Hokage Monument,
A top the Hokage monument a large wave of purple flames appeared before just as quickly disappeared leaving Naruto and Minato in it's wake.
"So...what..." Minato was about to question, but was stopped cold when Naruto quickly turned around and sent a powerful punch right into Minato's face, which sent him tumbling across the ground a good twenty yards away and into the underbrush of the forest that resided on the monument.
Minato shook his head from the haze that clouded his vision thanks to the sucker punch he just received before got back to his feet, wondering what brought that on. When he looked for Naruto he noticed his son was sitting at the edge of the monument with his legs hanging off the side looking on towards the war-ridden village. He noticed his reserved body language and gathered there was a reason for his actions. He sighed and walked over quietly and sat down in the same position Naruto was in.
"Care to explain what that punch was for?" He grumbled out, while massaging his already sore jaw.
"That? That was for birthdays three through six." Naruto answered, sounding both upset and sad at the same time, making Minato look on curiously.
"Could you elaborate...I'm not exactly up to date with the current news as you could imagine." He laughed at his own stupid joke hoping it would lighten the tension that hung in the air.
"I suppose you wouldn't...not that I could blame you considering your circumstances. However let me ask you this...what do you think happened to me, Uzumaki Kushina, and this village after you sacrificed your life to seal the Kyuubi into me?" His asked, looking him directly in the eye, his tone now completely void of all emotion.
Minato was at a loss for words...of all the questions he figured his son would ask, something as elaborate as this wasn't one of them...as least right off the bat. Nonetheless he thought over everything that happened during the day of the attack, as well as his life within the village prior to that fateful day. Finally after a few minutes of silence Minato began to speak up.
"Well...I won't lie and say I thought everything would be perfect after that day occurred, I'm not naive enough to think that everything in the village would go back to the way things were before it. However at the very least I would think that once things began to cool down Sarutobi would tell everyone what occurred and how the fox was 'defeated', but more importantly how YOU played the key role for their survival..." He began, before pausing and let out a frustrated sigh and looked at his son. "Sochi...I wanted...I wanted for the village to look upon you as a hero. I know that is slightly idealistic within the circumstances, however I had faith in my people. I believed that the majority of them would see you as such. I never once thought EVERYONE would see you as what you should be, many people lost more then they ever dreamed of that day, and I don't think anyone could blame them for being hateful, and vengeful. Unfortunately that is just how people are in the world we live in. But because from the very start I knew you'd at least have your Kaa-san, the Uzumaki clan, the Inuzuka clan, as well as your god-parents by your side, you'd protected from any...misguided...treatment towards you. While those souls were 'reeducated' into how you were supposed to be treated. As far as you and and you're family well...if that punch was any indication I'd say my wife's clan trained you since the day you could walk...cause that punch was no joke and I think I lost a tooth. So I could only guess that by now you are probably a Chuunin or even a Jounin especially with the Kekkei Genkai you along with the training you've probably received." He said chuckling again still massing the pain in his jaw. "So...tell me was I in the ballpark?" He questioned with a smile and almost child-like curiosity in his sapphire orbs.
Naruto almost wanted to throw up at the garbage Minato just spewed out. However in truth he couldn't really blame him, many of his points even he agreed with himself. I mean who in their right mind would distrust a village they were the faithful leader of? Who would believe their spouse, immediate family, and the the child's own god-parents would just just up and abandon a child...not many, and not even Naruto himself. After tossing around Minato's words in his head, he let out a long-winded sigh.
"Unfortunately...that little vision of yours is so far from reality. I could call it a utopia in comparison to the truth of the matter." Naruto answered cynically.
Naruto's answer, and tone made slightly Minato shiver on just what exactly his son meant.
"What exactly do you mean...was...could have really been bad?" . He felt his palms get sweaty, and feel an almost unbearable heat rise under his skin awaiting the answer.
Naruto could only laugh in an almost maniacal fashion at his father's obvious disbelief and fear of the truth.
"I've explained my life's story far too many times, and I grow tired of it. So I'll do the lazy thing and just SHOW you, though I hope you don't have a weak stomach cause you WILL NOT like what you see." He faced Minato without blinking when he spoke, the only sound that could now be heard was the man's fearful gulp.
"I've been though the horrors of an entire shinobi war my sochi I think I can handle this" He feigned courage, but deep in his heart he wasn't quite sure he wanted to go through with this based on Naruto's reactions on the subject.
Naruto just smirked, and shook his head almost whimsically before going though a few set of hand seals.
"Very well then Tou-san...you're about to see just how far down this fox-hole REALLY goes..." He said with a leer, which made Minato gulp again before he felt fingertips press against his forehead. "...Onipou: Sugi no Suna (Demon Art: Sands of the Past)!" He whispered before Minato's vision blurred then go completely white.
Minato opened his eyes, and allowed his vision to clear only to notice that he was in exactly the same spot on the Hokage monument that he was in before the flash of white.
"Sochi!?" He called out.
"Right here...Tou-san" A voice called out making Minato whirl around, and see Naruto.
"What exactly was that jutsu? You said 'Onipou'...I've only heard legends of those kinds of jutsu...where did you learn one?"
Naruto smirked a little. "All your questions will be answered fully in time. As for the jutsu I used...it allows the user view the memories of someone else or relive their own starting from conception...our case being the latter. We are inside Konoha...exactly ten years ago...the very day Uzumaki Kushina...your wife, my Kaa-san...and the whole Uzumaki clan, betrayed me, and exiled me from the clan abandoning me in this village. I was two years old at the time if you were curious." He explained while looking down across the village with a painful, betrayed, and hateful expression written in his face.
Minato was shocked at his words. "Betrayed? Exiled? Abandoned? Who in their right mind saw fit to exile my sochi from his own clan...because I know my Beni-hime would never do something like that! Not to her own flesh and blood!" He thought, aggravation seeping into his expression represented by a stern look at his son.
Naruto felt his Minato's stare, and sighed already knowing Minato wouldn't believe his words, alone. Which is the reason why he used the jutsu in the first place. However in truth he had hoped Minato WOULD take his word for it so he wouldn't be forced to completely crush the man's faith in the people and village he loved, so much in face he sacrificed his rather short life so they could survive. Nonetheless, he would show him the harsh reality that was his life within the village, if for nothing else then for Minato to understand the truth about what his sacrifice had brought to his own flesh and blood, and the world revolving around Naruto when he was a boy.
"We should head to the gates...THEY will be leaving soon. And this is something you MUST see." Naruto suggested coldly, before grabbing Minato's wrist and jumped into the air without fear and after a moment of Minato freaking out from the sheer stupidity of the action found himself not falling but actually flying...quite swiftly towards the village gates in fact.
