PROLOUGE

On the night of October tenth, a disaster befell Konohagakure. Unaware and unprepared, the village was attacked by the bijū known as the Kyūbi, also known as the Nine-Tailed Fox. While many shinobi and kunoichi were putting their lives on the line to defend their home, panic spread throughout the ranks due to the absence of their leader, the Yondaime Hokage. Meanwhile, in a chamber hidden away within the Hokage Monument, Minato Namikaze was helping his wife with the delivery of their children.

Minato was in a panic, hearing the sounds of his village being destroyed and feeling the Kyūbi's violent attacks throughout the chamber, worrying the young Kage. Weeks ago, Minato had delved into figuring out a way to subdue or destroy the bijū without endangering his wife. From past reports he had studied, a jinchūriki was most vulnerable when giving birth. However, Minato wasn't successful in finding a solution he liked. Sealing the beast was the only solution he had come up with, though the price was condemning himself, the beast, and his children to carry such a terrible burden. However, fate decided otherwise.

"You are lucky, mortal. Contracting me using the Shiki Fūjin requires that you forfeit your soul and, by extension, your life once the sealing is completed. However, removing you from this plane when your family still requires you, you who gave life to the chosen one. For this, I will pardon the requirement of taking your soul, but I will take something dear to not only you but those who are precious to you as compensation. Do not forget this, mortal," the Shinigami ominously said, sealing the soul, yin and yang chakra, and the remaining chakra of the Kyūbi into all four of his children: Naruto, Mito, Narumi, and Menma, respectively, so as not to harm any of their chakra systems.

After the sealing and confrontation with the Shinigami was over, the threat of the Kyūbi averted, Konoha shifted its attention to treating those injured from the event and rebuilding what was lost.

"Everyone had better not be slacking! If I even 'think' that you're not giving it your all, I'll drive you through the wall!" roared a beautiful blonde woman with her hair tied in two tails, one of the Densetsu no Sannin, Tsunade Senju, as she stormed into the hospital after checking on the Uzumaki-Namikaze family.

Glancing around and noticing the lack of attention directed at her due to the crazy atmosphere, Tsunade decided to ask her right-hand woman, assistant, and disciple, "What's the situation looking like so far, Shizune?" roared Tsunade, not seeing her anywhere.

"Tsunade-sama! The injured have been reduced by half thanks to the field staff dealing with situations outside of the hospital that weren't severe enough to warrant admission. From the number of patients and medics, I'd estimate that we're almost finished treating the ones who have been admitted, and I haven't seen more than seven patients be admitted in the past hour. I think that most of the shinobi and villagers who were injured have been taken care of!" replied a pretty yet exhausted woman with shoulder-length raven hair, Shizune, Tsunade's assistant and disciple.

Releasing a relieved sigh, Tsunade voiced her relief with the now stable situation at hand. "Whew, that's good. I had imagined that there would've been many more injured than that, thank goodness. That means that all the injured are accounted for, meaning that the village got out in extremely good shape when you compare it to other villages who were attacked by bijū."

Also sharing a sigh of relief with her mentor, Shizune remembered the two who were in the middle of the attack. "Tsunade-sama! You said that all the injured were accounted for, right?! What about Kushina-sama and Minato-sama?! And where is Arashi-kun?" shouted a worried Shizune, having momentarily forgotten about her village's leader and his wife, and their son.

"Relax, Shizune, they're safe! Minato had a rather severe case of chakra exhaustion, but he'll be alright knowing him. Kushina, other than the typical signs of giving birth, is completely fine. Even after having the Kyūbi forced out of her, she's still alive and is going to be fine. She'll be up and about in no more than five hours tops; I'll even make a bet that she will! And Arashi was in the safety shelter with the Uchiha family," Tsunade confidently replied, so confident that she offered to make a bet with Shizune on it, which, given her alias as the "Legendary Sucker," was no small statement.

The two shared a relieved and happy laugh as the danger that, no more than 48 hours before, had passed. That is, until Tsunade assumed that Shizune was also laughing at her extremely bad luck and chased her around the hospital wing, her fist waving threateningly in the air while the other occupants and staff of the hospital laughed in good humor at the antics of the duo.

(Scene Change - Uzumaki-Namikaze estate)

"Minato, are you sure that you're alright? You used the Shiki Fūjin, but you didn't lose your soul like what was supposed to happen!" a tall man, with a spiky mane of white hair with red paint on his face, worriedly asked his disciple. This man was Jir

aiya, one of the Densetsu no Sannin and mentor to Minato.

"Sensei, I told you I'm fine! See, I can do everything without a problem! I need to go see Kushi-chan and my kids, so please stop worrying about me!" Minato replied, creating his fabled Rasengan to emphasize his point to his mentor.

With a sign, Jiraiya relented, patting his student on the shoulder. He congratulated him on his defeat of the Kyūbi and the beginning of his family. "I'm proud of you, Minato; you've come so far even without my help. I couldn't have asked for a better student," Jiraiya said, pride evident in his voice as he walked with Minato towards the room created specifically for his children.

Walking in quietly, they found what they were looking for. Kushina, with her arms full of her, no, their children.

"They're beautiful, Kushi-chan," Minato said, resting his head on his wife's.

Sinking into her husband's embrace, Kushina sniffled a bit before expressing her sincere thanks to whatever entity that allowed her family to stay together, though what seemed like impossible odds. "Mina-kun, we're together. We're all together. All of us. You didn't have your soul taken, and I survived having the Kyūbi forced out. We're going to be able to watch our children grow up, and they'll have a family to love and take care of them." Kushina whispered as she sobbed quietly while shaking a little, the all too real possibility that she could've lost her husband

Then suddenly, the door opened, and a boy around the age of 5 came through. He had blond hair like Minato and violet eyes like Kushina. He ran straight to his parents, embracing them in a huge hug.

"Kachan, I missed you so much; I was so scared," sobbed the little boy, with his parents comforting him and checking for injuries, happy that they found none. Then Minato spoke, "We're all fine. Would you like to meet your siblings?" 

"Yes," he replied, as they went and met the siblings. Arashi made a bold declaration, "Kachan and touchan, I am going to be the strongest shinobi in the world and protect all of you."

Minato and Kushina laughed. Minato said, "I am sure you will."

Throughout the night, parents and children stayed together until sleep took them, as the mental and emotional exhaustion that the two had accumulated had finally reached its peak. As the night rolled around, a voice was heard.

"Child, can you hear me? I am the one who allowed your father to survive his contract with me, the price of his soul replaced with something that will greatly affect you. As the oldest of five, the child of prophecy, and the child who will change the world, you will be without the love of the ones who should hold you close. That is the exchange I made in place of your father's soul. You, who will be without love, will be the one who will defy all obstacles standing before you. Do not fret, child, as you will forge a path that will change the world, and remember this: do not give in to the hate that will undoubtedly plague your heart in the future to come." A bone-chilling voice echoed within his mind. Completely unaware of his future, the child slowly looked around the room before returning to sleep, the echoes of that voice repeating quieter each time.