Chapter 1: chapter one. like leaves falling off from trees
Summary:
The time when blue met amber, and amber met violet.
OR
Minato and Ren's first encounter, a bit on the Akibara Clan, and the first time Kushina and Ren talked.
Notes:
last edit on jul 5, 2025
wc: 1752
Chapter Text
Namikaze Minato, age 9, Konoha ninja registration number #006510, rank ‘academy student’ , status ‘ orphan from a Suna refugee civilian family ’, first met one peculiar Akibara Ren on the morning of January 26th a couple of years before the Second Shinobi War ravenously came to devastate the Elemental Nations.
Winter had arrived in Konohagakure no Sato about a month prior, the trees’ tawny leaves had long left the village’s forest bare, and the cold humidity of the season had already settled, although not too bad when compared to the usual Yuki no Kuni’s climate. The academy was to start that day, Minato remembers as clearly as he does fondly, for that would mark one of the biggest and most important changes in his life.
On January 26th little-turning-young Minato was determined to arrive early despite the cold seeping through his skin and reaching his bones, setting precedence for himself and his future attendance — so whilst the Academy itself started at 0800 sharp, he was already there at barely 0700.
When he got to the training grounds that greeted the students before the Academy’s building did, he noticed that he was not the first to arrive, much to his surprise. A girl with copper-coloured wavy locks and seemingly the same age as him, was already on the field waiting for classes to commence. She was wearing what looked like the child-version of a standard Konoha shinobi vest, and with some miniature kanji embroidered by the small of her back — one he did not recognise, but which surely meant she was neither civilian nor orphan. A clan member, then . Minato absentmindedly noted this detail down mentally to check over at a later time.
On her part, the girl was not just standing still, she was moving in what appeared to be clan katas , most likely ones made for newbie training. He noted it wasn’t the standard Academy style, for he’s been observing his about-to-be senpai’s training for the past years and he did not recognise their footwork in the girl’s. Now, that is a clear sign of her being clan-born. Not Hyūga nor Uchiha, though, or at least it did not seem like either at first glance.
Right then he decided to come take a closer look at her, since it’d be a while until they had to head to class. At the soft sound of his first step the copper-haired girl turned to his direction, directing a carefully blank stare at him. A few seconds passed in what felt like an eternity, as if by the maybe-extant gods and fate still existed and this was but a predestined encounter. He saw her slowly relaxing her posture to a more laid-back one.
For an instant, nothing could be heard. Not the few birds still around, nor the breeze breathed by the air around them, nor the faraway chatter of the oncoming would-be fellow students. Then, the world resumed itself once again.
“Hello”, a quiet voice directed at him. At that moment, Minato knew his life was about to make a huge U turn.
— 0 —
Akibara Ren, age 9, Konoha ninja registration number #006539, rank ‘academy student’ , status ‘ presumptive heir to the noble Akibara Clan ’, first met one unassuming orphan Namikaze Minato the morning when she was meant to enter the Academy and follow upon her parents’ footsteps.
“Hello”, she quietly voiced out.
She had arrived early to the Academy’s grounds, the first student to get there too. She had been so nervous she had felt the dire need to wake up at barely 0600, have a quick but complete breakfast, and present herself at the Academy’s doors as soon as possible. But because she had about an hour and a half to spare, she decided it would be good to start already on her katas, if only to try to placate the nerves that were ruthlessly attacking her stomach.
About 30 minutes in, she heard a single person’s steps steadily growing louder by the second. Someone’s coming , she noted. Said person stopped once she was spotted, and once they seemed to decide to come even closer, she turned her head to peek at the newcomer.
A second, an instant stretched in time. A heartbeat, the sun in the far distance about to rise. Amber eyes wearing a piercing gaze clashed against curious cerulean blue. And time decided to resume its stream.
— 0 —
The Akibara Clan, although on the smaller side and not a founding clan per se , was one of the few true noble shinobi clans in Hi no Kuni —the others being Uchiha, Senju and Aburame—, just as it also was one of the first to settle down in the newly constructed Konohagakure no Sato. Though their expertise resided in the artful Trade of Information — otherwise known as Intelligence Work —, as they were professional information gatherers, by the time they received the Senju’s invitation to their newly constructed village the Akibara Clan was admittedly not strong enough on its own to prevent itself from being annihilated.
( Ever since they decided to get into their business, they had been under constant threat, for information is power and everyone wanted it. Sure, the Akibara themselves were no slouches, but they did not hold the privilege of being part of a still-standing solid alliance like the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi Triad. )
Even though the Akibara Clan did not possess a kekkei genkai, they did own a few Hiden, only able to be wielded by them due to the particularities of their chakra — such were, the ability to make it vibrate or resonate , and their inherent excellent control, the least being within the 70th percentile.
They specialised in stealth and speed —both which were highly coveted attributes in assassins and infiltrators—, and so did their special techniques.
For instance, the Akibara’s Kage no Tabi was an S-rank forbidden jutsu only accessible to the members of the main family — it allowed the user to hop into shadows by attuning their chakra wavelength, and use them as medium of transport within a certain distance range. Another one was Akibara’s Hikari no Sakkaku , an A-rank jutsu but one accessible to all chūnin-level clan members and above — it allowed the user to misdirect light by making the user’s chakra slightly vibrate, so it hides the user in plain sight, not unlike what true invisibility is supposed to be.
