Tangents and Parallels

The Kyuubi roaring in the background went ignored as Minato stared at his wife and son, knowing that he was going to lose one to death and the other to a painful future. Not to mention that he was going to face his own end.

“Minato, this is too much!”

Kushina’s teary cries hurt his already burdened heart and he got to his feet, turning away from her to prepare himself for what he was going to do. “I know, Kushina…but I believe in our son.”

Taking a deep breath, Minato steeled himself and turned back to his family, recalling the sequence for the Shiki Fuujin. He planned to split the power of the Kyuubi, to seal one half into himself and the other half within his son. That way, Konoha would still have a Jinchuuriki and the masked intruder would not be able to obtain the full power of the Kyuubi.

Minato raised his hands, ready to seal his fate and that of his loved ones, at the cost of his own life.

‘I’m so sorry…’

“NO, STOP!”

A pained cry startled Minato and Kushina, the two of them taken aback by the sheer amount of despair and sorrow in the sound. They turned their heads in unison in the direction of the voice, instinctively looking for the source.

There was a small girl trudging towards them, her blue eyes darkened with pain but also burning with determination. She was limping, her clothes were tattered and there were splatters of blood on her skin. Her long crimson hair, probably once lustrous, was dulled, thanks to dirt and neglect.

Minato and Kushina watched with mounting horror as the girl, who couldn’t possibly be older than four or five, slowly made her way to them, coughing blood as she did.

It was only then that Minato registered that she was dragging someone behind her.

“That’s-!”

It was the masked man who had attacked them, drawn the Kyuubi out of Kushina and was, in short, the cause of the disaster.

“Don’t,” the girl whispered, shaking her head when the blond man took a step forward, coughing more blood but uncaring of the red liquid trailing down her chin. “He’s restrained…he won’t be going anywhere. Don’t kill him.”

“How did you get in here?” Kushina asked when her husband looked to be at a loss for words. She was concerned about the heavily wounded girl, something about her appearance niggling at the back of her mind, but she ignored it for the moment. “You shouldn’t be able to get past the barrier.”

“I was never out of it.”

The girl dropped the unconscious masked man, stumbling once before forging on. “Please…don’t use the Shiki Fuujin.”

Minato startled at the pleading words, eyes widening for an instant before narrowing in suspicion. “How do you know about that?”

“Please…please, don’t condemn your child to that life too…”

“What?”

A couple of feet away from Minato and Kushina, the girl stumbled, violent coughs wracking her small frame as she spat out blood. Despite his wariness, Minato couldn’t help but approach her, one hand reaching out to the strangely familiar child as he knelt in front of her.

“Hey, you should stop talking.”

One of the girl’s hands caught his, alarming Minato at how cold her skin felt to the touch. She looked up, grim eyes boring into his, “Don’t do it…don’t make your Naruto suffer loneliness too.”

Kushina gaped at the wording the girl had used, absently realizing that Minato was doing the same.

‘Your’ Naruto?

Using her hold on Minato’s hand, the little redhead forced herself to her feet again. She took a deep breath, locking her knees when they threatened to buckle under her weight.

That was when Minato and Kushina realized that it was oddly silent.

The Kyuubi had stopped roaring and thrashing.

“Kurama! I know you can hear me!”

The girl’s sudden yell shattered the stillness, the adults confused as to who she was addressing.

To their tremendous shock and surprise, the Kyuubi snorted and lowered its head until it was level with them, slitted eyes focused on the bloody redhead.

“You’re too loud, kit.”

“Stupid fox,” the girl grumbled, but it sounded fond and she raised a hand to stroke the Bijuu’s nose. “Can you become smaller?”

“Fine.”

Right in front of their eyes, the humongous form of the Kyuubi no Kitsune shrunk, Kushina’s chains that were restraining it clinking as they fell to the ground since the woman was too stunned to make them adapt to the change in size.

“You scared me, you know?” the girl sniffled, wrapping her arms around the now tiger-sized Bijuu. She snuggled into its side, shocking the adults when the Kyuubi actually snuggled back. “I woke up and found the seal empty. I thought I had lost you too.”

The fox hummed, settling down and wrapping its tails around the girl in a seemingly protective manner, taking her weight when it looked like she couldn’t hold herself up anymore. “My counterpart and I have merged. I believe it happened because he had escaped his seal and my own was open.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I should really get back into you, kit,” the Kyuubi said, huffing when the girl’s response was to bury herself deeper into its fur. “You’ll die if I don’t heal you.”

