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Something You Can't Ignore

Chapter 1: A Condemned Future

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Naruto was sprinting through the thick forest floor of the northern forest surrounding the Leaf village with his black shirt torn and painful expression on his face as his seven year old body was falling apart as he was bleeding from the multiple cuts along his body. However, those cuts were the last things on his mind as the overwhelming rain storm overhead was soaking him to the bone causing the blood from the wounds continually flow as it refused to clot seeing as Naruto was moving as fast as he could to get away.

Getting away from what? Better question would be what would he stay for? As he grew up he faced terrible conditions from the abuse of the village from the overpriced food which was nothing but scraps fit more for homeless dogs than humans. Or should he stay for the sights? To drink in the glares and hate from the villagers as he walked down the streets they shared? To feel ostracized for something he could never grasp and could never change because all he knew he never did anything wrong.

Locked away in his tiny room in the dusty attic of the orphanage as potential parents came by because he was "a monster who should never be loved". Beaten by the same caretakers that fussed over another child if he or she got a scrape on their knees. Eventually the sight of celebration for someone else's birthday did not even stir a feeling of jealousy within him. How can the people around him be so two-faced? The same mouth that sings out in joy for another spits and curses him. The same hands that push children on the swings push him to the ground only to beat him for living. The same eyes that behold the beauty of the world surrounding them open in amazement only to close as others ignore his broken form. The same ears that listen to the rustling of the leaves in the still mornings become deaf to his cries in a nearby alley.

Too lost in his thoughts he failed to notice the large root sticking out of the ground and he fell in the middle of a clearing in the forest allowing the undying rain relentlessly poured down on his small frame as if they were the physical embodiment of his painful memories. He gripped two handfuls of the grass beneath him as he struggled to continue on. Just a little more just keep going! Too where? A small voice in his head replied it was that same voice that just wanted him to give in just to accept what was going on in his life.

That was the final straw as the sensations of rapidly passing memories of pain flew by, the storm roaring over him, hazy outlines of past abusers in the rain approached him as his mind was breaking. He gripped his overwhelmed head with his small hands and roared out to the storm in pure anguish.

"STOP!"

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Seven Years Ago

Minato Senju was pacing around his office wondering how he was going to pull off this impossible task. The greatest of the nine tailed beasts was getting closer to the village and with every second, shinobi were dying to stall it and here he was without a solution how to stop it. Unfortunately he did not receive his great grandfather's wood bloodline to restrain the beast but in the end that would not stop it completely.

The only thing he found out was that it was impossible to kill a tailed beast seeing how it is living concentration of chakra. It is however possible to 'kill' it once it has been sealed inside of jinchuuriki only for it to be reformed after a few years of slowly gathering its chakra. But how was he to create a seal strong enough to contain the greatest of the bijuu seeing as the Kyuubi sat on top of the hierarchy uncontested.

There had been a few notes about jinchuuriki and bijuu, but the only thing he got on the Kyuubi was that it had never been sealed before due to its immense power causing the host, inanimate or living, to break apart. Thank you very much asshole, for telling me that I can't put the strongest living being in a fucking teapot!

Then he found something in the forbidden section from the Uzumaki scrolls. At the user's command, the Shinigami performs the sealing by dragging the target's soul into the user whose stomach is branded with the seal's mark. However, the sealing is double-edged as the user's soul is devoured by the Shinigami along with the target's soul, both souls trapped for all eternity within the fiend's stomach. So this technique should work! But I will have to sacrifice myself to do it…

Shaking his head as he returned to the Hokage's desk Minato delved into his research with new vigor, and after confirming that it was indeed a sealing-ceremony, he started to make adjustments. Since it was a sealing, it should be possible to control where exactly the target was to be sealed. He knew that if he sealed the Kyuubi into an object, it wouldn't work due to its overwhelming power being far too strong to be locked in a teapot like the Shukaku. If an animal was used, the Kyuubi would take control over the animal, since no animal has the mentality required to keep it at bay nor the chakra to enforce the seal holding the Kyuubi back. The only possibility was a human. Ideally, he would seal it in himself, then drag them both to hell, but he wasn't sure if the Kyuubi had so much power that would allow it to escape the Shinigami's clutches. Any other adult was out too, seeing that an adult's, even a child's chakra-network was too small to handle the immense chakra, it would have to be someone with unset and growing chakra coils. The only thing that could handle the sudden influx of chakra...was an infant.

