The Senju Guardian [Slow Updates]

| Chapter 10 |

It's been a while since Minato passed his genin team, Kakashi didn't seem to change his attitude a single bit, and he was obviously getting on Obito's nerve, who had a habit of arriving late. The Chunin exams were here and they all passed. Tobirama spent most of his time with Minato and Kushina and sometimes, of course, with Hiruzen. He had been saddened at the death of Obito after he sacrificed himself for his team, forever changing Kakashi, who after the loss of Rin changed even more. He became an ANBU, and served under Minato who, much to Tobirama's delight, became the Yondaime Hokage. He was very proud of the boy, and also very gleeful because today was the day he decided to tell both him and Kushina. After Hiruzen called the both of them into the Hokage office, in which Minato wasn't at the time, he activated the privacy seals after sending the ANBU away. Minato raised an eyebrow while Kushina looked at the both f them confused. "What is it that you wished to speak with us about Sandaime-sama?" Asked the ever polite Minato, Hiruzen grinned slightly before gesturing towards the large cat. "Kushina I am sure you are aware about when Tobirama here first showed up, am I correct?" He asked the redhead. "Yes of course, after the death of the Nidaime, I was told that he was a summon that Mito-obaasan named after him. Why do you ask?" She raised a curious eyebrow and Tobirama fought hard to keep a grin off his face. "That's only the half truth actually" Hiruzen smirked at their surprised faces. "He indeed showed up like this after my sensei's death, but the rest is only partly true." He continued. Their faces held confusion and Minato looked to be thinking hard about what was just said, a minute later his eyes widen as he realized what he meant. "Hold on are you telling me that..." He just pointed at Tobirama and Hiruzen smirked nodding before Minato's eyes took the form of large dinner plates and his jaw dropped to the floor. Kushina just stood there confused as Tobirama grinned at the shocked blond, trying hard to keep in his chuckles as Minato gaped like a fish. "What? What do you mean by that?" She asked confused, Tobirama could almost see the question marks floating around her. Minato picked his jaw up and turned to his dearest wife. "Kushina-chan...what he meant to say was......that you have been carrying the second Hokage around like a teddybear." He grinned slightly before getting his head soaked with a small suiton, he looked at Tobirama unimpressed, said feline just shrugged with a small grin. Kushina stood there for a while, progressing what was said.

3

2

1

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Tobirama had luckily covered his sensitive ears just in time. And uncovered them when she closed her mouth. Kushina then looked at him, pointed an accusing finger and screeched. "HOW IN THE HELL ARE YOU A CAT?!" The three men all winced at her tone and Tobirama suddenly remembered that she indeed is an Uzumaki, he huffed and looked at Hiruzen who sighted and explained everything to them.

"So a jutsu you created did this?" Minato asked and Tobirama nodded. "And the theory about having the '9 lives' is pretty rational with what had happened. Hmm..." Minato looked to be in his 'thinking mode' and then he suddenly had that stupid face Hashirama had every time he teased someone. "So the great Second Hokage, eating from a cat bowl."

He deserved that water whip in the face.

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"MINATO I AM GOING TO KILL YOU" yelled Kushina who was currently giving birth to her very first child, Minato winced as she squeezed the life out of his hand but said nothing but soothing words. "It's alright Kushina, just a moment longer." Kushina went to yell at him again and Tobirama braced for the noise as he set by Minato but a sudden cry stopped all of them in whatever they were doing. Kushina looked at Biwako, Hiruzen's wife, and saw the buddle in her arms, said buddle was handed to her and she and Minato looked at their child, their son.

