Before this story starts, I would like to give out a thank you for Orijinaru AI for becoming my new Beta Reader and making the necessary changed for this story to be better than before.

Chapter Three

The Feeling of Sleep.

Everyone can agree that the blissful feeling of sleep is as good as it sounds, and no two people deserved it more that night than Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

It was now late at night, and the tired couple was again under their respectful henge-disguises as they trudged along with Naruto in Kushina's arms, sleeping peacefully and completely unknowing to his current surroundings.

Arriving at the Namikaze estate, Minato quickly undid the blood seals that kept the house in-check before letting Kushina walk in before he joined her and reset the seals once inside. The three were now secured safely for the night.

Kushina walked up the stairs, remembering her way around the house as if it were just yesterday she had last traversed the halls before coming to a familiar sight of one of the doors.

She unlocked the door with a spare key she kept with herself and opened the door to find the very room Naruto was to stay in when he was to be born. A crib and spare bed lay on opposite sides of the room.

After gently laying down Naruto in the bed for the night and giving him a good-night kiss, Kushina found Minato looking at her through the open door, a wistful smile present on his face as they headed quietly down the hall to bunker down for the night as well.

Neither parent felt at all sleepy, but they both knew that they needed an early start for tomorrow, and so they drifted off into well-earned slumber.

Where am I? Was the first thing that ran through Minato's alert, confused mind.

Destruction was everywhere to be seen. Fallen bodies of leaf shinobi littered the streets as small periodic explosives went off in different sections of the village.

Minato strode frantically through the streets when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar red-head engaged in a battle with what looked like a formidable shadow with eyes.

And Kushina Uzumaki was losing.

Kushina had multiple cuts along her body along with a big, bleeding gash across her forehead. Her left eye was half-lidded from having caught an earlier blow, and she limped slightly as she fought the fruitless battle.

Minato glanced over to Kushina, who was panting from her fight with the shadow-figure from before. Before he could ask her what was happening, a large, furious beam of white light swelled up in the sky.

Minato and Kushina both gazed in shock at the source of light to find the cause of it. Both of their eyes widened as they took in the appearance of the light's source.

Time seemed to slow down for Minato as he caught sight of the man's eyes. They were a strange pattern of black rings that circled around the purple pupils, narrowed as they were in utter malice. The figure stretched out his arms.

Quickly, Minato flashed to her side with his Rasengan in hand, slamming it into the stomach of the strange shadow man whose eyes widened as his body exploded and burst into shadowy fragments.

Minato glanced over to Kushina, who was panting from her fight with the shadow-figure from before. Before he could ask her what was happening, a large, furious beam of white light swelled up in the sky.

Minato and Kushina both gazed in shock at the source of light to find the cause of it. Both of their eyes widened as they took in the appearance of the light's source.

Time seemed to slow down for Minato as he caught sight of the man's eyes. They were a strange pattern of black rings that circled around the purple pupils, narrowed as they were in utter malice. The figure stretched out his arms.

Before Minato could react, everything seemed to quiet down to almost nothing as the man in the sky spoke.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Minato awoke, drenched in sweat and panting excessively. He quickly checked his surroundings before exhaling a shaking breath and placing his hand against his head, trying to massage away the mild headache he had woken up with.

"…What a nightmare," he said wearily to himself, careful not to wake Kushina. Then, noticing the lack of her warmth, he turned over on his side to see where she was.

His attention was quickly caught with the smell of breakfast cooking. He quickly dressed into his shinobi attire, minus the flak jacket and cloak and headed from the room.

Suddenly, he stopped at the door of his son's room. That would take some getting used to.

I better check up on Naruto, he thought as he slowly opened the door to gaze upon the sleeping form of his son.

He smiled warmly to himself as he took in the sight of the room before his gaze was fixed upon a small plush fox that lay near a pile of toys set out on a drawing table. Walking over and picking up the toy, he examined it sorrowfully as thoughts of what he had done to the poor boy raced involuntarily through his head.

Sighing to himself, One day I will need to tell him, he placed the small fox in the arms of Naruto, who unconsciously hugged the fox back, murmuring "Jiji".

Minato frowned ruefully at Naruto's unknowing remark. "I'm not that old," he whispered resentfully to the sleeping before regaining his composure, leaving the room and closing the door and following the scent of breakfast down to the kitchen.

Walking down the stairs and into the kitchen, his sight was met with a one smiling Kushina Uzumaki and a table spread with food.

"Morning sleepy-head, sleep well?" she asked, smiling softly.

Pushing away thoughts of his nightmare, he chuckled. "More or less, how about you?"

Kushina grinned as she responded in kind, "More or less."

Both of them laughed together quietly, the morning already taking a nice tone, when a small boy suddenly burst into the room and rammed into their bodies, jostling the two as he clung to them.

"It wasn't a dream, it wasn't a dream!" Naruto sobbed, repeating this over and over as he clutched the legs of his parents, not wanting to let go in case they disappeared again.

Both parents gazed down at their son in tender surprise, and then they simultaneously embraced him in a giant hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Naruto calmed down, and then looking up at the smiling faces of his parents, he grinned happily.

"…Mommy, I'm hungry," he said simply, trying out the name on his tongue.

Mommy, Kushina thought. The word made her stomach stir in utter surprise as her heart filled with complete contentness and joy.

Kushina smiled. "Sure thing, honey," she replied, relishing saying the words, and then planted a surprise kiss atop his forehead, getting up, and heading briskly up to the stove to prepare some more food for the two hungry males.

