3 A Sad Life

Naruto, meanwhile, continued to attend the academy with his classmates. They grew stronger every day, training and learning together. Naruto was happy to have friends who cared for him, but he was always aware of the dangers that lurked around every corner.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji had all been placed in the same class at the academy. It was there that they began to grow stronger, both as individuals and as a team. The teachers were impressed with their progress, especially Naruto's. His transformation from a brash and careless brat to a focused and dedicated student was a testament to his determination.

Sasuke and Naruto's relationship was a complex one. They were rivals, but they were also close friends. They both had a drive to be the best and were constantly pushing each other to reach their goals. Sakura, who had a crush on Sasuke, often found herself caught in the middle of their rivalries, but she was also grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were all part of Naruto's team, and they grew together as they trained and fought in battles together. They all had their own unique skills and strengths, which they honed and improved on in the academy. Hinata's gentle spirit and kindness were matched by her incredible Byakugan, which allowed her to see through anything and everything. Kiba was a fierce warrior with his trusty dog, Akamaru, by his side. Shino's intellect and intelligence were matched only by his powerful insects, which he could control and use in battle. Shikamaru was known for his strategic mind and his ability to solve problems quickly. Ino was a skilled medic and had a quick wit, while Choji was a powerful ninja with a heart of gold.

Despite their successes, Uchiha Horyu was struggling in the academy. He wasn't as talented as the others and his parents, who were Chunin when they died, didn't have much time to teach him before their passing. He was constantly compared to his clan members, who were all talented and powerful, and he was losing confidence with each passing day. His clan members were constantly mocking him and belittling him, and he was finding it difficult to keep up with the others. 

As the weeks went by, Naruto and the rest of his classmates grew stronger in their skills and abilities. They trained hard every day and pushed themselves to their limits. They were all determined to become great ninjas, just like their parents before them.

They were getting closer, although they still had rivalries and arguments with each other. Naruto was happy to have the support and confidence of his parents, and a good relationship with everyone in his class. All except for Horyu.

They were all clan heirs, except for Sakura who shone with her keen intellect and good nature. They were all like life-long friends, and it seemed as if they had no place for Horyu in their group.

Even Sasuke, his clan mate, ignored him and during spars, he would beat him down mercilessly. Only Shino, Naruto and Hinata showed concern for Horyu, but they didn't know how to fix the situation. They had something good going on between the nine of them and they didn't want to add another person to the mix.

One day, after a training session, Naruto approached Hinata and brought up the subject of Horyu. "Do you think we should do something about Horyu?" Naruto asked.

"I noticed too but I don't know if the group would accept him." Hinata replied.

"I mean, he's struggling and no one is helping him. We should at least try to be his friend," Naruto said.

"I agree," Hinata said. "But what can we do? The others don't seem to want to talk to him."

"Well, we can start by inviting him to join us for lunch," Naruto suggested.

"That's a good idea," Hinata said, smiling. "I'll talk to him."

The next day, Hinata approached Horyu and invited him to join them for lunch. Horyu was surprised, but grateful for the invitation. He had felt isolated and left out, and he was happy to finally have some friends.

During lunch, Naruto and Hinata made sure to include Horyu in the conversation and made an effort to get to know him. They found out that he was actually a nice guy and was interested in learning more about ninjutsu. They also discovered that he was a skilled artist and enjoyed drawing.

As the lunch continued, Naruto, Hinata, and Horyu were having a good time, but things started to change when Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino joined the table. Horyu was intimidated by Sasuke's presence and felt uncomfortable, but Naruto and Hinata tried to make him feel at ease.

However, Sasuke made it clear that he didn't like Horyu and started to insult him. "You're such a weak and clumsy ninja, Horyu. How did you even get into the academy?" Sasuke sneered.

Sakura joined in, comparing Horyu to other Uchiha members and belittling his abilities. Horyu was hurt by their words and felt embarrassed. He couldn't understand why they were treating him this way.

Naruto stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey, Sasuke, that's not cool. Horyu is our friend and we should be treating him with respect."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Please, Naruto. He's just a weakling. He doesn't deserve our respect."

