Hi guys, first of all can I start off by admitting (sadly) that despite having had some ideas, I have never before put them 'to the pen' and this is actually my first story. So therefore I'll ask for a little bit of leniency… And for a lot of advice and recommendation if you feel that I can, in any way, improve my style! I would love to hear new ideas as well – I know this is my work coming together, but it is important that you readers enjoy it too =]

To start of, I would like to note that for authenticity reasons I will use some Japanese phrases (such as Japanese honorifics at the end of names like –san, -sama, -sensei etc, or names of jutsus/techniques). I apologize in advance if this vexes anyone, I know that the over-use of a foreign language in an English piece of fiction can be quite annoying, but I will try to keep it to a minimum – I just believe it helps us relate to the character's background and culture easier. As Kushina's trademark phrase 'tebane' (added at the end of almost every other sentence) was translated as 'ya know' in the English subbed versions, I will use it like that.

Also, I will, every now and then, change the focaliser, most commonly alternating between different focalisers in every section of the story.

Now, after this long and possibly boring intro, let us begin!

Enjoy =)

The girl shuddered in his arms and he instinctively reassured his grip on her. The trees were racing by as he leapt from branch to branch, finding the fastest way back to Konoha. She was no hindrance – despite being famed for her sturdiness, Kushina Uzumaki was actually quite small for her age – fragile almost, when he held her like that.

He couldn't help but be amused by the sheer amount of willpower and confidence hidden beneath that gentle frame. Now, of all times, she was most vulnerable. Fortunately, the Kumogakure nin hadn't harmed her, apart for a few bruises and scrapes she must have inevitably received on the way. However, she was highly dehydrated and over-exhausted and her skin felt cold and clammy to the touch.

He was certain that anyone in her place would be unconscious by now, overpowered by the weariness and the stress of the situation. She, however, despite being too still and pale, was awake and alert in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder slightly as if unsure whether the physical contact was acceptable.

Her stamina was impressive, but he found himself unsurprised. He had always known it and told her as much not more than ten minutes ago – she was strong. They hadn't spoken much since, apart from her asking a few quick questions about her parents.

He didn't mind the silence – it wasn't uncomfortable as it might have often been. It was a silence of trust. She trusted him to do the right thing and was content to be in his arms, being carried back to safety and he was content with that trust.

Minato looked down to make sure she was still conscious and met a pair of curious eyes studying his face. The reassuring smile appeared on his lips before he knew it and she reluctantly replied in kind. Yes, she trusted him, but she didn't know him and this proximity was new to her. He should change that, he thought, and talk to her more often.

Surprisingly, she had been left with the impression he didn't like her. He pondered over it for a few minutes. He had never treated her antagonistically unlike a large part of his comrades, but he had to grudgingly admit to himself that he hadn't shown his good opinion either. He couldn't shoulder all the blame, Kushina had kept everyone at a distance, but how could he blame her? If he was so scorned, he might have reacted the same way. She might have been strong, yes, but she was also a child, like him, and this must have hurt her.

He was dragged out of his reverie as he felt the approach of two other ninjas on either side of him. His body tensed automatically, calculating the best defense, vaguely aware of the alarmed look that Kushina gave him at the sight of his narrowed eyes.

The chakra coming off the two strangers, however, was familiar. The other pursuit teams? He eased up a bit and kept running ahead – Kushina's safety came before briefing them – he would get her to the hospital first. The two ANBU appeared on either side of him within second, racing through the trees in pace.

"Minato Namikaze, is it?" the one on the left said, putting away a kunai. He was wearing a monkey-shaped mask to conceal his face. Minato could feel, rather than see, their stern gazes fixing on Kushina. He nodded curtly.

"Is the girl hurt?" the Monkey asked, not unkindly.

"No, but she is exhausted and dehydrated, I am taking her to the hospital."

"I'm fine, ya know! I could have walked this myself, ya know!" Her vexed voice was weak, however, and utterly unconvincing.

The Monkey nodded towards the other ANBU before he disappeared into the trees, most likely alerting the others that Kushina was found.

"I will escort you to the hospital. Under whose orders are you operating?"

Minato frowned. He knew it would come down to this.

"No one's orders, sir." He answered carefully. "I came after Kushina in my own free will."

"You are aware that this was an A-class mission with possible international consequences." It wasn't a question, nor an accusation. He had stated it evenly, as a fact.

Minato nodded again, feeling Kushina direct a frown towards him in her own turn.

