Chapter 6 The Great Shift

Naruto has used his command of life energy and the power he had received from the God Tree to determine where Minato and Kurama had gone, but he was still limited by his travel speed.

As he got closer and closer, the explosion got louder and louder, and Naruto eventually found himself at the edge of the battlefield between the Kyuubi and Yondaime Hokage.

Naruto was about to step into the frame, but he paused for a half a second.

He tapped his forehead, and his body began to change.

He channeled the life energy within him to change his body temporarily. The life energy would allow him to mold his body to his desire, but he preferred his elder form. Naruto felt old at heart, and felt a bit more comfortable looking like that over his current appearance.

After changing his appearance, Naruto was now more average in height and had the trademark Uzumaki red hair tied in a short ponytail on the back of his head. He looked like he was in his late thirties.

Naruto thought to himself.

I don’t know if this is going to help defeat Kaguya, but it couldn’t hurt right?

This world needs a hero like Minato in it.

And with that thought, he stepped into the fray.

Kurama and Minato didn’t notice him. They were absorbed into their fight, but also, Naruto leaked no energy. Kurama and Minato would be likely to notice a particularly interesting rock than to notice the red haired man walking towards the middle of their fight.

The fight was reaching its climax, and none of the ground remaining around the duo remained intact, whether it be destroyed by rasengan or bijuudama.

Minato suddenly distanced himself from Kurama after delivering a particularly nasty rasengan to the snout of the demon fox.

Minato was making hand seals.

“Mi-I-Hitsuji-U-Inu-Ne-Tori-Uma-Mi”

and he clapped his hands together.

“Fuinjutsu: Shiki Fujin”

There was a shift in the world as a demon apparition that only Minato could see appeared behind him. Minato was now a part of the living dead, and would sacrifice his soul to seal the Kyuubi.

Kushina, located in a safe location some distance away, felt it and started to cry.

“Minato, why that jutsu?”

At the site of the battle though, Kurama narrowed his eyes at the yondaime, nothing had visibly changed with the Hokage, but he felt a vague threat from the man.

Kurama and Minato roused their chakra and prepared to clash for a final time when a voice suddenly rang out.

“Okay guys, that’s enough for now.”

The duo whipped their heads over and laid eyes on a red haired man with shockingly blue eyes.

Neither Minato nor Kurama had detected the approach of this man, but they both tried to take advantage of the moment to attack the other while he was distracted.

They quickly turned their attention back to the enemy before them and charged.

The voice rang out again. This time, closer to a yell.

“I SAID ENOUGH!”

The loudest sound Minato and Kurama had ever heard rang out within their heads, as a giant bell started to clang. They both froze on the spot turning back to the red haired man who had interrupted their fight.

The man now had his hands clasped together in prayer and a massive Golden Buddha behind him. The Buddha had four arms, one hand carried a khakkhara staff with 12 rings, two were clasped together in prayer, and the last one was ringing the bell that was reverberating in their minds.

Naruto was tired of this fight already. He could not bear to watch two of his most beloved people fight each other to the death. Naruto has seen too much death for any one person, and if he had the power, he would not let it play out the same way for a second time.

Naruto sighed.

“First off, Minato, you have a child, what the hell are you doing with that jutsu?”

His arm reached towards Minato, and the Buddha apparition mirrored his movements.

To Minato’s amazement, the golden Buddha apparition reached over and grabbed, GRABBED, the shinigami. Minato’s eyes were wide open, staring at the middle aged redhead in front of him.

The man muttered under his breath.

“Jeez, I hate this thing. Which fricking Uzumaki even came up with this?”

As his hand then reared back, the buddha mirrored, and he threw the shinigami over the horizon.

Minato was shocked to silence. The shinigami had already lain claim to his soul, but somehow, the man before him had seen the apparition that he shouldn’t be able to see, grabbed it, even though he shouldn’t have been able to touch it, and then, to top it all off, when he threw it, Minato could feel the Shinigami relinquishing the rights to his soul.