Minato felt a sudden pang of pain. He would not have hesitated for a second to sacrifice his own life, but to drag an innocent life into this? Especially since he knew that only two babies would be born in time for the sealing; his own. How could he even consider taking someone else's child? What could he say? "Sorry but I couldn't bring myself to sacrifice my own child even though I'm the Hokage; sucks to be you!" Yeah like I could be so cruel as to do that to a parent.

Kushina was pregnant with twins and her water had broken a few minutes ago. He was going to have a son and a daughter. And he would have to seal the Kyuubi into one of them. Even if another mother gave birth early, Minato knew that he couldn't ask anyone to give up their child if he was not willing to give up his.

So the only bitter question was which one to seal it in. Seeing how he would be splitting the Kyuubi between himself and his child he decided to choose giving the power to his daughter hoping she will be strong without having her father in her life.

He spent the next three hours designing the seal that would hold the Kyuubi, before heading to Kushina, his heart heavy.

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Kushina held her babies in her arms, smiling at both of them. Naruto looked just like his father with his tuff of blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, while Ai was her spitting image with purple eyes and red hair. They were crying, and honestly she couldn't blame them, as she could feel the Kyuubi's dark and ominous chakra in the air. "Shh, it's okay. Don't worry, daddy will find a way to save the day, that's what your daddy does best. Naruto, Ai, it'll be fine."

Tsunade, who had returned to Konoha to help her step daughter Kushina give birth to her grandchildren, had her doubts about her son stopping the beast and she could see that Kushina's confidence in her husband was not absolute either.

Speak of the devil, there he came, with an expression appropriate for a funeral.

Minato looked at his wife, knowing this would be the last time he'd ever see her. He forced himself to smile. "Hello Kushina, how are you doing? Are the children alright?"

Kushina gave him a weak smile as the birth took a lot out of her. "Ai-chan and Naruto-kun are just fine, and according to Tsunade, I'm out of the woods. What about you? Did you find something?"

Minato nodded. "I researched, and found out that while it's impossible to destroy the Kyuubi, I can seal it away. I know the jutsu and I've already designed the seal."

Kushina smiled, relieved. "That's wonderful darling. Why do you look so down?"

Minato wished he could keep quiet, but he knew that would not only betraying Kushina, but that it simply wouldn't work. Still, how do you tell your wife that you will die sealing a monster into her child? "Well..."

Tsunade looked at him sharply. "There's a catch, isn't there?"

She had always been sharp, and as a medic, reading people was child's play. "Yes. There are two."

Kushina looked at him. "What are they?"

Minato gulped. "For the sealing to work, I... I need to sacrifice my life."

Tsunade felt a sharp pain strike her heart while Kushina's eyes widened as tears brimmed her eyes. "No." She whispered. "Tell me it's not true."

Minato glanced at her. "I can't. To seal the Kyuubi, I need to summon the Shinigami."

Kushina sobbed. "It's not fair! After all we've been through, after all we've lost, after the war, now that we finally came this far, it just ends like this? Now that we finally have children, they will never know their father? It's just not fair!"

Tsunade looked at her son as she whispered her next sentence. "Was that the other catch?"

Minato couldn't look her or Kushina in the eyes. "No." He finally whispered, his voice sounding as if he had been gravely injured.

Kushina was not really paying attention. After this news, what could be worse? Tsunade asked. "What is?"

Minato stared at the floor, his voice trembling. "The only thing that can hold, that could hope to keep the Kyuubi at bay, is..." He paused, having to gather all his strength not to break down in tears "...is an infant."

Kushina stared at him, wide-eyed. Then she pulled her children closer to her chest. "No." she stated, her panicked voice steadily increasing in volume. "No, you can't. Not them. NO! I WON'T LET YOU! NOT OUR CHILDREN! NO!"

Minato slammed his fist into the wall, tears now running down his face as well. "DO YOU THINK I WANT TO DO THIS?!" He shouted, before taking a deep shaky breath. "Kushina, I've looked through every possible source. I've searched everywhere. If I seal the fox in an object, the object will break! If I seal it in an animal, the fox will take over! If I try to take it down with me, it may escape me, because of how much chakra I would have to pull in myself! And nobody with set chakra-coils could possibly survive the sealing! There is nobody else Kushina!" He grew quiet, small sobs escaping his lips. "There is nobody else…"

Tsunade hesitantly patted his back trying to comfort her son in his last moments. Tears streamed down her face as yet another person in her life was going to die and she could nothing to prevent it from happening. This once again showed her that the title of Hokage was more of a burden and a curse than anything else. Here stood a man, a loving husband and fresh father, who had to not only sacrifice his life in his best years, but damn his own child to house a demon.

