Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Broken Branches	By : ChaCha92 Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 8173 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Naruto universe. Some dude in Japan does. Make no money on my stories either.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Deep shadows devoid of warmth and welcome fill corridors deserted by the late hour with a heavy, ominous, foreboding feeling.
Adding to the gloom of a particular hallway is the anxiety and worry seeping out from behind a nondescript office door, hanging in the air like a thick, invisible barrier, warning the unwary to stay out of that room. Any soul daring to pass by braves no more than a wary glance as they hurry on, making sure not to pass there again.
Minato is simply ignorant of all of it.
His worldview steadfastly remains narrowed down to one person, drowning everything else out as the hours drag by. Wishing to avoid intrusion on his solitude and well-meaning inquiries concerning why he is in the hospital, he commandeered this particular office because of its close proximity to the emergency treatment rooms to wait for word on Kushina since arriving.
Normally sharp senses honed by years of battlefield experience fail to notice the presence of his predecessor who observes him pacing a rut in the floor from the doorway.
“The worst part is always the waiting,” Hiruzen comments, finally making his presence known.
Stopping in place, Minato closes his eyes and tips his head back, taking a deep, calming breath before finally looking at the aged Hokage.
“I tried intimidating the medic into letting me stay, but the old coot pulled rank and threatened to hog tie me with chakra restraints if I didn’t get my ass out of his exam room.”
Hiruzen can’t resist chuckling.
“Souma is old enough to remember the first ninja war and worked as a medic for the other two. He’s tough enough to follow through on his threat.”
“I can respect that. I just don’t have to like it,” Minato smirks.
“How are you holding up?” Hiruzen asks, stepping further into the room.
“Been a hell of a lot better,” he admits wearily. Stepping over to the desk he raises a leg to partially sit on the edge. “I haven’t heard anything, but I’m not buying into the whole ‘no news is good news’ lie. Tsunade warned it’d be extremely dangerous if Kushina blew her chakra network.”
“Restricting her to low ranked escorts should’ve prevented this from happening, but that’s only effective if our clients are completely honest with us,” Hiruzen muses, pulling out a pipe to bite on without daring to light it or risk the wrath of the medics. “I’ve already received the initial reports. The merchant, Shou, hired and double-crossed a band of rogue nins by selling out their leader who is currently enjoying the hospitality of one of the Land of Fire’s prisons until his extradition to Cloud. Further investigation should yield more details, but it explains why Kushina’s team was attacked.”
Closing the door behind him, Hiruzen joins Minato at the desk and leans back against it before continuing.
“The bodies of Shou, his servants and most of the rogue nins have been recovered and turned over to T&I for further investigation. ANBU patrols are still scouring the countryside for any other rogue nins, but have so far turned up nothing. I have received updates on the injured. Kakashi and Ibiki’s wounds have been treated and both are resting comfortably in the same room.”
Minato can’t resist chuckling, prompting Hiruzen to look at him in confusion.
“Those two are going to drive the nursing staff crazy with their constant nitpicking at each other.”
“I forgot about that,” Hiruzen chuckles. “Oh well, that’s their problem.” Continuing, he adds, “Hayate’s injuries are far more serious. The antidote Kakashi gave him stopped the poison from causing more damage, but what already occurred was severe. He’s currently in critical, but stable condition and is expected to live, but it’s unknown if his ninja career is over.”
The younger man releases a heavy breath.
“I know I should go check on them, but I can’t bring myself to leave this room even though the medics can find me anywhere in this hospital. Hell, I can’t even bring myself to spare a few minutes to check on Naruto.”
“Naruto is fine. Homura and Koharu are currently watching her at the Tower. One of them will stay the night in the mansion with her.”
“Good,” Minato breathes in relief. The silence stretches out for a few minutes before he quietly adds, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I don’t know if I can do it without Kushina.”
The silence stretches out while Hiruzen carefully considers his response.
“I’m not going to offer false assurances. The medics couldn’t tell me anything on her condition when they reported on the boys, but it’s what they didn’t say that speaks volumes. Her prognosis isn’t good.”
Sparing a glance at the young blond staring straight ahead he sees the grim acceptance.
“It’ll wound deeply and you won’t fully recover from it,” Hiruzen continues, looking more world-weary than ever. “However, you have a choice to make that won’t solely affect you. Usurping any responsibility you have to the village as Hokage, your primary responsibility is Naruto. Whatever happens, she needs your support and protection. There are far too many threats to her existence to risk succumbing to your grief should Kushina fail to survive this.”
Closing his eyes briefly, Minato takes a slow, deep breath.
“At the moment, I can’t even be sure I can be there for Naruto,” he admits quietly, his voice heavy with emotion. “Not when I went against my better judgment and allowed Kushina to return to the field. I should’ve reneged on our deal. She would’ve been pissed at me, but she wouldn’t be fighting for her life right now.”
“We’re Hokage, but we’re still human,” Hiruzen muses around his pipe. “We can only make the best decisions we can and hope for the best.”
A knock on the door captures their attention. Without waiting for a reply, it eases open permitting a hunched man in a medic’s tunic to shuffle inside.
Slipping off the desk, Minato steps forward in tense anticipation.
“Judging by your grim expression, Souma, I take it you don’t bear good news,” Hiruzen comments coming to stand next to Minato.