“…promise you’ll stay?”

“Where else would I go?”

That got the girl to laugh and withdraw, smiling as she got to her feet, a little steadier than earlier. But before she or the fox could do anything, Minato interrupted.

“What is going on here?!”

“You’re smart, Yondaime, figure it out yourself,” the Kyuubi snorted, casting a baleful glare at him and the woman behind him. “Naruto already gave you enough hints.”

Sharp blue eyes narrowed. “Are you telling me dimension travel is real?”

Because as far-fetched as it sounded, it was also the only thing that made sense.

The girl’s heartbreaking pleas.

The mentions of theirNaruto.

The Kyuubi apparently merging with another version of itself.

The implication that it had been sealed within the girl.

The Kyuubi calling the girl Naruto.

The girl -Naruto- sighed, patting the fox. “That’s right. I am Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, a version of your child. My parents died sealing Kurama into me on the day of my birth. I’ll be damned before I let your son experience what I did!”

With that declaration, her hands blurred, forming rapid handsigns, far too fast for either Minato or Kushina to react or respond in any way.

“Hakke Fuuin.”

There was a brief flare of chakra before the Kyuubi dissolved into a thick cloud of bubbling crimson chakra, enveloping the girl before disappearing. Almost immediately, there was a change to the pallor of her skin, the color looking far more human than the sickly paleness it had had. She also appeared to be stronger, the faint tremor in her fingers vanishing and she could stand up easily.

“I’ll be the only one to bear that burden this time,” Naruto said firmly, directing a soft smile at a stunned Minato, who didn’t move an inch when she walked past him.

Blue eyes met violet and Kushina shuddered at the pure emotion in the girl’s eyes, finally placing them. They were the same shape and color as her husband’s, and the girl resembled Kushina herself so much that it felt like she was looking at her younger self.

“Mom-no, Kushina-san,” the young redhead corrected herself sadly. Even if she had saved them, what would they want with a nineteen-year-old in a five-year-old’s body?

One that was plagued with nightmares of tears and blood and pain.

Even if she was Naruto, she was nothing to them.

Kushina was staring, eyes wide and a faint frown tugging at her lips when she noticed the resignation in the little redhead’s expression. She shifted a little, wincing when she felt her chakra drain from her. Keeping the chakra chains active was a moot point now and she stopped powering the jutsu, feeling relief when she felt a little stronger.

But her time was limited.

Shifting her gaze to her baby boy cradled in her arms, the woman choked back a sob and hugged him closer. “I’m so sorry I won’t live to see you grow up, my baby,” Kushina whispered as tears trailed down her cheeks, absently noting that Minato was next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The only good points in the mess were that her son would still have his father and didn’t need to become a Jinchuuriki.

Minato bit his lip, holding back his own tears as his wife silently cried over their sleeping son. Life was so cruel, to give them the family they had desperately wanted, only to rip it all away in minutes. But there was nothing he could do.

“You will.”

The firm declaration had the two adults startle and shift their gazes to the girl. She was staring at the baby, an indecipherable glint in her eyes. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up with a smile. “You will see him grow up, M-Kushina-san,” she murmured, placing one hand over Kushina’s. “I promise.”

Chakra flowed into her the next instant, brimming with vitality and power that immediately re-energized Kushina. The couple could only gape, something that they had been doing a lot in the past few minutes, the razor-sharp focus in the girl’s expression not helping in the least.

To Minato’s senses, the chakra she was channeling was overflowing with life.

And just like that, Kushina’s own chakra stabilized, the hint of death that had been hanging over her disappearing like it had never existed.

“Good…it worked.”

The redhead shot one last faint smile at the couple and collapsed.

Minato reacted instinctively the moment the girl swayed on her feet, an arm snaking around the far too tiny waist and holding onto her. A quick probe with his chakra told him that she had only lost consciousness, likely due to exhaustion and blood loss.

Adjusting the girl so that her head rested on his shoulder, -even if her identity was unverified, she had helped them tremendously and Minato saw no reason to be harsh- he looked at his wife helplessly.

“Kushina…how are you feeling?”

“Far better than I ever have,” the woman beamed, taking in the sight of her husband and the girl. To be honest, they looked perfect like that. “Hey, Minato…do you really believe what the Kyuubi said? About this girl being Naruto.”