Kushina had tears in her eyes, same about Minato, as they looked at the baby with tan skin, sunshine blond hair and three whisker marks on each cheek, the baby then opened its eyes to reveal Azure blue orbs. The little baby stopped its cries at the sight of his parents. "My little Naru-chan" Kushina cooed at her baby and Minato wiped the tears out of his eyes. Tobirama laid a paw on his tight and smiled at him proudly, Minato grinning in return. They returned the baby to Biwako who went to clean little Naruto up. Naruto. An interesting name. Either meaning fishcake or whirlpool. A perfect name for both an Uzumaki and Kushina's child. Tobirama suddenly stiffened up as he felt a presence oddly familiar. He just simply couldn't place the person. He looked towards Biwako as they all heard a 'thud' revealing her dead in a pool of blood and a man in a white mask with strange flame-like marks and a single eyehole. Tobirama growled at the man holding what he takes like his own grandson, or maybe grandnephew. "Step away from the Jinchuuriki." The man said, Minato put his hands up and Tobirama moved closer to stand exactly between him and Kushina. "Alright, just calm down ok?" he said. "I am calm." The man replied. Then everything happened so fast. A flash of movement, jumping out, explosion and Minato was holding a crying Naruto as close to himself as possible. Minato looked at Tobirama and without words the ex-Hokage jumped onto his shoulder and with a flash of yellow they were inside Minato's and Kushina's house. Naruto was then placed in a crib that was in the room and Minato turned towards him. "Could you please look after him while I go get Kushina?" Tobirama nodded at the young Hokage and laid down beside the little baby, letting out a purr to calm the child down. Minato smiled sadly as he watched the ex-Hokage and his friend sooth his child back to sleep and with a kiss to Naruto's forehead and a nod to Tobirama he flashed back to the clearing in search of Kushina. It wasn't long after he left and Tobirama felt the monstrous chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune once again. Soon Minato showed up again with Kushina in his arms and laid her down beside Naruto. She took her little baby in her arms and continued to rest with Tobirama watching over them. Minato disappeared once again, and after a while Minato returned with a solemn look on his face. Tobirama fought to hide his own dread. They had to seal the fox away, but... Naruto had to be the new Jinchuuriki.

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Not that long after that he found himself standing horrified as he watched Minato seal the Kyuubi inside of Naruto with Kushina's help, said beast's claw was now impaled in both Kushina and Minato's chests. The Kyuubi soon disappeared and he finally got his legs to move. He watched as they both fell to the ground, something shifted and he found himself running on two legs, kneeling by the two. Kushina looked up, surprise evident on her dying face. She cracked a small smile. "What's the change for?" He held her in his arms. "Don't talk." God he hasn't used his voice in so long, it was raspy but he didn't care at the moment. Minato stirred and Tobirama laid both of them on his knees. "We won't make it and you know it...oji-san." Tobirama felt a lone tear trace his cheek at the nickname she gave him. "She is right..." Minato rasped out with a sad smile, seeing his idol, his friend, his family. "Promise us something...please." He nodded listening solemnly. "T-take care of N-Naruto for us....d-don't let him be a-alone." Minato said his last wishes to the Nidaime. "Of course I will, stupid." He smiled down at him sadly as the blond chuckled. "Thanks you, I know you will." With that, the light in his eyes went out with a final breath, Tobirama forced himself not to cry as he looked at Kushina. "I'll say hello to Mito-oba and Hashirama-sama for you, ok?" she died with a small smile. Tobirama hung his head down, clutching them to his chest as he grit his teeth and willed not to let any tears escape. Only to fail. Hiruzen came to the scene, alone, and was shocked to see his sensei, who was supposed to be a cat, holding the dead bodies of the ones he called family. Tobirama looked up at him and shook his head, tears staining his cheeks. He placed the two down next to each other and then looked at his hands as they glowed white, giving a small smile to Hiruzen before he felt himself shrink. He checked himself over, fur, tail, paws and claws. Yop he was a cat again. He then stiffened up as he heard a small cry, quickly walking over to the small baby with a seal on its stomach. Hiruzen looked at the blond child who was now wrapped in a blanket and said blanked was safely tucked in his sensei's mouth. Holding the small child securely, Tobirama walked up to his old student with a solemn look. It was like Hashirama all over again, this time however, he is much more opened up to his emotions. He looked up at Hiruzen as an ANBU with a dog mask arrived. The short ANBU looked at the dead bodies of his sensei and wife then at the child in Tobirama's hold. "Let it out gaki, don't bottle it in." Kakashi heard a raspy voice inside his head and noticed Tobirama looking straight at him. With a single sob, he fell to his knees, crying his eyes out.