Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, a disciple of the village's two previous Hokage, the Third God of Shinobi... stood dying over three newborn babies. Two boys and a little girl. The eldest of the children, a boy, the firstborn, had red hair and whisker marks on his cheeks and a seal on his stomach. The second eldest, the girl, had blonde hair and marks on her cheeks like her elder brother along with a similar seal on her stomach. The youngest of the three had blonde hair like his sister and whisker marks... but unlike his siblings, he had no seal on his stomach.

These children were Menma, Naruko, and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. The children of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, both lay unconscious behind Hiruzen. The old Hokage had blood leaking out of his mouth as he had a giant, gaping hole in his chest. Just moments ago, he had split the Nine-Tailed Fox, the tailed beast that was unleashed onto the Hidden Leaf... and the beast had shoved one of its claws into his chest.

Hovering above him was the shinigami, a translucent gaunt specter with a demonic visage. It is much larger than an average human, possessing long, shaggy white hair, from which two red horns protrude, and purple-colored skin. It is draped in large white garments and carried a set of prayer beads in one hand.

"The contract is done. I have sealed the Yin and Yang halves of the Nine-Tails into the ones known as Naruko and Menma. For such an action, I shall eat your soul, Hiruzen Sarutobi." The Shinigami spoke, much to Hiruzen's surprise.

"Hmph, I figured as much, specter..." Hiruzen coughed, spraying blood onto the ground. He looked behind him to see both Minato and Kushina were still safe. He had made the choice to sacrifice his own life for the future of the village. He was old and getting rusty. He didn't view himself as useful to the village anymore. He figured that his final act as a retired Hokage would be to make sure that the future was brighter than anything he could ever accomplish.

'Besides, I don't think I could've cared for all three of them. Knowing me, I would've probably just set them up in an apartment complex with a monthly allowance.' Hiruzen thought to himself with a chuckle. But before he was ready to go, he noticed that while Naruko and Menma were screaming, Naruto wasn't.

The youngest of the triplets lay silent and unmoving. Hiruzen was unnerved by this as he slowly bent over and checked the newborn... there was no pulse. There was no breathing. He couldn't even sense chakra from the baby. He knew at this moment that Naruto was dead, barely having even had a life. Gritting his teeth, he figured that with everything having happened, Naruto died from prolonged exposure to the Kyubi's chakra, having died from chakra poisoning. Unlike his siblings, he didn't adapt to the chakra properly while in the womb and must've passed just before he performed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

"S-Shinigmani... I-I ask a favor of you." Hiruzen wheezed, feeling himself dying as he spoke.

"A favor? You're in no position to be asking for favors." the Shinigami replied, looking down at the old Hokage.

"I-I ask that you bring Naruto back from the dead... and in exchange... I shall serve you in death." Hiruzen pleaded.

"You're asking me that, instead of eating your soul, I bring back that child and you serve me for eternity?"

"Yes."

"Hmm... an intriguing offer..." The Shinigami pondered for a few moments, looking at the dead child. Rubbing his chin, the Shinigami smiled and nodded. With a flick of his wrist, the Shinigami had an orb, or a soul, appear in his hand and thrust it into Naruto. With another flick of his wrist, three more orbs appeared in his hand and he tossed them into Naruto's body as well.

"What did you do?!" Hiruzen shouted, seeing this as he turned around, confronting the death god.

"While I may bring back the child from death, he will not be the same. His chakra is gone and he would not be long for this world. So, as a punishment for those three extra souls, they shall assist the child." The Shinigami explained.

"So... Naruto will live... but without chakra?"

"Yes."

"... then... that is good enough." Hiruzen sighed.

The Shinigami began to laugh as he put a hand into his garment and pulled out a Japanese hyotan gourd bottle. He popped the cork from the gourd and waved his hand. Hiruzen felt his soul leave his body as he closed his eyes and his soul entered the gourd. Placing the cork back on the gourd, the Shinigami put it away as he looked down at Naruto, who was still motionless.

"You will live child... but it will take some time for you to come back alive." The Shinigami whispered as he disappeared into nothingness.

Later:

Minato Namikaze sat at his desk, tired as all hell as he looked out his window, still seeing the smoke rising over the village from the attack just hours ago. Turning in his chair, he looked at the corner of his room where a baby cradle was placed with Kushina, his wife, slumped over it.

Minatos' face was red as he had been crying in sadness over his recent loss. Kushina's face was just the same as, even now, she is crying over the cradle. Inside the cradle was Naruto, still motionless as his mothers' tears fall upon his body. She continued to cry and cry until there was a knock on the door.

"Sensei? May I come in?" asked a voice on the other side of the door.

"Come in, Kakashi." the saddened Minato answered as the door opened. As the door opened, there stood a young man wearing a simple blue suit with a grey flak jacket, strapped-up sandals, and arm guards that went up to his elbows. He had a fox mask with red and black markings around the eyes, sides, and mouth over his face and a red flame tattoo on his left deltoid.

"Sensei... how are you doing?" Kakashi asked, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

"I don't know... the village is safe but... my predecessor is dead... my youngest son is dead... and my two remaining children are now Jinchūriki... I'm upset. I'm sad. I want to scream and damn both the Shinigami and Sarutobi... you tell me how I'm doing." Minato answered as he began to tear up again, choking on his own words and causing Kakashi to wince.

"Well, I can't even describe it. But, you're mourning... and you have my sympathy..." Kakashi bowed his head as he turned to Kushina. Shuffling up behind her, he reached out with a hand and placed it on her shoulder. Kushina, without hesitation, turned around and embraced Kakashi in a hug.

