Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! I just wish I did

Beta: the lovely Midnight-Kitsune11.

AN: Sorry this took a while to write and post, but I'm having trouble writing for this story. If I'm being honest, writing this fic feels like a chore at the moment. :( I'm hoping this feeling will pass, but until it does, be warned that updates will be rare! I won't force myself to write, even if I do want to continue this (and hopefully finish it at some point), because forcing myself will affect the quality of the story. And not in a good way.

Shippuudden chapter 7

"It's still a surprise you were a Jinjuuriki." Obito said with an easy smile.

"Good, no one was ever meant to know," Kushina replied seriously, "but that is also why it's so strange that everyone knew about Naruto. I wonder what happened to make that public knowledge."

"I'm sure we will find out." Hiruzen pointed out grimly.

"Yes." Kushina continued on. "Before I can tell you what happened 16 years ago, I need to tell you more about me. I was chosen as the second Jinjuuriki host of Kyuubi. Truth be told, I was brought here for the express purpose of being the Kyuubi Jinjuuriki from the Land of Uzushio."

"Why? Why did they have to choose someone from another land?!" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Yeah, isn't it better to choose someone from Konoha?" Rin mused thoughtfully.

"I'm sure I'll explain." Kushina grimaced.

"You're right." Kushina said solemnly. "I'm from a different land and village, but the Land of Fire and the Land of Uzushio, as well as Konoha Village and Uzushiogakure Village, share a deep bond. The shinobi of the Senju Clan of the Konoha and the shinobi of the Uzumaki Clan of the Uzushiogakure were distant blood relatives. Our people lived long, so the Uzushiogakure Village was also known as the Village of Longevity, and we specialized in Sealing Jutsu. We were also a rowdy bunch."

"That does sound just like you." Tsunade commented with a smile.

Sha laughed happily, but managed to look sad at the same time.

"The Four Symbol Seal on your abdomen is based on a jutsu from our village. I was also the one to teach your father about fuinjutsu. Naruto, the symbol on your back of your jumpsuit, that is the symbol of the Uzushiogakure. Even today in Konoha Village, that symbol is a symbol of friendship, isn't it?"

"What happened to your village?" Naruto tried to follow. He'd never heard of Uzushiogakure before.

"It no longer exists. Our sealing jutsu abilities were greatly feared during the ninja wars so the village was targeted and destroyed. Those who survived feared for their safety, so they hid their identities and scattered throughout the region."

"Really?" Obito asked. "They wiped out an entire village?"

"Didn't you pay any attention at the Academy?" Kakashi asked, exasperated.

Feeling mature, Obito stuck out his tongue.

"Still, why were you chosen?!" Naruto didn't understand.

"It seems that even among the Uzushiogakure, I was born with powerful chakra able to suppress the Kyuubi. Have you heard about the battle between the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha?"

"Uh-huh" He nodded solemnly.

"The Jinjuuriki before me was the woman who became the wife of the First Hokage. Her name was Mito Uzumaki. In order to help the First Hokage who had obtained the Kyuubi in his battle with Madara, Lady Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside her body with a Sealing Jutsu and became its Jinjuuriki. From then on, the Konoha maintained possession of the Kyuubi, but when Lady Mito's days were coming to an end, I was brought to Konoha as the vessel for the Kyuubi."

"You were just being used!" Naruto yelled in anger. Why did it always have to come back to this?

"When I was first brought to the village, I wasn't told a thing. It was quite a shock when I was told why I was there. This was a closely guarded secret – the only ones who knew were the Sandaime and a few of the top officials. Not even the Legendary Sannin were told about it. I was nearly overwhelmed by the pressure of being the Jinjuuriki and the loneliness I felt. Lady Mito taught me that by filling myself with love first, I would be able to live a happy life despite being the Kyuubi's Jinjuuriki."

"So you were happy even if you were the Jinjuuriki, Kaa-chan?"

"Yes Naruto." She smiled happily, with a rosy blush on her cheeks.

"That was really nice to know, especially at that point." Naruto smiled at her.

Naruto smiled back with tears in his eyes. He refused to let them fall though.

"Wait…" Naruto started, thinking hard as a stray thought entered his mind.

