Typhoon

At nineteen Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina were too young to be parents.

But as it so often did, passion had overcome good sense and they had reunited with carnal fervor, fresh off a battle high after Kushina had nearly died dodging enemy earth releases. Minato had just managed to enter the battle in time to tip favor in Konoha's hands and it wasn't long after they were safe (as safe as could be after a strategic retreat) and reassuring each other was alive with grasping hands and feverish rutting.

(If asked, they would never admit to losing sight of their mission. Nope, not even for a moment. They would forever claim their firstborn was premature by one month.)

They'd returned from the frontlines and married three weeks later after a trusted medic friend confirmed Kushina's bouts of sudden illness had nothing to do with their stale rations and everything to do with pregnancy.

Kushina was placed on immediate leave. Minato was voluntold he would become Jonin sensei to a team, instead of keeping his long time apprentice; chūnin Hatake Kakashi. Not that Minato minded. It kept him in the village for Kushina's first and second trimester.

Minato was out of the village with his team, on the Hokage's orders, when Kushina's water broke whilst beating Jiraiya the Toad Sannin over the head with her fist for mentioning how big she'd gotten since he'd last seen her.

The man, the legend, had carried her through what seemed to be a typhoon, to the hospital spitting all manner of ridiculous clichés to keep the angry woman focused on breathing and not on beating him half to death before she could have her child.

After a long, arduous labor in which the electricity went out twice and the hospital morgue flooded, and Jiraiya broke a sweat keeping Kushina's bijuu seals under control, Taifū Namikaze was born with a spattering of her mother's red hair and her father's cerulean eyes.

#

"I'm home." Minato burst into his house with Kakashi, Obito, and Rin trailing behind him and ignoring his dismissal at the village gate. Jiraiya's missive burned into his mind, despite being ash in a river north of Konoha. He'd pushed the kids harder than he'd intended to, but not even Obito had complained.

He waved them off toward the couch as he kicked his shoes off with none of his usual care.

He'd worry about that later.

The kids were staring at him, obviously shocked to see their put together sensei so harried and usually he'd try to minimize this behavior in front of them but this was a special occasion.

Part of him wanted to shoo them out. But they were curious to see the new baby, he couldn't fault them for that. It was for the best that they develop a bond with his child. The underrated aspect of a team, in Konoha at least, was its pseudo family dynamic. It's a bond like no other and Minato knew that, if something were to happen to him or Kushina, it would be his team that looked after his child.

Even if it had to be from the shadows.

'What a dark turn.' He thought, knowing it was reality but forcing the thoughts to the side. He raised a single hand to the kids behind him, telling them to wait as he stalked towards the back of the house, and pretended he didn't hear Obito's whine or Kakashi's huff of annoyance.

He would be checking on his wife and meeting his child first. His team's curiosity be damned, they could wait in the living room.

He felt the wind before he saw the quick flash of red. His wife was right in front of him with her hand over his mouth and she shushed him with wide eyed panic before he could even think about side stepping her.

"I just got the baby down for a nap if you wake her so help me Minato…" Kushina's eyes glinted dangerously with an unspoken threat before she dropped her hand, her gaze morphing into a fond smile. "Welcome home," she tilted her head to look over his shoulder, "all of you."

Two rounds of 'good to be home, thank you' and one sharp huff fell on deaf ears. Minato had focused on a single word and laid both of his hands on his wife's shoulders, thumbs brushing the sides of her neck. Too intimate in front of the kids but Minato couldn't help it.

#

Kushina's gaze darted back to him, her own hand lifting to grasp his forearm and squeeze gently. The best greeting they were going to get with three sets of eyes watching their every move.

"Did you say 'her?' " He asked quietly, ignoring Obito's joyous 'Ha, a girl! I win Bakashi – pay up!' in favor of watching the way Kushina's lips lifted and her eyes squeezed as she nodded.

They had decided against learning the gender, intent on the surprise. Kushina had wanted a son. Minato had said he didn't mind either way, but secretly he'd hoped for a daughter.