For the next few what seemed like hours to Minato, he was subjected to watch what Naruto himself had to go through within Konoha between the time that Kushina abandoned him, and his eventual 'self-exile'. During these multiple events in the boy's life, Minato couldn't believe what he had witnessed. People in the streets cursing his name and existence, some even throwing things at him just as he simply tried to walk by. Store owners charging triple the price for clothing that was either too big, too small or so ruined no one would seriously wear them. ANY food that was sold to him was past its expiration date by at least a few months, or the store owners simply didn't allow him entry at all. Children mimicking their parents by cursing the boy, and not allowing him to play with them, some even beating him up if he attempted to get too close. The weekly if not almost nightly beatings that he was forced to endure by inebriated adults, and sometimes even shinobi who even had the audacity to claim killing the child is what Minato would have wanted, which only got worse when October tenth rolled around.
The second to last scene Minato bore witness to was the final day Naruto was in the village before he left, complete with the beating, the note from Kushina to the Hokage, as well his meeting with Natsumi and finally leaving the village. But the worst...the very worst thing Minato was forced to witness was the same event Naruto had decided to show Yugito...the night that he was raped...his very own son was raped by a villager HE died to protect.
During this whole interaction Naruto watched his father very closely, wondering just how he would react to what he would witness. Whether he would blindly believe these events to be fake and curse the boy for making him watch the lies of the Kyuubi. Or if he would realize what his precious village was truly capable of behind the walls and veils of the supposed 'family-oriented' village. To his surprise, Minato had a large range of reactions as he watched Naruto's life in the village. It ranged from utter disbelief at the first events occurring, to shock as the scenes just seemed to go on and on, to parental rage obvious by the gritted teeth, clenched fists, and the cold reflection in his sapphire orbs (which Naruto guessed was what Minato looked like on the battle field) as he continued to see how his village treated his only son in such an inhumane way.
But the reaction that surprised the hanyou the most was the last scene he showed him. Minato looked on horrified the moment the man stood with his member behind his son, and when he finally penetrated the poor boy, Minato could hold it in no longer and fell to a knee and emptied his stomach of all its contents into the street below. By the time he finished dry heaving when there was nothing left in his stomach, Naruto could see streams of tears also began to fuse with the sticky yellow puddle on the ground, as Minato's shoulders shook ever so slightly in rhythm of his crying.
"Now you know the truth..." Naruto said, his tone almost sounding sad that he just crushed his father's view of his village...almost.
Naruto snapped his fingers, and the scene and screams of his younger self quickly dissipated in a flash of white. When Minato felt the world around him changing, he opened his eyes to find himself back on the monument, and the moment he looked at his son a new trail of tears began to flow.
"Sochi...I..."
"Your 'sorry's now are useless, what you saw was the past and there is nothing you could have done. Your reactions to the events you witnessed were proof enough to me of you're true feelings. But even so had events after I left the village not been as good as they were...I dare say I'd hate you as much as I hate Uzumaki Kushina. Besides at least you now know why I punched you." He interrupted, but finished with a smirk.
Minato turned to face the village, not really sure what to say as the scenes flashed in his memory, which made his fists clench in anger.
"Tell me...tell me why you don't seem to want to seek vengeance on this village...and even me for what we've put you through?"
"Ironically enough..." He began before sighing. "...you can blame the very demoness you sealed in me for that." He said while chuckling, making Minato look at him oddly.
"What do you mean..." He began before the word 'demoness' slapped him in the head. "...WAIT demoness!? You mean Kyuubi is a female!?" He questioned, before Naruto nodded and smirked knowingly...before it all clicked in Minato's mind. "Sochi...was that woman you 'summoned' in the barrier REALLY the Kyuubi!?"
"Hai"
Minato looked dumbfounded...one of the few times in his life actually...there were so many questions that swirled around in his head at the moment.
"Could you please explain...there are too many questions you're making arise."
"I gathered as much, considering when I told Inuzuka Tsume, Inuzuka Hana, and Ojii-san. They too had many questions. However before I answer them...I'll answer your original one. The reason I don't burn this village to the ground and curse your name till my last breath is for two reasons. The first being that, I would much rather just spend my time enjoying life with Natsu-chan, and Hana-chan...then worry about vengeance on a place I already KNOW I can easily destroy. As for the second reason...its because despite what you witnessed, there were still a handful of good people that tried to help me, and as my 'thanks' to them I decided to spare their home."
"I see...well sochi you are much nobler then most...personally I don't think I would have been able to do the same thing as you, and decide to spare this place...which is surprising since I was once it's Hokage." He said chucking lowly. "By the way...when you mentioned your reason you spoke TWO names...care to elaborate for your old man?" He questioned with a fatherly glint in his eye.
"THAT...can be explained with what I was about to show you actually. But don't get any ideas...I'm not going to share, nor show you more then the barest of minimums when it comes to my private-life so you understand the circumstances up to this point in time." He replied giving him a glare.
"Hai hai...no worries a Tou-san knows when not to pry, but still I'm proud!" He said with an almost perverse smile, making Naruto shake his head in disbelief.
"Ero-Tou-san..." He whispered. "...now as I said before, I decided to leave the village for about six years to go and train with Natsu-chan. THAT was when my life turned around for the better...and I will show you glimpses of my life from that time until now. However I will only show you times that I deem you worthy of seeing or those that are necessary for you to understand how events leading up to today have come to be." He explained.
"Understood...but may I ask a favor..." He paused to gauge Naruto's reaction before silently giving him the 'go ahead'. "...this might be the only time I can do this with you, and as your Tou-san I'd like to know a little of the women that have claimed your heart. I'm not asking for the more 'private' moments, but just little bits and pieces of how you and the other two got together. I understand if you say no, but I just wanted to know if they AND you are happy." He almost whispered, making Naruto slightly smile.
"I'll think about it." Naruto responded in a warmer tone then he had been, before resealed and pressed his fingers against Minato's forehead once more sending them both into his mindscape.
For the next few hours, which in reality were only a few minutes in 'REAL' time, Naruto showed Minato how his life after his 'self-exile' began. However with Minato still being an enemy...no matter how unwilling...Naruto refused to allow Minato to see witness him train with Natsumi. As the scenes and the years rolled by, Minato smiled at his son's progress not only in the shinobi arts but also as a human being. It warmed the man's heart to know that even after all the adversity he was forced to live with Naruto could still genuinely smile, albeit only with Natsumi or Kaname...but still. And while he was surprised to witness Naruto's 'Sosei' and learned Naruto was now a hanyou (which finally explained his 'unique' appearance to Minato), he was happy that Naruto had decided to grace him with a few of the moments that Naruto and Natsumi had shared together. Especially the one that he had anticipated the most...the night the two finally confessed to each other. Of course he whined like a little kid when the scene changed right before the 'good part' started, which made Naruto slightly embarrassed to be related to him.
