

Her own footsteps were silent as she padded down the corridor, her movement slowing down with each step she took. Her hands twitched, opening and closing, agitation burning at the very tip of her fingers, coursing through her. A sense of foreboding had overcome her, a frazzled feeling zinging on the inside as if she was staring in the face of an uncontrollable storm.

She heard the distant thuds even before she reached the following shoji left ajar, and she knew that unlike the previous open ones, this hall wouldn't be empty.

Minato was already there, having arrived first, as she knew he no doubt would. The subtle scent of cherry blossoms reached her as she entered the room, pausing to take off her sandals at the door, besides his own.

The opposite paper screens had been thrown open in the mild spring time, revealing the modest engawa beyond and the large yard where the blooming trees were scattering their petals all about.

Minato was leaning on one of the wooden beams of the porch, twirling a three-pronged kunai deftly in his fingers.

A final flick and he grasped the handle swiftly, throwing it with merciless accuracy at the largest tree some yards away in the garden. Its blade embedded itself beside three other kunai with a now-familiar thud.

As he did so he turned, clearly having felt her approach and his crooked smile upon seeing her was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

His untameable hair was even more tousled in his rush, bangs falling freely in his eyes in the absence of a forehead protector, giving him a carefree look. He had stopped by his place, evidently, now having changed in his standard shinobi blues. But his signature arm bands were missing, sleeves rolled up instead, and she felt a twinge of satisfaction at knowing that at least he had been in a rush. He didn't think her that slow. Perhaps she could have stood a chance too, if she hadn't also taken the time to change into her training light wear.

Then again perhaps not, she thought as her eyes jumped to the Hiraishin-marked kunai outside. Darn his inhumane speed.

"I was beginning to wonder whether you'd changed your mind." he quipped casually and she rolled her eyes despite the smile that sprung to her lips.

"Hardy-har." she said, sliding the shoji door closed behind her as she went, padding barefoot ahead. "Why, were you hoping for an easy win, ya know?"

"Not at all." he answered mildly, pleasantly, as she approached. "Ground rules?"

She considered, sweeping the room with a glance. It was suitable for friendly skirmishes, mostly bare save for a large table for personal items beside the entrance, which was adorned with a lavish ikebana. Not much, but probably precious, even if well away from the area designated for sparring. Better not go wild.

"No nin." she said and he nodded, clearly having expected as much.

"How about seals?" he asked and his ever-present smile had acquired a mischievous tint.

Her answering smirk had an edge to it. Oh this would be a showdown that would be interesting to behold. Her sealing mastery had long reached expert levels under the tutelage of both her parents, but Minato didn't seem to have fallen far behind, especially with her mother's guidance. And even if they had discussed ideas and run techniques past each other in their recent travels, Kushina had barely scratched the surface of what she knew. Somehow, she was certain the same could be said for him.

But much like ninjutsu, fūinjutsu could get plenty messy and wonderfully explosive with enough agency and with two Seal Masters at hand. It was a spar best left for another time.

And wouldn't it be interesting to see how he did without his signature move.

"None. Strictly tai." she said, lips still quirked up.

Minato simply nodded. He was too smart to be taken off guard, already having guessed at her choice. And yet he didn't seem one bit worried, anticipation coiled in his look instead as he pushed away from the beam he had been leaning on.

His steps were measured, unhurried, not taking his eyes off her as he stood across from her in the training hall, smile slowly slipping from his face, replaced with a calculating look. Within seconds he had taken a combat stance and Kushina realised with a pang that it was an unfamiliar one, his taijutsu clearly having changed with the years as had he.

Interesting.

Her one hand dipped in the kunai pouch strapped to her leg and she swiftly took out a blade, raising it before her face while he readied a three-pronged one.

She could feel a thrill run through her in the hush, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck as if in static.

And then, Minato disappeared.

He came at her from the side, his base speed being good enough even without Hiraishin to almost catch her off-guard.

Almost.

He saw her eyes widen fractionally, body reacting in instinct as she swivelled in the last moment, bringing an arm up to block his hit. Minato was already flowing sideways in his momentum, leg brought up for a sidekick and he felt her chakra rush forward, coursing brightly through her body as she blocked firmly with a chakra-infused hand, trying to throw him off-balance and gain leverage.

He jumped back instead, neatly landing in a crouch some meters away.

"Yellow Flash, huh? I wonder how that came about."

He couldn't help the smile that sprung to his lips as he rose.

"My turn." she said and she was on him in an agile leap, kunai raised for a stab.

He dodged easily, lightly sidestepping her, and tried for a flank attack. This time she was prepared, switching stances fluidly to keep up with him and he could feel his lips quirking up; she was adjusting quickly, already having grasped his pattern to avoid frontal attacks, using his superior speed for taking enemies unawares.

Her stance was solid, but mobile enough to allow her agility in close combat; her taijutsu had become more aggressive through the years as she seemed to have made full use of her abnormal chakra quantities, enhancing her blows. Her movements were fiery, strikes sharp and powerful, interspersed with high kicks, bleeding chakra and swishing past alarmingly, but his style was well-suited to hers.

While she relied on power and stamina, his ace was swiftness, sidestepping her, waiting for an opening and relying on his speed to make use of each one such.

She seemed to have grasped as much, suddenly cutting him off with a feign, weapon brought up for a horizontal slash and he reciprocated, their kunais clashing with a spark.

A small smile appeared on his lips as her blade lodged between two prongs of his unusual one and he twisted his kunai to the side, sending her own flying a few feet away from them with ease.

She didn't pause, her now-free hand grasping his armed one as she aimed a crippling punch to his kidney with her left. He intercepted it instantly, fluidly parrying her blow and locking her other arm with his, eyes falling on her face in the brief stillness of their impasse.

Determination was burning in her eyes, face flushed in their spar, breath coming out in huffs through her parted lips and he felt a different kind of excitement swirl through him momentarily, coiling thick in the pit of his stomach.

Her smirk was the only indication of what might follow then as she took advantage of his pause. His eyes widened as she brought a knee up, aiming a merciless blow at his now unprotected crotch.

Only his instantaneous reflexes saved him from the ridiculous amount of pain she would have put him in as he let go of her arm, pushing it well away from his torso. His palm blocked her kick in the last second, impact jarring up his arm, and he jumped away from her grasp with a chakra-infused leap.

"Now that's playing dirty." he said and her lopsided smirk deepened.

"No one said we're playing fair."

She didn't let him catch his breath, dashing forwards again and Minato found himself momentarily pressed on the defensive as they flowed through stances, trading blows rhythmically. His mind was racing ahead, noting every detail of her moves and twisting them, appraising them, connecting patterns and mapping out her style in his head.

Before long he had stopped her advances, making use of small openings that couldn't match his speed. He saw her following attack coming in advance, anticipating the high kick and he easily glided out of touch, using this chance to counter.

Her momentum carried her ahead in a whirl, ponytail whipping about her as she went and he dived forward nimbly. She tensed, breaking her own move mid-spin and leaping away in a catflip, but not before his kunai clipped her hair in her turn.

His eyes absently followed the lock of scarlet strands that swirled to the floor, Kushina landing in a crouch some feet away, steadying herself with a hand on the ground. The hairband holding her tresses back had torn, letting her hair spill out in a wild jumble of fiery red and Minato felt the hairs on his arms raise - in that single moment of time she looked feral, untameable, a force of nature framed in flames.

She was glorious.

He felt his body shift forward without thinking in response, giving in to instinct as he lunged at her in a swift move, a new primal agitation driving him. She leapt back intuitively, barely keeping up with his moves as their dynamic shifted and he pressed on the offensive now, a recklessness seeping in him despite the oncoming weariness.

If he could only reach her, touch her, grasp that flame that was driving her-

In no time they had crossed the hall in her retreat and her eyes widened as she realised he had cornered her, back pressed against the wall. Her momentary surprise was all that he needed as he dodged a fiery punch, leaping sideways and aiming his three-pronged kunai at her exposed side.

It all happened within an instance.

She saw him move and realised he had caught her off-guard, stance not allowing for an easy block. And then her eyes narrowed as her chakra flared, almost blinding in its intensity. Solid chakra chains shot out of her side, rattling in the silence, extending between them in a flash.

His hand slammed in the newly-formed invisible barrier, the blade grinding sideways along its surface with a ringing noise and twisting out of his fingers as his knuckles connected painfully with impenetrable thick air. If he hadn't slowed down his thrust to avoid actually stabbing her he might have broken his hand right there and then.

A ripple ran along the barrier's surface and he found himself thrown back, landing forcefully on one knee some distance away, directing a stunned look at her.

She could physically manifest her chakra? And she hadn't mentioned it once.

"I thought we said no nin." he panted, and she shrugged, a victorious smirk dancing on her face.

His lips quirked up in response and his hand dove in his holster with lightning speed, coming up with a three-pronged blade. He saw her eyes widen again as she sensed what might follow, but she had no time to react; the Hiraishin kunai he had given her all those months ago was still in her weapons pouch, thrumming familiarly with his seal and within a fraction of a second he had pulled himself across the distance right before her, pinning her against the wall with a blade at her throat.

They both froze, a stillness settling about them with the sudden hush, broken only by the distant whisper of the leaves outside.

Kushina was staring up at him with wide eyes, the fire of their spar still burning in her look. Her throat moved silently against the light kiss of the steel blade as she barely shifted her weight against him. A drop of sweat slid down her temple and past the shell of her ear, following the curve of her neck where her pulse measured hurriedly in the hollow of her throat, and he found himself transfixed.

He was suddenly all too aware just how close they were standing, pressed against her as he was in his attempt to disarm her. He could feel the heat of her skin, her face flushed from their spar, lips parted in quick shallow breaths. Her maddening scent that seemed to cling to her very skin and hair was all about him, engulfing him, and he swallowed thickly past a dry throat.

"I thought we said no seals." she said quietly, barely audibly, eyes never leaving his.

"I remember someone said we weren't playing fair."

His voice had come out huskier than he had intended and her breath caught, an imperceptible shiver running through her. Her heart had gone flying again as a shaky breath escaped her, and his eyes flickered down on their own accord. Desire swirled low in his stomach and he could have groaned, fire running through him as he swayed in one place.

But he had sworn he'd never do this, never take from her. Never force his touch on her.

He didn't know if he had masked the almost pained look on his face as he willed himself to close his eyes, even if her lips kept dancing before him, imprinted in his mindscape for constant torment. His senses, so acutely tuned in on her, kept spelling her out, her drumming heart deafening in the stillness, the intoxicating scent of her hair and her heat painting her anew, her breath whispering against his skin.

She'd drive him mad.

And the effort it took to pull away from her in that instant might have been the hardest thing he'd done.

Within a heartbeat the kunai disappeared from her throat and he had jumped back as if burned, finding himself a few good meters from her in a flash.

Kushina didn't budge, glued as she was to the wall, staring at him through wide eyes, breathing shallowly.

"I... Forgive me." he managed through a hoarse throat, gulping past the dryness. "I didn't mean… I'll go."

His moves were rigid, agitated, as he made for the door, passing by her in a rush.

"Don't."

The quiet word froze him in his tracks and Minato rooted to the spot, an involuntary tremor running through his hand. He felt chills running down his spine, his mask slipping as he turned.

"You know-" he started, meeting her fiery look, "You must know how I…"

Her eyes were pained, conflicted, wild in her agonizing silences.

"I know."

The rustle of clothing and she shifted, stepping forward deliberately, slowly, as if stealing each step. A desperation was burning in her look now and he felt himself waver on the spot, the thin thread holding his composure near-tearing.

"Tell me it's not reciprocated." he heard himself say, almost pleading with her. Give me one reason... "Tell me to leave."

A hundred emotions seemed to flicker over her face just then as her lips parted wordlessly, breath coming out in huffs. Her eyes were liquid fire, voice barely a whisper, a sigh upon her lips.

"I can't."

He stepped forward without thinking, closing the distance between them within a heartbeat; and then his lips were on hers with an aching desperation, his hand cupping the curve of her neck. Her surprise lasted but a second and then a muffled sigh escaped her as she pressed herself against him, burying her fingers in his hair.

She tasted of wild cherries and of lilac, of orange blossoms and of cassias, and he felt himself dissolve against her lips, committing her to memory with his touch. His hand slipped down to her waist, pulling her to him, fingers brushing against the slip of bare skin below her training top and she whimpered in their kiss.

It was like pouring oil over fire, the flames burning him, erasing any rational thought. His hold on her tightened as he shifted forward and she somehow found herself lifted against the table by the door, the ikebana vase toppling and crashing audibly to the side, forgotten.

His lips were on hers again, urgently, demandingly, and Kushina responded in kind, pouring a year-worth of yearning in a kiss so long-overdue, her fingers clutching tightly at his collar.

Her legs were about him now, his one hand in her hair, the other slipping down to her hips and pulling her closer; a groan escaped him, drowned in her lips as he felt her pressed against him, and she broke the kiss, panting for air, eyes fluttering open in a wild look. And then his lips were on her neck, trailing kisses to the soft skin below her ear, right beside her fiery locks, and she arched her back most wonderfully.

A soft moan broke through her lips, his name rolling out in a whisper and he felt his knees grow weak, the very room seeming to spin in the heady fire coursing through him as he steadied himself with a hand on the table-

The new chakra imprint burned brightly through his addled mind and he froze, taking much too long to grasp what was happening, his supposedly genius brain thrown into blissful confusion, just as the shoji beside them started opening in a firm grasp.

His eyes locked with Kushina's startled ones for a fraction of a second and then instinct kicked in as he threw them both forward, reaching blindly for the nearest marker he could find.

The shoji slammed open from up ahead with a dull thud just as his reckless Hiraishin teleported them behind the tree in the yard where he had aimed his kunai earlier.

The sour-looking patroness stormed in the training hall with the murderous look of someone who absolutely would not forgive having public property shattered in delirious passionate outbursts.

He paid it no heed, frozen in place with the fiery woman before him, her back pressed against the rough tree bark, hands still clutching his shinobi blues. Her eyes were wide, startled, as if she couldn't quite believe what had just occurred, her breath coming out hard and erratic, much as his own.

"As I said, not nearly as infallible."

His words were a whisper against her skin and she bit her lip through a smile. Of all the habits she had to have, Kushina had ended up with the most maddening one.

She was warm in his arms now, chakra swirling in frazzled energy, red mane tangled wildly about her and between them.

She was beautiful.

And in that moment he knew, his heart fluttering in his chest - he'd never want anything but the untameable woman before him. Her searing lips had locked a piece of him that would never, could never, be brought back.

The red thread of fate they called it. He felt himself entangled in it; had been, for the longest time.

And then the smile slipped from her face, replaced with a dawning pained grimace, something akin to horror twisting her look.

"I…" she whispered, swallowing past a dry throat and pressing herself back in the tree as much as she could, as if to escape him. "I shouldn't… We shouldn't have done that."

His eyes widened as he took a small step away from her, feeling a chill seep through him. If she had punched him he might have been less winded than with her sudden words.

"Did I…" he started, but she was already shaking her head.

"No. But you and I… we shouldn't... I can't…" she was saying, erratic, voice rushing in oncoming terror as her breathing picked up again for different reasons.

He felt his eyebrows mash in confusion.

"Why?"

Her mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out, look spelling out a tempest. And then she had side-stepped him, chakra raging below her skin.

"Kushina-" he started, grasping her hand instinctively, but she tore it from his fingers in a swift move.

"Don't. Please don't."

And in a swirl of chakra she had shunshinned away from him, leaving him stunned, staring disbelievingly at the spot where she had just stood.

Chapter Text

Rivulets of darkened clouds rolled lazily across the murky sky, hiding the last night stars from sight. Dawn was fast approaching, its light about to break in the east, announced by the choir of spring birds all around.

Minato sighed, eyes wandering aimlessly over it all, as he had been doing for the past two hours, lying on the rooftop of his house. He had hardly slept.

A restless energy was coursing through him and he could have grunted as his look fell on the scarlet haze of the long-awaited spring sunrise.

Red, like her hair. Red, like the blush dusting her cheeks at his touch. Red, like the fire scalding him on the inside.

It was torment. If he had thought it hard before, when it had been just his vivid imagination torturing him, it was a thousand times worse now when he knew.

How many times had he imagined what it would be like to touch her, kiss her, run his hands through her locks? It had been nothing, nothing compared to how it had felt, the moment seared in his mindscape forever. It had crashed through his carefully established walls of rationality and reason, uprooting it all in blaze like an all-consuming wildfire.

He groaned, running a hand over his eyes, trying to shake the images away and already knowing that he wouldn't be able to, not for a long time, if ever. He had been trying just that the whole night, with no success. They lurked before him every time he closed his eyes, the ghost of her touch haunting his memories, and he had slipped in and out of blazing, twisting dreams, drunk on the very taste of her.

And yet a coldness had seeped in him also, tightening his throat uncomfortably whenever his thoughts lingered on last night. He had asked… he had asked, even if in a confusing way. He had asked and she hadn't cast him away. But his actions had been rash, much too forward, improper… even if he found it hard to regret them.

She had been so very eager, much like him. And yet the fear in her eyes after that had been almost palpable, seeping in her chakra, turning it frazzled, agitated - burning through his senses, it had felt almost acrid at the back of his throat. And it had been there, in her eyes and in her actions and in her voice - regret.

It had sobered him up most effectively and it continued doing so whenever his mind wandered too far into "what if" scenarios. Instead questions bounced furtively in his head, offering very little answers.

Had he misread the situation? Had he misunderstood her, had he assumed she felt something for him too? Had he forced himself on her? Had he hurt her? Had he taken advantage of their friendship? Had he, had he, had he.

But above all: Why?

We shouldn't have done that. she had said. We shouldn't. Shouldn't, as if it was unwise, as if it was beyond choice. But why?

He felt the need for answers twisting in his gut, now same as the previous night; he would have chased after her, but her desperate plea had halted him.

Please don't.

And so dawn found him on his own roof, rooted in his agitation; drowning in the memories of her and in the questions that had no answers and yet unwilling to approach her. Because she had asked.

A day. He could give her that much, couldn't he? Just a day and then he would find her if she hadn't found him first. They would talk; they needed to.

He sighed once again, fixing the rising sun with one last look, resigning himself to the longest day of his life.

Practical thoughts, he chanted inwardly, a shot at rationality.

Shower, breakfast, train, seals, new student.

It was time to meet Kakashi Hatake once again.

It was quite early when Kakashi made it to the training field appointed in his assignment scroll, but he was firmly decided that if ever he was late, it would not be on his first day of meeting his jōnin instructor. His father wasn't currently in the village and yet he was somehow certain that if he proved tardy his old man would know right that instant, miles away as he was, making hell bound for Konoha to give him an ear full.

So bright and early he was, a little after dawn, waiting curiously in the middle of his preferred training grounds and wondering whether Minato-sensei had chosen the place for their lessons himself and if he had favoured Training Field 3 because he had already seen Kakashi train there.

Tap, tap, tap, his fingers measured steadily against his thigh, a tick he hadn't even realised he had given into, as he observed the last picnic goers pack up after having welcomed the sunrise in the wake of the Yozakura.

He wasn't nervous, most definitely. He had met his sensei already, had even worked with him, accidentally. So what if he had come to be known as the second most badass shinobi (bar his dad) in Konoha since then? He had thought Kakashi good enough to explain serious matters to all those months ago. Surely he wouldn't think him unworthy of a student now? After all Kakashi was good, better than his peers, better than most kids in the academy even. And he knew it.

Still, he resigned himself to giving it a hundred and ten today. Just in case.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of said man out of thin air. Quite literally. One moment the training field had been empty and in the next his sensei was standing below a thick oak tree, having shown exactly zero signs of using a Shunshin.

Oh he was good too.

Minato spotted him within a heartbeat (a sensor?), a warm smile splitting his face as he approached casually, posture relaxed and unassuming. His eyes were the cloudless blue of a summer day, unguarded and alight. Never in a million years would Kakashi have guessed this man to be amongst the most dangerous shinobi in the five elemental nations if he hadn't known already.

"Hello, Kakashi. It's good to see you again."

"Minato-sensei. It's an honour." he mumbled, bowing his head in respect and for once he thought he was doing so not only because his father had taught him to.

The blond man chuckled good-naturedly.

"I suppose the title is warranted this time." he said with a wink and Kakashi felt the corners of his lips draw up beneath his mask.

His mirth and calm had been somewhat surprising, the Hatake realised, having expected that the man would have somehow changed with his newly found war hero title. But Minato Namikaze was much the same as Kakashi remembered him, contagious warmth and all, even if he looked a lot more tired on this particular morning.

"How's the kunai training coming along?"

"I managed to hit all targets. I can even do it blindfolded too now. Should I demonstrate?" he said eagerly, already taking out a handful of kunai from his pouch.

"Whoa, hold on, hold on." the jōnin said, amusement clear in his voice. "You'll have plenty of time to show me. How about you tell me a bit about yourself first. Likes, dislikes, skills, affinity, goals and the like. We can go through some routines later so I can gauge your progress also."

Kakashi was already nodding as the man turned back towards the oak tree he had appeared beneath, probably intending to take a seat beside the river.

"And for the record, I had no doubt you'd master it straight away. Well done." he called over his shoulder, smiling, ever smiling.

A sudden warmth spread in his chest, a budding feeling of pride for his accomplishment. Because he had worked hard for it. Because he had been acknowledged.

"Yes, sensei" he said, feeling strangely light as he followed the man down the field, worry making way for excitement.

Yes, he would give it a hundred and ten, as always. But for the first time in a long while he thought it might not be because he had something to prove. He'd do it because his sensei believed in him.

Splinters flew as her fist connected with the thick tree trunk yet again, cracking up the abused bark further. Kushina had been at it for a while, after running through all her katas a number of times high enough to cause her muscles to burn and ache.

Busy body, quiet mind, the saying went, but whoever had come up with it clearly hadn't messed up quite as bad as she had before getting busy.

No matter how much she went at it, the images wouldn't fade away, taunting her with every breath she took. A hiss and her chakra-coated fist connected forcefully with the trunk for what felt like the thousandth time.

Minato dodging her attacks, amused smile playing on his lips, excitement burning in his eyes.

A punch.

His eyes haunting her, his look searing through her.

A punch.

His hand in her hair, his fingers drawing gooseflesh across her skin, pulling her closer.

A punch.

His lips at her neck, breath tickling her flushed skin.

A punch.

Her legs about him, his hand burning at her thigh, a quiet groan escaping him.

A punch.

His tousled hair silvering in the moonlight. His whispered words, a sigh in the night, just for her.

An exasperated cry and yet another punch. The tree groaned threateningly as a solid chunk of its trunk broke off and flew a good meter away.

"Darn it. Darn it all, ya know."

And with a quiet thump she leaned her forehead against the rough bark instead, one hand still hitting the tree feebly by her face.

This wouldn't do. Nothing would do. She didn't think there'd be a power in all five elemental nations strong enough to get the memories out of her head. Or the guilt.

Because it had been wonderful and terrible both. Because her screw-up would now cost her him. Because really, how could they go back to being friends after it all?

The annoyance was building up inside of her, threatening to spill - annoyance at herself for having failed at sparing him the hurt; annoyance at the fox for taking all of it away; annoyance at her parents for having chosen this for their daughter; annoyance at the world for wanting, needing so much from her; and even annoyance at Minato, for being so darn perfect all the time.

She wasn't sure what she'd do when she saw him again, but it was a fair split between forgetting how words go, kissing him again and punching him proper. Had to be one of the three.

But above all it had to be this: tell him the truth, not that it excluded the other options either.

A weary sigh escaped her as she felt the warmth seep out of her despite the soft rays of the sunrise on her shoulders. It was time.

She had just finished taking a shower and was towelling her hair off when the knock on her door almost made her jump out of her own skin. Only when she cast out her senses in instinct and felt the languid chakra signature pulsing on the other side, decidedly not Minato's, did she allow herself to breathe again.

"A moment!" she called, pulling her wet hair in a hasty pony-tail before heading for the door.

As expected, she was met with a tall dark-haired man whom she instantly recognised as Tarou Hideki, chūnin appointed under the Fūinjutsu Research Centre.

She could have groaned. She had nothing against the man or against his station; in fact, her family had had strong ties with the Konoha Fūinjutsu Research Division and had collaborated on many projects, providing insight for the seal-users in their new home. Hideki in particular had worked with her on a number of seal concepts throughout the years. But she had no ongoing work with them right now and she highly doubted the other chūnin had dropped in for a social call with first light. Which could only mean one thing about his sudden appearance early in the morning on a Monday.

The supply runs had been assigned.

"Don't tell me, ya know." she grumbled and the man smiled apologetically.

"It's us this week, sorry." he said and tossed her a mission scroll.

She caught it automatically, sighing as she did.

"No one picked them up?"

The man scoffed.

"As if. No one ever does."

He was right of course, she knew full well. Supply deliveries had to be done for outposts every week, but the task was so simple that it verged on being brainless; it would have actually been carried out by messenger hawks outside of war time, when they didn't run the risk of having enemies take birds down.

But war time it was and someone had to do it… with very few people wanting to be the one. The whole thing had turned in a "who gets the short stick" kind of situation amongst those stationed in the village - shinobi always overlooked supply run missions when picking their next task at the Appointment Desk. They were the very epitome of "someone else's job". The scrolls sat there dutifully before finally landing on someone's desk because the mission deadlines had to be met. And since the supplies were always packed in scrolls to be picked up from the Supplies Sealing Station at the Fūinjutsu Research Centre, said short stick seemed to mainly favour the desks of those working there.

And then there was her. Because she was the only one crazy enough to sometimes actually pick supply missions on a whim. She enjoyed them, missing her time on the roads. They were a welcome change of scenery. And someone at the mission desk had noticed, promptly remembering about her when faced with the very real possibility of having angry chūnin glaring daggers at them if assigned a supply run the very morning after Yozakura.

All of that she knew. But now, of all times? It had to be the height of irony.

"Mission parameters?"

"Leave tomorrow, be back by Friday. Standard thing." Hideki-san was saying as he handed her one of the two satchels he had been carrying. "Here, I picked yours up as well, all supply scrolls are in it. Central West quadrant for you this time. I'm off South-West. Wanna make a race of it?"

She couldn't stop the sour grimace that spilled on her face as she recalled a similar question from last night.

"Oh with that attitude I'm sure to win! Winner gets saké?"

"You're just trying to get someone to pay for your drinks."

"You got me there." The dark-haired man answered through a grin and she found herself cracking a smile in return.

"Safe travels, Hideki-san. And thanks for bringing it."

"My pleasure. See you around, Uzumaki-san."

She closed the door, leaning on it as she did. She had decided she would talk to Minato, but she hadn't thought it would have to be quite so soon. She didn't have the slightest clue how to even start. And now, with a mission coming up, her time to think it over was suddenly, cut short.

He was probably with Kakashi now, so tonight it would have to be then.

They spent the rest of the morning talking, sitting languidly beside the water. Minato-sensei was patient, but thorough, drilling him on everything he knew of ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu and even Fūinjutsu, the last of which he actually didn't know much about at all. But his sensei didn't seem disappointed at all. In fact, even though he was rather good at hiding his emotions, Kakashi had noticed how sometimes his eyebrows shot up in surprise, like when he had proudly explained that he had recently signed a summoning contract - the youngest summoner to do so in his family line.

The blond man turned out to be a wealth of knowledge too as he very unironically launched into chakra affinities and chakra control theories to test Kakashi's knowledge further, deeming him informed enough for serious talks. It was a breath of fresh air to have an adult talk to him normally, without coddling. If he had yet another auntie break down in "Kakashi-chan"-s and explain how cute he was, he thought he might barf.