Kushina tilted her head. "What is it?"

"That time, 16 years ago when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Tou-chan said a man wearing a mask from Akatsuki was behind it. So how did you still have the Kyuubi, Kaa-chan?"

"I see that your father didn't tell you all the details. Of course." She realised suddenly with a frown. "Back then, there was so much going on and Minato didn't have much time. The fact is that a masked man was manipulating the Kyuubi to attack the village but moments earlier, I had the Kyuubi sealed and in my possession."

"Then how? What happened?" Naruto became frustrated in his confusion.

"I don't know how, but that masked man knew."

"Knew what?"

"He knew about the one moment that the seal would be weakened. He waited for that moment to steal the Kyuubi." Kushina's face became grim.

Kushina grimaced. She knew exactly when that was…

The others who didn't know leaned closer to the screen.

"The one chance to weaken the seal?! What was it?" He was really getting impatient as his mother took her time to answer.

"It was childbirth." She replied seriously.

A gasp travelled through the room.

Naruto looked stunned and devastated at the same time at her suddenly blunt reply.

"During the approximately nine months from the time a female Jinjuuriki gets pregnant and gives birth, the Biju's seal weakens proportionally as the energy normally used to maintain the seal is diverted to the growing baby."

"Then…" Naruto trailed off as realisation hit him. "You mean…"

"Sixteen years ago, on October 10th…"

A flashback started.

Kushina was show inside a doctor's office in Konoha hospital. She looked stunned.

"Congratulations!" The doctor told her with a smile.

"What?" She didn't seem to realise what was happening.

"Let's see, your due date is October 10th."

Kushina started smiling in delight.

The scene changed again.

Kushina was now beaming at a stunned Minato inside their apartment. She had clearly just gotten home and Minato looked stunned, just coming out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands.

"What? A Baby?" Minato blinked in shock.

Naruto grinned. He couldn't get enough of seeing his parents so happy. And to know they were so happy because they were going to have him? That was even better.

"I'm going to be a mother, dattebane!" Kushina yelled in delight.

"So, I'm going be a father." Minato's eyes widened and he started smiling in delight.

Both of them were blushing in excitement and grinning like fools.

"A mother, dattebane!"

"I'm going to be a father!"

"A mother, dattebane!"

"Imagine that, I'm going to be a father!"

"You two sure look excited." Shikaku smirked good naturedly at them.

The two next to Naruto grinned in delight and Naruto couldn't help but mirror them. They must have looked quite the sight. The three of them with large grins and little Itachi still sitting on Naruto's lap.

"Becoming a parent is the best feeling." Mikoto confided happily. Fugaku nodded.

Itachi beamed at his parents and they shot him a fond smile.

Kushina hugged him with looked a bit awkward with Minato still holding the bowl.

The scene changed again. The couple was now sitting in front of the Third Hokage and a woman around the same age. The Third was eyeing them with an emotionless gaze. He and his wife wore the same expression and the same white robes.

"Who is that? I don't think I've seen her before." Rin asked curiously.

"That is my wife, Biwako." Hiruzen smiled fondly.

"Kushina, there is something I must explain to you about the moment you'll be giving birth. It happened to Lady Mito, the previous Jinjuuriki, too. During her labor, the Kyuubi's seal was nearly broken. I'm sorry, but as a precautionary measure, we're going to ask you to deliver the child somewhere away from the village, inside a barrier. "

"I'll be by your side, watching the seal." Minato reassured her.

"We have the seal to think of, so I will be accompanying you." The Third Hokage said. "Minato, some Anbu and Biwako will be with you. This is to be done in utmost secrecy."

"I'll go on ahead and prepare everything." Minato smiled tenderly at Kushina as he squeezed her hand.

She nodded and smiled back at him.

"All right. I will take you there." Biwako said as Minato departed.

The scene changed.

The two woman walked through the village.

"Oh!" Kushina recognized Uchiha Mikoto, who is carrying a small bundle as she walked through the streets. "Oh my." She cooed. "Is it a girl?"

"It's a boy." Mikoto beamed at her.

"So cute. What's your name?" Kushina stroked the baby's cheek.