“Maybe,” the blond man replied thoughtfully. He had monitored the girl’s chakra during their interactions and it had spoken of no lies. Not to mention the similarities her chakra signature shared with theirs. “For now, I’d like to hold back on making any judgments.”

“Okay. But if she really is…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Can you stand, Kushina?”

“Ah, yeah, I can.”

When he was sure that his wife was steady on her feet and didn’t look like she would fall over, Minato walked over to the masked figure still lying motionless on the ground a few meters away. Kushina followed him curiously, arms wrapped protectively around their son. She had not forgotten how the man had threatened to kill him.

Adjusting his grip to hold the unconscious girl in one arm, Minato knelt beside the man once he was sure the other was still restrained and in one smooth movement, pulled off his mask.

Behind him, Kushina gasped but all Minato could do was stare at the scarred but familiar face.

Obito.

“How…?” Kushina whispered, hurrying over to kneel on the Uchiha’s other side. She could see the scars covering a good portion of his face and probably most of the right side of his body too. But there was no way she wouldn’t recognize him. “I thought he died.”

“We all thought that.”

Minato rubbed his face roughly, frustrated. Nothing was adding up and there seemed to be no answers coming anytime soon. He didn’t understand why Obito had not returned to Konoha if he had survived, why he had attacked and killed quite a few people that night, why he had unleashed the Kyuubi on Konoha.

Feeling a bunch of chakra signatures approaching them, the Yondaime Hokage made a quick decision. A Kage Bunshin appeared next to him, taking the girl from him and grabbing Obito’s shoulder before vanishing.

“Where did you take them?” Kushina asked, not sure why Minato had done that.

“To a hidden safehouse,” the blond breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sandaime-sama is approaching with a few others. Could you not say anything about what happened until we get the story straight? I have the feeling that this is complicated.”

The woman snorted, “‘Complicated’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Alright, my lips are sealed.”

“Thanks, Kushina.”

Minato didn’t have time to do anything more than send a grateful look towards his amazing wife before voices called out to them.

“Minato!”

“Yondaime-sama!”

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to reach the couple, dressed in full armor and ready for battle. His worried expression melted into one of relief when he saw that Minato and Kushina were alright and mostly unharmed.

“The two of you are fine?”

“Yes. The Kyuubi has been dealt with,” Minato said before the former Hokage could ask, a slight warning in blue eyes telling the Sarutobi not to probe further. Sensitive information like that could not be revealed to the village. “Status report?”

“A large portion of the village has been destroyed, Hokage-sama,” one of the Jounin reported with a grimace. “So far there haven’t been any civilian casualties reported but we’ve lost about two dozen shinobi and more are still being treated. I’m afraid that we don’t have any exact numbers for you, Hokage-sama.”

“No, that’s fine. Focus on evacuating everyone from the damaged areas and send in people to assess the damage once we have everyone accounted for. If any squads have been formed, tell them to patrol the perimeter of the village. We don’t know if we have intruders.”

‘More intruders,’ Minato corrected mentally, nodding when the Jounin in front of him saluted and scattered to spread the message. ‘This is a big mess. But it could have been worse, had the Kyuubi rampaged for longer.’

“Minato…what really happened?” Hiruzen asked when it was only them, a frown on his face.

“I don’t have any answers for you, Sandaime-sama. We were attacked by someone soon after Kushina gave birth; that’s how the Kyuubi got free. He seemed to be able to control it but once I broke the connection, he escaped.”

The old man nodded, mouth pursed in thought. Someone able to control the Kyuubi…what a terrifying thought. “Hence the mention of intruders.”

“Yes.”

“I see…very well then. Best you get Kushina to a medic, Minato. I’ll keep an eye on things until you get back.”

Kushina stepped forward then, a sad expression on her face as she placed a hand on the Sarutobi’s arm. “I’m sorry about Biwako-sama.”

Hiruzen smiled faintly, a touch of sorrow in his eyes as he bowed his head. “Thank you, dear child.”

Minato offered his condolences as well before wrapping an arm around his wife and disappearing.

It was going to be a long night.

“Sensei!”

Minato was brought out of his thoughts at the panicked call of his name, turning his head to the side. Kakashi was running towards him, his visible eye blown wide with fear that hadn’t eased even when the boy had clearly seen his former instructor.