Minato-sensei didn't seem to be underestimating him one bit, which already made the boy like him more than almost any other adult in Konoha.

The rest of the day they spent sparring, going through different formations and styles with Minato-sensei giving him the opportunity to demonstrate the majority of the techniques he had learned. To his aggravation, the man didn't even seem to break a sweat as he weaved through his attacks, even when Kakashi was pushing himself at his hardest, packing all the punch that he was capable of. He should have expected it really, but he had still harboured hope that he would have his teacher at least a little hard pressed. At this rate, Minato-sensei could have been reading a book and he would have still dodged everything Kakashi threw at him with ease.

Yet the jōnin never wavered in his concentration, observing him carefully, intently, never missing a beat. Somehow the boy couldn't shake the sensation that his teacher had easily analysed his every move, strengths and weaknesses both, in just a manner of hours. And yet he kept pushing him forward, relentless.

Just as he was beginning to suspect that someone could in fact be more demanding than his father (which he had thought quite impossible), Minato-sensei finally called for a pause and it took all of Kakashi's determination to not double over as he stopped, panting for air, sweat rolling down his temples and into his mask.

There was a stitch in his ribs, making breathing a pain and his hands were trembling despite his best efforts to still them. A now-familiar numbness was running through his muscles and he was suddenly reminded of radio static.

And Minato-sensei wasn't even breathing uneven.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Fine." Kakashi straight up lied, determined not to falter. A hundred and ten today. "I'm fine. I can- I can keep going."

Minato simply raised an eyebrow, inclining his head.

"I can still- I'm fine."

"Kakashi… why do you think I pushed you this hard?"

Because that's what training's like, was his first thought. He was quite used to his father demanding much and more every time. But... with the White Fang they usually trained on specific areas every day - he didn't quite overexert himself so thoroughly both with tai and nin all at once. Even he knew that everyday training shouldn't usually be quite like this.

"Because you know- I can deal." he said instead through huffs and the hint of a smile sprung on his sensei's face.

"Yes and no." he said, taking a seat before him and indicating for the boy to follow suit.

Kakashi was only too happy to do so, his legs practically buckling under his weight.

"Pins and needles?" the blonde asked and the boy could simply blink before nodding reluctantly.

"You've reached your limit. You're exhausted and your chakra reserves are spent."

Kakashi knew as much, but it still didn't stop him from frowning, fixing the ground with a look. He could practically feel Minato-sensei's look boring into him, knowing smile and all.

"It's important that I know your limit if I am to train you, but most important of all is that you have a firm grasp of it yourself or it can cost you dearly. Pushing yourself within measure is what will help you expand your reserves, but it can only be done if you know when to stop. I'm sure you know of chakra debt?"

"Chakra is part physical energy generated by the body, and the excess of it not used for bodily functions makes up your regular chakra stocks which you can use for techniques. When you use up all of your reserves you start using up the energy in your muscles, which is chakra debt." he recited mechanically.

"Precisely. It starts with your skeletal muscles - your arms and legs. They feel heavy and shaky, hence the pins and needles. You're already experiencing the first stages of chakra debt now. If you keep pushing longer beyond this point you'll eventually start drawing from other muscles that keep your body going, like your lungs and your heart. Your breathing would become more laboured, your brain wouldn't get enough oxygen, you'd lose consciousness, your heart would stop beating. It would cost your life."

Kakashi nodded. He knew most of what his sensei was saying, even if he hadn't pictured it quite in such detail. Chakra exhaustion could be lethal - it was one of the first lessons any shinobi was ever taught.

"But the truth is many shinobi don't make it to those last stages of chakra exhaustion. First stages are enough to give an enemy the chance to land a fatal blow. So know this, it's not enough to give it your all - you have to do so cleverly, efficiently. Do you understand?"

And he did. His sensei had been quite aware what he had been doing whole day - pushing himself to extremes. And he was trying to make sure he wouldn't do the same on the battlefield unless absolutely necessary. Kakashi had to pause and wonder whether he would have done so unless cautioned.

It was hard dealing with hypotheticals, especially when the hypothetical was you.

"But sensei, you've pushed yourself beyond your limits." he found himself saying, almost defensively.

He didn't think he wasn't supposed to know. Everyone knew - Konoha's Yellow Flash had saved many of Uzu's people and almost died for it.

His sensei's answering smile suddenly looked quite tired.

"I have."

"So… how do you know when it's okay to do that and when it's not?"

The blond man stayed quiet for a few moments more, deliberating, and Kakashi suddenly feared he might have asked the wrong thing.

"It's not an answer I can give you lightly." he started finally, levelling him with a look. "It's something a shinobi must determine for themselves - what are the principles you'd never back down from, what do you hold most dear? What would you be willing to lay down your life for? Not in theory, but what you really, truly, would risk everything for? Most people don't know the answer until the moment comes. But when it does, you feel it here" his sensei said as he tapped Kakashi's chest with a finger, over his heart. "It fills you, shines through you. We call it The Will of Fire, but other nations have different names for it too. It's the will to never back down, the motivation that pushes you that extra mile when it truly, really matters."

Kakashi was looking at him wide-eyed, taking in every word. He had heard about the Will of Fire, but he'd never heard it explained in quite that way.

"I see." he said, nodding thoughtfully at the ever-smiling jōnin.

"So, shall we call it a day? We can pick up from where we left off tomorrow and have a look at your summoning skills when you're better rested."

The boy was only too eager to agree as they both stood up, Kakashi still somewhat shakily.

"Minato-sensei, may I ask one more?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know I had gone beyond my limits?"

His smile was almost apologetic in its sincerity.

"The physical signs were there, but perhaps I had a better grasp of the precise moment than most. I'm a sensor."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed and his sensei was chuckling again.

"Your observation skills need little guidance on my part." the man said, tousling his hair as he made for the Training Grounds exit and Kakashi couldn't help but grin beneath his mask.

The coming of night found him in much the same place that he had started the day from – sprawled on his back over the tiles of his home, absently following the stars with a look. The sun had set some two hours ago, as he was parting ways with his student. A smile sprung to his lips without him even realising as he thought back on the kid's progress. He truly was exceptional – a prodigy for his age, just as Kushina had said.

He huffed, tousling his hair with one hand. No matter what he did, his thoughts always ran ahead of him, turning back to her. Despite all distractions he found for himself, despite training and keeping busy, he always came back to square one. Kushina.

He felt impatience coiling in him, like a tightly wound spring, waiting to snap. The need to see her felt almost palpable now, like a living, breathing thing inside him, burning as it went.

He was just wondering if time had indeed flown as slow as it had felt when he spotted it despite the darkened night sky – a summoning hawk, Konoha's system of notifying people of specified ranks that they've been summoned to duty at once. It took him all of three seconds to spring to his feet and all of ten to head towards the Hokage tower as signalled.

It looked like it might be a longer night still.

The quiet knock was almost hesitant, uncertain, but still audible in the stillness of the empty house. A minute later and it repeated, this time stronger, echoing through the sealing scroll-filled room. Silence answered it both times.

Her sigh was swallowed by the chorus of crickets all about his house.

And then her steps retreated in the night.

Chapter Text

It was a mere three or so minutes later that Minato walked in the Hokage's office, as instructed upon his arrival at the building. Even so, people had already gathered in the room, terse exchanges betraying a sombre mood. A man that he recognised to be Uchiha Fugaku was standing close to the Hokage's desk along with Sandaime, looking over a scroll. Shikaku was also present, leaning against the nearby wall, arms crossed and chin dropped low, apparently in thought. Two other shinobi were going over a different set of documents at the other end of the desk, their grey button-down uniforms pegging them as appointed under the Konoha Intelligence Division.

All five people paused as he entered, their looks varying through surprise, stoic indifference or exasperated amusement, all of which most likely on account of his speed. But it was Sandaime that he addressed first, as was owed his rank.

"Hokage-sama. I saw the signal." He said, inclining his head in respect before doing the same for the others in the room.

"Ah, Minato, quick as always, good." The older man said, casting a look at the Nara as he did so. "It appears to me that most jōnin will be here shortly as well. I leave the additional organisation in your hands, Jōnin Commander."

Shikaku pushed off the wall, perhaps a beat slower than expected, bowing his head in respect.

"It will be done, Hokage-sama" he said, but for some reason Minato was willing to bet all the ink in his sealing kits that what he had truly wanted to say ran closer to the likes of troublesome.

With that his dark-haired friend turned to go, casting Minato a quick look as he passed him, most likely headed to address the people who will undoubtedly respond to the signal issued – jōnin level alert. The blonde was just about to follow him, being a jōnin and thus under Shikaku's command himself, when Sandaime's voice cut him off.

"Stay, Minato."

The door closed behind him with a quiet click, just as the older man stepped forward to introduce everyone.

"I'm sure you know Fugaku-san. This is Katashi Yuu, head of the Torture and Interrogation Division" Sandaime started, indicating towards a tall, well-built man with thin drawn lips which gave him a permanent sour look, "and Haya Fumiko of the Intelligence Division's Analysis Team." He continued, gesturing to the only woman present in the room. "And this is Minato Namikaze, Jiraya's apprentice."

A wry smile had appeared on Fumiko-san's lips as she regarded him through thin-framed glasses.

"Oh we know who he is, Sandaime-sama. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Konoha's Yellow Flash. Even if under circumstances such as these."

"The pleasure is all mine… Although, I apologise, but I haven't been briefed about the circumstances you speak of." Minato said, turning back to Hiruzen Sarutobi with a questioning look.

"Fugaku-san, if you will?" Sandaime said instead, turning to the Uchiha heir who had remained silent until now, and the man nodded, facing Minato with the expressionless look of one used to briefing shinobi on a daily basis.

"An hour ago, the Konoha Police apprehended a man suspected of illegal activities, later assumed to be a plant or an infiltrator for an enemy village. He was caught alive. Copies of a number of classified documents were found in his possession, as well as notes about parts of the village's active roster and war efforts."

Even though he had expected something of the sort, given the collection of people present, Minato still couldn't help sucking in a breath upon hearing it confirmed. Infiltration was not as uncommon as many civilians thought, especially during war time – he himself had been quickly convinced by manner of demonstration from Jiraya that it could be done, often times much easier than people thought. But high-level infiltration within shinobi divisions, which would grant access to classified documentation, was a whole different thing and required expertise, planning and organisation, if at all possible.

"His affiliation and motivations are still unknown," the Uchiha continued levelly, "but we can assume he was gathering information for one or more enemy villages. The job could have been issued by a Kage or he could have acted on his own, planning on selling what he found. We still don't know."

"And we don't know if he acted alone." Minato said, his mind already a step ahead as he grasped the repercussions of such a discovery.

Hadn't he and Jiraya acted together before, coordinating when carrying out high-risk Infiltration missions? The job required support from outside or, ideally, inside the target location and often involved a partner, or a team… or a network of informants.

In other words, this could be quite bad.

It was Sandaime who confirmed.

"Indeed. Which is why all jōnin still in the village were signalled tonight. Shikaku is directing the search efforts, while Danzō Shimura has assumed control of ANBU for the time being, in my stead. If this infiltrator has any allies, we'll root them out."

Minato nodded, realising at once that he was, in fact, probably not going to join the search after all. He was valuable in a way that very few people in the village were – he had been trained by an Infiltration Specialist.

"Has the man said anything?"

It was Yuu-san who answered him, eyebrows mashing in distaste and Minato had the strange notion that the man would have spat on the ground if he had been standing anywhere else but in the Hokage office.

"Not yet. He's being held with us and my best are working on him, but he's a tough cookie, that one."

"He's been trained to withstand physical interrogation techniques, Katashi, I'm telling you." the woman said in a tone that suggested she had made the same point a number of times by now.

A grunt met her words, the man apparently quite undeterred, and Minato could only guess at what "his best" were doing right now to test Fumiko-san's theory. He had to suppress a shiver, doing his damnest best not to think of another situation, not too long ago, when he had been the one interrogated across borders.

"You've sent for Inoichi Yamanaka?" Sandaime interjected and the woman was quick to nod.

"Him and his team. We'll be at the ready if T&I don't manage."

There was a hint of smugness in her voice, an underlaying certainty that said men would indeed not manage, providing her with the apt opportunity to constantly greet Katashi Yuu with "I told you so" in the foreseeable future.

It was commonly assumed that T&I would be a last resort, what with Konoha possessing Interrogation specialists such as the Yamanaka clan. But Minato had quickly learned that the Yamanaka mind-walking technique was in fact costly and quite dangerous, not only to the one being interrogated but to the caster as well. One could never know what mental barriers and defences a shinobi might have in place. In that sense, endangering one of your own men, especially a member of one of Konoha's esteemed clans, would always be the actual last resort. Even if knowing that Inoichi was an expert at what he did, Minato still hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I assume you already have a guess at why I held you back, Minato." Sandaime went on, regarding him shrewdly, "I'm appointing you under Haya Fumiko's Analysis Team for the time being. The Intelligence Division currently hold all personal possessions, documentation and notes found with the infiltrator. You will also have Fugaku's detailed account of the events around the man's capture. We need to find how he broke into Konoha, how long he has been here, who sent him and who he's reporting to."

"You know what they say – it takes an Infiltrator's mind to catch another." Fumiko-san said and grinned, displaying a set of brilliant white teeth.

"I hope I can assist you well."

"Very well then, you know your assignments. Fugaku-san, you may return to Police HQ when you're done with the Analysis Team. Ensure civilian safety at all times and prepare for potential evacuation if the situation escalates."

The Uchiha heir nodded, stoic as ever, and for a second Minato wondered if he had ever seen the man look anything but impassive at best.

"Report directly to me if you find anything of note." Sandaime-sama said finally, just as there was a knock at his door. "Dismissed."

They filed out of the office, passing a hurried shinobi armed with a handful of scrolls.

Fumiko-san lead the way, apparently taking them to the Intelligence Division building for a needed debriefing. The gist had been explained to him, but a lot had been left out – where had the man been caught and how? What had he done upon discovery? Had he tried to contact anyone? The documents suggested he had been gathering information, but what if…

His mind painted another scenario, a worrying thought worming itself in his head mercilessly. Konoha had been infiltrated before, some six years ago and it hadn't been to gather information at all. It had been to capture a certain someone that he cared for very much. Surely this had nothing to do with that incident? He had to squash the sudden impulse to find her, find her now, and make sure she was safe. He could do so easily, using the kunai he had given her – a thought that had occurred to him even earlier that day when he had considered finding her for different, rather selfish reasons. He had quickly discarded it then, disgusted with himself for having even entertained the possibility. Such invasion of her privacy would be absolutely unacceptable.

But what if…

He shook his head, casting the thought aside. Pointless worry would get him nowhere – the man had been apprehended, so even if this had been his goal he had failed. And Kushina wasn't a child anymore – she was more than capable of defending herself, especially within a village on high alert.

"How do you fare with interrogation, Namikaze-san?" Katashi Yuu interrupted his thoughts, eyeing him curiously as they exited the Hokage building.

"Depends which side of it we speak of." he said and the man barked a laugh.

"How do you fare on each end then?"

"Well on the enduring side… but I assume everyone says so until they crack."

"Indeed. And on the actual interrogation side?"

"Rather less well, but probably still better than I would like." Minato said with a barely-concealed grimace and the man's answering smirk had a sharp edge to it.

"It ain't for everyone, but I'd guess your reputation alone would be enough to instil terror in the ones we ask."

"Hands off, Katashi. Sandaime-sama appointed him with me." Fumiko-san said, sticking a tongue out at the T&I specialist and sparing Minato from having to respond to that particular comment.

Fugaku Uchiha said nothing, but Minato could somehow feel the man stealing glances at him from the corner of his eyes every now and then. He realised that, despite sharing a friend and probably having heard quite a bit of each other, they hadn't really met. Perhaps he was curious about his fiancée's teammate of old. Or perhaps he was trying to figure out why Konoha's Yellow Flash, famed for his ability to off an army, seemed to dislike the idea of torturing people.

Minato could only sigh. It would be a long night indeed.

Hideki-san was already at the gate when she showed up, apparently decided to leave at first light, same as her. He was just signing his name in the register when she approached.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san! I thought I'd get a head start. Thwarted again." he called out as he saw her, but she barely registered his words.

There seemed to be an almost inaudible hum in the air, a static charge that put her senses on edge. She stilled, casting her senses out, fixing the open gate with a look. The very air ahead felt thick, impenetrable in a way she was intimately familiar with. The man at the registration desk smiled knowingly as he followed her look.

"The barrier's up." She said to no one in particular, needing no confirmation.

Seal barriers were her expertise after all.

Of course Konoha's detection barrier was up at all times. But this version of it, the chakra-intense one which solidified and barred leaving or entry, was only activated at the gates when needed.

"Eh?" was Tarou's eloquent response as he threw a quizzical glance at the gate.

"Konoha's on lockdown, save for shinobi on officially appointed missions." The man at the desk said by way of explanation, scanning Tarou's mission assignment scroll a lot more intently than guards usually did.

"What's happened?" she asked, instantly on alert, turning back towards the village at once and scanning the streets and rooftops as if whatever threat had caused this would suddenly manifest itself.

She could feel Tarou tense up beside her also, still eyeing the invisible barrier and trying to see what couldn't in fact be seen, as intended.

"Classified." The guard said with a shrug as his hands brought a cigarette up to his lips. "Hey, don't give me that look. I don't know myself, jōnin level clearance. I just do as I'm told."

So that was why Minato was nowhere to be found last night - he had been called to duty, to deal with whatever problem had arisen. And having the village sealed off for those inside could only mean one thing for said problem – intruders. Infiltrators gathering intel? Assassins? Or perhaps…

For a second her mind flashed back to an empty house mid-spring, sunset casting shadows along the walls, shadows that writhed and moved and morphed into figures and rough hands which grabbed her and dragged her away from her home.

She shook the temporary discomfort away, hand balling in a fist instinctively. Oh let them try again, by all means.

"Uzumaki-san? Are you well?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, Hideki-san, sorry about that." she called back, reluctantly peeling her gaze away from the calm streets behind and turning back to the guard. "No chūnin aid requested?"

"Nope. There've been no casualties or anything, doesn't seem to be too serious. I guess they're just being careful, what with the war and all that. Last I heard they had it all under control."

She bit her lip, hand hovering over her leg pouch where she had tucked away the mission assignment scroll. What if it was serious? What if something happened while she was gone? Wasn't she supposed to be in the village to protect it when needed? But if Konoha really was in danger they would have mobilised all chūnin on active duty too.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Uzumaki-san." Tarou said beside her and she realised the hesitation must have spilled on her face. "Besides, the runs need to be made. We've been assigned."

She knew he was right, objectively. But it was hard being objective when those you held dear might or might not be in danger. Yet someone had to do the runs… and if it wasn't her, it'd be someone else who could be useful here instead.

"I know." She said finally, handing her scroll over to the guard with a resigned sigh.

The man was as sharp as a kunai's edge.

Haya had expected him to be clever – you don't just get picked as an apprentice to one of the legendary Sannin for no merits at all – but just how quick-witted he was had taken her by surprise. He assimilated and analysed information with lightning speed, making connections and leaps of logic that she quickly found herself nodding along to.

She had had to quickly re-evaluate her initial observations. Truth be told, Minato Namikaze didn't really look very threatening; his reputation preceded him, which was exactly why she had expected someone vicious, lethality spelled out in their looks and sharp features. The handsome youth before her had been far from that idea and she had found herself almost writing him off as not-threatening. Him, Konoha's Yellow Flash, the man who had killed hundreds of enemy nin.

She had to check herself twice.

Now, hours later, the man was proving that army-felling skills were not his only asset as he sat calmly across Inoichi-san, bouncing ideas off each other as they scanned their notes. They had managed to cover all of the documentation on the case and track where the information could have come from, but it had been through Minato's insight that they had managed to connect certain scribbles the infiltrator had made to supply-line skirmishes that had occurred close to the borders throughout the last few months. The man had been feeding someone information and Iwagakure seemed to be the likely source.

They had already narrowed down the possibilities on how long the man had been in Konoha and it was becoming more and more apparent that, thankfully, he hadn't had access to higher level documentation as his expert Henge had only gotten him that far.

Until the night of the Yozakura. Until he had thought it wise to access restricted files while shinobi were distracted. But the Uchiha were never slack, not even on a night of festivities. He should have known better, for someone who seemed to have been in Konoha for months.

"If we assume it's Iwagakure and track their military moves… They haven't been too obvious, but they started making some clever choices about three months back. They hit some supply lines that they shouldn't have known about. Jiraya-sensei actually mentioned something when we last spoke… he suspected they are being fed information down the line, but an infiltrator in Konoha proper…" Minato was saying, seemingly talking to himself as he leant over the notes, his chin propped over his folded hand.

Haya really didn't intend to do so, but she found herself observing him curiously more often than not. He was peculiar. He looked like a different man altogether when he was in thought; a small furrow would appear on his forehead as his eyebrows mashed together and his eyes would narrow, an almost stern look entering his face. When he jotted down notes he did so neatly, his hands moving in sure, confident strokes. She thought she quite liked how he wrote. He exuded an air of quiet certainty, that of a man who could assume control and do so cleverly.

He would be a real asset to the Intelligence Division. And to her team in particular. She found herself wishing that he'd enjoy their partnership. That he would ask whether he could transfer after this was all done. Or whether he could assist her team more often, as an outsource specialist. She thought she wouldn't mind working with him more often at all.

"Fumiko-san?"

Crap. Had he caught her staring?

"Hm? Sorry, I spaced out for a second. Say that last bit again."

"I was asking about that list of shinobi with access to the information gathered by the infiltrator."

She shook her head as she glanced at the watch. A little after sundown. They had been at it for almost a day.

"It's a big Division with many sub-sections and the low-level clearance files could be accessed by many-" she started, but was promptly cut off by the door slamming open.

Katashi was back, a clear glower on his face, lips drawn in a taut line.

Haya grinned. Inoichi sighed, getting up from his chair and stretching.

"My turn then." he said, heading for the door in a firm step. "Let's see if we were right, Minato."

It had taken her a little over a day to reach the outpost, even if it wasn't too close to the hard border.

She had stopped briefly in the night after parting ways with Tarou, the man heading to the South West quadrants. She hadn't intended to pause, but the previous sleepless night had caught up with her. Her break had lasted no more than three or so hours, confusing dreams bouncing in her head furtively as fantasy overtook memory and mixed with worry. It ebbed at her, all through her trip and pushed her forward as she maintained a steady pace.

Things were fine, surely. But she would be back in Konoha faster, just in case. And if she got to beat Tarou at it, well, all the better, ya know.

So late morning found her high up in the trees, sitting on the rough camouflaged porch of Konoha's Central West outpost, having reached it in her own record time. Two of the three chūnin stationed there were present, all smiles, as they always were when visited on supply runs – any news from home were welcome and they kept throwing leisurely questions at her as they sipped on tea, freshly arrived with their new supplies.

It was a pleasant day, sun filtering calmly through the leaves as the light breeze tossed her hair about, refreshing on her heated skin after the lengthy run. It would all have made for a rather enjoyable time, if she hadn't been politely trying to get out of the conversation for the last half an hour.

"Did they light the lanterns down by the river again?"

"They did. It was pretty, but people were drinking too much as usual, ya know."

The man on her left laughed. He had shoulder-length brown hair, pulled back in a low ponytail at his nape. His look was open, unguarded, strangely at ease even though they had met not an hour ago. Kushina thought she rather enjoyed their quippy jokes and casual banter.

"That's what Yozakura's for. I wish they'd send us some saké with these bloody supply runs too, the prunes."

She had to smile, rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm.

"You got that right, Ryōta. Man, if only I had been back home… You know, last Hanami I went out with Nakoe-chan for the first time." the other shinobi was saying – was it Hako? – through a wistful look.

"Oh here we go. I've only heard this tale about a hundred times, you know…"

Hako threw a light punch at his shoulder.

"'S not my fault you've never been near a woman."

"You wish."

"Well, I guess I'll head back…" she edged, making to get up in their distraction.

"Awh, but you haven't even met Kaede yet. She should be here soon, she was just doing the morning rounds. I'm sure she'll be happy to see a new face."

"I would love to meet her too, but I shouldn't take long, I had another mission lined up-"

"Was it Hako's brash language that put you off? Pay him no heed… I'm sorry to say I've gotten used to it on this appointment."

"Hey now!"

She couldn't help but chuckle at their easy camaraderie. Ryōta had just playfully thrown an arm over Hako's shoulders, forcing him forward and rubbing a fist rather forcefully over the man's hair, when a rustle from the trees ahead paused them all.

"Ah, there she is! About time, Kaede, you almost missed our guest!" the "aggressor" called down as he spotted the newcomer, releasing his friend just as the woman jumped up to the platform rather ungracefully, after having put up an obvious burst of speed.

Something's wrong, was Kushina's first instinct as she saw the flushed cheeks, betraying her hurry, and her eyes, now narrowed in a serious look. The two shinobi beside her straightened up as well.

"I'm a clone. Kaede spotted some unusual activity in quadrant six, stayed to investigate and sent me to inform you before she engaged. Something seemed off, there was an unauthorised seal."

The atmosphere shifted within seconds. The men who had been languidly joking mere moments ago were suddenly on alert, all levity gone from their posture and looks.

"Tell me all she saw on the way there. Hako, stay on post, I'll go help her." Ryōta was saying quickly as he checked his weapons pouch, arming a short kodachi at his waist.

"I can assist. I do well with seals." She found herself saying, despite herself. It was probably nothing, but…

The brown-haired man nodded.

"I won't turn down aid, even if it's not in your mission parameters. Let's hope it's noth-"

A strained sound broke off his words as the clone before them suddenly convulsed, hand shooting up to her chest. And then, in a puff of smoke, she disappeared.

The shocked silence lasted but a minute.

"K-Kaede!" Hako called out, taking a furtive step ahead, face as white as a sheet. "She- she just-"

Alright, it definitely wasn't "nothing".

She's dead, was the first thing that passed through Kushina's head and she bit her lip against it. Or unconscious. Let her be unconscious.

"Hako. Stay on duty." Was all Ryōta said and then he was a blur, jumping amongst the trees.

And with a chakra-infused leap Kushina shot off after him.

"Should I start with the good or the bad news?"

"Start by sitting down" Minato said, passing his friend a glass of water.

Inoichi looked… exhausted. He hadn't slept through the night, Haya knew for a fact, but even then she doubted that a sleepless night could make such a stark contrast in one's complexion. The Yamanaka heir had shadows under his eyes, his skin appearing damp and ashen under the fluorescent lights of the office.

She knew his technique was taxing and, much as she loved rubbing it in Katashi's nose, she would have actually, secretly, preferred not to resort to this. Because, unfortunately, she had been right – judging by the time it had taken Inoichi to break through, the infiltrator had indeed been well-prepared.

The Yamanaka near-collapsed in a chair beside her, taking the glass with mute gratitude.

"We were right." He started hoarsely, clearing his throat. "He's been here for a while. And he did act alone, at least within the village, which is why Shikaku's teams and ANBU didn't find anything… there was nothing to find. He got complacent though, thought the place wouldn't be as well guarded during the festival. So good news is, I know who and where he's reporting to."

She grinned and was just about to congratulate her teammate when he turned to his friend (for friends they must be, if they were on first-names basis), a solemn look marring his pale face.

She could practically feel Minato Namikaze tense up with Inoichi's words.