“Times like this I hate being a medic, Hiruzen,” Souma replies wearily. Noting the grim expression on Minato’s face, the old medic nods. “There’s no better way to say this, but she is dying.” He pauses for a moment to watch Minato become stock-still. “Not only is the central hub of her chakra network blown, but the main lines leading to her organs are shattered and they’re slowly failing. It’s highly unlikely she’s going to survive the night.”
He pauses again to scrutinize the unnaturally calm young man, but experienced brown eyes note the torrent of emotions raging within narrowed blue fixated on the floor.
“She already knows.”
Souma nods when Minato’s gaze snaps to his.
“She wants to see you, but I advise alerting anyone she’s close to about her condition so they can see her before she loses consciousness because she likely won’t wake up again until she passes.”
Minato stares at the medic before dropping his eyes to the floor again in a slight frown, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.
Hiruzen reaches up to place a gentle hand on the young man’s shoulder.
“Take us to her,” he quietly orders Souma when it’s clear Minato can’t respond.
Souma nods and turns to lead them out. Hiruzen gently pushes Minato into following the old medic through the deserted corridors, walking in silence until Souma pauses outside a hospital room.
“Right now she’ll doze on and off. She’s able to wake when you speak to her, but it’ll eventually become harder as her organs fully shut down. Per her wishes she’s not completely medicated from the pain as that’ll result in complete sedation.”
Minato nods, pushing open the door and stepping inside. Hiruzen remains with Souma, observing the blond slowly crossing the room to his dying wife.
“I must leave to make the necessary preparations,” Hiruzen quietly informs the medic without taking his eyes off Minato as he eases into the chair next to Kushina.
“For her funeral?” Souma just as quietly asks; his eyes also glued on the scene in front of him.
Hiruzen nods before adding, “And to temporarily take complete control of all the Hokage duties.” Out of the corner of his eyes he sees Souma’s shocked gaze snap to him. “Kushina is his heart and soul. Despite all the loss he’s experienced, her death will wound him deeply. I must make arrangements to shield him and his daughter from predators until he’s ready to stand straight again from his grief. First I must inform Kakashi and Ibiki before I return to the tower.”
“They deserve to know,” Souma nods. His gaze drifts one more time to the young man holding his wife’s hand before withdrawing from the room with Hiruzen and closing the door on the couple.
The minutes tick slowly by after they leave. Minato clutches Kushina’s hand, scrutinizing every feature of her beautiful face, struggling against the bitter truth and wishing it were a horrific nightmare he’ll soon wake up from in a cold sweat.
With an imperceptible grunt, green eyes slowly crack open before a tired smile spreads across Kushina’s lips.
“Hey, blondie.”
Minato swallows a couple of times and struggles to smile before finally managing to thickly greet her.
“Hi, love.”
“The old fart Souma told ya then, huh?” she asks, smiling sadly.
“Yeah,” he softly manages.
Her smile drops away as her eyes glisten. “I’m so sor…”
“Don’t,” Minato’s voice cracks slightly as he gently rests his fingers against her lower lip. “It’s not your fault.”
Kushina swallows thickly before murmuring against his fingertips. “It’s not yours either.”
Moving his hand away, he gently strokes her cheek.
“I should’ve slapped chakra restraints on you and kept you safe like I promised you the day we married.”
The quiet calm of his voice heavily weighted by guilt nearly broke Kushina’s resolve and a stray tear managed to escape. A slight, soft smile tugs at the edges of Minato’s mouth, but doesn’t form into a full smile as he brushes the tear track from her cheek with the back of his curved fingers.
“I don’t want to leave you and Naruto.”
“I know.”
The silence stretches out again between them before she speaks again.
“Kakashi is going to beat himself up over this.”
“It’s going to be hard on him since he was opening his heart again. I don’t know if I can pull him back from the darkness again.”
“You can do it, blondie. You’ve got Naruto to help.”
Minato struggles against his surging emotions before he can manage a steady voice again.
“Do you want me to have her brought in so you can say goodbye?”
He watches his beloved inwardly debate. Green eyes close again briefly, allowing more tears to escape.
“No,” she whispers. “It kills me not to hold her one more time, but I don’t want her last memory to be seeing me die.”
“She probably won’t remember, Kushina,” Minato softly points out, reaching out to gently brush away more tears.
“Okay, I don’t want that to be my last memory of us together,” she admits, taking a shuddering breath.
“Okay,” he reassures her, rising from his seat to kiss her tenderly.
Sitting back down, he continues holding her hand as they both struggle to control their emotions.
“I don’t think I can do it without you,” Minato finally admits.
A soft, sad smile crosses her lips.
“If anyone can do it, you can, blondie.” A familiar, mischievous smirk emerges. “Though, you might have to have Kakashi step in to help with the ‘mom’ duties. You can make him wear that ugly, frilly, matronly apron Koharu gave me.”
Minato can’t resist chuckling, bringing a pleased smile to his wife’s lips.
“That’s what I’d rather see,” she observes softly.
The smile drops from Minato’s face with a soft sigh.
“It’s not going to happen as often without you.”
“Try, blondie. I don’t want Naruto ending up as sour as the Uchiha or Hyuga.”
“I will,” he nods with a slight smile. “Is there anyone you want to see?”
Kushina considers it.
“Kakashi. I want to tell him it’s not his fault.”
“Good luck with that,” Minato can’t resist snorting. “He’s a Hatake. They guilt trip so much they have to keep a bag packed.”
