everyone could hear them and made them smile sadly. Minato didn't regret a single minute of having spent the last few days with his wife. Every single second was used to plan and initiate measures against Kyuubi.

The Sannin was reluctant to destroy the heartbreaking scene.“You sure want to see your son now, don't you, Minato?” Tsunade easily cherished the hope that Jiraiya hadn't used her manufactured drug. But only moments later she was disappointed.

"Mh .. you are right. The seal cannot be delayed," he replied quickly. The Namikaze ran his finger one last time over the Uzumaki's cheek, before turning away completely and following the Sannin into the next room.

On a table covered with a white cloth lay HE - his son. Wrapped in several layers of cloth and cleaned of most of the debris from the birth, Naruto slept calmly in a cozy warmth. Careful and careful not to hurt the fragile something, Minato rocked the blonde baby with pride in his arms. It made his decision even harder than it already was.

A few minutes later, Minato was standing in front of the crowded hospital with a newborn baby in his arms. Many injured Shinobi were brought here from the front lines, where the doctors were desperately fighting for the lives of their loved ones and friends. A sorry feeling crept slowly up his legs. Conquered his athletic body bit by bit. There was a hitherto unknown weight on his heart that made him feel limp and weak. “I've been looking for you everywhere, Minato-sama.” A hand was placed on Minato's broad shoulder and distracted him from his guilt.

He eyed his predecessor skeptically, who eyed him seriously after Minato had turned around. "You can't be serious, Minato. There must be another way than to sacrifice yourself!" Said the professor indignantly.

Minato knew that like his sensei, the Sandaime wasn't particularly enthusiastic about his idea. His gaze slid down to the sleeping child. "You sent Jiraiya to me, Sarutobi-sama?" Replied the blonde in a disappointed voice.

The retired Sandaime Hokage grabbed Minato by both shoulders. "Of course I have. Come to your senses, boy. Let me do this sealing. I'm old and can't give the village much anymore, but you're young and a better Hokage than I've ever been.", Hiruzen fought with passion for the life of Namikaze.

Minato grinned boldly. "Maybe you are right, but as I told Jiraiya I see a problem.", Minato said in a weaker voice. He felt strangely powerless.

If the situation were not so serious, the professor would smile. The drug, which was made by Tsunade on his behalf, began to show its effects. "What problem?" The old man asked hesitantly and played for time.

Minato swayed slightly as if his legs had turned to pudding. Only the iron grip of the Sarutobi kept him balanced. "You are no longer the Hokage, I am! Today I will face Kyuubi, while tomorrow you will be Hokage again.You will see to it that my son is seen as a hero and not a Kyuubi. I entrust you with Kushina and my son! "Minato gave his predecessor a neutral smile.

The grip on the shoulders stiffened. "But .." Before Sarutobi could say anything else, Minato groaned, slumped and immediately passed into a deep unconsciousness that would probably last for a few hours.

The sandaime quickly bent down. "I'm sorry, Minato. But it has to be." With the last words Sarutobi took the sleeping baby out of his father's arms and saw Tsunade running towards him.

Her hands slid to the blond man's neck and felt a weak but regular pulse. "The effect should actually have started earlier. He has a strong will, Sensei.", Tsunade reported to her old teacher and friend.

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, he has.", He sighed and continued. "Take Minato to the hospital. Before he wakes up it will all be over and Naruto will be safe with his parents."

Tsunade lifted her collar with astonishing ease and carried it in bride style on her arms thanks to her oversized strength. "Unfortunately that means farewell, huh Sensei?", It escaped sadly from the full lips of the busty woman.

For the last time, Hiruzen gave someone an honest but regrettable smile. "I guess so," he said in his usual, wise voice. "Please take care of Jiraiya and Orochimaru. I can no longer keep an eye on them. Farewell Tsunade.", His farewell ended, whereupon Hiruzen disappeared in a vortex of leaves and sand.

***

There was a hideous smell of burnt trees, animals and people in the air. The demon could do a lot more than just mutilate with its paws, its meter-long, razor-sharp teeth and its nine whipping tails. Not infrequently, the beast, attacking shinobi within a battalion, kindled an inferno-like fire.

Badly injured in the left shoulder and bleeding profusely, a jounin straightened up and went through a complicated sequence of finger signs. "Akiro, let's try a combination attack. Katon: Zukokku!", He shouted, whereupon an inferno spread in front of him that destroyed everything on his way.