"But…?" he prompted.

"But his next report was due some hours ago. They might suspect his capture by now. And they'd probably clear out by the time we get there."

Something was telling her there was more unsaid between them as Minato's eyes narrowed, a determined look entering his face.

"Tell me."

The place seemed off. It had taken them some time to find the precise spot without the clone's further guidance, but she had no doubt this was it. She was no tracker and Ryōta had claimed to have minimal experience himself, but it didn't take an expert to notice the obvious signs of a struggle in the snapped twigs and oddly felled bushes around.

And in the apparent calmness all about.

No blood, she signed in Konoha standard, inspecting around carefully, senses strummed out on high alert.

No blood, he signed back in agreement and she couldn't help noticing the slight shaking to his fingers as he did so. And no footsteps.

It should have been a good sign, but… There were ways to hide tracks. And there was something not quite right. It was both noticeable and not. If they hadn't known something had happened to Kaede, they could have easily assumed that there had been a wildlife skirmish. The place looked cleaned out almost, void of human traces. As if Kaede had never been here.

But it had to be it.

Seal, she signed and Ryōta nodded, stepping about soundlessly, looking for glyphs or symbols or really anything out of place.

It took her the better part of fifteen minutes to find it and that only because it had responded to her touch as she had started inspecting more riskily, imbedding her touch with chakra as she went. It wasn't the most subtle way – depending on the seal design, it could alert the caster. But it also made the signs appear when previously hidden, much like a certain otherwise invisible seal on her person. And time was of the matter here, with a missing teammate on their side.

"Here" she mouthed quietly, but it was enough for Ryōta to shunshin by her side.

It was well-hidden, on the underside of a large overgrown rock, small and mostly unnoticeable unless specifically looked for. She had to wonder how Kaede had found it in the first place. Had she accidentally touched the boulder with chakra-infused hands? What for? And even then, would she have noticed the brief flare in a seal if she wasn't familiar with what she was looking for?

Or had she seen something? And what?

Ryōta was crouching beside her, inspecting the signs critically, hand balled in a fist.

"Bastards." He breathed through gritted teeth. Because really, if he had held any hope that the whole thing might have been a misunderstanding, the enemy seal before them quickly evaporated his doubts. "I haven't seen one such. Have you?"

"Not exactly like this one, but I can make sense of it." she said, scanning the kanji before her, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach.

Oh it was bad alright.

"What is it?" he asked, looking about, ever on alert.

But it wasn't around that he needed to be looking. It was down.

"It's a seal to bar and hide entry. Probably to an underground base."

A sharp intake of breath was all the reaction Ryōta allowed himself as his eyes widened with the information presented. Neither of them were sensors; there was no way to judge the scope of their find on the spot, not without going in blind. They could observe and wait for reinforcements, of course, but Kaede…

She could see her companion deliberating, weighing their options, weighing protocol and risk against attachments. And she already knew what would come out on top. Because really, if it had been Hizashi or Sakumo or Kakashi or Tsume or Mikoto or Inoichi or Chōza or Shikaku or Shibi or really any of her friends… If it had been Minato… she wouldn't have even stopped to talk it through.

"Can you open it?"

"Ryōta-san…"

"Kaede's probably in there." he said by way of explanation and she could tell from his tone that if she couldn't indeed bust the seal, he'd bust the boulder itself.

"She might be. And it might be a trap, ya know."

"Are you telling me to leave her behind?!" the man hissed back and she smirked.

"Not at all. I'm telling you what we should prepare for mentally when I open this door, ya know."

The man stared at her with evident disbelief.

"I… forgive me, Uzumaki-san, I… thank you." Was the mumbled response and despite the tension she grinned.

"Don't sweat it. But maybe send a clone to Hako-san while I work this out."

It turned out to be simpler than she had initially expected, the seal proving very little of a conundrum in her hands. It was a mash-up of common elements, a crude imitation with little original thought behind. It did its job well, but was no cypher – it took her all of five minutes to break down its elements and she found herself on the ground, lying on her back as she produced a brush from her pouch, unclasping the ink vial in her armband and deftly dipping the tip. She could feel Ryōta's eyes on her as she did that and Kushina had to wonder if he thought her weird.

Well, it was what it was.

The quickly scribbled kanji about the seal did their trick as intended – activating at her touch and destabilising the seal between. And hopefully disabling any alerts upon its activation. A low rumble reached her ears and she shot up, body tensing at the ready as a seemingly ordinary patch of dirt nearby receded with a mechanism, revealing a crude narrow tunnel and a metal ladder descending down in apparent darkness.

A kunai had replaced the brush in her hand as she halted in anticipation opposite of Ryōta, both of them stilling without taking their eyes off the hole. The seconds it took to confirm that the seal activation had probably remained unnoticed felt much too long.

So the base was either abandoned or she had managed to deactivate the seal's activation alerts. Kushina wasn't sure which would be best.

Moving in. Support. Ryōta signed as he approached the tunnel soundlessly, throwing one last look in the hole before disappearing down the ladder himself. Bracing herself for the worst, the redhead followed suit. She could have groaned as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, coming from a flickering light source down a tunnel. One of many.

She had expected a bunker. Perhaps a large bunker at best. But landing at an intersection between four corridors was way more than she had mentally prepared for.

No way was this made now. The place felt old in a way that a temporary base wouldn't. The walls had been carved meticulously, displaying detail that a make-shift camp would never have. Whoever was here was probably using something prior made… or had been using it for a long time.

Her eyes met Ryōta's and she very deliberately did not sigh as she saw the resignation there.

"It's not a good idea." She mouthed, knowing it would fall on deaf ears.

"We're not sensors and she could be anywhere. She could be hurt. We don't have time. We should split up." He said, confirming her suspicion.

And she hated that he was right. She looked around, casting her senses out as much as she could. She couldn't hear anything in particular, but there was a light source further down…

"Fine. Be careful. Do not engage enemies if you find any, unless absolutely necessary. Meet here in an hour if you don't find anything of worth. If I'm not here, leave and make back for the outpost, do not look for me, ya know."

"And if things go bad?"

She smirked.

"We'll follow the sound of the ruckus, ya know."

"I told you so."

Katashi grumbled. The woman was impossible at times. Actually, come to think of it, she was impossible a lot of times.

"Your golden boy barely made it as well."

"Yamanaka-san may not look it, but he's tough. I had no doubt he'd crack it. You know, I think he might even outdo his father one day."

He crossed his arms, muttering uncertainties. He had nothing against Inoichi Yamanaka, but he did so hate losing a bet, even an unspoken one.

"Where's he anyway?"

"Last I saw him, he disappeared with Minato-san to report to Sandaime."

"Minato-san, huh… Weird guy. Wouldn't have pegged him as a flee-on-sight."

To his surprise, Haya actually giggled at that.

"Oh, Katashi. You have no idea."

She didn't know whether it was a good or a bad thing that the base appeared to be very much not abandoned, she thought, as she pressed herself behind a corner, pulling in her chakra close and tight, undetectable for the shinobi passing on the other side.

She had counted more than fifteen in this section of the tunnels alone. They were probably, most likely, more.

They wore no affiliation signs, but whoever they were, they were no friend of Konoha's, that much was clear as she overheard snippets of conversations about intel being thrown around, precious intel on the Land of Fire's wartime activities.

Oh this was very bad indeed.

And Ryōta and she were greatly, hilariously outnumbered. She suspected she should be happy that so far no one had mentioned intruders; she wasn't sure she would be able to avoid active pursuers in the base's narrow corridors if they deliberately started looking for her. She had briefly entertained the thought of offing enemies as she went, but it would only take so long before they spotted operatives missing. And she didn't think they could take them on safely, not when their enemies possibly had a hostage. And then there was gathering intel… not a bad thing to go for, all things considered.

But first – Kaede. Unfortunately, she had heard no one mention prisoners, nor had she found anything resembling holding cells. In fact, she seemed to have ended up in a supply section, if the rooms full of rations and discardable tools and scrolls were anything to go by. She hoped Ryōta was having more luck than her.

The enemy nins' steps receded, their voices echoing dully in the distance and she took a breath to steady herself, pushing away from the wall and pressing onward as silently as she could, a whisper against the edges of the corridors she crossed.

There were torches lining the walls, their light flickering ominously against the damp stone, and licking at the shadows all about. The smoke coming off them made her eyes water as she circled about them and it was only through a concerted effort of will that she held back her coughs. Whoever thought torches were a good idea for underground secret bases must be a moron. Then again, they would be incredibly effective against intruders if they made people choke halfway through their unexpected infiltration mission.

The corridor opened up ahead, going through a natural wider part of the caves, a line of thick columns holding the tunnel ceiling to prevent collapses. The distant constant rhythm of dripping water reached her ears, reverberating in the wide open space. She wasn't sure why she paused, steps halting beside a large column, hairs standing on end as she stilled by its base. She felt rather than see or hear, something or rather someone approaching ahead, their massive chakra quantities palpable even to a non-sensor like her. And their chakra felt cold and sharp and menacing, heavy in the air all about, almost suffocating her with each breath and near rooting her in place.

Which must be why what happened next took her entirely by surprise.

She edged back soundlessly, making to retreat when there was a quiet stir in the air behind her, a sudden presence when there had been none before, and her eyes widened just as a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her surprise. Someone pulled her sharply behind the column beside her just as she lifted her one free arm in instinct, elbowing her assailant sharply in the ribs.

A barely-audible huff of pain reached her, right by her ear, and she froze, staring ahead dumbfounded as recognition flickered within her. She would know this chakra anywhere, even pulled in tight as it was now, impossible to detect if she hadn't been forcefully pressed against him, as he held her quietly, out of sight.

She stilled beside him, feeling adrenaline crash through her as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the cavern behind them, uneven, hinting at someone favouring one foot over the other as they slowly passed. And with the sound went the overwhelming sense of threat that had first made her pause in alarm.

Only when it had receded in the distance, did his hand slowly lower from her lips, the man behind her exhaling a pent-up breath which tickled her neck and she had to suppress a shiver. Slowly, disbelievingly, she turned around, looking up at him in the dim light to confirm she hadn't imagined it all.

Minato was looking at her through an exasperated look, worry, relief and incredulity mixing in the darkened blue of his eyes as his hand hovered uncertainly by her side, ready to pull her in close again, out of sight, should another threat appear.

"I suppose that was well deserved." He mouthed finally as he brushed fingers against his ribs through a pained smile and she winced.

She had spared no force with that one punch.

"What… what are you doing here?"

Chapter Text

"What… What are you doing here?" she managed, doing her best to still her racing heart. It had lodged somewhere up in her throat, what with the passing threat and Minato's absurd presence in the middle of nowhere in an enemy base.

He raised an eyebrow, his look somehow expertly mixing worry and incredulity in one.

"I was just about to ask the same." he murmured and his eyes swept her quickly, inspecting for injuries, as he pressed a hand to the column behind him. "We can't stay here. People in the corridors."

She hesitated, glancing up ahead before deciding on the tunnel she had come from and indicating for him to follow. He did so without question, soundlessly, a near shadow by her side.

It took her less than a minute to locate one of the many storage rooms she had passed by and they quickly slipped inside. She heard the silent creak of the door behind her, followed by the whisper of a Fūinjutsu being activated. The briefest flare of chakra and the lock clicked as Minato set a seal she thought she had seen him use as a part of his own home's defences.

She was already moving through the dimly-lit room, inspecting it just in case – he was a sensor, but it never hurt to check. It wasn't a large space, feeling even more cramped, stack full as it was with jars, boxes and baskets of canned goods. They were all pushed against the walls, haphazardly shoved on make-shift shelves, threatening to topple over with the slightest adjustment. A lone table with a chair stood in the middle, covered in what appeared to be half-completed sealing scrolls and writing utensils. There was a layered scent to the stuffy air, mixing the smell of mould and smoke from the torches outside with that of spices, dried herbs and ink.

"Clear." she said, throwing one last cursory glance at a small alcove, turned pantry in the corner, which, save for some brooms, was thankfully as empty as the rest of the storage room.

Minato had moved from the door as well, following her in the room and glancing about with the clinical curiosity of one trained in gathering intel. Even as she thought it, his fingers brushed against a scroll on the table before he picked it up, unzipping his jōnin vest and tucking it in an inside pocket.

A sound from the corridor made him pause, both of them tensing up briefly as a set of footsteps dashed past, disappearing again.

"Why are they even patrolling the corridors of a secret sealed-off base, ya know?" she mumbled, eyebrows mashing in annoyance, and the ghost of a smile ran across his lips.

"It would be silly expecting intruders, wouldn't it?" he said as he turned to face her and she huffed, suddenly finding herself suppressing startled laughter.

The whole situation was absurd.

"Silly." she allowed, the hint of amusement on her tongue, and was rewarded with a brief smile in his own turn.

An oil-lamp was flickering in an iron stand on the wall beside them, making shadows dance across his face and bringing out the blues of his eyes, and she felt an imperceptible shiver run across her skin as he held her look.

"Kushina…" he murmured and she did her best to suppress the thrill at hearing his hushed voice curl around her name, "I can't even begin to guess… What… Why are you here?"

"It was an honest accident, ya know." she started through an exasperated sigh, as if unable to quite believe how she had ended up there herself.

Her quick recap of her mission and the events of the morning only made Minato's eyebrows shoot up higher and higher in surprise with every word.

"And you think there's a Konoha shinobi captive here?"

"Possibly. Hopefully. The alternative…"

He nodded, needing no further clarification on what the alternative would be.

"Well, this changes things."

"And what are these "things" exactly, ya know?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair in habit. Somehow, even in the bleakest of circumstances, it never stopped being endearing to see him do that.

"Of all the coincidences… An infiltrator was caught in the village."

"I knew it, ya know!" She exclaimed and then, upon noticing his surprise – "the barriers were up at the gates."

Another small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips, as if he was fighting his own amusement at Kushina's quick conclusions, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"He was a plant from Iwagakure; had been gathering intel from low-level clearance positions in the past few months, but got captured the night of the festival. By the time Inoichi managed to break through his defences we had had him in captivity for two days. And he had missed a report that he apparently made regularly through summons."

Her eyes went wide as realisation dawned on her.

"He was to report here. It's an Iwa base."

He nodded once again.

"Judging by the size of it, I'd guess it's older, probably from the second or first shinobi world war… We don't know how many such they have turned operational and we expected they would try to move to a new one if they thought their plant was captured. So I left in a rush, along with Shikaku; transported us here with Hiraishin. He stayed outside to keep watch as I went in. I was feeling ahead for enemies when I sensed my marker on you. I guess in hindsight, it was the easier way in."

She snorted, propping a hand on her hip.

"Glad I could be of help, ya know."

His answering smile was instantaneous, warming her on the inside and she suddenly felt a spark of relief as she realised that they had accidentally gotten the much-needed back-up she had tried to send for before entering the base. Even if half of said back-up looked like he hadn't slept in a while. Again.

"Speaking of help, what are your mission parameters?"

"Gather as much intel as possible…" he said, hesitating for the briefest moment before pressing on, "Assassinate if necessary."

She nodded clinically. She had expected as much. They needed to find out how much Iwa knew, but not at the cost of losing track of them.

"We can add a search and rescue to that list. And it sounds like we're probably on the clock with it, ya know." she said and he hummed his assent.

"We did our best but… we weren't fast enough."

And there was weariness in his voice, her friend once again shouldering all the responsibility for not cracking this sooner.

"Minato… Have you even slept since Yozakura?" she whispered critically, without thinking, realising a beat too late what she had ventured into.

He stilled, his eyes flashing to hers as he held his breath and Kushina felt warmth spilling over her face, unable to look away. His eyes were impossibly blue even in the semi-darkness about, the lamp's light flickering in the molten intensity of his look.

"Not much." He whispered quietly, gulping as a tremor ran through his hand. "I was summoned the following evening and we worked with little break."

"I… I know." she said and then, in a feat of reckless honesty, "I looked for you, but you weren't home."

His eyes widened, the following silence turning charged as the very air suddenly felt heavy, palpable in its sharp scents. His throat worked, once, twice, as he paused, Konoha's eloquent prodigy at a loss for words for once.

"Kushina… That night-" he started and then cut himself off, eyes narrowing as his whole body tensed in alarm.

His arm flashed out, lightning-quick, brushing a hand against the nearby wall. And then his fingers were wrapping around her wrist before she could even process what was happening, pulling her back with a firm grasp as the door handle turned, sealed lock clicking thunderously in the static silence; within a fraction of a second he had pulled her to the back of the room, and she was moving brooms soundlessly as her adrenaline-fuelled brain caught up with what was happening, both of them diving behind the narrow wall of the tiny alcove, turned pantry, now turned one and only hiding spot.

A quiet groan escaped her as she felt the uncomfortable bite of the edge of a shelf between her shoulder blades and she shifted sideways, levelling with him in the cramped corner, just as Minato waved a one-handed Rat seal, releasing the Fūinjutsu he had set.

"-stuck, the damn thing." A coarse male voice was saying as Kushina heard the door fling open forcefully. "Finally. This whole base is falling apart, I'm telling you. It's older than my pa would have been if he had survived the war."

Kushina pulled her chakra in tight, squashing it, not giving any potential sensors the pleasure of an easy find… unless they checked the room like she had, just moments prior. Her eyes sought his out, looking up as she did so, realising instantly how awkward of a position they had crammed themselves into in their rush.

She had ended up pressed against him in a tangle of limbs, one of his legs resting between hers, his back glued to the wall separating the alcove from the room as he faced her. Her one arm had gone up in instinct, palm resting against his chest, serving as the only barrier between them in the ridiculously tight squeeze.

He was looking sideways, fingers pressed against the wall behind him as he appeared to be tracking the newcomers and gauging the level of threat. Steps reached them when someone walked further in the room. The rustle of scrolls being moved and wooden furniture creaking and the person apparently leaned against the table, blissfully disinclined to check the room thoroughly.

She could tell Minato's posture eased up slightly and he looked down at her too, eyes widening as he finally took in their current predicament.

"Hiraishin?" Kushina mouthed inaudibly and she could see his look fix her lips as he read the soundless word there.

He shook his head infinitesimally.

Outside base he signed quickly with one hand and she frowned. They could teleport there if needed… but then they'd have to break in again. And how lucky could one get to not be spotted twice?

"What's going on, Hanotsuchi?" a woman said, apparently the one near the table, and Kushina could just picture her looking about curiously on the other side of the wall.

Two of them then?

"Hattori failed to report. It's been more than five hours now, they suspect he's been captured."

The woman clicked her tongue.

"He'd never talk."

"You know those Konoha scum have ways to interrogate without making you talk at all." The man was saying now, disgust lacing his words. "We're preparing to clear out."

So they weren't patrolling the corridors then - they were simply organising their move.

"So… what then?" came the woman's hesitant voice.

"I don't know. But we don't have much time." A scraping noise reached them, someone apparently dragging the sole chair across the room. A thump against the door and Kushina could tell that they too had "locked", albeit in a more old-fashioned way. "We might get stationed in different locations again."

"Don't tell me you'll miss me now."

"You minx."

His words were followed by footsteps again, this time more rushed, and then the sound of a scuffle reached her. Minato stiffened by her side, jaw squaring as he gritted his teeth, fixing the wall above her head with a resolute look.

And then it dawned on her. They weren't fighting at all.

Her eyes widened, jaw quite literally dropping when she finally recognised the muffled impassioned sounds. Her breath left her in a quiet huff, fingers twitching against his chest. If Minato noticed, he didn't react one bit.

This can't be happening.

In any other situation she would have laughed. The urge to do so was still there, buried somewhere beneath the layers of shock and agitation, but she wasn't sure whether it wouldn't come out as a pained groan instead.

It just can't be happening.

She shut her eyes, doing her best to block out the sounds, mortified, but her senses had heightened with adrenaline, painting a reluctant picture in her mindscape with each desperate sigh across the room. The rustle of clothing, a grunt and the table creaked again with weight put on it. The scrolls and writing utensils clattered loudly as they hit the floor.

If she had thought the room stuffy before, it had turned stifling now, and she suddenly felt herself breathless. A strangled moan reached her from the other side of the wall, and the table creaked again, scraping against the floor. The man's hands would be urgent now, as they slid under the girl's clothes, his lips claiming hers…

Her eyes flashed open again, fixing her own hand with a look, feeling her heart pick up despite herself. Her face was aflame. Minato was still as a statue across from her, but pressed so close for comfort as they were, she could feel it affecting him too; his jōnin vest was still unzipped and through the thin fabric of his shinobi blues she could feel his heartbeat quicken below her fingers, body tensing up. She could hear his quickened breaths as they tickled the top of her hair, ghosting against her temple and sending gooseflesh down her spine. Her face had ended up somewhat level with his lips and neck and she could see him swallow thickly as he threw his head back, staring resolutely at anything but her.

She tried occupying her attention elsewhere too, with the patterns on the floor, following the broken tile swirls with a look before moving on to the wall near them, counting the cracks in the stone – one, two, three, fourfivesixseven…

"No, don't. Someone can walk in-" the girl was saying breathlessly on the other side, before her words were drowned out in a kiss, morphing in a whimper and a muffled moan.

Kushina gulped, resisting the urge to plant her forehead against Minato's chest. The heat of his body was making her head spin; tension coursed through her like a zinging surge, like fire down her veins, and she felt the now familiar delicious ache in the pit of her stomach, legs growing weak. She tried to silence her own shallow breaths, feeling herself grow lightheaded, and she shifted ever so slightly, trying to press herself back against the wall and away from him, to no avail. There was nowhere to retreat to.

Her movement drew a startled huff from him, her hips grinding against his thigh in her clumsy attempt to draw back, and she threw a quick apologetic glance up at his face. His look found hers and she sucked in a breath. His eyes were widened, taking her in with a feverish look. She could almost feel the static thrum in the very air between them. Something had changed since the night of the festival, some pretence of disinterest that had slipped and shattered for good.

She bit her lip against her ragged breaths, fearing they'd be heard; but it had been a mistake. His eyes jumped to her lips, something akin to a grimace spilling on his face, mixing with the unconcealed longing. His heart was drumming against her hand now, to match her own, as he swayed forward ever so slightly, finding her eyes with a blazing look once again.

Her fingers twitched, nails scraping at his chest through the fabric as she clutched at his sweater without thinking, and a shuddering breath escaped him at her touch, ghosting against her lips in their proximity.

If ever there was torture, this had to be it.

And then he sucked in a shocked breath, quickly throwing a look at the alcove entrance where the oil-lamp was spilling its flickering light, just as the sound of the door handle turning reached their ears.

"Fuck." The Iwa man groaned, his breathing coming out in hard pants, hand slamming against the table.

"Sade-san?" came the muffled voice on the other side while the person tried the door again, chair creaking, barring entrance. "Sade-san, I know you're in there!"

"Darn it, Koichi! What- What now?" the girl was saying, clearing a dry throat as the rustle of fabric indicated she was fixing her dishevelled clothes.

"An intruder was spotted at base! They engaged him, but he slipped away, search party is combing through the place, everyone's recalled at HQ. We have to go. Now."

Kushina froze, addled mind trying to wrap itself around the information presented and aiming for a shot at clarity.

"Ryōta-san." she breathed and could see Minato's eyes narrow at that.

"For fuck's sake, an intruder? Now?" the Iwa man barked, and they could hear two pairs of footsteps heading for the door.

A rough scrape and they had moved the chair, exiting the room in a rush, slamming the door behind them as they went. The shocked silence lasted for a few seconds more as Minato brushed a finger against the wall to confirm that they were alone.

And then he exhaled a pent-up breath, quickly extracting himself from the corner, leaving the shock of cold air in place of his blazing proximity. Kushina stayed glued where she was, eyes fluttering closed as she bent forward, trying to catch her breath. She could feel Minato lean against the wall beside her, carefully avoiding contact, his own laboured breathing giving him pause as he gulped.

"We… we need to talk." he managed and she couldn't help a quick startled laugh in between huffs.

"Yes." she said finally, straightening up and finding his eyes once more. "Maybe now's not the best time though."

"After the mission." He allowed and she nodded slowly, running a hand through her ponytail, fingers most definitely not trembling still.

"Let's find Ryōta-san, ya know."

He finished inspecting the tag and got back to his feet with a laboured huff. His knees were not as good as they once were, not since that damned Doton technique some Konoha whelp had slammed into him, not that Taji would ever admit to having had a Firelander best him with an earth technique.

He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders back and ticking off mentally – he had four more tags to check in this quadrant, but they had all been good and operational so far and he expected the rest would be as well – his team had planted them in the first place after all. He should be done in less than half an hour – plenty of time to spare before they evacuated and activated them all, erasing all traces of ever being here.

He had just pushed the shelf back in its place when he felt it – a soundless air current, a whiff of smoke from the corridor, and then the cold edge of a blade at his throat.

Taji froze, eyes widening in shock – last he'd heard they had isolated the intruder in another quadrant – damn this ridiculously vast base – so how was the man here now? He gulped, a trickle of sweat rolling down his neck.

"Not a sound." came a quiet voice behind him.

He nodded, eyebrows furrowing as he realised the voice had been female; they had said they spotted a man. Were there two of them? Blasted Leaf spawn. They were everywhere, like aphids. He had to hand it to them at least, they acted quickly.

"A Konoha shinobi, a girl, was intercepted at one of the entrances to this base less than an hour ago. What happened to her?" came the hushed voice behind him, quickly, urgently.

There was someone else, he realised, another soundless presence in the room, someone moving about and Taji realised they were gathering intel. He gritted his teeth, reluctantly realising what had to be done and wanting none of it.

"I won't ask twice." The woman hissed, kunai pressing at his skin, drawing blood. "Your friends down the corridor would confirm. If they could."

The tags would respond to him and his two teammates, the people they had been created by and for – jokingly referred to as the "demo" team, the description fit them to a tee. And if one of them was, for some reason, not around, then the others could finish it off just as well. Precautions had been taken precisely for a time like this, and yet he had always thought them hypothetical – when he worked he would always picture himself well away from any job he and his teammates ever had to do.

Then again, he had also not pictured himself dying in vain, slaughtered like a pig. Perhaps there was some poetic justice in dying by your life's work.

He couldn't set them all off, not yet, but one wouldn't hurt.

…only that it would, because he was right next to it. But so were they.

"You'll kill me all the same, bitch." He growled, bringing two hands before his chest with his words.

Cold steel bit through flesh and cartridge and the last thing he felt was the sharp sting, his ears registering the terrible gurgle that his own throat made, along with the distant melodic sizzle of the explosive tag behind the shelf. He thought he heard a shout, somewhere far away, as if at the end of a winded tunnel, and he was falling, darkness descending in a whoosh.

And then the blast wave picked him up.

They had made their way down a number of rooms, most of which deserted. The few enemies they had encountered had been questioned with little success – they either truly didn't know anything, or they valued their life very little. Or they were recklessly brave.

And with one, potentially two, captives in their hands, Konoha had no time to lose on lengthy interrogations.

The latest person they had come across in an emptied storage room hadn't even felt them coming until it was too late. Kushina had put a kunai to his throat in less than a minute.

He had proven as unhelpful as the rest.

Something was wrong this time however, she could tell as soon as she pulled the blade across his skin. He tried to speak, probably to name a technique, but the words got drowned in a gush of blood.

Yet his chakra surged forth nonetheless.

"Kushina!" Minato shouted from the other end of the room, just as she heard the sizzle of an explosive tag go off.

