Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Edited 1/16/2012

AN: To all those reading this now, I have drastically rewritten this chapter (with the help of my beta!) and will also be rewriting the next chapters too. You can go ahead and read them now before they are fixed, but I highly suggest you wait until they are rewritten, because there will be drastic changes, and you will have to re-read it anyway. I wrote this so long ago and my writing style has drastically changed. I also now have a wonderful beta who is amazing and helping me out.

There will be no pairings in this. This story appeals to many people who like many different pairings. So, in order to please everyone, there will be no pairings. This is a first for me, but I am excited. I'm really exciting to get this story up and running again too.

So before you begin I'd like to thank my awesome and amazing beta's 'Alecksander92' and 'God's Sense of Humor' for doing such a great job!

"At least we'll get to see the look on his face when the kid starts calling him 'pops'," Jiraiya tried to joke, his attempt at lessening the tension in the air futile.

"Sensei. We're not allowing him to raise that boy," the Yondaime stated sternly, his posture as he sat in the chair, his gaze off into some unseen future.

"… I know… I just wish…" Jiraiya began.

"Orochimaru had his chance," stated the third occupant of the room, a busty blonde woman, "He's as much as my friend as yours, but it is obvious that he has changed from the little boy we used to train with. Orochimaru… he's-"

"He isn't… exactly… someone I'd have in mind to become a father…" Minato finished for her, as he sighed deeply, "His crimes should speak loud enough to affirm that much. Children look to their parents for comfort and acknowledgment, but if I overlook his crimes and allow him to raise that boy, he will become as sick and twisted as his father as he teaches him hatred. The child will never grow up normal."

He brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose, trying to soothe the headache that was induced by the uproar of the last nine months. It would be impossible for Orochimaru of all people to settle down and raise a family. Not after what he had done. Orochimaru was…a monster. It was the only word that Minato could think of to describe him. His experimentation on humans always resulted in abominations that didn't last long after the first few rounds of poisoning that Orochimaru induced. Despite all the proof that Minato had obtained from those who worked with the snake as well as accounts from Anbu spies was more than enough to prove his so-called science; and yet, the man still denied his own actions.

"Minato has a point," Sarutobi responded, taking a puff of his pipe, "Although he was my student, I have never seen such a man as him. The only reason I can see for him impregnating Kushina was in order for him to produce an heir. After all, she was the only one who was willing to befriend him even while taking into consideration all the rumors going around about him. He has no loyalty to anyone but himself and thus, is incapable of loving."

Sarutobi directed his gaze to Jiraiya, trying to reassure his student, "You of all people should be aware of this… So, it can't be because he 'loves' Kushina."

A silence descended upon the room as the four occupants of the office allowed their own thoughts to roam freely within the secure walls of the Hokage tower. Seven hours ago, Kushina Uzumaki had gone into labor with Orochimaru's heir and any minute now, the third Sannin would become a father. He would have a child to control, twist, break, and mold into whatever he pleased, and all of Konoha expected that he was going to make the infant boy into a killing machine.

So, the group of four people had come to the office of the Yondaime in hopes of coming up with a plan to prevent the child from the life he would be victimized to with Orochimaru raising him as well as the results that would harm Konoha once the boy became of age. There was no question about whether or not the child would be a threat to the village: it would definitely be strong. With Orochimaru's capabilities paired with Kushina's longevity and Fuinjutsu - under Orochimaru's brutalizing training - that boy would grow up to be one of the strongest shinobi in all of Konoha.

"Then what should we do about it?" Minato asked, directing his attention towards his sensei, "Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama. You know him just as well, if not better than Sandaime. Is there anything you two can come up with that would be able to prevent this problem?"

Both averted their gaze from the blonde and stared down, grief plaguing their features. To them, it did seem as if Orochimaru was genuinely delighted about his unborn son. Even people who were as 'evil' as him were capable of loving someone, weren't they? Both were sure that he'd at least love his son…

Or was it just… wishful thinking…?

"YONDAIME!"

All occupants of the room immediately came to attention as a man came bursting into the room, an Anbu, it seemed, judging by his mask. His vest had been slashed through and his chest was exposed where blood dripped down his clothing and onto the floor. Although that was the largest injury, he had other smaller gashes riddled across his uniform, giving him the appearance that someone had actually tried to literately rip the man to shreds.

"Maki!" The Yondaime stood as Tsunade ran over to the fallen man, knowing the mask of the Anbu. "What happened?"

She glanced over him, but instead of healing him, held him in her arms. Her experience as a medic ninja had gifted her with a lot of astonishing capabilities that not many would know. However, this man would not live, even if she healed him right now.

"A demon… it's attacking the village. A kitsune, with nine large tails emitting a poisonous chakra. All shinobi are helping, but so many have been slaughtered. Please… we… n-need…"

As he shakily took his last breath, Maki fell limp in Tsunade's arms.

Then there's no other choice,Minato thought as he turned to Sarutobi, the other man well aware of his sudden decision.

"Jiraiya," Sarutobi instructed, rising himself, "Go and get Orochimaru, as well as any other high level shinobi you can find. Take them to the battle grounds immediately; we'll need all the help we can get for this opponent."