His friend, soaked in strange blood, nodded weakly and also prepared his jutsu. "Fuuton: Atsugai" After the gigantic air pressure wave had left his open mouth, both forces of nature mixed into a single big attack that raced towards the demon.

The hell inferno should hit a rear leg of the kitsune and thus affect it sensitively. To the horror of the two Jounin, the force of nature ricocheted off a kind of reddish protective shield and did not even cause a few scorched hairs on the fox monster.Shinobis were small and nimble agile targets, in contrast to this huge monster, so that Kyuubi had his difficulty identifying every attacker. Unfortunately, these Shinobis were less fortunate and one of the all-destructive tails rolled everything around them to a smooth plane.

With its work done, the monster continued on its way to the village, hidden under the leaves, and did something that no one would have thought it could do. So far the demon has only let out his roaring screams and animal-like growls. But now he was speaking to the people he was slaughtering. Nobody knew that something was even able to speak

"MADARA!" He roared with an unbelievable intensity that had to be heard from miles away. "Where are you hiding, you mortal scum.", He continued and stood shortly before the hidden village. "I know you hid here. Show yourself to me or I'll burn every house to ashes and torture every damned mortal soul."

The demonic roar probably sent a bloody shiver down the spine of every shinobi. Still, there were some brave men who saw a chance to appease the demon or at least buy time until their Hokage could kill the monster.

One of these courageous was elder Anbu and jumped on the highest tree in the vicinity of the demon and lingered on the crown. "Madara Uchiha has been dead for a long time! Shodaime Hokage killed him decades ago in the Valley of the End. We implore you. Get out and save more spilled blood or we have to kill you." were able to.

A malicious laugh could be heard. "Guhahahaha. Do you damn mortal people seriously think you can lie to me, the great Kyuubi no Youko, strongest of the nine demon lords, or even defeat? I will destroy everything until you present me this piece of dirt." As a demonstration, Kyuubi killed a dozen chunnins and Jounins who wanted to launch another attack.

The Anbu had to watch in horror as more people died unnecessarily. "So believe us. We would never even begin to protect this traitor if he were still alive." He never saw death coming. From one second to the next, the man's body burned to ashes.

"Shut up you ungrateful creatures. I've had enough of your annoying lies and your deceit. We should have crushed you like flies a long time ago and today I'm starting your wretched village. Uchiha Madara won't be able to hide from me. Die! "And so Kyuubi raged even more violently than before.

***

The two Jounin stared at their rescuers, their knees shaking with fear and weakness. "Kakashi, Rin? What are you doing here?", Akiro asked. His badly injured friend no longer had the strength to hold any conversation and just fell on his back.The Jounin with the Visibly activated Sharingan in his left eye shook his head. “Not important.” His gaze made out the severe wound on the other's shoulder. "Take care of his injury, Rin. I'll keep looking for other survivors.", Kakashi commanded.

Rin nodded hesitantly and started first aid. After Naruto's birth and after completing her assignment from Tsunade, she immediately went back to the border, where she met Kakashi a few minutes ago.

***

His Sharingan, which his best friend Obito once bequeathed to him as a gift for the appointment of the Jounin rank, saved the lives of Kakashi and many other Shinobi countless times. Obito's victim ended up in good hands.

As much as Kakashi would like to be overwhelmed by the Kekkei Genkei, if only to save more people, the more he recognized the hopeless situation when a chuunin was nailed to another tree by splinters of wood flying around and died on the spot. Unfortunately, his Sharingan could not always save the lives of others. He himself escaped the deadly bullets by a hair's breadth thanks to his doujutsu.

He was just about to look for more shinobi who might need his help when five people and a baby appeared out of nowhere in a small storm of leaves. "Sandaime-sama?", Kakashi still addressed the former Kagen with his title.

He ignored the four Anbu, with their animal-like wooden masks and the katanas strapped on their backs. A sharp, loud screeching made the hatakt rotate 180 °. "Ahhhhh," shouted a female voice in excruciating pain.

With wide eyes Kakashi had to watch how Rin and the two Jounins were caught in a tight circle of fire and even the element made no stopping their defenseless bodies. A mild breeze fanned the fire even more and sent burning leaves on a short journey into the air. The scene played out so quickly that