She dropped the man she had been holding, activating her barrier in instinct, chains shooting ahead of her and expanding between her and the emptied shelves-

-and Minato appeared by her side, arms wrapping about her-

-and the wall exploded thunderously, shaking the room and the ceiling, blast wave slamming into them and sending them flying, barrier and all-

-and she felt the squeeze of a space-time technique just before they got slammed in the wall opposite, Minato teleporting them in the corridor outside instead, the last place he had left a tag before they entered.

A gust of smoke and debris had flown out through the open door of the room that had just exploded and she felt her throat constrict against it as she tried to get her bearings. She was lying on her back, ears ringing from the blast, something heavy on her chest.

A shift above her and she realised Minato had ended up over her in an attempt to shield her from the blast. A sprinkling of gravel rained over him, falling off the cracked ceiling.

They really needed to have a talk about his reckless daring rescues.

A muffled hiss escaped him as he propped himself up, rolling off her, eyes fixing her with a worried look. His sun-kissed hair appeared almost white with the fine dust all about.

"Are- are you okay?" he said through a cough.

"Never better..." she managed waving the dust away from her face too before pushing herself up in a sitting position. "You?"

And despite the commotion, despite just being nearly blown to smithereens, Minato still met her sarcasm with a lopsided smile.

"Ditto." he said, getting up to his feet in a quick move. "About to get somewhat worse. We need to move."

Within a heartbeat she had joined him, ignoring the stab of dull pain that shot down her side – that would probably bruise badly – just as Minato crouched and planted a hand on the floor, throwing a narrow-eyed look down both sides of the corridor. She could only guess what he felt there – after all the ruckus, they were sure to be cornered – before he motioned to the room that had just been mercilessly blown up.

"This way."

If she had been with anyone else, she might have questioned the logic in meeting their enemies in a half-smouldering room thick with ash. But it wasn't someone else that she was with – it was Minato and she realised she had somehow, at some point, made the decision she would trust him always, unconditionally, unquestionably. So she held her breath, squinting as they dived through the billows of acrid smoke and dashed through the room.

The shelf she had been near had been all but pulverised, remaining debris crackling in flames, sections of the wall and ceiling thrown across the room, and Kushina quickly realised what Minato had been aiming for – a large beam of dimmed light was cutting through the darkened air, coming from the missing segment of the wall behind said shelf. Minato dove through it in one smooth move and she followed right behind.

The cavern on the other side was open and spacious, the largest one she had seen since entering the base, its ceiling extending far up high and disappearing from view; it was probably a natural cave, converted to use. The rough walls were unadorned, save for the torches lining the stone, broken only by the occasional tunnel, one on three of the cavern walls each, branching off in darkness.

They didn't pause, making for the nearest exit, but they hadn't even crossed half of the room when Minato stopped, rooting himself in place and signalling for her to do the same, eyes narrowed in a determined look, dashing between the corridors on either side.

"Incoming." He muttered and she quickly palmed a kunai from her pouch.

"As good a place as any. Perhaps better than most, ya know." she said turning to face one of the tunnels and feeling Minato do the same behind her, back turned to hers.

A quick move and she realised he had whipped out a number of his three-pronged kunai in both hands. There was a surge in his chakra behind her and he threw the blades about them, sharp edges embedding effortlessly through the stone floor and walls around as if they were made of butter, and Kushina grinned. Wind-chakra-coated weapons were just unfair sometimes, honestly.

She couldn't hear footsteps nearing – shinobi were too good for that – but she could somehow feel them approaching, a sharp static edge to the cavern all about. A terrible thrill was snaking down her figure, adrenaline zinging on the inside, filling her with restless energy and she could almost feel her chakra sharpening, bleeding out in its surges – she did have quite a bit of it after all.

It happened within an instant – one moment the mouth of the tunnel was empty and then there were five of them – still unmarked, not proclaiming any affiliation, varied clothes showing no pattern or uniform, probably as instructed. If it hadn't been for Minato, she would have hardly guessed they were Iwa. But the glares they had adopted left little doubt about their hatred for any shinobi bearing Konoha forehead protectors.

Minato had positioned himself so that he would face both corridors on the left and right behind her and she threw a quick look back to see that more shinobi had appeared there as well – four on one side and seven on the other.

Killing intent surged in the hall, heavy and thick, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. Their pause was brief, interspersed with whispered words.

"Is that…?"

"Can't be. Hattori said he's in Konoha."

Kushina felt the tug of a smirk pulling on her lips. Oh it was him all right. And she would make sure they regretted not having recognised her also.

"Well, well, some Leaf vermin did make their way down. You just don't stop providing us with sources of intel." a large man on her side was saying through a rasp, leering at her over a set of yellowing teeth. She thought he might be the leader, seeing as they made way for him easily, "You're outnumbered, as you can see. I'll give you this one chance to lay down your weapons before we dispose of you. We hardly need more hostages, but I can be persuaded, pretty girl."

Kushina gritted her teeth – more hostages - so they did have Kaede. Or Ryōta. Or both. Regardless, it wasn't ideal.

"How about you lay down your weapons and we'll think about sparing you. If you hand over our teammates, I'll even try to arrange for a cell with a straw bed back in Konoha, ya know." her voice rang out, echoing off the walls all about.

The man's grin turned menacing before raspy laughter broke through his lips. There was something unsettling about his shrunk pupils, an unhinged energy about him, chakra pouring out chaotically with his palpable bloodlust.

Kushina thought she would love to personally drive her fist through his rotting teeth.

The hush lasted but a second longer and then she felt the surge of chakra from up ahead as the man flew through handseals, slamming his palms on the ground. Before the floor rose up from under her she was already in the air, same as Minato, both of them jumping away and skidding to a side.

Chaos erupted all about, enemy nin jumping forward, pressing the advantage of numbers in a coordinated attack and Kushina found herself dodging elemental attacks as she dashed up one of the walls, same as an Iwa kunoichi who met her halfway through in a clash of kunai and well-measured punches. In no time Kushina had the upper hand, the other girl clearly not well-prepared for a tai fight, balking under her chakra-coated kicks.

With a rumble the wall below her feet liquefied, sliding forward in a sludge with someone's precise technique and the redhead felt the thick mud grasp at her ankles, trying to root her. She pumped chakra in a measured shunshin, throwing herself across the hall.

Her own hands were a blur of handseals as soon as her feet touched ground and she unleashed a fireball in the direction of her assailants just as the high keening sound of a wind technique reached her from somewhere off to her left and she cast a glance at Minato while her assailants scattered momentarily with her flames.

He was moving effortlessly between enemies, a near blur, his moves sure and swift, his eyes molten steel, and Kushina realised she had never seen him before, not quite, not in this way. She had never really seen Konoha's Yellow Flash. She had had glimpses at the Pass, but her wounds had overwhelmed her before the actual fight broke out; and while he had been a sight to behold during their spar, it had been nothing compared to Minato on the battlefield, determination burning at his core, unyielding power wielded at his hands.

The talk hadn't done him justice – nothing really could.

The thrill that ran through her then was nothing but primal as she felt herself in awe, gooseflesh running down her arms, the glorious sight of him imprinted in her mindscape as if at a standstill.

And then the moment was over, enemies closing in around her and her attention snapped back to the matter at hand. They came at her confidently, recklessly and she found herself grinning as chakra crackled at her fingertips, surging through her muscles, propelling her forward in a fiery whirlwind of kicks, irregular punches and bold slashes. In between it all she had brought her hands up in a familiar seal, chakra splitting evenly between a number of clones and she had evened out the battlefield, pushing them back in defence, kunai coming out bloodied as she felled yet another enemy nin. Within minutes they had dwindled down to two.

More had poured out through the blasted gap she and Minato had come from though, regrouping along with the remaining Iwa nin. A powerful water whip lashed forward, wiping out two of her clones, followed by a Raiton technique. The lightning zinged forward, cracking fissures in the floor and Kushina found herself dodging sideways, the technique passing dangerously close, her hair frizzling with the charge of it.

Somewhere beside her a whole section of the wall rose, slamming against the floor, crushing a number of Minato's kunai.

"Tsch" was the sound that made its way past her lips as she realised they would try to switch to ranged attacks.

Tough luck for them.

The handsigns for releasing a technique took her a fraction of a second to from as she ran at them, skidding below a boulder thrown her way and ending up not too far off in a crouch. Her fingers tapped the storage seal inked in her wrist, releasing the scroll she needed and she threw it open at her feet in a swift move, slamming her palm against it.

The web of kanji expanded across the stone floor, upturned boulders and all, stretching below their feet as planned. Two were quick enough to jump away in alarm, instincts kicking in, but the rest weren't as lucky. Within an instant the ink shot up, wrapping about their ankles and holding them in place. Her clones were already lunging forward, making quick work of the rooted foes.

But casting the seal had exposed her, marking her apart from the clones, showing she was the real one; she felt rather than see the blade coming at her from the side, imbued with lightning, air crackling with the charge of it, and she threw herself sideways just as something stirred beside her in a familiar manner and the clang of kunai clashing reached her ears. She threw a quick look at Minato, now beside her, locked in a standstill with the Raiton-user just before pushing him back, his wind-coated blade winning out against the lightning one, cracking the steel.

"You've been holding out on me." She said as she made to her feet, whipping another kunai out of her pouch.

"Right back at you." He said, eyes sweeping the complex seal she had just cast and she grinned.

Their brief moment of respite didn't last as the remaining Iwa nin descended on them again.

But their numbers had dwindled, their confidence cracking along with their mounting losses. Somehow, at some point, Iwa had realised they were losing even before they had had to face both their enemies together.

It didn't last long after.

Their spar that night had been brief, but it had been enough for both of them to familiarise themselves with each other's style. Minato side-stepped her stances perfectly, adapting to her moves just as she did with his, allowing for his light-stepped dashes beside her fiery kicks. Coupled with his Hiraishin, they had dwindled their numbers to two in no time. One of them, Kushina realised with annoyance, was their cocky commander who had somehow survived this long.

She was quite willing to personally rectify the mistake.

The man stood his ground with a crazed look to him, mouth split in a furious grimace, and Kushina thought he would tear his own throat out before he surrendered a fight.

His companion wasn't as bold – the young nin turned, making a run for a tunnel, fear turning him blind to his mistake. The Hiraishin kunai was embedded in the floor before the corridor. Kushina knew it before it even happened; saw Minato's eyes narrow, saw his body tense, fingers closing around the hilt of his own weapon and within an instant he was across the room just as she lunged at their leader-

"STOP OR SHE DIES." A female voice rang out, like a whip, echoing across the cavern all about.

Kushina halted, sandals skidding against the floor, a mere meter from her target, heart lodging in her throat as she whipped about. A thud came across from her, the younger man's body falling heavily at Minato's feet. Her friend had frozen also, following the newcomer through narrowed eyes.

The woman was standing at the mouth of a corridor, throat working nervously as she supported the unconscious form of a girl against her, kunai at her throat. The captive was a sorry sight – her face was swollen and bruised, caked with blood, clothes dishevelled and, judging by the bloodied sight of her hands, she was missing more than one finger. But the dark hair was unmistakable – at least Kaede was still alive. For now.

"Drop them." The Iwa kunoichi said and when Kushina and Minato both deliberated she pressed the blade at Kaede's throat more insistently, fresh blood oozing to mix with the darkened streaks already marring her skin.

Kushina cursed mentally, throwing her own kunai to the ground and hearing the clank of Minato's blade as well across from her. This was precisely why you rescued the hostages first, ideally.

The newcomer gulped, trembling hand twitching dangerously against her captive's skin.

"Don't you try anything or she's dead. I swear it."

"Good work, Ren." The large man behind her said and Kushina heard his heavy footsteps as he neared her.

A sharp kick to the back of her knees and she found herself falling forward, palms scraping against the stone when she cushioned her fall.

"Don't you dare!" the woman's voice hitched from ahead and Kushina somehow knew Minato had made to step forward.

A kunai appeared at her own throat as a rough hand grabbed at her ponytail, pulling her up to her feet by her hair. She gritted her teeth against the sharp sting in her scalp, refusing to give him the pleasure.

Across from her Minato was glaring at the man with contempt, hands closing and opening in fists. His jaw was clenched, eyes narrowed dangerously, a shadow passing across his face as the killing intent layered thick in the air. The man behind her seemed to notice it and she could feel his filthy breath on her neck as he grinned. There was a sour smell to him, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Oh? This one is it? Did we find a weakness for Konoha's Yellow Flash?" he rasped out and she heard him lick his lips by her ear. "I can tell why. She's pretty, this one. Feral. Needs a firm hand. Ah, careful now, no sudden moves."

His one hand sneaked down to her leg, fingers slipping in her kunai pouch and quickly coming up with Minato's three-pronged one. "This how you get around? Won't be needing it more. In fact, you won't need any of it, girl." He said and slashed roughly at her leg, cutting the strap of her pouch before flinging it away along with Minato's blade. They clattered dully, far off.

A trickle of blood was coming down her leg, his careless move having dug shallowly in her skin also, but she barely noticed it as the man brought his hand up once more, grabbing at her hair again and twisting, wrapping her ponytail around his fingers and yanking her head back, exposing her throat and forcing her eyes high up to the rough stones ahead.

"So much hair, makes for a good grip… in a fight… or otherwise. Don't worry, Yellow Flash, I won't kill you. I know people who will pay dearly to do the deed themselves. And I might just keep her too. Make you watch."

She could no longer see Minato's expression, the murderous look in his eyes hidden from view, even if she could feel the sharp edge to his surging chakra, the repressed power waiting to burst. She was somehow certain that if ever he enjoyed a kill, it would be for this man's life.

But she would have to deny him the joy. This man was hers.

Believing Minato's technique neutralised, the Iwa man clicked his tongue at the kunoichi who had brought Kaede.

"Ren, leave her, she's half-dead anyway. Go tie him up."

"M-me?" she stammered out.

"Do you see anyone else around?" he rasped, blade twitching nervously against Kushina's throat.

She heard the girl gulp, heard her draw a breath, heard the swish of clothes and the thump of Kaede's unconscious form falling to the floor. She heard the Iwa girl shift forward and take a step and then another, their hostage left safely behind, and then Kushina's eyes narrowed dangerously as she gritted her teeth. Her chakra surged forward, burning hot as it flashed ahead on command after building up for so long with her rage.

The first Adamantium chain wrapped around the wrist of his armed hand, pinning it in place just in time. His muscles worked, trying to drive the blade down to no avail. The second chain pierced his left wrist mercilessly, blood gushing out and coating her hair as his fingers spasmed loose, releasing his iron grip. A howl of pain erupted by her ear just as the third chain shot through his stomach, coming out clean the other end.

"You bitch-" the man started, coughing out blood as she extracted herself out of his hands.

She hadn't used her shield chains quite so before, but at this point she was seething and fury could make her most creative.

With a rattling sound the chains retreated, the man stumbling ahead as he grabbed at his perforated stomach, blood gushing out between his fingers, to match that at his chin. And then he toppled over.

With a sharp kick she rolled him over, splaying him on his back, disgusted with him and with herself for enjoying the choked wet coughs coming from his throat. In a swift move she was crouched beside him, sharp point of his own discarded kunai pointed at his neck.

"You haven't even seen feral, ya know." She said and her hand flashed down.

A few leg twitches and he was still.

She took a deep breath, pushing to her feet and turning to find Minato a few steps back, already having neutralised the Iwa kunoichi, as she trusted him to have done. The anger hadn't quite left him yet, mixing with a look of worry as he took a step towards her, a tremor running through his hand.

"I'm fine." she said.

He swallowed slowly, nodding, his eyes never leaving her.

"Really, Minato. I was waiting for her to let go of Kaede. You shouldn't let trash like him rile you up so, ya know." she said, making her way to the unconscious girl, scooping her form in her arms and brushing two fingers against her neck, sighing in relief at the faint pulse.

He was just about to speak up when a distant rumble from down one corridor reached them, a tremor running through the floor and walls, making gravel rain once more, over the felled bodies around. Her eyes briefly fell on the blue scarf tied about the waist of one such body – that of a girl. Her name was woven in the cloth, uneven stitches betraying hasty handiwork.

Sade

She gulped, wondering if it had been her work or Minato's, ending this girl's life. This girl who had, until just now, breathed, lived, laughed, loved. Just like her.

And then Minato was by her side, kneeling in front of her with a determined look.

"They've probably rigged the whole base. They mean to erase their tracks. I'm getting you and Kaede-san out of here and I'll come back to look for Ryōta-kun." his words tumbled out in a rush and Kushina found herself shaking her head in protest before he was even done.

He didn't know Ryōta's chakra signature, he had never even met the man; finding him alone was madness, work against the clock.

"I can help, Minato-"

There was something desperate in his eyes now, an agitation that ran deep and had a hold of him as he spoke, "She's unconscious, someone has to watch over her. We don't know how many of them slipped out. And if I'm not near you when this place goes off…"

She frowned, biting her tongue against her protests. There was truth to his words, she knew, but she couldn't help disliking it still – she was notoriously bad at sitting things out. But out here, in the field, he was a jōnin and she a chūnin – he held rank on her and could easily command if she kept pushing it. For a second she wondered if he would.

She cast the thought aside and nodded instead, giving him a hasty description of the man. And then his hand was reaching forward tentatively and wrapping about her forearm.

Within a heartbeat he had activated Hiraishin; space squeezed about her briefly and then relented, fresh air filling her nostrils along with the overpowering scent of pines. They had ended up in a different section of the forest, near another entrance, at the mouth of a cave. The forest floor was steeper here, terrain hillier, uneven below her feet.

Her eyes shot open just in time to see Shikaku throw a lazy look behind.

"Yo. What took you so lon-" he started, cutting himself off as he beheld her, eyes widening in alarm. "Ku-Kushina?! What- what on Earth-"

"It's a long story. I'm leaving them with you, Shikaku. There's another Konoha nin down there and the place is rigged."

She could see the Nara heir frown, jaw squaring as he nodded and Minato was gone in an instant, returning to one of the many kunai discarded in their fight. Only then did Kushina notice the three Iwa nin Shikaku had casually rooted in his shadows, all of them mimicking his awkward half-turn.

"Troublesome" Shikaku sighed, eyes drooping closed. "What's her status? And yours?"

"I'm fine, but she's unconscious. Sustained a lot of damage, probably when interrogated. I assume she lost a lot of blood. She needs a medic asap."

"We have a back-up team approaching, should be here soon-"

A blur of motion beside them and Kushina froze, sensing that same overwhelming chakra she had felt earlier when Minato first appeared, the sheer stock of it hanging in the air, choking them. For a split second the world seemed to stand still as a figure shot out of the tunnel beside them, rushing mere inches from her, her locks twirling in the wake of the motion. In her peripheral vision she could see Shikaku tense up, turning to face the large shinobi who stopped a good few meters ahead of them and turned to peer back with a disinterested look.

The sheer size of him would have been imposing, even without the overwhelming chakra. His face had a fish-like quality to it, small beaded eyes regarding them calmly. His long orange hair was partially pinned up at the top, spilling over the massive bandaged sword at his back, skull-topped grip visible over one shoulder. And there, over his forehead, was nestled the first affiliation proclamation they had seen – a Kirigakure forehead protector glistened brightly in the sun.

A leaden feeling shot down her frame, sinking in her stomach. Kirigakure? Working with Iwa? was her first thought, and then He must have been there, the day that Uzu fell.

The strength of the blinding anger took her by surprise, igniting in her chest like a wildfire, like an all-consuming storm, and she felt her mouth pull back in a grimace, hand balling in a trembling fist.

The swordsman's small eyes fixed on her, probably registering the sudden flare of killing intent.

And then he yawned.

"Kage Mane no jutsu – complete." Shikaku said from beside her as his shadow finally latched on to the man's thick form.

Almost instantly she knew something was wrong. Shikaku grunted, beads of sweat breaking out over his forehead and he hissed, dropping down to one knee, mimicked by his previous captives in his moves. With a swish the latest tendril of his shadows disappeared, cutting him off from the Kiri man.

"I've heard of your clan, Konoha mongrel. My Samehada likes to feast on the chakra in your shadows, since you offer it so freely. But I have no time to spare on the likes of you now."

And with these words the heavy-set man turned. And leaped away.

She near-snarled, lunging to her feet, Kaede all but forgotten. The cut in her leg thumped in dull protest, but she ignored it.

"Kushina, no, don't engage-" she heard Shikaku's words from behind her, but she had already jumped after him, diving in the thick foliage and giving chase.

He was surprisingly quick for a man of his stature, already having gained some distance ahead and she pumped chakra in her legs, pushing unreasonable quantities in a quick burst, shooting forward. Her one hand dived to her kunai pouch only to discover it missing, cursing inwardly as she remembered the Iwa nin cutting it off.

Darn them all.

Two leaps, three, and they cleared the trees, jumping out in the open over jagged rocks lining a stream. Her hands were already flying through seals, picking up the water ahead and flinging it at him as a whip in the distance. He side-stepped it with little effort.

But he stopped. And turned.

"You are… annoying." he said airily. "And foolish, to think you can best a Kiri nin with Water techniques."

"And you're a coward, ya know." She spat out, feeling the fury coil in her voice, blistering rage making her hands shake as she stood.

"You don't interest me, girl. The information I carry is much more valuable."

The rage clashed at her like tidal waves, hot and cold, sharpening her senses like a kunai's edge. She felt it seep in her belly, ebb at the seal there, chakra crackling about her as it went, making the very tips of her hair dance about as if static. Her lips drew back over bared teeth as her muscles clenched, preparing for a lunge-

And then the deep rumble reached her, building up. For a moment everything was perfectly still, as if poised on the tip of a kunai blade. And then the ground lunged under her feet, throwing her sideways. The thunderous boom followed a second later, joined by others in the distance just as the rocks below her feet shifted, crumbling inwards and she jumped back in instinct, moving through boulders and shifting trees as she went, the terrible cracking of a whole section of the forest sliding sideways and sinking in around itself.

With a sickening feeling she realised that Iwa had done it. The base was no more.

And then the crippling horror registered as well. His name left her lips in a startled shout as her feet finally found a solid branch, fear rooting her momentarily. Without thinking her hand shot down to her leg yet again, looking for an origami blossom in a pouch that was no longer there.

Somewhere far up ahead, across a field of upturned rocks and collapsed trees, the Kiri nin had made his retreat in the commotion.

To her credit she hesitated only for a second.

And then she turned back, dashing towards Shikaku; towards Minato's Hiraishin marker; towards Minato. He had to be there.

He had to.

Chapter Text

It took her longer than expected to find the place.

Sections of the forest had crumbled with the blasts, rocky terrain sliding forth to fill the caves, uprooted trees and vegetation interspersing the havoc all around. She had to wonder while stumbling over the gnarled roots and upturned boulders, how this whole thing might have been perceived if they had never known about the base's existence. Would Konoha have assumed a landslide had occurred? Would they have suspected such an extensive infiltration attempt so close to the joint borders of the Lands of Fire, Wind and Earth?

She almost passed the place over, backtracking to make sure. The mouth of the cave before which Shikaku had waited was gone – it had collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a pile of rocks and rubble in its wake, the crisp scent of fresh soil, rubble and ashes hanging all about. The chunks of rocks that had flown out with the blast had crashed in the nearby pines, felling them neatly.

Here and there the darkened sides of charred stones caught her eyes, cracked with an immediate blast, hinting at a tag placed cleverly at the very entrance to the base Iwa hadn't wanted discovered. A dried smear of blood – Kaede's blood – against the yellowed gravel at the edge of a boulder beside Kushina was the only indication that this had been the place at all.

But there was no sign of the injured kunoichi, or of Shikaku and his captives. No sign of Ryōta, being whisked to safety in a last-minute rush.

No sign of Minato.

She blinked once, twice, trembling fingers lifting to brush a strand of hair behind one ear as she made to swallow past a dry throat. She ought to call out for them, but her voice had lodged in her throat, an impassable lump.

Because calling out meant maybe not getting an answer. Calling out meant, potentially, being met with silence, the implications of which loomed before her like a gaping chasm.

Her eyes swept the place, looking for traces of impact, traces of movement, traces of a seal, traces of anything at all, and finding none. The wisps of panic were quietly sneaking down her frame. Where had he placed his marker? On one of these boulders? On a tree? On the cracked rocks below her feet? Or was it with Shikaku, who was nowhere to be found?

Or had he not made it to a Hiraishin tag at all? Was he somewhere there, trapped below the tons of rubble, dying or dead? She could feel the sting in her eyes, her body reacting even as she tried her best to rationalise the fear.

The rustle of foliage behind her was deliberate, the footsteps purposefully audible, meant to be noticed, meant not to startle; the warmth of the chakra-imprint there, casually open to the world, made her breath hitch in her throat and she whipped around instantly.

Minato was standing at the edge of the blast clearing, looking more like an apparition than a real person just then. A fine layer of white dust had coated his hair, his clothes and even his skin, remnant of the rubble from the earlier blasts. There was a shallow cut above his eyebrow, rivulets of blood coming down the side of his face, startlingly red against the dusty white.

But he was alive. He was well.

"Kushina." he said softly, worried eyes taking her in as he took a step forward before stopping uncertainly.

The relief that flooded through her then might have been a palpable thing, could have made her knees buckle below her if her muscles hadn't locked in place. It swelled almost painfully in her chest, took her breath away. She squished it in instinct, gulping against the lump in her throat, propping a hand on her hip instead.

"There you are." she said, surprised at her own ability to keep the tremor out of her voice. Mostly. And then her legs finally budged, stepping forward almost confidently, "Where have you been? Had to go looking for you, ya know, what's up with that?"

Her tone was deceptively light, words tumbling out in a lilt, but lacking the punch behind the otherwise accusatory line. She tried for a smile, but her lips felt like rubber, unyielding to good humour just yet. Minato had stilled before her and she could feel his look on her, but she kept her eyes away from his face stubbornly, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"I… I ran in a complication or two." he said uncertainly and she nodded, planting her feet before him.

"Ryōta?"

"He's with Shikaku and Kaede, a mile east from here. They had to move when the blasts started. I… he's somewhat injured, but I made it in time."

She nodded again. Of course he had made it in time – leave it to a sensor to find one of the few men left in a recently-abandoned base. Of course Shikaku would move to safety. Of course they were all well. Her panic of earlier seemed almost silly in hindsight, irrational, unsuitable for a shinobi trained in emotional control.

"He and you both, by the looks of it. Leave it to you to find trouble, ya know."

She had aimed for levity, but her voice quivered. Her hand lifted up on its own accord, trembling fingers slowly wrapping around the edge of his sleeve and she gulped, fixing her own hand with a look. The barest of contact, such a simple thing, but she felt the worry drain out of her still, his safety reaffirmed in her touch.

The softest sigh and he gently turned his hand palm-up, replacing the fabric below her clumsy fingers with his own hand. His fingers brushed against hers in a feather-light touch, almost as an afterthought.

"Kushina..." he murmured her name, a near whisper, and she finally looked up to meet the cloudless blue of his eyes. His look was almost pained, conflicted and he gulped, lips pursing against so much unsaid.

But this was not the time. They'd have time later, to sort out this mess. This touch, this look, these assurances, would have to be enough for now. Would have to be enough for longer. This time, when she tried to smile, she found it a little less hard. After all, he was well – it was all that mattered.

"We should get back to the others. Enough worrying people for one day, yeah?" she said and she could see his eyebrows furrow ever so slightly, could see the tiny v forming between.

There was more that he wanted to say, it was there in the shadows of his eyes, in the tenseness of his shoulders, in the way he opened his mouth once, no words coming out before he swallowed uneasily and nodded.

