Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
He had always viewed himself as a man of common origins, a ninja who had ascended the ranks through sheer tenacity rather than bloodline. But no title, not even the mantle of Hokage, held as much weight in his heart as his life with Uzumaki Kushina.
For months, the anticipation of fatherhood had been the undercurrent of his days. The name "Naruto" had been decided long ago, borrowed from the protagonist of Jiraiya's first novel—a character who refused to give up. Kushina had loved it instantly, brushing aside Minato's worries that their son would be mocked for being named after a fictional ramen topping. She saw the strength in the name.
Now, the reality of that decision was upon them.
Deep within a secure cavern outside the village, the air was heavy with tension and the smell of antiseptic. This was a clandestine operation; the seal of a Jinchūriki was at its most brittle during childbirth, requiring Minato to physically maintain the barrier while his wife labored.
Minato stood over Kushina, sweat beading on his forehead as he poured his chakra into the seal on her abdomen, fighting the will of the Nine-Tails as it sought release. Biwako Sarutobi and the ANBU medic, Taji, worked with efficient urgency at the foot of the bed.
The struggle was immense, a battle on two fronts: the physical agony of birth for Kushina, and the metaphysical war for dominance against the strongest Tailed Beast for Minato.
Then, the cry cut through the tension.
A healthy boy.
The relief that washed over Minato was absolute. For a fleeting second, the Nine-Tails' malice receded, overpowered by the sheer purity of new life. Minato watched with tears in his eyes as Biwako cleansed the infant. He was a father. The ordeal was over.
But the silence that followed was wrong.
It wasn't the peace of resolution; it was the sudden, violent silence of death. There was a dull thud as Biwako and Taji collapsed, their lives extinguished in a single, unseen stroke.
Minato turned, his instincts screaming, to find a masked man standing in the shadows. The intruder held the newborn Naruto, a kunai pressed intimately against the infant's throat.
The demand was simple: the Jinchūriki for the child.
The exchange that followed happened in a fraction of a second. The masked man threw the baby; Minato moved with the speed of the Yellow Flash. He caught his son mid-air, only to realize the blanket was lined with explosive tags. It was a trap designed to force him away.
Minato had no choice. He ripped the blanket free and teleported instantly to a safe house miles away. The explosion shredded the wooden shelter, but the boy was safe. Minato left Naruto in the quiet safety of a bed, but the delay had cost him.
By the time he returned to Kushina, the extraction was complete.
He found her in the forest, barely clinging to life, the colossal form of the Nine-Tails looming over her. The masked man had unleashed the beast. Minato swept in, rescuing his dying wife seconds before the fox's claw could crush her, and whisked her away to lay beside their son.
There was no time for goodbyes. The Nine-Tails was already descending upon Konoha.
Minato donned his Hokage cloak and entered the fray. The village was a sea of fire and screaming civilians. He deflected a Tailed Beast Bomb capable of leveling a mountain, warping it out to sea, but he was quickly intercepted by the mastermind.
The duel between the Fourth Hokage and the masked man was a silent, high-speed chess match of space-time ninjutsu. Minato analyzed the enemy's intangibility, realizing the window of vulnerability existed only in the instant the man materialized to strike.
It ended in a single flash. Minato threw a kunai through the man's phasing head, teleported to the blade in mid-flight, and drove a Rasengan into the man's back. The contract with the Nine-Tails was severed.
The enemy retreated, broken but alive. Yet the fox remained, a mindless force of destruction.
Minato knew there was only one permanent solution. He transported the massive beast away from the village, bringing it crashing down near the safe house where Kushina and Naruto lay. He erected a barrier, trapping the family and the monster inside.
His decision was made. He would use the Reaper Death Seal.
Kushina, despite her fading life, pleaded to take the fox with her into death. But Minato refused. He saw the future in the child crying in the crib. He believed this boy was the Child of Prophecy, the one who would need the Nine-Tails' power to save the world.
The fox, realizing it was about to be sealed into a human infant, roared in fury. It thrust a massive claw forward, intending to kill the vessel before the ritual could be completed.
It never reached the child.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed in the barrier. Minato and Kushina stood as human shields, the massive claw impaling them both through the chest. They hung suspended in the air, their blood dripping onto the sleeping face of their son.
It was a gruesome, loving sacrifice.
With their remaining moments, Minato summoned the altar. He listened as Kushina poured her soul into her final words—mundane, beautiful instructions for a life she would never see. She told Naruto to eat well, to find friends, to study, to stay away from vices. It was a mother's lifetime of nagging compressed into a dying minute.
Minato's heart broke with pride. He sealed his own chakra and Kushina's remaining spirit into the formula, ensuring they could one day aid their son in his darkest hour.
The light faded. The Nine-Tails vanished into the boy's navel. The barrier fell.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife slumped forward, their duty fulfilled, leaving their legacy crying alone in the quiet forest.
Then one day, the quiet chakra signatures of Minato and Kushina suddenly felt tremendous force. They witnessed what seemed like a massive hand reaching from the endless void. With a light swipe, the entire seal violently shook, collapsed, and vanished.
The Nine-Tails disappeared.
They thought their remaining chakra would also be annihilated. But that enormous hand grasped them gently, and they fell into an unknown space where no time seemed to pass.
When they woke again and opened their eyes, they saw a figure—1.6 meters tall, young and handsome face, powerfully built upper body—calling them "Mom" and "Dad."
Kushina and Minato stood frozen.
This was nothing like what they'd imagined their child would look like growing up.
Kushina glanced at her husband Minato, then at Naruto. Same yellow hair. Same blue eyes. It seemed this really was her and Minato's child. She nodded to Minato in confirmation.
Seeing Kushina's nod, Minato also breathed a sigh of relief. Good. At least I know he's mine.
"Oh, my child! Naruto, you've grown so big! Let Mother hug you!" Instantly, warm maternal love flooded Kushina's eyes. She opened her arms wide, waiting for Naruto to leap into her embrace.
"Mom, I'm only seven years old." Naruto looked at his mother with complete seriousness. "I'll be eight next month."
Minato and Kushina froze.
Seven years old.
SEVEN?!
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