Did you ever think life was too terrible to go on?

Komnoha was beautiful, green, and growing. Massive trees towered over everything. Poeple swarmed the streets laughing and living. It was amazing. It was heart warming.

Konoha was burning. It was dying. I crouched in the lee of a building, and took a long draw from the canteen in my hand. The warm water did little to abate my thirst, and it did nothing to wash away the acrid taste of smoke in my mouth. I rubbed my face on the back of my ash smeared hand, and wished it weren't so hot. The October air was burning.

Two Uchiha ran by, one with a ghostly cat summons at her heels. There was so much to do. The Uchiha were in the thick of it again, trying to divert the blazing fires with any other ninja who were good at fire jutsu. Sometimes it worked, and sometime the fires rose up and devoured the ninja who tried to tame it. Sometimes there was still demonic chakra tangled in the flames, and it leapt back up the ninja-born flames to burn and kill. I had seen three people burned alive from the inside out today, and it was terrible.

I shuddered as I felt the press of demonic chakra on me. It was driving some ninja mad. I'd seen some war veterans broken down and sobbing because of the chakra. I felt like I was being suffocated. My own chakra felt like it was being crushed into a tiny space--compacted. It made me want to run--to get away from what was causing the feeling. I wouldn't run. I wouldn't budge an inch for the Kyuubi.

This was devastating. Konoha was still crippled from the war, and now...now this. Now a demon that was laying waste to Konoha indiscriminately, killing ninja and civilian alike with ease. I took the last draw of water from my canteen and grimaced. I wasn't going to give any ground. I was going to fight for every inch of Konoha that burned. I was going to keep my village--my children's village from being destroyed. I had just finished fighting a fourteen year war so my children could grow up in a peaceful village. I wasn't going to let this demon drag their lives down. I'd do everything I could to stop it.

My kids would not be rushed to their death like so many other young ninja had. They were going to spend time doing boring Gennin missions pulling up turnips and chasing after lost cats. They weren't going to be crippled and hollowed by too much bloodshed too young. They weren't going to die before they were even thirteen. They were going to live-to grow. I'd make sure of that.

I stood, and nearly threw a handful of kunai as the Yellow Flash himself appeared in beside me.

"Shimatte! Butana-chan!" I almost scolded. Minato looked as bad off as I felt. I hadn't been this low on chakra since the war, and Minato was pale with purple bruises under his eyes. This was his village--his responsibility. Every death was one of his own. I heard the far away screams and winced. It was hard to believe only yesterday we'd all been laughing and happy.

"Gomen ne." Minato gave me a tired smile. "Just hold on a little longer. I'm going to stop it now, well, as soon as I get out there."

"And how will you do that?" I asked. Everything ached, and I wasn't as young as I used to be. Neither of us were. It would take us days to recover from this, if we survived it.

"I'll seal it," Minato replied. Of course, sealing was one of the things he was best known for.

"In what? The seal would have to constantly be maintained, and eventually it would break down. What could you possibly seal it in..." I trailed off as I realized what he held in his arms. "Minato, don't."

Mintao shrugged. "It's the only way, Fugaku. I have to." He was moving back.

"You'll die," I blurted out, feeling suddenly drained and frantic. The idiot, what was he thinking?

"It's me or them, and I'd rather it be me, Fugaku." Minato gave me a very clear smile. It spoke volumes. He had to do something. He couldn't stand here and do nothing. He could save them. He had to save them. I reached for him in one frantic moment of selfishness, and my hand closed around his coat. I looked down at the bundle in his arms, and felt a small smile rise on my face.

"Naruto, ne?"

Fugaku bent his head down, and his spiky blond hair brushed my forehead. "Hai."

"Congratulations, Butana-chan." I placed a hand on top of his head, and Minato cast me one last brilliant smile before he was gone.

-----

I got back home before Mikoto did. She'd taken Sasuke and Itachi to a shelter. Luckily none of the flames had gotten close to the Uchiha district. After all the charred remains I'd seen today I almost cried when I saw everything untouched. Ash coated everything, but nothing was burned to the ground.

She brought Itachi and Sasuke in and put them both to bed before coming to find me. She stopped just shy of me, and looked down at the messy little bundle of blankets in my arms. I looked up at her, and tilted the bundle so she could see the sleeping face. "They're dead." was all I could say. Kushina had died soon after childbirth, and Minato...Minato had died the hero he was. Mikoto looked at me, and stepped forward. She took the bundle from my arms and smoothed the blonde hair back from his forehead.

"He needs a bath," she observed in a solemn voice. She cast me a look.

I shook my head. "We were going to make the guardianship official after he was born, and now...." Now there was no one to do that. I gently took Naruto from my wife. "I'll go wash him." Naruto felt like a fragile little doll in my arms. I kissed his ashy forehead and swore to Minato I'd watch over his little dandelion fluff. I'd watch him for as long as it was allowed, and anyone one who wanted to take the little fluff from me would have to fight for him.

A/N: The end. This fits in with Miranda Crystal-Bearer's massive AU fic Team 13. You should go read it.