“Kakashi,” the Namikaze greeted softly, placing a hand on the teenager’s shoulder and pulling him closer when the Hatake froze in hesitation. “Did you get hurt?”

“No. Sandaime-sama ordered me to help with evacuation,” Kakashi explained, voice wavering but not breaking. His tense muscles relaxed when his stupid overthinking brain got the confirmation that Minato was alive and well. “What about Kushina-nee and the baby?”

“They’re being checked over,” Minato gestured to the door opposite them. “But I think they’ll be fine.”

Knowing that he had to get back to work, the man considered the anxious Hatake and nodded to himself. “Kakashi, I’ve got a mission for you. Come with me.”

The next second, the pair were in a different location, the puff of a Bunshin dispelling echoing a moment later. Minato hummed as he received the memories of his Kage Bunshin, but there wasn’t anything noteworthy.

“I need you to watch over these two, Kakashi.”

Kakashi nodded, shifting his gaze to the occupants of the two futons that were on the floor. He saw the girl with red hair first, her appearance bearing a striking resemblance to Kushina at first and second glances.

The other person, however, made his breath stutter and stop.

“O-Obito?” he croaked, falling to his knees next to the Uchiha, staring at the unconscious form of the person who had sacrificed himself for him. “Sensei, what…?”

Minato sighed and knelt next to Kakashi, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We don’t know for sure if this is really Obito, but…he’s the one who started this disaster.”

“W-What? But why would he…?”

“I don’t know, Kakashi. No one but yourself, Kushina and I know about these two. Until we can confirm their identities, we’re going to keep them a secret. Can you watch over them and call for me if one of them wakes up? It’s okay if you can’t.”

Kakashi rubbed away the few tears that had escaped and pulled himself together, giving a short nod in answer. There was no proof that the person in front of him was really Obito and he had a mission to focus on.

Squeezing the Hatake’s shoulder once, Minato got to his feet. He had no doubt that Kakashi was going to mentally torment himself until he got his answers, but there was no one else he could trust. He walked over to the small desk and picked up the two vials of blood resting on it.

With one last glance back at the room, he used the Hiraishin to return to the hospital. Snagging a passing medic, he handed over the vials, asking, “Could you perform DNA tests on these blood samples? If you don’t find perfect matches, then check for parental connections.”

The medic nodded, carefully pocketing the vials. “Of course, Hokage-sama. Is this high priority?”

Minato smiled weakly, “Yes, but I would prefer that any emergencies be handled first. Oh, and please keep the tests a secret. Don’t let anyone look at the results and bring them to me yourself.”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly at the command, correctly surmising that even she wasn’t supposed to take a look at the results. The importance of the Hokage’s request took precedence over her other duties and with a word of understanding, ran off to do the DNA tests.

Following the rushing woman with his eyes, Minato ran a hand down his face.

What was supposed to be a joyful occasion had turned into a tragedy. He supposed that Konoha had gotten off rather lightly, since the scale of destruction was actually larger than the actual casualties, thankfully.

Small blessings.

Minato’s hand tightened around the papers in his hands and he had to steady himself against the nearest wall. He glanced at the text, the words not changing from what he had read the first time.

Case ID: 89902

DNA match found.

Subject name: Uchiha Obito.

That was the only important part of the entire report and Minato’s thoughts spiraled. According to Kakashi and the late Rin, the entire of Obito’s right side had been crushed. Even if the boy had survived, there was no way he would have been able to exhibit the type of mobility he had had when attacking Minato.

Yet…

In order to temporarily take his mind off how he had failed his student, the blond took the next report. The contents made his train of thought come to a screeching halt.

Case ID: 89903

DNA match not found.

Performing paternity test.

Match found.

Father: Namikaze Minato.

Mother: Uzumaki Kushina.

No way.

“Minato?”

Kushina’s worried voice jolted him out of his stupor and Minato looked at his wife, sitting down heavily on the bed next to her and handing her the papers. It took less than a minute for her to process them and she stared at him with wide eyes, “Is this real?”

“I only gave the blood to the medic. There’s no way she could have faked these, not without seeing those two or hearing about them.”

As if proving that the world had terrible timing, there was a tug from the Hiraishin kunai Kakashi had. Minato grimaced and told Kushina, “Looks like one of those two has woken up.”

