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Iwashi, Aoba, Raidou and Genma were the Hokage’s elite guards. They knew where the Hokage was at all times. It was keyed into their tattoos. One of them was to be with him at all times. So when he blocked all four of them, they expected it to be because of the Kushina’s pregnancy. When Minato blocked even their tracking signal they knew something was up and that it was going to be bad.
Genma was the first to understand just how bad it was when Kakashi turned up in the ANBU break room searching for the senbon user and asking for help. The young shinobi was supposed to be guarding Kushina around the clock with her pregnancy nearing the end. Seeing the silver haired ANBU freaking out had Genma flickering across the village searching out the other three guards.
When they tried to use their tattoos to get to Minato and Kushina they kept getting rerouted back to the Hokage tower office. It was Iwashi who suggested checking out the bolt hole the pair had set up to be used right after the birth of their son. Directly upon entering the once warmly and lively home their dread only compounded. A quick search revealed blood on the unmade bed.
“The wards haven’t been disturbed,” Raidou knew that meant no one had broken in, “but these residual chakra patterns....”
“They’re Minato’s and Kushina’s but hers feel disrupted, and there’s a third here.” Aoba looked more closely at the bed. “Could she have given birth already? But the where is their son?”
“If that’s the case,” Genma looked out the window his mind dealing with plans and possibilities. The sinking feeling in his gut growing by the minute. “Aoba have your crows track them. We need to find them fast.”
“Kakashi has his ninken following my crows.” Aoba lead the way out of the house.
“That’s fine, we could use likely use his help. Just be prepared.” Genma was team leader and took control naturally, his senbon tight to one side of his mouth, “We don’t know what we’re going to be walking into when Aoba’s crow find them. We’re not Minato’s elite for nothing.” Genma looked over at his team and was glad he had them.
They took to the rooftop waiting; the appearance of the nine tails rampaging above the village had their hearts breaking, for they all knew what that meant. Kushina’s seal had failed and she was dead, because a jinchuriki didn’t survive having the biju removed from them. The four steeled themselves to fight once more beside their Hokage. They would grieve with him over the loss of his wife and son after they rid the Hidden Leaf of the nine tails.
When the signal came from Aoba’s crows they were in no way prepared for what they came across. In glen far from the village an infant lay on a tree stump Kushina was standing in front of the child still breathing. Minato right at her back. The claw of the nine tails had skewered both parents right through. It was obvious that they had moved to protect their son from the nine tails.
“How is she even?” Genma breathed the words to Raidou but was interrupted.
“Genma, they’re both hemorrhaging chakra. At this rate..” Iwashi could see his Hokage die in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could to stop it.
They all knew that Kushina was already a walking dead women. Every shinobi knew what it meant for the nine tails to be free, Kushina’s jinchuriki seal had failed. The fact that she was still able to contain the beast with her chakra chains and help her husband seal the area they were in. Even with the the four of them working together they couldn’t break it.
Raidou tested the edge of the seals that were keeping them out. “How can she still be doing this? Just how much chakra does this woman have?”
Iwashi shook his head in awe. “She is amazing.”
All they could do was watch as Minato preformed one more set of hand seals.
Genma’s eyes scoured the parameter. He saw Kakashi directly in front of Minato and his heart broke for the youngster. Far off to their left was Sarutobi and his ANBU guard. A quick message to his team was all that was needed for them to blend into the surrounding area. “Stay hidden even from from our brethren.”
Minato’s hand seals scared them, they didn’t know what jutsu they could be for, not when Minato was that close to death.
“Is he doing what I doing what I think he’s doing?” Genma’s voice was a bare whisper.
They understood when seal came down, when the nine tails disappeared, when the distinctive black seal appeared on the infant’s stomach. Both Minato and Kushina had sacrificed themselves to save the village, to save their son. They had also made their son the next jinchuriki.
The four men watched as Sarutobi bundled up the babe and forced Kakashi away under ANBU guard.
Aoba sent the signal and the four of them transported to Genma and Raidou’s apartment as it was the largest. They weren’t needed right at the moment as Minato had managed to reseal the nine tails. Everyone was on clean up and damage control. No one would miss them for a couple of more hours.
“What do we do do now?” Iwashi sank to the floor. His emotions all over the place.
“We’re shinobi, we endure,” Raidou didn’t want to give platitudes but really there was nothing else to say. They would grieve for their leader and friend later.
“What will happen to their child? I mean Sarutobi took him and they way they forced Kakashi away. Well that wasn’t good.” Aoba did his best to hide his shaking hands. He wasn’t afraid, he’d faced death before, but the nine tails was something else. The power he had witnessed tonight was life altering. The fact that Minato could create a jinchuriki seal as he was dying. That Kushina had enough chakra to seal the area against at least a dozen ANBU guards plus release her chakra chains to hold down the nine tails all after it had been extracted from her and she had given birth. To say nothing of the mental anguish he knew both of them must of been going through to know they were dying and leaving their child alone. He was honoured to have served for such strong shinobi.
Genma leaned against the window, his seals securing the room inside. “We’re going to have to wait and see that Sarutobi says, but I believe that he’ll be reinstated as Hokage again. I don’t know for sure just what he’ll do but I have my suspicions. The question is what are we willing to do about it?”
“We made a vow to Minato and Kushina.” Raidou leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.
Genma played with the senbon in his mouth before he let a smirk cross his face. He had a plan. “That’s why I’m going to keep an eye on Naruto.” He looked over at his lover, not having to say anything to have Raidou nod, knowing just what he was thinking. “We may not be able to gain custody, although I’m going to try, but I’m definitely going to do what I can to be put on his guard detail because you can bet your ass he will have one. I also want all of us to keep watch for Kakashi.”
Iwashi had an idea as to why his team leader was worried. “He’s going to blame himself again isn’t he?”
“If he doesn’t self destruct right away, you can bet he’ll likely take as many suicide missions as he can. I’ll talk to Guy,” Aoba would have the best bet doing that without it looking too suspicious, especially if Genma was going to go for custody.
They looked to Genma for guidance as to the next step. It wasn’t that the rest of them were bad leaders, it was more that Genma was the best strategist of the four of them. There was no arguing or posturing with it, the four of them had been too close to their their Hokage, to Minato and Kushina to consider anything else. “Stay in the shadows and watch Naruto. Protect him the best way you can without drawing too much attention to yourself. If we get reassigned we can’t help him and right now we’re all the family he has.” Genma stared up at Hokage mountain and the relief of Minato’s face. A man he called friend, one that he would have gladly died beside. Hell, he would have died for Kushina or Minato in a heartbeat and now was his chance to prove that he would live for them, for Naruto. “This is going to be a long mission, the last one from Minato, to protect his legacy. It will take decades before we can call it complete. Are you guys up for it?”
“I’m in,” Iwashi didn’t hesitate.
Aoba just nodded.
“Huh,” Raidou just shook his head and looked at his mate. “Like you even need to ask.”
“Alright, so we’re in agreement our job as elite guards has not ended only transferred targets.” His heart warmed despite the pain of loss, they would see Naruto grow, to be the best of both his mother and his father.