Minato pulled out a seat for Naruto, helping him up before pulling out a seat for himself.

"So kiddo, what do you want to do today?" Minato asked his son lightly, who in turn looked at his father. "Can we go to the playground?" he said with a glimmer of hope in his bright blue eyes.

Minato beamed in happiness, of just the fact he was a father.

"Well, of course we can," he said immediately, and Naruto's eyes widened in joyful surprise. "R-Really?" he asked disbelievingly. "Really," his father smiled back.

"Yatta!" Naruto shouted, a fist proudly pumped in the air.

Minato couldn't help but chuckle.

Minato and Kushina, with a smiling Naruto holding both of his parent's hands, walked through the middle of town.

As a precaution, both parents were under their respective henge again to not provoke any unwanted attention at seeing two supposedly dead people holding hands with the "Demon". That word makes me feel sick, even more so when they refer to Naruto. How dare they? Soon, though, we shall reveal ourselves and this village will pay. Minato thought.

Luckily for Naruto, the henge did not reflect to him as what other villagers saw them as. Anyone who was not close to the Namikaze family since their return from the afterlife basically saw the respective henge while those like the Hokage and Naruto saw who they really were.

Soon, a loud grumble interrupted the sweet moment.

"S-Sorry," Naruto said, grinning sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmm, "Minato hummed." That growl sounds awfully familiar to me." He grinned.

Kushina's eyes widened. "Oh no..."

"So, Naruto, ever heard of..." Minato started off.

"Minato," Kushina said warningly.

"Ich-"

"Minato, don't you dare-"

"-iraku?"

"Ramen!"

Naruto called out ecstatically as he approached the stand, while Kushina gave the biggest noogie to one blonde Hokage. Naruto entered the stand excitedly, followed by one Kushina and one Minato nursing a bump on his head.

Literally the most shocking thing of two people's lives had just been witnessed before their very eyes, and there was only one thought going on in both of their shocked minds.

Naruto + Ramen = Goodbye, life savings.

Sitting to Naruto's side as he dug into yet another bowl of ramen stood a meter-tall tower of empty ramen bowls, empty of even the broth. The owners didn't say a thing, didn't even seem shocked as they resumed their work. It seemed this was just a normal thing to them when it came to Naruto.

Ka-ching, the register sounded.

"Thank you, and please come back anytime!" Teuchi yelled to the retreating family of one sulking, henged Hokage, one face palming Kunoichi and one happy, content (and oblivious to his parents actions) child.

"Well I know that appetite definitely was not inherited from me," Kushina glared accusingly at Minato.

"Hey! Even you should know I never eat that much ramen in one sitting! Most I ever ate was about eight bowls!" Minato defended quickly, almost smiling despite himself.

"Your point?" she asked.

Before Minato had a chance to open his mouth, the hairs of his neck stood up as he felt inexplicably that something bad was about to happen. Before anybody could react, a kunai had wedged itself into Naruto's shin. Naruto clutched it in shocked surprise and hurt as he yelled out in pain.

Motherly instincts kicking in, Kushina quickly pulled her son into a gentle hug as he sobbed into her shirt. Unknown to others meanwhile, the wound was healing itself at a slow yet amazing rate. Minato turned his head in which the kunai came from to see a Chunin smirking, his teeth showing through one side of his mouth as he laughed.

Nobody knew what had happened next. One second stood the Chunin laughing it up and the next instant he was pinned to the ground by…

"How dare you!" Minato seethed. "HOW DARE YOU!" He roared at the top of his lungs as he threw fists straight into the man's face repeatedly.

Kushina gasped as she witnessed the scene unfold. Naruto tried to turn his head to see as well but Kushina forced him to look away, not wanting him to see the gruesome act.

Ten minutes went by as Minato did nothing but punch that cruel man with all he had. Finally out of breath and stamina, Minato observed his work is a weary, hardened-angry survey.

The man had multiple bruises all along his face reaching down past his neck. One eye was swollen over while the other was about as black as black can be. His jaw was dislocated as well as his nose being shattered, literally. His bleeding forehead was slowly making a puddle around the man. If it weren't for his short and ragged breaths, he would have thought of the man as being as dead as dead can be.

Panting from his recent "exercise", Minato stood up from the man and glared down menacingly at his broken face.

"Let this be a lesson to anyone who dares to hurt my son," he spoke with venom and let out a small fraction of killing intent, effectively causing the man to pass out. Looking away from the rather gruesome scene he had created, Minato caught site of his surroundings. Crowds of people had gathered in the short amount of time as well as a few shinobi, ranging from low Chunin to even ANBU.

However, it was the things people were saying that caught his attention.

"Yondaime?"

"Dude, you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"The Yellow Flash? But how?"

"Son? Now that you mention it…"

Minato's eyes widened as he looked at a nearby reflection in a shop window. No longer stood the henge disguise of the unnamed man, now stood standing in its place was his natural reflection.

The henge had been dispelled.

AUHTORS NOTES

Heya guys!

*Dodges Rotten Tomato* Yes, I know it's been a short- *Dodges Apple Core* ok, long time since I have updated this story.

Truth of the matter is, school has been a real bugger lately, causing me to become uninspired with any new writing material for this fic.

*sigh* Well at least I got this chapter up FINALLY since I have been wanting to finish and post it for a while now.

Hopefully the next chapter should be up within a week or two, no promises though

~Gonstika