Finally the scenes entered the more recent months, mainly when Naruto had heard about Orochimaru's invasion plan and transversely Naruto's reemergence in Konoha. To Minato's dismay, the village had stayed the in the same bigoted mentality as it had six years prior, and he was forced to witness these scenes as well. Though thankfully Naruto had Natsumi, and the backing of the Inuzuka clan this time around so Naruto could tolerate the villagers easier. However despite witnessing it first hand in the first batch of Naruto's memories, when Kushina came into view, his whole body froze, while his heart sped up like it wanted to rip out of his chest.
"Beni-hime...I can't believe this is who you turned into after that day. I trusted you more then ANYONE to love, take care of and protect our child...from the very people that even you turned out to be. I love you so much Beni-hime...but I'm ashamed of you at the same time. And to make things even worse you turned Naruto's own Tanechigais (step siblings) against him. I...I don't know if I can forgive you Koishii (beloved)." He thought as he watched the scenes roll on.
Soon the scenes skipped through the Chuunin exams, the month off, and the Chuunin finals, before finishing off to right when Minato himself emerged from his coffin. Minato heard a snap of Naruto's fingers before the area burst with a white light and the next thing he saw was the Hokage monument once more.
"Now you know what is currently happening."
"Seems so...and after all that I can understand why you would get tired of repeating the story so often...seemed like a long one." Minato chuckled. "Arigato sochi...for sharing you're life with me even the abridged version. Truth be told after everything I've witnessed and even though I feel proud of you...I can't help but feel disgusted with myself for being the focal point of all this. I may have sealed her into you for the village's sake...but it was still my fault things happened to you the way they did."
"Hm...perhaps I should have shown you the conversation when Natsu-chan also blamed herself for how bad my life was and sometimes still is. But I'll tell you what I told her...in reality I can't blame anyone for the situation I was and still am in. I can't blame you for you decision as a Hokage to help save thousands of lives by sealing Natsu-chan into me, and its a decisions I know you couldn't have made easily. At one point I put myself in your position and I couldn't come up with an answer, so I know it wasn't easy for you. Besides as you said, as far as you knew you were leaving me with a loving family. You couldn't have had any idea that they would abandon me like they did. Just like I can't blame the villagers...well mostly...I can blame them for not getting to know me before deciding I was Kyuubi and beat me. But still after that day they were all afraid, and angry...and fear and anger have a nasty way of dissolving one's logic and common sense to even the most simplest of questions. I can't and won't EVER blame Natsu-chan for her role either, she lost just as much as the villagers did that day. So to me...while certain situations could be helped but weren't, I still can't seem to rightfully blame anyone directly for how my life was...well aside from Orochimaru" He said before chuckling. "Besides...if things had been different I'm not so sure that the few things in my life I could honestly say I couldn't live without: Natsu-chan, Hana-chan, Yugito-chan, and the other people close to me...I may never have met them or had the same relationships with them that I do in the life that I lead today. In truth I should probably be thanking, both Natsu-chan, you, and the villagers for putting me through all that, because not only am I stronger from it, but I'm also happier as well."
"Well then despite me still feeling guilty, I'm glad you are happy and I could be a slight part of that." Mina to responded with a small happy smile.
"Hai...arigato" Naruto retorted with a smile of his own. "So tell me...how exactly do you feel after witnessing everything?"
Minato's smile waned a bit. "Truth be told I'm still a bit shell shocked over everything...I mean I NEVER in my wildest nightmares could have imagined something as bad as how your life was. But to answer your question directly, I'm disappointed in my village...but not only them but Kushina-chan as well. I'm also very angry...honestly after seeing all that, if Orochimaru had ordered me to destroy Konoha right now I'd be sorely tempted to not want to disobey. And surprisingly enough after what you just told me, I'm also happy...because as you said even after all you went through you've still managed to find two...if I may be so bold as just a man for a moment...very attractive women to be by your side, as well as general happiness in your life."
"Hai...that I have Tou-san that I have." He smiled almost dreamily, memories of all the good times with 'his' women floating in his head, before it quickly left and he sighed. "Unfortunately I've said all I've came here to say...so there is only more last thing for us to do..." He paused in a serious tone before standing up with Minato silently doing the same, the two stared at each other for a moment before closing the gap between them and embraced one another. "...I may have to fight you, but I just want you to know that I love you Tou-san." Naruto said quietly, a tear silently falling down his facing.
"Arigato sochi, and know that I love you just as much, and that I'm very proud of the man you are today and I ALWAYS will be" Minato whispered, allowing his tears to freely fall knowing this will probably be the last time he'll see his son...let alone be able to hug him.
The pair hugged for another minute before releasing each other and wiped their eyes. They quickly moved back a few yards from each other, before each lost whatever emotions were on their faces, now in their 'shinobi mode'. Naruto pulled out a pair of kunai from his holster, and threw one to Minato who caught it with ease around his pointer finger, allowing it to spin around before gripping the handle.
"You know you had me at a disadvantage with no weapons"
"Hai...but I like to keep my honor intact despite being a shinobi"
"I suppose a lot of people have told you how foolish that is considering the specs of our job?"
"Natsu-chan reminds me whenever she gets a chance" He smirked, making Minato do the same.
"Well lets just see how good you really are sochi...on the count of three..."
"Ichi..."
"...ni..." Minato continued, both of the fighters gripped their weapons tighter their eyes concentrating on their opponent, while their bodies tensed.
"...SAN!/SAN!" They both shouted at the same time, before phasing out of existence, and immediate sounds of metal clashing against metal resounded on top of the monument.
With Team Whirlpool,
"Kaa-san...these shinobi are no fun!" Valios whined after just slamming his open palm straight up into an Oto shinobi's nose sending the bone right into his brain killing him. "Why can't we just leave, and go back to train?"
"Because Valios-kun...first of all Konoha may not be the clan's home anymore but at one point it was and we should protect it...for old times sake. Secondly Orochimaru is the leader of Oto, and the Uzumaki have a bone to pick with him, lest you forget he tried to kidnap one of your cousins in the past. And lastly...we still haven't finished our main objective for coming back to Konoha in the first place. And I'll be damned if I don't free my Sochi's soul from that demon's grip once and for all!" She yelled above the screams in response, making Kasumi go ridged considering her recent thoughts concerning her brother.
