Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Naruto or any of the characters in this story; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

PD: This is intended to be a very long fic. I don't have a goal number, but I'm sure that by the end, it may be around 700K words. Naturally, things are going to develop slowly for that to be the case. I like to take my time fleshing out characters, details, and other things. If you want a fic where Naruto gets OP from the beginning or gets with HInata really early, this isn't the fic for you. Naruto's skills and relationships will take time to develop. Also, this fic will closely stick to the canon lore, but there are a few things I've decided to change, and I will fill in the gaps with my own headcanon. It's a very slight AU if you want to call it that. If you accept this, hope you enjoy the fic.

Chapter 1: Just in case

April 29

"I'm going to be a father," Minato whispered to himself while lying in his comfortable bed beside his beautiful redheaded wife, Uzumaki Kushina. He hadn't been able to get the phrase out of his mind ever since Kushina broke the news a few months ago; he would often repeat the phrase to himself everywhere he went. "I'm going to be a father."

He could already imagine it, playing with his own son, dining the three of them as a family, and seeing his child grow up to be the best of Kushina and him. 'I wonder who Naruto will resemble more?' His son's name brought a stupid grin to his face, the same grin that had taken a week to wear off when he and Kushina became a couple. He remembered when Kushina told him the name she wanted to choose; they had just finished reading Jiraiya's "Tales of a Gutsy Ninja" when she suggested the name. At first, he laughed out loud, saying only Kushina would name her son after a ramen topping, but his laughter died as soon as he saw an all-but-sweet smile on his wife's face with her red locks flowing menacingly like nine red tails.

"Naruto means maelstrom, not as in Narutomaki! And I hope our child grows up to be like the character in Jiraiya-Sama's book. Someone who has the determination to never give up!" said Kushina after Minato stopped laughing. Minato had spent the next few days trying not to laugh at his wife. In truth, he agreed that it was a great name; he could see that after the initial hilarity of the suggestion wore off just enough for him to think about it. Kushina did have a point. He would like for his son to know the meaning of hard work. Every shinobi had to work hard no matter how talented they were; in fact, Minato believed that the more talented you are, the harder you should work. On one hand, being talented meant that you could become strong enough to protect what you hold dear and achieve your dreams, but on the other...

In the shinobi world, being talented meant attracting interest from inside and outside your village. Talented shinobi are often thrown into the fire far quicker than less talented ones. They are expected to succeed at their mission regardless of whether they are ready. They were pushed farther into the pool's deep end if they succeeded. If the shinobi didn't die during this process, they would start gaining a reputation outside their village, which meant a target on their back and a bounty on their head. If said shinobi decided to rest on his laurels and not push himself to higher heights, an early death was the only thing awaiting him.

He had seen this happen frequently during his career, promising shinobi dying far quicker than they should because they were served more than they could chew. Minato was even a little guilty of this with his last living student. 'Kakashi.' he thought and sighed. He had been giving almost as much thought to his young ANBU as his yet-to-be-born son. 'Maybe being a father wouldn't be so different from being a Sensei. I guess Kakashi could use a younger brother. He has barely left Kushina since I assigned him to guard her; he even stays after hours.' thought Minato with a smile. 'After all, they were the only resemblance of a family I had before marrying Kushina, but... Rin and Obito are dead, and Kakashi's mental health was reaching new lows before I assigned him to guard Kushina.' A shiver as one as he had never felt made his way through his spine, and suddenly a bone-sheering fear gripped him, and his breath became ragged and shallow. 'What if something happens to Naruto?' What if I'm not fast-' Minato's train of thought broke off as Kushina cuddled into him. 'Everything will be fine. Tomorrow, Jiraiya-Sensei will come, and we will talk to him about how he is the godfather. Everything will be fine...' and Minato drifted off to sleep.

April 30

"Huh?" That was all Jiraiya could say while blinking several times.