Minato couldn’t understand it. His ultimate suicidal jutsu had been… broken?

The redhead looked at Minato and spoke.

“We need some privacy, go back to your wife already.”

The man then curled his middle finger and thumb and flicked at Minato. Minato instantly activated Hiraishin to dodge. He had left thousands of Thunder God kunai around this battlefield, and the one he chose to go to was approximately 5 meters behind the man who had, ostensibly, just attacked him and the Kyuubi.

So when Minato ended up in the safe house next to Kushina, one can imagine his surprise.

Kushina weakly called out to him.

“Minato, did you activate the Reaper Death Seal?”

Minato found himself at a loss once again. Somehow, his ultimate weapon, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu had been redirected. It had been a long time since the Hokage found himself this far out of his element.

He turned to Kushina and said.

“I think so?”

Kushina, though greatly weakened by her childbirth and Bijuu removal, was still the Red Hot Habenero of Konoha.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THINK SO!?

I HAVE YOUR SON HERE, YOU HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN HIM.

AND YOU WANT TO COMMIT SUICIDE?!

YOU BASTARD, YOU IDIOT, YOU ARE THE WORST FATHER IN THE WORLD!”

Minato looked down at his wife, who had a swaddled infant in her arms.

“A son, huh? Look, he’s started to cry, maybe you should yell less?”

Kushina tried to comfort her crying son and growled out

“Minato.

What happened to the Kyuubi?”

Minato looked into the distance in the direction of the battlefield he shared with the Kyuubi and he said.

“Somehow, I think it’s already handled. We have to decide on a name though don’t we?”

Kushina had some tears in her eyes as she replied.

“You’re right, and this will be the only gift I can give him.

You better spoil him rotten once I’m gone.”

Minato nodded silently. It had remained unsaid up to this point, but when the masked man had pulled the Kyuubi from Kushina, it had set her death into motion. All that was left was the terrifying momentum of the Uzumaki and the tenacious grip they had on life.

Meanwhile, back in the shattered battlefield, Naruto turned his attention to Kurama.

“And you, what the Hell?”

The Buddha reached out and grabbed the fox by the scruff of his neck. As the hand brought the fox closer to Naruto, the fox shrunk in size until it reached the size of a normal fox.

Eventually, Naruto passed the fox from the Buddha hand to his own, and looked into the foxes eyes.

“Seriously, what the heck are you doing Kurama?”

Kurama replied with a snarl

“Unhand me this instant lowly human! And how do you know that name?”

Kurama had never told a human his name, and he started to suspect, that even though he had sworn his brothers and sisters to secrecy, that godforsaken Tanuki has leaked it to the human world.

Naruto sighed with impatience. Kurama was still at the hard to deal with stage, and to be honest, Naruto was not too keen on engaging in an argument with the demon fox right now.

Naruto was almost out of ideas. Almost.

He placed the fox on his head and clasped his hands in prayer.

“For now, Kurama, stay quiet and stay put. It’ll make more sense in 15 minutes.”

Kurama tried to respond, but found that he could not speak, and when he tried to move off the mans head, he found himself locked in position. All he could do is swish his tails in anger at the indignity of situation.

Naruto had more pressing matters to deal with.

Minato and Kushina had just decided on a name. Kushina was weakly protesting.

“He’s your son, he should be a Namikaze.”

Minato shook his head and disagreed.

“The Uzumaki need a man like him to help rebuild. The Namikaze are a civilian clan, and I have been removed from their lineage since I became Hokage.

At least we agree on his first Name.”

Kushina smiled.

“Its a good name, Naruto, and its the only good book Jiraiya ever wrote, heh, heh”

Kushina’s quiet laugh was interrupted by a series of coughs. Minato was concerned, but knowing that he couldn’t do anything, sat there, holding her hand, and he endured.

All of a sudden, a knock on the door.

Minato cast his perception, but couldn’t find anything, so he was shocked when he heard a voice.