"It's Sasuke."

"That's my little brother?" Itachi asked with awe in his eyes.

"Yep." Naruto sniggered seeing a little Sasuke again. He couldn't help but find the baby cute. To know he'd grow up to become his broody friend was hilarious.

"Oh, so he was named after father of the Sandaime! Yes, he will grow up to be a strong and fine shinobi." Biwako smiles softly at the two Uchiha.

"Really?" Obito asked in confusion. Uchiha names were usually very traditional, right? He had no idea his youngest cousin would get his name from someone outside the clan.

Hiruzen only nodded his confirmation, thinking back on his father.

Fugaku frowned, wondering if he'd ever known why they had chosen that name. It had grown on him, especially after seeing his son in these memories. The name had certainly grown on him, and he couldn't think of anything else to call the boy now, but it was an unusual name for anyone in the clan.

Little Sasuke started fussing.

"You will be giving birth soon too, right, Kushina? You should pick a name in advance." Mikoto said.

"I already have. His name will be Naruto. You'll be classmates, Sasuke, so be friends, okay?" She beamed at the baby, before whispering behind her hand at Mikoto with a scared look in her eyes. "By the way, does it really hurt?"

"So there's actually something that scares you, Kushina! I'm surprised!" Mikoto teased in amusement.

"Let's go, Kushina!" Biwako reminded her urgently. She took the younger woman's hand and pulled her into moving again.

"Oh, yes!" Kushina waved at the two Uchiha as they left.

"The details of your birthing are supposed to be top secret. Until we get to our location, you must avoid any contact, even with your friends." Biwako reminded her.

"Right, I'm sorry." Kushina apologised while rubbing the back of her head.

"Also, we are leaving the village secretly. If your labor pains begin, try not to cry out loud!"

"Oh, right." Kushina sounded unsure.

The scene changed again.

Four Anbu were guarding the strange Tori entrance, into a mountain.

"It hurts, dattebane!" Kushina screeched in pain.

"Ahh! You're really going to show this?!" Obito shrieked in surprise.

Naruto shrugged. "If I had to see this, so do you." He hadn't really been comfortable seeing this the first time around but it was important and… honestly, this would be the only time his parents held baby him. He wanted to share that with them.

Maybe not this part, but their goodbye to him later was so precious… He still carried his mother's words with him. It would be hard to see them die, for everyone, especially his parents themselves, and for him. He didn't think watching this for the second time would make it any easier.

She was laying on a stone table with only her top on, the rest of her covered by a blanket that Biwako kept peeking under. Minato had his hands on Kushina's seal.

"I've never seen Kushina in so much pain." He grimaced with worry. "Is she… all right?"

"Of course she is! Never mind that," Biwako said, "just stay focused on the Kyuubi's seal!

"Is she really?" Obito looked green. "She doesn't look like it."

"It's perfectly normal for her to scream like that during childbirth. She should be all right once the baby is born." Tsunade reassured him with amusement.

"But she's-"

"You are the Fourth Hokage! Act like one!" Biwako scolded him. "A man would have dropped dead from such pain long ago, but women are strong!"

"Damn, you sure got told, pretty boy." Kushina tried to joke, but seeing herself in such pain made her smile more like a grimace.

Minato chuckled weakly.

Kushina's seal kept changing under Minato's fingers. The Kyuubi was briefly showing, inside her seal. He was chained tightly to a standing rock, barely able to move.

"Did it always look like that or did you guys seal him tighter given the situation?" Naruto asked suddenly.

His parents looked at each other.

"It's always been like that." Kushina replied.

Naruto could suddenly understand Kurama's rage at humanity much better. He wouldn't want to get stuck in there, let alone for decades…

Damn…

Luckily the kitsune had been solidly asleep and wouldn't have to relive these moments.

"He's so strong! The Kyuubi is struggling to get out! Hang in there, Kushina! Hang in there, Naruto!" Minato tried to encourage his unborn son.

"You know he can't hear you right? He's not even born yet." Kakashi commented dryly.

"But he did hear it." Itachi replied smartly. "He is watching the memories his mother is showing him and he's watching them again right now."

Kakashi looked at the child with a blank expression.