Hinata also spoke up, "Sasuke, that's not right. We should be helping him, not putting him down."

Sakura continued to join in, trying to make themselves look better by belittling Horyu. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji also sat there but they didn't say anything to defuse the situation. They weren't against the kid, but he was just untalented and would never become a shinobi. There was no point in helping him.

Horyu was devastated. He had finally found some friends and now they were all laughing at him. He couldn't take it anymore and ran out of the room in tears.

Naruto and Hinata were disappointed in their friends' behavior but they didn't want to hurt Horyu's pride by pitying him. Thus they just let it go.

********

The moon was high in the sky, shining its silver light on the small village of Konoha. It was a peaceful night, with nothing but the sound of crickets chirping in the background. While sleeping peacefully, Kushina was suddenly alerted by Kurama in her mindscape.

"Red Devil, wake up." His hoarse voice reverberated in her mind.

"What do you want, you shitty fox. Why do you wake me up in the middle of the night?" Kushina grumbled.

"Your husband is under strong Genjutsu." Kyuubi snarled in schadenfreude then his voice turned apprehensive, "It is stronger than anything I had seen so far."

"Are you certain?" Kushina asked without moving a muscle. Although they weren't always seeing eye to eye, Kyuubi and Kushina both knew each other for decades now. Kurama wouldn't make such a joke and couldn't make a mistake.

"Be careful, crazy bitch." Kurama closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Kushina started to think who could do such a thing but came out without any clue. 'Probably Danzo. Only he is evil and strong enough to do such a thing, but how can he use a Genjutsu strong enough to even make Kurama afraid. Only Madara had such abilities. Madara? Uchiha… It must be Sharingan.

I need to find more clues.'

Kushina, who had been alerted by Kurama, Kyuubi, that Minato was under a strong Genjutsu, realized that she had to act fast. She didn't want to alert the enemy, but she had to save her husband and the father of her children. Without doing anything that night, she kept on living as if everything was normal but in the meantime she started to read scrolls that had been saved from her clan and left by Uzumaki Mito. In one scroll, she found a unique Uzumaki Method of breaking out of Genjutsu. Her search lasted for more than six months.

"I can't believe Adamantine Sealing Chains have such a function." Kushina mumbled in shock.

"Hmmph, how do you think you can suppress a tailed beast if it didn't have a chakra suppression effect?" Kurama snorted, "It can suppress all the chakra of the target, it means it can also disturb the chakra in the target's body that causes Genjutsu. It can free any person from Genjutsu."

"This is it. Let's free Minato." Kushina rushed towards the bedroom where Minato was.

In the months Kushina was searching for a way to free Minato, Shisui's spies, who were now all around Konoha, caught something suspicious. Kushina was acting strange lately and was reading lots of scrolls. 

In the meantime, Minato also declared that he would leave his seat for Uchiha Shisui, who was brave and strong with the heart of gold. Although the village didn't know how to react, the elder council and two Hokage were supporting the decision, so they couldn't do anything against them.

Despite the opposition of many other clan heads, Shisui took the hat and started to change many things in the village while Kushina was busy trying to figure out a way to free Minato. Although he knew Minato was acting against his will, she couldn't do anything about it. If she were to tell others, her children would be in danger. But now… now she had a way. She finally could save Minato and if Minato was free, everything would be alright. 

"Fugaku, what are you doing with my son?" Kushina asked in shock as she barged into the room. She saw a man standing in the room with sleeping Hirato in his arms. "Minato, what is going on?"

As she entered the room, she was met by Fugaku Uchiha, the former patriarch of the Uchiha Clan and the father of the new patriarch, Itachi. He had come to eliminate the traitors of the village, Kushina and Minato. 

"Fugaku is here to visit us, honey. Everything is fine. Where are Naruto and Himawari?" Minato said with his usual, kind smile. Luckily, Naruto and Himawari weren't at home.

"Kushina, sorry but you poked the hornet's nest." Fugaku said as he raised a Kunai. Kushina, in reflex, dashed forward while Adamantine Sealing Chains left her body. Half went to Hirato and saved him from approaching Kunai while the other half went to Minato. The Yellow Flash showed why he was known as so and appeared behind Kushina. His palm hit Kushina on the back and in the next second, Kurama with his full glory appeared out of nowhere.