Minato only smiled at him and said, "Yeah, Kushina and I liked it! I think this story is wonderful!"

"Really?"

"Really. Every chapter reads like one of all the stories of the adventures you used to tell me when I was a genin. It's almost autobiographical." Explained the blonde with a soft smile while he reminisced about the past.

"Yeah, that's all well and good, but it didn't even sell." Said a dejected Jiraiya before his trademark perverted grin appeared on his face. "I think I'll include some spicy moments to boost interest for my next one!"

Minato paid no mind to his Sensei pervertedness and said softly, "The main character in here was pretty awesome. He is actually quite a lot like you, Sensei."

"You think so?" Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, suddenly embarrassed by the compliment from his star pupil.

"So, I was thinking..." stated Minato, slightly embarrassed. "I really hope my soon-to-be-born child can become an amazing Shinobi, just like the main character in your book. That's why I would like to ask your permission to name my son after him." Jiraiya couldn't speak; he was gobsmacked at the unexcepted request.

At that moment, Kushina, clearly pregnant, came out of the kitchen and put a hand on Minato's shoulder. At the same time, the other hand tenderly caressed her belly. "I think it is a wonderful name." Kushina gave him a small smile.

Jiraiya broke into laughter. "I should have known it was your idea. I randomly came up with it while eating ramen. It's hilarious naming your son after rame-." Jiraiya never finished the sentence as he saw Kushina's hair floating menacingly.

"Naruto means maelstrom, doesn't it Jiraiya-Sama?" said the Uzumaki in a sweet voice that dared the sannin fuck around and find out.

Jiraiya gave a nervous laugh. "I-I, so would that make me his godfather then? Are you really sure about this?"

Kushina nodded while Minato said, "You are my Sensei; you are a ninja who possesses true skill. There is no one else in the whole world I would rather choose." Jiraiya could only smile at the words.

"I just wish Tsunade was in the village so I could share the news with her," Kushina sighed. Do you have any idea where she is?" she asked, hoping.

The white-haired man shook his head. "Tsunade has done a good job covering her tracks, but I'm not putting too much effort into keeping tabs on her location. She lost too much. Maybe there will come a time when we need her here, but unless blondie over there gives the order, I have to prioritize other matters." Jiraiya finished.

After that, they ate and chatted amicably until they heard a knock on the door. Minato stood to answer the knock, only to find out it was his predecessor to the title of Hokage.

"Sandaime-Sama!" exclaimed Minato in surprise.

"Good evening, Minato. I'm sorry to intrude into your home this late in the day. Still, I have matters to discuss with you and Kushina."

"Oh, Okay, come on in," Minato said, a little surprised.

"Is that you, old monkey?" called Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya? This is a most opportune moment indeed."

"Guess what old monkey? They just made the godfather of the gaki." Said Jiraiya with a goofy smile that perfectly reflected his happiness at the moment.

Hiruzen chuckled and went to the table to ask Kushina how her pregnancy was progressing and congratulate Jiraiya before sharing the matters he came to discuss. "Minato, Kushina, there is something I must explain to you about giving birth. It happened to Mito-Sama; as you know, she was also a Jinchuriki. During her labor, the nine tails' seal was nearly broken." A pin dropping would have been heard by everyone in the room if.

Minato closed his eyes. 'I knew something was not right. Ever since I told him that Kushina and I were going to be parents, there was something in his face mixed in with the smile he had given me.' Minato took an almost imperceptible breath, steeled his nerves, and turned to grab his wife's hand. "Everything is going to be fine, Kushina." Said Minato with a smile.

"I know." Answered the redhead with a smile of her own.

"Kushina, I'm sorry, but as a precautionary measure, we have to ask you to deliver the child somewhere away from the village, inside a barrier. The ANBU will protect you, and I'll also send my wife, Biwako, to help you deliver your child."

The pregnant Uzumaki tightened her grip on her husband. "Naruto, our son's name is Naruto." Saying his name aloud diminished her rapidly increasing nerves, if ever so slightly.

