The Wrong Blonde

Author's Note: This story is in response to a request from one of my readers for a Suki x Minato fic. In this, Sasuke was born female and her name is Suki. The Fourth Hokage will also be permanently revived. This story will obviously diverge radically from cannon. If any of those things bother you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.

Reanimation Jutsu: Any differences between this story's version of the Reanimation Jutsu, also called the Summoning Impure World Reincarnation, will be done purely for the sake of the plot. Though I will try to keep the Jutsu as cannon as possible.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter 1

It was over. Everything was finally over. The war had been won and the truth was finally out about what had really happened to Itachi. In short, Suki Uchiha should have been happy.

She wasn't though. Her first instinct was to get as far away from the village as possible. The last Uchiha had done so many horrible things in pursuit of revenge. Revenge against the brother who had loved her more than anything. It wouldn't be right to just pick up where she left off. She had so much to make up for.

She groans in agony as she tries to sit up. "Where's Naruto?" She stares at Sakura.

Against all odds, they had all survived the war. Well at least those that were closest to Suki, save for Itachi. Though he hadn't been alive to begin with. So she wasn't sure that really counted.

"He's in his own hospital room." Her former teammate looks at her with concern.

There were so many reasons why Sakura was right to be worried. Obviously, Suki had just had her arm blown off and she had nearly used up all her chakra. By every logical metric, the raven haired woman shouldn't be alive. There was also the fact that Suki's emotions were all over the place and she was very powerful. The latter of which meant the medic would be foolish not to be wary around her.

Suki sighs. "I need to see him." She needed to make Naruto understand that she couldn't be here.

"I know. It can wait for now though." Sakura places her hand on Suki's good arm comfortingly. "You two just helped to save the world. I think all our emotional baggage can wait a few days until the worst of your injuries are healed."

As much as it pained Suki to admit it, the other woman was right. The smarter thing to do would be to wait. To wait long enough to recover somewhat from her physical injuries and to collect her thoughts. That would be the smarter thing to do.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha woman knew that she couldn't do that. She had to speak to Naruto as soon as possible. After all, Itachi hadn't called her his foolish little sister without reason. There were times when Suki Uchiha could be very foolish. Like now, for instance.

She looks around the quaint hospital room and sighs. "Alright. I'll wait for now." It wasn't exactly a lie, but there was no way that Suki was going to be surrounded by these dreary white walls for any longer than necessary.

The Uchiha woman hated hospitals. They reminded her far too much of that horrible day. The day that that she had been wrenched out of the light and thrown face first into the shadows.

She had only been a child when she woke up to find her entire life had been destroyed. Suki was barely awake, when she over heard the medics. The medics who were discussing it.

"It's so sad. That Noble Clan." Suki could hear them whisper.

Their hushed voices told her all she needed to know. It hadn't been a nightmare. It had really happened.

Her family was gone. Itachi had killed them all, but spared her. Why, she wasn't really sure.

"Nurse your hatred. Get stronger and maybe someday you'll be worth fighting. You were too weak to even bother with killing." His words couldn't stop echoing in her young mind, it made her want to scream again.

Suki wasn't sure how long she had spent in the hospital. Probably only a few days. A couple weeks at most. Time had just seemed to blur back then.

It didn't matter though. The white walls of the hospital would forever be linked with other walls in her mind. The walls of her house. Walls that had once been sprayed red with the blood of her parents. In short, she couldn't stand hospitals.

"Good." Sakura smiles at her and for a moment, Suki almost felt guilty about semi lying to her.

That didn't last long though. In the end, the Leaf would be much better off, if she wasn't during the reconstruction process. Of course, getting them to see that was easier said than done.

Meanwhile Minato sighs as he undergoes yet another test by Tsunade. He couldn't begrudge the woman her tests though. He had come back from the dead. It was only natural that she would be concerned for him.

"Lady Tsunade, I swear that I feel fine." He smiles at her. "I was revived in perfect condition and thanks to your efforts…any injuries that I sustained during the war are either completely healed or well on their way."

He needed to reassure Jirayia's old teammate that he was fine. It was really the only way he was going to get to see Naruto. And Minato desperately wanted to see his son again.

Kushina would never forgive him, if he didn't. "I'm sorry, but we should be cautious. It's not as though we have much to go on in a situation like this." Tsunade smiles at him in an almost apologetic fashion.

That was true, even ninjas didn't make a habit of coming back from the dead. He knew that he should be cautious, but parental instincts were a powerful force of nature. He just wanted to see his Naruto.

"Could you bring him here, perhaps?" That way, she could still run her tests.