After nearly an hour, Minato left the room with Naruto, Ai, and a broken heart. He knew that he had to do it, but that didn't make him feel any better about it. If anything, it made him feel worse.

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Minato stood on Gamabunta's head, staring at the fox who destroyed his life and the village. He sighed. "You ready Gamabunta?"

The large toad snorted humorlessly. "I am not a miracle worker but I will do what I can."

"Thanks. Tell Jiraya-sensei to get you a large bottle of sake, my treat." Minato stated.

The toad nodded. "Well then, LET'S GO!"

With a mighty leap the toad charged the possibly most dangerous beast on the planet, using his sword to deflect an oncoming tail. As Gamabunta was defending against the Kyuubi Minato had already readied his Hirashin to flash away the beast and was flashing through the last handsigns as Gamabunta took to the skies with another massive leap and landed on top of the nine tails. "Minato GO!"

Minato had already finished his signs as he jumped off of Gamabunta and onto the head of the bijuu and flashed to the forest away from the village. Staring down the beast he summoned a ritual alter for Ai and placed her down as he guarded Naruto. Minato flashed through the seals for the Uzumaki kinjutsu. "Shiki Fūjin!"

He felt like his chest was encased in ice as the Shinigami's arm shot out of his stomach, grabbing the Kyuubi who was desperately struggling while Gamabunta kept it from escaping as a brightly glowing inscription formed on both Ai and Minato. The Kyuubi was now helpless as the Shinigami was ripping his chakra and his soul out of his body. "DAMN YOU FOURTH!"

Minato slowly turned around and looked at the Shinigami, who was also looking down to him "Are you prepared?" the deity asked.

Minato opened his mouth. "I..." Images began to flash before his eyes. His village. His wife. His son. His daughter.

"I..." The images changed. He saw his hopes for the future. First he saw his village, glistering proudly in the sunlight. He saw Kushina smiling at him in front of their compound. He saw his children growing up, first as children, then young teens. He saw himself and Kushina giving them advice on the shinobi-life. He saw them, now older, at their weddings. He saw himself hand the Hokage-hat to his children. He saw his grandchildren sit on his lap while he told stories of long-past wars. He finally saw himself, now as old as Sarutobi, laying in a bed, surrounded by his precious people, peacefully closing his eyes.

"I..." Unlike many shinobi, Minato's ideal death had never been to die in a brilliant display, fighting an equal if not superior foe like his great grandfather or facing unbeatable odds to buy his comrades time like his great granduncle. He wouldn't mind going that way, mind you, but his dream had always been to die peacefully of old age with a smile, surrounded by his loved ones.

It wasn't fair. To have everything stolen from him, just when life had finally started to look up. He could stay tough, but facing a true demon, Minato, knowing it would make no difference, chose honesty.

"I... I'm not ready." This statement, while seemingly so easy to make, was the hardest thing Minato had ever done, including choosing to use his children. He gave up his ego, his pride, his image as the fearless, confident leader and revealed his true self. A man who was afraid to die with so much left undone.

Where was his courage? His resolve to offer his life as the Hokage? The iron will and passionate love for his village that made him running into more than one hopeless situation with guaranteed death? Where was that passion that had driven him in the library to search for a solution, no matter the cost to himself? Gone. Vanished under the cold gaze of a demon that stripped away all falseness, whom could not be deceived.

The Shinigami looked at him, his inhuman face betraying no emotion. Then... "Very well."

Minato blinked. It couldn't really be that easy, could it? "What?" The inscription on his stomach sudden disappeared. He was confused until he heard a poof behind him. Naruto was now on a similar ritual alter as Ai with Minato's old inscription. "Naruto! What are you doing?!"

"Your soul is still mine however because I am not taking your soul now I will also not take the bijuu's soul so rather your other infant shall have it sealed with him." With that said the Kyuubi's chakra was sealed with in Ai while his soul lived on sealed within deity looked at him with soulless eyes that froze any outcries in his throat. "I am death. Everything dies. It makes no difference if I take you now or in a hundred years. Eventually, you will die, and as our pact, your soul will be mine. I am patient. I can wait." With that, he vanished, leaving a baffled, slack-jawed Minato behind.

Minato quickly ran over to his children only to find Ai peacefully resting as Naruto was crying. A red haze covered the bright red seal on Naruto's stomach as his naturally smooth face grew whisker marks signifying the sealing of the bijuu's soul. "No not my son." Minato whispered as he looked on to what he believed was his now possessed son. "DAMN YOU SHIGINAMI! TAKE ME INSTEAD!"