"NO!" Kushina yelled as she yanked Hirato away from the now ruined house. Fugaku's eyes changed and Mangekyo Sharingan appeared. Kurama lost his will against these cursed eyes, and started to act rampantly, in the meantime Kushina caught Minato with Adamantine Sealing Chains and freed him from Shisui's control.

"What? I-..." 

"Stop mumbling and help," Kushina pleaded weakly. Freeing Bijuu from her took a toll on her.

Minato and Kushina quickly gathered their weapons to confront Fugaku. They were determined to protect their village and their children, Naruto, Hirato, and Himawari.

As the Namikaze estate was at the outskirts of the village, they weren't close to the village but other shinobi in the village could see the massive form of Kyuubi looming in the distance. What they couldn't see was Fugaku standing triumphantly on its back with many Uchiha Elite around the beast. Minato and Kushina stood ready, their weapons at the ready, as they prepared to face their toughest challenge yet.

Fugaku laughed, "So, you freed him from your control? Do you really think you can defeat me and the Kyuubi?"

Minato and Kushina exchanged a determined look, then sprang into action. Minato used the Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport behind Fugaku, while Kushina used her powerful chakra chains to ensnare Kyuubi and attack other Uchiha Elite.

Fugaku was caught off guard by Minato's sudden attack, but quickly regained his composure. He unleashed a barrage of fireballs at Minato, who deftly dodged and countered with his own Rasengan.

Kushina was holding her own against Kyuubi, her chakra chains wrapping tightly around the beast. But Kyuubi was incredibly powerful, and the chains were slowly being worn down by its immense strength. He was also under Fugaku's control and had no idea of his actions. Other Uchiha Elites were also pushing Kushina back and made her use even more chakra in her weakened state.

Fugaku, seeing that his hold on Kyuubi was in danger, decided to take a more direct approach. He unsheathed his sword and charged at Minato, who quickly responded with a special kunai of his own. The two clashed, their weapons ringing out in the night air.

Kushina was being pushed to her limits, but she refused to give up. She summoned all her strength and summoned a massive wind attack, which she directed at Kyuubi. The wind hit the beast with a resounding explosion, sending Kyuubi reeling backwards. Then she attacked other Uchiha Elites.

Fugaku, seeing that his control over Kyuubi was slipping, decided to make a desperate gambit. He charged at Minato with Susanoo while both of her eyes were bleeding. Fugaku's Susanoo was a formidable and powerful entity, characterized by its imposing stature and overwhelming chakra. The armor of the Susanoo was made of a dark, metallic looking material, with intricate patterns and sharp edges that gave it a menacing appearance. The eyes of the Susanoo were blazing red, with an intensity that burns with the power of a thousand suns, and its body is adorned with intricate markings that symbolize its mastery over the elemental forces of nature.

The first attack of the mighty Susanoo pierced Minato's stomach and left a gruesome hole in its place. Minato, sensing the danger, summoned a barrier of chakra to protect himself from the second. But Fugaku was too quick, and he was about to plunge the knife into Minato's chest but wild red hairs appeared in front of Minato at last second and took the knife in the chest for him. 

"No! No!" Minato begged, "Why?"

"I am already too weak because of the removal of Bijuu. I don't know if I can keep living." Kushina smiled while blood trickled out of her mouth.

"I am injured too. Who will look after our children?" Minato cried. 

"You will live." Kushina said with an angry tone and unleashed her chakra without holding anything back.She was filled with a rage that she had never felt before, and she summoned all her power, sending a massive chakra blast at Fugaku.

The blast hit Fugaku's Susanoo with tremendous force, sending him flying backwards. When the dust settled, he was lying motionless on the ground, but uninjured. This attack also saved Kurama from his control. 

Kushina was dying in Minato's arms, her life fading away. But she had one last request for him.

"Minato, my love," he whispered, "promise me that you will protect our children. Teach them to be strong and brave, just like their parents."

Minato nodded, tears streaming down his face, "I promise, Kushina. I will protect them with my life."

Kushina smiled, then closed her eyes for the final time.