Itachi smiled, pleased.

"Awesome! "Obito burst out laughing at the duo. "You got told off by my little cousin!"

"I can see his head! You're almost there, Kushina!" Biwako said.

Kyuubi roared in the seal.

"Hang on, Kushina! Naruto! Come out quickly! Kyuubi, you stay put!" Minato almost chanted.

The scene changed slightly.

Kushina wasn't screaming any more but a baby was.

"He's a healthy babe." Biwako smiled as she held a wrapped up baby. A baby with blond hair and cute little whiskers on his cheeks.

"Aww." Rin cooed.

Naruto blushed and ducked into his parents' embrace. Still, he grinned as he saw the look on his parents' faces.

Both Minato and Kushina watched the screen in fascination, eyes wide and a brilliant smile on their face, each grabbing one of Naruto's hands and squeezing it.

Inoichi smiled brightly as well. Even knowing what was coming he was so glad he could show this moment to the complete little family. Just a few peaceful moments…

Kushina started crying in happiness and Minato was stunned into silence.

"Naruto!" The new father reached for the babe with wonder in his eyes as Biwako walked into his direction.

"Don't touch him! The mother sees him first." The older woman scolded as she moved around him.

"Oh come on." He huffed in real life. "Don't I at least get to see him?"

Kushina chuckled at her lover.

Minato watched her pass him in disappointment, with a pout and slight envy.

"Naruto, I finally get to see you." Kushina cried happily as Biwako laid the babe next to her. She was covered in sweat and looked exhausted.

Kushina started crying at the precious moment.

"You'll have lots more time later." Biwako said after a little while and she took the baby again to examine him and dress him. "There, there."

"How are you feeling, Kushina?" Minato asked with a soft look in his eyes as he took in his family.

"Okay." Kushina sighed tiredly.

"Thank you." Minato whispered to his wife, with tears and a loving smile on his face.

"Minato..." She sighed.

Minato threw his arms around his son and brought Kushina into a tight hug. Naruto laughed in delight and gently repositioned Itachi on his lap so the boy was included, but not squished in the process.

"All right!" He straightened and clapped his hands together. "I know you've just gone through childbirth but I'm going to completely re-seal the Kyuubi now!"

Screams sounded through the cave.

"Lady Biwako! Taji!" Minato exclaimed in shock as two bodies hit the ground.

A masked man in a dark cloak held a crying Naruto hostage with a kunai. He was standing next to the downed bodies.

Hiruzen made a strangled noise. That was his wife! His beautiful and lovely wife, that had just been cut down like it was nothing…! Who the hell was this guy?

The others shot him uneasy looks, but the memory continued on.

"What the hell? I mean, we know someone attacked, but this…?" Chouza exclaimed softly in shock.

"My thoughts exactly. He must have been watching you closely, Kushina, to be there at the exact moment of birth…" Shikaku mused. "Who knows how long this man has been staking you out. He must have had some access into the village."

Minato clenched his fists, and since he still had his arms around his family, he ended up clutching pieces of their clothing tightly.

"Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, get away from the Jinjuuriki."

Both new parents looked at him in shock.

"Otherwise, this child's life will have lasted less than a minute." The man continued saying.

"How did he get past the barrier? Who the hell is he? The Kyuubi's Seal is still weak" Minato muttered in shock as he took a defensive stance.

Kushina flinched. Her seal was becoming unstable. The black ink was spreading on her skin. Together with her exhaustion, there was no way she could move…

"Get away from the Jinjuuriki." The masked guy repeated. "Don't you care what happens to your kid?" He held the kunai closer to Naruto's cheek.

"Damn… What a bastard." Obito cursed softly.

"Wait! Calm down!" Minato tried desperately.

"Speak for yourself, Minato. I'm as calm as can be." The masked man replied. He threw the baby up into the air.

"Naruto!" Kushina screamed desperately.

The man lunged with his kunai towards the baby but Minato got to his son first and cradled him as he crouched on the wall on the far end of the room. The boy was still screaming his little lungs out.

"So, I did at least get to hold you as well." His dad muttered softly. "Even if it was in those dreadful circumstances."

"Well, you really are the Yellow Flash. But what about this?"

