TWO WEEKS AGO, 10: 44 AM
UZUMAKI CLAN'S DOJO
Dancing across the hard wooden floor in blurring motions, the age old Uzumaki garbed in his infamous orange attire planted his feet firmly as came to a stop. Intersecting his two extended index and middle fingers, he performed a one of his most renown techniques. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" his raspy voice called out the name of his technique, as ten copies of himself appeared instantaneously at his side.
"No fair...
!!" yelled Minato, plucking three kunai from his leg-pouch by their ring and throwing them directly at a number of the clones. "There's only one of me, you can't make ten clones!"
Grinning a toothy grin, Naruto thumbed at his nose with a snicker. "Hehe. A ninja should always expect the unexpected," the Hokage said as two of his clones engaged his grandson from the sides as third came at him straight on. "I thought they taught you that in the academy, Minato-kun."
Clenching his last kunai in his hand, he jumped and issued a kick into the neck region of the first clone. It dispersed in moments. Rather impressed, Naruto smiled as he watched the young Uzumaki plunge his kunai into the gut of the second clone while landing his feet a again. Not wasting any time, Minato immediately threw his kunai into the forehead of the final clone.
After the final clone dispersed, the kunai thrown whizzed through the air and sailed towards Naruto, who pluck it out of the air effortlessly. "Not bad," he nodded, looking over at his last couple clones as they engaged the boy.
'I wonder how he'll handle being surrounded by all sides.'Staring down three of the clones who were visible to his sight, he gritted his teeth as he peaked back at the two before him.
Shit he cursed inwardly, trying to think of a clever way to get out of his dilemma.
They'd been fighting for going on an hour now, and even though the young Minato wouldn't admit it, he was getting tired. He couldn't understand how his grandpa could keep going how he did, especially considering his age. He was like...hundred or something, or at least, that's how he looked to Minato.
Reaching into the leg-pouch attached to his left leg, he grasped his last two explosion note. He could feel their owns on him. It was now or never, he had to move quickly.
Rushing inward at a diagonal angle, he jabbed at the clone closest to him. Unfortunately, his attack was evaded, a kicked to the gullet by the clone caused him to cower over for a moment. Coming at him hurriedly were two more clones, pushing off the wooden floor, he jumped backward into the air. On the ground, in the same position where he just was, he planted one of his explosion notes.
"Tora..." he muttered, performing a hand-seal with his free hand.
Splintering the ground, the explosion exploded outward causing two of the clones to disperse. With no hesitating he grasped one of the kunai he used earlier from off of the ground, grinning, he wasted no time in wrapping the his last explosion note around the handle of his kunai before throwing it in the direct of the last two clones. He detonated the explosion note as soon as it was in a close enough proximity.
He was down to the final clone, and Naruto, he stood back watching everything in a rather relaxed manner. Minato scoffed, standing up for his kneeling position.
"How can you fight so long and make so many shadow clones? Misaki-sensei said they divide your chakra evenly with the number of clones you make, you just made ten! And you did like four before that!" he said pointedly, recalling all the times he seen clones used since they'd been sparing. "Your chakra should be very low right now."
Performing a seal, his last clone dispersed. Walking over to Minato with a nod, he patted him on the shoulder. "Misaki-chan was right." He started, trying to think of an elegant way of wording his explanation. "Normally, a ninja can only make up to about five clones without over exhausting their chakra pool. For me, it's a little different."
Folding his arm across his chest, the boy looked up curiously.
"How is it different?" he asked, not finding any logic in what he had been told thus far. He started to think, only for a second, that his grandpa was a super ninja. At least then, with that explanation, things would make sense.
"To put this simply, it's I have about 200 times as much chakra as someone like you or, let's say, Misaki-chan."
UZUMAKI COMPOUND, 11: 27 AM
NOW
"Your grandpa was something us shinobi like to call a jinchūriki, and inside him he had the legendary nine-tailed fox, Kurama, sealed within his body." Sato started his summary off with the most prominent information. He figured that by now Minato had heard about the kyūbi and how it attacked the village all those years ago, and was sealed away by the Yondiame. As it was a pivotal part of history and his clan's legacy, he was confident that his son knew this much about the beasts. What he knew Minato didn't know was, that it was sealed inside Naruto. He convinced Naruto, Sakura, and all of his clan from withholding that information from his kids.
"As you should know, the nine-tailed fox was sealed by the Yondaime Hokage, your great grandfather, over eight decades ago, thus saving the village. The person he sealed the fox into was your grandfather, Uzumaki Naruto." As he spoke, he made sure to watch and study Minato's reactions. Surprisingly enough, he was taken aback by his son's lack of anxiety, questions, or a response.
Minato sat there thinking, digesting everything he was told. Although it was unbelievable, it all made sense to him now; especially after recollecting what Sio told him just a few days prior.
"Your grandfather was one of the nine jinchūriki, since their are only nine tailed-beast in all." he began by taking a breath, "Back in those days, before the 4
th World War, the jinchūriki were hunted by an organization called the 'Akatsuki,' who were all rogue shinobi who abandoned their villages. They were an devious group of ninja who wanted to take over the world, it was believed. Despite being one of the people who were being hunted by the Akatsuki, your grandfather helped to fight against them; although, to no avail, because the Akatsuki managed to capture seven of the nine bijū."
"How did they do that?' chimed Minato, looking up inquisitively trying to piece everything together. "How did they capture the bijū if they were sealed within us ninja?"
"They did it by removing the beast from the body of the jinchūriki. By doing that, removing the tailed-beast from the jinchūriki' body, they could seal it into some sort of statue they had."
"So what happens to the jinchoowuiki thing or what it's called after it's removed from their bodies," he asked while fiddling with the tip of his pants.
"They were killed," said Sato honestly, wincing in shame. It was hard to admit information like this to his son. A weird feeling bubbled in his chest, as if he knew what was coming next.
"Is that what happened to Grandpa?" Minato asked, standing up quickly. "Did he die because he had the nine-tailed fox removed?"
Sato looked at his son.
He witnessed the seriousness in his green eyes.
He didn't want to tell him the truth.
He couldn't lie, though.
"Yes," he said confirming Minato's question. His eyes buckled tightly. "That is why the Rokudaime Hokage died."
