Chapter 20 -> Part 20

B followed me into the heart of the temple, his head down. I closed the door and set up Kushina's system of privacy seals from my bag that I left in the room once I determined I would use it.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I don't want anyone listening, at least not until you decide you want to share what I tell you with someone."

"What are you talking about? You're crazy."

"I'm not crazy. Sit down." I took a seat on the floor in the center of the room. Warily, B sat down across from me. Slowly and deliberately, I took off my hitai-ate and stripped off my gloves, showing him the dark seals on my skin. He stared at them without comprehension. "These seals are part of the Shitagau, which is a seal that makes its victim incapable of lying to, directly disobeying, and betraying the person who wields it, at least, not without significant harm to themselves. I'll come back to this." I slowly pulled my gloves back on, but left my grungy hitai-ate balanced on my knee. "The day I became a Genin, someone kidnapped my sister. Uzumaki chakra is exceptionally compatible with sealing as well as perfectly suited to safely contain even the most powerful of the Bijū, which makes the Uzumaki perfect candidates for becoming Jinchuuriki. They kidnapped my sister with the intent of turning her into a Jinchuuriki, but we stopped it. When we returned to the village, the Hokage and the previous Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, who was getting old, decided it was time to pass on the mantle."

"Why do I care about how you became a Jinchuuriki?" B grumbled. "Isn't it supposed to be a village secret?"

"Ha, you don't need to care about my story, but you still need to know it. Anyways, they wanted to pass the Kyuubi on to my sister. She was an all-around better candidate: impressionable, obedient, and eager to please, plus she had a far better understanding of sealing than me. I was a less-than-desirable candidate, to put it nicely. I was an antagonistic, hard-headed, devil-may-care, insubordinate child who was far too smart and perceptive for my own good. I wouldn't let them turn my sister into someone scorned and detested by the general populace. For some reason, they let that opinion stand and sealed the Kyuubi into me that evening. They also placed the Shitagau, which basically makes me a slave to the Hokage."

"Again, why do I care about your sob story?"

"It's a warning. Becoming a Jinchuuriki means you'll have access to power and lots of it. That makes people greedy. No matter how honorable the intentions are, you will be used and potentially abused. Most people will see you as less than human, feral. I've done what I could to make sure the Raikage treats you like a person, or at the very least as a regular shinobi, albeit with a special skill set, but that will only go so far. Your life is going to be hard, an upwards battle for positive attention. You must understand that and consent to it before I will perform the sealing."

"I have my brother. He'll make sure that—"

"Your brother is set to be the next Raikage. As much as he may want to, he can't shield you from most of it. He can't stop your friends from pulling away."

B shifted uncomfortably. "Motoi would never do that."

"No, B, he would in a heartbeat, everyone would. The Hachibi killed his father; his father died because a Jinchuuriki lost control. Maybe he'll come around eventually, but you're going to be hated until you prove to everyone you can be trusted, which won't happen for a long time. Just your existence means you're a threat."

"You're wrong."

"I wish I was. Now, are you willing to go through with the sealing or should I call the Raikage back and have him find a new set of candidates."

"How old are you?"

"Nine."

"You talk like an adult."

"I've spent the last two years of my life with adults, it makes sense I'll start to sound like them."

"You're nine and you say you can seal a Bijū? How strong are you?"

"Sealing a Bijū is a lot different than fighting one. I'm an Uzumaki, so sealing is in my blood, but I'm nowhere near the level I need to be in order to fight one. You said you recognized me from the Bingo book so I'm sure you know who Hatake Sakumo and Senju Tsunade are. I made my way through Tsunade's medic program in half the time it takes adult medics and Hatake is my Jōnin-sensei, he's been training me since I was seven."

"You give out information easily. You know that can be used against you."

"Trust me, if you think anyone can catch Hatake without getting their hands chopped off, they're welcome to try. As for my sister, keep an eye on what happens to Suna over the course of this war and you'll get an idea about what happens to someone who threatens children of Konoha."

"You're not a very nice person."

"I'm not, at least not anymore." I pulled out the scroll with my seal on it. "I'll ask again, are you willing to go through with the sealing."

"Why did you pick me?"

"You didn't take revenge for my insults, you didn't let them really bother you. You're strong and you have someone to take care of you. You also didn't collapse under the Kyuubi's chakra. Any more questions?"