Tsunade shakes her head and sighs. "I would love to do that, but I can't. He's still being treated for his own injuries at the moment and I'd rather confirm that you're back for good, before rushing off to get him."

That was a fair point. It would be cruel to notify Naruto of his return, if he was just going to return to the afterlife in the near future. This time around, Minato would like to live long enough to see his thirtieth birthday!

Well technically he was over thirty, but his body was still the same age he had died. Which was good. It just meant he'd have more time with his son and to help ensure that the Leaf recovered.

"That's true. What about Kakashi?" It would be nice to be reunited with his student.

Though it was going to be extremely awkward to have a son in his late teens when he was still in his twenties. That didn't matter too much though. Obviously, people were smart enough to figure out that he hadn't fathered a child while he was still in the Academy!

Tsunade pauses as she considers that question. "We could tell Kakashi, if you like. After all, this does raise a few issues when it comes to the Hokageship."

Damn it. She was right. Minato hadn't thought of that. Kakashi was clearly Hokage now, but he had been at the time of his death. Who was supposed to be in charge now?

Minato would gladly let his former student continue to lead the Leaf, if that was his wish and if it was plausible. Sadly, he wasn't sure it was. There would likely be some ninjas who would be clamoring for him to reclaim his leadership mantle. This could cause a major internal power struggle!

"You're right. We're definitely going to need to get Kakashi in here." He sighs.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Naruto was biting Karin. He felt a bit bad about it. Though she didn't seem to mind. Apparently, one bite was alright. Just not hundreds.

Because of her unique genetic gifts, the poor girl had been bitten more times than he had eaten Ramen. It really should have counted as torture, but at the moment he was grateful for her abilities. They were granting him relief.

"You're lucky that Kurama heals you so quickly." She smiles at him. "That combined with biting me should heal all your injuries."

Naruto nods. "Yeah. Oh and you should go and let Suki bite you too!" He wasn't really sure how, but they were related. They were both from the Uzumaki line. Related through his mother. The specifics of how were a bit fuzzy.

He knew that the red head wasn't his sister. She definitely wasn't' his first cousin and well after that, things got ridiculously complicated. So for now, they were just calling each other cousins because it was easier.

"I will later. I'm not sure that she's even conscious at the moment. She needs her rest and Sakura is looking at her." The other ninja nods.

That was true. It was a damn miracle that they had made it out alive. Though Naruto was sure that things were going to be better now.

"Good point." He sighs. "She does need her rest." There was no denying that.

Suki could finally at least somewhat easier. The truth was out there about Itachi and Kakashi had managed to secure her a pardon. His best friend was finally coming home!

Speaking of friends, he still wasn't really sure what was going to happen to Taka. Suigetsu he didn't really care what happened to him, but he wasn't going to turn the sword lover away. Jugo seemed like an alright guy, when he was in his right mind. And then there was Karin.

Karin watches him with wary eyes. "There. That should help a lot." His cousin who definitely needed a new home and a fresh start.

Maybe, he could convince her to stay in the Leaf too. It would be nice to have at least one person who was related to him by blood. It didn't particularly matter to Naruto that their relation was fairly distant. It was the principle of the thing, really!

"Hey, Karin." He smiles at her. "What are you doing to do now?" So the blonde decides to just straight up ask her what she was planning on doing.

She tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Naruto sighs as he realizes that it was unlikely very many people had ever bothered to ask her that before. It was kinda sad, really.

"I mean, do you want to stay in the Leaf?" He smiles. "Because if you do, I could probably talk Kakashi Sensei into giving you citizenship!"

Karin blinks. Obviously, the possibility hadn't occurred to her. "I don't know. I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead. Maybe." She smiles back at him.

Three hours later, Suki looks out the window of her hospital room. The Moon was high in the sky and illuminating the dark night in a way that was both beautiful and eerie. She takes that as a good sign though.

If the Moon was that high, it had to be fairly late. That meant that it was unlikely the medics were going to stumble upon her sneaking to Naruto's room. "I'll be on my way soon." She just had to tell him goodbye.

The Uchiha woman slowly slinks out of her room in her hospital gown. She looked ridiculous, Suki thinks to herself. As soon as she was out of the hospital, she would make a quick stop to the Uchiha District and get some real clothes.

"Not these oversized napkins." Really, it felt like she was wearing an extremely large napkin. Like it could tear at any moment. "And that would really give the Leaf something to talk about."

She could just see the headlines now about her going insane and about streaking Uchihas. Yes, she was definitely going to need to get some real clothes. Still, that was a secondary concern.

At the moment, Suki just wanted to talk to Naruto. So she stalks silently forward in the dead of the night. Looking from the left and to the right across the mostly empty hallways.