Kushina stared at him and then at the reports. “I’m coming with you.”

Her defiant expression told him that she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. “What about Naruto?”

“We can bring him with us. That girl is not an enemy and whatever possessed him to attack us, Obito is still restrained.”

“Alright.”

Kushina beamed, kissing her husband on the cheek before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. Her baby boy gurgled at her when she came into sight and she cooed, utterly charmed by how adorable he was.

“Come on, Naru-chan, let’s go meet the rest of your family.”

“I didn’t think you’d bring the baby along.”

That was the remark that greeted them the instant Minato, Kushina and baby Naruto arrived in the safehouse. It came from the girl, who was studiously ignoring the wary gaze Kakashi was directing her. Obito was still out cold.

“He won’t wake up until I remove the seal I put on him,” she added when Minato glanced at the Uchiha. “I’d rather keep him that way until we can reverse the brainwashing.”

All heads snapped to the girl at that statement.

“Brainwashing?” Kakashi echoed, incredulous.

“Yeah. It’s still in the early stages, so we should be able to knock sense back into him fairly easily.”

“That can wait…who are you?”

The girl quirked an eyebrow at Minato for that question. “Didn’t you take my blood? I’m pretty sure you did a DNA test.”

“Yes, but-”

“Oh, hush, Minato,” Kushina interrupted, violet eyes fixed on the seemingly nonchalant girl in front of them. Even if she looked calm, Kushina could see the faint trembling of her hands. “Are you really our daughter?”

Behind her, Kakashi choked and Minato resisted the urge to facepalm.

The girl sighed and nodded, raising her hands in the handsign for the Henge. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, instead of the little girl with red hair, there was a young woman with long blond hair, blue eyes and whisker-marks on her cheeks.

She looked like an adult female version of the baby in Kushina’s arms.

“I’m from a different dimension, years into the future,” the blonde girl explained, fiddling with a lock of hair. “And, well, I can’t go back.”

“Why not?”

A pained smile. “There’s nothing to go back to.”

There was a wealth of pain, exhaustion and sorrow in those simple words and for just a moment, she looked far older than what her physical appearance alluded to. An awkward silence settled over them, none of them sure of what to say.

Naruto broke it after a while, dispelling the Henge as she said, “A full explanation would take too long, so would you prefer to look at my memories?”

Minato blinked. “That might be faster, but how would you do it?”

“It’s a kind of Genjutsu and technically, Kurama will be the one doing it. I have no skill in that area. As for how…I’ll have to bring you into my mindscape.”

That was risky, since it meant that they needed to trust her enough to allow themselves to be defenseless while they were in her mindscape.

But Minato had the feeling that it would be alright. He couldn’t explain it but there was something in the girl’s steady and unfaltering gaze that pulled him in. Judging by their expressions, Kushina and Kakashi felt it too.

“I’m okay with it,” he agreed, making Naruto blink owlishly at him. “I’ll make a Kage Bunshin just in case, but I’d like to see your memories.”

“Me too!” Kushina chimed in, placing baby Naruto on the futon and covering him with a blanket. He was an easy child, not fussy and content to simply look around when he was not sleeping. “What do we have to do?”

They were made to sit in a circle, holding hands. Once they were comfortable and connected with each other in some way, Naruto said, “Close your eyes and I’ll do the rest.”

A few moments passed in silence before she spoke again, “Okay, you can look now.”

When he opened his eyes, Minato found that he was standing in a dank and dreary corridor, water lapping at his ankles. A mindscape was said to be a reflection of the person’s mind and what he saw did not sit well with him. The dismal atmosphere spoke of neglect, pain, loneliness and uncertainty.

Just what had the girl experienced to make her mindscape so pitiful?

Next to him, Kushina was frowning, clearly seeing the same things that he was and not liking it one bit. Kakashi’s expression was impassive but the glint in his eye spoke of his unease.

“So…um, just go that way,” the little redhead pointed down the corridor. “When you’re done, come in the opposite direction to find me if you don’t wake up in the real world.”

Kakashi looked at her quizzically. “You’re not coming?”

The girl grimaced and vehemently shook her head. “I would rather not. You’ll learn why.”

With that, she took off running, water sloshing around her feet as she disappeared into the darkness. The trio watched her go, alarmed by her words. They had yet to see her memories and it was already sounding bad.