"I...I don't think I can go through with killing him anymore" Kasumi confessed struggling with her feelings on the subject.
"Plus I owe that girl after what she did to my eye." Kyoshiro agreed, his voice holding an uncharacteristic edge to it that could cut steel as he absent-mindedly pressed his hand over the patch on his eye, while torturing a group of Oto shinobi with one of his more...ingenious...genjutsu.
"Understood...but I don't have to like it" Valios sighed after just breaking the spine of another poor soul.
The Uzumakis were finishing off the last few enemies inside the Chuunin arena after the Konoha Jounin abandoned it for more strategic places to fight in. And while the Konoha shinobi didn't know why they were helping, they certainly weren't picky about their allies at the moment, so they allowed them to fight under their own discretion.
Once the Oto shinobi were finished off, the family regrouped only to all jump back in different directions before dodging a hailstorm of kunai that almost darkened the sky as they fell down to the earth, and what appeared to be all over the village. When the family got back together, they examined the kunai that were now scattered across the entire arena wondering just what happened. Though when Kushina picked up one of the odd kunai she immediately dropped it as if it burned her.
"I...it can't be..." She whispered, her facial expression one of shock, confusion and slight horror...an expression in which none of her children noticed.
"Ne Kaa-san whats with this weird looking kunai, and whats with this seal?" Valios asked, after picking up the three-pronged kunai and analyzed it like a scientist would.
"Its impossible!" She said in the same whispered voice, though this time her kids heard her.
"What is?"
"T...that kunai...its the essential part to activating the Namikaze Kekkei Genkai jutsu...Hiraishin. But the only person who knew how to use it is dead...which can only mean..." She tried to explain before an almost blinding flash of yellow and orange encompassed their vision, and an explosion rocked the arena causing a large cloud of dust to form, and her to stop talking mid-sentence.
The whirlpool team looked on mostly in curiosity, astonishment, but fear from Kushina. As the dust settled two human forms could be seen, well one being human...the other they could swear looked like ...a fox? As the dust settled, their suspicions were confirmed when both Naruto and Minato's forms appeared while being in a stalemate of strength with their kunai.
"Minato-kun..." Kushina gasped out in a whisper, when she saw the pale skinned version of her dead husband, now standing only a few yards away.
Naruto himself easily caught her words and looked over to see his 'family' standing there watching the dueling men in shock. Minato noticed his son's gaze and followed it before he nearly dropped his kunai in his own shock at seeing his wife once more. Naruto himself knew a break in their duel was in order thanks to this new...situation...that arose, and released the pressure on his kunai.
"Kushina-chan..." Minato said surprised, before walking in a zombie like fashion out of the crater they formed.
Kushina's body moved seemingly on her own, her gaze completely transfixed on the golden haired Hokage. The two walked up to one another as their children watched in fascination. When the pair reached each other they looked into each other's eyes before slowly moving into an intimate embrace. The romantic episode making all but Naruto forget the situation they were in.
"Is it you...is it really possible?" Kushina whispered, her tone making it obvious they she had already begun to cry.
"Hai...although the means in which I am are less then favorable." He whispered back, while stroking her back tenderly.
"I can't believe you're really back...my youkou (sunshine)...my koishii (beloved)."
"Beni-hime (Crimson Princess)" He cooed back, taking in the scent of her hair, and the feel of her body against his, that he missed so much.
Unfortunately the sound of the war raging around the group spurred them back to the present, and made the couple end the embrace though still standing closely.
"You know Tou-san...if I didn't have the senses that I did that proved your words genuine during our talk, I'd think you were lying the whole time." Naruto's cold voice broke the verbal silence in the area, focusing everyone's attention on him.
"KAA-SAN GET AWAY! THE KYUUBI FINALLY SHOWED ITSELF!" Valios shouted immediately, all three children now in their fighting stances after registering Naruto's hanyou appearance.
Kushina's happy appearance quickly turned to scorn when her gaze went to Naruto once more, before she pulled Minato along towards her children.
"Minato-kun...we could use you're help dealing with Kyuubi again" Kushina said warmly once she reached her children's side and took her own stance.
Minato just listened at Kushina and her children's words about his son, and the flashes of Naruto's memories spun through his head. His expression darkened before he slowly stalked up to Kushina who noticed this and looked at him oddly, before a resounding slap could be heard throughout the entire arena.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" He shouted at a gaping Kushina who was cradling her reddened cheek. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOUR ACTIONS DID TO OUR BOY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HIS LIFE WAS LIKE AFTER YOU ABANDONED HIM IN KONOHA!? YOU'RE NAME MAY BE THE SAME...BUT YOU'RE NOT THE SAME UZUMAKI KUSHINA THAT I ONCE LOVED WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING EVEN AFTER DEATH! THE UZUMAKI KUSHINA I FELL IN LOVE WITH AND HAD A CHILD NAMED NAMIKAZE UZUMAKI NARUTO WITH WOULD NEVER...EVER...ABANDON HER CHILD LIKE YOU DID...SHE'D SOONER KILL HERSELF! I don't know what went through your mind when you thought Naruto here was the Kyuubi. Nor what went through it when you brainwashed these children into believing that lie as well...and even WORSE to think that I had wanted to you kill him in my stead. All I truly know is that man standing behind us IS and ALWAYS was our child Naruto. I've seen his life through his memories and I must say I am SORELY disappointed with you, as well as this very village I once served and gave my life for." He shouted, breathing heavily after his tirade.
Everyone but Naruto had their jaws open in shock that Namikaze Minato would chew someone out like that...let alone his wife. Naruto himself simply watched the scene unfold and was rather curious on how Kushina and her children would react to probably the ONLY person in the world that could knock some sense into them about who he REALLY is...not that it mattered to him much anymore. Kushina herself stood like a statue as the scene played out, mostly in utter shock that Minato would strike her like he had as well as berate her so soundly. However her brain quickly registered what he said and she soon felt slight betrayal and rage from Minato's words. THAT THING standing there...HER son? How absolutely absurd!
"That THING isn't any sochi of mine...not anymore." She replied coldly, looking at Naruto with a dagger-like stare.
Minato a split second later had the collar of her shirt gripped in his fists with her face mere inches from his own. His cold sapphire eyes that Kushina always considered one of his best and most attractive attributes stared at her like he was the Shinigami itself.
"What did you say?" He whispered, a low growl entering his voice.