"Will it hurt?"

"Probably, but it won't cause any lasting damage."

"I don't—" he broke off.

"If you don't want to do this, I won't seal the Hachibi inside of you, no one can make me."

"You said the Shitagau—"

"The Hokage left the choice of who completely up to me and the Raikage can't order me around."

"He'll hurt you—"

"Then I transform into the Kyuubi and devastate his village."

The boy gaped at me.

"Unlike most Jinchuuriki, a full, voluntary transformation probably won't hurt me. If it does, fine, I'm free to head to the afterlife."

"You're insane."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"I will not be a part of this immaturity. Do you want time to think?"

"I-I agree." He bit his lip uncertainly.

"Becoming a Jinchuuriki is not part of the contract you signed when you became a shinobi, so it's not your duty to do this. You are accepting of your own free will, nothing your brother or the Raikage says should tip your decision either way, you understand that, right?"

After a moment of thought, B nodded.

"Once you become the Jinchuuriki, you understand that you will be taking on the responsibility of guarding everyone around you from the rampage of the tailed beast sealed inside of you."

He nodded again.

"Fine." I pulled out a scroll from one of my pockets and held it up. "This is a complete explanation of the seal I'm going to use. One of the most important points for you to remember is that the seal only works as long as you want it to. Secondly, the Hachibi is not a mindless force of nature. He is intelligent and has emotions just like you. He's spent a long time going through a cycle of imprisonment, subjugation, and brief moments of freedom. He's bitter and angry about it, just like anyone would be if they spent more than a lifetime as a prisoner. The Hachibi is immensely powerful, you'll be able to feel that power through the seal. I'll warn you once. Do not try and use it without the Hachibi's consent. Finally, if you ever need help, I'll do what I can to help you, just find me, okay? Just because we're from different villages doesn't prevent us from being brothers by circumstance. I'll always help out a family member."

I let it sink in while I stood and added the Bijū-suppressing seals from the Hokage to the walls of the room. B watched me carefully even when I stopped to do nothing more than read the Raikage's instructions.

"I'm ready," I finally announced, pulling out my sealing kit.

B nodded and I felt like I was talking to a bobble head.

"Take your shirt off and lie down."

He obeyed and I started to paint the seal onto his stomach.

Four horribly tedious hours later I finished.

"This is your absolute last chance to back out, are you sure you want to go through with this?" I asked.

"Absolutely," B said with more conviction than ever before. I winced as the Kyuubi's chakra bubbled over my skin.

Just to be safe, he explained.

With one hand, I unlocked the jar with the Hachibi inside. His chakra filled the room and would have knocked me out if the Kyuubi hadn't been filtering it.

Kyuubi! The Hachibi snarled. How dare you manipulate your host like this!

I activated the seal and the Hachibi's chakra started to drain into it. B screamed in pain as the Bijū chakra rushed through his body.

It was unnerving to have my mouth moving without my consent, but I let the Kyuubi say his piece. You are angry and impulsive, just as I was. Until your mind clears, and you are able to help me in my quest, you will remain sealed.

Who are you to decide that? You have no authority—

When you understand, you know where you can speak with me. I gasped as the Kyuubi's chakra receded and the last of the Hachibi was pulled inside of the seal. After taking a minute to control myself, I turned to B, who lay curled on his side and facing away from me.

"You alright?" I asked him.

"Give me a minute."

I fell backwards, my arms spread, and more exhausted than I expected. "Can I call the Raikage here or do you want time to yourself?"

"Time to myself."

I struggled to my feet. "Come find me when you're ready." I deactivated the seals around the room and left with my bag and supplies.

"Wait!" B called after me. I stopped, but didn't go back. "You can call Raikage-sama."

"Okay. When you come out, bring that jar with you."

(-_-)

Just before the sun finished setting, The Raikage landed on the steps of the temple.

"Where's B," he demanded.

"In the temple, center room. May I go home now?"

"Wait here."

I waited, watching the sun creep towards the horizon. A few minutes later, the Raikage returned, holding B's hand and carrying the jar.

"Your teammate and the Nibi are straight in that direction," he pointed back towards Konoha. "Kumo thanks you for your services."

"You're welcome, goodbye."

"Wait!" B said as I took a step away.

I stopped.

"I can still see you if I need something, right?"

