“Then we will take our leave,” Minato said.
He had laid out the tactical reality.
Now, the burden of decision rested on the Third Hokage.
But as Minato turned toward the oak doors, his mind hardened.
If Hiruzen lacked the stomach to eliminate Danzo, Minato would execute the Root commander the moment he took the hat.
He would not allow a single parasite to jeopardize the peace his son had burned his soul to buy.
A cold, lethal killing intent momentarily darkened Minato’s blue eyes before he stepped out of the office.
Minato and Shikaku parted ways outside the Hokage Tower.
Minato navigated the familiar streets of Konoha, his boots carrying him toward his detached, two-story home.
He climbed the outdoor wooden staircase leading to the second-floor entrance.
The wood creaked under his weight, anchoring him to the surreal reality of the day.
A heavy sense of déjà vu washed over him.
In the span of a few hours, he had learned his own student would murder him and his wife.
He had learned his unborn son would become the savior of the shinobi world.
And he had learned of god-level threats: the Otsutsuki, Madara Uchiha, the Sage of Six Paths.
Minato paused on the landing, staring at his front door.
He realized he had grown dangerously complacent.
He had mastered the Flying Thunder God, conceptualized the Rasengan, and studied the Reaper Death Seal.
He had believed his current arsenal was sufficient to protect his family.
But against the apocalyptic threats looming in the future timeline, his speed and jutsu were pitifully inadequate.
If he encountered a celestial being, he couldn’t even guarantee his own escape, let alone shield his wife.
He needed to break past his bottleneck.
He needed absolute power.
Minato suppressed the crushing weight of his tactical inadequacies and reached for his keys.
But before his fingers could brush the metal in his pouch, the door violently swung open.
Kushina Uzumaki barreled out of the hallway.
She threw her arms around Minato’s neck, nearly knocking him off balance.
“Minato!
Do you know what?
I’m pregnant!
I’m going to be a mother!
The medic-nin said I’m over two months along!” Her violet eyes sparked with overwhelming, frantic excitement.
Minato froze.
“Pregnant?
Truly?
Are you really pregnant?”
Kushina couldn’t even form words; she just nodded frantically, her bright red hair bouncing around her shoulders.
Minato’s chest heaved.
The sheer, overwhelming relief and love completely shattered his shinobi composure.
Hot tears spilled over his eyelashes, tracking rapidly down his cheeks.
Kushina blinked in surprise.
She reached up with her right hand, her thumb gently swiping away the moisture.
“Honestly, you’re a grown Jonin, why are you crying?” she teased, though her own voice wavered.
“It’s not good for the baby to see its father blubbering like this!” She rested her left hand over her flat stomach.
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?
What should we name the baby?”
Minato didn’t hesitate.
“He is a boy.
And his name is Naruto Uzumaki.”
Kushina tilted her head, a happy but confused pout forming on her lips.
“Seriously?
You decided that fast?
What if it’s a girl?
And besides, even if it is a boy, shouldn’t he take your family name?
Namikaze Naruto?”
“No,” Minato said, his voice entirely firm, carrying an absolute certainty that brokered no argument.
“His name will be Naruto Uzumaki.”
He remembered the white void.
He remembered the promise he made to the fading ashes of the Seventh Hokage.
His firstborn would only ever bear that name.
Minato stared down at Kushina’s stomach.
An agonizing wave of debt washed over him.
In the erased future, Naruto had grown up completely alone.
He had fought for every scrap of acknowledgment.
He had shouldered the crushing burdens left behind by Jiraiya, Itachi, Pain, and Obito.
He had broken the cycle of hatred, dragged Sasuke back to the light, and bled on the front lines against alien gods until his very soul burned to ash.
His son’s entire existence had been defined by relentless sacrifice and war.
Minato reached out, placing his hand gently over Kushina’s on her stomach.
“In this life, it is our turn to sacrifice for you,” he whispered fiercely.
Kushina’s brow furrowed.
The sheer gravity in Minato’s voice sent a ripple of confusion through her.
She searched his face.
“Minato?
What are you talking about?”
Minato offered a gentle, exhausted smile.
He guided her gently toward the threshold.
“Let’s go inside, Kushina.
I need to tell you everything that happened today.”
A quick note on the timeline logic here: Naruto’s official birthday is October 10th.
Most of the Konoha 12 are actually older than him, except for Hinata, who was born in late December.
Working backwards from the war timeline, it means Kushina has to be a little over two months pregnant right now!
And since she’s an Uzumaki (and famously a bit oblivious sometimes!), it makes total sense that she’s only just figuring it out now.
Let me know what you think of the chapter.