His fingers wrapped about hers more firmly and within less than a second, they had teleported below the spotted shade of a birch tree, its leaves whispering about lazily with the breeze. Shikaku had crouched at its base, beside a kneeling Ryōta who was supporting Kaede's unconscious form. His one arm had gripped her tightly, knuckles almost turning white, while the other hung limply by his side. A few paces back Kushina could make out the forms of Shikaku's three captives, now knocked out and tied up firmly against one another.

The dark-haired jōnin cast Kushina and Minato a cursory glance, already used to Minato's sudden appearances by now, unlike Ryōta who visibly tensed up briefly before realising that no one was, in fact, coming back for him or Kaede.

"Kushina-san!" he called out, relief evident in his voice and she half-smiled, stepping forward quickly and kneeling beside the brown-haired man as well. "I'm so glad you're well!"

"Me too, Ryōta-san. You gave me a fright there, getting all of that base on your tail, ya know."

"I guess I was aiming for that ruckus we discussed." he said before the momentary mirth dropped from his face, replaced by worry when his eyes found Kaede again.

Beside her Shikaku pushed lightly to his feet and made his way to Minato, the two of them retreating to the side, rushing through hushed words.

"How is she?" Kushina asked, directing her attention to the girl as well, suppressing a wince at seeing just how bad her injuries were in broad daylight.

They had been quick – Kaede couldn't have been in their hands longer than an hour. Her face was swollen and puffy, adorned with a number of bruises and a shallow cut dangerously close to her eye. Her head had been hastily bandaged, probably by Shikaku, but red blothes had already coloured the bandages, the rest of her hair matted by blood, indicating a head injury that may or may not have caused a concussion as well. Her hands had been given the same treatment, blood-soaked bandages not managing to hide the fact that she had lost a finger on one hand and two on the other. Worse yet, there was an ashen tint to her skin and her pale lips, speaking of dangerous blood loss.

"She's… she's unconscious… But she's alive. I… Nara-sama explained that you found her. Thank you, for keeping her alive. For keeping her safe."

"I'm sorry we couldn't get to her sooner, Ryōta-san… But we'll get her help now." She said, throwing a quick glance at his own limp right arm. "And we'll get you help too. You're injured yourself."

"It's nothing. A broken arm. I had engaged an enemy nin when the Yellow Flash found me." He said and there was reverence in his voice now, a quiet fascination, as if he couldn't quite believe what had occurred.

He threw a quick glance at the man he had been speaking about and Kushina was compelled to follow that look. Shikaku and Minato seemed to be having a quiet exchange, the former handing out a bloodied satchel. The blonde nodded, slinging the bag over one shoulder and Kushina felt her curiosity bubbling up before Ryōta continued in a quieter voice.

"I was… I'm afraid I wasn't faring that well. He showed up just in time, but, well… The Iwa guy took one look at him and then he was activating some technique and then there were explosions all around… The sound was like nothing I'd heard, I was sure we would die. There was so much dust and rubble, it blew in from the corridor and blinded me and I could tell the ceiling was collapsing and then, I don't know what happened, but he was next to me, Namikaze-sama. He just flew across the distance, it was amazing. He grabbed me and then next thing I know we were out, only there were trees falling down and Nara-sama was there, but on the move and these Iwa nin were after him, but they weren't really, you know, he was controlling them… It was absolute chaos. I actually thought we were being attacked again since Namikaze-sama was suddenly on high alert and you know, for him of all people to be this terrified, I thought… but there were no actual enemies; he asked Nara-sama about you straight away and then he just shot off. At first I feared you had stayed behind in the base. I think he thought so too. He really seems to care about his comrades, risking his life like that for me and then being so distressed about your health too…"

Kushina stilled, eyes widening with the man's last words as her look fell on Minato once again. He had seemed so unnaturally still when he had found her, muscles locked against the agitation she could see in his look. His quiet sigh, full of relief, and his light touch, his skin feeling almost feverish against hers… the words that hadn't come... It all clicked into place.

Just then his eyes slid back to hers for the briefest of seconds and she had to wonder if he had heard their conversation after all.

"Yeah… Yeah, you have no idea, ya know."

Ryōta opened his mouth to say something else, but his attention was caught by Minato who quickly crouched, placing a palm against the forest floor. The kanji that expanded below his fingers, followed by a puff of smoke, were familiar, and Kushina wasn't surprised to see the small plump frog that appeared after, large scroll attached to its back. She couldn't quite hear what her friend was discussing with his summon, but the frog listened intently before nodding once just as Shikaku turned around, nearing Ryōta and herself in a firm step.

"Ryōta-san, Minato will take you and Kaede-san back to Konoha now. You should be in the hospital in the next few minutes." he informed the brown-haired man quietly.

The chūnin was just starting to voice his confusion when Kushina noticed Minato get back to his feet and incline his head, motioning soundlessly to her and she hurried back up as well, leaving the Nara at his explanations. Even as she approached her friend, she could see the anxiety in his posture and in his look. His fingers twisted around the strap of the satchel in an uneasy grip.

"I have to take them back to Konoha, they need medical attention, Kaede-san especially." he said quietly as she approached and she nodded.

That much was obvious. They had no med nins with them.

"How are your chakra levels?"

They had had a fight mere moments ago and Minato hadn't spared his techniques. And then he had utilised his Hiraishin, such as his minimal markers in there were, in a frantic search…

"Well enough. I can take them both and those three too, even if it pushes it some." He said, indicating at the unconscious captives.

"Minato… you need to rest after."

She had to agree that it really was the best plan – both Ryōta and Kaede needed immediate help and, with so many unknowns, the Iwa nin had to be moved to a secure location – there were definitely more exits to that base and some of their teammates could have gotten out; could be planning a counter attack even now, to free their friends. They couldn't afford to lose them now – the intel they could provide them with would be precious.

Yes, it was the best plan, but even so Minato looked conflicted as he spoke.

"I would take you and Shikaku back as well, but there's a support team heading this way, someone should meet and brief them. And leaving only one person behind would be dangerous." he continued in a rush before halting, hesitating, his eyes roaming over hers uneasily.

"And it would cost you too much chakra besides." she said through a frown and he shrugged as if that part was highly insignificant. It only made her want to roll her eyes. It was the reckless rescues all over again. "We'll be fine, Minato, we can handle whoever, ya know."

Apparently this wasn't the answer he had needed - his eyebrows furrowed, jaw setting as he took a step closer to her.

"I know what it means to you, but don't go looking for him."

It took her a beat to comprehend of whom he spoke and her teeth clenched almost audibly.

"He's not to be underestimated. He's one of Kiri's Seven, arguably the strongest one after their leader. The power he wields is said to equate that of Ichibi."

Perfect match, she thought, feeling the ghost of her earlier fury coiling in her chest and her eyes narrowed, the words burning on the tip of her tongue, Kushina suddenly finding herself on the verge of telling him what she had avoided saying for so long.

"I'm not to be underestimated either, ya know." she said instead, failing at keeping the edge out of her voice entirely

Minato was already shaking his head.

"I know. Trust me, I know, I saw, but this… We don't know Kiri's part in this, we don't know whether they have more men out here. It's dangerous to engage him, not when the other six might be around also." he said in a rush and she could hear the exasperation in his voice, the desperation.

And she suddenly knew quite well why he was so on edge – he didn't want to go. He knew it was needed, it was prudent, it was best. But it meant leaving his friends vulnerable, potentially outnumbered by powerful enemies. Agitation was rolling off of him, feverish eyes boring into hers, imploring.

She sighed.

"I won't look for him." she said quietly, holding his look "We'll be fine, Minato. The Konoha team will be here soon too, ya know. But you can't afford to wait… Kaede can't afford to wait. You should go now."

She could see her words did little to qualm his worries; could see he feared beyond her search – feared that they might be attacked instead. But there was nothing that she or he could say to change things. And time was of the essence.

He closed his eyes, pained grimace marring his face as he lifted one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before exhaling, fixing her with a fervent look one last time.

"I'm leaving Gamatechi behind, he'll be able to summon me back at once if anything happens. I… I'll be back as soon as I can. Please… stay safe."

She could only nod. His hand lifted slowly, seemingly to brush a finger against her cheek, but then he stopped halfway through abruptly as if catching himself doing something that he shouldn't. His eyebrows had formed that agitated v again, and he sighed, lowering his arm. And then he was stepping past her, quickly making his way to Ryōta and Kaede, whom Shikaku had helped to move beside the three captives.

Within a minute he had extended his arms, securing their injured teammates with one hand and the three unconscious nin with the other; and then he was off, disappearing quietly into nothingness.

The door shut somewhat forcefully behind Koharu as she entered the council room. Her appearance made four, all members of his council having finally gathered, and Hiruzen felt the slight shift as the ANBU stationed in the shadows moved soundlessly to secure the room. The barest trickle of chakra and the security seals activated, isolating them from the world outside.

The woman took her seat beside Homura on the couch, as was their custom, her head held stiffly, an air of indignation about her movements. Sandaime very carefully repressed a tired sigh – his old friends had taken slight about being informed so late of the situation, even if he had let them know as soon as he deemed possible in the rush.

Koharu especially would find it hard to forgive, he decided, seeing the thin line of her pursed lips. Once, a long time ago, they would have been first on the front line, first to be called, first to jump in the fray; but the days of their impassioned youth had long gone past and Koharu Utatane seemed to have failed to make peace with that truth just yet.

But this meeting had little to do with their personal offenses.

"Now then." Hiruzen began, bringing his pipe down as he spoke. "You've all been briefed about the situation, roughly."

"At long last." she interjected.

The Hokage all but ignored her.

"There have been new developments." Homura said, more of a factual statement than a question - they wouldn't have been called in if there was nothing new to discuss – but Hiruzen nodded his acknowledgement still.

"Indeed. And it's not all good, I'm afraid, my friends." he said and could see both Koharu and Himura tense up. Danzō remained impassive – he already knew all that Hiruzen was about to say, as necessitated by his post as Root's Commander. Still, he would sit through the discussion regardless – his voice was an important part of their council.

"As you know, Minato Namikaze returned earlier today, or rather yesterday now" he amended, seeing the clock by the door marking a good two hours after midnight, "with injured teammates, captives and important information."

The council members nodded sombrely – they had kept track of the events of the day, each in their own way. This much was known even outside this room – Minato's sudden appearance in the Hokage's office had been expected, as agreed initially, but it had quickly caused a stir nevertheless. Some of his companions were no surprise – Shikaku and he had been instructed to keep captives if possible, assassinate if not. But the two injured shinobi in tow had been an unexpected addition.

"The boy seems to always be in the thick of it lately, doesn't he?" Homura said, eyebrows drawn and Hiruzen felt the corners of his lips pull up in a smile.

"Like teacher, like student I would say."

"That might come back to bite you, Hiruzen, knowing who his teacher's teacher was."

The Hokage chuckled, palms lifting up in a humorous surrender. They had him there.

"What did we make of the two unauthorised Konoha nin?" Koharu asked curiously, more of a passing question before the discussion turned pointed.

"Three unauthorised nin." Danzō corrected almost soundlessly. The Hokage didn't acknowledge his comment.

"Wrong place, wrong time. The girl hasn't woken up yet, she was… interrogated quite forcefully. We don't know as of yet if she said anything and if the ones asking managed to get out alive."

Koharu shook her head in mild disbelief.

"How did they even end up there?"

"We'll have to ask her when she wakes. Her teammate informs us that she was the sensor shinobi at their outpost. She had been doing morning routes when she sent a clone to inform of suspicious activity before being captured. We assume Iwa got restless when their own operative in Konoha failed to report and sent out summons to scout the area for potential ambushes. The girl probably sensed or spotted something unusual and was captured when investigating."

"And then Konoha's Jinchūriki was there to rescue her." Homura said bitterly, dry sarcasm sharp in his words.

Hiruzen could only sigh wearily; there was only so much wilful ignoring you could do when the testy situation was brought up again and again.

"Another matter… for another time. She had been chosen for supply runs. Let's avoid the topic of cosmic coincidences for the time being."

Koharu all but snorted. Hiruzen quietly brought his pipe back up to his lips, taking a long drag. A cloud of smoke engulfed him in the following brief silence.

"What of the captives? Did they speak?"

"Not directly as such." Danzō interjected, deciding to answer the question himself. He had been in contact with the T&I division more throughout the day. "But Inoichi Yamanaka and his team have made some progress."

Koharu and Homura nodded thoughtfully.

"Good boy, that one. Excellent asset. He's walking in his father's footsteps."

Hiruzen hmm-ed his assent as Homura shrugged, as if to say that this was nothing unexpected.

"Have we learned anything new?"

"They've been occupying the base for a little over four months." the bandaged man continued, "There were thirty-seven of them, an unusually large number for an infiltration mission, but they were kept in reserve to be used as a strike team from behind our lines, if needed. They were all prepared to infiltrate towns or fronts, or to allow for immediate support and supplies for their men on the more dangerous front lines; you know the base was near the disputed regions. We've had some supply line disruptions from unexpected strike teams in the last few months – it's now been confirmed that the majority of them were carried out by people stationed at that base."

Koharu clicked her tongue irately and Hiruzen was willing to wager that she was trying very hard not to use uncivilised language. It was Kumogakure that she had little love for, ever since that incident with the Kinkaku Force, but he was lately finding her personal dislike for Iwagakure to match that hatred well.

"So did we find out how Iwa came to know of a hidden war base from the First Shinobi World War, one on our territory if I may add?" Homura asked, a tad testily.

Hiruzen couldn't begrudge him the vexation – the history of their nations had been fraught with skirmishes and wars; decommissioned bases from previous such encounters were discovered occasionally. Some of them were known of, but no longer put to use with the shifting borders; others were kept secret by the clans that had used them. The knowledge of their existence was either being passed down as private clan business or completely forgotten even amongst their descendants. Even so, Iwa had little business knowing of such places within Konoha's territory. And what's worse – Kiri even less so.

"Yes and no." he said, rubbing a hand over his temples tiredly. "There was little we could gather with absolute certainty from the men captured – most of them weren't ranked high enough to have confidential information. But two of them seem to be under the same impression about the information's source – Iwa was contacted by Kiri and offered the information about the base's location." at this Homura's eyes widened in shock just as Koharu shot up to her feet as well, outraged. "They traded it for information – Iwagakure would man the base and provide the infiltrators and Kirigakure would have access to whatever it is they found out in exchange."

"Kirigakure are working with Iwagakure?!" the woman hissed just as the man beside her spoke up as well with a well-placed question – "And how would Kirigakure know of a Senju base?"

"We don't know, as of yet. We don't know the extent of their involvement, but a Kiri operative was spotted at the scene, giving credibility to this version. One of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen – they didn't risk someone unskilled who'd be easy to capture. He got away."

More curses and Koharu sat back down ceremoniously, keeping exactly none of her outrage hidden. She seemed to have forgotten the attempts at being civilised.

"We thought they'd remain under the thick sea rock they'd crawled out of, after the debacle with Uzu, which, may I add, we still haven't avenged."

"We hoped, is what you mean, Koharu. And it's not our job to avenge Uzushiogakure's demise – we tried to help, but that's the extent we can offer an ally during wartime with two fronts already open to the west." Homura said, mouth twisting in a sour expression. "And now we might be looking at a third to the east regardless."

"We don't know if they've formed any alliances. It might have been a temporary agreement of mutual benefit. Kirigakure might be collecting information to stay a step ahead of us in case we decided to seek retribution for our ally."

"You can't believe that, Hiruzen." Danzō said solemnly, to the agreement of the other two. "Why would they risk their skins with the showdown at Uzu if they didn't intend to get a piece of the pie? Their Mizukage is singularly bloodthirsty. And you yourself know what Jiraya has been reporting."

At this Koharu and Homura threw questioning glances towards Hiruzen, who could simply sigh.

"Kumo has been… gathering people. They haven't announced anything yet or made any moves, but… we can't exclude future involvement." he explained warily to the other two.

The atmosphere in the room had turned icy with the pregnant silence.

"Gods be good." Koharu whispered finally, "A third Shinobi World War?"

It was Danzō who stepped in, his cane echoing dully against the tiled floor when the man stepped closer to the table.

"We don't know yet, but we need to prepare for all eventualities. We can't allow to be surrounded by enemies on all sides."

The woman near hissed at his words, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking! We can't seek Kumo's alliance!" she near-snarled. Danzō didn't even flinch. "Need I remind you it was at their hands that our previous Hokage, our own teacher, died? Absolutely impermissible, the public would lynch us, have our heads on spikes. If there's any nation we should be in arms against, it's them!"

"Calm down, Koharu. I was suggesting no such thing. I was merely stating facts." the bandaged man said stoically, "If anything, it might be worth looking into covert warfare. Perhaps an undercover team of ours, posing as Iwagakure shinobi, causing ruckus on the Kumo-Iwa border. Make them focus on each other rather than on us."

Koharu piped down somewhat, chewing over his words thoughtfully.

"Yes… that could work…"

"Unless they are captured." Homura interjected and the barest hint of a smile graced the dark-haired man's lips.

"My men would never let themselves be captured alive."

Hiruzen cleared his throat at that, more than willing not to dwell on the topic too long. Root's operatives weren't any more capable or committed than their counterparts in ANBU, but they did seem to have been trained particularly callously at times, not just willing but almost happy to lay down their lives for any cause. More than once he had considered bringing the matter up with Danzō, but he was well aware that their views and methods differed; and even if he didn't always agree with his old friend, Danzō Himura was singularly effective and driven when Konoha's welfare was concerned. And so were his men.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We should still prepare for a potential military involvement from all five nations. And our location between them all puts us in a precarious situation, my friends."

"We should have prepared for that years ago." Danzō said, a palpable steely undertone to his words that drew a pointed look from Sandaime.

This particular disagreement between himself and Danzō gaped wider than ever now, when a trained Jinchūriki could make all the difference; when Jiraya's reports also spoke of Kumo's intent attempts to master their own.

"Covert operations are a good option, but the notion of treaties isn't bad either, in our situation. Kirigakure took down our longest-standing ally and Kumogakure are an impossibility for obvious reasons. There is too much blood between us and Iwagakure. That old prune of a Kage would spit in our faces even if we trampled our own pride and tried to negotiate, what with his son's death at Minato Namikaze's hands." Homura summarised, tapping a finger against his chin. "That leaves us with…"

"…Sunagakure." Hiruzen concluded and sighed yet again. "There's more to that than you may think."

"Oh?"

"Minato didn't just return with captives; he also brought a bag full of documents and scrolls they obtained from the men captured, as well as others such he found while searching their base. I asked him to lend his hand to the Intelligence Division once again upon his return. His reports and their joint efforts at breaking through the enemy seals and codes and going through all the information have provided us with some invaluable Intel."

Koharu raised an eyebrow at that, looking at the Hokage expectantly, but it was Danzō who took over.

"Iwagakure haven't been observing us alone. The base was positioned near both borders. They have a man in Suna too, perhaps even better informed than the one here. They've managed to gather a lot of intel from them as well. Some of it made its way here."

"That's… interesting."

"A bargaining chip. We could offer them the information to negotiate a treaty between Suna and Konoha against Iwa." Koharu mused, well in thought.

"Or use it to destroy them." Danzō said quietly, almost softly, his tone contrasting sharply to the menace in his words. "Suna is weakened. They have no host for their Bijū and they've lost many of the fertile lands they depend on for resources. Surely you don't mean to debase us by stooping so low as to ask for their help. We could use the information gathered to bring them down to their knees once and for all, send a message to the rest of our enemies."

"Negotiating a treaty is not akin to asking enemies for help; peace should never be a second-best option when half the nation carry the bedraggled clothes of war, my friend."

Danzō fixed him with a pointed look, squaring his shoulders.

"Would you have us cave to their demands too, when they come? You know what they would want in exchange for cooperation. They'd ask for the return of the fertile border lands we fought hard to win over. Lands soaked with the blood of our shinobi who died for them."

His words hung between them, heavy in their verity. It was a hard-swallowed truth, but then, so many truths were. If there was an easy way out of this, Hiruzen would have happily taken it by now.

"Negotiations would be had, as is proper. Regardless, I see this as the best path for Konoha and the Land of Fire. What do the others think?"

Homura sighed theatrically, levelling them both with a look before closing his eyes and leaning back.

"Aye. I'm with Hiruzen. Overwhelming them will bring us little merit. It's pointless spilling blood over their wizened lands, there's naught to gain from it."

"I second that." Koharu said and that was that.

Danzō's reaction was well-concealed; if Hiruzen didn't know him better he might have missed the slight tightening of his jaw, the disapproval glinting in the opaque of his eyes before the man lowered his head.

"So be it. The council has spoken."

The Hokage relaxed ever so slightly, inclining his head in acknowledgement of their final decisions.

"Koharu, you will be sent to inform the Daimiyo first thing tomorrow morning, he should be made aware of any international negotiations before they occur. I'll arrange for an ANBU escort for you. Homura, I'll need you to convene the clan heads." Hiruzen said, mouth twisting despite himself as he pre-tasted the challenge in the following task.

Clans were notoriously difficult when clan secrets were concerned, even amongst allies within a village. But it had to be done still.

"We need to gather as much information from them about old bunkers and bases from previous wars that have remained unoccupied throughout the years. The same mistakes cannot be afforded. Coordinate with Danzō. I trust his Root operatives can track any additional information about bases unknown to the general populace. I want every such place put on a map. Jiraya is already working on trying to find out where Kiri got their information from, but seeing as he can't leave Kumo's mobilisation unobserved, he's stretched somewhat thin for the time being."

They all nodded wordlessly, accepting their assigned tasks with little protest. They knew their roles well by now; despite their occasional disagreements, the Konoha council operated efficiently together, like a well-oiled machine. Hiruzen hoped that in whatever afterlife Tobirama Senju was now, he could somehow know and take pride in the students he had raised.

And above all he hoped they could do right by the students they had raised themselves.

It was close to midnight when Minato accompanied Haya Fumiko to the Hokage's office with their last report on everything that they had found. It had been a couple of hours since his return and yet it still felt like it had been ages, the minutes spent under the fluorescent glare of the Intelligence Division offices trickling by agonisingly slowly. He had known he'd be asked to give accounts of what had occurred and to submit reports; he had even suspected he might be tasked with going through the new intel collected, but he had still hoped that the time spent on formalities wouldn't be quite as long.

Restless agitation had coursed through him, barely contained below the surface, making his thoughts scattered more often than not throughout the day. Adrenaline kept charging through him in a semi-battle-ready state as he found himself on the edge of his seat constantly, waiting and dreading being called back to a battlefield that contained his friends outnumbered and overwhelmed. In between that, the little rest, and the plenitude of information gathered before them that needed concentrated assimilation and analysis, he had found himself suspended between the numbness of necessitated work and agitated worry that left him little peace of mind.

When the time had come to consolidate their efforts and report all their findings, he had been almost giddy with relief to be done and the speed that he had set as they moved through the corridors towards the Hokage office had been inconsiderate, almost rude, as Fumiko-san hurried ahead in a near-jog in order to keep up with him. He had to remind himself to slow down, consciously refraining from using a Hiraishin outside of an immediate emergency.

Their talk had been relatively quick, even if it had seemed long still to Minato, but soon enough Sandaime was thanking their efforts and leaving for a meeting with his council and Fumiko-san was bidding him goodbye, claiming exhaustion and retreating in the night.

No sooner had she turned to go than he had activated his Hiraishin, flying through his markers outside of Konoha and down the path of tags he had created across the more travelled routes in the Land of Fire. The last leg of his journey he took on foot, having gotten close enough to the approximate location he thought he might find his friends in, breaking off the markers' path and hurrying ahead amongst the darkened trees of the forest.

It took him a few minutes, but soon enough he felt the Hiraishin tag he had given to Shikaku brush against the edge of his senses, like a distant source of light on the horizon. A mile or so more and he was within range, reaching out mentally for the beacon and stepping lightly on the other side. He barely noticed the brief constriction anymore, the jumps having become almost second nature to him. One second he was rushing across rustling branches and the next he had quietly landed in a calm opening, taking his surroundings in with a blink.

His feet had just touched solid ground when he felt his body go rigid, muscles locking in place uncomfortably. Numbness shot through him straight away, an almost detached sense when his mind instinctively commanded his legs to move, move now, but his body betrayed him, unresponsive to his wishes. His panic lasted a fraction of a second before he realised what had just occurred, feeling Shikaku's calm chakra nearby. A glance out of the corner of his eyes informed him that the jōnin was leaning casually against a fat tree trunk nearby, not even having turned to face him.

Oh he was quite quick, his Nara friend.

Before that thought had registered fully he had moved on to the next chakra imprint nearby, burning brightly against his senses, and he sought her out with a look almost instinctively, like a moth drawn to the very fire of her presence. She was lying down a few feet away, blazing locks sprawled about her like autumn leaves. Her steady breathing informed him that she was fast-asleep, curled below a breezy travel cloak near the smouldering embers of a campfire. Apparently Shikaku had taken first watch.

The breath of relief that escaped him as he beheld her was almost audible, calmness washing over him so suddenly that he might have sagged down against the forest floor if Shikaku's shadows weren't still holding him steady.

"Sentry shifts tend to be quite troublesome, I would say." Shikaku said calmly, casually, his words a carefully-measured whisper "I usually spend them contemplating shogi. You wouldn't happen to recall our last game? The move I used to beat you?"

"Actually, if memory serves me right, it was I who beat you last time; even if it was mostly thanks to Yoshino-san's distractions. And I used the Dancing Pawns."

Shikaku grinned.

"One of my favourites. It was unfortunate, falling to it as I did." he said as the tendrils of shadows retreated soundlessly and Minato had to hold himself from stumbling ahead as control returned to his body in a rush, his limbs suddenly feeling heavy in the aftermath.

"I've learned from the best." Minato whispered back to which Shikako huffed quietly.

He made his way to sit beside his dark-haired friend soundlessly, exhaling as he leaned his back against the same tree. The clearing they had chosen was small, lined by poplars and low vegetation, mostly soft grass, giving a good view of the surrounding forest. A stream was burbling nearby, its melody mixing with that of the spring crickets and the occasional hoots of the night birds and Minato found himself relaxing, tension easing out of him as he realised that there really seemed to be no danger, not for now.

As if to confirm his observations, a rustle in the tall grass nearby caught his attention and the third familiar chakra signature appeared beside him in a neat leap, stopping beside his leg.

"Gamatechi-san." he greeted through a tired smile and the frog saluted.

"Nothing to report, Minato-kun. It's been quiet all day."

"Thank you for all your hard work. It made my day bearable."

Gamatechi smiled, waving him off with one webbed-hand.

"Make none of it. It was a pleasure really." his summon said, flashing a wide-mouthed grin, gesturing to Kushina's sleeping form. "Your friend there is a joy to talk to. She found all I said very entertaining. Was delighted with my stories about your frequent training visits to Mount Myobuku when you were younger."

He groaned.

"Gamatechi-san…"

Shikaku seemed to be fighting laughter, shaking soundlessly beside him. Minato shot him a dirty look.

"Now, now, Minato. What shinobi hasn't kissed their frog friends in their youth." The Nara heir said through merry gasps and Gamatechi gave him a thumbs up.

Minato thumped his head back against the tree trunk in exasperation.

"That was one time, Gamatechi-san! And it wasn't- It was a genjutsu, Gamariki-san has this technique where he kisses the enemy- he was teaching me to dispel it- No, don't give me that look- gah!" he said in a rush, finding it somewhat of a challenge to keep his voice down to hushed whispers as he felt his face heat up.