Kushina nodded, brows knitting together as she leaned back to look closer at his face. "We didn't decide on a name, y'know? So when they asked me I sort of panicked and… well. It was storming. So badly that the basement of the hospital flooded and the power went out and—"

"She named the girl Taifū." Jiraiya said, stepping around the corner with his arms folded over his chest, shoulder leaning against the curio cabinet. Minato watched as it teetered precariously. If it smashed to the ground and woke the baby –Taifū– Kushina was going to kill him.

"Like a typhoon, y'know?" Kushina beamed up at him, the nervousness still there. "Since we talked about Naruto for a boy–I thought something storm related was fitting."

He cut a warning gaze to Kakashi when he heard the boys barely audible snort of derision, just managing to see Obito try to whack the aloof chūnin over the head. "It's perfect, Kushina. I want to see her."

When Minato saw little Taifū for the first time brushing the back of his finger over her cheek.

"Minato! Wash your hands–think about her immune system!" Kushina whisper-shouted and he hastened to the bathroom to do as she commanded.

Taifū was such a fragile little thing. Minato could've been standing at the edge of the cradle for hours watching every little twitch and breath, he wouldn't have known. He'd never felt such profound happiness in all his life.

Then his daughter (his daughter!) opened her eyes and they were just like his down to the very details, and he fell head over heels with a raw intensity as Kushina watched on with a watery smile of her own. He reached into the cradle just as the baby burbled something unintelligible.

"You've gotta hold her head, she can't do it on her own yet!" Kushina was beside him in a flash and Minato cursed himself. "That's what the nurse taught me."

"Sorry, sorry!" Minato flushed, adjusting his hands to do as his wife instructed. "Is this right?"

"Don't worry." Kushina said withdrawing her hands once she was certain he had the position correct. She stepped to the side and wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder as he cradled Taifū for the first time. "I'm going to ask Mikoto to come over soon. Before labor we'd been talking a lot about things that helped when Itachi was newborn. She has advice I'm sure would help us both."

"Are you sure it isn't a ruse for the two of you to secretly plot your children's betrothal?" Minato joked, still not looking away from Taifū's eyes. They'd been locked in a staring match since she'd opened them and he marveled at the intelligent glint in them.

She seemed to be observing him just as he was observing her.

Kushina lightly tapped her open palm against his shoulder. "For all you know we've already done that."

Minato huffed a laugh through his nose (as if Fugaku would marry his heir off outside of the clan) and addressed his daughter good naturedly. Pretending as if the thought of his newborn daughter and boys didn't phase him in the slightest.

"No boys until you're twenty. Five. Twenty-five. Stay away from Uchiha boys, especially."

He ignored the 'hey!' that was shouted from the living room where the kids were unabashedly eavesdropping. Side by side with Jiraiya.

#

"I told him–he thought I was joking." Kushina smirked over her tea at her long time friend Mikoto three days after Minato returned. They were in a private booth inside Mikoto's favorite tea shop, secured with Kushina's own seals so they could speak openly.

It was nice to be able to go out but she worried about little Fū. Minato had no clue what to do with babies. This was new territory and they were both learning but she worried she'd come home to Taifū swaddled and guarded by Kakashi's ninken while Minato and his team sparred far too close to the baby. Not that Minato would let anything happen to their daughter.

Still, worrying was beginning to be something of a second nature these days.

She wondered if it would ever cease, but knew intrinsically that she would worry over her daughter for the rest of her life.

Mikoto smirked in return, for a brief second that most wouldn't have caught. "The paperwork is signed and sealed, awaiting revision once Itachi and Taifū both reach sixteen."

Kushina's smirk mellowed into a genuine smile as she lowered her cup. "I'm surprised you managed to get Fugaku onboard."

"It was a stipulation I had written into our marriage contract. I get final say in our children's futures, so long as I hear his arguments and keep them under consideration. He could not overrule me on this decision." Mikoto said, eyes flashing red for only a moment before the sharingan receded. "I was surprised you changed your mind about arranging marriages. Before last month I recalled the last conversation we had. Your vehement disapproval of such things was clear."

