Suna no Hoshi [Naruto Fanfic]

Sandy Safe Haven

Minato looked grimly over his son, keeping his gaze away from Kushina.

“No…no, Minato. Let me take the Kyuubi to the grave. You can’t make Naruto a host!”

The Yondaime Hokage winced and finally looked at his wife, blue eyes apologetic.

“Kushina-chan, I’m sorry. The Kyuubi no Youko will just revive sooner or later, and then come after Konoha again. I will seal the yin half of its chakra into myself using Shiki Fujin, and seal the yang half into Naruto using the Hakke Fuuin no Shiki. Besides, you saw that man…that man I believe to be Uchiha Madara. I know he will continue to be a menace in the future, and our son will need the power of the Nine-tails to fight him.”

“Please…Minato,” she swallowed down her tears.

“Kushina…don’t worry. I will seal the last of our chakra into him as well. If worse comes to worse, we can help prevent the Kyuubi from breaking out or help Naruto if he ever were to try to take full control of its chakra…And get to see him one last time,” he added sorrowfully.

Kushina nodded slowly, just as Hiruzen and a few other shinobi came into view. Outside the barrier, they seemed to be screaming at them, but they could hardly hear them.

“Minato, is there nothing I can do to change your mind? To just stay alive and raise our boy by yourself?”

“Trust me on this. It is not only for Konoha’s sake, but for our son’s.”

And Kushina only nodded reluctantly one last time, resigning to this.

“Hey, Motor-mouth?” Minato hesitantly began once more. Kushina faintly smiled at Minato’s old nickname for her. “…I know I wouldn’t deserve this last thing, but I need to ask you for one more favor…After this, I won’t be able to hold on because of the Shinigami, but I know you can stand to live a little longer. Please hold on for a little bit…check on our son. If something were to go wrong after I die, flee to Suna. Just talk to Rasa, ask him for help.”

Kushina looked at him tentatively, though she told him she would. Still, she wasn’t too sure about his request. She liked Rasa, really. She liked him as much as Minato did, though she wasn’t sure the Kazekage returned the sentiment as much or at all. She knew he was a good man, a bit reserved and maybe even callous and ruthless when called for…but he was a good man nevertheless. And no matter what anyone says or what’s been done, she knew he was an honorable man.

But she wasn’t so confident that Rasa would offer his help.

And then Minato was sealing half of the Kyuubi’s chakra, Kushina still holding onto it with her chakra chains, and then the Yondaime Hokage summoned the throne needed to seal the other half of the dramatically down-sized Kyuubi’s chakra into Naruto.

The claw that almost killed their son was thwarted by their own bodies, though Minato took the brunt of it so that Kushina would be able to at least live just those few precious moments longer that he’d hoped for.

As Kushina murmured to their son about how she wanted him to live, to never forget who he was, and how much she loved him, Minato handed the key to the seal to Gerotora.

“Listen to your Motor-mouth Mom, Naruto,” Minato smiled grimly.

And then he finished the sealing.

It was the last sight Kushina saw before she passed out, having grabbed Naruto and started cradling him close to her. She missed the Sandaime and his two ANBU bodyguards, the only ones to have witnessed the sealing, rush towards them. When she next awoke, she could barely stay conscious, realizing more importantly that her beloved son was missing. Panicking, she checked around, head turning this way and that before she was interrupted.