"I SAID THAT IS NOT MY SOCHI!" She shouted, the suddenness of it making Minato let her go and even take a step back. "LOOK AT HIM! MY SON WOULD ONLY BE TWELVE YEARS OLD THIS YEAR! YET YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THIS MAN WHO LOOKS ALMOST THIRTY IS MY NARU-CHAN!? ON TOP OF THAT LOOK AT HIM! HE IS THE KYUUBI IN HUMAN FORM! HE HAS KITSUNE TAILS, AND EARS, CLAWS, FANGS, AND EVEN SLITTED EYES JUST LIKE THE DAMNED KYUUBI THAT RUINED OUR LIFES THE DAY IT DESTROYED KONOHA, FORCED YOU TO SACRIFICE YOURSELF, DEVOURED OUR SON'S SOUL AND TOOK OVER HIS BODY! SO DON'T LIE TO ME AND TELL ME THAT THING IS MY SOCHI! NARUTO DIED THE DAY YOU SACRIFICED YOURSELF FOR THIS DAMN VILLAGE AND SEALED THAT UNHOLY CREATURE IN OUR BOY'S BODY!" She finished, her voice becoming raspy from the strain, WITH tears raging down her cheeks the longer she screamed.
After she spoke, Minato chanced a glance towards Naruto who just looked on with an emotionless expression. However Minato could see when he looked in Naruto's eyes...the slightest spark of a broken heart over what his mother said about him, the last remaining hope of the two year old child within him finally broke. Minato turned away shaking his head not being able to bare seeing his son in such a state, even if no one else could.
"Your wrong Kushina...there is SO MUCH you don't know about him. And if you did you'd see that you harbored ill feelings towards you're own son for over a decade. However he has already told me he doesn't care about making amends with you anymore, and although I find that extremely sad, I can't and won't argue against it. But I just want you to know one very important thing about Naruto being a jinchuuriki that only a select few know in the world..." He paused, making sure Kushina was listening intently. "...Naruto doesn't look like he does now because of the Kyuubi taking over his body. He looks like that because EVERY human being that has a demon of five tails or more sealed in them MUST be reborn into a hanyou so they don't die. The 'sosei' ritual they undergo turns the human into a hanyou which will allow them to survive with the demon sealed in them. Naruto's new appearance is the result of his own sosei ritual. It has NOTHING to do with the Kyuubi taking him over, so no matter what Naruto would have become a hanyou so he could survive with his demon. Him looking LIKE Kyuubi is just a coincidence of Kyuubi itself being a fox demon. Naruto could have very well looked like something completely different depending on the demon I sealed in him." He explained hoping that explaining Naruto's appearance will make Kushina understand.
Kushina heard Minato's words and while the majority of her was denying the possibility of what he said being the truth, in the deepest part of her heart she had hoped beyond hope that it was real. That somehow the man standing in front of her REALLY was her son. But when that feeling crossed her mind...realization began to sink into her thoughts, that is before the realization turned into utter fear. Fear that if Minato was right...all of the things she had said and done to Naruto REALLY was done to Naruto and not Kyuubi. Kushina's eyed widened, and her face now an expression of horror at the implications. But to protect her mind from both the truth and a mental breakdown, the anger she had for over a decade washed over the fear and the lingering guilt...which made her face turn to one of hatred and scorn.
"I don't believe it...I can't believe..." She was silenced once again when Minato grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"You DO believe! I saw your face Kushina! You know you've never been able to hide ANYTHING from me before! You're just too afraid of what it could mean about the life you've lead until this day, and realizing that all you did was torture and abandon our one and only child that day so long ago!"
While Minato spoke Kushina vigorously shook her head, not wanting to hear nor believe what he spoke.
"Its not true...IT CAN'T BE TRUE!" She shouted in anguish, more tears flowing down her face.
Minato's patience was running thin, especially since Kushina knew that he spoke the truth and yet forcibly denied it for her own selfish sake. He growled at her before understanding that he needed her to calm down so he lamentingly slapped her though less harshly then last time.
"YOU KNOW ITS TRUE! IF NARUTO REALLY WAS THE KYUUBI WHY IS HE FIGHTING TO PROTECT KONOHA AGAINST OROCHIMARU, INSTEAD OF HELPING TO DESTROY IT!? IF NARUTO REALLY WAS THE KYUUBI WHY DIDN'T HE KILL YOUR DAUGHTER...BUT INSTEAD SAVED HER LIFE WHEN HE FOUGHT HER IN THE PRELIMINARY MATCHES!? WOULD THE KYUUBI YOU KNEW DO THAT!? WOULD KYUUBI SAVE SOMEONE!? NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY...THAT MAN IS OUR SOCHI! YOU CAN'T DENY THE TRUTH ANYMORE KUSHINA! OUR SOCHI IS ALIVE AND HE IS STANDING RIGHT INFRONT OF YOU!"
"NOOO!" She screamed in response, her body giving out making her fall to her knees before falling back on her butt from her mental battle, her own arms wrapping around her as her body shivered, her face one of shock and horror as slowly the truth of her life began to dissolve the veil of hatred that covered her mind for so many years.
The children themselves didn't know what to do, especially at seeing their mother in such an emotional state. Kyoshiro seemed no different then he had since the talk began, although Minato's words did strike him as intriguing considering the sense it all made. If that man really was Kyuubi why DID he protect people so much? First his sister from her own jutsu and now Konoha itself...those actions certainly didn't seem like the work of a demon.
Valios unfortunately wasn't as sensible despite being a genius, and figured that Naruto just used the Yondaime's visage to try to convince them to stop their hunting of him. Valios just sneered at Minato's form, knowing full well of the Yondaime's reputation and knowing he would have no chance on defeating him, let alone him AND Kyuubi.
Kasumi herself though outwardly worried about her mother's current state, was inwardly crying happily that she was right about Naruto...her brother was ALIVE he was REALLY alive! In truth she wanted to run up to Minato and thank him for proving...at least to her own doubts...that Naruto really was still Naruto, before she would have run and 'glomp'ed her long 'lost' elder brother. But at the moment she knew there was too much tension, and raging emotions to do something like that. So she simply watched the events unfold and hoped things would turn out better by the end.
Kushina continued to play a mental game of tug of war with her decade old hatred on one end, and the ever growing flicker of hope, and truth on the other. Neither side could get ground nor give it, and with her indecisiveness not giving her the answers she searched for...only one variable remained that would determine the winner...Naruto himself.
Kushina calmed down slightly, her body stopping it's shivering episode and allowed her to stand once more. She took a deep breathe, before taking the plunge and lifted her face to look Naruto right in the eyes. Its said that the eyes are a window to a person's soul, and to Kushina...that couldn't be any closer to the truth then it was right now as she gazed into Naruto's slitted amethyst orbs. She searched his gaze for any evil, anger, hatred, vengeance...anything she could think of that reminded her of what the Kyuubi had been like when it attacked Konoha.
