Chapter 14 -> Part 14

While I was having my little acting debut, the kunoichi had strung up a nice and pretty Genjutsu that showed me completely losing control and attacking my sister. A bit of cleverness and dumb luck on the kunoichi's part had me grabbing Kushina and landing on top of her exactly like in the Genjutsu. Even the Hokage had been caught in it. His overreaction, using his entire formidable strength to order me to regain control the Kyuubi, automatically trapped me in my mindscape trying to reverse something that never happened.

Luckily, the Jōnin were still somewhat dazed by the release of the Genjutsu that their attacks were slow enough for Kushina to see and roll us both out of the way.

The fact that she refused to let go of me was probably the only reason I wasn't immediately locked up in the highest security vault the village had to offer.

It took me five minutes to escape from my own mindscape, which I found to be incredibly annoying.

"Let me go!" Kushina screamed into my chest, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around my torso as several Jōnin tried to pry her off.

I moaned too weak to sit up.

"Nii-san?" She asked. Her grip around me loosened and someone managed to wrench her arms out from around me. She screamed and sent my chakra across her skin and gave the people holding onto her nasty chakra burns. Her arms snapped back around my neck and she smashed my face into her neck. If I had been a full-size adult, I probably could have let her turn all clingy. Unfortunately, I had a child's body and Kushina was inadvertently suffocating me.

"—breathe!" I managed, barely audible.

"Sorry!" Kushina loosened her grip but didn't release me.

I took a deep breath and ignored the fighting around us. Suddenly someone picked us both up and ran. I couldn't even cling to Kushina. I hoped it was a Konoha shinobi carrying us away from the fighting, but something inside me knew it wasn't.

Without any warning, the arms carrying us were torn away. Someone managed to catch Kushina by the hair, but the grip failed and we hit the ground hard. Well, I hit the ground, Kushina landed on top of me. She quickly rolled off me and felt my pulse, calling my name.

"Minato! Help! He's barely responding! Oh, Kami!" She jerked and her hands tightened around my wrist.

"No!" Minato cried suddenly.

"Minato!" Kushina screamed and the sound of kunai striking flesh sounded above me.

I struggled to move, but my body refused to respond.

Stay down, little rat.

Minato's hurt! I have to help him!

By killing yourself? Be patient.

Minato slumped over me. The kunai had gone nearly all the way through his chest. A combination of both his and Kushina's blood had all but soaked the front of my Chuunin vest.

There's no more time to wait! "—shina," I managed, channeling medical chakra into my free hand.

"Nii-san!" Somehow she got the message and grabbed my wrist. After a second, she laid my palm over the hole where the kunai hit Minato's heart.

I barely managed to heal his heart before my chakra spluttered out. "—ospital." Minato wouldn't live for much longer if he didn't get the help of a medic who wasn't half-dead very soon.

Minato's fingers twisted into my haori.

"Leave us alone!" Kushina screamed. Someone kicked my side.

"Pathetic. The kid hailed as a hero can't even save himself." The person grabbed my hair and lifted me to my feet. My body refused to respond to my orders to fight.

"Leave him alone!" Kushina begged.

"Leave him alone!" The shinobi mocked. "Do you recognize me, little girl?" The strain on my scalp opened one of my eyes wide enough to see the shinobi holding me. This was not good. It was undoubtedly Ebizō, one of the Honored Siblings of Sunagakure. I recognized him from the Bingo Book. This was not good.

Now you can fight. All the feeling seemed to rush back into my body at once. It was painful, but worth it.

Thank you. "Run!" I growled at Kushina, opening my eyes just enough to make eye contact. "Minato—" Ebizō slammed a fist into my gut.

Kushina got the message once the Kyuubi's chakra started to lick at my fingers. Her eyes widened in terror. Without hesitation, she lunged for Minato, scooped him up and fled. Ebizō made the mistake of dropping me to go after her. By the time my feet hit the ground, my hands had flashed through a jutsu that turned the ground around me into mud. He sunk into it before he could make it three steps and both Minato and Kushina got away. I knew we were outside of the village even if I didn't exactly know where. If I could just make a big enough commotion, someone would have to come running.

"Go after me, fine, it's my job. I can deal with it. Go after my siblings and we have a problem. I'll give you three choices. One: stay here and take your chances fighting me. Two: go after my siblings and the best scenario is that you die. Three: leave and tell your Kazekage that he will be dead by the end of this war."

Ebizō pulled himself out of the mud.

I jerked my sticks out of their holsters.

