Chapter 48: The return

For Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, life had been weird since their resurrection almost a month ago. They had met their son and the reunion had been very teary. Kushina had sobbed and cried everything she had when she saw Naruto and hugged him to death. The poor young man didn’t understand what was happening until he felt a very warm but unfamiliar sensation from the hug. Instinctively he had hugged back and began to cry too. Minato, feeling left alone, joined them and made it a family group hug. They had talked for hours listening to their son and his life. Sometimes he had asked questions about theirs and they were very happy to answer him. In the end, Tsunade had allowed Naruto to temporarily move into the manor until his parents were ready to make their come back public.

Naruto had been shocked to discover he had a half-brother and a bit angry that Riku didn’t say anything about it. Tsunade didn’t blame him for it but argued that they couldn’t stand each other much. Especially when the news of Riku capturing Sasuke and the Uchiha’s subsequent imprisonment for life was made public. They didn’t hate each other but they didn’t like each other either and so Riku didn’t deemed it important and more of a hassle to share the knowledge of their blood relation.

When Naruto was busy being trained by his father, who cursed Jiraiya for focusing on the wrong thing to teach his son, Kushina talked with Karin when she was visiting the manor or simply studied Riku’s notes on fuinjutsu.

On a fine morning, Minato had found her in the living room already up and deep into fuinjutsu notes. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her.

“Having fun?”

“Fun? I suppose. It’s more like… I’m being taken to school to discover new things. I’m… excited more than anything. Most of his theories are…mind blowing. The lack of Time in a storage seal? The way to go around it? Brilliant. Purely brilliant. Did you take a look?”

“Only at his version of the Hiraishin.”

“And?”

“And I’m an idiot.” he replied with a smile and made her laugh. “It makes so much sense when I read his notes yet I never thought about space-time like that. It’s like… I was thinking in two dimensions and he’s thinking in three.”

“Four if what Kakashi said about his control over time is true.”

“Going back in time…how insane is that?” Minato shook his head.

“I supposed it’s limited in a way but it’s possible. My favorite so far is his shurifuins. So creative.”

“I agree. He made tags mostly obsolete.”

“Morning.”

The sleepy voice that greeted them belonged to their son. Turning to look at him entering the room still in his sleepwear, they greeted him back. Kushina found him really cute with his toad boney cap on his head. He was quickly followed by Tsunade who, at Kushina’s insistence, wore more appropriate clothes. Both Minato and Naruto had a nosebleed when they saw the blonde’s bazoongas almost popping out of her kimono. They greeted her too and soon enough Shizune came in with breakfast and served everyone who thanked her for it.

“So what are we training today?” inquired Naruto to his father.

“Jutsu or nature manipulation. Whichever you wish.”

“Actually, you’re going to do both.” Tsunade said and both Minato and Naruto raised a brow in question. Never has she interfered with Naruto’s training before. “A month ago, I decided to share with you a way to train way faster than anyone but since you were all reunited and getting to know each other I didn’t interfere. I believe today is the right time to do so.”

“Training faster? You’re not thinking of using that Time seal? That’s not really faster.” commented Minato.

“Although the idea is appealing, the only Time seals available are in the hospital or in Riku’s possession. No, I was thinking of Naruto using his ungodly amount of chakra to train with shadow clones.”

“What’s the point? They’re just clones.” said the young blonde. His parents however immediately understood.

““Holy crap!”” they exclaimed at the same time with eyes as big as saucers.

“Naruto! A shadow clone is mainly used for recon not fighting because when the clone dispelled his memories and experience is transferred back to you.” Minato explained with excitement but his son didn’t get it.

“With the exception of physical training, any training that a shadow clone does would be like you trained yourself. Let’s say you use one shadow clone to train your wind manipulation with you, by doing so you double your experience in it for the same amount of time training. A third shadow clone and you triple it and so on and so on.”

“Holy crap!” the jinchuriki mimicked his parents.