"Of course, goodbye, B-san."

"Goodbye, Kichiro-sama."

I leapt forward and ran in the direction the Raikage pointed. It only took me a few minutes to reach Dan, who was accompanied by a team of Kumo Jōnin and had the Nibi Jinchuuriki hanging around his neck, asleep.

"We need to get back to Konoha ASAP."

"A child can't travel at shinobi speeds, Kichiro."

"Then let me go! I did my job; I even have the trust of the Eight-tails host. Minato and Kushina need me most right now."

"Once we get to the border, you can run straight back."

"If you let me carry her, we can move top speed, no risk to the child."

"Kichiro—"

"Please!"

"Fine." He handed me the sleeping girl. "We're ready to go, we can move at top speed."

I slipped off my haori and wrapped it around the girl so she wouldn't freeze at the speeds we would be moving and secured her head against my shoulder so she wouldn't be dangerously shaken. After two days and nights, we reached the Kumo border. As soon as we made it passed Konoha lines and left the Jōnin escort behind, I handed the Nibi Jinchuuriki back to Dan and took off towards the village, sustaining myself with the Kyuubi's chakra. No one tried to stop me, and I only slept twice. When I landed in front of the village gates, no one stopped me as I marched into the village, but out of nowhere, the Hokage appeared beside me.

"Am I right in assuming you had no intention of reporting?"

I bent my knees to jump away from him, but he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Status of the mission."

"Successful."

"Minato and Kushina have been put under house arrest as a precaution until you clear them, they're not allowed to interact with civilians. They're at Minato's apartment, since it's in a shinobi-heavy area, unlike yours."

"Where's Jiraiya?"

"You have three weeks of leave. Take it before I change my mind and have your written report for the mission turned in by the end of this week, no need to report to the hospital."

I took a step back and dashed to Minato's apartment. As I raised my hand to knock, the last time I saw them flashed across my mind. I felt more than awful for leaving them and fully expected at least one of them to shoot out harsh words.

I knocked twice. I could hear familiar voices inside, but didn't listen in on the conversation. I slouched, but stayed in full view of the little fisheye lens in the door.

"Come in, Nii-san!" Minato called out.

Warily, I opened the door. To my surprise, it wasn't locked, though there was a nasty explosion seal inked onto the floor, which I stepped over, swinging the door closed behind me.

I scanned the hall in front of me. "Hello?" I asked, cautious as I slipped off my shoes.

"In the main room," Minato said, he sounded off. As I stepped around the corner, I barely managed to block a bare foot from taking off my head. I expected an angry confrontation, not a trap.

With a yelp, I jerked backwards, only to have a thin hand appear out of nowhere and press a crinkle of paper against my back, then activate a seal before I could twist away. Lightning coursed through my body and I screamed, collapsing.

When I finally regained my bearings, my hands were tied above my head and I was lying on Minato's bed with both him and Kushina sprawled on top of me, half-asleep. I obviously lost more time than I thought, considering I was already sweating underneath them and my hands had gone numb. I jerked experimentally on whatever bound my hands to the metal bar across the headboard and received bullets of pain up my arms for my troubles. I could have gotten out of regular rope just fine, but they had used ninja wire, which had enough tensile strength to lift an entire city, or so I was told. The point was that the thin wire would cut through my wrists rather than break, and it was wrapped around several times.

I tried to channel chakra to my senses to do a security sweep, but they had sealed away my chakra, which was impressive, considering they would have had to deal with Bijū chakra as well. By that point, I could tell that both of them were now fully awake. Kushina fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. Belatedly, I realized my Chuunin vest and gear was missing. I couldn't see their faces, but I could feel their hands start trading signs over my stomach. To my frustration, I couldn't see anything and my paltry sensing abilities were shot. Deep in my gut, I could feel the Kyuubi, but the sealing made communication impossible. I took a deep breath.

"Can we talk?" I asked softly, wriggling my fingers attempting to reestablish a little bit of blood flow.

"No," Kushina mumbled.

"Okay, why?"

Minato's fist slammed into my gut without warning. My breath left in a choked huff and it took me over a minute to regain because both sets of arms tightened around my middle.

"Why am I tied up?" I asked instead.