"My baby... my baby boy..." She wept into Kakashi's shoulder as the young ANBU member patted her back.

Kakashi remained silent as he tried to comfort Kushina, who was still weeping over all that happened. Kushina's weeping soon turned into a hug, becoming tighter and causing Kakashi to nearly lose his breath.

"You were there when Rin and Obito died... you were both there when Rin and Obito died and you tried your best to help me... now it's my turn to help you." Kakashi said, using what breath he had to try and give comforting words. "I remember you both telling me and asking me, where would they have liked to be buried... where do you want Naruto to sleep until you meet in the afterlife?"

The Next Day:

The entire village had gathered to mourn their dead. While many had gathered in front of the Konoha Cemetery, where they are currently currying bodies en mass, a small collection of the Clan Leaders, Minato, and Kushina had gathered in the Nara Clan Forest. Kushina and Minato both held onto a small, single coffin as the Clan Heads followed behind them.

"You know, out of everyone to suffer from this tragedy, I never thought it would be both Minato and Kushina." Whispered Shibi Aburame, head of the Aburame Clan, who had his insects quiet during the walk.

"Yeah, usually they're the ones experiencing fortune, not a tragedy." Choza Akimich, the head of the Akimich Clan, replied as he followed. His head was bowed as he saw butterflies float by Kushina and Minato, giving him a symbol of passing. But before anyone could comment anymore, Shikaku Nara, the head of the Nara Clan, stopped, causing everyone to halt.

"We're here... let's get this done," Shikaku said in a somber tone as he pulled out a scroll, unrolled it, and pressed his hand on the seal inside. A puff of smoke appeared as a shovel, a tombstone, and a chiseling kit appeared.

Nearly an hour would go by as Choza and Hiashi Hyūga, the head of the Hyūga Clan, both chiseled out Naruto's tombstone. Meanwhile, Shikaku had just gotten done digging out a grave, actually putting in hard work into something, which was very rare for a Nara.

"Should be all good... Minato? Kushina?" Shikaku asked the mourning couple, who simply walked over and stepped into the grave, setting down the small coffin they had both carried all the way from the village. Climbing out of the grave, Choza placed the tombstone at the head of the grave as Shikaku passed the shovel he had used beforehand to his Hokage. "Would you... like to say anything?"

The next few seconds were tense as Minato held the shovel. He shook in both rage and sorrow, gritting his teeth as tears fell down his face. The shaft of the shovel began to crack as Mianto's grip on it began to break the wood. But in his anger and sorrow, he spoke: "Naruto... I swear... I'll find the Masked Man... and I'll break his mind, body, and soul for what he has done... releasing the Nine Tails... and, inadvertently, killing you."

For the next several minutes, Minato and Kushina both took turns filling in the grave. All the while, both of them cried in anguish over their dead child. When all was said and done, they just stood there, motionless at the fresh grave of their baby. But soon, the air was slowly becoming heavy, as the rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. The clouds overhead grew darker by the minute, casting a foreboding shadow over the trees. A gust of wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees and sending shivers down the spines of those caught in the storm's path.

"Minato. Kushina. We have to go, it's going to rain soon." Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka Clan, said to them as she approached from behind, putting her hands on their shoulders, trying to pry them from their spot.

"You both can grieve at your homes. In the warmth of a blanket, embracing Menma and Naruko. Remember, they're still alive... you still have two children to raise." Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha Clan, said to both of them as he turned his head toward the storm, seeing the clouds covering the mid-day sun.

"Yes... w-we should go." Kushina whispered as she and her husband walked back to the village, the Clan Heads following, except for one. Shikaku Nara, stood over the grave as he heard a bleat, looking over at a bush to see a fawn, one he was familiar with.

Smirking, Shikaku knelt down and clicked his tongue, beckoning for the fawn to come. The fawn stumbled over to him as it pressed its head against his open hand, cuddling up next to him as the Nara Clan leader interacted with it.

"Rikumaru... watch over this grave, will ya?" Shikaku asked the deer fawn, who just looked up at him and bleated, enjoying the head pats and scratches Shikaku was giving him. Sighing, Shikaku looked up to see a Doe, who walked over and approached the both of them. The fawn turned around and bleated at his mother, jumping up and running back into the bush. Shikaku couldn't help but chuckle at the dark humor here. Despite the death that had occurred, new life was still vibrant in parts of the village.

The sound of thunder soon cracked through the sky once more as the Doe dashed into the forest, following her fawn as Shikaku sighed. Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it nearly a dozen feet away from Naruto's grave as he puffed out a cloud of smoke, looking up at the sky with sadness.

"Ironic... it's a good day for rain..." Shikaku stated as he walked away, tears following down his face as the clouds overhead began to cry.

But this wasn't the end for Naruto Uzumaki-Namekaze. No, far from it. That night, while everyone was asleep, the baby's grave began to rumble. The ground shook as some strange light was gathering around the grave.

Green lights shot through the sky, echoing the sounds of thunder and lightning. A beam of that green light shot into the sky. And just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. Silence soon followed as the ground rumbled once more as the grave exploded, appearing from the grave as three figures landed near it.

{Welp! Here's my torture for the year. Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts, while I still have the ability to care. Between work, college, and current events, I'm surprised I haven't deleted my account yet. Every day I'm being bombarded with 'Continue?', 'New Chapter When?', and 'Author-sama, please continue the story!'. And I can say this now... all in due time if in due time I mean when I'm less depressed, but it's coming along... yup... just me, music, and ChatGPT.}