Hiruzen gave a small but warm smile and nodded. Shortly after, the Sandaime excused himself and was soon followed by Kushina, who claimed she was slightly nauseous. As Kushina made her way to the bedroom, she repeated the exact phrase repeatedly in her mind. 'Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine!' as she repeated the phrase, a plan began forming in her mind... 'Everything will be fine... and I don't want to add to Minato's plate with the silly worriers of a pregnant wife, but just in case...'

While Kushina went to lie down, Minato and Jiraiya sat quietly under dreadful silence. After a while, the toad sage broke the silence. "Everything will be fine, Minato."

The Yondaime Hokage let out a huge sigh. "I know, it's just... could you be there the day of Naruto's birth? It's expected to be October 10."

Jiraiya gave him a small smile. "Minato, you long since surpassed me as a seal master. Kushina's taught you seals in ways I can hardly understand, but if it makes you feel better, I'll see what barriers we can put up for security measures. As for your request, well, you know I have to keep tabs on my spy network. We may not be at war, but we have to keep a lookout for everything. Iwa won't be a threat for a while, but Kumo and Kiri didn't come out of the war as bad." Minato knew his Sensei had a point. He was needed outside for now, and he also deserved a break to clear his mind, but something in his gut screamed to throw logic out of the window and order his Sensei to stay.

Jiraiya stood up and headed for the door with Minato behind him. Seeing the distress in his students' cerulean eyes, he put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. "Everything will be fine, Minato."

"I know, Sensei, but... just in case..."

"I promise I'll stop to meet my godson as soon as possible. I can already imagine all the fun we will have; I can picture very clearly what he will be like the first time we take to Mount Myōboku. I hope that kid doesn't get used to Kushina's cooking because he will be in for a hard time... as you can remember." Teased Jiraiya to lift the somber mood of his star pupil. Minato's skin color turned slightly green at the memory of Shima's exotic cooking.

"I'll see you soon, Minato." And Jiraiya bid farewell.

Minato sat down on one of the couches and stared into space. Worry started to creep up again in Minato's body, and he did the only thing he could think of. He decided to make a plan. 'I can let my worry show in front of Kushina. I know everything will be fine, but... just in case.' With that thought, he went to lie down next to his wife.

May 1

Kushina woke up late only to find that her husband was long gone. 'It seems that Minato woke up early and went to work.' Though Kushina as she stretched and swept the drowsiness of her mind. 'All right, I have to get started and return before Minato returns so he doesn't suspect anything. I need to visit the Uzumaki Tower. my old things are still there since I never moved them after she died and I moved out.' Kushina thought as she got ready. After she finished her morning routine, she was about to leave when a thought occurred to her. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A few seconds later, a smile spread across her face.

"Kakashi, you have five seconds to come out, or it will hurt. Five... four... three... two..." A small figure with silver hair, a dog mask, and a black coat appeared before her, kneeling.

"Kushina-Sama?" said the ANBU member with an underlying tone of amusement.

Kushina proceeded to smack the ANBU member in the head. "Don't Kushina-Sama me, and take your mask off when talking to me." She smirked as Kakashi tentatively removed his mask. "I'm going to plan a surprise for Minato when Naruto is born, you can still follow me, but I'll need you to be a good boy and not spoil the fun. Okay?" Kushina asked as she ruffled Kakashi's hair. Kushina had loved taking the mickey out of all of Minato's students, but she just went the extra mile with Kakashi. Someone had to remember that even though he was already a Jonin, he was still young and shouldn't be so uptight and serious all the time. He made no attempt at avoiding this now, he long had learned his lesson about stopping Kushina, but he never could suppress the tick in his right eye. Kakashi just sighed and nodded. He figured that if his Sensei had a problem with it, Kushina would manage to protect him.

