Prologue Part 1
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons
Flashbacks and Setting
Though he could simply teleport home using his signature jutsu, or even a simple shunshin, Namikaze Minato preferred to walk home after a long day at the office, taking in the sight of his beloved village of Konoha. The villagers loved their leader and would greet the young Hokage with a wave or a bow, some even giving him small gifts, such as fresh fruit or some groceries to take home, and he would always greet them back with a smile and a nod or a wave.
The happy faces of the villagers and the visible liveliness of the people throughout the village made the stress of the job bearable, seeing exactly who and what he was working for. However, the highlight of his day always waited for him at the end of his journey home.
He opened the door to his house, only to be tackled by a yellow and red blur. "Tou-san! You're back!" shouted his 7-year-old qundriplets; Menma, Naruto, Unemeko, Sumihiko, who looked up to meet Minato's happy gaze with his own bright blue eyes, arms still wrapped around Minato's waist in a hug. Menma and Naruto looked like a miniature clone of Minato, with spiky blonde hair but Naruto has sapphire blue eyes and Menma has both sapphire blue and violet blue eyes, and Unemeko looks like Minato but with red hair and Sumihiko looks like his wife, but with blue eyes.The qundriplets pulled their dad inside by his hand before the man could even take off his shoes, and Minato chuckled as he tried to take his shoes off in the midst of his chaotic greeting.
"Welcome home, honey!" He looked up to be greeted with the brilliant smile of his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, who slowly walked out of the kitchen with a hand on her lower back when she heard the commotion started by the qundriplets. She looked beautiful with her perfect skin and long red hair, despite being 9 months pregnant, as she was about to give birth to their youngest daughter any day now. Minato placed the bag of fruit that he'd been given by a grateful villager on the table and gave her a small kiss on her lips. He looked into the violet eyes of the love of his life, and all the stress and worries of the day melted away.
"So, how was work today?" Kushina asked as she took the young Hokage's signature jacket, a white, short-sleeved jacket which reached down to his calves, emblazoned with the words 'Yondaime Hokage' on the back, and red flames at the bottom.
"I sent a message to Jiraiya-sensei asking him to be there on the big day for some extra security, and Hiruzen agreed to send Biwako over to be the midwife. I sent Kakashi with some trusted ANBU to look over the location one more time to make sure they didn't miss anything," answered Minato as he sat down on their couch.
Kushina looked over to the qundriplets , "Menma, Naruto, Unemeko, Sumihiko, why don't you four show your dad the surprise you prepared for him?"
"Oh yeah, we forgot all about that didn't we!? Give us a sec, Tou-san!" Naruto yelled as he scurried over to his room to show his dad his little surprise.
"Naruto, you don't have to yell, you know." Menma told him sarcastically then went to follow him. Unemeko and Sumihiko waited for them.
"Geez, what with the yelling?" Isamu "Sami" asked as he just walked in with Takahiro "Hiro" and Tsukinookami "Suki" behind him. They came home from a two days mission.
When Naruto left the living room to go upstairs, Kushina asked in a quiet, worried tone, "Do you think there'll be any problems? There weren't so many security measures when Suzuki and Aihana was born." A small frown formed on her face.
"Well, I just wanted to be sure. You remember how the seal weakened when you were giving birth the twins. I have to focus on maintaining your seal, so the Kyuubi doesn't escape. Really caught me with my pants down last time. I just don't want anything to go wrong when we're all so vulnerable." Minato replied as he tried to assure his wife that everything was fine.
Kushina was reassured that everything would be okay when Menma and Naruto suddenly came running down the stairs with a drawing in hand. The redhead looked at her excited sons with love in her eyes, and a smile reappeared on her face.
"Look, Tou-san! we drew this after the academy today!" Naruto beamed as he proudly showed his drawing to his father. Minato looked at the picture and saw a drawing of Minato and Kushina on the right and left, with Naruto and a small red-haired girl in between them, all holding hands.
"So, this is your sister?" Minato asked as he pointed to the little girl in the picture.
"Yup! I have blonde hair and blue eyes just like you, so I thought Emiko should have red hair and violet eyes just like Kaa-chan!"
Minato looked at the picture again and smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Emiko, huh? Is that her name now?" Minato asked, amused.
"Yup! Since our brother is Isamu, the older twins is Takahiro "Hiro" and Tsukinookami "Suki", my wombmates is Menma, Unemeko and Sumihiko, the younger twins is Suzuki and Aihana and I'm Naruto, she can be Emiko! The Uzumaki-Namikaze siblings are gonna be the strongest and coolest shinobi in the village! Believe it!" Naruto declared. Minato chuckled at his son's antics and looked to his beautiful wife.
