Mina-chan needs a hug

Minashi marveled at the stories she was hearing over the dinner table. Kushina and Sakumo had cooked up a feast, but her and Kushina were easily eating what the boys couldn't. Minashi had slowed down though when Sakumo and Minato began talking about Jiraiya. She never knew how close Sakumo and Jiraiya had been. Even more so intriguing was to learn that Sakumo had been Kushina, Mikoto, and Hizashi's Jounin sensei.

Minashi's eyes slid to Kakashi. Had their lives been truly that interwoven together? How will things turn out now with all the changes Minashi planned on making from her own timeline?

"Oh! We should have dinner together more often senpai!" Kushina grinned. "I can even make sure Mikoto and Hizashi get away from their stuffy compounds!"

"Kushina." Minato sighed exasperated.

"What? They are. Especially Mikoto. She's losing the fire that was the best part of her ever since she was forced as Clan Heir to marry that stick in the mud Fugaku."

"Fugaku's not that bad." Minato defended his sort of friend. "Just very clan oriented."

"Hizashi is clan oriented but the stick up his ass isn't as far up as Fugaku's." Kushina deadpanned.

Minato sighed while Sakumo coughed to cover his laugh. Kushina had a point, but he wasn't going to encourage the Uzumaki woman more than necessary. Kakashi was too busy watching the conversation to care about asking questions about the people they were talking about. It wasn't hard to figure out though. His father had taught him about the clans and the different heirs.

When the food was gone, Kushina and Minashi disappeared out to her room to sort through her clothes. Kushina was smiling as they put some away in her dressers, and put the rest into two different piles to be sealed for Minato and Kushina to take home.

When the clothes were sealed away, Kushina's violet eyes looked up to Minashi's tired blues.

"How are you really doing Mina-chan?" she asked softly pulling Minashi into her lap.

"Fine." She mumbled. Kushina hummed as she worked the braid out of her hair and ran her fingers through the long locks. Minashi's eyes closed at the soothing feeling.

"Please don't lie." Kushina said a few beats later. Minashi didn't tense, but let out a breath of air. "How much do you really remember sweetie?" She'd been having this feeling ever since they met her. Her eyes were too knowing. Too Pained. Too grief filled to not remember everything. Kushina was proven right a moment later.

"Everything." she whispered. Minashi knew it was deviating from her plan of laying low, but she didn't realize how much she wanted a bond with Kushina and Minato until they were in front of her. "Tou-san said that Kaa-san died giving birth to Naruto and I. Tou-san stayed under a henge to look more like us, but the hunters were still after him." Minashi rubbed her stomach. "Tou-san made Naruto promise to protect me. He then used a special seal to put Kurama in my stomach." she mumbled eyes closed.

Minashi felt Kushina's fingers pause for a fraction of a second before she continued weaving her hair through braids.

"Kurama?" Kushina asked carefully.

Minashi smiled at his name. "He wanted me to call him Kyuubi-sama to start with. But Naruto said I was always more stubborn than him. I promise Kurama that I'd make friends with him eventually." Her face fell at the image of her brother dying in her arms. "Naruto kept his promise too. A mean creature was trying to take Kurama from me. Naruto distracted them so I could get away. I didn't want to leave." Her eyes stung. "Naruto told me to listen to what Tou-san said though. I needed to go to Konoha. I-i left him. Kurama made me go when Naruto begged him to get me away."

Kushina tied off the braid and pulled her Imouto tighter against her. Her heart broke for the trauma that her little sister went through at such a young age. Having the Kyuubi sealed into her by her own father, then her own twin sending her away while he stayed to die.

"Naruto was a very brave Nii-san." She whispered. "He would have made an amazing Shinobi."

"He-he wanted to be Hokage. We were planning on coming here together." Minashi whispered in half-truth half lie. "Tou-san told us all about Kages being the strongest. Protecting everyone. Naruto wanted to be like that. He said he'd become the Hokage of Konoha so he could protect me and everyone precious to us."

"Oh Imouto." Kushina cooed softly as she hugged her sister tighter and brushed away her tears.

"I felt it." Minashi whispered. "I felt it when he died." Kushina stiffened. "Tou-san never believed us, but we had a connection. A special connection. Feelings could be passed between it. Thoughts if we focused enough. He blocked me from feeling his pain, but I felt it when he died. I feel so empty." she whispered as she clutched at her chest.

Kushina's eyes blinked away tears as she began rocking her little sister. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to help. Kissing the blonde locks in her lap, she looked up to see if there was anything around to help, instead she found a pair of familiar cerulean eyes looked at them sadly. Minato's own eyes were glassy. Quietly he moved to them and moved to hold Minashi with Kushina.