That earned me a rather malicious pinch from Kushina. I probably deserved to be stuck as a living pillow, but it didn't mean I should have to worry about my hands dying. I gritted my teeth and started to kick myself upright against the headboard, but I couldn't gain enough leverage to overcome the friction keeping me prone. After a few seconds of struggling, two sets of legs locked around my own. I took a moment to wonder how in the nine circles of hell I made it into this particular position, suffocating under two children.

"Can you please untie me?"

Both of them were forgiving people, so I could understand the clinginess, even if it made me feel sick with myself. What didn't make sense was the fact that I was tied up. I could feel them sharing a look, even though I couldn't see their expressions.

"Do you want me to beg?"

"No," one of them responded, I couldn't tell who.

"Okay, then why am I tied up?"

No answer.

"I can't do anything or fix anything if you don't even talk to me."

Their arms tightened to the point I could barely breathe. I wasn't claustrophobic, but claustrophobia was beginning to set in.

"I love you both, but I can't read your minds and I don't know what to do." The last part was wheezed out.

Their grip tightened further. I could only take the shallowest of breaths and the fact that my arms were above my head further restricted my breathing. I started to scrabble at the wire around my wrists. No matter their age, they were ninja and there was a very real possibility they could unintentionally kill me at this point. It was a testament to their skill that even if I dislocated my thumb I wouldn't be able to get out of the wire without losing a hand, or at least several fingers.

When the edges of my vision began to darken, I started to panic. "Unless you're actually trying to kill me, you need to let go, now!" For a moment, I thought they wouldn't, but after a second, they both jerked away. I wheezed in a breath as Minato cut my wrists free. Rolling onto my stomach, I coughed, struggling to draw in oxygen, my ribs aching.

"Nii-san? Nii-san!" The two Genin cried as I slumped facedown onto the sheets.

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute," I assured them, still wheezing and especially lightheaded. I wished I still had my adult body, which would have probably been fine with the abuse and found a new respect for parents with shinobi children.

The moment I sat up, both of them lunged at me and slammed me back against the wall. I groaned. Had I been able to reinforce my body with chakra, the rough treatment wouldn't have bothered me, but my body just wasn't that tough on its own. I hugged them back anyways.

Kushina all but filled my lap and Minato wedged half his body into the gap between my back and the wall, his face buried in my neck. "You have to talk to me, you two. Why'd you jump me when I got here?" I asked, still breathless. "I'm not angry or upset, I just want to know why."

Their arms tightened around me in answer.

"Gentle, please be gentle!" I begged and they loosened their grip. Tears started to dampen my shirt. "I want to help the two of you, you both need help, but I can't if you don't talk to me."

I still didn't get a response. I sighed and laid my head back against the wall, closing my eyes. Normally, Kushina was all too willing to talk. Without her commentary, it felt strange. Eventually, I started to nod off in the silence, only to jolt awake when Kushina shifted then flinched, pulling her arm towards her chest. Before she could tuck it away, I grabbed her wrist.

Her fingernails were coated with dried blood. By itself, it was fairly normal. All but the most meticulous of ninja had a perpetual crescent of red under their nails. Mine was especially prominent, considering I had killed and cleaned a small rabbit the night before as a small meal and only washed my hands in a stream after the blood was mostly dried by the building of a small fire.

Kushina, though, had no reason for blood under her nails. Minato's wounds should have closed ages ago, so even if she was helping Minato clean them, they shouldn't have been bleeding and the blood should have washed out by now. She tried to pull her hand away, but I held tight. She had sleeves on, which was uncharacteristic, but she was also wearing Minato's clothes, which was somewhat normal, especially considering she had probably spent several nights, at least, at his apartment.

Before she could protest, I shoved up her sleeve to reveal a half-hearted attempt at bandaging several cuts across the inside of her forearms. Minato started to pull his arm away from me, but I grabbed his wrist as well and shove up his sleeve to find similar marks, as well as blood under his fingernails.

"Am I right in assuming these were self-inflicted?" I demanded, releasing them.

After a moment, Minato nodded. I laid my head on his and tightened my arm encircling Kushina.

Taking a deep breath, I struggled to slow my heart rate. "Have you cleaned them?" I asked.

Minato shook his head.

I thought for a moment. "Have you cleaned yourselves?"

Another negative.

"Okay then, let's do that now."

Kushina shook her head emphatically.

"Alright, why not?"

"No water."

"It's not going to hurt you."