Explosion tags stuck to the blanket started going off.

"Minato!" Kushina screamed. "Naruto!"

A Hiraishin later and in less than a second, Minato had Naruto out of the blanket and into his arms again. He quickly jumped away and out of the hut his seal had transported him to. It exploded just as he was propelled outside.

"Wow." Obito couldn't help but admire his sensei. His two team-mates nodded, feeling the same awe as he did.

"Good, Naruto isn't hurt." He sighed in relief as he cradled the now naked baby close.

It was only after making sure his son was alright that Minato noticed the piece of wood sticking out of his ankle.

He took it out.

"I was forced to use the Hiraishin. His target is Kushina and he succeeded in separating us. I must hurry." He muttered to his boy with a determined frown. The baby was still screaming.

He used the Hiraishin again only to reappear into what looked like their home, or at least a safe, well-lit place.

The scene changed.

Kushina was bound between some rock outcrops over water. The seals that served as ropes kept her arms far away from her body, making sure she couldn't touch her seal.

"Just what… do you want?" She panted in exhaustion.

"I'm going to extract the Kyuubi out from you and destroy Konoha."

She flinched in shock.

"What?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"Minato's Hiraishin allows him to move instantly between locations marked with Jutsu Formulas. He made sure to mark your Seal with it too, in order to protect you. However, I managed to put a distance between you. Furthermore, the Kyuubi's Seal has been weakened from childbirth. Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?"

The scene went back to Minato. He gently placed Naruto on the futon on a raised platform in their home.

"You'll be safe here. Naruto, just wait awhile. I'll be back soon. I have to go and save your mother." Minato tried to reassure his son as he covered him in a blanket to keep him warm. The boy had finally cried himself to sleep.

The scene changed again.

Kushina as overwhelmed by horror.

"You are…" Kyuubi muttered inside her seal.

Through his mask a Sharingan eye was show. It started spinning around. The same three tomoe appeared spinning in the Kyuubi's eyes.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi blurted out in shock.

Fugaku grimaced. "There are stories told in our clan that Madara Uchiha used his Sharingan to force the Kyuubi to fight for him during his battle with the First Hokage, but I don't think any of us believed they were more than stories."

"I had no idea." Mikoto breathed, full of disbelief.

"The man is an Uchiha?" Itachi commented.

The room froze. Everyone felt breathless at the possibility that one of their own would try to hurt the village like that.

"Maybe…" Shikaku tried to pacify everyone, "and we can't dismiss the possibility, but it might also be a foreign nin who stole a Sharingan eye."

Fugaku started breathing again. True, that could still be possible. Still, he had never felt this apprehensive. If this was an Uchiha or a rumour like it spread… This could be devastating to their clan. It was possible that after this, no one would ever trust an Uchiha again. No matter what he did to try to rectify the situation…

The Kyuubi broke free from inside the seal with a roar!

The genin gasped loudly but the others were simply frozen in their seat again.

They knew it was coming. They knew the Kyuubi had run rampant in their village.

But really seeing it is different than hearing about it.

Kushina was paralysed. Red chakra surrounded her but she had frozen mid scream. Only the whites of her eyes could be seen.

"Now then, come out Kyuubi!"

A huge amount of red chakra, shaped in the form of the fox's head, broke free fromout of the seal. The Biju in all his nine tailed glory appeared and roared his rage at the moon. He was huge, squishing trees as if they were nothing.

Kushina fell forward once the last bit of chakra left her and the seal had disappeared.

"Excellent. Now it's time to face Konoha." The masked man said as he started to walk away.

"Wait." Kushina managed to raise her head.

"Uzumaki Shinobi are amazing. You don't die right away after the Biju is extracted. You were the Jinjuuriki of the Kyuubi. I'll use him to kill you."

The Kyuubi tried to squish her under one of his paws, but Minato appeared with Kushina in his arms on top of a nearby tree.

They briefly breathed easier.

"Good." Little Itachi commented with a nod.

"You alright there, munchkin?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. This might be too intense for the little guy. Wouldn't it be better to…

Itachi nodded and shot Naruto such a determined look that Naruto swallowed his words.

