It was a strange feeling, the calm of knowing you were so close to death.

From an early age Kushina had known her life would not be a happy one, Mito-sama had warned her once, when she was barely old enough to understand the old woman's words, that while her life as Jinchuriki might be full of hardship, it would not be without fulfillment.

Kushina hadn't understood at the time, and wouldn't understand for many years to go, but as she struggled to breath against the blood slowly filling her lungs, her hands clutching the claw piercing her stomach and her eyes lost and gained focus by turns, she could only feel grateful…

… because before her was her biggest joy, her grandest achievement.

Her beautiful baby boy sleeping despite the chaos that surrounded them, his rosy cheeks so much like his father's.

She shook her head, longing to rest her head on the shoulder of the man she loved, feel his breath against her neck one last time.

She mentally recounted all the advice she had given her beautiful son, wondering whether she was forgetting something that her baby might need to know, when the glint of copper and malice caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

"Minato…" she whispered, her eyes narrowing in an effort to focus.

"I see it," Minato whispered back, his own breathing labored, an effort in itself.

Hidden amongst the shadows created by the forest was that man, the same man that had attacked them, the same man responsible for the future suffering of their baby.

"Is he here to hurt Naruto?" Minato hissed, his muscles tensing as he did his best to reach his weapons. "Or is he here just to gloat?"

"Whichever it is…" Kushina coughed, her eyes narrowed. "We can't let him get away with it."

Minato nodded against her hair, how long did the two of the have left? No much judging from the way her vision was blurring.

Something glinted again, that same preternatural shimmer that seemed to have caught her attention before.

Kushina's eyes narrowed.

"Minato… wait…" she said, tilting her head to the side as the shimmer became more concrete to her in lines that spread across their assailant's mask, his arms, the crown of his head, marks she had seen so long ago, back when she still lived in Uzushiogakure, the way old man Matsushiro would brush the symbols one after another with his brush, patiently explaining to all his students the importance of their order and how each and every symbol worked in combination with another.

How some symbols should never be used with the others, for the arts were too monstrous, too forbidden.

How she herself had sworn in her own blood to never use such seals.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"A soul vessel," she whispered to her husband. "That man is a soul vessel…"

Minato gasped behind her, in shared horror, Kushina hoped, and not the doorsteps of death, his hand slowly crawling to cradle her waist.

"That means…" he hissed, every word a painful exhalation. "That whoever this man is… he's just being used…?"

Kushina nodded.

"Even if we kill him… the mastermind behind him could come and…" she slowly turned her head, the movement an agonizing pulling of her skin.

Her eyes locked with Minato's.

"Can…" she hesitated. "Can you hold on for… a little longer?"

Minato's smile was as bloodied as it was sweet.

"For you?" he chuckled. "Always."

Kushina smiled back, idly wondering what she had done to deserve such a wonderful man's love.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan…" she hissed, slowly moving her fingers without releasing Kyuubi, using her own blood to trace seal after seal onto the beast's terrifying claws. "Mama won't be able to leave her chakra with you…"

"But we will keep watching over you in heaven, Naruto," Minato hurried to assure the sleeping baby.

Kushina nodded, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Hey, you bastard!" she snapped, blood rolling down her chin with the effort of rising her voice. "We are setting you free so you must look after our baby boy!"

Their mysterious assailant took a step back, visibly surprised, but it was too late for him, because with the last burst of her chakra, Kushina managed to pierce his chest with her last sealing chain, the symbols she had carefully carved slid link after link, melding with the seals in the stranger's skin, dissolving them.

The man gasped audibly, his knees weakening as he was released from what she could tell was the control of another the man was most likely even unaware of until that moment. He was visibly distressed, Kushina could tell, as he fell onto the floor, his breathing ragged, but there was little more she or her husband could do.

At the very least the immediate threat to their baby had been neutralized.

She finally allowed herself to rest her head on Minato's shoulder, her tears finally falling freely down her face.

Minato's hand on her waist tightened, his own tears soaking her hair.

The two of them locked their gazes on their sleeping son.

Minato's lips parted.

"Hakke Fuuin…" he hissed…

…and they knew nothing more.

Obito struggled to keep himself upright as the seals he had not even aware of slowly dripped down his skin as if made of water, the ink leaving horrible blood-like streaks upon him.

Madara had done this to him without him even noticing…

Madara had twisted him…

Madara had forced his will upon him and he…

He…

What had he done?

What had he been about to do…

With trembling hands he ripped his mask off his face, feeling suffocated and captive, needing to feel, to see…

Before him, Minato-sensei and Kushina-san were laying on the floor.

Dead.

Dead like Rin, dead like everyone and everything he had ever loved.

And this time it had been his own fault, his own hand, his own doing.

With a small cry he leaned forwards on his hands and knees and emptied the content of his stomach, his back twisting in pain with each heave yet unable to stop himself, his eye burned, his throat was in agony…

… he deserved it.

He should have died instead of them.

Why didn't he die instead of them?

Why couldn't he die instead of them!

The stillness of the night was pierced by his scream of pure rage, the tears rolling down his cheeks stinging the cuts in his face, the bile clogging his mouth.

A smaller, softer, infinitely sweeter cry seemed to echo his own.

Obito's eyes widened in shock, his exhausted body gaining new strength as he forced himself to crawl towards the source, towards the place where Minato-sensei and Kushina-san were cradling, even in death.

A baby boy's tear filled blue eyes stared back at him, rosy cheeks wet with tears, small hands reaching towards him for comfort.

He took the small fist in his trembling hand with all the care he was able to give, his breathing cutting short when those tiny, so very, very tiny fingers curled around his own.

Kushina-san's last words to him echoed in his head.

They had sacrificed their precious time to free him, they didn't even know it was him and they had used their last reserves of chakra to save him…

… and they only asked he looked after this child in return.

He swallowed.

"H-hello, Naruto-chan," he whispered into the cold night air, ignoring the way his voice broke, his trembling mouth barely able to form words. "I'm Obito… I'm s-sorry I c-can't be your mommy or your d-daddy but…"

A sob interrupted his words, the shields around them fell and all the flurry of activity of the Leaf Village seemed to roar into life around them.

Not that it mattered to Obito, not really.

Not when Naruto's cries had quieted, his wide blue eyes were solely focused on him.

He lowered his head, resting his forehead on the baby's stomach, just were Minato-sensei's seal now rested, where the mark of the Kyuubi stood stark against the soft skin.

"… b-but I will protect you," he continued, letting his sorrow flow. "I swear, Naruto-chan…"

Naruto stared at him in silence, his fingers reaching to tug at his dirty black hair.

Besides them Sandaime-sama had finally stopped, his sandals making no sound as he surveyed the scene.

Obito leaned in, breathing into Naruto's skin trying to remember his scent instead of the stench of smoke and blood that surrounded them.

He would tell his story to the old Hokage, he decided.

He would tell everything he knew to the man and beg for his mercy, beg to be allowed to fulfill his teacher's last will.

It would be his penance, his absolution.

Naruto cooed at him, his little fingers tight around his hand.

Obito's eyes closed.