Third was their Wazukana Ten’yō , another A-rank jutsu only accessible to jōnin-level clan members — it allowed the user to hide a projectile’s trajectory for a certain amount of time and within a determined range, so the enemy would only see the instant when mentioned projectile is thrown, and when it lands. And last but not least, there was their Ekōrokēshon , thanks to which they had no real need to train their usually poor chakra sensor abilities.
Their shinobi techniques notwithstanding, the Akibara Clan kept their business of Information Trade even after moving to Konohagakure.
So it was not a surprise they would provide their heiress with katas to start training way long before she entered the Academy, nor was it a surprise that as a Clan-born she already had enough self-confidence to start going through them when she realised she was too early to her first class. What would definitely come as a surprise and remain a mystery as to the how and the why was, however, the fact that she managed to gain such a close friendship with a no-name orphan within the first few hours of shared company, as well as the long duration it would last, way beyond their demise.
— 0 —
Uzumaki Kushina, age 8, Konoha ninja registration number #007310, rank ‘ academy student ’, status ‘ Uzumaki princess and future second jinchūriki of the Kyūbi ’, born in Uzushio and whose previous residence was Konoha’s ally Uzushiogakure no Sato, first met the prodigious Akibara Ren when the latter finally deigned herself to socialise with age-mates other than one meek orphan Namikaze Minato and the future Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Honestly, Kushina had never been what one would describe as ‘subtle’ or ‘quiet’, which ironically were two qualities required in about every type of shinobi. She’s always been rash, had her fair share of recklessness, and was almost as hot-headed as her fiery hair suggested. She had arrived in Konoha shortly after being informed she would have to leave behind her homeland all for a duty she thought she would really come to despise. She was told to say farewell to everything and everyone she knew at an early age in order to move with her grand-aunt Uzumaki Mito, who resided in the sole Uzushio allied village.
She was told all of a sudden that she’d have to carry on with her aunt’s burden, being the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko. She had wailed, she had shot betrayed glares to both her new would-be village leader and her only relative in her would-be new village, and promptly bolted out of the door. It’s actually difficult for her to recall all the details of that day, which was mostly spent in a haze, red-eyed and brimmed with tears. She of course had eventually calmed down, but not before inflicting quite the damage against a bunch of nearby trees with her still uncontrollable chakra chains.
Kushina thought things would get better with time, especially once she entered the Academy and started her formal training, but it was all for naught. She had difficulties with paying attention, she was always unintentionally nosy and brazen, and she was seriously made fun of because of her red hair.
That is, until she got to properly meet Akibara Ren.
Ren had always hung out with Namikaze Minato. Ever since day one they had been deemed inseparable — even if no one knows how it happened . Kushina had always thought Ren to be quite aloof, too impassive, quiet but many a time too quiet. On the other hand, she had always been of the opinion that Minato received more praise than he really deserved. Sure, the boy was hailed as a ‘genius’, but it would only take a look at Ren and one would come to the realisation that maybe he wasn’t as prodigious, even if still extremely smart. In other words, she’d always sort-of disliked Akibara Ren, as much as she’d dismissed Namikaze Minato.
Yet, it was when one day she was being insulted by two random girls that Ren came to her, somehow made the girls promise to never annoy her again, and shot her with a sliver of a smile and a quiet “hello”.
Chapter 2: (abridged) chapter two. like sunshine after heavy rainfall
Notes:
last edit on jul 5, 2025
wc: -
Chapter Text
February had just started when an excited puppy-like 24-year-old Namikaze Minato barged in through the welcoming Akibara Clan compound doors — the clan in question, already used to such behaviour due to the long-lasting relationship the boy had with their heiress, did not even bat an eye at the decorum-lacking display . He quickly crossed to the Main Family home in order to try and locate one evasive Akibara Ren. He thought it best to first check the library, and actually hit the jackpot when he saw her sitting in a corner, a bunch of chakra theory related books sprawled all around her.
She swiftly raised her gaze and locked in his own eyes because of course she had sensed him entering, most likely since before even crossing the compound’s doors , he thought impossibly fond.
“What’s got you so excited, Mi-kun?” A slightly teasing but undoubtedly amused tone underlying the inquiry. See, it’s for things like this that I love her so much .
It took Minato a moment to catch himself and compose himself, trying not to let his absolute elation seep through more than it already had.
“Guess what?” At her unimpressed but still quite bemused raised eyebrow, he then blurted out, “Shina-chan’s pregnant”.
A meaningful pause and a spectacularly smug expression on his handsome face. Time stopped for kami -knew how many times since they met each other. Ren’s book slid from her fingers and fell with a thud, an awestruck and shocked expression clear for all to see. No matter how good of a sensor-nin she was, nothing could have prepared her for the whiplash she received at such a positively juicy piece of information.
Realisation slowly dawned on her, and faster than Minato was able to throw his hiraishin kunai during war time, she was up from her spot in the corner and stumbling into his arms in a warm, tight hug.
“That’s fantastic! Oh my kami, how long already?”
Chapter 3: (abridged) chapter three. like all the things that had to be done
Notes:
last edit on jul 5, 2025
wc: -
Chapter Text
When Minato regained consciousness, it was to a white, empty world. Time seemed not to exist, so he could not be sure how long it had been since he last opened his eyes. He was, quite understandably, very confused as to why and where he was, surrounded by nothing but literal emptiness, since the last thing he remembered was bargaining with the Shinigami in order to seal the Kyūbi once more.
apple_seed on Chapter 1 Sun 15 Jan 2023 04:19AM UTC
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Kore_24 on Chapter 1 Wed 18 Jan 2023 08:21AM UTC
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