"I'm still sorry about that." Kushina tried not to flinch at the reminder of her tirade on the importance of choosing one's partner. "I meant no disrespect."

"I understand. It is only the old clans who still maintain the tradition, after all." Mikoto's smile, and the hand she briefly placed over Kushina's, put her at ease. Despite the small flare of sorrow at the unintended reminder that her own clan was no longer around. "I am only curious to know what changed your mind."

"Ah, well. Y'know." Kushina fiddled with her napkin. "I spent some time watching couples whose marriages were arranged after our… talk … and I noticed that they seemed just as happy as I do in my own marriage. I thought about it for a while and, so long as the children get the final say when they're old enough, I don't have as much of a reason to hate the idea as I thought I did. And I adore you and your son, imagining a life where we share grandbabies - it's beautiful."

Mikoto was nodding before Kshina finished, understanding in her gaze as she folded her hands neatly on her lap.

"That is why there is a revision and termination clause in the Uchiha/Namikaze contract. It works to the children's benefit. I would never force an unwanted marriage upon my son nor would I do such a thing to Taifū. I value your friendship and your daughter more than you could know - even if we never share grandchildren."

"I know. I feel the same way. That's why I named you Fū's godmother."

#

Mikoto smiled, and it was as close to a full beam as the woman ever showed anyone. "An honor I will forever cherish. But you still have to tell Minato about the contract." Mikoto told her friend, laughing softly when Kushina's posture slumped.

"They brought Fū!" Was the first thing Minato and Kushina heard when they got close enough to their favorite Ramen stand. A flash of orange and blue and Obito was right in front of them, arms raised with a giant smile on his face. "Can I take her? Please? You have to eat, I've already had a bowl."

Kushina had shrugged when Minato looked at her and so he gave his fifteen month old over to the hyper Uchiha, who somehow managed to grin even wider as he carried her into the Ramen stand, sitting her on his lap and ignoring everything else as he bounced her until her peels of laughter made everyone in the small stand smile..

"He's good with little ones." Rin said after greeting them both. "I've seen him running around the academy playground with the students after classes every now and then. They all love him. It's a gift."

Kakashi snorted from where he was sitting. "If only he put as much energy into training as he did goofing off with kids."

Rin ignored him and reached her hand to the baby, letting her grab onto her finger and joining in on the fun.

"It's a good observation, y'know." Kushina knocked shoulders with Minato. "If Obito's that good with kids and likes to spend time at the academy it might be worth looking into further. He might like teaching after he makes chūnin."

#

"One of the last things Obito asked was for all of us to look after Taifū a little extra for him, since he won't be able to do it anymore." Rin said as she burst into tears and crumbled right before Minato. "He really loved her - as if she were his sister."

#

Minato held two year old Taifū close in the middle of the living room, where she'd been happily playing with her toy kunai when he returned home one student short.

He couldn't stop thinking about how he'd left his team when they'd given their report. Kakashi with a new eye and more subdued than ever. Rin haggard and barely hanging on herself… and Obito.

His heart hurt thinking of that kind, cheerful boy and how full of life he'd been. How much he still had left to live for. Minato was going to ensure Obito had a position at the academy once they'd returned from this last mission as a team.

Now he is dead. A casualty of war. Killed in action with no body to return home and no one to return it to save his clan head.

"Papa, sad?" He heard Fū say through the haze of his mourning. He felt her little hands pat his head, then encircle his neck. "Fū Fū fix?"

"Some things can't be fixed, Taifū." Minato mumbled, squeezing her gently. How could he break it to his daughter that her favorite person wasn't going to come home?

"I'm sorry, papa."

With luck, she was far too young to remember Obito and it wouldn't be so hard on her after a couple days getting used to not seeing the cheerful Uchiha around anymore.

As soon as he finished the thought, Minato berated himself for it.

He would make sure she remembered who Obito was. He'd keep the team photo out and tell stories whenever he could.

He wouldn't let Obito's memory die.

