Summary: From Heaven above and Hell below, she is the Handmaiden of Death, killing without mercy. Death is her only companion in life; and as she dreams of him, she drowns in tidal waves of blood. Who is she? She is Namikaze Makoto; this is her story.

I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, "I'll never let you go,"
When all those shadows almost killed your light.
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone,"
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight.
Safe and Sound, Sam Tsui

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OC's.

Safe and Sound
01: The Beginning to the End

My name is Namikaze Makoto.

If you are reading this...I don't even want to know what happened to me. I hope you have found this by chance and that you don't recognize my name, but knowing my damn luck, you probably do. But if you don't? I'll cut it short – I'm one of the worst traitors known to Konoha's history. While I may not be comparable to Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Itachi, I know that I'm high up there in the list.

Wait! Before you throw the letter away, humor a dead – or soon to be dead – shinobi, please. I have a story to tell and even if it's just to one person, it is enough.

You may think that I'm making an excuse to justify what I did by writing this, a "prologue" of sorts. But I promise you, this story is not an excuse. This story is mine to tell and if I have to painstakingly write down the reasons for my decisions to save those I love, even if it hurts, then so be it. Whether or not you believe me and everything written down in these pages is true is up to you.

There were many paths with alternative endings I could've chosen that, thinking back now, I should have, but that's the thing, I didn't. I mean, shit happens, I'm human. The road I chose isn't a pretty one and I was willing, and I still am, to face the consequences of my life choices.

No matter what anyone says, I was the one who chose to walk down this dark path.

If you still doubt this letter, open a Bingo Book from Konoha and you'll find me. It'll only give you the basic information of my life but it should serve its purpose into showing you who I am. Perhaps then you will recognize my face and for that, there is a reason. No matter how hard Konoha tries to hide my history for purposes even I do not have the answer to, most of the older generation shinobi will remember who I am. At least, they will remember a version of who I used to be – the girl that tailed after her brother and fought hard to save her only family.

They remember me as Namikaze Minato's younger sister.

You read right. You may have already guessed from my introduction earlier but if not, then yes, my older brother was the Yondaime Hokage. Maybe that was the catalyst to the shit-show that is my life. I don't know, you tell me.

People call me many things now. They call me a traitor, an enemy, a disgrace. Yet, I hear the quiet whispers of the other names that I'm called, the ones that say that I'm their hero, their so-called "savior." But honestly, you tell me. Reading this story, what will you say? Will you still call me a hero?

Or will you call me something else?

The Beginning to the End

A blonde child sat alone on a swing as various children all around were running past her and towards their parents, ready to go home. The girl watched them mournfully, knowing that there would be no one to come pick her up. She would have to walk home alone, returning to her bully of a babysitter and an empty home.

"Papa!" A boy her age with silver hair ran to a man with the same colored hair. They walked away, hand in hand with a smile on both of their faces, and as she watched their backs get smaller and smaller until they were no more, she became more depressed.

Damn, she was in one of her moods, whatever that meant. All she knew was that her babysitter was always saying that to her.

A few more minutes passed and the number of children in the park dwindled until there was only her and another. "Where are your parents?" a quiet voice asked from behind. She slowly turned around and looked at the boy.

First impression: why was he wearing goggles?

…What a weird kid.

"I don't have any."

"Oh, me too." A few awkward seconds passed between them before a smile suddenly erupted from the boy's face. "I'm Uchiha Obito! I'm going to be the Hokage!" he declared, pointing to himself.

"Hokage?" She jumped off the swing and shook her head. "No no no, you can't be Hokage because Nii-chan's going to be the next Hokage," she said with a matter-of-fact attitude, her arms crossed. "And besides, you need to be a shinobi first."

She concluded that this boy really wasn't really bright.

Obito suddenly turned red and pointed to her. "I'll be the next Hokage, you just see!" he suddenly shouted out before running away, leaving the blonde to her own devices again. She blinked owlishly in the direction he ran off to for a moment until she took in her surroundings. She was now the only one in the park and when she looked up, the orange in the sky was bleeding into the night, the moon shining in the sky. With a sigh, she jumped back onto the swing.