The ANBU looked ahead in silence. He didn't ask how the child had located her when everyone else had failed or how a genin defeated her chūnin and possibly jōnin captors. The jōnin commander would ask those questions at leisure when given the chance and possibly come up with a good enough punishment for interfering with someone else's mission. The success-rate didn't matter here, orders were orders, and Minato Namikaze had defied them.

The boy was surprised at how much it did not bother him – Kushina was safe and that compensated for anything the Hokage administrative office might come up with.

They were coming up to the village walls when Minato saw him up the path and paled. For the first time since rescuing Kushina, he came to a stop and a nervous apologetic smile appeared on his face. The plump green frog, no bigger than his head, was not buying it.

"You are in serious trouble, Mina-chan" he said, bating eyelids "To worry me and Jira-chan like that…"

"Forgive me, Gamariki-san" he said, inclining his head. "You can let Jiraya-sensei know that both Kushina and I are safe. I have to take her to the hospital before I meet him."

Kushina was giving the frog incredulous looks, her face frozen in a mixture of surprise and half-hidden horror. Minato had to wonder what was shocking her more – the talking frog, his female attire or the names he tended to use when referring to him and his sensei. Perhaps a mixture of all three. The ANBU stayed indifferent, giving no sign of impatience.

"Hai hai, but be careful Mina-chan, he's most irritated." he said with an exaggerated sigh and disappeared with a poof in a cloud of smoke.

Kushina looked at him in disbelief.

"One of Jiraya-sensei's summons." He explained with a sigh as he started moving again, entering the village. The sentries stationed there didn't stop them for questioning – they were expected. ANBU's network of contacts was instantaneous.

The blond boy glanced at Kushina again as she chuckled. The smile tugging at the corner of her lips was in no way innocent. Mischief flickered through her eyes before she looked away. She would never drop it, he realised mortified. As far as she was concerned, he would be tagged 'Mina-chan' in her books for every gibe. He felt colour rising to his cheeks and inwardly cursed Gamariki's timing.

As tired as she was, Kushina had her dignity – upon arriving at the hospital she shrugged out of Minato's arms before he could parade her through the main entrance like a ragged doll. She underestimated her own exhaustion, however, and her legs gave in to her weight as soon as they touched the ground.

She never fell; Minato's arms caught her and steadied her before the ANBU could even react. He had been expecting it, but he might as well have gone and explained to the nearest wall that it needs his help before any such words would reach Kushina Uzumaki. He sighed and slipped her arm over his shoulder, supporting her weight.

"Always the fighter."

"Can't return you the compliment, ya know" she retorted in a pouty manner.

Surprisingly, it amused him even further. Her free hand brushed a lock of fiery hair from her face absent-mindedly as they walked towards the door. His eyes caught the movement and he smiled, trailing her long mane with a look. How anyone could make fun of it was beyond him – her hair was beautiful, tangled as it was after the incident. It bore a subtle scent of cherry blossoms, favour to her shampoo no doubt, which reminded him of care-free spring afternoons.

To his surprise, quite a few notable Konoha members had gathered at the hospital in wait for their arrival. Tsunade-san swept forward as soon as they entered the premise, kneeling before Kushina and touching a hand to her forehead. Behind her stood the current jōnin commander, the Hokage's personal council Homura, Koharu and Danzō and the Hokage himself.

He couldn't understand why the elite of the village had gathered at this hour to welcome back a retrieved genin. It was true that she was an Uzumaki – he had learned the value of their chakra long ago – but the level of interest they expressed in her well-being was unnerving. Or maybe he was overreacting?

On the other hand, Kushina was the daughter of Uzushiogakure's ambassadors in Konoha. This attack could have potentially had repercussions of international level. Perhaps the exaggerated worry was not entirely misplaced.

"It's okay, you can let her go now, I will take care of her." Tsunade-san said quietly and he realised he had been holding firmly on Kushina, not releasing his grip. Kushina didn't seem the least happy about being parted from him either, which it only proved his earlier observation that she had indeed grown to trust him.

"Oh. Yes. Of course." he said sheepishly and reluctantly stepped away from the girl as Tsunade picked her up perhaps too gingerly and carried her down the corridor, only stopping to assure Sandaime that Kushina was okay and would make a quick recovery.

The Monkey-masked ANBU with Minato took this chance to hurry before the Hokage, dropping on one knee before him and explaining briefly how he had located the boy on the way back. Minato couldn't help but feel a cold drop of sweat trickling down the back of his neck as everyone in the premises directed a look at him. It was the Sandaime's eyes he met, however, and it was Sandaime alone who favoured him with a smile.