Kushina softly laughs, bringing another soft smile to his face.
“See? You’ll manage to laugh and smile again.”
Deigning not to reply, he instead suggests, “Let me send for Kakashi. I’ll be right back.”
Bringing her hand up to his mouth for a gentle kiss on the knuckles, he releases it to stand and cross to the door. Disappearing briefly from the room, he returns moments later and returns to her bedside to claim her hand again. They don’t have to wait long before Kakashi hesitantly enters the room.
“Shouldn’t they be wheeling you around in a wheelchair?” Kushina weakly asks, trying to relieve some of the teen’s tension.
“I didn’t wait for the old fart Souma to get one,” Kakashi replies, shuffling in. His relaxed voice belies the taut tension in his body.
“Come and sit, Kakashi,” Minato insists, vacating the chair for him.
When Kakashi looks like he’s going to protest, Kushina rolls her eyes.
“Sit,” she orders.
Reluctantly he complies. His lone eye fills with sadness as he takes in her pale, haggard appearance.
Reading his thoughts, Kushina insists, “It’s not your fault. If there’s any blame, we all share it, but it’s still not any of our faults. We knew it was a risk for me to go back into the field, but none of us knew this would happen.”
Minato and Kushina watch his gaze drop guiltily to his lap.
“Hey, brat,” she calls, causing him to look up again. “Stop that,” she gently admonishes. “Playing the blame game isn’t helping anyone and I need you to help blondie raise Naruto. I want her to grow into a smartass to be proud of.”
Kakashi rolls his eye and shakes his head.
“That’s the spirit,” she quips. Smiling softly, she adds, “Thank you.” She playfully rolls her eyes again at his confused look. “You’re so dense sometimes. Thanks for being there for me. Not just in helping with Naruto, but for being my partner during my recuperation and on missions.” Her gaze becomes pointed as she bores into his eye, emphasizing, “You aren’t to blame for any of this. Please don’t follow in your father’s footsteps and destroy yourself over things you can’t control. I need you to continue being there for my family. Got it?”
Kakashi considers her words before reluctantly nodding. Minato rests his hand on his shoulder, prompting the teen to look up at him when he squeezes in reassurance while managing a soft, gentle smile.
“Good,” she smiles at the two of them. “Now stop talking my ear off and go back to your room.”
Kakashi arches a brow before the sadness fills his eye again. Minato’s hand falls away from his shoulder as he silently leaves the room.
“He’s going to torture himself over this like everything else that’s happened to him,” Kushina muses.
Minato eases back into the chair and reaches for her hand again, barely managing a steady, “Yeah.”
“Obviously he’s not going to be the only one,” she softly adds, looking at him in fond sadness.
“I keep wishing this is all a bad dream. That you’re not leaving us,” he admits with a slight tremble in his voice.
“So do I, blondie,” she agrees as a couple more tears race down her cheeks.
Reaching out again, he brushes them away, giving her the chance to regain her composure again.
“Hey, can you do me a favor?” she asks moments later.
“Hmmm?”
“Can you lie with me and hold me until I go?”
Blue eyes glisten as Minato swallows against the brick in his throat.
“Absolutely.”
Rising to his feet, he eases into place next to her, helping her adjust to nestle comfortably within his arms. Green eyes gaze fearfully and lovingly into blue before sliding closed to enjoy his deeply passionate kiss. Breaking apart for air several minutes later, time stretches out as they continue staring into each other’s eyes in silent communication.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
A firm knock echoes around the office, prompting the lone occupant to sigh wearily into the stillness. Reaching for his pipe, Hiruzen leans back in his chair.
“Come in.”
When door opens he smiles at his former teammates crossing the room to settle into the seats in front of his desk.
“Afternoon, Hiruzen,” Homura greets.
“Good afternoon, Hiruzen,” Koharu echoes with a nod.
“Good afternoon to the both of you,” Hiruzen greets back while lighting his pipe. “What brings you two here to visit?”
“We came to see if you can update us on Minato’s status,” Koharu replies, getting right to the point. “It’s been difficult to check on him since he vacated the mansion and moved back into his old home.”
“He won’t answer the door when we stop by to check on him and Naruto-chan,” Homura sighs wearily.
“It’s been two months since Kushina’s tragic passing, but it’s not healthy for him to shut himself away like this,” Koharu points out worriedly.
“Agreed,” Homura nods, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I do not wish to be insensitive as he has every right to mourn, but it might do him some good to partially resume his duties to aid him in recovering from his grief.”
“He might not have had to shut himself away if he had more support from those closest to him,” Koharu huffs indignantly.
“Indeed,” Homura nods again. “Jiraiya disappeared right after the funeral and Kakashi has disappeared into a continuous stream of ANBU missions.”
“Minato needs to start taking the steps toward living again,” Koharu declares, prompting another definitive nod from Homura.
Having finished, both eye Hiruzen expectantly as he slowly puffs away.
“I had to threaten Minato with house arrest to get him to take this time off,” Hiruzen finally admits, shocking his two friends. “I insisted on assuming all Hokage duties so he could properly mourn, but he tried coming in during my off hours to bury himself in work.”
Koharu and Homura watch as he pauses to take a few moments to gaze out the windows at the overcast late January skies promising more snow later that day.