As Kushina made his way to the now uninhabited tower, she started to think back to her childhood there. The tower had been a gift from Hashirama Senju to Mito Uzumaki after their marriage, and ever since, it became the place of residence for every Uzumaki who visited Konoha. When you entered the building, you were greeted by a huge version of the Uzumaki clan crest in the middle of the floor and a spiral staircase that led up all the way to the rooftop where you would get a beautiful view of the village and the Hokage monument. It had been where she lived ever since she became a jinchuriki until she married Minato, and they had moved in together. Although It was a beautiful building that had been crafted to resemble Uzushio's architecture, she couldn't say that it ever was a home. In fact, there were times when it had felt more like a prison than anything else.

As she entered the building, he couldn't help but remember a mixture of happy and bad memories; from spending time with Mito or studying Uzumaki fuinjutsu with Minato for hours and hours to being locked up here while everyone went on missions and helped the village. It also made her remember Uzushio. A part of her wanted to go there and see what was left of her old home, but she didn't think she would have the strength to do it. She didn't want to alter the image of the beautiful Island that had once been her home.

Ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure, most of the knowledge of the once-great clan seemed to have died with the village. Most Chunin and Jonin now carried her clan crest on their backs without even knowing what it meant. Part of her knew that, well, her clan was almost extinct and, for all purposes, irrelevant. Still part of her was bitter that they had let the memory of her clan be forgotten. Thankfully now that Minato was Hokage, it will all be fixed shortly. She had put her foot down that until Minato agreed to change the curriculum in the academy, he would be sleeping on the couch. Minato had never agreed to anything faster in his life.

She had spent much of her free time planning what to teach about her clan before her pregnancy. She fondly remembered how she had used Kakashi as a test subject to cram him with every piece of information that would be taught in the academy. Kakashi kept his expressionless and bored face all throughout her lessons. To anyone else, it would seem like Kakashi just went along as a favor to his Sensei, but she knew better. Kakashi liked to learn new things as much as Minato.

She took a deep breath as she entered the library. It was just like she remembered, just a little dustier. There were shelves and books everywhere you turned. Most of them had red covers that matched her hair, but a few ones were a gentle baby blue that had always reminded her of Minato's eyes. She smiled softly as she remembered the amount of hours the two of them had spent here. She shook her head after a few seconds. 'There is a reason I didn't come when planning what to teach about the clan... too many memories.' She took in a deep breath. 'I'll better do this quickly for my sake.'

Kushina went towards the sections that kept several books and scrolls about the clan's history, fūinjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. Some of these scrolls she had brought all those years ago when she first arrived from Uzushio. Mito was kind and gentle but also very strict and prideful about being a Uzumaki.

"I won't let any Uzumaki smear the history of the great Uzumaki clan!" Mito had told her. That was why Kushina was drilled into the ground with studies from a young age. At first, she had loathed her studies, but with time, she came to appreciate the beauty in knowing her clan's history. Not to mention that in her teenage years, it had allowed her to spend time with Minato.

"I understand, Mito-Sama. Naruto will also grow to represent the clan and make us proud." She would be dammed if Naruto wasn't proud of being a Uzumaki.

Kushina bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood as she approached one of the bookshelves and let a drop of blood fall on the wood. Kanji started to crawl out of all the books and spread over the the bookshelf and glowed red before they disappeared. After taking care of the security measures, she selected every scroll she had dimmed, important enough for Naruto to have. She divided them by fūinjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and clan history. She ordered them according to their rank or, in the case of the clan's history, chronologically. She then took four larger scroll seals and proceeded to modify the matrix. She took a while to plan how to modify the storage seals, but she got an idea after brainstorming. 'It shouldn't be that hard, just a bit tricky and long. I guess no one really has a reason to develop such a seal yet and record the knowledge.'