“There are downsides to such training. Most notably is mental fatigue, too much information in one go will damage your brain irreparably so no creating hundreds of them, okay?” Tsunade warned and Narurto nodded quickly, understanding the danger. “It’s also an S-rank secret so don’t share it.”

“Why? I mean, why is it an S-rank secret? Wouldn’t it be better if everyone trained like that?”

“It’s not. Quite the contrary in fact.” interjected Minato. “First off, you need a lot of chakra for this method to be effective. I think it would only be useful for Uzumaki or jinchuriki or if you have big reserves somehow. Second, the shadow clone is a jutsu known across the elemental nations and while rarely used because of the chakra requirement If they learn that it allows them to train faster we will lose our advantage against the other villages. They will stop at nothing to get it from us.”

“In this case, Naruto, quality is better than quantity. It’s better to have a few strong shinobis train like that in secret than having many do it.” Kushina added.

“So far only Karin, myself and Riku train like that. Karin even combined it with the Time seal.” shared Tsunade.

“Why wasn’t I told earlier?”

“Two, no, three reasons. One you were away for nearly five years. Two you were a bit too immature to keep quiet about it and not abuse it. Three now that you are  mature enough,well… Time didn’t allow me to share that method with you until now.”

“I wonder who came up with such an idea.” Kushina said aloud.

“From what sensei told me, Riku did less than a second after he explained the shadow clone to him a few months after his graduation from the academy. You should ask sensei for the full story. It’s hilarious.”

“Oh, I w-...”

Kushina stopped on the spot feeling a malevolent chakra she knew well. So did the other adults in the room and Naruto.

“That’s impossible, he’s sealed inside me!”

“Gods no! His yin half that I dragged with me into the Shinigami’s stomach! It must have been freed when I was!”

“We need to move!” Kushina said and Tsunade was already out on the patio ready to leave when an Anbu appeared out of a shushin.

“Hokage-sama, the Kyuubi is-!”

“I know. Find me Uzumaki Karin and bring her to me! Evacuate the people to the bunkers! Have the MP do it. Naruto, it’s the perfect occasion for you to change the villagers' mind about you. I want you to make as many clones as possible and escort the people to safety. Minato, go with him so you can be seen by his side and calm down any stupid villager who could blame him. I want the MP to work with the clones. Kushina, be ready to assist Karin in restraining the fox with your chains.”

The Anbu left with his orders and so did Naruto, bringing his father with him since he couldn’t use chakra anymore. Shizune left for the hospital and Kushina followed Tsunade towards the village wall.

“Any idea in who to seal it?”

“The best would be Naruto, the problem is that the seal is closed. To seal it we’d need to open it but the Yang half would come out. That only leaves me and Karin. Only an Uzumaki can hold it from what Lady Mito told me.”

“Damn it!”

They reached their destination and watched with horror a red cloud of chakra concentrating on itself and slowly taking form.

“Tsunade!”

Hiruzen along  Homura and Koharu landed near her, all garbed in their battle attired.

“What is happening?! Naruto is everywhere in the village yet…”

“Minato sealed the yang half in Naruto all those years ago because he couldn’t handle more of its chakra. The Yin half was sealed into Minato and joined him inside the Shinigami. When we freed Minato, the half with him must have been released too.”

“Minato was released from the Shinigami?!”

“More than that, Homura. We brought him back to life. Him and Kushina which you clearly missed since she’s standing right next to me.”

Both Elders’ jaws dropped to the ground when they saw the redhead wave at them.

“What’s the plan? We don’t have much time.” asked Hiruzen looking at a fox shape beginning to become clearer and clearer by the second

“So far, Kushina and Karin will restrain it with their Adamantine sealing chains. As for the sealing, we don’t know who will-”

“I will do it.”

Everyone turned around to see Karin make her arrival.

“I will. My chakra coils are not yet completely mature enough to be destroyed. Kushina-san’s on the other hand are. She’s also an S-rank Shinobi while I’m A-rank at best. It’s an easy decision.”