"Damn it!" The Uchiha quickly darts inside one of the rooms. "That was a close one." A janitor had been doing some nightly sweeping.

It shouldn't matter. It wasn't like some janitor was actually a threat to her, but she wasn't going to fight a civilian. And if the civilian realized she was sneaking around at night, they would run for their life and straight to Tsunade.

"And Tsunade would never let me live it down." That much was obvious. The only reason Suki had been pardoned was because of her role in helping them win the war and because she had friends in high places. "Kakashi and Naruto mostly. Though I'm sure Sakura did chip in as well."

Kakashi was Hokage now, but the busty blonde still ruled the hospital. This was her domain and she was formidable in her own right. The last thing Suki wanted to do was pick a fight.

With that in mind, Suki tries to sense Naruto's chakra. After a moment or two, she "finds" it coming from one of the hospital rooms. Suki smiles and heads inside.

Once inside, she hugs "Naruto" from behind. He was sitting on a hospital bed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I have to go. I'll be back. I have so much to make up for." He really shouldn't be sitting up as he had just recently had an arm blown off, but she shouldn't be out of her hospital room either. So she could hardly lecture him. "I'll be back. It's just that I can't stay here. Not now."

She tilts her head to the side as she notices a few things that were strange about Naruto. The first thing that was bothering her was how quiet he was. Naruto was never quit. Secondly, his hair seemed different somehow. Oh and perhaps the most noticeable difference, his shoulders had suddenly gotten broader. Much broader.

At first she pawns that off to the wonders of puberty and ninja training. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that you change your mind." That was until "Naruto" started speaking. "My son will be absolutely crushed when he finds out that you wanted to slip off in the middle of the night."

Minato had been sitting up to get some water that was on his nearby nightstand, when he felt someone "sneak" up behind him. Whoever this person was, they clearly didn't to be discovered. Feigning being unaware, he lets them get closer.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that whoever was trying to greet Naruto was definitely a woman. In her effort to embrace him, she had accidentally pressed her breasts her against his back. Definitely a woman.

He would have guessed that it was the Hyuga Girl who was so enraptured with Naruto, if it wasn't for the voice and the apology. I'm sorry, Naruto. I have to go. I'll be back. I have so much to make up for." Hinata wouldn't have anything to apologize for.

This had to be Suki Uchiha. Naruto's former teammate and the sole surviving Uchiha. She was also the woman that his son had literally risked life and limb to bring back to the Leaf and here she was, trying to leave.

He did genuinely want to convince her to stay. Minato wasn't lying when he said that Naruto would be utterly devastated. Still, he knew how stubborn Uchihas could be. One couldn't stop them from leaving, if that's what they truly wanted to do.

He had lots of experience when it came to Uchihas really. One of his Genin had been a boy named Obito who grew up to be the man that had almost destroyed the world. There was also Mikoto and Fugaku. His wife had been friends with Mikoto and that meant that he knew Fugaku in passing as well.

"I know." Suki sighs. "It's not my intention to hurt him. It's just that I don't belong here and the village will rebuild better when I'm not here." That sigh was just so heartbreaking.

The amount of guilt and sadness in her voice was almost enough to drown in. The woman needed someone to talk to and in typical Uchiha Style, she was going to pretend that she didn't.

"From what I saw on the battlefield, you're strong and fast." He smiles kindly at her. "Certainly those are assets when it comes to putting up buildings."

She glances at him, the sadness in her eyes temporarily replaced by superficial amusement. "We both know that's not what I meant." The dark beauty before him had found what he said funny.

That's when she seems to process what him being there meant and her eyes widen in surprise. "Wait. H-How are you here? Shouldn't you be…shouldn't you have gone back? Is Itachi with you?!" He probably should have expected that she would act that.

Of course, she would want to know about her brother and how he was here. Those were perfectly logical questions to ask. What surprised him though is that she didn't seem scared that she had in some ways, seen a ghost. Him.

"I broke the seal in much the same way Madara did." He sighs. "I've missed out on so much. I want to help our village rebuild and to help start a new chapter in the history of the ninja world. Hopefully, a happier chapter." He pauses for a moment, not sure how to say the next part tactfully. "And I'm afraid that Itachi isn't with me. He moved on."

Minato smiles at her in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "And one day, you will as well." He didn't want to reopen a still fresh wound, but the woman had asked. "Though I'm certain that he doesn't want you to follow him into the afterlife too quickly."

Suki nods in response. She wasn't sure what else there was to say. She was talking to Naruto's father. Naruto's father who was supposed to be dead!