Minato felt Kakashi's approach almost a minute before his door opened and the boy, now a teenager, stepped through. Kushina crowded him over to the table and Minato released his daughter, worried about his son in all but blood and name.

He watched as she strode right up to Kakashi, her least favorite of Minato's team (he was always making comments that went over her head, but she could tell they were making fun of her and she didn't seem to like that) and climbed right into his lap where Kushina had sat him down at the dining table. Fū hugged him just like she'd hugged Minato and for a split second, he worried Kakashi might accidentally hurt her without realizing where he was and who was touching him.

Kakashi was young but he was a veteran shinobi where experience was concerned. Minato saw Kushina watching covertly out of the corner of her eye. They were on the same page.

Their worries were unfounded.

Minato was shocked and relieved to see Kakashi quiver and sag, accepting the hug by placing one hand on Taifū's back.

#

'That fucking priest was right.' Taifū mused as she watched from afar, tucked with Pakkun under a tree as alternated between watching her father and Kakashi trade blow for blow and reading her book. 'Suicide indeed sends you straight to hell.'

In a split second she went from eating a bullet to blurred vision and screaming protests - it didn't take long to realize she'd been reborn. The world was unfair, why should she be forced to live again? She never asked for this.

She definitely hadn't asked to be placed into a world where violence and mayhem were the normal order of things. As the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, of all people.

Hell, indeed.

(In front of her, the training session came to an abrupt end when Kushina Uzumaki descended upon the unsuspecting jonin, enraged and berating them both for leaving Fū in a dog pile while they trained. Fū grinned behind her picture book.)

Was she supposed to change fate? Things worked out for the Shinobi world in the end, hadn't they? If she started making waves it was possible she could fuck everything up and they could all be consumed by Kaguya.

So she did nothing.

Babbles from a two year old wouldn't have saved Obito, no matter how much she wanted to save him. No matter how much she hated his fate and wished she could change it. And god how she'd wanted to change it.

Obito was her favorite. From the time she'd first laid eyes on him in this world, even knowing what he would grow up to be. He was like a bright spot with an abundance of natural charisma and he always wanted to make her laugh, no matter what it took.

He was the first to volunteer to babysit, too, which was great because he would actually get on the floor and play with her. Rin would, too, sometimes. Both were completely unlike Kakashi who would point at something and tell her to do it. Like a mini adult.

(Just because she knew what he meant didn't mean she would do it. It was especially fun watching him get frustrated. He had such a stick up his ass as a child.)

Still, she felt for Kakashi. Cursed with the knowledge of how all this plays out as she was. She didn't dislike him at all, she just wished things would turn out differently for him. He was so heartbroken and damaged even now, it was hard to realize that he would soon lose everyone else he'd come to love on top of losing his father and Obito.

Then he would bury himself in Anbu and forget about her and Naruto, as he had in canon. She was sure of it.

That was what really kept her from attaching to him like she did Obito. He wasn't going to be a permanent fixture for about twelve years. Kakashi would fade into his depression, distance himself, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"Fū, are you ready to go to the library and see Itachi and Mikoto?" Her mother scooped her up, Pakkun peaking only one eye before shutting it again and wiggling around to get comfortable now that his headrest was gone.

"Tachi!" Fū clapped her hands, in true child-like fashion. Had to keep up the pretenses with the adults, after all.

She loved spending time with little Itachi, though. He was such a sweet kid and so smart. He was able to keep up with a lot of her topics of conversation and it was fun talking to him and seeing him grasp concepts she introduced to him. It wouldn't be long before she started talking philosophy.

Fū intended on at least trying to lead Itachi into understanding how manipulative governments were - then maybe he could make a better decision when it came time for the massacre. He had more options than he thought.

#

Obito was in hysterics.

Kakashi killed Rin .

He killed her.

He… he'd promised to protect her and he killed her.

Where had Minato-sensei been?

If they managed to fail in protecting Rin-chan… they would fail to protect Taifū too.