“Then we need to prepare you for the sea-”

A fully reformed Kyuubi let out a resounding roar. It was obvious it was full of anger but it was overwhelmed by the malevolence and hatred of its chakra. Tsunade began to make hand seals to summon Katsuyu when the slug appeared in a puff of smoke right in front of the fox at her full height. The next thing everyone saw was the Kyuubi being sent flying up backward high in the air and landed a hundred feet away. Every shinobis present was stunned by what had just happened under their very eyes.

“RIKU!” Tsunade yelled, discerning her son on top of Katsuyu.

He was whole. Standing on his two feet and with two arms. She was only seeing his back but she was sure he got his eyes back too. The sight made her want to tear up in relief despite the dire situation everyone was in.

“Hiruzen!”

“What are you doing, you old monkey?!”

Everyone turned their head towards the former Hokage to see him sitting down comfortably in a chair and lighting his pipe in a relaxed manner. For a moment they wondered if their former leader didn’t simply lose his mind.

“What? Riku got this. No point in worrying.” was his nonchalant answer.

“You have too much faith in him!”

“And you don’t have enough, Koharu.”

“It’s preparing a Bijudama!” Homura yelled.

Indeed. The Kyuubi had opened his maw and black chakra began to gather and compress inside of it.

“Everyone to the ground!” Tsunade shouted while the two redheads by her side used their chains to create a protective barrier which they hoped would hold against the attack. Meanwhile Riku and Katsuyu didn’t move. Neither did Hiruzen who was watching with fascination and trepidation.

The Kyuubi fired its attack, a pure black ball of chakra, in the direction of Konoha. Tsunade stopped breathing when Riku didn’t dodge but instead threw something at the ball. In a green flash, it disappeared.

“See? Have a little faith.” Hiruzen said with a grin.

Seeing that another bijudama was coming, Riku acted again. He made a clone that disappeared on the spot to reappear next to Tsunade while the original made an inhuman jump and punched the Kyuubi in the face with enough strength that the fox fell down to his side.

“Riku!” the Hokage exclaimed. And just as she was about to hug him she noticed the very familiar marking on his face and a shining diamond shaped seal on his forehead. “Byakugou?” she said dumbfounded.

“Not exactly. The seal doesn’t contain my chakra but nature energy.”

“““You’re a sage?!”””

“Yep. Don’t you see the green markings around my eyes?” he replied pointing to the said marking with his finger. “Anyway. Boss can keep the fox occupied for a bit but a bit only. What's the plan with the sealing? ‘Cause so far, beyond sending it into another dimension with the Hiraishin, Boss got nothing.”

“I’ll seal it inside of me.” Karin shared.

Riku looked at her for a moment and nodded. He didn’t want her to have to do it but he understood that it was the best option.

“Then we need to go find a secluded place for the sealing. The difficult part would be to protect you right as the Kyuubi is entering the seal.”

“I can create a barrier big enough with my chains for that.” Kushina said.

“Alright. We will use Katsuyu-chan to communicate. Be ready.”

The clone dispelled and soon enough the giant slug separated into many smaller slugs. One of them reached the wall and separated again into slugs small enough to attach themselves onto someone's shoulders and the two Uzumaki moved to begin the preparation for the sealing. Meanwhile, the original Riku had been battling the Kyuubi with what seemed to be everything he had in a fist fight. The forest around them was completely gone.

“At this rate, your son is going to replace you sooner than later, Tsunade.”

“Good, because I’m done with paperwork.” she replied with a grin, completely oblivious of the shinobis around her having a gobsmacked expression on their faces. That tidbit of information would spread and by tomorrow at the same time everyone in the village would know the relationship between Tsunade and Riku.

For fifteen minutes everyone looked at the fight with rapt attention. Homura and Koharu had decided to join Hiruzen by sitting on the ground. Finally, both Riku and the fox disappeared in a green flash and reappeared three miles away near a mountain.

