DC: Yellow Flash

Minato's eyes fluttered open, the sterile white of the hospital room coming into focus. His body ached, but the sharp pain from his abdomen was gone, replaced with a dull throb. He glanced down and saw the bandages wrapped tightly around his torso.

Then, the memories hit him like a flood. The fight, Deathstroke, his parents… their lifeless faces staring back at him.

"It's all my fault…" Minato whispered, his voice trembling. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision. "It happened again… I failed to protect the people I love."

His hands gripped the blanket as his tears turned into sobs. "Am I meant to have love just to lose it all? Over… and over… and over again?" Each repetition was a hammer to his heart, driving the pain deeper.

The room was silent except for his broken cries. Then, a deep, rumbling voice interrupted his grief.

"Minato…"

Minato's head shot up, his tear-streaked face now wide-eyed. He looked around the room, but it was empty.

"What… was that?" he asked aloud, his voice hoarse.

"Minato…" The voice came again, resonating in his mind like a distant echo.

He chuckled bitterly, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Great. Now I'm going crazy on top of everything else."

"Minato… let's talk."

The voice was closer now, more commanding. Before he could respond, the world around him blurred, and he blinked—only to find himself standing in a dimly lit sewer.

The air was damp, and water trickled beneath his feet as he looked around in confusion. The walls of the sewer stretched endlessly in either direction, but there was no mistaking the oppressive atmosphere that weighed heavily on him.

"Where am I?" Minato muttered, his voice echoing eerily.

Instinctively, he began walking, his footsteps splashing softly against the shallow water. As he ventured deeper, he noticed a faint glow in the distance. He followed it, his heart pounding with a mix of dread and curiosity.

The glow grew brighter until he found himself standing before an enormous iron cage. It loomed over him, radiating an ominous presence. As he stepped closer, two massive red eyes opened from the darkness within the cage, locking onto him.

"Minato… it's been a long time since we last saw each other."

Minato's breath caught in his throat. "The Nine-Tails," he whispered.

The massive fox-like beast stepped forward, its claws scraping the ground and its fangs glinting as it grinned. "Surprised to see me?"

Minato's mind raced. "How are you here? I thought you were sealed away… part of you died with me in the Shinigami's stomach."

The beast chuckled, a low rumble that shook the walls of the sewer. "And yet, here we are. You must have forgotten, Minato. When you sealed half of my chakra inside yourself, you tied our fates together. Your soul dragged me along when you reincarnated in this strange new world."

Minato stared at the massive creature, disbelief etched across his face.

Kurama's red eyes softened slightly. "Listen, Minato. If you die, I die too. Permanently this time. We're in this together now, whether we like it or not. So, for both our sakes, we need to survive."

Minato hesitated, the weight of Kurama's words sinking in. "Together?"

Kurama nodded. "Together. You may have been my jailer once, but now we're allies. Call me Kurama."

The name hung in the air between them, a sign of truce. Minato's lips pressed into a thin line, and after a moment, he extended his fist.

Kurama's massive paw reached out, carefully bumping against Minato's hand. The cage around the beast dissolved, and a surge of energy coursed through Minato's body.

His breath hitched as power—raw, familiar, and overwhelming—filled him. He blinked, and in the next instant, he was back in the hospital room.

His hands trembled as he looked down, instinctively forming a sphere of spinning energy in his palm. The Rasengan glowed faintly before he let it dissipate.

"It's time to train again," he muttered, determination replacing the grief in his eyes.

Three days passed in a blur and Minato stood silently in front of two tombstones etched with the names of his parents. His black suit was crisp, but his shoulders sagged under the weight of his emotions. Tears streamed down his face as he placed a bouquet of flowers on the graves.

Kurama's voice echoed softly in his mind. "Minato… I'm sorry. I know how it feels to lose family."

Minato's hand clenched at his side, and he nodded slightly. Over the past few days, he and Kurama had shared their memories with each other, their bond growing stronger through their shared pain.

Kurama had shown him centuries of loneliness and loss, while Minato had relived the joys and heartbreaks of his own life. They understood each other now in a way that transcended words.

"I'll make it right," Minato whispered, his voice steady. "I'll honor their memory."

Back at home, Minato packed his belongings methodically. His room was silent except for the occasional rustle of fabric and the soft hum of his thoughts.

Kurama's voice broke the silence. "What's the plan, Minato?"

Minato zipped up his bag and turned to his desk, where a computer screen displayed an image of a remote, isolated island. He pointed at the screen.

"If I want to regain the skills I had before, I need to isolate myself. Train without distractions. This island is the perfect place for that."

Kurama peered through Minato's thoughts, studying the image. "Lian Yu? A prison island?"

Minato smirked faintly. "It's not just a prison—it's a challenge. And I need challenges if I'm going to get back to where I was."

Kurama hummed thoughtfully. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But don't think I'll let you slack off. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."

Minato chuckled softly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

With one last glance at his home, Minato closed the door behind him, stepping into the unknown. Together with Kurama, he was ready to face whatever lay ahead on Lian Yu.