"Minato Namikaze, ah?" he murmured before turning towards the jōnin commander who was looking sternly at the boy. "I believe your speculations were unfounded Shikadai. I do not believe that this boy is in any way a traitor to his village." He said and the jōnin commander just nodded curtly still appraising Minato with cold unflinching eyes. "He is a prodigious genin, highly capable for one at his age. I have no doubt that he succeeded in rescuing Kushina in his own skill, but how exactly…" the Hokage turned towards him and spread his hands in a friendly manner "I have no doubt that he is willing to enlighten us as soon as his wounds are treated."

"I am not wounded." He replied flatly, returning the Shikadai Nara's testing look.

"Not wounded? But-But you're just a child, you fought a chūnin!" Homura spluttered.

"Two to be precise, and a jōnin. We have already detained them and escorted them back to the T & I headquarters. They all live." the masked ANBU interceded, voice carefully void of any opinion on the matter.

"A jōnin?! That's preposterous!" Koharu chided in.

"My old friends." Sandaime interrupted. "Young Minato must be tired after this feat, let's not question him here. If you are truly well and unhurt Minato-kun, and if you don't mind, I would invite you to my office. I'm afraid I will have to deprive you from a good night's sleep for a little longer until we appease my friends' curiosity. And my own, for that matter." He said and gave the boy a reassuring smile.

"Of course Hokage-sama."

The Hokage dismissed the ANBU shinobi and turned to leave the room, followed by his advisors. Minato followed, quietly studying the only man who had remained silent throughout the exchange. In fact, Danzō appeared to be quite distracted throughout the whole conversation, throwing glances down the corridor in which Tsunade disappeared with Kushina. A furrow between his eyebrows indicated his unease. Something was troubling him and Minato could not, for the life of him, figure out what it was. He had defied orders, yes, but at least he had defeated their enemies and brought Kushina back. She was safe… wasn't she?

The Hokage's office was large, but even so it seemed strangely stuffy with all the people inside, all of whom were crammed behind the Hokage's desk, Sandaime himself being seated and his advisors standing about him, with Minato alone standing in front. It was distancing and what's more, quite mortifying.

"So." Sandaime began, knitting fingers on the desk before him and favouring Minato with another kind smile. "I would very much like to hear of tonight's events, if you will Minato-kun."

"I was at Ichiraku's earlier tonight when the distress signal was given." He started slowly. "I saw a group of shinobi gathering, directing civilians to their homes. One of them was Sakumo-sensei." Upon mentioning Kushina's sensei he paused before damning thrice in his mind.

He should be careful who he mentions. He didn't want to cast a bad light on Hatake Sakumo in any way – after all, the decision to go after Kushina had been his alone.

Sandaime, as if having read his precise thoughts, smiled again. "I'm sure Sakumo-san directed you home as well."

Minato's eyes relaxed and he couldn't stop himself from returning Sandaime's smile, albeit briefly.

"Yes, he did. He seemed distressed and I asked him if I could help. He informed me that there had been intruders in the village, whose current location was unknown, so people were directed to their homes as safety precautions. I asked if there were any casualties and he responded that no one was harmed, but they were dealing with a missing nin. He…" Minato paused again, lost for words.

He couldn't easily explain what had followed. He had asked Sakumo who it was, but the jōnin had shaken his head. The expression in his eyes, the way his shoulders slouched, the way the corners of his mouth dropped ever so slightly, had been enough for Minato. He had learned how to observe and assess.

"He didn't inform me about the missing nin's personality, but I understood. As her sensei, he was personally distraught." Minato said slowly, choosing his words with care. "He instructed me clearly to go home after that. I defied his orders."

The boy's voice rang clearly as he said the last words, looking at each one of the elders in turn, as if challenging them to blame him for it.

"Kushina Uzumaki is my friend. She is a fellow shinobi of Konoha and I personally felt obliged to try to help her instead of waiting at home." He continued unperturbed.

The Hokage sighed.

"Such is the Fire Will of Konoha. No shinobi can stay idle when a friend of his is at danger. Even if that means defying direct orders." There was no accusation in his voice and the now-familiar smile was tugging at the corners of his lips. "I do not believe we can hold this child at fault for rescuing a comrade. Do you not agree, Danzō?"

The man gave Minato one last appraising look before nodding.

"That still doesn't answer our question as to how he located her, when all of our teams were at a loss." The Nara head interjected with unhidden curiosity in his voice. "Those shinobi might not have been good fighters, but they covered their trails expertly, leaving no trace of scent or chakra."