“Understandably, Minato is struggling through his enforced mourning,” he continues, returning his gaze to his friends. “You’re correct that Jiraiya disappearing as he did is not helping the situation, but I honestly don’t think he would’ve helped with it either. He would never admit it, but Kushina was like a daughter to him. So I’m not surprised he couldn’t cope with her death.”
“However,” Hiruzen smiles, “you’re wrong about Kakashi. Yes, he did take several successive ANBU missions out of the village since Minato isn’t around to stop him, which gave him the chance to briefly run from his grief.” He pauses to give his old teammates a knowing smirk. “Remember, he had moved in with Minato and Kushina. So he is there for Minato when not on a mission.”
Homura arches a brow.
“I take it Minato at least opens the door when you visit for you to know all this?”
“Yes,” Hiruzen grins. “Although, it does help to threaten that if he does not let me in, I will assume he’s being held hostage and will summon all available ANBU to free him.”
“That’s a relief,” Koharu sighs while her two friends chuckle. Closing her eyes briefly she then levels a firm gaze back onto Hiruzen. “However, it’s still not healthy to keep himself and Naruto-chan so isolated.”
“It’s only been two months, Koharu,” Hiruzen reasons. “Keep trying to visit him, but give him the time he needs until he’s ready to open his door again to others.”
“That could be months, Hiruzen,” Homura scrutinizes him.
“Perhaps,” Hiruzen shrugs. “And I’ll worry about it when the time comes, but for now let’s give him the time to grieve as a husband before we start demanding his time as our Yondaime Hokage.”
“Understandable,” Homura concedes, rising to his feet to leave.
“I can accept that,” Koharu sighs heavily while joining him. “I just don’t have to like it. I’m worried about him and Naruto-chan.”
“We all are,” Hiruzen agrees as he watches them leave his office.
“Now where’d you go?” Minato quietly muses aloud, looking around Naruto’s room with his hands on his hips.
Having noticed his daughter missing since getting distracted doing the laundry he grudgingly motivated himself to do, he spent the past twenty minutes searching for her. Not that he’s concerned. He would’ve known immediately if anyone entered or left the house. It amazes him how fast she is since she started walking around her first birthday over three months ago.
Sighing, he closes his eyes and concentrates on locating her chakra. Within moments he opens them and smiles slightly. Leaving the bedroom, he heads down the hallway towards the living room.
At first he doesn’t see anything until he notices the sheer curtains of the picture window moving behind the sofa. A soft smile forms on his lips as he kneels on the cushions, propping his chin up with his left hand on the backrest to watch his daughter moving along the length of the window to see the snowy world outside.
“Whatcha doin’, Naruto?” he asks, attracting her attention.
Big blue eyes twist around to look up at him. She starts babbling and pointing out the window, managing to say, “Momma.”
Realization washes over him and sadness fills his own eyes.
Reaching out, he gently combs his fingers through unruly, short red hair, knowing she got the spikiness from him, softly murmuring, “I’m sorry, but momma can’t come home anymore.”
She continues looking at him expectantly, clearly not understanding what he’s saying. Unperturbed, he reaches out and carefully lifts her into his arms.
“C’mon, sweetheart, let’s get to cleaning this place up before Kakashi comes home or he’s going to worry more.”
That elicits another barrage of babble where he makes out something close to ‘Kakashi’.
“Yes, Kakashi,” he smiles, leaning in to kiss the side of her head. “We have to surprise him so he doesn’t have to come home tired from a mission and find the house a mess.”
He detours briefly into her room to grab her favorite plushie frog and hands it to her. She giggles and snuggles the toy under her chin while curling into Minato’s neck. Smiling again, he reaches up and strokes her head.
“I think I’m going to let your hair grow out. It’s too unruly short. Looks like I didn’t even comb your hair today.”
Naruto’s only answer is to kiss him on the cheek. Returning the favor, he presses a kiss to her forehead.
“I love you too.”
Stepping into the master bedroom, he closes the door behind him before setting her down onto a blanket spread out on the floor littered with colorful blocks and other toys. Dropping her frog she’s immediately distracted by the blocks. Snatching one up, she sticks it in her mouth.
Minato watches her fondly for a moment before his smile fades as his eyes fall onto the bed and the pile of clothing on top. Sighing softly he steps over and resumes folding them and putting them into neat stacks.
“I guess two months isn’t a long time, but it feels like I should’ve done this a lot sooner,” he tells Naruto.
He knows it’s crazy to talk to a baby like this, but there’s no one he’s interested in sharing his thoughts with. Even if Kakashi were home, he wouldn’t tell the teen. It would only add to his guilt. No matter how much he reassures him it wasn’t his fault Kushina died, he still beats himself up over it. He can’t find it in himself to be angry at the teen for succeeding in going on ‘S’ ranked missions as an ANBU. To be honest, if he could, he would’ve been strapping on the uniform and joining him.
He is, however, angry at Hiruzen for assigning Kakashi those missions. Then again, he’s still peeved at the old coot for forcing him to take time off to mourn Kushina. Although it tears him up inside, he accepted her death the moment Souma said she was dying. Being a ninja for as long as he has, he’s had to accept death and continue his duty. More so as Hokage. The village still struggles to recover from the Kyuubi attack and he can’t afford to take time off.