And to her hope's hope, and her hatred's hatred, she could find only a human's amount of any of those feelings written in his eyes. It WAS true...the man in front of her...the man she threatened with death...the man she exiled, and abandoned over a decade ago...the man she hated beyond anything in this world...was truly still...her own son.
Both Minato, and Naruto could see the mental turmoil going on in her mind as she looked at her son. They watched as the truth and anguish of realizing it washed over her, as sorrowful tears climbed to the edges of her eyes. As a single tear finally fell down her cheek, she took one final look at Minato before she 'shunshin'ed away in a tunnel of water, not able to stand being in the same presence of the first two most important people in her life. Kyushiro and Valios quickly followed her example, both wondering what had happened, while Kasumi lingered there a while longer. She looked longingly at her brother, her feelings easily written on her face before she couldn't take it anymore, and ran at him before gripping him in a strong embrace her own tears finally falling as well.
"G...gomennasai...Onii-sama" She whispered before 'shunshin'ing away to meet back with her family.
Minato walked towards Naruto before stopping along side him.
"That conversation could have gone better..." He sighed, lamenting that he had to yell at his own wife in that fashion. "...so what do you think?"
Naruto shrugged. "She certainly came to an euphony, so lets just see what happens after she calms down."
"Are you willing to give her another chance after seeing the way she reacted?" He questioned, hoping that even despite his words, he could convince Naruto to reconcile with Kushina and the Uzumaki clan.
Naruto snorted indignantly. "You should already know the answer to that after seeing my memories. She gave me up at the age of two because of her own hatred, selfishness, weakness, and fear. And just because I see the villagers in the same light and don't completely blame them...doesn't mean I'm willing to give them OR her a second chance. They BOTH gave up that right after what they did. Forgiveness and reconciliation are out of the question now. And they have only themselves to blame for that, it is my concern no longer. Kasumi I may reconsider however...she seemed to question Kushina's words after I saved her, and has acted different towards me ever since...as that hug just proved."
"I see...and although I'm sad to hear that, it is certainly within your right to decide such." He sighed, slightly hoping that his family could ATLEAST try to come together, but he couldn't blame Naruto after what he had witnessed. "I suppose we should continue where we left off."
"Hai..." He snapped his fingers causing all the kunai but one to puff out of existence. "...no Kekkei Genkai, just old fashioned shinobi skills ne?" He challenged.
"Hai...and I'm still impressed that you thought of the idea to use the Kage Kunai no jutsu in combination with the Hiraishin kunai. Wish I thought of it, would have saved me a bunch of money on kunai forging materials." He playfully grumbled.
"Think of it this way...you're the Tou-san of a genius" He replied with a toothy grin.
Minato couldn't help but proudly, and amusedly smile. "Hai hai, something to truly be proud of..." He retorted, before a rumble from within the barrier grabbed their attention, and they saw half the barrier filled to the brim with trees. "...seems our bonding time is over Sochi. Konoha needs your help and unfortunately until you defeat me you can't do that." Minato said, obvious sadness in his voice, as he got into his fighting stance.
"I suppose there is no more delaying it...but luckily Kushina gave me enough time to recover another tail's worth of chakra. Hopefully this will give me the edge I need, cause he was kicking my ass with only using three on the monument. I can truly understand why he was considered the strongest in Fire Country." Naruto appraised.
"Seems so Tou-san...on three again..." He responded getting into his own stance.
"Ichi..."
"...ni..."
"...SAN!/SAN!"
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu/Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!" They both yelled out, a plumb of smoke covering both shinobi.
The dust soon left the area in now Gamaken stood next to Minato, and next to Naruto himself stood a five-tailed cerulean furred fox that stood as high as Naruto's chest.
"OI! Jiraya I hope you didn't summon me to to help you escape your rightful woman beating like last time!" The toad roared.
"Same Ero-sensei"
Gamaken turned his head at both the voice that obviously didn't belong to Jiraya, but the words striking a fond memory.
"M...minato! B...bu...but how!? Both Jiraya and Gamabunta said you died!"
"Gomen Gamaken...a lot has occurred...but to make a long story short, I died, but Orochimaru made a jutsu that was able to summon me as his slave. And now my...sochi is my opponent which I know I will need you're help in defeating."
The toad still surprised at what was happening, took a chance to look at the opponent and his eyes grew wide at Naruto's appearance.
"This is way too confusing my old friend...but if you need my support you have it. But...are you sure...I mean if that IS you're sochi?"
"Hai...unfortunately I have no choice my summoner ordered it of me."
"I see...that is rather unfortunate. Although I must say he seems to have grown up to be a good man. And I guess you weren't kidding when Jiraya told me, that you called Kushina-chan a fox...and an animal in bed...if that boy's appearances are any indication." Gamaken joked, making Minato blush while promising that if he meets Jiraya again he'll be in the hospital for the next YEAR for telling others about their 'private' conversations.
Meanwhile Naruto and the fox were in the middle of their own conversation.
"You've summoned me Naruto-sama? I'm Enkai Namida (Ocean's Tear) at your behest." The fox's feminine voice introduced in a yip after bowing slightly.
"Hai...I need your help in defeating my opponent. From you're name I could probably assume, but you're main affinity is water correct? Beautiful name by the way."
"Hai...although I'm well rounded in all of the base elements my expertise is Suiton, with a touch of Hyoton. And arigato Naruto-sama."
"Good I was hoping for that, I'm glad I summoned you..." He answered back before noticing Minato, and the toad just finished talking. "If you would be so kind En-chan...some water!"
"Hai Naruto-sama!"
"It was nice slightly catching up Gamaken, but seems they are ready to go..." Minato spoke, also noticing Naruto and the fox stop communicating. "...if you would be so kind...some oil!"
"Coming up!"
Both summons followed their orders, and a stream of oil shot out of Gamaken's mouth strait at the fox pair, while a jet of water shot towards the toad and ex-Hokage.
"Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Style: Toad Oil Fireball)!" Minato shouted, after he finished hand sealing and shot flames out of his mouth aimed at the oil which quickly ignited.
"Raiton: Koukan Gosunkugi (Lightning Style: Corona Spike)!" Naruto shouted, as a literal spike of lightning climbed down his arm ending at his open palm before piercing though the tunnel of water.
