After every enemy had either been killed or driven out of Konoha, Minato returned home once more. He quietly watched Kushina sleeping with Naruto in her arms for a while, then smiled softly, feeling that everything he had done today had been worth it.
Steadying himself, Minato bent slightly and gently reached to take Naruto from Kushina's arms, his movements extraordinarily light for fear of disturbing her.
Unfortunately, Minato had underestimated a new mother's vigilance. He had only just moved Naruto when Kushina woke alertly. Seeing that it was Minato, she let out a breath of relief.
"Sorry. I woke you."
"Mm-mm~" Kushina shook her head and tightened her hold on Naruto. "Is it... starting?"
"Mm. You rest properly."
Just as Minato was about to take Naruto from Kushina's arms, Kushina tugged at the corner of his clothes.
"Hey~ Minato, can we keep the Nine-Tails sealed inside me? With my sealing techniques, it couldn't possibly—"
Halfway through, Minato raised two fingers and pressed them to Kushina's lips, stopping her. "We're not resealing the Nine-Tails to turn it into a weapon. The Konoha of today doesn't need that kind of weapon either. What we want is to resolve the hatred in its heart.
"And that is something neither you nor I can do."
"But..."
"Trust Naruto. He's our child, after all."
"...Mm. But I'm going over there!"
"But... sigh~ Fine. Honestly, you're already a mother and you're still making such a fuss." Minato gently helped Kushina up.
"It's because I'm a mother that I have to go. This is extremely important to Naruto. I don't want to miss this chance. When the time comes, this child will resent me for it."
"How could he? If he resents anyone, he'll resent me, his father."
"He wouldn't dare!" Kushina's eyebrows suddenly shot up.