Naruto stared blankly into the darkness, leaning against Kurama’s side. She’d had a breakdown a few minutes ago when she had finally processed that her world was probably gone forever and she had to start from scratch in a familiar yet unfamiliar place.

“Is it really as bad as you think?”

She twisted her neck so that she could meet the Kyuubi’s eyes, blinking at him slowly. “Everyone I know is gone, Kurama. Apart from you.”

“That might be the case,” Kurama huffed, “but you really aren’t starting from scratch, as you believe.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents are alive, the idiot Uchiha is in your grasp and we know Zetsu’s plans. With Uchiha out of the picture, Zetsu can’t move about as freely as he’d like.”

“Yeah, but…” the girl trailed off, glancing back into the darkness. Minato, Kushina and Kakashi should have seen a good portion of her memories by then, even if she wasn’t entirely sure what Kurama was showing them. “What can I do alone?”

Kurama snorted and deadpanned, wondering when he had become the one with a larger emotional range, “You’re a fool if you think that those two are going to leave you alone.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the fox deflected the unspoken question, not in the mood for messy emotions. “Get out of here, kit. They’re done.”

Naruto startled, “So soon?! But, but, I’m not ready!”

“I don’t care. Now, out!”

With that, she was booted out of her mindscape and Naruto opened her eyes in the real world, only to wheeze when the breath was knocked out of her by a body slamming into her.

“Wha-?”

“I’ll kill them all,” Kushina swore, hugging the little redhead, no, her daughter, tighter to herself. What she had seen in those memories were downright horrible, even if things had gotten somewhat better with time. “No, first I’ll skin them, rub salt in their wounds, roast them and then I’ll kill them.”

“That’s pretty descriptive,” Minato remarked mildly, as if he didn’t look like he wasn’t thinking along the same lines as his wife. He came closer, wrapping his arms around the two redheads. “Let’s make it as painful as possible.”

“What?!” Naruto squawked, completely lost as to what they were on about. She directed pleading eyes to the only seemingly sane person left in the room, asking for an explanation.

Kakashi uncharacteristically snorted. “I assume you didn’t pick what memories we got to see?” he asked drily and continued without waiting for an answer, “Sensei and Kushina-nee got mad when they saw how you grew up.”

Wait, what?

“Kurama!”

The fox didn’t say anything, but Naruto could feel the unholy glee radiating from the Bijuu, all too delighted at sowing chaos.

Promising vengeance on her partner, she said out loud, “It’s in the past and I’ve gotten over it. Besides, it’s not like it happened here.”

That only served to make the arms around her tighten.

Even if what she said was true, Minato knew that her experiences would have been what his son would have gone through, if it wasn’t for the girl in his arms. And she had taken the burden again, willingly becoming the Jinchuuriki for a village that she had no obligation towards.

Hell, she didn’t owe anyone anything.

The world owed her.

“It doesn’t matter,” he retorted in a quiet voice, drawing back to stare into the girl’s eyes, so very much like his own. Minato put in all the conviction he could muster into his gaze, making sure that there was no room for doubt. “No one should ever be treated that way. Saying that it didn’t happen here doesn’t invalidate your pain.”

Naruto bit back the tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks, whispering, “Why do you care? I’m not your child.”

“I may not have given birth to you, but I see you as my baby girl,” Kushina promptly declared, as if daring the world to refute her. “I would absolutely love to call you mine, if you allow it.”

Blue eyes widened, a few tears escaping as Naruto took in the resolute gazes of the couple in front of her. Kakashi had stepped to the side sometime ago, tactfully giving them as much space as he possibly could, since he couldn’t leave the room.

Could she really call Minato, Dad, and Kushina, Mom?

Wouldn’t it be a betrayal to her own parents?

Couldn’t it be considered as her disregarding their sacrifices for her?

“They would only want you to be happy, kit,” Kurama rumbled in their shared mindscape, head resting on his paws. He didn’t claim to care for or understand humans, but he remembered how he had grieved when the Rikudo Sennin had passed away and how he had felt when he finally found someone to connect with in Naruto.

It wasn’t quite the same, but it was all that he had to go on.

“I…okay. But…”

“Take your time, sweetheart,” Kushina whispered in understanding, gathering the girl back in her arms. Of course Naruto couldn’t just accept the situation so easily. “You can rest now and heal, you know?”