Minato's heart was heavy with grief as he cradled the lifeless body of his wife, Kushina. He couldn't believe that she was gone, that he had lost the love of his life. He let out a loud wail of pain that echoed through the village. But he knew that he couldn't stay here for long. He had to protect his children, Naruto, Hirato and Himawari, from the danger that still loomed over them. He looked around and found Naruto and Himawari dashing towards them. He then searched for Hirato, but couldn't find him anywhere. Even the seal he left on his body had disappeared.

He quickly got up and teleported away with Naruto, Himawari and Kurama, and Kushina's lifeless body. Minato's life was seeping away from him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He had promised Kushina that he would take care of their children and he was determined to fulfill that promise, at least in a sense.

Naruto and Himawari were crying their eyes out. When they saw the giant fox from afar, they rushed home to see if their mother was okay, but she was lying dead in their father's embrace. Minato was injured too. Naruto hugged Himawari and tried to stand strong but his gentle shooks proved that he was crying too.

"Naruto, Himawari," Minato said, his voice trembling with emotion, "I have to do something important for both of you. I have to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox, within you."

Naruto and Himawari looked at their father with wide eyes, not understanding what he was saying. Minato smiled at them, but it was a sad smile.

"Existence of Kyuubi is dangerous and if it is left alone, it can bring devastation to the world. All the nations will come after it and battles will take millions of lives. I have to separate Kyuubi into two parts and seal Yang into you, Naruto, and Yin into you, Himawari."

Naruto and Himawari looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear. They didn't want to have the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of them, they were just children. But they could see the determination in their father's eyes and they knew that he was doing this to protect them.

"But why do you have to do this, Father?" Naruto asked, his voice trembling. This day was hectic, one second he was playing with his sister, the next, his mother was dead and his father was dying."

"Because I love you both and I want to protect you," Minato replied, tears streaming down his face, "And there is something else you need to know. There is an Uchiha named Shusui who has a dangerous Genjutsu that can control people against their wills. The only way to escape it is by using the Adamantine Sealing Chains. You both have Uzumaki blood, so train and learn this Jutsu."

Naruto and Himawari nodded, understanding the importance of what their father was saying. They watched as Minato quickly performed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, separating Kurama into two parts and sealing Yang into Naruto and Yin into Himawari.

"I'm so proud of both of you and Hirato too," Minato said, his voice becoming weaker, "Remember, I love you, and your mother and I will always be with you. Find your brother and live happily. Village, clans, Shinobi… Nothing is more important than your life. Live happily and find a home."

And with those final words, Minato closed his eyes and passed away, leaving Naruto and Himawari alone in the world. They cried for their father and mother, but they also knew that they had to be strong for each other. They held each other tightly, comforting each other as they faced the uncertain future that lay ahead of them.

Naruto grabbed a pair of scrolls and sealed the bodies of his parents to keep them safe. He didn't know why but he just didn't want them to rot in earth. He wanted to keep them close to his heart.

After crying for a few hours and praying for their parents, both children started to walk away in a random direction. Luckily, on their way to the random destination, they were found by three people who empathize with their tragic stories and accepted them as their siblings. After all, not only did the duo have the same clan name as one of the three, they were also connected by the same master. 

*******

At the same time in the village, Fugaku Uchiha was hailed as a hero. Kushina Uzumaki, the traitor that wanted to destroy the village was stopped by the former head of Uchiha Clan and after an arduous battle, Kyuubi was sent away and Kushina was killed.

If it wasn't for Uchiha Clan and Fugaku, the village would be razed to the ground and many lives would be lost. Fugaku, who was now 'seriously injured' was honored as a hero, and Uchiha Clan gained immense glory. 

Uchiha Shusui, the new Hokage declared that Uzumaki Kushina, Minato Namikaze, Naruto Namikaze, Himawari Namikaze and Hirato Namikaze, thereby were traitors and missing-nin.

While all these were happening, no one was aware that at some corner of Uchiha Compound, a trivial character was burning with fever. He had no relatives nor any friends. And not long after, he died, while cursing at his fate. He died alone with no one to hold his hand because of something as simple as fever. Uchiha Horyu died, pitifully while crying.