“Sorry, but I’m coming in.”

The redheaded man who interrupted his fight with the Kyuubi walked into the room, and Minato froze.

On top of that man’s head was a normal sized fox, except its eyes were blood red and it had nine tails angrily swishing around the back of the man’s head.

Kushina and Minato’s eyes went wide at the sight. Even in his chibi form, the demon fox was unmistakable. Minato instantly postured himself between the man and his wife and son; it was at that moment that a dying and delirious Kushina saw the man and questioned.

“Grandfather, didn’t you die? Crap, am I dead already?”

Minato was preparing to send his wife and son away when the man in front of him waved his hand and dispersed his chakra. Minato was for the umpteenth time, at a loss. However, he still kept his position, his knife leveled at the intruder.

Naruto spoke.

“Minato, Kushina, I’m here to hel-----

PTUI, PTUI, WHAT THE HELL KURAMA, YOU PUT YOUR TAIL IN MY MOUTH?

NOW I GOT FUR IN IT YOU BASTARD!”

The fox was still swishing its tails in anger, but one might detect a hint of mirth deep in the eyes of the demon fox, if one could believe it.

Minato was calm, but his thoughts were racing.

The redheaded man gestured to Kushina and asked.

“May I?”

Minato was still on full alert. This man was an unknown ninja of immense power, and the Kyuubi was sitting on his head. There was no way in Hell he would let those two near his dying wife and newborn son.

“Step forward and die.”

Kushina, however, reached out and grabbed the arm that was holding onto a kunai. She could barely keep her eyes open, could barely speak, but she still eked out a few words.

“Minato, if he wanted to harm us, he would’ve done so already, and he’s an Uzumaki

I can feel it.”

Minato was still extremely wary. Kushina passed the bundle containing his son to him and continued.

“Besides, what can he do to a dying woman?”

Minato carefully held his son to his chest. He roused his chakra, and prepared to Hiraishin at the drop of a hat, but didn’t take the final step. He took a few steps back from Kushina and whispered.

“Please help her.”

Naruto nodded with gravitas, and slowly walked over before kneeling next to the woman. As he grabbed her hand, he started to channel the power of the God Tree back into her. In a distant past, he was able to close Might Guy’s 8th gate and save him from certain death. To save a woman who had her Bijuu ripped from her, after gaining the power of the God Tree, would be child’s play.

Or so he thought, because although the treatment was completed successfully, he ran into a big complication.

Kushina noticed. As soon as he grabbed her hand to heal her, she knew.

Call it instinct, call it a special bloodline power, but as soon as Naruto touched his mother’s hand for the first time, his bloodline resonated, and he knew it was a two way street. Kushina knew that he was a direct bloodline relative of extremely close origin. Their bloodline would only resonate like this between immediate family members.

When she held baby Naruto for the first time, she felt it, and somehow she felt it again with this unknown man of the Uzumaki clan.

Kushina’s eyes flew wide open and she gasped. Minato was on full alert.

“What did you do?”

Kushina waved him off.

“I’m fine, Minato, its just…”

She looked at Naruto, properly looked at him. She noticed that he had the same blue eyes as Minato.

It didn’t make sense though, as blue eyes were a very uncommon trait among the Uzumaki.

And Kushina saw Naruto shake his head. Naruto simply said.

“Another day.”

And Kushina closed her mouth. Naruto stepped away from Kushina, and Minato replaced him.

“Kushina, how are you feeling?”

She smiled.

“I’ll be fine.”

Minato choked out a few words.

“That’s… good…

Naruto wont have to grow up with… only a shitty father…

he’ll have the best mother ever, too.”

Minato, the ultimate shinobi, had finally shed tears. To regain what one thought lost is a beautiful, bittersweet feeling that too few people experience, and no one is prepared for.

Minato however was able to quickly recompose himself, and he turned to the red haired man in the room.

“Sir, I don’t know who you are, but you have saved my life and my wife’s, and you have my eternal gratitude, but I must ask you for another favor.