"You can't win, little boy."

"I only have to last two minutes, then they'll be too far away for you to catch."

"Then you'll be captured."

"I don't care." I took a step backwards out of the mud and let it harden back into the ground. "Whenever you're ready, I await your decision."

"Suna," someone snarled behind me. I suddenly had a very, very bad feeling as I glanced over my shoulder to see two Iwa nin accompanied by two nin from Ame, all of which I recognized as Jōnin from the Bingo Book. A second Suna nin appeared and I recognized Chiyo with Minato over her shoulder and a barely conscious Kushina under her arm. Shit. Shit. Shit. I was trapped in the center and the Kyuubi's chakra was covering mine like a second skin. By the end of the week, the entire shinobi world would know I was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Shit. Two Kiri nin appeared. Double shit.

"Looks like we're a little late to the party," the Sandaime Raikage and a Kumo Jōnin from the Bingo Book appeared to complete the circle around me. Triple shit.

This is a very bad situation.

You think? I'm not even sure you could survive for long if a fight breaks out.

You have potentially critical information.

They don't know that.

"What little Genin do we have here?" The Raikage asked. Considering only his own jutsu could make it past the man's shield and the fact that the man was a Kage meant that he probably had the right to start off the conversation, if anyone.

I didn't bother responding, everyone here knew exactly who I was, the haori and red hair was a dead giveaway.

"You look familiar, little boy, tell me, what's your name again?" He taunted.

I forced myself to think. There was always a way out. There had to be. There had to be something I was better at than anyone here.

Face it, kid, if these people have half a brain between them, they'll go after you first then fight over you like a prize to be won. You're a smart kid, but you can't outwit ten ninjas by yourself and your body just can't win, even if I'm in control. Your best bet is to go quietly and hope for a chance to escape later on.

It doesn't mean I have to go gentle into that good night.

"I asked you your name, boy," the Raikage snapped impatiently. I grinned.

I probably would have gotten slapped upside the head for the cheek I had planned if Sakumo was there to hear me. Unfortunately, I was more concerned by the fact there were ten enemy nin surrounding me and the two most important people in the village, in my opinion, were dying in enemy hands. I turned to Chiyo. "You will let me heal those two Genin or I release the Kyuubi right now and none of us make it out alive."

You will not! You still owe me, little rat.

Good to know my bluffing skills are still intact. You make a very good threat, so quit your griping.

The Kyuubi subsided into angry grumbling. Chiyo threw Minato at me. I caught him, not even sliding on the ground, and knelt with him propped against me, mostly to start draining the blood from his lungs. I quickly tore his shirt open, feeling nauseous. I could heal the wounds, but by that time, he would be dead via exsanguination. I no longer felt paranoid for looking up Minato's blood type. He was B-positive, the same as Kushina and myself. It would work. I used one of Minato's kunais to cut a three-inch line into the inside of my left wrist, as well as an identical line into Minato's, then pressed the cuts together in a bastardization of a blood transfusion. Sure, chakra accomplished what tubes and needles would normally do, as well as kept my blood flowing into him, but if Tsunade caught me trying an untested stunt like it, she would probably skin me alive. With my right hand, I turned to healing the two holes in his chest.

There were never full healings on the battlefield. As soon as I knew Minato was stable enough to remain not-dead for the time being, if in horrible pain and unable to move, I laid him on the ground and finished the blood transfusion. In an hour, he would either be dead by the hand of one of the enemies surrounding us or in Konoha's hospital in emergency surgery. I couldn't risk any more chakra in case an actual fight broke out and I was forced to defend him.

"Now the girl!" I demanded.

"Trade."

The Raikage chuckled behind me. "Give him his sister. I want to see what he does."

Well, that would be a mistake, Mr. Raikage, but go ahead, you don't have to know I know exactly how to counter your best jutsu. He had the scar over his chest so I was sure I knew what he was going to pull on me, considering I was a Jinchuuriki and he had to counter the Hachibi on a semi-regular basis.

I caught Kushina. It only took me a few seconds to patch her up as well, and only another minute to complete a second blood transfusion.

I stood up, slightly shaky on my feet, but the Kyuubi's crude healing fortified me after a few seconds.

I faced the Raikage, rightly deeming him the biggest threat, and stood with both Minato and Kushina lying between my feet. The Kyuubi's chakra coated my skin, a few inches thick, and formed a cocoon around Minato and Kushina, careful not to touch their skin.