"I must say, you're as quick as your nickname, but you are too late." The masked man commented at the scene.

"Minato, is Naruto… is he safe?" Kushina barely managed to say.

"Yes, he's fine. He's in a safe place for now." He nodded at her with a reassuring smile.

"Thank goodness. Minato, you must stop that man and the Kyuubi right now. They're heading for Konoha."

Minato turned his head around to look at the two with a dangerous look on his face.

"Yikes, I've never seen sensei that angry." Obito commented with a shiver.

"Pray we never do again." Kakashi muttered uneasily.

Shikaku couldn't help a small smirk. Minato's battle face was back. He had scared Iwa nin into running from him on sight with that look. It was nice to see Minato wouldn't lose it when he became Hokage.

They disappeared in another flash.

"He flew off again. Well, never mind." The man commented. "We're heading for the Konoha."

The scene changed again. Minato appeared with Kushina in the same place he had left Naruto.

"Why?" Kushina asked him.

"Never mind that. Just stay with Naruto." He replied as he laid her down next to their son, her face almost touching his.

"Naruto…" She breathed with tears in her eyes as she touched her boy.

Minato looked pained seeing them like this.

So did the Minato that had his little family right by his side. He knew Kushina was dying and seeing them both like this was awful.

Kushina was already crying. She knew they both died in this memory, so Naruto had never known either of his parents, but knowing was different from seeing it.

"Minato… Thank you." She muttered as she held her son close to her. Minato flashed away again, this time wearing his iconic robe. "Good luck."

"I'll be back soon."

The scene changed again.

The moon shone brightly over Konohagakure. The village was peaceful, like every other night.

Kakashi and Gai were shown walking through the streets. Gai was wearing his green jumpsuit, but Kakashi wore an outfit not unlike those in anbu did.

"Ah, you look weird like that!" exclaimed Obito in shock.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi demanded with a raised eyebrow.

Obito sheepishly rubbed his head. "I just… I know you, and I guess I've gotten used to seeing older you, but this is neither of those 'you's…"

Kakashi sighed. "You're not making any sense."

"Why don't we just do Rock, Paper, Scissors again tonight?" A teenage Kakashi dead-panned.

"Seriously?" Rin dead-panned. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"Not that again! Think of something more exciting! How can you call yourself my rival?" Young Gai complained loudly.

"We have an early start tomorrow. So let's pass for tonight." Kakashi suggested fondly but slightly exasperated.

"Don't use a mission as an excuse! I have all this pent-up energy inside me! Now is the time for diligent training! Honest-to-goodness discipline and hard work lead to success in future missions! Are you listening to me?!" Gai exclaimed dramatically.

Kakashi had stopped walking.

"Hey Gai… Do you feel like something is off? There's been a chill in the air." Kakashi commented.

"Yeah! It's your attitude that's causing it! Our Springtime of Youth comes only once!" Gai exploded.

The scene changed again, showing a young Itachi sitting on the porch with baby Sasuke in his arms.

"What is this feeling?" Little Itachi frowned.

Baby Sasuke started whimpering.

"There, there…" he gently rocked the baby. "It's a strange feeling. Of all the times for Mom and Dad to be out. Don't cry, Sasuke." Young Itachi tried to soothe his brother with a gently smile. "No matter what happens, your big brother will definitely protect you."

"Aww." Despite her tears, Kushina couldn't help but coo at the brothers.

"It's very promising that they both feel something is coming. Clearly not everyone can feel it, like Gai earlier." Chouza smiled at Itachi.

The boy straightened and so did his parents.

"Or Gai is just not paying attention." Rin mused.

Kakashi sighed. "He can overlook an enemy shinobi charging at him. I'm not sure Gai is a good reference point."

Hiruzen sat in his office, perched over paperwork. He suddenly looked up, staring at the full moon through the window.

"No way…"

The masked man landed somewhere in the village, in what looked like an empty alleyway.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

He summoned the Kyuubi out of thin air, in the middle of the village like it was something he did everyday.

People were being blast away by the shock wave it created and multiple building were already destroyed.

"What happened?"

"Is it an accident?"

The people shown looked up in horror at the Biju, who was easily four times as high as their tallest building. The people started to run away in a panic. Most of them were screaming in fear.