Can you please pass me the Kyuubi?”

Minato gestured to the nine-tailed fox on top of Naruto’s head.

Naruto frowned.

“Why do you want the Kyuubi?”

Minato instantly replied.

“I’m going to seal it within my son, Naruto.”

Kushina immediately disagreed.

“Are you crazy, Minato? You want to subjugate him to that thing?”

Kurama’s anger was rising. His tails increased the speed at which they swished angrily, and his eyes started to leak murderous intent.

Naruto frowned even more.

“First off, ‘that thing’ has a name, Kurama, and you will treat him respectfully in my presence.”

The room was silent, and one could hear a pin drop. As soon as he had spoken, Kurama, who rested upon his head, stopped swishing his tails.

Kurama was shocked. A human had taken his side versus other humans. It was an event that had never before occurred.

Minato and Kushina looked at each other before Minato slowly replied.

“Sir, I acknowledge your strength, but that fox is a demon, not this ‘Kurama’ you speak of,

and I don’t think you understand what that thing on your head really is.”

Naruto, who had lived his entire life with Kurama, who died with Kurama, and who experienced the death of Kurama a billion times, was enraged.

Naruto knew what went through Kurama’s mind in his last moments alive. The fox raged and cried, not because he would die, but because he was not able to protect the Bijuu. Kurama had always considered himself the protector and older brother figure of the Bijuu, and had always acted in the background to protect them.

To watch them die before him was the worst thing that could be inflicted upon a being. All of that raw emotion and suffering, experienced by a being quite literally made of chakra and emotion. Indescribable pain was inflicted due to his depth of love.

And his parents dare to disrespect Kurama?

Naruto had a single reverse scale, his comrades, and unknowingly, his parents had just brushed it the wrong way.

Naruto’s bright blue eyes, in a single moment, became hard, and the atmosphere of the room chilled considerably.

Minato instantly noticed the change in the man’s demeanor. His plans were contingent upon receiving the suppressed Kyuubi from this man, so he decided to try to walk his statement back in an effort to ameliorate the situation. It seemed like this man was crazy, unreasonable, and Minato would have to abide by his whims in order to achieve his goals. Minato opened his mouth,

“Sir…”

Naruto raised his hand and clutched it into a fist, and Minato’s mouth slammed shut with such force that some of his teeth cracked.

Minato and Kushina then felt it. The man in front of them emitted no energy, had no presence- is what they thought.

Kushina and Minato suddenly felt immense pressure upon them. They couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t even breath.

Only Baby Naruto was unaffected.

The weight of the world bore down on Kushina and Minato. There was no killing intent within, but the mountains and rivers suppressed them.

Naruto spoke with a clear and slow voice, enunciating every word to ensure there would be no miscommunication.

“It appears I was not explicit enough. You will treat Kurama with respect.

The next words out of your mouth will be an apology, Or they will not come at all.”

The pressure lifted on the couple. Kushina spoke first. She addressed the fox.

“Kyuubi-san, I apologize.”

Minato was next. He looked at the fox, then shifted his eyes back to the red haired man.

“I’m sor--”

was all he got out before his mouth slammed back shut of its own accord.

Naruto sighed.

“Why are you apologizing to me?

Just stay quiet instead.”

Naruto continued.

“I grow weary of this.

Let me be extremely clear about something.

The Bijuu are hereby emancipated.

They will never be controlled again.”

Naruto walked out of the safe house without another word. Minato found himself completely unable to speak until the man had left.

Eventually Kushina glared at Minato and held her hands out.

Minato passed baby Naruto back to his mother, who cuddled him in her arms. She spoke to Minato in a very calm voice. Too calm of a voice. Minato knew he was in deep shit.

“So you performed the Shiki Fujin Dead Demon jutsu in order to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto, thereby making him a jinchuuriki and orphaning him at the same time?”

Minato flinched, he would have a lot of explaining to do