#

Kakashi held four year old Taifū, scowling under his mask, as they waited for Minato's inauguration as the Fourth Hokage and wondered how Kushina-san made it look so easy to keep the little monster still.

She squirmed. Alot.

And she was sticky, somehow, he didn't know. Despite having kept his eye on her since the moment she was unceremoniously dumped into his unsuspecting arms two hours ago.

What sensei was thinking, leaving the wild thing with him of all people, Kakashi couldn't know.

"Hatake-san, I'll take her if you need a break." He heard the soft voice of who he would now consider his savior call from behind him and he turned, ensuring it was someone that Kushina-san and Sensei would approve the reallocation of their child's welfare too.

Taifū was already scrambling to detach from Kakashi. He let her down but he kept his hold on the girl until he noted that the newcomer was the Uchiha clan head Fugaku-sama and his wife, the heavily pregnant Mikoto-sama and their son, Itachi-kun.

Despite Kushina's close friendship with Mikoto-sama, Kakashi knew Minato-sensei would not appreciate it if Kakashi left Taifū alone with them. There were too many controversial whispers surrounding the Uchiha Clan at present and until there was time for a more thorough investigation, Minato-sensei was hesitant to fully place his trust in them.

If sensei was hesitant, then Kakashi would proceed with utmost caution. Especially in protecting one of his precious people. (No matter how annoying the little thing was.)

So he shoved his hands in his pockets and stood by diligently as Fū stepped right up to her friend with a big smile, babbling about a book she'd been reading. Itachi was nodding along with a more subdued but nonetheless genuine smile of his own.

That was something that had shocked nearly everyone - Itachi and Taifū spent all of their time together discussing books they were reading.

Not children's books, either. They were like little adults, going so far as to discuss rudimentary philosophy. At four and five years old . Kakashi and Minato had gone out of their way to test the kids at every turn and while Itachi had shown great aptitude toward the shinobi arts, it had seemed for some time that Fū was more interested in pursuits of the mind.

It wasn't until months later that they learned Taifū had an affinity toward Fūinjutsu. The discovery had frazzled them all, as she'd created an explosive tag out of her father's supplies and nearly blew their house to bits with how much chakra she'd pumped into it. Just from having gotten a hold of one of Minato's books on the subject.

(Both parents had been as proud as they had been concerned. Minato and Kushina created a much safer place to keep their Fūinjutsu supplies from that moment forward.)

"I could use a few extra sets of eyes. She's been energetic today." Was all Kakashi said giving a polite smile.

"That's Kakashi for 'Help, I don't know what I'm doing.'" Taifū's high pitched, grating little voice snarked over her shoulder with a smirk that rivaled her mother's and Kakashi grit his teeth.

The little brat.

Kakashi gave the girl a glare that meant all kinds of little retributions would be forthcoming but was cut off when Mikoto produced a wet tissue out of nowhere and wiped it over Taifū's face and hands.

"Hn, and how is it you got to be so sticky?"

Fū shrugged, letting Mikoto-sama wipe her off as she turned back to her friend and kept babbling. Even Mikoto-sama had a difficult time getting Taifū to quiet down during the inauguration.

In the end, it was a sharp look from Itachi and his hand on the top of her head that finally got her to settle her boundless energy and watch her father become Hokage respectfully.

'How the hell did a five year old manage to get that little ball of chaos to relax so easily?' Kakashi wondered, lamenting the life choices that led him to become a high-level babysitter .

He was going to ask for a mission as soon as he got a hold of sensei.

#

Concern from a five year old wouldn't have prevented Obito from attacking during her mother's labors - it wouldn't have stopped what she was watching unfold from the window of the stronghold she was being held in. Her father's justified paranoia at play.

No amount of shinobi training would've made her strong enough to combat any of this so young. She wasn't a prodigy like Kakashi or Itachi. She was perfectly average, despite the Uzumaki blood that gave her excessive chakra and longevity. Despite being the firstborn of Namikaze Minato. She wasn't special, the only thing she had was vivid memories of Naruto's story and a world so different from this one.