Minato supposes he was being petty in refusing all other visitors besides Hiruzen, not that the old fart gave him much of a choice, but he really didn’t care. Having all that spare time gave him too much time alone with his grief and it was crippling. Hiruzen may be a genius, but he can be a real idiot sometimes.
“Hey, Naruto, do you think Jiji would suffer enough if I switched his tobacco out for arsenic?” he asks, glancing over at his daughter.
She found a shoebox he set off to the side and dumped out Kushina’s old, satin slippers and is presently trying to stuff it on her head like a hat. She giggles at him, earning a smile in return.
“Too merciful, huh?” he scrunches his nose up at her. “Maybe I should dust his toilet paper with powdered toad acid? It’s still potent in powdered form and would definitely give him a memorable experience when he goes to the bathroom.”
Not waiting for an answer, he turns back to his task.
“I guess I really shouldn’t be too mad at him,” he continues aloud. “Except he is being a bit of a hypocrite. Granted, I asked him to help after the attack, but I didn’t expect him to get to work immediately. He lost his wife that night and should’ve taken time off to properly mourn.”
Having finished, he reaches for one of several, empty burlap sacks he set on the bed far out of Naruto’s reach. Opening one, he begins placing the clothing inside until it’s filled before reaching for another to repeat the process.
“As much as I’d like to keep your momma’s clothes,” he tells Naruto while he works. “I’m sure there’s someone else who can use them more. She’d be the first to tell me to give them to someone who needs them since she can’t use them anymore.”
Tying off all three bags with knots, he piles them in a corner before stepping back over to his daughter. Picking her up, he lightly tosses her a few times into the air, laughing as she squeals in delight. Bringing her close into a hug, he kisses her again.
“That’s okay. I have plenty of mementos. I don’t need her clothes.”
“Fugaku-sama will be in shortly to see you, Hiroto-san,” the Uchiha servant explains reverently.
“Thank you,” Hiroto nods, dismissing the man who had shown him from the gate to the reception area of the main clan house.
The redhead didn’t have to wait long after the servant left before his friend appears.
“It’s always good to see you, my friend,” Fugaku greets Hiroto with a deep bow.
“It’s good to see you too,” Hiroto responds with his own bow before stepping over to embrace his longtime friend.
“Let’s go to the meeting room so we can have more privacy or my sons will be interrupting us every five minutes,” Fugaku suggests before turning to leave the room.
“Their interruptions are always entertaining and your oldest in particular is a delight to speak with,” Hiroto states while following him.
“You’re too kind, Hiroto,” Fugaku replies as they enter the meeting room. “However, I suspect what you wish to speak to me about is not something I wish for either of my sons to overhear and they know not to disturb me if I’m in here.”
“That’s true,” Hiroto agrees as they cross the room to a small area of sitting pillows arranged for a cozy conversation complete with a tray of cups and sake for them to enjoy.
Pouring out their drinks, Fugaku states, “Am I correct you are here to discuss the untimely demise of your cousin weeks ago?”
“Brilliantly astute as always, my friend,” Hiroto compliments while accepting a proffered saucer. “It’s sad what happened, but not surprising. Did I hear correctly that she returned to active duty before she was medically ready?”
“Yes you did. Despite having Tsunade treat her, she still defied instructions when she should’ve remained on medical leave for another year.”
“Although it’s commendable of Kushina to return to duty when it’s glaringly obvious every capable ninja is needed, she has always been stupidly stubborn like that,” Hiroto muses, taking another sip of his sake. “It would’ve been nice if she showed that same commitment to her home country, though.”
“A weak, injured ninja is ineffective. It would’ve been wiser to wait until she was healed.”
“True, but it’s not a great loss,” Hiroto agrees. “I’ve always considered her a waste of space. We’re all obligated to serve the good of Whirlpool and Kushina was selfish not to comply with her parent’s wishes.”
“It certainly would’ve been a lot easier for everyone involved,” Fugaku muses taking another sip of his sake. “Although, I’m not unhappy with the course my life has taken as Mikoto is a far better wife than I could’ve hoped for.”
“You are very fortunate, Fugaku,” Hiroto nods. “Now with Kushina out of the way and Minato distracted by grief and duty, we can start moving forward with our plans.”
Fugaku arches a brow at the redhead sitting next to him.
“Duty? Minato still remains on leave to mourn.”
Hiroto gives the brunet a sardonic look.
“He is also a hardened war vet bound by duty. He will be returning to his Hokage duties before you know it. However, now he will have the added burden of caring for his daughter as well.”
Realization lights up Fugaku’s eyes and he smirks in amusement. “He will have to rely on others to help watch and care for his child while he is on duty.”
“Which will be most of the day,” Hiroto nods. “So let us fine tune our plan to cover as many contingencies as we can.”
“Certainly,” Fugaku agrees with a determined glint in his eyes.
The sound of office door opening draws Hiruzen’s attention from the document he’s reading to see Minato step inside and cross the room to his desk to wearily slouch behind it with a heartfelt sigh.
“If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d think you would’ve had a bad visit with Naruto.”
Looking over at the old man, Minato smirks.
“I never have a bad visit with her, but it’s exhausting trying to raise an active toddler with boundless energy and working as Hokage full time.”
“She is a handful,” Hiruzen agrees. “Homura and Koharu certainly have been looking a lot more tired lately while they watch her for you.”