"Promise?" Minato demanded.

"Promise."

Kushina's legs locked around my waist as I scooted over the bed, Minato following closely, his hands clutching my waistband. Carrying Kushina was difficult without chakra, but I managed. I was also taking a risk by letting them keep my chakra sealed away, because if one of them freaked and hit me at full strength before I could dodge, I could be seriously hurt. Even so, the fact that they both knew they could easily overpower me probably helped keep them calm.

In the bathroom, it was a bit cramped as I turned on the water and partway filled the tub.

"Minato, you first." I sat Kushina down on the counter beside the sink and held out a hand to the blond. Cautiously, he took it and I guided him, fully dressed, to the tub and sat him down on the edge then swung his feet inside. I washed them gently with a small towel while his fingers tangled into my hair. "See, it's not going to hurt you." I pulled away and untangled his fingers. "I'm going to wait right outside the door—"

"No!" He protested. I flinched back at his vehemence and hit the wall just as he threw himself at me and knocked me to the ground. My head cracked against the hard floor. I didn't think I blacked out, which was a plus, but I almost wished I had in light of the instant splitting headache.

I groaned and looked down at my hand. It trembled and my vision was blurry. Not good. I definitely had a concussion. Even if I had access to my chakra, I would never screw with my own head.

"I hurt Nii-san," Minato whined from somewhere to my right, horrified.

Shit. Stupid child body. Instead of helping Minato, making up for my absence, I probably just alienated him. I pushed myself upright and looked in the direction of his voice, only to see the cupboard under the sink slam shut.

I tried to reach out to him but if it wasn't for Kushina, I would have face-planted. I leaned heavily against her to get to a point where I could sit down beside where Minato disappeared. I tried to open it, but Minato held it shut. "Please come out, Minato, I'll be fine."

A choked sob answered me.

"It was just an accident, Minato, please come out."

No answer.

"Please, Minato," I begged. After a second of silence, I tried the door but it was still stuck. "Minato! Open up, please!" I started to panic. He may have grown into a powerful, level-headed Kage in the future, but at the moment, he was an impulsive child on a self-destructive spiral, locked away, alone, and armed with more stress and misplaced guilt than any child had a right to. "Minato, say something, please!"

Because of my physical age, training could only do so much for my body strength-wise. Without chakra, I was on par with a civilian adult's strength at best. Minato lived in a shinobi complex and because of that, everything in the house had basic strengthening seals so an impromptu wrestling match didn't unintentionally destroy the entire complex and a moment of frustration didn't result in a maintenance bill. I still initiated a wrestling match for the door. It opened slightly and I wedged my fingers in the gap, hissing as the door closed on them. After a second, Minato let go and I flung the door open. My fears weren't completely unfounded as the boy started to slash at his arm. I reached into my pocket, which the seal inside thankfully hadn't been emptied, and pulled out one of the few senbon I kept in it and threw it through Minato's wrist, pinning his arm to the wall behind him. He dropped the kunai with a choked cry and I caught it, tossing it away from him before he managed to wrench the senbon out of his wrist. I yanked him out of the cupboard and wrestled him to the ground.

I sent brief thanks to Sakumo for teaching me how to wrestle against someone stronger and dove into the struggle. Minato tried to run, but I had more than six inches and at least twenty pounds on him as well as more experience. Superior strength wasn't going to get him far without a clear head to go along with it. Mindful of the still-healing wounds on his chest, I managed to flip him on his back, pinning one of his own arms beneath him and pressing my thumb against the hole in his other wrist as he prepared to throw me off.

"Minato, calm down," I ordered. He tried to throw me off, but I had wedged my shoulder underneath the counter of the sink. He may have had double the raw strength to work with, but I had all the leverage and the cool counter against my cheek felt heavenly considering I was struggling against a fit of lightheadedness. "Minato, I'm not screwing around right now, you have to calm down. You're not in your right head and I need you to promise me you're not going to ever do something rash like that ever again. Promise me, Minato, please."

"Nii-san—"

"Please, Minato. Promise me you'll never scare me like that again."

"I hurt you—"

"It doesn't matter! It was an accident." I responded. If he struggled now, I wouldn't be able to hold him down. "Please, Minato, promise me that you won't ever try and hurt yourself again."

"I-I promise." I let out a relieved sigh and slipped into unconsciousness.