“The sealing is beginning!”

At Karin and Kushina’s location, the former had used her chains to carve a seal into the ground. With a mix of sealing ink and her blood she was able to design a very solid seal that even baffled Kushina by how good it was but from what she could understand it wasn’t a seal to imprison the Kyuubi inside of the younger redhead.

“It’s not. It’s to summon the Shinigami.”

“What?!”

“Don’t worry it’s not the same as the Shiki Fujin. The contract is different.”

“Contract? What contract?”

“I offer him a soul and he helps me seal something. I paid in advance when I released your husband so the Shinigami is going to do the sealing more or less for free this time. It was Orochimaru!” Karin quickly added at the end when she saw her clan woman's horrified face.

Kushina had many questions she wanted to ask but Riku teleported in with the Kyuubi. Immediately both Uzumaki used their chains to subdue the biju properly. Creating more chains, Kushina created a barrier to encompass everyone in the area and Karin activated the seal. The fox tried to get itself free but between the chains suppressing his chakra and the grip of the Shinigami it could do nothing. Every drop of chakra it was made of was sucked inside the seal on Karin’s abdomen.

Riku immediately went to the new jinchuriki to catch her and interrupt her fall. The effort it took for her to seal half of the strongest biju inside of her had been tremendous and the damage to her chakra coil, while not permanent, was consequent from what he could tell.

“You did it.” he whispered to the redhead  with a smile.

“Of course I did.” she answered weakly.

“Go on, rest. I’ll bring you home.”

Karin nodded slowly then closed her eyes and fell asleep. Riku picked her up in his arms. Extended a free hand to Kushina who took it and they flashed away back to Konoha’s outskirts. From there, they shushined back to the wall and met with everyone.

“She’s going to be fine.” he said to a worried Tsunade.

“The seal?”

“The seal is fine too from what I could see at a first glance. The Kyubi is sealed away and is not getting out any time soon if ever.”

“I’m saddened to see for the third time someone taking the burden of the Kyubi inside themselves but I’m happy to see the next generation’s courage and determination in protecting the village. She may not have been born in Konoha but her Will of Fire is burning as brightly as I have ever witnessed.” commented Hiruzen.

Ever the shrewd leader, the Sandaime Hokage’s little speech wasn’t totally genuine. Its ulterior motive was to present Karin in a good light in the eyes of all the shinobis present. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Naruto. If the villagers couldn’t get to see her as the hero she was, he was hoping that at least they would be thankful for her sacrifice and would not treat her too badly. Somehow, with her relationship with Riku who fought on equal ground with the Kyubi and won, he didn’t think the worst scenario would happen. Nobody wants the ire of the man who defeated the Kyubi, especially one they had shunned in his youth and who was revealed to be not only a Senju but the current Hokage’s son and the Shodai’s great grandson.

“Alright, Riku, bring her back to the manor. Kushina, go with him. The three of you earned yourself some rest. Everyone else, stay alert. That fight was felt far and wide, and enemies could use the confusion to infiltrate the village. It’s time to reassure the villagers inside the bunkers and bring them out.”

“And celebrate.” interjected Riku. “Last time the Kyubi attacked, it was a disaster. This time there was no destruction and no casualties! Konoha has become stronger!”

That was a bit of bullshit. The previous time the Kyubi appeared right in the middle of the village. This time it appeared outside. It couldn’t be compared. However to the civilians it wouldn’t matter. The Kyubi had come again and was soundly defeated without anyone dying. That was what they would focus on. Riku’s words were just propaganda. The cheers of approval he got was proof that it had the desired effect.

“See you back home, mom.” Riku said as his markings on his face disappeared.

Tsunade nodded and smiled at him. She looked at him with pride and joy, and couldn’t wait for the day to be over. She knew that when it was time to go to bed she’d have perhaps the best cuddling session ever.