“I’ve got to come up with a better alternative,” Minato sighs again. “They have their obligations to fulfill and it’s not fair to burden them with babysitting Naruto while I’m at work. I really don’t want to, but I may have to hire genin to care for her during the day.”
“You aren’t going to make Kakashi cut back on his ANBU duties to watch her?” Hiruzen asks in surprise.
“As much as I hate him being in ANBU now, it’s not fair to keep him from his chosen path. I’m just going to have to keep doing my best to prevent him from following the same dark path as his father. Plus, he has been a huge asset to the ranks until we can finish building them up again.”
Hiruzen reaches for his pipe and thoughtfully bites on it.
“Perhaps you should consider cutting your days in half. We are long past having to put in long hours. You can spend time with your daughter during her formative years while fulfilling your duties to the village.”
“I don’t know what village you think you’re in, Hiruzen, but the workload hasn’t eased up much since the Kyuubi attack and you’re not going to try convincing me you put in short days while I was on forced leave,” the young blond glowers.
“Still upset I forced you to take a leave of bereavement?” Hiruzen sardonically asks. Noting the even more pronounced glower, he quips, “So the answer is ‘yes’ then.”
“Either way,” Minato continues irritably, choosing not to comment, “the village is still a long ways off from being out of the red and recovering. We’re still too vulnerable to our enemies from within and without.”
Hiruzen nods.
“It’s unfortunate we could not dig up definitive proof against Danzo and the Uchiha clan since their machinations are putting the village at greater risk.”
“Which is exactly why I have to be here. As much as I want to cut my days short to raise Naruto, I have to keep a close eye on the vipers out to destroy her.” Blue eyes turn coldly fierce. “I haven’t forgotten Kushina’s cousin Hiroto still lurks in our village, regularly fraternizing with the Uchiha.”
“Ah, I nearly forgot about him,” Hiruzen admits. “I can’t argue with your reasons then. It’s not as if you’re selfishly choosing your duty as Hokage over Naruto, you simply don’t have a choice. However, it won’t hurt to cut two or three days a week in half.”
“I can probably do that,” Minato agrees. “I’m going to have to interview genin teams for babysitting duties.” At Hiruzen’s arched brow he explains, “Despite the gag order regarding speaking about the attack and Naruto being a Jinchuriki, there are still many who aren’t happy with our decisions. I need to gauge who I can trust with her.”
“It might do good for both of us to interview them as the additional intimidation of two Hokage being present would be incentive not to doubt their orders.”
“Good idea,” Minato smirks.
A knock at the door interrupts their conversation.
“Come in,” Hiruzen calls out.
Raido steps inside, closing the door after him.
“Sorry to disturb you, boss, but Uzumaki Hiroto and his Whirlpool team would like to see you,” he explains to Minato.
A blond brow arches and looks over to share a look with Hiruzen.
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Minato muses.
“This should be interesting,” Hiruzen murmurs before proceeding to light his pipe.
“Let them in, Raido, but keep alert,” Minato orders.
“Right,” the brunet nods and disappears out the door.
Soon the two Hokage watch Hiroto step inside the office followed by his teammates.
“Sorry to bother you two this afternoon,” Hiroto bows slightly before the two men.
“It’s no bother,” Minato replies neutrally. “What can we help you with?”
“After discussing it with my team, I’ve decided we should return to Whirlpool,” the redhead states.
Both Hokage hide their surprise, keeping their expressions neutral as he continues his explanation.
“Now is not the time to be attempting to hash out a new treaty between Whirlpool and Konoha. Another envoy will be sent in a few months when the timing is likely to be much better. I hope the small aid we’ve been able to give toward village security will sow the seed in establishing stronger ties between our respective villages.”
“Your help has been greatly appreciated, Hiroto-san,” Minato solemnly replies. “I’m sorry circumstances didn’t allow for a better resolution now, but perhaps the timing will be better later on.”
“So am I,” Hiroto agrees. “We would’ve left sooner to inform Kushina’s parents of her untimely passing, but I wished to undo the animosity of the past by demonstrating a small measure of support for her adopted village and our longtime allies. Again, I’d like to extend our condolences.”
“You’re too kind,” Minato replies stiffly.
“We’ll take our leave now before the weather changes again making our journey more difficult. Spring weather is very unpredictable,” Hiroto replies, bowing again slightly before leading his team back out.
“That was interesting,” Hiruzen mumbles around his pipe moments later.
“ANBU!”
Instantly a team of three masked ninja appears kneeling before the two Hokage.
“Make sure the delegation from Whirlpool leaves Fire Country completely,” Minato orders.
“Yes, sir!” the three nins echo before disappearing again.
Glancing over at Hiruzen, he doesn’t miss the arched brow framed by wisps of pipe smoke.
“I’m overjoyed seeing the representatives of the old life Kushina hated so much finally leave, but I’m not taking any chances,” he explains. “Hiroto came for a reason and I doubt he’s finished his task yet.”
Hiruzen silently ponders the situation.
“They might’ve attracted less attention had they left when Kushina died, though that could be due more to not wanting to look bad by leaving at that time. However, the simplest explanations are not necessarily the best ones.”
“Not where ninjas are concerned,” Minato agrees.
“Could be the opportunity they were waiting for did not present itself,” the old Hokage muses thoughtfully. “Or they were merely on a fact finding mission.”
“Regardless of their intentions, I’m not willing to take the chance and drop my guard,” Minato’s cold tone matched the look in his eyes.