When Minashi had finished crying herself into exhaustion, Kushina and Minato worked together to tuck her into her futon. Once settled they headed back to the main room of the compound. Kushina was hugging herself as Minato guided her with a solemn expression.

Sakumo stood up from the couch worried at their looks. "What's wrong? Is Minashi okay?"

Kushina held herself tighter while Minato sighed. "She's asleep. Kushina was worried about Minashi and wanted to make sure she was really okay."

"She's not." Kushina said as tears fell. "Her father and brother sacrificed themselves to save her. She felt her brother die."

Minato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Apparently as twins, they had some sort of telepathic and empathic connection. She said she feels empty."

Sakumo let out his own sigh as he scrubbed his face. "I knew she wasn't completely alright. Inojiro mentioned trauma, but I didn't know it was this bad."

"Tou-san?" Kakashi asked curiously and worried for the doll.

Sakumo looked at Kakashi and gave a sad smile. "Minashi told you she lost her twin?"

"Hai" he nodded.

Sakumo rubbed his neck wondering how best to explain it.

"Kakashi-kun." Kushina got the boy's attention. "How would you feel if your tou-san was suddenly taken away from you and killed, leaving you all alone?"

Kakashi blanched at the pain that lanced through him.

Kushina gave a small understanding smile. "Hurts just thinking about it?"

"H-hai." he stuttered.

"Minashi doesn't have to think about it. She lived it. We-" she said pointing to all four of them "Are all she has right now after losing her father and brother. A brother that she had a special connection with. She's missing that connection. It will never be filled, but it will heal as new bonds grow around it to help heal the wound it left behind."

Kakashi nodded understanding Uzumaki-san's blunt explanation. "Is that why she latches onto me?"

Kushina blinked taken aback. Minato answered for her. "Yes and no. You probably remind her of something familiar though. I've noticed that she takes in both Kushina scent and my own whenever we hold her near our necks. I think she has a strong sense of smell. You can relate to that, yes?"

Kakashi nodded. "So I smell familiar?"

"Hai." Sakumo said understanding more now. He'd wondered, but Minato had always had a mind that worked almost like a Nara's. "That's probably why she didn't panic when she woke when I brought her to Konoha. We have similar base scents. She must have smelled it and knew she was safe before she fully woke."

Minato nodded but held Kushina closer. "She's just going to need to be reminded that she's loved and not alone. Probably pretty often." He smiled kindly down at the boy. "Will you help us with that?"

Kakashi's gaze grew determined. "Hai. I promised to protect her for her Nii-san anyways."

Minato chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You will make a fine protector. Kushina and I will help you train to become even better."

Kakashi almost had stars in his eyes as he looked at the popular Couple before him.

Sakumo rolled his eyes behind Kakashi's back. His son was so starstruck with these two.

"Thank you again. Will you want to walk with us to the academy tomorrow?"

Minato sighed and pouted. Kushina smiled kindly. "Thank you, but I know Minato has reports to fill out and I have a shift at the mission desk tomorrow."

"Ah." Sakumo nodded. "The day after then? It will be Minashi's first day."

Both teens beamed. "We'll be here." Minato promised. Sakumo walked them out. Somehow he knew that those two would probably bully their comrades into taking on any tasks they had that morning so they could be there for Minashi.

Sakumo shook his head and spent the last bit of the evening helping Kakashi to train before he too was passed out.

The following morning Minashi woke with the faint scents of Kushina and Minato surrounding her. Basking in them for a bit longer, she eventually got up and dressed in one of the new training outfits Kushina had gotten her. With a three quarter sleeve mesh under shirt, a sleeveless shinobi orange top, black shinobi pants, and black shinobi sandals, she was ready to train.

Practically running down the hall, she slid into the kitchen at the smell of breakfast. She felt drool run down her chin at the feast laid out.

Sakumo chuckled at her. "Here." he said picking her up and setting her down into her new spot. She did notice when he took the brush from her hand and worked through the knots that formed after her restless night. The braid Kushina had put in had long since fallen out. With damp hair, Sakumo rebraided it into a single tail.

Finally, after cleaning up she was warming up beside Kakashi with their Katas. When Sakumo let them begin their mock spar, she was happy to let out some of the tension from all the emotions she went through yesterday. It had been embarrassing to cry so much, but she felt lighter after falling asleep in Minato and Kushina's arms. It reminded her that this was her second chance. She would make a better world for when Naruto came.