Minato smiled, recalling how he had glimpsed the little strand of fire, half-hidden by leaves and twigs on the forest floor. How his heart had skipped a beat as he got nearer and confirmed that this was indeed her hair. This unmistakable, beautiful rich red, that he remembered would whip around her face as she lashed out proving herself every day.

The Hokage's words suddenly rang through his mind again. He was right, Minato knew, he would always try to help a comrade when help was needed, but was this the only reason he went after Kushina? The heat stung in his cheeks. No. No it wasn't. What had he told her? I didn't want to lose you. It was true. The possibility of her being torn away from the village… from him, before he even had the chance to know her, somehow pained him in an inexplicable way.

"I followed her hair." He said quietly, for once looking at his feet, missing the confused look the jōnin commander directed at him. Sandaime, however, was yet again smiling. "Kushina is very brave and smart." He continued "She plucked strands of her hair and dropped them without her captors noticing. Her hair is a very beautiful colour… I noticed it right away. I just followed the trail."

Once finished telling this he finally looked up. To his surprise Sandaime was chuckling. Even the serious Shikadai Nara had cracked a smile.

Minato smiled too. The invisible barrier was cracking.

"And pray tell, how did a genin of new defeat three grown ninjas, a jōnin amongst them?" Danzō cut through. If Minato could visualize it in any other way, he'd picture the old man taping the cracks firmly together. However, they were still there.

His smile never left his face.

"I took them unawares. They had reached close to their borders and they were growing reckless, thinking they were safe. Also… I'm kind of fast." He said sheepishly.

"If you expect us to believe-"

"And what would your explanation be, Danzō-sama? A twelve year old boy was cunning enough to trade Kushina Uzumaki off Kumogakure?" Jiraya's voice snapped so suddenly that Minato jumped and took two steps sideways instinctively, never having felt his sensei appear behind him.

Danzō's eyes narrowed.

"What is this farce, Hiruzen-sensei?" Jiraya demanded in a serious manner, rarely witnessed by Minato. "A child, being interrogated by the entire council after having saved his comrade from the hands of the foe? Minato Namikaze is a prodigy amongst genins, you must know as well as anyone else. He is more than capable of handling three grown shinobi. He is my student after all." The Sannin finished, letting a grin spill on his face.

And with that the wall shattered. Minato was no longer alone, in that cold room, before the questioning eyes of those strangers, even if a pair of them was full of kindness and understanding.

"Sensei-"

"I will deal with you later, brat" Jiraya growled quietly, silencing Minato with a chilling look. He suddenly remembered the pain written on Sakumo-sensei's face when he had thought Kushina was in danger. Guilty conscience gnawed on him. He should have called his sensei before dashing in the woods alone, no matter how confident he was in his own abilities.

"Jiraya." Sandaime started with a sigh "We were in no way interrogating young Minato. As far as I am concerned, he is a hero today, having completed an A-rank mission excellently at the fragile age of twelve. On the contrary, his success intrigues me, as well as my advisors. Your pupil is insightful, resourceful and skillful, you should be proud. No retributive measures will be taken against him today in gratitude for saving the life of a Konoha shinobi in danger. However, I will kindly ask him, as a friend, rather than Hokage, to heed orders in the future and attempt to solve problems within their limitations. With an ingenious mind like his, I am sure he will find a way."

And Sandaime smiled at the dumb-struck Minato who was staring at him in disbelief.

He wasn't the only one. Danzō also had a hard time containing his disagreement. The rest of the elders, however, were nodding somberly.

"Ya ya, well, you see…" Jiraya started through wide grins, scratching the back of his head nervously, having found himself suddenly praised as a sensei.

His sudden mood swing didn't surprise Minato – he was very much used to it. Therefore his sensei's next action was almost anticipated. Almost. His hand lashed out and smacked Minato on the back of the head.

"You idiot!" He snapped "Apologize to Sandaime immediately!"

"Sensei…!" Minato half-shouted as he instinctively reached up trying to rub the sting away. "I apologize for the trouble caused, Sandaime-sama." He recited dully, eyeing his sensei with annoyance.

"No no, not at all Minato-kun. I should be the one to apologize for keeping you here for so long. I believe with this you are free to go. However, I must remind you that I will expect a full report at the missions desk tomorrow in order to validate your first A-rank. Now, Shikadai, please find Inoken and direct him to T&I. I would like him to personally take care of the attackers' interrogation, I want a full investigation report as soon as possible. If the rest of you would remain, I would like to discuss some adjustments to our security system…" his voice faded as Jiraya-sensei put a hand on Minato's shoulder and led him out of the room.