Kushina started to work with some ink and brush she had brought along with her. After brainstorming how to go about this, she modified the sealing matrix and added some kanji to the scroll. What she wanted to create was essentially a layered progressional storage seal. The four scrolls were going to be stored in a larger sealing scroll. Inside the bigger scroll, four kanji would appear. History, fūinjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu. Once you entered the chakra into one of the kanji, the seal would release the current lowest-ranking scroll of the chosen subject. In the bigger scroll, questions would appear to test your knowledge on the scroll you took out. It took Kushina a couple of hours, but she had figured it out, and now she only had to add the question to the larger scroll. She would be doing this during the remaining months of her pregnancy. She put the storage seal on her bag, stood up, and stretched. "Fūinjutsu sure is a wonderful thing." She said to herself.

Kushina decided to go home before it was too late, but she passed by her old bedroom door before she left. She stared at the door for a moment before letting out a sigh and opening the door. She explored her old room for a while before finding a box filled with small red books. She smiled softly, grabbed one of the books, and opened it. 'My old journals. I stopped writing years ago, but maybe I should store them in another scroll for Naruto.' She quickly followed with her line of thought and sealed her journals into another scroll. After that, she made her way home.

Meanwhile, Minato was at one of his safe houses, reviewing several of his notes. At the beginning of their relationship, he and Kushina had bonded a little over their writing hobby. Kushina initially had only kept a journal to cope with her loneliness due to being an outsider. She stopped writing a couple of months after they began their relationship. Minato, on the other hand, never stopped writing. He had too many thoughts in one day not to write them and keep them stored for a later date. Today was precisely that date. Minato was looking at all the journals he had written through his years. The rasengan and its multiple steps, as well as theories on combining with different elements, fūinjutsu, tactics, the hiraishin with the improvements he had made and derived jutsu he created, daily thoughts, and his own fighting style.

Minato's fighting style was certainly unique. He had always felt comfortable with kunai on his hand and he never liked hand signs much. They took too much time to perform, and during then, you were left vulnerable; he had killed many people while they were performing hand signs. That didn't mean that he didn't implement ninjutsu in his fighting style. Most shinobi essentially threw ninjutsu out the window the moment they grabbed a kunai. He wasn't like most shinobi. He wasn't Konoha no Kiiroi senkō for nothing. His uncommon talent for one-handed hand signs, his fuinjutsu to implement seals with one hand, and the rasengan allowed him to incorporate ninjutsu while fighting in close-range combat seamlessly.

Minato collected all of his notes and organized them in terms of difficulty. Minato debated including his notes of the Nidaime's hiraishin and his improvements along with his other notes. He had been torn between passing his knowledge to Naruto and letting him be his own shinobi. After deliberating for a while, he concluded that he wanted Naruto to have all the tools to surpass him, but he wouldn't outright hand things to him. He had been thinking of a seal that would grant Naruto gradual access to his notes, the hiraishin, of course, being the grand prize. Unknowingly Minato created the exact same seal that Kushina had created down to the last brush, with the only exception that Minato didn't have anything regarding his family history. Minato inspected the seal and grinned. "I think I call this seal the sequential learning progress-tracking seal. Fūinjutsu sure is a wonderful thing."

October 3

Minato sat in his office with the beautiful view of Konoha behind him. At the moment, the blonde Hokage was examining a particular piece of paperwork. Unlike most of his paperwork, which is usually handled by his shadow clones, he wanted to take this one personally. He had been thinking about it, but every time it came to his mind, the worry of somehow offending him came along.

He sighed. 'I'm just bad at these things. I'm horrible at expressing my feelings. I know that I'm not a cold person; quite the opposite... it's just how I'm even going to put it into words.' Though Minato as he examined the paper in his hands. Kushina had given him the last push to decide to go for it. He remembered yesterday with a smile.

Flashback

Minato was peacefully eating the miso ramen with extra chasu he had picked up on his way home while Kushina ate her favorite salt ramen. Kushina observed her husband and waited for the perfect moment to strike. Finally, she found the right opportunity.