Minashi and Kakashi sparred until it was time for Kakashi to head to the academy. When Sakumo and her returned to the compound they went back to the training ground and sat down.

"Did your tou-san teach you about chakra yet?"

Minashi nodded slowly. "Some." she said vaguely.

Sakumo raised a brow at her. "Care to show what you know? I've already been working on control exercises with Kakashi on my days off, but I would like to see how far behind or ahead you are. That will help myself, Minato-san and Kushina-san know how to train you both."

"Okay." She mumbled and moved to a tree. She frowned as she reached for her chakra. She knew she would have less control as a child, but add on the extra Bijuu chakra she got from Kushina, and her control was probably shot.

Placing her foot on the trunk of a tree, she focused on her chakra to the bottom of her foot.

A loud Bang filled the clearing before she was yanked away from her spot. Sakumo's heartbeat was fast against her back as they both watch the tree she'd accidentally exploded at the base, topple where she had once been standing.

Minashi blinked owlishly.

Sakumo's jaw dropped.

Far off in the Hokage's office, where a certain Monkey summoner sat staring into his crystal ball curious on the Rokudaime's progress, Cracked up laughing at the sight. His pour ANBU just shook their head at their leader. They all knew he had to get his entertainment somewhere. The Crystal Ball was the main source. And Sarutobi knew that Minashi would be his new source nowadays.

"Well shit." Minashi muttered.

Sakumo wanted to scold her for her language, but couldn't find it in himself to do so as he was thinking the same thing.

"My sentiments exactly." he murmured and set her down. "Okay. So, you receiving the rest of the fox's chakra has taken whatever control you had away."

Minashi looked at him deadpan. He sweat dropped at her look.

"Let's trying back to the basics then." He looked away from her and snagged a leaf from the down tree. Minashi pouted at it.

Sakumo smiled. Minashi took the leaf and sat down to balance the leaf on her forehead. First thing she did though was meditate to calm her mind. Once focused, she gathered the tiniest amount of her chakra and placed the leaf on her skin. It trembled as her chakra control was shaky even on the small amount. Letting out a breath, she worked on her focus and staying calm.

She didn't notice the time passing only feeling when another leaf would be stuck to her head by Sakumo and instinct taking over. She moved her chakra to hold the new leaves. She felt them on her arms, legs, and toes, but held her focus. If there was something that she had always had better than Naruto, was that. He was never able to sit still until he had his sage training. Minashi was better at forcing herself to be still. Plus, she could calmly think better when she was still.

Completely still, relaxed and almost in a doze, she didn't feel the change until new chakra flowed through her body.

[Brat! You're gathering Natural Energy!] Kurama snarled and Minashi came back from the zone she was in to realize she was.

'How much?'

Kurama grumbled but reluctantly told her the truth. [Surprisingly not a lot. Only enough to be noticeable. You haven't taken enough to mix with your Chakra.]

Minashi turned to her mindscape and looked up to the begrudgingly impressed fox. 'Are you saying that I could possibly get my body used to Sage Chakra at a much younger age?'

[What? No.] Kurama growled but his eyes were looking around the mindscape to see that even her small intake of natural energy has already healed her body some. The forest had more saplings growing at alarming rates. Kurama sighed. [Okay, Maybe.]

Minashi's eyes widened as her mind worked a mile a minute to work it out. She tilted her head in thought as she took in her mindscape.

'Could a seal help filter it and keep it coming in at this same rate I had going on? Small enough to get my coils used to it without turning me into stone?'

Kurama sighed and looked at his host and only friend. [I don't need to answer that.]

Minashi smirked up at him and let herself return to the outside. The same smirk lit her face before she blinked rapidly to see Sakumo in front of her.

He had a raised brow at her. Minashi glanced at herself to see that not only had she still kept all the leaves he'd put on her in place, but she'd also accidently made them sprout vines connecting them all over.

"Uh." she blinked dumbly on how to explain that. "Oops?" she muttered.

Sakumo just kept his skeptical gaze. "Minashi." he started and Minashi knew she was in for it. He'd dropped the -chan. "What did you just do?"

Minashi looked up at him with the most innocent look she could think of. "While I was focusing on my chakra, I felt strange energy around me. I was curious about it. I tried pulling at it like my chakra and a little bit came." She lifted her arm to look at the vines. "Did it do this?"

Sakumo felt himself pale a little. He'd been friends with Jiraiya long enough to know what she was talking about. Natural Energy. It was dangerous if not trained with proper guidance. "Minashi, that is the Natural energy around us. You must never play with that on your own again."