Kushina had heard this? He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"Well, I'll be off!" the frog said with a quick wave and disappeared in a quiet puff of smoke before Minato could say anything else, like issuing a quick reminder how he could summon him in a tub full of salt next time if Gamatechi kept spilling embarrassing stories.

He shook his head, muttering soundless curses in his head.

"Not a word of this to the others."

His friend was grinning.

"My lips are sealed. Metaphorically. No fūinjutsu, or in fact genjutsu needed." he said and Minato elbowed him in the ribs.

Shikaku's quiet chuckles finally subdued and he also leaned back against the tree, casting a look at the starry sky. No moon tonight, leaving the forest submerged in comfortable darkness. Which was also probably why Shikaku had lit the small campfire despite the infiltrators discovered recently in Land of Fire territory – contrary to popular belief, a dark night was not a Nara's best fighting time. He needed light to be at his most lethal – there were no shadows without it.

"What came of it, in the end?" Shikaku asked finally, a tint of seriousness returning to his voice.

Minato had no qualms about telling him, being certain that in his current post as Substitute Jōnin Commander and Advisor in his father's absence, he would be briefed upon his immediate return anyway. He summarised their findings quickly, the Nara heir listening intently as he did so, arms crossed and chin tucked low to his chest, showing as usual that he was in thought. A heavy sigh followed the blonde's words.

"Troublesome." he said most predictably and this time around Minato couldn't help but agree with him wholeheartedly. "To think an operation like that would go on for so long, right under our nose…"

"Some infiltrators remain on post for years. I'd say we did alright."

His friend hmm-ed thoughtfully beside him as they both lapsed in silence, eyeing the dying embers as a near-burned branch popped audibly in the fallen hush.

"What about you? What did I miss?" Minato ventured finally.

"Nothing much, as Gamatechi told you. The reinforcement team arrived a few hours after you, the falcon must have reached them swiftly at their station. We briefed them and showed them the locations where we had found entrances. The one Kushina and Ryōta used was a few miles south of ours, closer to the Central West Outpost."

"I assume the team stayed behind to investigate the area?"

Shikaku nodded.

"We gave them as much information as we could before heading back home. They'll comb the place through, see if any tunnels stayed standing, but I'd bet Iwa were thorough. They also sent two men to the Central West Outpost, to replace Kaede and Ryōta for the time-being. I'd say… we pretty much got off lightly."

Just then Kushina shifted below her blanket, turning ever-so-slightly in her sleep and his eyes fixed on her on their own accord. She had turned to the side now, her hands folded beside her face, fingers twitching ever so slightly with her dreams.

"No sign of them then?" Minato whispered near soundlessly and his friend simply shook his head beside him.

"I assume he was alone; he fled straight away. He didn't seem interested in fighting us… or in her in particular." Shikaku mouthed back carefully.

Minato nodded quietly. He had noticed the implication in his words, promptly deciding to leave it at that. He was certain that the Nara heir was clever enough to have made his own informed conclusions about Kushina, same as him. But none of them would discuss it, not in the open like this; not behind her back; not when they were most likely not supposed to know, unless told by her.

His eyes fell on her sleeping form once again and he felt his chest tighten, an ache running down his body, ice-cold as it went, and for a second he was back in those tunnels as he watched the Iwa nin pull her up by her hair, pressing a blade at her throat; watched him leer at her, the disgusting words twisting invisible knives in his stomach. And then the man had thrown Minato's kunai away, his one chance to get to her; and her eyes had been narrowed, resolute, not a hint of fear in them as she endured it all silently.

The moment was imprinted in his memory and it had been all he could do not to think of it throughout the day as his agitation got the better of him. The thick bubbling rage that had overtaken him then had been so overwhelming that he thought he might have seen red; it had crystallised his attention to a single point of contempt, honing it, sharpening it; he had never wanted to kill a man as much as he had then. He also thought he had rarely felt quite so helpless as he watched the kunai scratch at her skin, drawing blood.

His breathing picked up, sweat breaking out at the back of his neck and he clenched his hand as his memory carried him further despite himself, to the moment he had grabbed Ryōta and jumped back to Shikaku just in time as the explosive tags had started going off; the moment he had seen the Nara on the move over the shifting terrain and it had taken him but a second to realise that Kushina wasn't there; and then he had frozen, the dread near-crippling him as if someone had smashed through his chest with a hammer, winding him. For a moment he had been certain that she had gone back in the tunnels to look for him, the tunnels that were collapsing, the tunnels where she would die-

-and he was back in those caves in Uzu, those caves he dreamt of every night, only in his dreams Kushina was there too, wounded by their enemies, buried alive by the collapsing ceiling, out of his reach as he left her behind-

He had lived through it so many times in that Iwa prison, the genjutsu leaving him breathless and aching every time, no matter how many times he had told himself it wasn't real; the nightmares had mixed with fears, had intruded on reality, had made him question his own memory, had almost broken him.

And today, in a single second, it had all come crashing back viciously, terrifyingly, cripplingly. Shikaku's answering shout had seemed so far away, drowned out by the buzz in his ears and his friend had had to drag him away amongst a collapsing forest floor, repeating his words again feverishly until they had reached him, until he had shot off after her-

And then, to have all the following hours to picture her and Shikaku facing Kiri's Seven alone… It had all but undone him.

It hadn't been a wonderful day.

A firm hand grasped his shoulder and he turned a wary look back to his friend, exhausted. It was all catching up to him now, a bone-deep tiredness.

"She was safe, Minato. I swear it."

A lump had formed somewhere in his throat and he swallowed past it. He hadn't asked Shikaku to watch over her; if anything, he had been worried for them both as he left. But he was still immensely grateful, knowing that his friend had understood his worry; had made sure she was well.

"Thank you, Shikaku. That makes twice now."

The dark-haired man flashed him a lopsided grin.

"Sounds like you owe me a drink over shogi then."

Minato could only chuckle, folding a hand over his knee.

"Deal."

She awoke some time later in the night, her internal clock having adjusted to the idea of mission sentry shifts, especially with potential Kiri nin around. She judged she might have been right on time, judging by the fire that had completely died out, submerging them in near-darkness. Shikaku's shadows wouldn't be as effective now, but it wasn't his turn to keep watch anymore and the nearby light source wouldn't do her favours; night blindness could affect even shinobi after all.

"Anything?" she said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, pushing up to her feet.

"Nothing." Shikaku whispered back, still hushed, and her eyes widened as they finally fell on the form beside him.

Even in the semi-darkness she could make-out his light locks, now appearing ashen in the dead of night. He was slumped against a tree trunk, fast-asleep if his light breaths were any indication to go by.

Shikaku sighed and also got up soundlessly, nearing her in slow steps.

"When did he…?"

"Shortly after you fell asleep. Took some convincing, but I made him get some shut-eye in the end since he looked like the walking dead there."

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thanks for keeping watch. I'll take over now, ya know."

The Nara smiled as he stepped past her and made his way back to the now-extinguished fire. Within a minute or so he had taken out his own travel cloak, throwing it over himself against the spring night chill.

Kushina hesitated only for a second before moving to a tree in the opposite end of the clearing and sitting below it; she told herself she didn't want to wake him up, but she knew well she could be near-soundless if she so wished. In truth, she simply didn't want to test herself so, being near him again, knowing how it usually affected her. She had a job to do after all – they were relying on her to keep watch and it wouldn't do to be distracted.

The forest had turned quieter with the latter hours of the night and she soon found herself lapsing in a pleasant meditative state, scanning her surroundings methodically.

She didn't know how much time passed that way, perhaps no longer than an hour or so, forest still pitch black, when she felt the change. There was a slight shift from ahead of her as Minato's breathing gradually picked up with whatever dream he was having and Kushina fixed him with a steady look. He was breathing heavily now, raggedly, as he shifted again, and she realised he was having a nightmare, as he had said he often did. Without thinking she pushed up to her feet, quietly making her way to his side and kneeling beside him.

His eyebrows had furrowed, jaw clenching; his eyes jumped below closed eyelids and he shifted uncomfortably again. A fine sheen of sweat had broken over his forehead, his hands clenching in his sleep. A near inaudible groan made its way past his lips as he turned and she lifted her hand without thinking, brushing her fingers against his shoulder lightly.

His reaction was instantaneous, as if stung – he gasped, sucking in a startled breath and sitting up at once, coiled as a spring, eyes wide as he took in his surroundings instantly, crashing out of whatever dream he had been having. Her hand dropped instinctively, Kushina staring at him through wide eyes. His breath was coming out in pants, chest heaving, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face as his eyes finally found hers.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly, face twisting in a pained look and she felt a pang shoot through her, flaring in her chest. Without thinking she was reaching forward, finding his hand clenched over one knee and covering it with her own.

His breath caught as he stilled, clenched muscles relaxing in her touch; and then he exhaled, hand opening, fingers interlacing with hers ever so gently.

"Kushina…" he murmured quietly, almost as a sigh, voice somewhat broken even in its hush, much the same as earlier yesterday when he had found her.

This time she understood.

"I'm here, Minato." she whispered quietly. "Rest, okay?"

He swallowed again, nodding, fingers tightening about hers.

Quietly she shifted, sitting beside him and leaning against the same tree, hand still resting with his, reminding her of another similar night they had spent at a ryokan not too long ago. And when she leaned her head against the side of his shoulder again, he sighed, resting his cheek over her locks as well, his breathing finally calming beside her.

Dawn found them still side by side, Kushina keeping watch and Minato finally sleeping lightly, dreamlessly, by her side.

Chapter Text

The morning dawned grey and dull, sky overcast up ahead and promising spring showers as was usual for this time of year. She supposed they had been lucky; the rain could have descended earlier during the spring festivities and vexed a number of people.

She was just contemplating whether she should risk rousing Minato by covering him with her travel cloak against the morning chill when she felt the imperceptible change in his breathing beside her, signalling he was already waking up. Kushina stilled beside him, holding her breath, feeling her face redden despite herself – his head was still resting over hers to one side, fingers interlaced with hers, as he had fallen asleep, and she had selfishly leaned into him during the night. To ward off the cold, she had told herself; spring wasn't always mellow around these parts.

And if she had quietly thrilled at his proximity… if she had calmly savoured his warmth and his scent and his quiet breaths that stirred her hair, well… that had been just a side-effect to it all.

She could almost feel realisation come to him as he turned ever so slightly, breath hitching in his throat, fingers twitching against hers in the warmth of their hold. He took a second, either deliberating or composing himself; and then he straightened, gently disentangling his hand from hers. But he didn't make to get up just yet.

"Hey." she started quietly, hoarsely, before clearing her throat.

"Hey." was the simple echo of an answer and she chanced a sidelong glance at him.

Minato in the morning was a heap of messy sunshine, even on the murkiest of days. His golden locks were dishevelled just enough to give him a carefree casual look, matched only by the warmth of his easy smiles. One such was playing in the corners of his lips just now, nervous edge to it and all, as he fixed her with a tired look.

"I… I'm sorry about…" he started quietly and she could see him flex his hand as he said so, as if casting the ghost of her touch away.

"It's fine, ya know." she waved him off quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You look… better."

You look good. Very good. More than good, was what was going through her head instead and she clamped on that thought quickly before it ran away from her in what-if scenarios that involved more mornings spent in his company.

"I guess you were right about me needing rest."

"Naturally, ya know. I'm always right." she said through an easy grin.

His answering smile was radiant.

"Self-preservation compels me to agree."

Her hand shot up, throwing a light punch at his shoulder and he chuckled, leaning his head back against the tree and turning sideways, merry eyes fixed on her.

"Only a punch this time? No bites?" he quipped and she had the childish instinct to stick her tongue out at him.

"I'm giving you the chance to wake up first, ya know; wouldn't be fair otherwise."

Minato's smile turned lopsided.

"Are we going for fair this time?"

Her eyes widened, heat shooting up her cheeks, his casual words catching her off-guard. He held her look, smile somehow turning both apologetic and amused at the same time. Did he just…? Something daring flashed through her against good reason, a sudden need to respond in kind.

"'Morning." Shikaku drawled from across the clearing and Kushina nearly jumped out of her own skin as she realised the Nara had woken up and probably beheld their staring contest, all without her noticing.

"Good Morning, Shikaku." Minato called back, not missing a beat, clearly having felt his friend waking up already.

His eyes held hers a fraction of a second longer before he turned back to his friend, pushing up to his feet languidly and brushing the dust off his clothes.

"I'd argue how good of a morning it can be when waking up so early, but the prospect of a hot shower in my immediate future does improve it drastically." The Nara continued unperturbed and Minato grinned, hands sneaking in his pockets.

"I should start charging for my transportation services."

"I know I'd pay." Shikaku called back through an easy smile, stuffing the cloak in his backpack, withdrawing a neatly wrapped package instead. "Here, first instalment."

And with that he unwrapped the bundle, tossing a ration bar at the blond. Minato laughed, inclining his head in gratitude. Another bar was tossed her way and Kushina grabbed it in instinct.

"Thanks? I was dispatched on a mission prior, ya know, I did bring my own."

"You'll like these better." Minato said mildly, flashing her a warm smile while the Nara simply smirked and Kushina raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bar in suspicion.

It looked like a normal ration bar and it didn't smell any different either. Tentatively she took a bite out of it, expecting vicious pranks all throughout.

And then she understood. Ration bars usually didn't taste like anything, which frankly was the better option, because when they did taste like something it was most commonly mould. They were no one's favourite food, but they were nutritious, long-lasting and easy to carry. They were a standard amongst shinobi, even if universally disliked.

Unless you were Shikaku Nara.

"What… How on earth? This actually tastes good, ya know." she mumbled between mouthfuls and Shikaku laughed. "Where did you get these? Spill."

"As if. Find your own way to pay your transport fares." the dark-haired jōnin countered through a grin and Kushina chucked a pebble at him.

He dodged through more laughter.

"He's cheating." Minato explained calmly, smile never leaving his face, "They are clan-issued, Akimichi specialty. Well, Akimichi and Yamanaka to be precise. The Yamanaka don't just grow flowers, they provide the Nara and the Akimichi with herbs and spices from their greenhouses. The Nara use them for clan-issued medicine; the Akimichi produce soldier pills and ration-bars, which not only taste better, but are also more nutritious than the standard-issued ones and the ones being sold. All three clans prosper."

Kushina nodded, taking another bite out of her bar. Clan advantages, of course. There were indisputable pluses to belonging to one, even if it wasn't widely known what each clan offered to its members individually. It was a truth widely accepted though: the clan provides. And although she technically had belonged to a large clan, she had never personally enjoyed the benefits of it as her parents and her had been the only Uzumaki members in Konoha, not counting Tsunade who had been raised a Senju. Kushina had never particularly regretted that – for one, a percentage of her mission payments didn't have to be subtracted with clan taxes unlike Shikaku's. And she was certain that compulsory clan duties could be a drag.

But those ration bars though. Perhaps there was something to this whole clan business after all.

"Hey, no fair." Shikaku called out and Minato chuckled before taking a bite out of his own ration bar.

"Life's not fair, ya know." Kushina shot back, "Minato can tell you all about it."

The blond coughed with her words, momentarily choking on his food and Shikaku fixed him with a questioning look. Minato waved him off and the Nara simply shrugged just as her friend finally regained his composure, shooting her a sidelong glance. She couldn't help the daring grin that spilled on her face.

It was no more than a few minutes later when they stepped out of the Hiraishin, finding themselves at Konoha's western gate. The guards there seemed to be getting increasingly familiar with Minato's sudden appearances out of thin air. The cases in which they bristled in alarm had dropped down to only about twenty percent of the time.

Today's particular shift seemed well-briefed about him and his abilities – they simply cast him a cursory glance, one of the two men actually yawning as he did so. The entry inspection didn't take long either, the guards going through their documentation with practised speed.

"You two are to report at the Hokage Tower as soon as possible." the one man said, ticking Kushina and Shikaku's names off a list of expected returnees and they both nodded, resigned to a day involving every shinobi's most hated activity – debriefing and mission reports.

"I guess that shower will have to wait… You've probably gone through your reports?" Shikaku was saying as they stepped away from the gate, nearing the rousing village.

Already the shopkeepers were preparing to open up, welcoming the day's first customers. The pleasant scent of freshly baked goods had begun wafting through the air and for a second Minato fancied himself twelve again, weaving through the streets at first light, hurrying after an enthusiastic Kushina, hands full of warm melonpan. The Nara's words dragged him abruptly out of his reverie.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I did so when I returned yesterday."

"Lucky man."

"You've got it easy, ya know. I'll probably have to mull away whole day with the Fūinjutsu Research Centre to examine that seal I broke for entry in the base."

"I'll take that over war councils any day."

"Let me guess – they're troublesome?" Minato ventured and Shikaku grinned.

"Are you quite sure you're not actually a Nara?"

Minato chuckled just as Kushina's laughter sounded beside him and his eyes sought her out automatically, without thinking, taking in her merry face. Her eyes were alight with mirth now, full lips drawn in easy smiles, fiery locks tumbling messily over one shoulder as she tossed her head to the side in her merriment. The colour of her hair seemed like spun flames even in the dull light of the overcast day and Minato found himself quietly tracing her mane with a look, as he often seemed to do lately.

How beautiful she was. How beautiful the sound of her laughter.

"So, what are you going to do with the day's freedom?" the dark-haired man continued, stopping at an intersection that led to the Hokage Tower further down the road.

"I suppose I'll check on Kakashi. He was quite put-off when we had to reschedule training."

He had sent a clone to inform the boy of the immediate mission and even though Kakashi was unusually good at hiding his emotions for a near-six-year-old, especially under his signature mask, he was still young. His disappointment had been palpable, memory of his downcast face having flooded Minato back instantly as his clone dispelled. One would think that young kids would rejoice in having a few days off… apparently not so with his prodigious student.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Jōnin Instructor huh?" Shikaku said and when Minato nodded - "I'm sorry."

Kushina bit back more laughter.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to say congratulations." Minato said through an exasperated smile.

"Oh was that how it went..." his friend was saying through yet another grin and the blonde shook his head, rolling his eyes much to Kushina's continuous delight.

"Well, time is of the essence I suppose. Shall we head for the tower?"

Shikaku's words quickly wiped the smile from the redhead's face. She sighed, a look of morose resignation taking over instead.

"Let's get it over with, ya know."

"See you around, Minato." the dark-haired man called out, waving a hand lazily as he turned to go.

She deliberated, her eyes quietly finding his and lingering. And even if he knew that duty came first, that reports technically counted as a part of her mission, that their talk could wait… he still had to consciously squash down the instinct to step forward and ask her to stay. A minute longer spent in her presence; a minute longer to delight in the melody of her laughs.

He had once been a patient, rational man; and then Kushina had come into his life.

"I'll see you later." he murmured quietly instead, just for her, and she nodded slowly, a hint of unease nestled in her eyes. And then, much too soon, she had turned and quickly run after Shikaku, disappearing from sight.

The man was sharp, he had to hand him that. He couldn't remember the Sannin being late a single time for any of their impromptu meetings. He could appreciate as much; he didn't have time to waste on waiting with so much to be done.

He approached soundlessly, languidly, his very moves and presence exuding an air of sharp confidence, as if the world itself couldn't budge him. His slitted eyes were narrowed, opaque in the dim light of the iron-cast lanterns of the underground premises. He wasn't thrilled at their meeting; Danzō could feel as much in the icy look and the furrowed brow, mouth drawn in a thin line.

"Orochimaru." he greeted curtly, not giving him the curtesy of a bow. One of the Sannin he may be, but Danzō still outranked them all by a mile; they would do well to remember it.

"Danzō." No honorific. The man never used one, not down here, deep amongst the roots of Konoha. He deemed them equal.

The fool.

"I don't appreciate being summoned like a service dog. I have my… commitments… to adhere to." the Snake Sannin started, folding his arms against his chest as he leaned against the stone wall.

All of his movements were deliberate, graceful almost, and Danzō was momentarily reminded of the slithering grace of reptiles as he tracked the man's every move.

"These commitments wouldn't happen to have proved fruitful at long last?"

Orochimaru's lips twisted in a one-sided smirk.

"Oh they have. But not in a way that would interest you."

Danzō levelled him with a long cold look.

"Our agreement extended primarily to things that would, in fact, interest me." the bandaged man said, fingers tightening around his cane.

The Sannin's smile had a sharp edge to it.

"I will, of course, let you know as soon as my experiments bear results. As per our agreement." He rasped out, the light of the flames dancing in the man's sharp look.

"And how are said experiments going, pray tell? Are you close?"

"Close to recreating the cells and abilities of the most powerful Kage that ever lived?"

Danzō's eyes narrowed.

"I don't care much for your word games, Orochimaru. I didn't think the task easy, but I thought you capable. We're running out of time. The other nations are on the verge of joining the war and Konoha is perfectly primed to crush them all. But we need our Jinchūriki and I need someone with Hashirama's Wood Release to control it. So, I ask again, are you close?"

The Sannin was examining his hand nonchalantly, flexing long fingers back and forth.

"I'm close. But I need more time."

The older man nodded reluctantly.

"We need to be careful. I've kept you stationed in the village as often as I could, but your absence from the front lines during war times has been noticed. Even Tsunade is taking field assignments."

"Ever the soft-heart for these kinds of things." The Snake Sannin said with a shrug, "Very well. I'll pick up a mission assignment tomorrow. Perhaps I'll go visit her on the western fronts. I know for a fact there are many desperate orphans in the region… Why, Jiraya knows it best. Poor children have no one to care for them in times of war."

Danzō didn't react, not even when the man's smile had turned plainly menacing. He was too good for it, too far from caring either way; the orphans of the disputed regions didn't interest him beyond the point of their potential use.

"Good. Some of the cases with missing children here are starting to make waves. One of my operatives intercepted a missing persons mission request from a nearby orphanage."

"Oh?" the Sannin said, raising an eyebrow. "One would think there are plenty of war orphans to go around… to think two or three would be missed… And to think they'd have the money to even pay for a mission…"

"They gathered the funds from donations. Which means they're going around yapping about the missing kids. I've made sure the request never reaches the mission assignment desk, but people are starting to notice. You need to spread out your pool of… candidates. I wouldn't want it tracked back to Konoha."

With that the bandaged man deliberated, weighing the Sannin with a long look before he finally reached into an inside pocket of his robe, fetching a neatly folded piece of paper. He handed it to Orochimaru, who glanced at it curiously.

"What's this then?"

"A list of some abandoned clan bases in the Land of Fire and their coordinates. Hiruzen had us look into them after the debacle with Iwa's infiltrators. I have, of course, submitted a similar list for inspection to the Hokage and his advisors. I may have omitted the ones on this paper, however."

The Sannin had donned his signature smirk now, tongue darting out to lick his lips slowly.

"How very… interesting."

"You'll need to look into them, see if you can make use of them. Root will keep covering for you in Konoha as long as your operations are covert, but should your experiments be tracked back to the village…"

Danzō glanced meaningfully at the paper in the Sannin's hands. Orochimaru's smirk deepened, eyes flashing dangerously in the dimmed light.

"And of course you will know exactly where to find me if I need to make myself scarce. How convenient."

Or if I need to capture you to save face. Danzō chose not to voice the latter thought, although he was quite sure the cunning man before him had already reached the same conclusion. His look had turned calculating, an idea forming there, making the bandaged man feel almost on edge.

"As I said, I'm honouring my part of our agreement. I would like to see you honour yours."

"Of course."

The man's smirk had turned sardonic now as he pushed away from the wall, nearing Danzō in a slow deliberate step.

"I wonder…" he said, pausing as he was just about to pass the older man, "When you do have someone to control the beast… What would Hiruzen-sensei think of your plans for Konoha's precious Jinchūriki?"

Danzō eyed him icily from the corner of his eyes.

"The Hokage will find out eventually. Better to explain after, than to ask for permission."

The Sannin chuckled, the sound bouncing off the cold stones about unpleasantly.

"How much easier things would be if we had a Hokage who agreed with your views, wouldn't it?"

With that Orochimaru walked away, quiet steps disappearing down the winded tunnel.

The summon came in the early evening, finding him at the Hatake Residence still.

The rain had come in the late afternoon, making them abandon field practise in favour of calligraphy skills as Minato insisted that Kakashi be familiarised with at least the most basic of seals, even if they didn't turn out to be his specialty one day. The boy had plenty to learn before he found his own style, but Minato would be remiss if any student of his couldn't at least make a half-decent explosive tag on their own. They had been at it for a good hour when the knock came, resounding down the empty hall.

Kakashi, whose face had until recently been scrunched up in concentration, near-jumped with the sound, making a hasty stroke and almost tipping the ink pot over. Minato did his best not to chuckle – his student could be singularly focused on a task sometimes. The boy was just about to get to his feet and head for the front door when Minato stilled him with one hand.

He hadn't felt the chakra signature approach. He could still barely sense the man without tapping into the natural energy about him. It was shinobi custom to keep your chakra imprint bright and open, unconcealed, within the village, especially if visiting someone else's home.

Unless you were on duty.

"I believe this one's for me, Kakashi."

The boy threw a curious look at him before nodding slowly, flopping back down on the ground besides the low table he had turned in a work station.

Minato smiled, getting up in a fluid move and heading for the door. He wasn't surprised at all to see the masked man waiting on the other side, cool porcelain wolf features staring back at him.

"Minato Namikaze. Nara-sama said we might find you here. You've been summoned by Hokage-sama." The ANBU said levelly and, upon noticing how the blonde straightened to attention, he quickly added "There is no emergency."

He had to resist the urge to sigh. He would go, of course, as was his duty – he had never even entertained the idea of skirting his responsibilities to the village. But did it have to be this night…

Instead he nodded and the masked man promptly disappeared with the faintest flare of chakra. Minato threw a quick look behind him to where he could feel Kakashi standing, peering through the door of the living room. His eyes were fixed on the spot that had just been occupied by the ANBU operative.

"I couldn't smell him." he said quietly, eyebrows furrowing and Minato smiled.

"He's on duty and ANBU are not to be seen. Or smelt. I couldn't sense him either, at least not the conventional way."

"Cool." Kakashi mumbled, a keen look of interest dancing in his eyes, somehow mixing with the previous annoyance at having had his nose fooled. "Could I be ANBU one day?"

Minato hesitated. It was an honour of course, serving in ANBU and rising through its ranks. Some of the best shinobi that the village had to offer were amongst its masked members and he had no doubt that, with Kakashi's skills, he could join them easily one day. But… it was a lonely service, beneath those faceless masks. It was a needed sacrifice… but a sacrifice still, in its own way.

"You could." he said slowly, "If you wish it. But joining ANBU is one of many paths. You should consider all before choosing, when the time comes."

The boy nodded thoughtfully, eyes still scanning the outside as if he was trying very hard to figure out if there were any ANBU operatives still around.

"Well, in any case, I suppose that would be all for today, Kakashi. You can finish the last set we had started working on. Good work so far."

"Are you going away again?"

"I hope not." he said. I really, really hope not… "But I'll let you know if I have to travel, alright?"

The child nodded again, look spelling out displeasure and the blonde suppressed an amused huff. So eager to train more. He was somehow certain that if he had asked Kakashi to practise seals through the night, the boy would have probably done it happily.

Minato had wondered at first when Kakashi found the time to play, like any 6-year old; he had wondered what he did when friends called on him. But the more he got to know his student, the more certain he became that playing was just not something the Hatake did. And when it came to friends… he still hadn't seen any.

He needed to take the kid out for ramen sometime, show him there was more to life than training.