"Emiko, huh… I like it!" Kushina said with a wide smile, and Minato agreed.
Minato's stomach growled out loudly as if to also agree, garnering laughter from his boisterous son and wife, as the smell of the ramen in the kitchen entered his nose.
"Ramen?" Minato asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. He could be unreadable to almost anyone when he wanted, but to the Uzumaki woman, he was an open book. Kushina simply replied with a knowing smile and went to the kitchen to add the finishing touches to their dinner.
The children couldn't help but share the excitement and cheer at the news of having the family's favorite meal for dinner and rushed over to set the table and helped fetch things for his pregnant mother. Minato chuckled at the scene as he went to change out of his work clothes and freshen up before dinner.
As the family ate their dinner, Minato took a second to look at his wife and child, seeing them inhale their ramen like there was no tomorrow, bringing a small smile to his lips. Though only for a brief second, Kushina caught Minato looking at her.
"What? Got something on my face?" She said, not paying attention to the stray noodle that hung out the corner of her mouth. Minato gave a small chuckle as he pointed to the noodle stuck to her cheek.
"Got somewhere to go? You're eating like you haven't had ramen in ages." Minato accused jokingly.
"Hey! I'm eating for two here! Little Emiko wants her share too, ya know!" Kushina blurted out in defense, a light blush appearing on her face in embarrassment, as she continued to inhale her ramen, albeit at a more conscious and slightly slower pace. Minato just laughed at the antics of his ramen-loving wife and went back to eating his ramen only to find that Naruto had already finished his adult-sized portions of ramen and was back with seconds. The blonde Hokage couldn't help but wonder if Emiko would love ramen like the rest of her family.
Soon after, the Namikaze-Uzumaki family settled down to sleep. The couple read Naruto a story and kissed him goodnight. "Kaa-chan is so much better at doing the voices, Tou-san!" Naruto accused jokingly.
"Hah! Told ya, Minato! Little Naru-chan has great taste, doesn't he?" Kushina cheered as she did a little victory dance.
"Oh yeah? If you don't like my character impressions, why don't you read your own bedtime stories, mister?" Minato said in a defensive tone, pouting in a way that made it clear he was also joking.
"Maybe I will! When Emiko is born, me and Kaa-chan are reading the stories while you check under the bed for Iwa-nin!" the 7-year-old boy answered back as he stuck out his tongue.
Minato and Kushina chuckled as they turned around to turn off the lights and leave for their own bed, after checking on their other children.
"Tou-san, Kaa-chan? Do you think we could share rooms with Emiko when she's born?" Suzuki and Aihana suddenly asked, stopping their parents at the door.
"Sure, I guess? Why all of a sudden?" Minato asked.
"You know babies cry a lot and go to the bathroom in their diapers, right?" Kushina warned lightly with a question of her own, though in a not-so-serious manner.
"we just want to make sure she's ok and protect our baby sister, like you and Tou-san do for all of us. We're gonna be the best big sisters like Suki and Sumihiko! Believe it!" Suzuki answered back, pumping her fist in the air in declaration. After all, they're had been waiting to be a big sister for years now. The two parents looked proudly at their children before looking at each other with a warm smile.
"Sure thing, sweeties. You're already looking like a great big sisters."
"Thanks, Kaa-chan! Tou-san! I'll keep my promise! I'll make you proud! Promise!" Sumihiko gave her parents a wide smile that almost reached her ears. The Hokage and his wife hugged both of them and gave them another goodnight kiss before heading to their own room.
As the happy couple lay in their bed, Minato's thoughts on Narumi that started at dinner continued. Seeing him deep in thought, Kushina cupped his cheek before asking, "What's on your mind, honey?"
"I was just thinking about little Emiko and about how our lives will be in the future. Will she like ramen? Will she have your personality like Naruto, or will she be more like me? Is Naruto really gonna take my spot as bedtime story reader?" The young Hokage mused out loud, somewhat jokingly, as he rubbed his wife's pregnant stomach.
"I don't know what she'll be like or what she'll like, but one thing I know is that she's gonna be awesome because she's our daughter," she assured him with an embrace, "and yes, Naruto is definitely taking your spot as bedtime story reader when Emiko is born." She whispered into Minato's ear with a teasing grin on her face.
The blonde Hokage gave a small pout and hmphed, but his small frown turned into a smile as the couple dozed off to sleep. Yes, his daughter would be born into a happy family, and she would be showered in love. He would make sure of that, he thought as he finally fell asleep.