Chapter Text
With the wave of a hand, the seals placed upon the damp wooden walls fluttered in the windless night. Surprisingly, the thin piece of paper remained sticking to the wall even with the obvious disturbance.
"Naruto, pay attention. This is very important."
The 14-year-old blonde haired boy groaned with an eye roll as he leaned against the tree next to him in a nonchalant manner. "Fine, I'm listening."
Minato held back the sigh he was about to heave, turning towards his teenage son. Rebellious teenage age, really, puberty, yada yada.... This was possibly the most tiring stage of fatherhood. But how could Minato ever blame him?
It was valid for Naruto to not want to participate in his 'creepy magic voodoo sh*t', in the 14-year-old's words. Rituals like these weren't very common at all in these modern days. Some might even call these rituals fake, even though they were as real as their own existence. It wasn't too welcomed, and Minato felt bad about the fact that Naruto might've been made fun of at school because of his heritage.
However, this 'creepy magic voodoo sh*t' was very important in their family's history. For years, it has been passed down from generation to generation. Each brush stroke connected souls and universes. To hear, see, feel the spiritual energy around them. To erase regrets of the past and lingering souls. To fulfill wishes, to bring about happiness and to keep the peace and balance between universes.
That was the job of the Namikaze family. They were well known in their small village for that, and Minato made a name for himself around the area with how he was able to see the souls of the dead. It would be a shame if Naruto didn't continue this legacy, but that was a decision for the boy to make.
"This, Naruto, is one of the most ancient seals passed down throughout our family. It connects the universes around ours, and opens a gateway to it. It is rarely needed, maybe about once every sixty years. It is usually used to guide foreign souls back to their own worlds," Minato explained.
"How do they even get into our world in the first place?" Naruto questioned, twirling the brush in his hand.
"Well, even though it's supposed to be extremely rare, it's been happening more and more during recent years. I suspect there's a hole in the barriers, which'll take a long time to find and more time to fix. That's why I'm teaching you about these at your current age. We're going to need more people in on this if we don't want chaos in our world," Minato gave his son an encouraging smile to which the boy squirmed uncomfortably at. "You're gonna save the world, just like you'd been saying when you were 6!"
"Dad, please..." Naruto groaned, burying his face in his hands. The cringe was getting to him, but his dad's laughter from the small distance between them tugged his lips upward into a small smile.
"Alright, let's use the seal you made yesterday! How do you feel about your first activated seal?"
Who cares if it was embarrassing? He was in no place to complain about the love his dad has given him. He knew how much his dad struggled behind his back, and the workload that he has forced upon himself for the sake of the village. "It's...nice..?"
"Of course it is. You're my son, after all. And guess what your dad is? A seal genius!"
Naruto laughed lightly, fingers pressed against each other. His heart was beating so fast. This was it. This would be his first step to helping his dad with his creepy magic voodoo sh*t. It would be his first step into the spiritual world.
He lifted his head up as the wind started picking up. The barrier was tearing open throughout the chaos and rapidly flying leaves. In the middle of it all, stood Minato, Naruto's seal in hand. With just one glance at him, Naruto knew.
Something was wrong.
Minato didn't wear the usual smile on his face. Or at least he tried, but anyone could clearly see the alarm in his eyes. Something like this wasn't supposed to happen. "Naruto...? I think you should stay a bit further away, yeah? Don't worry, it'll be over in a bit."
Not once in his whole life, has Minato told him to not worry in the middle of a ritual. And what does that mean to Naruto? It meant Naruto had big, big things to worry about. "D-Dad...!"
"Don't get...any closer..! Please, Naruto.."
Naruto's eyes could only widen at the look in his dad's eyes. The usual cheerfulness, brightness was gone, replaced with anxious, concerned, pleading yet somewhat comforting eyes. He could watch no longer as his vision blurred with tears threatening to spill. "Why are you looking at me like that? Dad?!"
With struggle, Minato pulled out another sheet of paper from his pocket, making quick writing on it before grasping it within his palm. "Naruto. I need you to go check the box underneath my bedroom drawer right now. Bring me whatever's in there, quick!"
With furrowed brows, Naruto nodded aggressively through his tears as he darted away from the shrine in the middle of the woods. Minato inhaled sharply, a smile on his face. His tears were carried along the wind as the small tornado around him intensified in its spinning.
"I found the barrier's hole, Naruto, so it'll be alright now. Please..stay safe....." Minato held the seal his son drew against his chest as he let out shaky breaths. "I'm so sorry..."
"I love you."
It took about ten minutes for Naruto to get back to the shrine, with many looks of concern as he ran through the streets faster than he ever did. As he reached the top of the stairs to the absence of the previous wind current, his heart dropped at the sight of the empty compound.
"Dad...?"
"I..I brought the box," He pulled out the small box from his pocket, eyes looking around the empty shrine. He waited for a response, but received none. With little hope left in him, he opened the box, picking up the folded paper within it. He sucked in a deep breath at the paragraphs, knowing it's obviously not a seal. 'It's not. It can't be.'
-Dear Naruto,
I don't know how long it will have been since I wrote this. I sure hope you didn't find this at the wrong time. But right now, it's a lovely Tuesday morning and I've just sent you to your kindergarten. Also, happy birthday to today's you!
I made a promise to myself that I would start doing more dangerous rituals again once you reach the age of 6. I didn't want to take risks with you still being so young, but I can't drag it out for too long. The village won't be safe. So I'm truly, deeply sorry that you are reading this right now. I want to you to know that I love-
"Bullsh*t!" Naruto threw the letter to the ground with tearful eyes. He picked it up, crumpling it before tossing it to a faraway corner as he sobbed into his hands. "What are you getting at? It's not a will... it's not...."
"Dad..."
A pair of blue eyes fluttered open with furrowed eyebrows, skin stained with blood. The bright sunlight pierced his eyes. On instinct, he moved his hand to shield himself from the brightness, taking a moment for his mind to be fully clear.
He sat up with a pained groan and coughs, wincing at the loud pops of his spine as he stretched and the dryness of his throat. How long had he been out for? He gave his neck a good crack before moving to his fingers. Just as he was invested in giving all his joints a good juicy pop, a voice interrupted his peace.
"You...."
His head snapped towards the direction of the voice, where his eyes met those of a man with white hair standing on the top of a tree branch. How did he balance like that? It's amazing, if he were to say so himself. But that face sure looked familiar...it reminded him of....
"....Kakashi..?"