Too bad he didn't stay, she thought to herself. He probably left because he was mad at her for saying that he couldn't be the Hokage, but she wasn't lying though.

Oh well.

Namikaze Makoto was a four-year-old girl, orphaned from birth.

...Well, not really orphaned. She did have an older brother, ten years her senior, whom she loved wholeheartedly. He took great care of her and showered her with love, despite only being a child himself. He never blamed her for the death of their mother despite being the cause behind it, and even to her four-year-old mind, she knew that her brother was someone to be respected for this decision alone.

But...at the end of the day, he was a shinobi; he wouldn't be there to watch over her all day and every day. His commitment to the village meant long missions to days on end, which left her alone with a stranger she didn't care for. It was times like this she would start to feel lonely from lack of attention because she was a child, after all.

"Makoto?"

Startled out of her thoughts, the little girl whirled around at the familiar voice. When she saw who had called out to her, a smile formed on her face and without a second thought, she jumped off the swing set to take off with her short and stubby legs towards the teenager. She rammed herself into Minato's legs and looked up, her blue eyes bright with surprise and happiness. "Nii-chan!" she shouted out, inciting an affectionate smile from the older boy. "Why are you here? What about your mission? Why are you so dirty? Where's Ero-sensei? Wait, are you hurt?"

The fourteen-year-old couldn't help but laugh again before placing a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair. She pouted but they both knew deep down she didn't really care. "I'm fine Mako. Our mission just finished early."

"Really?" He nodded his head. "Yay!" Makoto hugged her brother even harder in response. "Can we get dinner?" Coincidentally, her stomach rumbled at the same time and although she turned red from her body's action, she couldn't help but ask, "Can we get tonkatsu?" Although it far from her favorite food, she did love the fried cutlets enough to where she frequented the restaurant that sold it more than what her brother knew was healthy.

"Um..." If she had been older, she would have been able to detect the hints of fatigue that came hand-in-hand with his missions. Although this time around, Minato himself was hiding unusual pain behind the facade he kept outside in public, but as he stared at his younger sister, he couldn't help but say yes to the eyes she was staring at him with. "Sure, why not?" he relented, poking Makoto's side. She responded with a light-hearted giggle that helped to lift his spirits up slightly, as her good mood was infectious. And then, with no forewarning whatsoever, he hoisted her up to his shoulders as he began leading them out of the park. "What's the move today, pork or chicken cutlet?"

"Hm..." The girl pursed her lips as she was deep in thought at the question. "I dunno."

"Well, I think I want chicken."

"I mean, I don't blame you, that does sound pretty good."

The Beginning to the End

"Hey kid, where's that brother of yours?" Makoto whirled her head to the side and blinked when she saw the person who called out to her. She thought maybe it was one of her Nii-chan's teammates but…it was just Ero-sensei.

Boring.

"Nii-chan?" she asked, looking back down at her apple juice.

"Yeah, who else?"

With a shrug, she pointed to the bathrooms behind her. "Minato's in there, Ero-sensei."

There was a groan that was quickly followed by, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"Why?" She continued to look at her nearly empty cup. She really really loved apple juice. Maybe she should get Ero-sensei to buy her a new cup of it since this one was almost gone…but she knew that Nii-chan would only get mad because it was already seven.

Choices, choices.

"Because it ain't true."

Straw in her mouth, she finally turned her head towards him. "You shouldn't lie. Nii-chan says it's bad for you." She saw his eye twitch but continued on her small rant. "We saw you spying on women when we walked by the hot springs," she declared in a bluntness that all children seemed to possess. Her voice rang loud enough for the two young women next to her to sneer at the man despite his denial of the accusation she was throwing at him. "And you always stare―"

He quickly covered her mouth with his hand, interrupting her spiel. "Kid," he growled in a taut voice, glaring at her. "You're testing my patience here." She only responded with a giggle as she was swinging her legs on her stool.