"You know Minato... I have been thinking something lately." Her husband only nodded, signaling to continue. Before speaking, her eyes were twinkling with mischief. "I think Naruto should have a brother." She said with the straightest face she could muster.

Minato started to choke on his ramen for a few seconds until she took pity on him and passed him a glass of water. She remained dead serious and looked him straight in the eyes, causing him to avert his gaze.

"Already? I mean, Naruto has even been born... shouldn't we wait, I don't know, a little." Said Minato with panic in his voice.

"Are you saying you don't want to make more babies with me, Namikaze?" Kushina lifted an eyebrow, and her tone sounded more like a threat than a question.

Minato turned, paled, and started to stutter. "I-I K-Kushina t-t-that wasn't what I meant." Kushina couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. The blonde just stared at his wife for a couple of seconds before letting out a relieved sigh.

"Don't joke like that." Minato pouted.

"Well, I wasn't joking, at least not entirely." Now the yellow flash was outright confused. Kushina decided to stop being cryptic and took a sheet of paper and passed it to her husband.

Minato grabbed the paper and analyzed it before a smile appeared on his face. Kushina seeing Minato's smile, decided to voice her thoughts. "I know you have been thinking it for a while, and knowing you, you would have taken ages to do it." Minato gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Minato smiled again and looked at the paper that read "Adoption form for Hatake Kakashi."

After a couple of seconds, Minato frowned. "I'm worried I might offend him. You know what he thinks of his father..."

Kushina gave him a tender smile. "Minato, you know you want to give it to him. I'm sure Kakashi won't be offended. If he weren't so cold, he would be fanboying over you. You are the person he admires the most and has been there for him since he was what? Eight?" Minato nodded in response and thought about when he should do it.

"Just don't take too long, Minato."

Flashback ends

Minato was still reminiscing when he seldom heard a knock on the door, and he absentmindedly answered to come in. He was still looking at the form in his hands until he heard Kakashi's voice. Minato jumped at the voice and fumbled with the paper. The paper fell out of his hands right beside Kakashi's feet. The young ANBU moved to grab the form that, thankfully, the paper landed face down, and Minato had to prove why it was claimed that he had unparalleled speed. After returning to his seat in less than the blink of an eye, he spoke rather nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry Kakashi, it's classified information, yes, very classified."

Kakashi blinked behind his mask at his Sensei's odd behavior and shrugged it off as nervousness because of his son. He stood there waiting for his Sensei to speak. After all, he had called him but got confused after he didn't talk. "Was there something you needed Hokage-Sama?"

Minato blinked, and he realized he was the one who had called Kakashi. He coughed into his fist. "Right, Kakashi, as I have told you already, please address me as you always have. There is no need to be so formal with me. I called you in here to thank you for protecting Kushina."

"But..." began Kakashi.

"The ANBU directly under the Sandaime will take over for now."

"Then I'll be returning to my duties in ANBU?"

"There is no need to be so hasty. Take a week or two off before you return to your duties." Said Minato with a smile. Kakashi nodded, bowed, and exited the office, but Minato remembered something before he left. "Kakashi, wait!" Minato turned his gaze to look down at the adoption form, and he felt his mouth go dry and couldn't get the words out.

"Yes?"

"Ahh, never mind. I'll tell you later." Kakashi just nodded again and exited the office.

Minato let out a sigh of frustration at not being able to talk with Kakashi about the adoption. He put the form back in his pocket and looked at the clock. 'Right, I should go and hide Naruto's scroll... and now I know just the place to hide it.' He thought while smirking.

Kushina let out a tired sigh. 'Agh, walking all the way here has been a total pain in the ass with this belly.' She thought as she went to where she had chosen to hide Naruto's scroll.