"If you don't hear from me about postponing, I'll see you tomorrow at noon at Training Field 3."

"Yeah. Thank you for the training session today, Minato-sensei."

His eyes had crinkled up, betraying a smile below his mask.

"You're welcome, Kakashi. It's my pleasure."

Drip. Drip. Drip.

It went on endlessly. The trickling water had turned in a constant down here, a part of the cavern, a part of him. Or was he a part of the cavern as well? Or maybe the cavern was a part of him.

The drops seemed to keep time with his heartbeat, steadily, unendingly. Just like him.

He felt the chakra pulse as it reverberated through the soil, almost a caress against his dirty bare feet. A second later the familiar form of White Zetsu had formed beside him, face leering in joy.

"Another fight, another boom! Rock and Fire clashed underground and it's all gone now, the cave, the base, the spies! And Mist was there also, learning about Fire and Sand!" the pale man said in a sing-song voice.

For the briefest of moments his thoughts wandered, finding long-forgotten memories of a life he had once had. Of the Senju base he had walked with his friend, the base he had been shown as a peace offering, to seal the truce between Senju and Uchiha after the first war.

Hashirama…

It was only proper that he had had Zetsu offer the location to Mist now, tempting them to join the war further. Only proper that the symbol of peace would turn in a battlefield; only proper that it be wiped. Let it be gone, forgotten in time.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The water was dripping firmly now, a gong in the silence, echoing all about. He inhaled deeply, feeling the ghost of something flicker in him, a long-lost sense of feeling at all. Yes… it was… satisfaction. Things were going according to plan.

Let them all clash, let them bicker, let them weaken each other up there, in the land of fleeting lifespans and borrowed time. Let them waste their best warriors, their brilliant young shinobi, let them squander their future away. And then, only then, when they stood on the mountain of corpses that could have saved them, would he claim what was his. Their Jinchūriki would fall in his hands one by one, unprotected, broken by war.

"Zetsu. Make sure the Raikage is aware that Konoha stands alone amongst enemies." he said quietly, his very voice papery and brittle, the voice of a man who was not quite alive.

For now.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Dusk had settled as he walked down the hushed corridors of the Hokage building, soft glow of the lamps lining emptied halls with dimmed lights. Already the commotion of the previous days had died down, leaving a calmness in its wake.

Minato didn't mind the silence, paying it little heed. His mind had strayed, thoughts torn between unease and impatience. Different scenarios flashed before him, possibilities about why he had been summoned, most of which he didn't want to entertain. Truth be told he really didn't want a new assignment, not now of all times. He was well aware that war waited at no one's pleasure, but he had hoped for a few days, or at least a day more, an evening to spend back home.

An evening to spend on an important talk.

He had planned on stopping by her place after visiting Kakashi, even if the thought unnerved him as much as it excited him. He may be many things, but unobservant he was not – he had seen the agitation in her look and in her posture, and in the very way she acted around him ever since that night. A leaden feeling settled in his stomach whenever he thought of it, already knowing what he would most likely hear.

Regardless, they had to talk. He cared too much about her, to let his rash actions after their spar ruin the friendship he so cherished.

He was just going through options in his head, deciding that if he was indeed sent away, he'd still find the time to speak with her before leaving, when he paused before the Hokage's office, casting his senses out in habit, taking in the room on the other side.

He paused, eyes widening, attention locking on the fiery chakra imprint inside, the very focus of his attention in the last oh-so-many-months. He did his best to school his features as he entered, but his eyes still instantly sought her out, fixing her with a steady look.

The shock of blazing locks was the first thing that pinned his attention, as always, her hair for once not tied in a combat-ready style, this time falling freely over her shoulder and spilling across a hefty unrolled scroll that she had leaned in to examine on the desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in his chair beside her, hand wrapped around his pipe, lips spread in a calm smile.

"Ah, Minato, thank you for joining us." he said, making to get up just as Kushina turned to the jōnin as well.

Her eyes were saddened, a wistful smile in the corners of her lips as her fingers brushed across the scroll absent-mindedly, and he felt a pang of curiosity run through him.

"Hokage-sama. You asked for me?"

"Indeed I did. Forgive me, Minato, I know you've both just returned from a mission… the same mission in fact, even if you weren't both assigned to it originally." the older man said, pausing meaningfully at that and Kushina shifted ever-so-slightly in one spot. "I would have liked to give you time to rest, but there is something I must ask of you as soon as possible."

"I'm at your service, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime's smile widened, look spelling gratitude and unwavering certainty.

"You're familiar with most everything we learned from the infiltrator and the other three captives. Due to the nature of the emergency we couldn't pay enough attention to the manner of infiltration we now know he used. But things are calmer finally."

Minato nodded, thoughts drifting back to everything Inoichi had explained the previous day. The man had entered through a tunnel deep underground, one he had shaped himself using his Doton techniques continuously. It hadn't been the most time- or effort-efficient way, as the amount of chakra needed for the task had been massive and it had taken him the better part of a month to accomplish with regular rest to replenish his stocks. It would have undoubtedly been easier to assume the identity of a refugee and enter through the main gate. But then his presence would have been put on record and he would have been placed under surveillance by the Konoha police for a period of time, as with all war-refugees that were granted access to Konoha. If given access at all.

His method had, on the other hand, ensured him an undetectable chance for escape and a path which his summons could use when reporting back to his comrades in the Senju Base discovered. All in all, it had been a clever move… and it had cleverly made use of certain problems with their defences.

Problems he had foreseen months ago.

All too soon Minato had a pretty good idea about why he had been called to the Hokage's office and what his next assignment might be. And Kushina… she would have to be…

"We can't allow such situations to arise again. You had started work on improving Konoha's Security Barriers, with the help of Hyōjin Uzumaki, before his untimely fall." the man paused again, respectfully, and Minato chanced a glance at Kushina, who had bowed her head quietly, fixing the scroll with a sombre look.

And suddenly he knew what its contents were, recognising its frayed edges and the slant of the elegant kanji written there, mixed with diagrams and calculations. He had seen it before, worked on it before, along with her father, on a couple of occasions. It contained many of Hyōjin Uzumaki's notes on their unfinished project.

"Your ideas were exceptional, Uzumaki-sama admitted as much himself. If the two of you had had the chance to finish what you started… this could have been avoided all-together."

It was true; Minato's ideas for a spherical barrier around the village would have guaranteed around the clock surveillance everywhere, near-eliminating the risk of unnoticed aerial or underground attacks. But his formulas had been incomplete and the implementation complicated; even with the help of her father – arguably the best Seal Master in Konoha – the work had progressed slowly, frustratingly at times. They had been close, he was sure of it, but after the attack on Uzushiogakure…

"Alas, this was not the case." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued quietly, folding a hand behind his back, a look of genuine sadness crossing his face before he fixed Minato with a look. "But your work still stands. And so does the need for it. And while the man may be gone, his legacy isn't."

His words had a weight to them as he gestured to Kushina with one hand and she glanced at the older man with mild surprise before nodding once. For a second Minato thought she stood a little taller than before.

"I would ask you to carry on your work now, to ensure this wouldn't happen again. I understand that Kushina has been well-trained by her parents and is an excellent Fūinjutsu master herself, with an affinity for barrier seals no less. She should aid you as well as her father, if not better. I'd like to assign you both to this task, until it's completion."

Minato sucked in a breath, stilling with the older man's words, even if he had been expecting them, already having tied two and two together. His eyes flickered to her in instinct, meeting a surprised look and he was somehow willing to wager that Sandaime hadn't explained to her why she had been called to the Hokage's office before he appeared. She had probably assumed she had simply been asked to bring her father's work.

And then she huffed out a laugh. It had been a brief startled sound, hushed down quickly as she bit her lip, fighting for composure.

He understood her too well. To think he had just now feared he'd be assigned away and not get a chance to see her prior… apparently his new assignment was all about her instead. How wonderfully absurd. A project like this meant working closely together for an unforeseen period of time and while on paper he would like that very much… Sometimes timing really was, as the more cynical would say, a bitch.

But this was greater than the two of them, greater than the problems they would eventually resolve. It was for Konoha and the safety of all its citizens. And after all, hadn't they proven time and time again that they worked well together? That they could be a force to be reckoned with?

A selfish part of him, a part far greater than he would have liked, was thrilled at the idea, excitement worming its way down his frame, much as it had before their fateful spar. She was brilliant with seals, he had seen it first-hand now; oh how much he would enjoy working with her on this. How much he'd delight in her sporadic ideas and her quick wit.

How much he wanted this, consequences be damned.

No more than a second had passed, but something must have shown on his face, some emotion he had failed to supress, because her expression changed, the corners of her lips lifting slowly, the spark of determination entering her eyes as she held his look and nodded.

"We'll crack it in no time, ya know."

His answering smile was somewhat lopsided, impatience already running through him, amplified with her words.

"Of course, Hokage-sama. We'll see it done." he said, finally turning to Hiruzen Sarutobi and bowing his head.

Sandaime's eyes were regarding them quietly with a shrewd look and for a second Minato had to wonder whether the man could read them as well as he seemed to be doing right that instant.

"Very well. I will make sure you receive a minimum of additional assignments until the task is done. I assume the rest of the notes on the project are with you, Minato?"

The blonde nodded, quietly following Kushina with a look as she rolled up the scroll she had probably found in her father's study, activating a storage seal on her person with a swift move and sealing his notes away.

"Well in that case I'll let you hash out the finer details of your working schedule. Thank you for your time. Dismissed."

They filed out of the office in silence, the door clicking audibly behind them in the hush.

"Well." Minato began finally, conversationally, as they both headed towards the nearest exit in habit. "This shall be… interesting."

She huffed, whether in exasperation, or amusement, or both, he couldn't tell.

"Quite." Was her quiet answer before hurrying ahead in a somewhat louder voice. "I've seen my father's notes and calculations briefly, but I'll need to see your work also to make full sense of it, ya know. I might need some clarifications here and there as well."

"Of course. They are all at my place."

They had gotten to the end of the corridor and Minato reached for the small side-door that led to the outside staircase used to enter the higher floors faster. A wall of rain greeted them, unrelenting in its intensity, as it had been for much of the last two hours. A lightning flashed far off in the distance, announcing the approach of a spring storm.

He paused, throwing a quick look at her from the corner of his eyes. She sighed, peering at the vicious shower with a pout and Minato had to fight his own smile as he remembered all the times when they were younger, confined inside by stormy weather or monotonous showers. She would stare at the clouds in anger then, as if they had personally offended her just by existing. She had always delighted in sunny days, days made for training and picnics and adventures all about. One more thing that hadn't changed with time.

"I could offer a Hiraishin, but I'm afraid the closest one to your home is still some blocks away, in the open."

She waved him off with a mischievous smile.

"A little rain never hurt anybody. And it's probably better that way. I'd go broke trying to find clan-issued ration bars to pay you with, ya know."

He laughed, as he always did around her, despite everything.

"We'll figure something out." he said through chuckles and he could have sworn he saw her cheeks redden with his words, her fingers tucking a loose strand of hair behind one ear as the wind picked her locks up gently, swaying them about.

His look lingered, drinking in the sight of her, the blush that dusted her cheeks and the expressive eyes now hidden beneath thick lashes as she refused to glance his way. And he had to clench his hand in an attempt to stop the urge to touch her. It flared in his chest, zinging through his hand, the need to gently cup her chin with two fingers and lift her face up to his and…

"Well I guess-" she started, but he cut her off, rude as it was, refusing to hear of another parting just yet.

Enough was enough.

"How about tea? My place is dry and I could get us there in a very rain-free Hiraishin." he said quickly, doing his best to keep his voice even. "I could show you my notes on the Barrier Project as well, if you want to get a head-start."

He could feel her deliberate, could see her close her eyes, eyebrows furrowing briefly. Some resignation came about her, a decision she made then and there and she squared her shoulders, finally looking up at him, eyes resolute.

"Okay."

The constriction lasted but a second, now having turned almost familiar, and she found herself standing in the entryway to his living room, now submerged in semi-darkness. The soft glow of a street lamp was filtering through the windows up ahead, casting the place in orange hues amongst the shadows, painting a familiar picture from her childhood.

A click beside her and the lights came to life as Minato flipped the nearby switch, slipping out of his sandals at the door.

"Make yourself right at home." he said with a warm smile and she could feel genuine happiness in his voice, as if he had really missed having her around.

She could relate to that sentiment quite well. It had been much too long since she had last visited his home and she really had missed it. There was a feeling of warmth and calmness that permeated all of her memories of days spent at his place when they were younger, and she realised that his house had been a sort of safe haven that time couldn't touch.

A sense of nostalgia washed over her as she also took off her shoe wear and followed him inside, eyes fixing on the familiar sofa and the low coffee table which they had once used to play cards or work on seals. Even now there were notes scattered about it, next to a calligraphy kit, Minato apparently having kept the tradition. The dining table stood further ahead, bringing memories of instant cup ramen dinners and sprawling projects across haphazardly unrolled scrolls. And there, the empty doorframe to the kitchen, where they had once duelled with ladles over the title of best chef (they had in fact burned the food and found out that no one deserved said title after all).

Every nook and cranny held a memory, she realised, seeing the ghost of a happy childhood all about.

A wistful smile had appeared on her lips as she took it all in, almost in a daze, before her eyes landed on Minato who had paused further ahead. He was leaning at the doorframe to the kitchen, arms crossed casually before him as he beheld her with a knowing smile.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" he said softly and she nodded. "I felt the same way when I first came back."

"It hasn't changed at all."

At this he laughed, shaking his head.

"That part wasn't without effort. You should have seen it after three years of neglect. The cobwebs alone could have probably carpeted the room."

"Mighty foes, ya know."

"Indeed." He said through a chuckle as he pushed away from where he was leaning. "So, tea?"

She nodded and he turned to the kitchen, Kushina padding after him and stopping in the doorway. Her look lingered on his back as he moved about deftly, fetching a kettle with water and putting it to boil.

"Camomile?" he asked softly, quietly.

"My favourite."

"I know."

She could see his profile from where she was standing, could make out the small serene smile on his lips as he said that and she swallowed once, a feeling of warmth spreading down her chest.

"Do you mind keeping an eye on it? I'll take a minute or so to be decent."

"Sure."

He nodded, turning around briefly and she had but a moment to see the mischievous tint to his lopsided smile before he disappeared in thin air, chakra signature reappearing somewhere above her as he Hiraishin-ed to his room.

"Show-off!" she called out after him and could hear the echo of his laughter from upstairs.

It was fair; she had had the time during the day, to go back home to shower and change after the days on the road. And while he had probably taken a shower already the previous day, if the lack of ash and debris in his hair was any indication to go by, he still bore his shinobi uniform, probably having headed for Kakashi's place straight away after their parting earlier today.

She quickly found herself slipping into old habits as she fetched two mugs from a nearby shelf, discovering through a smile that both they and the honey were exactly where she remembered them. She was just opening the lid when lighting cracked outside, followed by the almost immediate boom of thunder, indicating that the storm was about them and she threw a long look at the kitchen window, fixing the rivulets of water with a wary look. The rain was unrelenting, drumming against the glass methodically, catching the light of the street lamps like scores of tiny flames. She had to admit there was a certain beauty to it, a calming lilt to the melody of spring storms.

It would have been relaxing, most likely, on any other night. At any other time. Not so when she knew what needed to be done now.

Steel your heart.

She could feel the tendrils of adrenaline sneaking down her frame, an almost battle-ready state, as she braced herself for the words that she had avoided for so long. It was time now… because every time he was around her, it felt like slipping, falling down, each time harder to get up.

How many times had she compared him to her own little sun? She felt herself entwined in his warmth, caught like a moth by his light. She had to get a grip and put an end to it, put boundaries once and for all… before there was no going back.

The kettle whistled loudly and she quickly took it off, making her way to the table mindlessly, thoughts still locked on nerve-wracking themes. She had just placed it besides the mugs when lightning cracked once again, the deafening roar of the thunder striking at once, windows rattling, and the room went black along with the street lamps outside.

Kushina blinked, eyes trying to refocus in the pressing darkness, momentarily blinded after the glare of the kitchen lights. Her hand reached forward instinctively as she tried to get her bearings and she brushed against the side of the nearest mug. She felt it wobble and reached for it, still unseeing, fingers wrapping about its handle in instinct and catching it mid-fall just as her elbow banged in the side of the table and she yelped out. The zing went down her arm, a quiet hiss rolling out.

Real graceful, Kushina, excellent shinobi skills.

"Kushina?" came Minato's voice from up ahead, a note of concern in his tone and she nearly jumped again, not having heard him come down.

"I'm fine. Remind me not to pick fights with your kitchen table, ya know."

She heard his quiet sigh, followed by an amused huff and she was willing to bet he was smiling even if she couldn't quite make him out in the dark. There was no light source, the storm clouds having hidden the moon from sight and she squinted, trying to adjust to the blackness about.

"Almost as mighty a foe as the cobwebs, that one." he quipped and she couldn't help her chuckle.

She could just about see the ghost of his silhouette, listening to his light footsteps as he padded to the window, peering out.

"I guess electricity's out for the block."

Lightning cracked again, bathing the room in opaque light and for a moment she glimpsed him outlined against the window, a look of casual ease about him, now missing his jōnin vest and his forehead protector, his sleeves rolled up.

And he looked so much like he had that night when they sparred that it made her pause.

"Well, at least the water boiled on time." she managed, aiming for calm.

"Hold up, I'm sure I had some candles around here." he said and she heard the rhythm of his steps again as he moved towards the kitchen counter, a near-shadow in the dark.

The sound of opening drawers reached her and she almost laughed as she realised he was looking in the wrong place, assuming the candles hadn't been moved – she remembered his own house better than he did.

"Not there, ya know. Wait."

She moved forward too, stopping beside him and reaching for a cupboard just as he had turned, going for the same one, and she realised she hadn't judged the distance properly as she bumped into him, stepping on his foot. The rustle of clothing, and she jumped back, clipping the counter with one hand just as his fingers wrapped about her arm in instinct, pulling her back to steady her.

"Careful now." he murmured, automatically, and she stilled, realising how close they had ended up.

Lightning flashed again, giving her a glimpse of his eyes, the mild look of surprise, the tousled hair and the graceful lips, right before her, the momentary image of him imprinted in her mindscape in the following blackness.

She sucked in a breath, eyes still fixed on his face in the dark. Her other senses were compensating for the lack of sight, spelling him out. The heat of his touch was seeping down her frame, even through the fabric of her tunic, before he swallowed quietly, slowly letting go of her arm. But he didn't step back. And neither did she.

She could make out the flutter of his heartbeat in the stillness about, breath hitching in his throat. And his scent… it was all about her now, heightened in the dark, electrifying, and she bit her lip in instinct, grateful that he couldn't see. Her mind had jumped back to that night, the taste of his lips against hers and the feel of his sun-kissed locks between her fingers as she clutched at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer… how he had groaned in their kiss then, wanting ever-more of her…

Her heart was drumming in her chest, blood roaring down her frame and she shook her head, a shaky breath escaping her. Her hand shot up in instinct, landing on his chest, a meagre barrier, rooting him in place, keeping herself from swaying forward. She could feel him shudder under her touch, could feel his uneven breathing, could picture the blazing look in his eyes.

"I…" he started, swallowing once against a dry throat. "Please. I need to know why."

She deliberated feeling the pained grimace spill over her face.

The words lodged in her throat. How do you steel a flying heart?

"Did I… Did I hurt you, that night?" he whispered quietly.

A huff of breathless, startled laughter bubbled up her throat before her breath hitched again. There was a sting in her eyes now and she blinked against it viciously.

"Minato…"

His name came out like a sigh in the dark.

"I… I was too forward, I shouldn't have…" he was saying now and she was already shaking her head, "If I misunderstood… If I forced myself on you, I-"

She felt the ache squeeze her chest as she lifted a hand to his face without thinking, fingers brushing against his lips, silencing him.

"That couldn't be farther from the truth, ya know."

And she could feel him relax somewhat against her touch, could feel the imperceptible relieved sigh that left him, a caress against her fingertips before she lowered her hand.

"Then… why?"

She gulped. There was ice in her stomach, lead in her chest. The words felt like ash in her mouth.

"There… there are things about me you don't know."

The agitation was back now, chilling her as it went, and she finally took a step back, moving away from the warmth of his proximity. He had rooted to the spot, but she could tell he followed the sound of her moves with a look.

"Try me." was the calm reply and she swallowed uncomfortably past the lump in her throat. She felt the truth bubbling against it, an untameable tide behind her silences.

"I… I can be dangerous to be around."

Her words were met by a quiet sigh.

"Kushina…" he murmured, taking a slow step forward.

And just like that the dam broke, sweeping her.

"I'm Kyūbi's Jinchūriki."

She had expected stunned silence, or a gasp. She had expected questions, or disbelief; but above all else she had expected his withdrawal; had expected him to hedge back. He had seen a Bijū before, after all, had seen first-hand how powerful and dangerous they could be. If anyone had a good reason to fear her, it had to be him. And for once she was grateful for the dark. She thought she wouldn't bear to see the horrified look on his face. Or perhaps even worse – disgust.

Instead he took a step forward without skipping a beat.

"I know."

Kushina felt the air rush out of her with his words, eyes growing wide as her jaw dropped. Surprise rooted her, zinging through her, leaving numbness in its wake.

"W-what?"

"I know." he repeated simply and she could just picture him shrug casually, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You… how? Since when?"

"I've suspected for a while, ever since that incident with Kumo. I had no proof... Until the Tokutsukai Pass."

Of course… she had been unconscious, but she had been told her chakra reserves had dropped critically… she should have known Kyūbi's chakra would have leaked out. Had she not felt its tug when she thought Kemuri was lost? And Minato… he was a sensor… of course…

All this time, he had known. When he had appeared in that tent he had known. When they had lain in the grass that first sentry shift, his hand intertwined with her hair, blazing look fixed on her, he had known. When he had shown her his Hiraishin, whisking her away to the Hokage Monument, thrilling her with his Wind Technique… when he had almost kissed her in the Training Grounds… when he had given her his teleportation kunai, when he had risked his life for her home… at the Iwa border, and at the ryokan, and at the Uzu settlement, and at the festival, and after their spar… he had known.

She felt her throat clamp up.

"Why… why didn't you say anything?" she heard herself say, a barely audible whisper.

"It was not my truth to share." was his soft reply as he took another step forward, nearing her quietly. "And… It didn't matter really. Although I would have been grateful for your trust."

She blinked.

What even was this man?

"It didn't-" she started, words hitching in her throat, "It didn't matter that I could be a monster, a ticking time-bomb, that I could lose control, that I-" she cut herself off, biting her tongue against the jumbled words before repeating quietly, disbelievingly "It didn't matter?"

Minato's shocked silence lasted but a second and then he was standing before her, having moved in a rush.

"Please don't say that, never that." he said firmly and she could almost picture his stern look, the liquid steel in his eyes. "A monster, how? You're a hero, Kushina. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Everything you've given, for Konoha, for our home… the strength it takes to carry this burden that no one else could, it defines you, burns bright in you, it's blinding, captivating. It takes my breath away. I… "

He paused, swallowing thickly.

She could only stare, wide-eyed. She was beyond words, the sweeping emotion washing over her, filling her, threatening to overflow as it swelled in her chest.

Oh how much she loved this man.

"Is that… is that why… You thought that I…" he said suddenly, and she could tell realisation finally came, hearing the disbelief in his voice.

And all too soon she could see it happen, could almost picture him reaching out for her despite everything. She took a step back, as if burned.

"Yes. No. Not only. We shouldn't… You shouldn't-" the words were tumbling out now, uncoordinated, jumbled, rushing to be said, to make him understand. Her hand had gone to her stomach, clutching at her tunic mindlessly, "They didn't want a female Jinchūriki, but I was the only one. You see… Mito-sama almost lost control of it once, during childbirth, because the energy it takes to suppress the Kyūbi goes to the growing baby and it was only through Shodai-sama's Wood Release that they could control it. But he isn't around anymore. And so I can't… I… I'm broken."

Her pause was followed by deafening silence, broken only by the incessant hiss of the rain against the glass. And then reason caught up with her as she realised what she had implied, and her cheeks reddened, her whole face aflame.

"I don't mean that you and I should- that we would- I just- I mean in case we-" she sighed in exasperation, running a hand down her face as she took another deliberate step back.

"Kushina."

"No, don't. Please, Minato...You deserve so much more. A full life, with someone whole."

And there it was, the whole truth, laid bare at his feet. She was breathing shallowly now, air suddenly too thin and she realised the room had turned stifling, suffocating, walls pressing in on her from all sides in the dark. She didn't need to be here anymore, she realised, now that she had braved all that needed to be said. They could hash out the rest later, the tentative truce of how they'd go about working together. Later, at some other time. Right now she just wanted to get out. The realisation had taken her but a second, before words were rushing out of her, cutting off whatever it was he was about to say.

"I'm sorry. I really am. For everything, ya know. I didn't mean to… I'll go now."

"Wait-" he started, but she had already turned, making for the door.

She wrenched it open, ignoring him as he called her name. The crisp cold air filled her lungs and she jumped ahead in a chakra-infused leap without thinking, bare-foot as she was, quickly taking to the roofs. The rain drenched her immediately, plastering her clothes to her body and her hair to her skull, feeling icy against her flushed skin.

She hadn't made it more than a hundred meters before she skidded to a stop, water splashing about as she rooted in place, Minato blocking her path. His ridiculous speed had carried him across the distance in an instant. She could make out his features now, despite the rain. His mouth was set, blazing look fixed on her.

"Don't-" she started, making to step back, but he neared her in a firm step.

"No." he said steadily, "You are the most hot-headed, strong-willed person that I know, but for this I will not back down."

He stopped before her and she found herself transfixed, caught in the fire of his eyes.

"Listen to me now." he said quietly, barely audible above the rain. "I want you, all of you, and nothing would change that, even if we couldn't…" he paused and she was somehow certain his face was flushed as he stumbled through the words. "But you're wrong. You're not broken."

She blinked against the rain, opening her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

"You are a Fūinjutsu Master, one of the best of your clan – if you don't believe me, those are your mother's words, not mine. And I dare say I do well with seals myself. Don't you see? We'll change it, alter the seal, we'll find a way, like Shodai-sama did. This is nothing we can't handle together, do you understand me? Nothing."

The staccato of the rain was deafening as she stared at him wide-eyed. Or was that her heart hammering in her chest?

Accept your fate, her parents had once said and, terrible as it had been, she had embraced it. Because she had to. Because someone must. But she hadn't thought that… hadn't considered…

She felt the shift, a feeling of resurfacing, as if she had just come out the end of a long, winded tunnel. The realisation took root, steadying her, blossoming in her chest, world snapping back in place in crystal clarity.

"So. Any more protests?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Good."

And then he had cupped her face, lifting her lips to his own. His touch was gentle at first, tender, fingers brushing across her cheekbone, leaving a blazing trail despite the rain. Her stupor lasted but a second, a moment to realise what was happening, her whole world tipping on its axis, poised for collapse.

And then.

She let go.

She gasped against his lips, breathing in his scent, pressing herself against him without thinking, giving in to the need that had coursed through her like wildfire since that night.

She could feel him respond in kind, could feel the change in him as impatience took over, the same longing that had blazed through her as well. His one hand slid to the small of her back, his touch blazing against the wet clothes clinging to her form, pulling her ever-closer, kissing her harder, deeper, rain be damned. Her fingers had sneaked up to his neck, curling in his sun-filled hair, and he groaned softly, low in his throat.