"Mhmph."

"I ain't moving my hand." Makoto tried to pull his hand off with as much strength her four-year-old body would let her but he kept it firmly over her mouth, never moving it. She returned his glare and decided to the one thing he probably wasn't expecting.

She licked his palm.

She looked at him, fully expecting him to recoil in disgust, but to her disappointment, he only sneered. "You're a gross one, you know that?" was the only thing he said.

Now it was her eyes' turn to twitch. "Mhpmh huir!" she tried to scream out but his hand muffled whatever she had said.

"I can't hear you!" He was teasing her at this point and it made her very mad. So she decided to do the next best thing her mind could come up with.

She bit him.

This was something that Ero-sensei wasn't expecting and he pulled his hand away. "Ow ow ow." He blew on his hand, slightly impressed by the strength behind her bite. "What the hell was that for, brat?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "You're not supposed to swear. Nii-chan says it's bad for you."

"Speaking about your brother…" The older man turned back to the bathrooms. "Minato's taking a really long time. I'll be right back." She heard him mumble at the end, "He better not be taking a shit either."

Acting like she didn't hear that bad word, she waved at Ero-sensei. "Okay!" She called out to his retreating back as he rushed to the rooms behind them.

Makoto continued to swing her legs as she started humming a song she had heard on the television yesterday. She went to take a sip of her apple juice but sadly, there was none left. "…Oh," she declared in a small, dejected voice as she eyed the bottom of the cup.

Now what was she supposed to do?

She dug her hand into her pockets and tried finding some spare change but when she pulled out of her pocket, all she had was a candy wrapper and five ryo laying on her palm. She needed at least 300 ryo more to buy another apple juice.

I knew I should have gotten Ero-sensei to buy me one, she thought dejectedly. Now what was she supposed to do?

"Do you want another?" She turned to the young woman next to her and saw her pointing to her empty cup. "We'll buy you another if you want." She motioned to her friend next to her.

Makoto's eyes lit up at the thought of another drink. Yes, victory! "Yes, please―"

"Hey, we need to go." Turning around at the voice who dared to interrupt them, what she saw nearly caused her to scream, but the look Ero-sensei was giving her made her decide not to. He was carrying Minato on his back, her brother passed out and pale, perspiration lining his face. Minato was grimacing from something, worrying the little girl even more.

"W-What's wrong with Nii-chan?" Her voice came out shaky and scared, the apple juice completely forgotten. She had never seen him like this before.

"I think it might be chakra exhaustion but I might be wrong." He adjusted Minato on his back before motioning with his head. "We gotta go."

"...Okay." She quickly apologized to the women next to her and followed after her brother's teacher.

After walking in silence for a while, Makoto broke it with a quiet question. "Jiraiya-sensei, is this my fault?" she asked, tugging on the hem of his shirt.

The Sannin could tell how worried she was simply because she used his name instead of calling him that crude and misleading nickname that he couldn't get her to stop saying. "What are you talking about? Of course not."

She continued to hold onto his shirt as they walked but she turned her head down, avoiding his eyes. "…I was the one who asked if we could go eat dinner." He heard a sniffle.

Oh crap, she was about to cry.

At that exact moment, Jiraiya started to panic. "So that means it's my fault…right?"

He stopped walking and starting going through a mental checklist what to when a kid started to cry.

Make them laugh?

…Yeah, that ain't happening at the moment. The unconscious blonde on his back kinda ruined the mood.

Maybe he should comfort her, that has to help, right?

But…he didn't know how to comfort a kid.

Shit.

"Kid, it's not your fault." Managing to keep Minato balanced on his back with one hand, he placed another on her head. "It's his fault for not taking care of his body, especially when you're around. He should've known better."

"But―"

Jiraiya gave her a rare, warm smile, a smile that she seemed to understand was a genuine one. "It wasn't your fault Makoto-chan, okay?" Her blue eyes shined with unshed tears but she nodded her head.

"Alright."