Chocked sobs escaped his lips as he went to hold his son but pulled his arms away. No he is no longer my son. It's all my fault. Minato then walked over Ai and picked her up as Kushina rushed over with Tsunade and Hiruzen in tow. "Minato-kun! You are alive!" She slowed down wondering what was wrong when she noticed the whisker marks on Naruto.

"Naruto my baby! Minato what happened?!" Kushina rushed over to pick Naruto up off the alter when Minato wrapped his arm around her waist. "Kushina…I…it was my fault…I was a coward and now our son no, what was our son bears the Kyuubi's soul." He said with a shaky breath as he could not even utter the words himself.

Kushina began to cry into Minato's shoulder and held on to her daughter for the life of her when Tsunade came from behind and wrapped her arms around the crying pair and offered her condolences. "So to shall this pass. That was what Jiraya said when Dan died but I was too filled with grief to understand what he said at the time but I understood later. It means that both sad and even happy times will pass so no matter how you feel now time will change it over time."

"Kaa-san it's all my fault…"

"It will all be ok." Meanwhile Hiruzen Sarutobi was headed over to Naruto as he steeled his heart to kill his successor's child. He lifted his large bo staff to crush his head when he was stopped by a sudden yell. "NO!" but unexpectedly it was Minato who stopped him not Kushina who was looking away and ready to let her ex-child die.

"We do not know what will happen if we willingly kill the jinchuuriki. It could terminate my contract with the Shiginami and kill both of us." Minato said as he called over a silver haired ANBU to hand Naruto over.

"Minato-sensei he is your…"

"No Kakashi he is not my son. My son died because of my mistake put this thing in an orphanage. His name was Naruto Uzumaki." Kakashi bowed his head and swiftly picked up Naruto and proceed to give him to a nearby orphanage.

"Come Kushina, Kaa-san I have to address the village what happened."

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The reunion had been shocking and heartwarming, lasting nearly an hour before Minato decided he couldn't leave his villagers in the dark any longer. He took his daughter in his arms and smiled. She looked exactly like her mother.

He stood on the tower, looking down on the masses gathering below, cheering for his victory. He smiled. "People of Konoha, we have won! Thanks to our many brave shinobi, I have managed to find a way to defeat the Kyuubi! It will no longer be a terror to our village anymore!"

The roars were deafening. Minato raised his voice. "But not I alone am the true hero. The heroes are all those who bravely faced the Kyuubi!" All the shinobi cheered even louder. Then Minato spoke again. "Nor am I the savior of Konoha. The true savior is right here!"

He lifted Ai up, so that everyone could see her. "The Kyuubi was extremely powerful and because it is immortal, nothing can truly kill it. However, this girl is keeping it locked away where it can never cause harm again! She is the jailer for the most powerful bijuu, and she will make sure that we can live without fear! I present you the Savior of Konoha, my daughter Ai Senju given to us by beautiful wife Kushina Senju!"

There was a moment of silence, then the applause and cheering rose to new heights. Their great Hokage had stated that the girl, his daughter no less, was a hero who kept Kyuubi imprisoned forever, so it had to be true. The few yelling something about killing the demon were swiftly pulled away where the truth was beaten into their heads.

Minato felt mixed he was glad that his daughter and wife were accepted but he also felt awful knowing he did not deserve these cheers and that his son needed to die for him to live. For a moment he had wished the Shiginami would come back and take him instead but that would have been selfish seeing he would be leaving his family behind. Kushina would have had an uphill battle to get her own daughter and Ai could have grown up with a terrible childhood seeing as the villagers would be unable to tell the difference between the jailer and the prisoner. And even though revealing both his marriage and status as a parent might have been risky, Minato was not worried.

He had stared both the Kyuubi and the Shinigami himself in the face and had somehow managed to make it out. What human did he have to fear? Iwa and Kumo would be too worried that if they attacked his daughter, her parents would retaliate and bring back the humiliating defeats the war had brought to them and their countries before. As the sun rose in the east beams of sun light struck on Minato and his family the pain that the previous night began to wash away.

Yeah…the future looks bright. Minato thought as he smiled at his family.

Meanwhile Naruto was crying in the shadows of a dark nursery with nothing but an empty room to listen to him.

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I decided to change directions from my "Adventures of an ANBU Trainee". This will be a serious fic so if you are interested in humor and/or interested in watching Naruto AMVs I would suggest my old story.

Rate and Review.