"You can't win this, Kichiro-kun." The Raikage started to form his supposedly impenetrable defense.

"No, I'm certain I can't, but the Kyuubi is much more powerful than the Hachibi."

"So, you're a perfect Jinchuuriki then? That's quite the accomplishment for one so young. I see I originally targeted the wrong sibling."

"You most certainly did. I'm willing to forgive faults against me, but the moment you so much as threaten my family, you will die."

"Was that a death threat to me?"

"Certainly."

"Big words for such a little boy."

Kushina pushed herself up and started to use the blood soaking Minato to draw a desperate seal on her palm. Luckily, she wouldn't need to use it and I couldn't resist my own little amusement. "You seem to be laboring under the delusion that I'm going to, what was the phrase, come quietly? I can tell you this, I have no intention of going to Azkaban—"

"He's stalling," one of the Kiri nin snapped.

"Am I?" I grinned. Each of them had shadows pooling around their feet. I released my control over the Kyuubi's chakra. Sakumo leapt down and grabbed my wrist before I could run forward to kill the Raikage with Minato's fancy new kunai.

"I think peace negotiations would be more helpful at this point than revenge, Kichiro."

"Fine, Sensei," I snapped back and returned Minato's kunai. Sakumo kept a firm grip on my shoulder as if he thought I was going to attack anyways.

More than a few eyes widened at my address. Sakumo was probably expecting it and I got the feeling he liked being called 'sensei'. I made a note to call him sensei in front of any enemies if the sudden cautiousness they regarded me with was anything to go by. Then again, the White Fang was one of Konoha's more feared ninjas and if he was passing on his skill, there would probably soon be a second. Combine that with the fact I was a S-ranked combination of Tsunade and Sakumo in the making, with a nearly limitless chakra supply, I was sure that, if any of those assembled got word back to their home village, I would be immediately bumped up from a D-rank threat to a B-rank in the Bingo Books.

The Hokage himself stepped between me and the Raikage.

"Very clever, old monkey," the Raikage sneered. "But you can't force me to sign any treaties."

"No, but the Shodai Hokage's offer still stands."

Sakumo's hand tightened on my shoulder in surprise, while the Raikage's expression turned stony. No one else in the clearing seemed to understand the reference. When I figured it out, my eyes widened in surprise. Sakumo's grip tightened painfully as I opened my mouth to demand how in the nine circles of Hades the Hokage planned to fight and seal the Hachibi, at least without an Uzumaki Fūinjutsu master to help him.

"Uzumaki-kun, Hatake-san, my office. Genin, report to the hospital and stay there. Jōnin, I want all enemies taken to the holding cells in the interrogation department. Bring the Raikage to the basement. Kill them if they resist."

"Congratulations on becoming the first perfect Jinchuuriki," the Raikage said as Sakumo steered me away. "I'll be sure to keep my eye on you, Uzumaki."

I knew Kumo operated on a slightly different system than the rest of the hidden villages, but the Raikage's acknowledgment, even if it did have a thinly veiled threat behind it, was not something I expected. Then again, the Raikage probably had more experience with the power of the tailed beasts than any other living person at this point.

"Hokage-sama!" Kushina interrupted. She stood up, swaying slightly and holding her side where I had stabbed her. She wasn't going to be released from the hospital for a while, considering it could be several days before I'd be allowed to see her. She pressed several seal tags into the Hokage's hand and would have pitched sideways if he hadn't caught her.

"Right on time, thank you, Kushina-chan."

A smallish ANBU appeared at the Hokage's shoulder and gently pulled Kushina onto his back. When he bent down to pick up Minato, who was barely conscious, Sakumo continued to drag me away. Once we were out of sight and earshot, Sakumo slapped the back of my head.

"What was that for?" I demanded, swaying. The Hokage's order felt like it was still screwing with my balance.

"Principle."

"Hey, it all turned out just fine!"

"I couldn't care less. Your Genin sister getting abducted is one thing, but you? You're in for one hell of a training regime once this war is over." Sakumo swung me up onto his back. "We need to make two stops before we head to the Hokage tower."

"Go ahead."

The first stop was to an unfamiliar house in the middle of a small clan compound.

"This is your house, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Kichiro, meet my wife, Kaori," Sakumo introduced me to the woman running out of the front door. I recognized her as one of the first spectators in our spar earlier. "She's a Jōnin, so don't be getting any funny ideas about pranking my house." I noticed the blood splattered across the front of her vest indicating she had fought earlier. She was also limping, but didn't seem to be in any unbearable pain.

