A Hero's Fate | Naruto FanFiction

A Hero's Fate - To Become A Father

The Fourth Hokage of Konoha leaned on the railings on the rooftop of the Namikaze Compound, a faraway look decoration his face as he began pondering over his mistakes; as a person, a Hokage, a husband, a student and most of all. . .as a father.

To be a father, he knew how shocked he was when he heard about Kushina's pregnancy for their children. He had been ecstatic, blabbing about it every second to his best friends—Fugaku had given him a tired yet amused look whilst Hiashi sighed and rubbed his temples as if he had a migraine—and even then, he could explain how much joy he had experienced that day.

Sure, Kushina was pretty scary, having random mood swings every now and then and craving for foods that do not go along with each other, but he cherished every moment of it. The feeling only increased as he felt a kick when he placed his hand on Kushina's stomach, a sign that their children already identified him as their father.

But all of that changed due to a single night. . .and the worst mistake he could've ever made.

When Kushina gave birth to Kato, he admired how much beautiful he was, as well as his second born, Naruto. He and Kushina debated over the names for a plenitude of times, but the news of having twins made an agreement between them, that Kushina will name one and Minato the other.

He loved the both of his children, they represented the love between him and Kushina. They represented the hope he had, and in some way, he felt attached to them quickly, just like any father would.

But just because of a masked man, he made the gravest mistake, sending off his second born child to the orphanage, leaving Naruto to fend for himself, alone and in an environment filled with hatred.

He couldn't explain how much worry he had when Kushina was in the masked man's clutches, and how much fear he had when the Kyūbi appeared in all its glory, underneath the control of the assaulter. He knew that a jinchūriki dies without his or her bijū, and the feeling of losing another precious person was too much for him to bear.

Simply to put it, he was afraid to lose another person, and with that, he hadn't realized that he had lost one in the process.

He focused his attention to Kato, in order to quench the twinge in his heart. His firstborn had grown into a young boy who will surely be a magnificent shinobi, and being the one who raised the said boy made him proud. He continued being the "perfect" father in everyone's eyes, but he knew that he had never been.

Because for his other, unknown child. . .

He watched from the sidelines, behind the shadows as his other son grew up. He watched as Naruto stood up for himself, doing and experiencing things no child and no one should have ever done. He watched as the boy learned lessons, lessons that were given to him earlier than the rest. He watched as Naruot grew up as a fine shinobi, better than his brother.

Yes, he only watched.

And it made him hate himself.

Despite being a prodigy, he was pretty clear with the fact that Naruto needed parents. He needed someone to guide him to the right path, to comfort and console him in his time of need, and to be a person that he could always depend on.

But even if he could be that person, he was too cowardly to be him. He was afraid that if he brought the blond into his care, into his house, Naruto would kill everyone he loved without a second thought. It was a stupid reason, he knew, but he could control his emotions like everyone expected him to.

And he despised that fear.

But somehow, in his heart, he knew that he was just following what he knew to do, due to his own childhood. . .

Despite most of the villagers' assumptions, he did not live a life full of luxury and relaxation. It was the opposite, and relatively the same towards his son's own.

When he was a baby, his mother abandoned him in the orphanage. It turned out that he was a product of rape, not love. He grew up believing that his mother nor his father loved him, as he neither knew their identities nor did they visit him once in a while.

As a child, he lived in the streets of Kirigakure after being thrown out of the orphanage - or more likely saved by the matrons as the Mizukage burned down the building - and had stealing as a way of survival. There he refined his reflexes and speed, as well as the ability to know danger as a sixth sense. It wasn't easy at all, the Mizukage back then was strict and did not even spare children in the laws and punishments he ordered.

Once, he was caught, and was tortured for it. He still had scars to prove it. But the Mizukage took note of his silence throughout the entire session, and let him go on one condition; join the Swordsmen.

He agreed, but in his mind, he planned his escape, and two weeks after, he left the village. He arrived in Konoha, tired and worn out, only to be found by one of the Sannin, the person he could consider his father.

Then he met Kushina, an orphan like him, but he just couldn't fathom how she stayed happy and upbeat all the time. He fell in love, and held the bond with Kushina as the strongest one he had. . .

But he never told anyone his story, because he knew no one will understand.

Yet, his son did. He experienced the same pain, the same suffering, and the same isolation. He felt ashamed to have another experience worse than what he had experienced, but he somehow felt happy at the same time, now that one could share his pain.

Slowly, Minato turned to look up in the sky, his emotions a jumbled mess. He never was ready to be a father, he could throw his emotions for the sake of his child. It was then when he realized. . .

To become a father was harder than one would have ever thought.

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