They could only watch in dread, no one spoke.

"That's… N-No way!"

"The Kyuubi!"

"Run!"

"It's the Kyuubi!"

"Help!"

"We're done for!"

The Kyuubi roared and started swatting at buildings, destroying them with ease, while his tails did just as much damage as his limbs.

"Damn." Obito breathed with eyes so wide they might pop out of his head any minute.

"Lord Hokage! The Kyuubi is…! The Kyuubi has suddenly appeared in the village!" An ANBU appeared just as the Sandaime finished putting on his battle armour.

"I'm aware of that. I'll deal with it. You and the others protect the civilians!" The Third ordered grimly.

"Yes sir!"

The scene changed again.

"This is the moment I release my pent-up power!" Gai yelled out dramatically.

"Don't be hasty, Gai!" Kakashi chastised him.

"Come on! I'll be your opponent!" Gai took on a dramatic pose.

"Wait!" Another jounin before them stopped him.

"Who is that?" Shikaku asked with a frown.

"I'm not sure. I can't see enough of him to tell." Chouza replied when no one else did.

The others were too focus on the screen. They probably hadn't even heard the Nara.

"Huh?"

"Gather immediately in the guardroom!" the man said.

"Why?" Gai asked, still frozen in his dramatic pose.

"It's the Sandaime's orders!"

"Lord Hiruzen?"

"You heard."

"Let's go, Gai!" Kakashi called out.

The scene changed, showing Chouza shielding his team and the civilians behind them from a wave of falling debris.

"Now's our chance! Evacuate the civilians! Everyone, make your way to the shelters!" Shikaku ordered.

Kyuubi continued to crush buildings like they were ants.

Some shinobi tried the fight the Biju, throwing kunai and explosive tags. It didn't damage him, Kyuubi just swatted them out of the air.

"Dear Kami, this just keeps getting worse." Obito breathed in shock.

The others watched in shock at the destruction. All of them speechless at the power of the Biju that is levelling their home.

Most of them grit their teeth in frustration. They had never been more useless, because there was nothing they could do right now.

Minato appeared on his own stone head on the Hokage monument and oversaw the chaos down below. "As Hokage, I will protect the village, my family, right now. That is my duty at the moment. I can't allow myself any more selfishness."

The Kyuubi turned towards him and readied a ball of black chakra before his open mouth. "So you've taken notice of me. You won't get your way here!" Minato started doing some hand seals.

The black chakra ball was launched towards Minato, destroying everything it encountered on its path.

"That's a lot of destruction for just one move. Damn." Shikaku whispered half in horror, half in awe.

It stopped just before hitting the monument, getting sucked into a large seal in the air. A humongous explosion went off far in the distance. Even that far away, the bright light was blinding.

"For this large a scale, I'll have to be careful where I send it." Minato mused as he watched it.

"The jutsu that stopped the Kyuubi's attack must be the Space-time Barrier!" Chouza exclaimed down in the village.

"Is it Minato?" Shikaku wondered, hopeful.

"All right! We're going too!" the Third ordered his now hopeful shinobi.

Minato was shown again. The Kyuubi kept his attention firmly on him but didn't immediately move to attack again.

"I must report all that's happened to the Third Hokage immediately." Minato reflected.

A hand appeared above his shoulder, ready to grab him.

Minato turned around just in time, kunai in hand, but his kunai went right through the masked shinobi's head without harming him.

His arm went through the man's hand and, as soon as it did, the masked guy grabbed his forearm.

"I'm your opponent and you've lost." The man said matter of factly.

TBC.

Yeah, I know I'm evil ^^ sorry about stopping here. I hope the chapter meets your expectations (and that I didn't screw it up ^^')

For future updates, be sure to read my AN at the beginning of this chapter. That should clear some things up.

I do love all the reviews you guys keep sending me even after months with no updates (and I'm looking forward to more), but do know that I don't appreciate people who post reviews to other stories asking me to update this one. I don't like it, and those reviews get deleted immediately. I'd rather you send me a PM if you can't review for some reason ^^

That said, I do hope you've enjoyed the chapter ^^

16