“But there’s a lot I need to do…”

Minato interrupted then, placing one hand on the head of the girl he had claimed as his daughter and stroking her hair gently. “We’ve seen your memories, remember? Let us handle it.”

Naruto stared between Minato and Kushina uncertainly; it was sorely tempting to just hide away from the world and leave everything to them. She definitely trusted them enough for that. There was an exhaustion deep in her bones that had never truly gone away and she just wanted to sleep.

After a few moments of thought, she choked out a sound of acknowledgement and buried herself back in Kushina’s embrace, nodding slightly.

Rest did sound nice.

“It’s finally official!”

Kushina looked up as Minato strode into their bedroom, grinning widely as he waved a set of papers in the air. Throwing him a half-hearted glare, she held a finger up to her lips, demanding him to be quiet. Their son was lying over her shoulder as she patted his back, the baby having just finished feeding. On her lap was a snoozing redhead, curled up tight into a ball.

“Sorry, sorry,” Minato whispered, smiling as he adjusted the blanket over the girl’s shoulder, running his free hand through her hair. “I was a little too excited.”

Kushina huffed in amusement, taking the papers that her husband held out to her. “Jiraiya-sama agreed to help with the cover story?”

“Yeah. He said that he wanted to meet her but he’s fine with it.”

“Hmm.”

The papers in Kushina’s hands were their daughter’s legal documents, naming her as Namikaze Hikari -her new name chosen by a surprisingly sentimental Kyuubi- and as their daughter. The couple had made her existence official, calling her their firstborn. No one could refute that, since her appearance and DNA were hard proof of her identity.

It had been just over a week since the attack on Konoha and Minato had moved fast, summoning Jiraiya immediately after viewing Hikari’s memories to fill him in on everything that had happened. The story that they had agreed on went as such: Kushina had given birth to Hikari during the war and the baby girl had been given to a couple who worked in Jiraiya’s spy network, to protect her from her parents’ many enemies.

The reason that Hikari’s existence hadn’t been revealed was that the couple had disappeared during the war and the girl had been believed dead. It wasn’t until a few months ago that Jiraiya had heard whispers of a child matching Hikari’s appearance and had set out to look for her, successfully finding her and bringing her to Konoha.

“Are we going to tell anyone else the truth?” Kushina queried, giving the papers back to Minato.

“No. Jiraiya-sensei suggested that we tell Sandaime-sama but he’s too close to Danzo to not let anything slip.” Minato’s fists tightened as he recalled a part of his daughter’s memories, about how the Shimura had cornered and destroyed the Uchiha Clan. He had never liked the old war hawk and now he had a reason to investigate him, possibly even finish him off if necessary.

Which was more than likely, in his opinion.

“You know our friends will be suspicious though,” the redhead pointed out absently, watching Naruto giggle and play with her hair, the baby fascinated with the brightly colored strands.

Minato shrugged. “They will know not to ask when they see us completely accepting Hikari. I don’t think it’s necessary to spread around her past.”

“True. I want her to enjoy her second childhood.”

“Me too, Kushina. Me too.”

Hikari’s eyes opened, bleary and heavy with sleep. She blinked a few times to focus, the blur of yellow and orange in front of her face making her confused.

‘Oh, wait; that’s just Naruto.’

Indeed, it was the baby, tightly ensconced in his mother’s arms while Kushina squeezed in a nap before Naruto inevitably woke up wailing and sending everyone panicking.

She never knew that her parents were such dorks.

It was cute.

Shifting behind her told Hikari that there was someone at her back and she stiffened, but only for a second before she recognized the chakra signature. Hikari turned around, lying on her side and looking up at Minato.

She raised a hand, tracing the man’s face with her fingers, marveling at the warmth she could feel. In her former dimension, she had fought alongside her father’s Edo Tensei form right up until the end and so out of her parents, it was Minato that she felt closer to. Even back then, Hikari had longed for her father’s warmth but the Edo Tensei was only a pale imitation of life.

To have this now, it was nothing short of a miracle.

Hikari watched with awe when Minato didn’t wake at her touch but instead curled closer, subconsciously shifting towards the rest of his family protectively.

And she was part of that.

There was a tightness in her chest, choking her a little but it didn’t feel bad. Instead, Hikari welcomed the ache, since it made her feel warm and fuzzy.

She had never felt so safe.

Closing her eyes, Hikari drifted back into sleep with a smile.