"Wait a minute—you're married?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"At least she's hot."

Sakumo dropped me on my ass for that little comment.

"You know, I've never seen anyone get you riled up like that, Sakumo," Kaori said after greeting him with a kiss.

"So, when's the baby coming?" I asked sarcastically.

"You're nine," Kaori deadpanned.

"So? I'm a medic."

She laughed. "I like your student, Sakumo. What took you so long to bring him around?"

"I never would have if I didn't have a choice. Did you get it?"

"Of course, I got it, what do you take me for?"

"Well, I handed it off for a reason."

"No, you were worried your student wouldn't go all out against anyone else he fought so you made a call." Kaori handed Sakumo something I couldn't quite see.

"Alright, what's going on?" I demanded, suspicious.

"Nothing, we have one more stop to make." Sakumo picked me up off the ground and pulled me onto his back again and took off. The second we landed outside my apartment, Fusō burst out of the door.

"Thank heavens you're alright! What about Minato and Kushina?" She asked worriedly.

"Is Nagato—" I began.

"He's fine."

"Minato and Kushina are headed to the hospital. They'll be perfectly fine."

"We're not here to catch up, Uzumaki-san. The hospital needs experienced assistants, and I'm sure you would like to go visit." Sakumo pulled out two scrolls. "The Hokage has formally requested that you and your husband offer your assistance there."

"What about Nagato?"

"The details can be worked out at a later date."

Fusō took the two scrolls. "Thank you, Hatake-san."

Sakumo nodded once and jumped away.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded when we landed outside the Hokage tower.

"Classified." I blinked and we were inside the Hokage's office.

The Hokage was already sitting behind his desk as Sakumo set me on my feet. I slumped into the nearest chair.

"Your arrogance almost ruined a trap a year in the making," the Hokage snapped at me. "Though I have to commend you for inadvertently bringing it to fruition in the process."

I felt like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath me. "What plan?" I snapped.

"Luring the Raikage here."

"What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What does the Raikage have to do with anything?"

The Hokage appeared annoyed.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, he didn't have clearance for any of the pertinent details and has no way to deduce the situation," Sakumo placated.

"Acknowledged. Kichiro-kun, approximately a year ago, Konoha received a report that the Hachibi had escaped from its host in Kumo. They needed a new host for the Bijū. We suspected they would target one of the remaining Uzumaki in Konoha. We wrongly assumed it would be you, considering you were older and stronger than your sister. A few months later, as you're aware, your sister was kidnapped through an intentional opening in the village defenses, which was why no one was alerted when you went after your sister."

My jaw clenched angrily.

"Knowing the character of the Raikage, we have made it somewhat of a priority to hold as many Kumo Jōnin prisoner as we are capable of. As of today, several dozen Jōnin have been captured. We have sent ransom offers, but until now, there has been no response. We were aware that Kumo was planning a rescue mission of some kind, considering the number of captured became a ridiculous percentage of their fighting force."

The percentage was probably only in the single-digits but to even possess one percent of an opposing country's Jōnin force was unheard of.

"The Raikage puts his shinobi before himself and it was only reasonable that he would personally lead a rescue force. For the past week-and-a-half, we have suspected that he may be in the area, but we had no possible way to draw him out. At the same time, we were alerted that a combination of Suna and Kiri forces were preparing to attack. With that information, I ordered Sakumo to lure them to the edge of the village, by purposely dropping hints to the Suna nin tailing him."

"So that's why you were explaining a war strategy to me in the middle of an unsecured training ground."

"The entire conversation was scripted," the Hokage assured me. "We cancelled the Chuunin Exams and put out word of a spar, coded so that Konoha shinobi would know the basics of the plan and would play along. Sakumo began the spar with you and we waited."

"That was why I told you no Ninjutsu," Sakumo explained.

"When you pulled out the Kyuubi's power, you unveiled a dangerous Iwa operative, which nearly made the entire plan fall apart. Fortunately for everyone, except perhaps you, her Genjutsu affected everyone no matter the village. During the ensuing confusion, you were kidnapped by Suna. At that point, I feared the entire plan had fallen apart, until you drew on the Kyuubi's power while surrounded. After that, it was a simple task to rout the Suna-Kiri invasion and send out a capture force. Your confidence had us worried the Raikage would catch on to our ruse. Fortunately, he didn't, and everyone, excepting a few Kiri nin, lived to tell the tale."

In my opinion, Konoha just got incredibly lucky the half-assed plan actually worked.