Minashi pouted. "But it was so pretty." she play whined.

Sakumo's eyes hardened. "No. I have a friend that is a Sage and works with natural energy to turn it into Sage Chakra. I will let him know when he returns that you have an aptitude for it, but you will never touch it on your own again. Are we clear?"

Minashi wilted. "Hai."

Sakumo let out a long sigh and nodded. "You are a quick learner. Do you feel that you have a better handle on your chakra?"

Minashi turned inward again to assess her chakra. Her personal reserves had been boosted by the one half of Kurama, but with two additional halves, her personal reserves had been doubled. She did have a better feeling for them now, but she knew her control was still shot. Leaves were one thing.

She let out a sigh and stood up. "I'll only get better with practice." With that she went to turn to a tree, but Sakumo snagged her off the ground and onto his hip.

"How about away from the Compound?" he smiled tense.

Minashi winced but soon after a few Shunshin, they were at one of the Jounin training grounds.

Minashi went right to work. Just like when she and Naruto were teens, she ran right for the tree. She got three steps before her chakra went haywire and was blasted off. Sakumo caught her easily and she was back off running again.

Sakumo watched the blonde star continuously get up and try again for hours. Leaving a clone to watch her, he went and grabbed Kakashi before returning to the training ground. Kakashi had paled at the damage before he too went and worked on his own control exercises.

Sakumo let him focus as he listened to little Minashi growl and curse under her breath. But, he noticed that she was getting higher and higher. A proud smile lifted his lips as he watched her.

He learned something that day about his new ward. She was stubborn. She was determined. She never gave up. Even after take-out lunch and dinner, she continued to work until she was covered in dirt, leaves, and twigs. Sakumo called it just after sunset. Minashi complained that she could continue, but Sakumo saw the exhaustion in her body. Throwing her over his shoulder, he grabbed Kakashi and headed home. He wasn't surprised to find that Minashi was already passed out by the time they arrived home a few moments later. He cleaned her up the best he could before tucking her in for the night.

Once Kakashi was down for the night as well, Sakumo was greeted by an ANBU in his living room.

"Yes?" he asked curious.

"Hokage-sama requests for a short meeting with you."

Sakumo nodded and they left after Sakumo sealed the compound.

They arrived a few minutes later at the Hokage tower. The privacy seals went up, but the ANBU stayed.

"Sakumo." Sarutobi greeted. "Sorry to pull you out so late."

"No problem. Kakashi and Minashi were down for the night anyways."

Sarutobi smiled softly. "How is she doing?"

Sakumo groaned. "That is complicated."

"Do tell." Sarutobi asked as he lit his pipe.

"Her trauma is still fresh, so she's emotional at times. She also tired a lot. I have a feeling it's from taking in all the fox's chakra. That also didn't help when we went to train on her control."

Sarutobi snorted then coughed to cover up his slip. "Hai. I saw. Most entertaining part of my day."

Sakumo rolled his eyes. "Things seems to be going okay on the family front as well. Minato and Kushina are going to walk with us to her first day of the academy. We've already worked out to where they would watch both Minashi and Kakashi when I had missions and vice versa."

Sarutobi nodded and wrote a note to himself of the arrangement. "I will try my best to work around that. But please be sure to find other accommodations for when all three of you are out."

Sakumo nodded. "I will do as such soon."

"Good. Anything else?"

Sakumo nodded as a frown took his face. "When will Jiraiya return?"

Sarutobi raised a brow curiously. "I sent a request for him to make his way home. It could be a few weeks to a month or two."

Sakumo frowned. "Minashi is either a sort of sensor, or has a natural aptitude for Sage Chakra. She started to pull at the natural energy around her today. I've felt Jiraiya do the same but on a much larger scale, so I was barely able to recognize it. But I've told her not to touch it without proper guidance."

Sarutobi though was thinking more logically about this new aspect. Was she doing it subconsciously? Was it accidental? Or was she testing what she could or couldn't do? It would benefit not only her but the leaf to have another Sage. Minashi would be special with her fox contract. He's never heard of a Fox Sage before.

"I will send Jiraiya another message with an update of a possible sage candidate. As for the reason I called you here. It was not only for an update on Minashi. I have an A-Rank mission for you and your team. You will leave tomorrow midday. I'm sorry it's last minute, but it seems like you'll be fine with accommodations for Minashi and Kakashi."

Sakumo sighed. "I was hoping we'd have a few more days."

Sarutobi gave him an understanding look. "I would if I could. Your team is the only one trained for this." he handed over the scroll.

"I understand Hokage-sama." He bowed and dismissed himself.