Minato: Encounter

Minato groaned as he surveyed his surroundings, one hand clutching his abdomen to protect his exposed intestines, the other arm hanging limply from a dislocated shoulder. Twelve dead Iwa-nin, check. No other survivors... check. He swayed dizzily, body protesting at the abuse his probing search heaped upon already depleted reserves. Mission accomplished. Now I just need to make it back to the boarder. Turning towards the aforementioned and currently contested boarder between Tsuchi no kuni and Taki no kuni, Minato tried to persuade his feet to move. Ow, my head. Concussion? Stupid solo mission, and what does that make me for accepting it..?

"Minato-chan?"

Huh?

"Minato-chan, you are injured!" Something tugged at the lower edge of his journin vest. Minato looked down.

There was a child standing right next to him. Probably a girl if the neat brown bob was anything to go by. About seven years old judging by height. Minato was absolutely positive she hadn't been there a moment ago. Genjutsu? He instinctively tried to form the necessary handsign for Kai, but as his left hand was unresponsive and his right was the only thing preventing his insides from becoming outsides, failure was pretty much a given.

"Nato-chan?" The girl said and looked up at him, giving the journin a clear view of her face. Minato gasped at the black, star-spangled void that filled her eye-sockets.

"Nato-chan, You have to come to Aniki-tou-san so he can fix you!"

Minato blinked. "Ano, do I know you, chibi?"

"Not yet, Nato-chan," the girl said solemnly, "but if you die now, the future will be very messy."

"Really?" Minato felt his knees give way. He managed not to squash the strange little girl, but it was a very near thing. "How messy?" He inquired absently.

"Nato-chan! You mustn't die!" The high, childish voice seemed to be coming from a very long way away.

Minato's eyes rolled back into his skull as he fell forwards in a dead faint.

A/N: My first fanfic. Let me know what you think. It's going to be a big one.