But guilt was a heady, peculiar thing that defied rationality. Hundreds of Konoha's citizens were already dead. Historic buildings were trampled. And beyond it all, Taifū knew her parents would die in a few short minutes. They would protect Naruto and save the village.

Guilt mixed with sorrow and the Anbu who guarded her seemed to think her trembling and her tears were out of fear and moved her away from the window.

'Things will change from here,' she thought as the Anbu (not Kakashi, she didn't know where he was) placed her far away from the window, despite still being able to hear the destruction on the far side of the village, 'my presence ensured mother's relationship to the Uchiha was stronger. Mikoto has a legal leg to stand on as my godmother. But Naruto…'

Taifū worried about Naruto.

No matter what happened, above all, she'd be on Naruto's side. She wouldn't let anyone take her in and ignore her brother - nor would she allow his ill treatment this time around. Fū had been protective of her younger siblings in her past life, she'd be even more so in this life.

She listened as the growls and the destruction grew louder and then dissipated just as quickly as they had started and her heart sank.

Then the wall opposite where she sat was blown in and she hastened to cover her head as one of her Anbu guards moved to shield her and the other used a wind jutsu to knock back the debris.

They were both dead a few seconds later, blood spritzing from wounds on their necks as they slumped to the ground and Fū scrambled to her feet. She stared in wide eyed shock at the two bodies that now laid in the dust and rubble before her.

She was pretty sure nothing like this had happened before.

A masked man knelt before her and she knew that mask. The swirling mask with an opening for only a single eye. An eye that glowed bright crimson with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

She knew that, too, so she nodded. Unable to say anything to Obito.

"He failed to keep one promise, I'm not surprised he couldn't keep this one either." Obito rasped bitterly, sharingan swirling behind his mask. "You're not safe in Konoha, Taifū. Your parents are dead–" yes, and you killed them, didn't you? "--your newborn brother houses a monster, and no one has yet come to your aid." You killed the Anbu who were supposed to protect me.

"No one is safe anywhere." Taifū said around a cough from the dust. "And I'm sure Anbu are beginning to swarm. They'll be shocked to see Uchiha Obito is still alive."

Obito was still for a moment before he pulled her against him. "I'm surprised you knew it was me. You were two when I 'died.'"

She wanted to return the embrace because she'd missed him and he was a good person under all that bitterness and hatred. But she knew he'd just set things in motion that led to the death of her parents and despite understanding what he was doing and why.. well she was so fucking angry about it.

Minato and Kushina had been great parents. She'd come to love them dearly in the last five years. Especially Minato. A better father than her last one by far. It was heartbreaking to know they were gone and that their killer was right here. Another person she'd come to care about.

What was worse was that she could understand and that made it difficult to deal with her conflicting emotions. Obito had just spent years being manipulated and used and warped into something he wasn't.

"You can't hide from me." She told him ominously, wishing she could see his face because the mask covered every bit of it and there was no telling what he was thinking. "Two or twenty - I'll know you."

Obito seemed to pause at that, but he once again said nothing about it and pulled back. "I'm sorry, Fū, I wanted to talk but you were right about Anbu. We've got to go."

"Where are we going?" There was no use fighting. Her only chance was to go along with his plan and hope Kakashi would catch the trail.

She doubted he would. There was a reason Kakashi didn't know Obito was alive until the war.

"I'm taking you and your brother somewhere you'll be safe."

"Both of us?" Taifū asked, heart now thudding wildly in her chest. Something drastic would have changed if this plot of Obito's panned out. Something was wildly different and she had no idea what it was. That terrified her. "I thought we just established nowhere was safe."

Obito huffed as he launched them into the dark night. "You're a smartass now?"

"As you said, I was two when you last saw me."

"It's only been three years." Obito chuckled as he threaded through the destroyed village like only a native could, dodging shinobi before they'd even had a chance to see him running off with the Hokage's daughter. "There's no– fuck –"

Obito nearly dropped her when a kunai sunk into his shoulder and the last thing Fū saw before the world went dark was an angry Kakashi as he blocked Obito's path.