Before she realised what was happening, his hold tightened; the constriction of the Hiraishin took her by surprise, the constant pelting of the rain disappearing in a flash. She had but a second to register that he had brought them back to his living room, away from the storm, and then his lips were back on hers with a fervent, urgent need. His one hand slid down to her waist and to her hips, pulling her flush against him and she could feel heat pool down her stomach and her legs, her knees growing weak beneath her.

She stumbled back, dragging him with her, the wall meeting her retreat and she felt herself pressed against it, dissolving at his touch. His hand found hers, fingers intertwining with her own against the wall as his lips moved to the corner of her mouth and down her jaw and to her neck, each kiss sending a tingling shock down her nerves, and she couldn't hold back the moan that made its way past her lips. He gasped at that, shaky breath ghosting against her skin as he murmured her name and she pulled him back to her lips until she could feel herself grow lightheaded, her heart drumming in her ears.

He broke away then, gasping for air, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I… I need… a moment." he whispered, trying to catch his breath.

"Did I… Did I do something wrong?"

He huffed.

"Wrong? Kushina… you're driving me to my wit's end."

She blinked, warmth sneaking up her face, lips quirking up in a smile.

"Doesn't sound so bad to me, ya know." She murmured, angling her head up, planting a slow kiss against his neck.

He sucked in a breath.

"No. But." He started just as her hands moved to the hem of his shinobi sweater, fingers sneaking underneath, brushing against the heat of his skin, trailing a feather-light touch across his stomach and he groaned, whole body tensing up.

He bowed his head, resting his forehead against the wall by her ear, a shuddering breath escaping him and she felt herself shiver, suddenly wanting him impossibly closer, breath coming out in huffs. The need burned through her, searing, blinding, erasing all thought.

"Kushina… You put too much faith in my self-control… You'll make me fight for a clear thought."

She swallowed thickly, fixing him with a burning look.

"So don't."

Chapter Text

The soft haze had slowly started dissipating the darkness, bathing his room in the golden hues of the upcoming dawn. A sunray broke through the thin slip between his breezy curtains, crawling across his bed with first light, as it did most mornings. It caught on a strand of spun fire, a spark in the stillness, gleaming as if ablaze. He fixed it with a reverent look, lips spreading in a serene smile. Without realising it he had reached ahead, his fingers brushing gently against her fiery locks now caught in the light.

The slightest exhale and Minato looked up again, finding himself caught in her gaze. Her eyes seemed so impossibly dark in the dim light, a deep inky indigo that threatened to engulf him, and he thought he would gladly be lost in her look all day, every day. His eyes never left hers as he gently brushed the scarlet lock back, setting it behind her ear. His fingers lingered, feathering a touch down her neck and over a freckle-dusted shoulder, like a whisper across her skin. Her lips parted at that, a soft sigh reaching him and he gulped, fingers brushing down the side of her, over her ribs, drawing gooseflesh across her skin.

He couldn't quite explain it, how something so small could captivate him so, make him spark alive with each breathy sound at the back of her throat. He would happily spend hours, days, weeks, exploring each touch that made her breathless, each kiss that made her heart flutter and drew the whisper of his name across her lips.

His thoughts turned back to the night, to the delirious sweetness of finally running fingers across her smooth skin, pulling her closer, her hands fumbling with his clothing, her touch setting his senses ablaze, his heart threatening to drum out of his chest. He remembered the tumble into bedsheets that now bore her scent, every brush of her lips against his skin, the feeling of her hands about him and the way his very soul had set aflame as he had come undone above her, losing himself in her taste and her scent and in the fire of her locks all about. But above all else he remembered her delight; he remembered every breathy gasp, every strangled moan; her eyes fluttering closed, eyebrows drawn, lips parted, the sight of it imprinted in his mind's eye with every flash of lightning in the stormy night, like a collection of precious still-frames. He would spend a lifetime delighting her, just like this, if she willed it.

She must have seen the way he swallowed thickly as his thoughts got away from him because her lips drew up in a lopsided smile.

"Good morning?" she said, the whispered lilt in her voice managing to turn it into a question, and the simplicity of it was enough to make him laugh.

"A very good morning indeed."

"You're awake early, ya know."

"I had to make sure you won't try to escape me again."

She scoffed, a spark of humour in her look.

"I'm perfectly capable of escaping if I so wished, you should know."

Minato chuckled, gleaming eyes never leaving hers as his fingers traced a swirl down the side of her waist.

"And do you? Wish it?" he asked softly.

He thought she might have japed then, but her mirth gave way to something more tender, almost brittle, her eyes spelling out a wistfulness he thought he finally understood.

"No." she breathed and the smile that spilled across his face couldn't have been more radiant.

"I suppose I must have finally done something right." he murmured, fingers drawing patterns across her skin.

Kushina huffed, sound somewhere between laughter and exasperation before some new realisation came about her and her eyes widened ever-so slightly. Leaning as close as he was, propped up on one shoulder right beside her, it was easy to see the blush that coloured her cheeks, making his heart skip a beat; just as he had thought that she couldn't look more enticing... fool him.

"You…" she started haltingly, uncertainly, suddenly at a loss for words. "You… You've never…?"

He blinked. And then it dawned on him, along with the reason behind her nervousness. He wondered if it would have taken him less time to grasp her meaning if he didn't think the notion so absurd.

He shook his head slowly, smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"There was this fiery girl who promised to wait for me and kissed my cheek. And, you see… I've thought of no one else since."

A familiar emotion was wavering in the depth of her eyes, coming alive with his words.

"Well then. I think I have you beat, ya know."

"Oh?"

"Even before that… there was this boy who saved me against all odds. He made quite the impression, ya know."

It shouldn't have been as overwhelming as it was, the feeling of serene warmth that washed over him with her words, as if something had just clicked into place, something he had known long ago, without acknowledging. And all his worries and fears, the insecurities and uncertainties, suddenly felt woefully absurd; it felt so very natural, as natural as breathing, being like this, with her. He couldn't quite fathom why he hadn't realised sooner… why he hadn't seen…

And then there was soft laughter on his lips, eyes crinkling up in mirth.

"You know, Jiraya-sensei said something quite similar that very night. That I must have impressed you, but have a long way to go to win you over."

Her eyes widened in alarm then, lips opening in mock-horror.

"You mean to tell me that by doing this we're proving your lecherous sensei right? We must end it at once, ya know." she exclaimed, sitting up fluidly.

She made to get up, but his arm was already about her waist, pulling her back, and she tumbled into him through laughter, the sound of it ringing through his room and reverberating through him, warming him on the inside. She tried to push against him, giggling all the way, but he deftly went along with her ministrations, rolling them both over and ending up over her, pinning her one hand with his own. Her fiery locks had tangled below her, framing her in flames, bringing out the violet in her crinkled eyes, happiness crackling through her look like Tanabata fireworks, and his breath caught at the sight of her.

How wonderfully perfect she looked, in that moment of time.

"Now there's the escape attempt I was hoping to thwart." he murmured, half-dazed.

Her chuckles had subsided, heart fluttering in her chest as she shifted against him and he felt the warmth of her thigh against his leg, her pulse quickening below his hand where he had pinned her wrist. Fire was sneaking down his frame, heat pooling in his stomach, ebbing lower, and he was sure she could feel it, the way she was affecting him, as always.

"And so you have." she whispered, lips quirking up ever so slightly, eyes sparkling in daring mischief. "So, what now?"

And then his lips were on hers, kissing her fervently, achingly, and he thought that, all things considered, he had lasted a ridiculously long time without claiming her lips that morning.

"Kakashi!"

He groaned. And he had been almost at the training field too, darn it.

He had been most excited to resume field training, spirits positively lifting as he saw the bright weather today, despite last night's vicious storm; but he had momentarily forgotten the main annoyance of training outside – meeting people. Especially chatty people who didn't understand social cues. And Guy Might seemed to be an expert at that indeed.

"Oy, Kakashi! I thought it was you!" the green-clad boy was yelling enthusiastically, near-jogging up to him and falling into step. "It's been a few days!"

"I've been busy." he said, stalking ahead in determination.

It would take much more than a blubbering dunderhead to make him be late for his training session with Minato-sensei.

"Hoho, I can see the truth of it now, my young rival!" Guy exclaimed, not catching the hint at all. "It must have been my spirit of youth that dissuaded you from accepting another challenge!"

"I have no time for this, Guy. I'm going training."

"What a coincidence! Me too! We shall train together and the fires of our determination can burn ever brighter when fuelled by the other's efforts!"

Kakashi simply rolled his eyes, pooling chakra to his feet and body-flickering ahead in a burst of speed, only losing his balance momentarily as he swayed at the landing. He found himself a good distance away, within the training grounds proper, definitely out of sight – he was getting rather good at it; with Minato-sensei's instructions he would get the hang of it within the week. He would then be able to master the body-replacement technique, which had such numerous implications that he could already think of at least ten that could aid him in his training sessions-

"What a magnificent display of skill, Kakashi! You've surely fanned the flame of my desire to win our next challenge!"

This time he did groan. How had he even…?

"Guy. I have an appointment with my sensei. I don't have time for childish challenges."

He ground the last part out through his teeth, lest the other boy finally catches on, even if it insulted him – Kakashi was, after all, a good deal younger than Guy Might and everyone else in their class, and yet he often felt like they were the ones acting like children.

To his immense disappointment, just like with every other clue he might have dropped, Guy simply did not understand insults.

"Oh, I heard about that, my brilliant rival!"

"I'm not your rival."

"It's made me even more determined! To know you're so advanced to have a jōnin instructor! Winning our next challenge will be that much better-earned!"

"I didn't know it was a day for challenges, Kakashi." came a merry voice from behind them and the white-haired boy near-jumped, not having heard his sensei teleport in as he usually did.

The man neared them in a few steps, hands leisurely tucked in his pockets, and Kakashi thought there was a peculiar light in his cloudless eyes today, as if his sensei was in a particularly good mood. Much unlike him, for that matter, as he realised that Guy was still there, frozen in place, eyeing the blond man with something akin to awe, and Kakashi suddenly felt a sense of inadequate embarrassment.

"He's not my friend." he hurried to correct, before Minato-sensei assumed he had anything in common with the impassioned dimwit boy in front of him.

"Kakashi, you never said… You're him. Konoha's Yellow Flash." Guy said incredulously.

Minato-sensei simply smiled, tilting his head sideways as he did so.

"That would be me. And you are…?"

"Guy Might, at your service, sir!" the boy exclaimed, giving them an enthusiastic thumbs up and the jōnin chuckled as if the peculiar boy before him was somehow amusing instead of thoroughly vexing. "Kakashi's my classmate and my eternal rival!"

"Eternal rival, huh…?" Minato-sensei said, eyeing Kakashi from the corner of his eyes, amused smile never leaving his face. "It's a pleasure to meet my student's rival then."

The Hatake huffed, crossing his arms before him, feeling his annoyance get the better of him. His father had told him not to boast of his accomplishments, especially when it involved putting others down, but it was so very hard to heed certain bits of advice when irritated, especially when the one irritating you was also claiming your sensei's time and attention.

"Not much of a rival. I've beaten him in every single challenge so far." he said irately.

"Which is why I will keep challenging you, my eternal rival! I won't let the passions of my youth die out; I'll train hard until the day I beat you!" Guy near-shouted and, to Kakashi's astonishment, he found Minato sensei smiling merrily at that.

"That's an admirable attitude to have, Guy-kun. Never lose the fire that drives you."

"And how do you plan on winning when you can't even use ninjutsu?" the Hatake bit out.

Guy Might remained undeterred.

"Taijustu! I'll become the fastest, strongest shinobi in the world! I wish to be as fast as Konoha's Yellow Flash!" he said, striking a pose.

Kakashi could only roll his eyes yet again. It had already been a good five minutes, precious time that he could have spent on training with his sensei, and instead he was debating the impossible with the academy's dead-last.

"Even Minato-sensei's enhancing his moves with chakra to be that fast, how could you possibly be as good as him?"

Perhaps it was good that they had had this run-in. Maybe Guy really needed to hear the honest truth, from Konoha's Yellow Flash no less, to make him realise the absurdity of his ideas. Maybe Guy would stop pestering him then; he really couldn't see what good would come out of it, even if his father insisted that Guy would actually be a good rival for him. They were leagues apart.

"Actually, Kakashi, that's not entirely true." the jōnin said instead, effectively shutting him up. "I do enhance my moves with chakra, but I can technically move faster, even without it."

Guy was staring at the man as if he had spilled gold out of his mouth.

"How?" he asked, fervently.

Minato-sensei simply smiled, waving a quick seal before his chest.

"Release!" he called out, and something about him wavered, as if the very air stirred and shimmered for a fraction of a second, before settling again.

Genjutsu? was Kakashi's first thought. No… A seal. He released a seal.

But before he could ponder it any further Minato-sensei turned to face the other end of the training field. And then he moved. And disappeared in a blur.

The stillness lasted but a second, a moment of time that felt like a frozen speck, dew shining brilliantly in the morning sun as it flicked off the grass stalks ahead in a line, as someone must have moved through it, so fast that it had been near-impossible to see. The white-haired boy blinked, trying to figure out what had just occurred.

Minato sensei was standing across from them, smiling his ever-present sunshine smile. Another flicker of movement and he was back beside them, looking at a gaping Guy, whose jaw would apparently hit the floor soon.

"Did… Did you body-flicker, sir?" Guy asked, shocked.

Minato shook his head.

"I ran. Not a lick of chakra used."

It was true, Kakashi knew it. He could see the wetness at the bandages wrapped about his ankles, where he had run through the grass still wet from last night's rain. And yet. Without chakra?

"How?" the green-clad boy asked once again, voicing Kakashi's own question.

"A seal." The jōnin said, crouching down, undoing the bandages around his right leg.

He tapped his own skin with a chakra infused finger and the intricate kanji of a seal appeared there, so complex that it made Kakashi's head swim just trying to make sense of it.

"It's a weight seal. I have one on each leg. I've been training with them for about five years now. I started light and kept slightly increasing the weight with time. It made everything much harder at first, but it was worth it. When I release them now, I'm able to put in a considerable burst of speed for a short time. Even without chakra."

"You need chakra to release the seal." Kakashi countered quickly.

"You do. When you've etched the seal on your own skin, it's the only way to release it. But if you've drawn it on, say, ankle protectors… Then you needn't release it at only. You only need to take them off." he said with a wink in Guy's direction.

The boy's eyes had bulged, blabbering Guy Might for once wordless. And then he started shaking, whole face scrunching up as his eyes watered. A look of startled worry passed over Minato-sensei as he tried to grasp what he had done wrong, but then Guy was wiping tears away, sniffing loudly through a determined look.

"Thank you, Konoha's Yellow Flash, sir! I will treasure your advice, sir, I will use it to become stronger, in the springtime of my youth, I will shine bright, sir, I swear it!" he shouted despite the tears and the snot.

Kakashi couldn't quite believe what was happening, alternating bewildered looks between the sobbing emotional mess that was Guy Might, the dead-last, and Minato-sensei, Konoha's Yellow Flash, smiling at the hopeless boy, offering him advice as if… as if he really believed Guy would own up to something.

Huh.

"I won't take more of your time, sir! I'll go tell my father!" the black-haired boy called out, already turning to go before he stopped, giving another enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Thank you for your support!"

And with that he was off, yelping in delight as he ran. And Minato-sensei was following him with a fond look.

"He's a nice boy." the jōnin said, "And a good rival for you, I think."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Kakashi groaned, his voice lacking its usual conviction for once.

Guy, becoming as fast as sensei? Truly?

Absurd.

Still. Maybe he'd start doing extra laps around the grounds. Just in case.

"We'll do it quickly, no fuss needed." Tsume was saying, waving one hand dismissively as she brought the cup of green tea up to her lips. "Current situation requiring haste and all that… all the better, if you ask me. Picture me, in a traditional wedding procession with all its droll particularities… I'd rip someone's head off before the day is done."

Kushina laughed merrily, reclining back in one of the colourful chairs in the hospital's tea shop. She hadn't planned on meeting her friend today, but she had run into her after visiting with Ryōta and Kaede at the medic's, making sure they were well. Tsume had also had an appointment, checking up on the "little leech" as she called it affectionally, and they had ended up stopping for a word.

"I'm happy for you, Tsume. Truly." The redhead said, running a hand through her ponytail absent-mindedly. "It sounds like we'll have two weddings this summer. Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha also extended an invitation not a week ago."

"Oh I know, they sent an envelope our way too. All core clan families are invited, since Fugaku's future head and all that. I dread it. It'd be a dull event to be sure. Nothing like Uchiha rigidness to make your arse ache after a whole day of sitting through their ceremonies."

Kushina rolled her eyes, an exasperated smile playing on her lips just as Kuromaru snorted a short bark as if to agree with the Inozuka girl.

"Well, I'm happy for you both; you should know I'll enjoy both events."

"Only you'd enjoy mine quite a lot more, I'd wager." Tsume said with a sharp smile and a look that promised copious amounts of alcohol and entertainment. "Although who knows… Kemuri Sarutobi's been invited to the Uchiha wedding and I do so know you've been dying for a second date."

Kushina laughed again.

"You never know, the shrimp turned out to be surprisingly gallant." she said through chuckles, taking a sip out of her own tea, thoughts turning back to the Hanami festival and the surprisingly pleasant time she had had… and then… to the Yozakura after…

The Inozuka girl grinned, propping an elbow on the table and leaning her chin on her hand, eyeing her friend testily.

"Well, you're in high spirits today. Did something happen?"

She returned the tea cup to the table, fingers quite steady, as her cheeks definitely did not redden just at the thought of it.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh come off it, Uzumaki. You've laughed more in the last hour than I've heard you laugh for a month. You're like a dog with two tails today."

Kuromaru's ears prickled at that, evident excitement just at the mention of it. Tsume laughed, gesturing to her canine companion as if to indicate the similarities.

"I'm… just enjoying the good news, Tsume." she said, but the treacherous smile was tugging at the corner of her lips uncontrollably.

"Uh-huh. And one Minato Namikaze has nothing to do with it, I'm sure?"

Her heart skipped a beat at that, hand running through her ponytail again, twisting it about, and her eyes flickered to Tsume's for the briefest of seconds. It was enough. The Inozuka's grin widened, showing pointed teeth, and then she barked out laughter.

"Why, you're blushing like a maid, Kushina, and maids blush like that mostly when they're maids no longer."

"T-Tsume!" she spluttered, her whole face aflame, as she looked about quickly, "Lower your voice!"

"Alright, alright… Sheesh, it's not like it's the last era… or the Uchiha compound." The dark-haired girl was saying through a cocky grin, "You know it's normal nowadays… But we don't have to discuss it."

"Thank you."

"Just tell me, is he as fast as they say in all aspects of his life?"

Tsume must have expected the chucked tea cup, because she dodged it expertly.

Minato was just drying the water out of his hair when he heard the knock and he tossed the towel over his shoulders, using a swift Hiraishin to make his way to the living room and open the door.

She had turned her back as she waited, looking out over the street, bathed in the golden glow of the sunset, and it felt like everything slowed down for a moment as he beheld her again, even if it had been a mere few hours. She had pulled her fiery locks in a thick braid as usual, thrown over one shoulder, exposing the delicate curve of her neck. A few fine strands of hair had escaped her braid, now shining golden in the sunbeams, twirling with the breeze, and he fixed them with a look, willing himself quite still lest he reach out and...

But they had agreed that they would start working on the barrier project tonight. It wouldn't do to get distracted from now.

The stillness slipped, Kushina turning back to him quickly, a nervous smile blossoming on her lips, most uncharacteristic for the bold woman he had always known. Her eyes widened fractionally as she saw him, look jumping to his messy damp hair and the towel about his shoulders and the zipper of his white sweatshirt, before meeting his own gaze again, the faintest trail of a blush colouring her face. He couldn't help his lopsided smile at that; perhaps this whole being-on-my-best-behaviour thing was difficult for her too.

"Hey there." he started, eyes finally flickering to the bag of groceries she was carrying. "What's all this then?"

He extended a hand to take it and she complied, fingers brushing against his momentarily. If she noticed the brief proximity, she didn't react.

"I figured we'd need sustenance to keep work going and, I'm sorry to say, but your kitchen is dangerously void of fresh ingredients, ya know."

Minato chuckled, turning towards said kitchen while she lingered behind to slip out of her sandals.

"I have to admit I don't get 'round to cooking much." he called back merrily.

"I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but you can't survive on cup ramen and boiled eggs alone, ya know."

"Hey, I'm a rather good cook, I'll have you know. Someone had to keep Jiraya-sensei fed with more than saké after all."

She laughed, appearing lightly by his side, setting about unpacking the food with him.

"Well, I'm here to contest your chef title."

"I can fetch the ladles. It's been a while since they've seen active combat, but I'm sure they'll manage." he japed and was rewarded with the melody of her laughter again.

"I had a more culinary challenge in mind, but I could absolutely take you on in a ladle spar as well."

He couldn't help the spark of mischief as he leaned against the counter beside her, carefully crossing his arms before his chest, doing his damnest to avoid the temptation of gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Probably not the best of plans if we want to get some work done tonight… seeing how our spars end as of late." he murmured, his smile widening as he saw her suck in a breath.

Colour had rushed to her face again, cheeks reddening in the way he so loved, as Kushina turned to face him, brandishing a leek almost threateningly. He choked back laughter.

"And whose fault is that?" she demanded, swatting at him with the vegetable.

This time he did laugh, lifting his hands up in surrender, before she turned more food items into weapons.

"Shoo. I know how to operate your kitchen well enough. You can prepare the scrolls, ya know."

"Yes, ma'am." he called out happily, pushing away from the counter and leaving her to it before tempting himself further. Her very presence was like a magnet, impossible to ignore, the familiar thrum of her warm chakra like a beacon to his senses, the ring of her laughter now a needed constant.

Setting his mind to a different task would probably be most prudent.

It took him the better part of half an hour to find all of his notes and to organise them across the table, unrolling scrolls with diagrams and calculations and propping the corners with the paper weights he had lying on almost every counter – a seal master's best friends, it had turned out, right after scrolls and paintbrushes. He hadn't had cause to look through any of it in quite awhile and he needed time to sort out through his haphazardly jotted ideas and formulas.

When he was finally finished, he turned to Hyōjin Uzumaki's own work, which Kushina had found in her father's study and brought to the Hokage. It was now lying by the couch, where she had unsealed it in the morning, and he quickly fetched it, unrolling scrolls across the table beside his own. The contrast was apparent at once – the precise diagrams and neat handwriting, so similar and yet different to his own, suddenly threw him back to the quiet afternoons spent with the meticulous man and for a moment Minato found himself frozen in place, eyeing the scrolls as if quite alien.

Inadequate. Not good enough.

The thought crept up on him like poison ivy, taking root as his breathing picked up, sweat breaking out at the back of his neck, the man's very work seemingly mocking everything he hadn't managed… and everything that he had failed. And how could it not? If he had been faster, stronger, better, then perhaps Hyōjin Uzumaki would be here now, explaining his own ideas.

He shot a hand out to steady himself, wrapping fingers about the back of the nearest chair, knuckles turning white as he exhaled a shaky breath.

"Minato?" came Kushina's voice from behind him and he startled, turning about much too rapidly, in instinct. "…are you okay?"

"Fine." he said quietly, clearing his throat.

She simply lifted an eyebrow.

"I've seen white sheets that might have defined "fine" better, ya know."

He gulped, forcing a brief smile as he ran a hand through his hair, consciously steadying the tremor in his fingers.

"I… It's been a while." he said hesitantly, a part of him recognising the fact that a mere half a month ago he would have probably deflected the question at once. "Since I last saw your father's work. I was just… remembering."

He had no right to this pain, he knew; it must be a speck compared to her own. And yet… it pained him all the same.

But despite it all she nodded, all quiet warmth and understanding, grief carefully tucked away. And then she was smiling, walking lightly to his side, all casual humour.

"Well that's good. We'd need you to remember, ya know, to get this thing off the ground."

But her hand went to his own, fingers wrapping about his and giving them a gentle squeeze, the warmth of her touch seeping through him, near jolting him. Such a small thing, and yet it melted through him, drawing a pent-up breath from his lips, muscles unlocking.

"Indeed." he agreed quietly.

Her merry calm was infectious, like a sunbeam, shining through her and all about her, and he was briefly reminded of seeing her earlier, outlined by the sunset gleam, as if ablaze. How apt it had been; how true.

And his smile came easier now as he laced his fingers through her own.

Hizashi cursed, face scrunching up in mute despair. His hands had wrapped about Gorou's vest, trembling.

Tanaka-san was still trying, the green glow of chakra illuminating her ghastly face, shining in the rivulets of rain coming down her skin, mixing with her tears.

In vain. Sakumo could feel it, deep down in his soul.

His student was gone.

"Hatake-sama!" someone was shouting nearby, but they sounded so far away, as if down a tunnel. His ears were ringing.

Someone's hand closed around his shoulder. Shook him. Whipped him about, hands waving animatedly, slashing through the pouring rain.

It all felt sluggish, with the unreal quality of grainy film, like the one they used at the academy to play films to the kids. The ones Kakashi watched. The ones Gorou had watched, before he'd graduated. Before he'd been placed in a team. Before he'd been placed in his team.

"…the intel… pursue… can't allow…" the person was saying sharply, but his words drifted in and out of focus.

"Sakumo-sensei." came Hizashi's trembling voice, drawing him back and the world snapped back in high relief, the staccato of the rain near-deafening him. "There's no time."

"He has the intel." the man before him repeated, his white face set in a determined scowl. "We can't let the information reach their frontline; we have to pursue! If they learn of the choke points and the rotations… they'll sweep them, they'll invade in force."

"Do you hear yourself, Tachi?!" Tanaka-san shouted, wiping away her tears, healing chakra finally fading to darkness. "You know what lays ahead. It's madness, if we pursue they'll close in, they'll slaughter us."

"It doesn't matter!" Tachi snarled. "Don't you see, we only need to take him out! A clear shot, it's all we need! And it will all be worth it! Gorou's death… it…"

Lightning cracked ahead, the rain sneaking icy fingers down his back, but he paid it no heed, his eyes still fixed on his students – one gone, one still breathing. For now.

"Sakumo. You know Tachi-san's right." Hizashi said through gritted teeth, hands still clutching Gorou's corpse.

He was right.

And he also wasn't.

They were behind enemy lines, Iwa teams pressing in close on all sides. If ever they'd have a chance to retreat it would be now, before they were completely cut off. All while letting their target slip away with the intel Gorou had died trying to protect… knowing that it could cost the lives of comrades and civilians alike.

But. Pursuing didn't mean certain success. It meant the sliver of hope for it, if they were lucky. If they were good, emotionally stable, focused. Which they were not. The only certainty in that choice was death. For himself and for the three young chūnin in his command. And for Hizashi. Another student.

Inconceivable. It was a suicide mission, hanging on a thread.

Was it worth it? Throwing their lives away for hope?

"Hatake-sama!"

"We retreat."

No one reacted, not even Tanaka-san, who had argued against the madness of continuing.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Hizashi, help me carry him."

"Sakumo, you can't-" The Hyūga started, but he cut him off.

"I can and I did."

"But, sir! The mission-"

"That's an order, Ito Tachi. Retreat. Now."

They had decided to have dinner at the low coffee table, settling cross-legged on the floor, lest they damage the scrolls that occupied the table proper. Kushina had prepared Oyakudon Donburi, which Minato had always liked in general, but had discovered a whole new level of appreciation for now.