He didn't miss the cold look Jiraya exchanged with Danzō right before exiting the room.

The wind blew steadily, picking up their hair and clothes. It wasn't a cold wind, however, so the sensation was pleasant. Minato always enjoyed it. In fact, the top of the Hokage Mountain was one of his favourite places in Konoha. It was beautiful and peaceful. And as it happened, his admiration was shared by his sensei.

Jiraya was silent and Minato didn't dare talk before his sensei deemed it appropriate, glancing in the general direction of the hospital absentmindedly.

"She is going to be alright, she just needs rest. She was still awake when I saw her." Jiraya said with a sigh, having guessed Minato's center of attention.

"You saw her?"

"Gamariki-san was under the impression that you would be in the hospital with her. For such a small brat you sure do cause significant problems. Having to abandon my sake to look for my run-away student…" Jiraya was complaining with a pouty look.

"Sensei, you said yourself that you believe I am capable of-"

"Stupid." Jiraya said through annoyance, smacking the back of his head again.

Minato gave a yelp of pain before clutching the back of his head with two hands, mumbling about sudden-mood swings. As if to prove it, his sensei sighed again and looked ahead with a serious face.

"You are a capable shinobi, Minato." The boy's eyes directed at him, silently. His somber voice, his teaching voice, was something Minato didn't hear often, but had learned to respect and acknowledge. "But you are reckless." His sensei continued, shaking his head. "And in times like ours recklessness costs dearly. You are not arrogant, of that I am sure, you are confident in your abilities as you well should be, but you underestimate the enemy's potency. What if they were thirty shinobi, not three? You are quick, I'll grant you that, and smarter than I ever were at your age, but a shinobi's true power doesn't hide in the body or in the mind" he said and moved a heavy palm to his chest. "It lies here. Your friends and family, your comrades, everyone that you love and trust, and everyone who answers you in kind. Never forget your team-mates and your teachers in such times of peril."

"You would have stopped me." Minato mumbled, looking away in certainty.

"Damn right, I would have! This is a fight between villages, brat. They needed Kushina alive and well, but if you had gotten yourself killed it would have sparked off a new war between our nations. It might still be so, mind you, despite having left those shinobi alive." Jiraya grumbled, throwing a quick glance at the Hokage tower in the silence that followed.

"Sensei… why did they need Kushina?"

The white-haired man knotted eyebrows and remained quiet for awhile.

"Kushina's chakra is different."

"Because she is an Uzumaki?"

"Yes and no." Jiraya said carefully. "She has vast quantities of chakra because of her clan abilities, but even within the Uzumaki blood-line her chakra is amongst the most potent. She is quite special, that friend of yours." He finished, his lips twitching with a slight grin.

"So she might be targeted again."

Is this what it meant being strong?

"She might well be, if our enemies know about her potency."

"I will protect her." Minato said sternly and Jiraya lifted an eyebrow.

"Not if I can help it, you won't." he growled.

"Sensei, if it hadn't been for me-"

"Save me the heroic monologue, brat. I had picked up her trail already before Gamariki-san appeared. Kumogakure would have never had her."

"Oh." was all Minato managed before smiling nervously.

"Just how daft to you take your sensei to be aaah?" Jiraya said before his face stretched into a wide grin. "You need to trust me more when it comes to such delicate matters."

The boy's look returned to him questioningly.

"Delicate matters?"

His sensei laughed cheekily, giving Minato a light elbow-shove in the ribs.

"You know I am proficient with the ladies." he said with a wink.

"J-Jiraya-sensei!" Minato scoffed, feeling his cheeks burning yet again, finally having understood what his sensei was implying.

"Hehee, you have an eye for them Minato, Kushina will grow to be quite a beauty, you must have learned from your sensei, good, good, saving her like that must have made her notice you, but you have more to learn!" Jiraya was reciting through an even larger grin, while patting Minato frantically on the back as if acknowledging a successful mission.

"N-no, it's nothing like that!" he said, pulling away from his sensei's encouragement and shaking his head. "She's my friend, that's all!"

"Boy, you have more to grow before you can lie to your sensei! Your face is as red as that damned girl's hair!"

Minato stumbled for words that never came as Jiraya reached out and wrapped a grizzly arm around his neck pulling him closer, ruffling his hair with his other hand. "Come now, tell your sensei all about her!"

"Senseeei!"

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Your comments and feedback (both positive and negative) are most welcome, if you would take the time. If it is indeed liked, I will try to post the next one within reasonable time.