“You’ve done all you can for now,” Hiruzen nods.“Perhaps we should take this moment to go over the list of potential babysitting candidates from the current crop of genin to get your mind off of Kushina’s cousin?”
He watches the blond consider it for a few moments.
“I think today will be my short day.” Minato smirks at Hiruzen’s surprised expression. “Knowing you, you’ve already got a few candidates in mind. Compile the final list and we can call them and their jounin sensei in tomorrow. I’m going home and spend time with Naruto.”
“A good precaution until the Whirlpool delegation is definitively gone,” Hiruzen nods, catching on to Minato’s intention.
“Now that Naruto has become their target, I won’t ever fully dismiss them as a risk. There will be some definite restrictions to the genin we approve as babysitters.”
“Understood,” Hiruzen agrees, watching Minato rise from his seat and leave the office to retrieve his daughter.
A soft sigh breaks the silence of the office the following afternoon.
Looking up from the document in his hand, Hiruzen eyes the young blond sitting at his desk nearby.
“Are none of the candidates so far meeting your expectations?” the old man asks.
“Actually, I’m fine with all the members of the two teams we’ve interviewed so far today,” Minato replies, leaning back in his seat. “I’m just trying to figure out how I’m going to handle one particular member of the last team we’ll be interviewing.”
Hiruzen puzzles over the blond’s words before asking, “Do you mean Iruka?”
“Yes,” Minato nods. “His parents were among the shinobi killed during the Kyuubi attack. I don’t want to put him in a difficult situation by having his team baby sit Naruto for me.”
“With all the rumors flying around before the gag order I’m sure he’s aware of what Naruto contains,” Hiruzen muses, reaching for his pipe to bite on it.
“Exactly. I can’t fault him if he wrongly blames Naruto for their deaths, but I don’t want to put her at risk should he want vengeance nor do I want to heighten his grief.”
“Hmmm. There’s a third scenario you’re not considering.” At Minato’s arched brow he points out, “It may be an opportunity for Iruka to heal. He’s had trouble adjusting since his parent’s death and became disruptive before graduating from the academy. He’s alone and has too much time on his hands when not on missions to dwell on the rumors surrounding Naruto. This may be a good opportunity to dispel those lies and bond with her.”
“I don’t know,” Minato replies uncertainly.
Arching his own brow, Hiruzen points out, “Iruka may only be twelve and still grieving his parents, but he became an adult when he graduated the academy and tied on the headband. He’s mature enough to handle babysitting Naruto. If that isn’t enough incentive, keep in mind you’re giving Uchiha Shiro of Team 15 the benefit of a doubt and considering him for the same detail. It wouldn’t be fair if you don’t give Iruka the same consideration.”
“Good point,” Minato agrees. “I’ll judge by his interview then.”
Hiruzen nods as they resume working, waiting another hour until Iruka’s genin team arrives. The two Hokage debate briefly whether to interview Iruka first or save him for last before agreeing it’s best to start with him. Minutes later the door soon eases open permitting a young boy with his spiky brown hair tied up high on his head in a ponytail to hesitantly step inside.
“Come on in, Iruka,” Hiruzen encourages.
“Hey, Iruka,” Minato greets with a warm smile. “Have a seat,” he adds, rising to his feet to walk around his desk while gesturing at a chair positioned in front of both desks.
Iruka nervously rubs at the scar across his nose and approaches the indicated chair before settling on it.
“You’re not in trouble, Iruka,” Hiruzen soothes. “Didn’t your jounin sensei explain we’re interviewing your team for a special assignment?”
“Yeah,” the young boy finally speaks up, “but it still feels like I’m in trouble for something.”
Minato and Hiruzen laugh, causing Iruka to smile and putting him more at ease.
“You’re not in trouble, Iruka,” Minato smiles while coming around in front of the boy to lean against his desk. “But I have to say that reading the reports of your pranks were far more entertaining than the usual reports we get. I used to try getting the academy sensei to award you extra points for creativity, but I never won that argument.”
Both Hokage grin at Iruka’s sheepish expression as the boy ducks his head slightly.
“Anyway,” Minato continues, “like the Sandaime said we’re interviewing your team and a couple of others for a special assignment and we want you to be completely honest with us. Whatever you say is not going to count against you and make us think any less of you. Is that understood?”
Brown eyes gape up at him before Iruka slowly nods his head.
“Iruka,” Minato continues a little more seriously, “I need help watching my daughter, Naruto, during the day when I’m at work and I’m considering hiring your team for the job.”
“My team?” Iruka asks disbelievingly.
“Yes,” Minato nods. “Iruka, I need strong ninja I trust to protect her. I want to know what you think about that.”
Iruka’s brown eyes drop in thought to his clasped hands resting in his lap. After a few minutes he looks up at Minato.
“Will I get in trouble if I say something that violates the law?”
Smirking softly, Minato shakes his head.
“No, because I really need you to be honest with me, so you’re free to say what you want.”
“Okay,” Iruka replies hesitantly. “It’s just, I know the demon is sealed in your daughter, but what if it gets out? I mean, she’s just a baby, but that was a really big demon and it did a lot of damage and killed a lot of people.”