The two groups waited to see who would win in their tag-team jutsu, as the few seconds it took for the jutsu to connect feeling like an eternity. The attacks finally met with a symphony of explosions rocking the area, the attacks seeming to cancel each other out thanks to the elements held within. Unfortunately because of the massive build up of chakra the energy just built up until it couldn't hold anymore and caused a massive explosion, plumbs of smoke and a large crater in the middle of the arena.
"Well that seemed to do nothing but ruin some earth and give us a nice light show" Minato said bluntly, Gamaken nodding in agreement, before the two jumped out of the way when another shot of electrified water pierced through the remaining dust. "He is right...this is no time to admire our work, lets go Gamaken...MORE OIL!" Minato shouted, summoning another 'Gamayu Endan', firing it through the remaining dust cloud.
The two teams, soon began to jump around the entire arena throwing their combination jutsu at each other, with neither side getting a straight hit on the other, thanks to their odd though successful teamwork. Eventually the teams found themselves back where they first started, though it seemed that all but Minato appeared to be tired, and had a few scrapes and bruises...apparently one of the perks to being summoned the way he had.
"Gomen my friend...but it seems I have no chakra left." Gamaken said solemnly.
"Its fine and arigato my friend for helping me even through these odd circumstances."
"Not a problem, take care Minato." He retorted with a smile...well what could be formed by a toad...before puffing out of the dimension.
Minato was about to think up a strategy for fighting against the duo in front of him, but it seemed that Naruto had beaten him to an idea and finished a quick set of hand signs.
"Suiton: Baku Suishouha (Water Style: Bursting Water Collision Waves)!" Naruto said before a torrent of water shot out of his mouth and quickly submerged the battleground up to the beginning of the stands in water.
"That wasn't an attack obviously...so what is he thinking?" Minato mentally questioned trying to think of Naruto's purpose for this water was for.
"Ne En-chan?"
"Hai Naruto-sama?" The fox vixen yipped though panted breathe.
"I can tell you're nearly out of chakra...and I'll send you back to recover soon. But do you have enough to completely freeze the top portion of this water?"
"Hai...I believe so."
"Great...then after you do so please excuse yourself from the battle, you've done a great job arigato."
"Understood Naruto-sama..." She answered before crashing her front paws into the water, making the water quickly turn into ice at least a foot thick, leaving swashing water under it. "...its been a pleasure doing battle with you." She finished with a happy, and feral looking smile before 'poof'ing out of existence.
The two men stood there just staring at each other, analyzing the other fighter trying to find any chink in their fighting ability...or at least one that was big enough to to use as an advantage.
"Damn...even without the Hiraishin he is still faster then me with my current chakra output, and also thanks to those damned gravity seals he released when we fought through the village before landing here. My only saving grace is that I'm clearly stronger, or else a few of those hits he gave me earlier would have done some serious damage. I'll just have to get faster then him then." Naruto thought, with Minato's thoughts ironically along the same lines as his own.
Naruto let out of breathe before wisps of purple chakra came off his body, the wisps quickly grew to completely encompass his body. The final touch was the purple dragon wings made of chakra emanating from his back.
"Shiroi Renge no Ryuu!" He said in a guttural voice before disappearing.
"Shit...that jutsu! I still haven't been able to fully analyze it while he used it after activating it in his and Kasumi's battle!" Minato shouted in his head, already in a defensive battle, knowing full well Naruto was now just as fast if not faster then him while using that jutsu.
The impacts of Naruto's steps were coming closer to Minato, while he tried to find a weakness in the style. Unfortunately he wasn't given enough time when Naruto appeared with his fist connecting to Minato's crossed arms sending the Hokage sliding backwards into the stands making a crater.
"Damn...his strength is insane...and I've fought Tsunade before! I'm just glad this body can't feel pain or else I'd probably be coughing up blood...if not a lung by now..." He thought while climbing out of the crater. "...he's persistent." He finished noticing the impacts already heading towards him.
Minato disappeared from his spot with Naruto following closely behind, the two roaring through the arena, the only time being seen when one was defending themselves from the other's attack. The arena itself looked like it was taking more of a beating then the shinobi themselves, nothing was left untouched by the two in the once pristine arena. Large holes and craters dotted the entire building, along with the ice that Naruto's companion created. Minato finally lead them back to the iced ground, but once he landed the impacts following him completely stopped.
"Where'd he go..." Minato thought, before realization hit him, and he looked up."...dammit ABOVE!"
Minato saw his son in mid-air a few feet away with his leg cocked back, with nothing left that he could do, Minato crossed his arm letting them take the brunt of the kick. The moment it connected, Minato realized his miscalculation...with Naruto's strength where it was, standing on a foot of ice wasn't the best of spots to be doing so. And after the kick connected found himself being indented into the ice before it completely gave way forcing him into the depths below. Naruto wasted no time, considering this was one of his plans as the two fought...to get him back on the ice. He quickly ran through some seals before punching his arm into the freezing lake.
"Raiton: Koukan Gosunkugi (Lightning Style: Corona Spike)!"
The moment he shouted his jutsu, the lightning ran down his arm before plunging itself into the water, a fierce crackle resounded through the area, before columns of water sprouted out of all the holes that dotted the ice into the air, making the sky dance with electrified water droplets before raining down. Naruto pulled his arm out of the water and waited, he knew his father wasn't THAT easy to kill...let alone in THAT summoned body, which he began to believe was indestructible considering all the damage he KNEW he inflicting upon it. And unfortunately for him he was correct, because he began to feel some vibrations come through the ice from the waters below.
He looked around for his father knowing he was the cause, but had turned around at the worst moment because a giant water dragon shot out crashing through the ice from behind Naruto. The dragon raged straight for Naruto's prone form, and all he could do was lock his arm in front of him before the blow was felt. The dragon ripped through him, sending him careening straight into the arena seats. Once the dragon finished its onslaught, Naruto was finally released from his underwater prison, and was gasping for breathe, his entire body and fur drenched. He looked up while recuperating, and saw Minato standing where his dragon had broke through the ice, with a happy smile on his face seeming to wait.
"Tsh...I'd be cocky too if I had a body that couldn't be destroyed..." Naruto thought begrudgingly. "...but considering I KNOW that jutsu would have incapacitated if not killed a normal shinobi, I can only think of one way to stop him. However even though I'm losing...I just can't beat down this overwhelming urge to fight him more. Whether its because he is the strongest opponent I've ever faced, or its because he's my Tou-san, I just don't want this fight to end...but I HAVE to." He finished the ghost of a happy smile crossing his lips.
Naruto pushed himself out of the crater, and lifted his palm to chest level so Minato could see. A Rasengan quickly formed in his hand, and Minato's smile grew even wider at the silent request and followed his son's actions a Rasengan in his own hand now. The two stared at each other for only a moment before they disappeared charging at each other.