Kushina entered a beautiful clearing with a small cascade. She smiled as she remembered when she and Minato would come here in their teenage years. Kushina would tell her mom that she and Minato would go out to train, and they come in here and just hang out. This was their place. In the later years of their relationship, they had even been a little cabin hidden away from everything when they wanted a little more privacy to "practice" their cardiovascular endurance. They had taken precautionary methods so no one but them could see their little cabin. They had put on a seal that worked as a powerful and constant genjutsu barrier that wouldn't affect either of them, thanks to the blood seals they had put in place.

Kushina entered the little cabin and took out the scroll she had prepared for her yet-to-be-born Naruto. She looked around the small cabin; it wasn't anything fancy. Just a bed with a nightstand beside it and a closet. She smiled when she spotted a picture on the nightstand. It was a picture of both of them smiling together at a festival. She was so lost in the memories that she almost missed the bright yellow flash that appeared in front of her. After a second, Kushina went wide-eyed as she stared at her husband's equally wide cerulean eyes.

"M-Minato?"

"K-Kushina?"

"What are you doing here?" They both said at the same time.

A couple of seconds of silence followed, in which neither could speak. Kushina recovered first and used her usual humor to divert attention from her. "You weren't planning on bringing any girls here, right Namikaze?" said Kushina with narrowed eyes.

To her happiness, she achieved what she aimed for and made Minato stutter due to the surprise. "W-what? N-no, of course not." Kushina's eyes remained narrowed, trying to keep the conversation off her.

"So, then what are you doing here?" she asked with a fake tone of suspicion.

"I-I-I, wait, what are you doing here?" asked the blonde back.

Kushina had been expecting it, so she doubled her efforts. "Don't play with me, Namikaze, and what's that scroll on your hand?"

Minato blinked a couple of times when he realized he had Naruto's scroll in his left hand. Minato quickly hid behind his back. "Nothing. Just a scroll I took with me by accident from the office." Said Minato in a hurry. Now Kushina was suspicious. "And why do you have a scroll with you? Said Minato after a few seconds of silence.

Kushina cursed under her breath. "It's just something for Naruto, a gift I wanted to hide here."

Minato blinked a couple of times before letting out a laugh. "You too?" said Minato before continued laughing.

Kushina waited for her to notice she wasn't laughing and pointed at the scroll in her husband's hands. "So, you lied to me."

Minato instantly gulped and went pale. "I-it's not like that."

"Really?"

To her surprise, Minato went from uncomfortable to slightly sad and looked toward the ground. "it's just something I did for him. I know everything is going to be fine-"

"But you did just in case..." Minato looked up to see the sad smile she had. Neither of them moved in a long silence until Minato got closer and enveloped her in a tender hug.

"I'm scared." She said with a terrible voice that Minato felt a lump in his throat. Minato didn't have any words to reassure her. There were no words that would calm down a mother who feared for the well-being of her child. That and Minato was also scared shitless himself. He opted just to embrace her with his tall frame and long arms and transmit the message that he wanted to put into words. "I won't let anyone harm a single of Naruto's hair."

Kushina lost track of how many minutes she spent in Minato's arms; she could have stayed like this until she had to give birth for all she cared about. After the long hug, neither spoke as they took their scrolls and placed them in the nightstand cabinet. They both sat on the bed in silence before Kushina said.

"So, did you talk to Kakashi?" She got her answer when she felt Minato tense and sighed in frustration.

She was about to give her a piece of her mind when her husband spoke. "Actually, I was thinking of putting the form in here and returning to grab it after Naruto's birthday. Since everything will be fine, we can return to get the form and talk to Kakashi together." He finished with a smile.

Kushina knew it was a lie but had to give him his due credit. It was the smoothest lie he had ever told, so she just nodded with a smile. Meanwhile, Minato was mentally patting himself on the back. He stood up to open the cabinet and placed the adoption form next to the scroll. After that, hand in hand, both made their way out of their small cabin in silence.

Author's notes

Hi, thanks for reading the first chapter hope you like it. I don't have anyone to Beta read my story, so if anyone is willing to do it, I would love your help.