"Okay then, let's go." He hefted up Minato once again, groaning at the weight. "God, what the hell has he been eating?"

"That's a bad word Ero-sensei."

"You're calling me that again?"

"Because you are one."

He only groaned in response.

After rushing to the hospital, they diagnosed Minato with being poisoned and chakra exhaustion. They placed him into a room, telling his Sensei that he needed to stay here for at least the night. They would check tomorrow morning to see how he was doing and would decide to go from there.

"Uh…what am I supposed to do with you now?" Jiraiya looked down at the miniature Minato tugging at his shirt. The tiny blonde was slouching in her seat, half asleep.

"I dunno." Makoto slowly blinked, her voice heavy with fatigue.

He frowned. "I can't just leave you here." Turning his head to the unconscious lump on the hospital bed, he could only murmur a quiet curse.

That idiot should've gone to the hospital to get that cut he had on his back checked out the moment they stepped foot in Konoha like he told him to but no, Minato went straight to find his kid sister. Jiraiya didn't blame him, he understood that his student was worried about his only family, but still. It was pure luck that the poison Minato was infected with was one that was pretty much harmless.

For a confirmed genius, the blonde was pretty stupid.

"Ero-sensei?" He turned around and saw Makoto yawning and rubbing her eyes. "I'm tired."

Jiraiya looked around the room and pulled over the other chair in the corner, sitting down next to her. "Your brother isn't going anywhere tonight and I have an obligation to watch over you since you're his sister. You're also too young to be left on your own," he explained. "You're going to be sleeping here for tonight."

She just gave him a blank look before slowly blinking once. "Okay." She yawned and smiled at him. "Goodnight." The girl closed her eyes, adjusted her position in her seat, and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

Jiraiya watched with a mix of disbelief and amusement. Did she really just fall asleep like that, especially that quickly? He was pretty sure that more than half of the things he just said probably just went in through one ear and out the other too. "You asleep already?" he quietly asked, poking the girl in her leg. Her only response was a quiet snore.

…Well, that was easier than expected.

After getting comfortable himself, he decided that the only thing he could do now was sleep.

So sleep he did.

The Beginning of the End

"Thank you for taking care of my sister." It was the following morning and Minato was currently carrying a sleeping Makoto. He slightly bowed, waking the poor girl up. "I apologize for not listening to you yesterday and coming to the hospital first."

Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head. "You're damn right."

"That's a bad word Ero-sensei," Makoto mumbled quietly, interrupting the two. "You shouldn't say bad words."

"Kid―" She stuck her tongue out at Jiraiya and hid her face into Minato's neck. "Your sister is mean! She kept calling me that last night at the restaurant so the women around us were giving me a stink eye!" he cried, obviously offended.

He did what he did for research, why wouldn't anyone understand?

"Sensei…" Minato could only shake his head Jiraiya antics. "Well, I need to go back home. Do you still want to come over to talk about my new jutsu?" he asked, not even fazed by his eccentric teacher anymore.

Jiraiya shook his hand back and forth. "Nah, rest. We can talk about that next week. Just rest up until then." He stretched his arms above his head. "Oi, kid."

"Yeah?" Makoto looked at him.

"Make sure you watch out for your brother, okay?" He did a weird kabuki pose, inciting a laugh from the Namikaze siblings. "Well, gotta go! There's research to be done!"

He then disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Tch." She shook her head and crossed her arms. "He was pretty cool there for a second but he destroyed whatever cool he had."

"Maa maa, it's Sensei. What more do you expect?" Minato asked looking at her, walking them out of the room.

"…That's true."

A/N: This is so unoriginal but hey, I wanted to write a story about Minato having a little sister. Shoot me. But I guess one idea that I haven't really seen is a completely a character who doesn't know the storyline. She's completely original.

I've had this stuck in my mind for the past month and decided to finally write out a story for it! I just posted another one (a Sarutobi Asuma twin fic) but I'll probably be updating the both of them around the same time.

Well, review guys! Please! That's what motivates me to write even more!

updated: 06.22.18