It was one thing for him to be revived temporarily in the heat of battle, but it was another for him to stick around. This brought to mind so many questions. She wanted to ask him about the afterlife. She wanted to ask him, if he had seen her family. There were just so many questions, but she knew it would be wrong.

"I know." She forces a smile. "But I guess for now, I'm stuck here."

It was wrong to try to find out such things before one's time and it would likely only give her more questions than answers. "I know that I shouldn't ask, but…do you know if they're happy?" She glances at him.

Minato had such a kind smile. Like Naruto's in a way, she supposed. Though his was more subtle and serene. Her blonde's smile was more of an infectious grin.

It was strange really. They both looked so much alike and yet, they looked so different at the same time. It was more than a little disorientating really.

"Yes, they're happy." Minato nods.

It occurs to Suki that he might be lying to spare her feelings or he might not know. The Fourth Hokage might not know what the ultimate fate of her family had been and was just trying to spare her feelings by "lying." It seemed like something that he would do. (Well from what little she knew of him).

Nonetheless, she finds herself smiling for the first time in a long time. "Thank you." Of course, it didn't last.

Naruto comes crashing in! "Dad! You're alive!" He runs over to Minato and embraces him tightly.

Suki blinks as she watches the father-son reunion. It was touching, if a little disturbing. Minato could pass for Naruto's big brother currently and that was just a lot of blonde.

"Naruto, it's so good to see you. How did you know that I was here?" That was odd. Minato was implying that Naruto hadn't been briefed about his permanent return. "Tsunade said that she didn't wish to tell you until we knew for sure, if I was going to be able to stay." Ah. So that was why.

She couldn't blame Minato for being worried about that. What if he just died again? Then Naruto would be left behind and even more heartbroken.

It was tragic enough to lose your parents once, but twice was almost unspeakable. Unnatural and she doubted even someone like Naruto would be able to easily bounce back from such a great loss.

Naruto blinks. "Oh right! That makes sense!" It took a moment, but Suki could see the second that truth began to sink in because Naruto was now looking at Minato rather anxiously. "You can stay this time, right? What about mom?"

Suki winces. Kushina hadn't been revived during the war. It was a fairly safe bet that the red head was not going to be making an appearance anytime soon.

Minato sighs. "You're mother isn't coming back. Well at least it seems unlikely." His sapphire blue eyes darken in pain at the knowledge. "As for whether I can stay or not, I'm not entirely certain. I'm going to do my best to try though. I want to be there for you and for our village!" He smiles at Naruto as he embraces him.

Naruto beams and returns the hug. "It's alright. I understand. I mean, I wish mom could come back too, but I'm really glad you're back! Hopefully, for good!"

Suki nods in agreement. She respected Kakashi, but the man had obviously never wanted to be Hokage. Neither had Tsunade. With Minato back, there was a chance that he might take the position back. Well at least until Naruto was ready to take over.

Maybe, Itachi hadn't died in vain. Maybe, this time things would be different. This could truly be the beginning of a new age. One of peace.

"I'm going to let you guys have your…moment." She starts towards the door.

Naruto looks up. "Hey! You don't have to go!" Suki wasn't entirely sure if she believed that it would be that easy, but in that moment…she wanted to.

The way that Minato was suddenly looking at her made her feel like he could read her thoughts. It was unnerving. He was sizing her up. Trying to gauge whether or not she was a going to run off, most likely.

"I know." She smiles at Naruto. "I'm not going anywhere. You should get some sleep and catch up with your father." She pauses for a moment, needing a real excuse to leave. "I'll see about asking Tsunade for that arm transplant." That should do it.

It was funny how everything could change so quickly. "Right! Good idea! Two arms is definitely better than one!" Naruto grins at her and Suki nods as she walks off.

She had come seeking out Naruto and got Minato. If she had found Naruto, Suki probably would have left or the hospital would have gotten blown up. She would have tried to leave for his own good.

Instead, she found Minato. She had found the wrong ninja, but the Uchiha had heard the words that she needed to hear. She had seen the love of a parental bond, even if it wasn't her own and for now…that was enough.

"And we'll see if it's still enough tomorrow morning." And the day after that. "He's right about one thing, I can help put up buildings." Even if they were much easier to take down.

It would take a long time for Suki Uchiha to earn the trust of her fellow Leaf Villagers back, but that didn't matter. Anywhere she went, people were either going to be in awe or terrified of her. Did it really matter, if she sought redemption in the Leaf or outside the Leaf?

No. Not really. At least this way, she could be there for her friends and it probably didn't hurt that she would get to see those beautiful sapphire blue eyes again.

Those eyes that said everything would be alright. He might have been "the wrong blonde," but right now that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she had a second chance and she was going to take it.