“Yes, it did,” Minato nods in agreement. “You’re right, she’s still just a baby, but I sealed the demon in her and I promise you it’s not getting out. You learned about seals in the academy and usually all it takes to unseal something stored in a scroll is a little chakra, but it would take a lot more than the average shinobi’s chakra to release the demon. As long as she’s safe and no one tries to hurt her, it’s going to stay put for a very long time.”
“If the demon isn’t trying to get out then she didn’t sprout a fox tail and ears?” Iruka asks in confusion.
It’s Minato’s turn to look confused.
“No. Why would you think that?”
“Because some people said she’s got ears and a tail and is red like a fox.”
Minato can’t resist laughing while Hiruzen chuckles around his pipe. Calming, the blond Hokage smiles at a baffled Iruka.
“I’ve got to admit she’d look really cute with fox ears and a tail, but those rumors are false. She’s got red hair just like her mother did, not because of the Kyuubi.”
“Oh,” Iruka replies, blushing again in embarrassment.
Minato studies the boy for a moment.
“I’m not asking this to be mean or insulting, but does it bother you that Naruto contains the Kyuubi, Iruka? Your parents were killed that night and I want you to be honest about how you feel towards her. A lot of people blame her for all the death and destruction.”
Iruka frowns again in confusion.
“Why would they blame her? I saw it. It was a great big demon fox attacking the village, not a baby,” he points out like it should be obvious.
“You’re right, it wasn’t a giant baby,” Minato grins. Becoming serious he adds, “But a lot of people blame her because I sealed the demon in her. They don’t understand I did it to keep everyone safe and quite a few have threatened her thinking it’d destroy the Kyuubi.” Blue eyes bore into brown in emphasis. “Chakra demons like that can’t be killed. Even if you destroy the physical chakra body, the demon eventually regenerates to run loose again.”
“That’s wrong,” Iruka scowls. “I mean, yeah, at first I blamed her ‘cause my mom and dad died, but the longer I listened to what people said the stupider it sounded. And she’s just a baby. She didn’t do anything wrong. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s keeping us all safe.” He eyes Minato accusingly, “It’s kinda mean you stuck the demon in her, though.”
Smiling softly Minato replies, “Yeah, it was. Didn’t have a lot of options and, believe me, I would’ve rather cut off my own arm than do that to Naruto.”
Seeing the guilty sincerity in Minato’s eyes sparks Iruka’s own guilt.
“I’m sorry for being a jerk.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s the truth,” Minato smiles wider. “So are you okay with being one of Naruto’s babysitters?”
“Yeah, because my parents taught me not to unjustly blame others and that being a shinobi means doing your best to protect everyone.”
“Good,” Minato nods. “Because like I said, I need strong ninja I can trust.” He grins as Iruka’s renewed embarrassed flush. “I know you and your teammates will want real missions, so if we pick you, you guys won’t be stuck here all the time. There’s a couple of other teams I’m looking at and if we approve them, I’ll rotate your team with them.”
Determined brown eyes hold blue.
“We’ll keep Naruto safe and I like little kids, so she won’t get bored or anything.”
“Good,” Minato grins. “Because she’s fast and likes to get into things the moment you’re not looking, so you’ll have to be on your toes.”
“We won’t let you down, Hokage-sama,” Iruka nods.
“Alright, you can go. We’ll let you know later if your team is selected,” Minato dismisses Iruka.
Grinning back, Iruka waves ‘bye’ to Hiruzen as he races from the room.
“So what do you think?” Hiruzen asks, watching the young blond return to his desk.
“I think that unless something comes up with the rest of Iruka’s team, I’ll have three different genin teams to rotate out for baby sitting duty. Although, I’d feel a lot better if I could assign jounin or ANBU for the detail instead.”
“Still worried about Hiroto?”
“I’ll never stop worrying about Hiroto and Whirlpool,” Minato replies, looking pointedly over at the aged Hokage. “They’re not going to give up and all it’s going to take is the right moment for them to take advantage of. If there weren’t so many other things demanding my attention and the village didn’t need me, I’d already be naming another successor and stepping down to raise my daughter.”
Hiruzen spends a few moments gaping in surprise before his expression turns contemplative.
“Understandable,” he nods. Then a mischievous smirk spreads across his lips. “Although, if you had said you’d be handing the reins back over to me, my first order of business would be to order your execution,” the old man deadpans.
“That’s why I didn’t say it,” Minato laughs. Becoming serious, he adds, “It would be meaningless for me to step down if the village isn’t a safe place to raise her. Not with Danzo and Fugaku lurking in the shadows. To best protect her, I must remain Hokage.”
“Then let’s get through the remainder of these interviews so we can get back to work,” Hiruzen suggests.
Minato nods before calling out, “Send in the next one, Raido!”
A/N: These last two chapters were the hardest to write with chapter 4 being the worst of the two. Once I got the last chapter done it didn’t take me quite as long to finish this one.
It was just hard killing off Kushina. However, in this chapter my struggle had more to do with not being too cliché, maudlin or over the top cheesy with her death scene. I love cheese, but I prefer it more on my food. In writing, however, it’s best in the right quantities. I personally am happy with her death scene. I probably would’ve skipped over the damn thing entirely if I didn’t get it right and that would’ve sucked because her death is so pivotal to the story.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As much of a struggle it was to write, I really enjoyed the challenge of my first death scene. Thank you again for sticking with this story and feel free to leave a review if the mood strikes you. I’m especially interested in hearing your opinions on the death scene. Toodles!
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Broken Branches