A Walk in His Shoes

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or make any money from this story.

Past Moments in Time

Konohagakure The Village Hidden in the Leaves came under attack from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Kyuubi. Everyone in the ANBU Black Ops, every trained shinobi weather jounin or chuunin assisted in the fight to protect the village.

The children were being collected and moved to safety. With many young Genin dragged away from their attempts to assist in the battle.

Minato was busy fighting the Nine-Tailed Fox when he felt a chakra flair and knew his wife was in pain. This could only mean she was going into labor during all this fighting. He battled to keep the Nine-Tails away from getting any closer to the village. When he felt her chakura getting weaker and struggling as her body fought to deliver their son alone, Minato summoned the great toad to battle. Then he quickly made the hand signs to form two sold clones which he sent to assist his wife.

Minato’s clones went rushing to help Kushina with the delivery. The baby was not easy for her to deliver. His large size put tremendous strain on her petite frame. Her body felt like it was ripping apart and her bones felt like they were shattering from the strain. Even with her chakra flow trying to assist him it was a slow process. The contractions kept getting stronger and closer together. She was so exhausted but still had so far to go.

The clone soon held a small, wet head covered in sunshine blond hair. He soon worked one shoulder out and then the other as Kushina pushed once more for the rest of him to come out. The clone carefully placed the tiny baby on his mother’s chest and waiting arms. She gently held her son and smiled at him. He blinked many times up at her as if working to get her face into focus. She crooned sweet words of love and devotion to her precious bundle of joy. Her heart felt filled with sunshine as she looked him over counting each finger and toe. Warm wet tears slowly rained down her cheeks. Brilliant blue eyes blinked up at her as a single tear dropped onto tan chibi cheeks.

Kushina smiled and leaned down to kiss her precious son’s forehead. As she rested her forehead against her son gently she suddenly felt a gush of blood flooding from her womb.

A sudden sob ripped from her throat as the truth hit her.

She was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. Her heart broke and pale fingers desperately gripped a wiggling body in one last hug, filled with all the love she wished to give him.

“Naruto” Pale lips whispered and trembled.

Her son, who she loved so much and would never see him grow, fall in love or become the man he would one day be. She fought with what strength she had, to hold onto the shell of her body, as she felt her life bleed away with each beat of her heart. Kushina looked up and into the eyes of Minato’s clone. With a sad smile filled with pain, loss, heartbreak and love she whispered, “Take him to Minato and remember….I love you both”….and then she breathed no more.

The clone quickly picked up the crying baby and cleaned him off. The clone then turned to rush back to the fighting while cradling his precious bundle.

One clone quickly disappeared so that Minato would immediately know what had occurred.

Minato was staggered with grief when he received the clone’s memories back. As much as he wanted to rush back to his beloved wife he knew he couldn’t. Even if he was selfish and had tried to go to her it wouldn’t have brought her back. Minato didn’t have the time to even grieve properly as he was still in the middle of fighting Kyuubi. He knew what his options were now. He had gone over each and every scroll even the forbidden ones looking for any way to defeat the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. His search had taken him to the forbidden jutsu’s, curse seals, and that’s also where he had seen the Multi Shadow clone jutsu. Forbidden jutsu’s were forbidden due to the power they held, the tremendous drain on chakra some of them required, and the ultimate price one had to pay to use some of them, which was to forfeit the users own life.

Nothing in life came easy or free.

The price Minato would have to pay to defeat the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox would be his own life and the burden his son would have to carry alone for the rest of his own life. Minato quickly created another shadow clone and sent him off with the information to set everything up for the attack he would use on the Fox Demon. While the clone worked, Minato kept up his fight and the earth shook with the force of the attacks. Fire and smoke filled the sky, Minato used the power of wind to clear his field of vision and keep the Nine-Tails in his sights.



In his heart Minato grieved and he sent one last clone to the Third Hokage. He sent a message to him about what he was doing and his wishes for his son.



Minato wanted his son to be honored for his part in protecting the village with his own tiny body. He wanted his son to be cared for and raised with the training he would need to fallow in his fathers footsteps and continue protecting the village he loved so much. He wanted his son named Naruto.

With that done, Minato proceeded to perform the hand signs and sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox inside his own precious son that he had loved and cherished for as long as he could. His only regret being that it was not enough time……they were given such precious little time……never dreaming it would be cut short…….he had a lifetime of love to give to his son, but life was cruel and thus he was cheated out of the moments they should have had to spend together.

Minato whispered…..

”Naruto….my precious son….I love you!”

 TBC