"Rasengan!/Rasengan!"
They both reappeared only when their jutsu were inches apart before colliding, making the air around their collision shoot back, and the ice underneath them to give way slightly.
"I am completely impressed sochi..." Minato complimented with both a satisfied and proud smile. "...it seems she taught you well, and you've adapted those abilities into becoming a great shinobi."
"Arigato Tou-san...and although I've heard rumors about your strength in the village I didn't think you were THIS strong. You're and probably will be the strongest opponent I will have the pleasure of fighting." He replied with his own smile, through panted breath.
The two continued their power struggle while just staring into each other's eyes, that is until Minato noticed his son form a second Rasengan in his free hand, making him go wide-eyed. He himself summoned another to defend himself but before he could thrust his arm to meet Naruto's, he saw Naruto push the second Rasengan right into the first two they created. The surge and unbalanced chakra caused the other two to destabilize, which to the shock of Minato caused all three to explode. The explosion sent the two fighters reeling through the air in a bee-line to the opposite ends of the arena seats, creating another pair of large craters.
"Damn...either he is some kind of genius...or completely insane for pulling a stunt like that." Minato said to himself, while pulling himself out of the crater looking like nothing happened.
"Ug...Note to self...DON'T do that again" Naruto thought, while groaning pulling himself out of yet another crater.
"I guess there really is only ONE way to stop that kind of summon...fortunately I know of such a way." Naruto spoke to himself as he surveyed the area around him and smiled, when he saw an Oto shinobi's dead body that hadn't been completely eviscerated by either Natsumi nor the Uzumaki team.
Naruto grabbed the man's body by the throat, not really caring about the condition as long as it served his purposes. Minato looked at his son questioningly seeing his actions but dismissed it for later, when he saw him look ready to continue the fight. Naruto used his 'Shiroi Renge no Ryuu' once more, and pulled the dead corpse in a more supporting position.
"Damn...this jutsu again...just how much chakra does he have!?" Minato thought, while growling slightly.
Naruto disappeared with only impacts in his wake leading straight towards Minato, with Minato himself in a defensive stance thinking the body he is carrying would slow him down enough to be able to defend and counter. When the impacts were a couple yards away, something Minato wouldn't have expected happened. Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, his 'chakra cloak' and 'wings' gone, now with purple chakra surrounding his hand, as if he was using a medical jutsu. Minato had no time to move in response to his own surprise at the turn of events and just prepared himself for the impact.
"Kon Suikomu (Soul Inhale)!" Naruto yelled, before his glowing hand collided with his Minato.
Although the effect it had on Minato wasn't one he would have expected...when his son's hand connected with him, an indescribable feeling over came him...as if he was lifted out of his body and was flying through the air, and even go so far as being able to see his own body! Ironically what he failed to realize is that, that is EXACTLY what was happening to him at that moment.
When Naruto's hand collided with him, Naruto's jutsu literally pulled his soul out of the body it was summoned into. Fortunately Naruto having performed this jutsu several times already knew what needed to be done, which was his reasoning for the shinobi's body he just shoved his father's soul into...though technically it is now Minato truly resurrected. Once Naruto felt the merging was complete he stopped his momentum and dropped his now coughing father.
"What did you just do!?" Minato rasped out, while continuing his coughing fit...not registering that he was actually BREATHING again.
"I just truly brought you back to life...welcome back to the land of the living Tou-san" Naruto retorted with a cheeky grin, though panting quite heavily.
Minato stopped his coughing immediately, and looked at his son in questioning shock.
"What do you mean?"
"That jutsu allows me to move a living soul into a corpse...its the same jutsu that I used to give Natsu-chan a REAL body." He explained as if it was the easiest thing in the world to understand, while pointing at what used to be Minato's summoned body, which was now just ash, dirt, and the corpse of a tormented-looking Oto shinobi.
"So I'm really..."
"Hai"
"And 'he' doesn't control..."
"Hai"
"So I can..."
"Hai"
Minato just fell onto his butt, when their 'conversation' finished. He tried to wrap his head around the idea of it all...him truly alive again! Unable to stop it, Minato began to chuckle before it became full blown laughter. He laughed for a good few minutes before he finally calmed down, and stood in front of his son, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well if thats the case my Sochi...we have a village to save." He nearly chirped, which made Naruto smile and nod in response.
The pair looked towards the purple barrier, before 'shinshin'ing towards it.
"I wonder how the others are doing?" Naruto thought, slightly worried for his friends as he and Minato reached the roof the barrier was erected on.
With Hana & Haku,
"Tsuuga (Piercing Fang)!" Hana shouted, her body twisting into a rapid tornado-like spin, ripping deeply into the side of an Oto shinobi, who screamed in pain while falling to the ground...and bleed to death.
Hana stopped her jutsu, and panted lightly before surveying her current bloody surroundings. She nodded in approval when she saw Haku taking care of the final enemy shinobi in the vicinity. The area was strewn with Oto shinobi as well as a few Konoha ones as well. Ever since the civilians and dignitaries were safely secured, Konoha's counter-offensive was put into play, having all shinobi but a select few have free range of battle to force the enemy out of the village. Haku and Hana just finished up another section of the market district.
"Nice job Haku-chan"
"Arigato Hana-san..." Haku responded with a small smile, which looked odd on her persons considering she was nearly covered head to toe in her enemies blood. "...how is you're chakra?"
"Pretty good actually...when you get past their 'surprise' attack, and their sheer numbers its pretty easy to pick them off."
"I agree...and since that is the case perhaps we should split up for now to reclaim the village faster, as well as supply back up for any Genin caught in the fighting."
"Ah...hai that appears to be a good idea. I'll take the east...and we'll meet up at Naruto-kun's house afterwards."
"Hai...be careful Hana-san"
"You too Haku-chan."
The two kunoichi waved before turning their backs to one another, and headed off in opposite directions. Which unfortunately for Hana was the worst thing that they could have done at the moment, because just then something in the air caught her attention, and the moment she turned to face the unknown source with kunai in hand, a gloved hand punched her in the stomach so hard she split up blood and lost the breath in her lungs forcing her to go unconscious.
Her body fell unable to hold itself up, and right when she was about to hit the ground was caught in the arms of a cloaked figure, the only thing able to be seen from the person was a pair of arm guards on his or her forearms, and a mask which looked oddly familiar to her. Once Hana was secured the figure walked back into the shadows of the alley from whence they came. If only Haku had chanced a glance back even once, she may have been able to prevent what just occurred.