"Tsunade," Yondaime continued, walking quickly towards the exit, "Bring the-"

He was interrupted by the sounds of screams and the soft rumbling of the earth beneath them. Now pressed for time, the Yondaime rushed out of the room, whispering a brief command to Tsunade as he passed. Jiraiya and Sarutobi left, leaving the distraught woman to lay Maki's limp body on the floor before she stood up, her mind wandering greatly at Yondaime's command: "Bring Kushina's child to the battle grounds as soon as he is delivered."

"What could he be planning to do with…" she droned off as she left the room, headed for Konoha hospital, "He wouldn't! Of course not. He is more than capable of defeating the demon with his own power," she insisted, as she drew nearer, many shinobi rushing past her in their hurry to get to the gates and assist their comrades. "There is no need to sacrifice the life of an innocent baby…"

As she entered the hospital, a nurse was waiting by the main desk, a small bundle in her arms with small tuffs of black hair like that of Orochimaru's, as well as violet-blue eyes that matched that of Kushina. When the woman noticed her presence, she turned to her. "Kushina named him Naruto…only moments before she passed onto the next life."

Tsunade couldn't help but become saddened by the sound of the woman's passing, but she had bigger things to worry about over the death of a woman who had chosen to love a man she no longer trusted. "I have orders to take the boy," Tsunade said as she easily grabbed the bundle, carefully supporting the newborn's neck.

"But, he's a newborn! Taking him outside could expose him to-"

"I was sent by Yondaime!" she snapped, and instantly, the nurse went quiet.

Nodding, Tsunade took off out of the hospital, careful to keep the baby comfortable as she sped quickly to the edges of the village, in search of Minato. No sooner had she reached the eastern gate had she felt a large mass of chakra strike towards her. Jumping out of the way, she easily avoided the tail of the beast known as Kyuubi when she caught sight of Minato, a few meters away from her. "Come quickly, this will take time and Gamabunta can't keep the demon busy for long."

Tsunade nodded and walked forward, bearing the small bundle that covered the child. Yondaime glanced at him before sighing, "He looks like him…"

"I know."

Taking in a deep breath, Minato bit his thumb and drew blood drawing small seals on the baby. Staring at the seal, Tsunade gasped, unable to understand why Yondaime would condemn a child to such a fate - an innocent child! However, before she could question the Hokage, he grabbed the small bundle and turned, placing the infant on a larger incorporation of the seal that Minato had drawn on his stomach.

"Yondaime, wait!" She called out, but as he activated the seal, she was barred from the child.

"What are you doing?"

Tsunade turned, to see Orochimaru staring wide eyed at Minato before his gaze directed to that of the small infant.

"My son…" He said slowly, his eyes softening at the baby.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade! Restrain Orochimaru!" Around them, it seemed as if half of Konoha Anbu lay dead scattered across the ground and even Yondaime looked aged - and yet, Kyuubi seemed unharmed.

Tsunade glanced up to see the elder ninja hitting his hands against the barrier created by the seal, demanding to be let in, to reach his son. Grabbing him, Orochimaru calmed down a little, but not much; for all the strength that the man possessed, he was dead equal to strength to either one of his teammates and thus couldn't hope to fight them off with their combined strength. At blurring speeds, Minato made a series of hand signs and the Kyuubi roared, his size dwindling as his chakra flowed into the seal painted on the infant Naruto's stomach. Orochimaru lurched against his teammates' hold, his eyes burning with hatred as Yondaime sealed the demon that had overtaken the village into his son!

"Orochimaru!" Minato called over the roar of the vanishing demon, "In consideration of your crimes and acts of treason against Konoha and its inhabitants, you are from this moment on, banned from Konoha and from ever seeing or interacting with your son as well."

Orochimaru stilled at the words, his face hardening as his mind swarmed around chaotically. 'I was going to change… I was… to marry Kushina and raise our son… but now…'

With his newly found power, he summoned his snakes, two of which bit Jiraiya giving him enough leverage to rip from both of their holds as he turned to Minato. "Mark my words, Namikaze! You will regret this! You and your precious village!"

Turning, Orochimaru practically vanished, and with him, his snakes. As the Kyuubi fully vanished into the infant Naruto, the seal's barriers fell and Tsunade and Jiraiya approached, Tsunade already having healed the poison that the snakes had administered.

"He will be back for Naruto…" Tsunade warned.

"I know…"

Minato turned back to the baby and knelt, "I have been poisoned by the chakra of the tailed beast. I do not have much longer left…"

"Then what is it that we should do to protect the infant and the village?" Jiraiya asked, feeling betrayed by his friends' hatred.

"I can do enough to protect the child at least."

With that, Minato formed a new series of hand signs - shorter than the first. Almost immediately, a strand of chakra leaked from Yondaime's chest where his heart would be, and flowed into the child whose own strand of chakra leaked into Minato. Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief as the infant's hair slowly faded from its ink black color to a brilliant blond, just a shade lighter than Minato's. The ground rumbled around them, but Minato held his seal. The infant opened his eyes, the violet-blue had turned a cerulean blue that seemed almost surreal in the late afternoon sky.

"Prepare yourself," Minato murmured to the infant, before he finally slowly released his hand sign, "Your life will not be an easy one…"

At that, Minato shuddered before he slumped to the ground. Jiraiya caught him just before he hit the surface, but Tsunade already knew that he was dead. No amount of healing was going to fix that.

"We have to alert the Third Hokage," Tsunade said as she carefully picked up the infant Naruto as Jiraiya carried Minato, "It seems that once again he has to take up his robes. The Yondaime has passed on."

"And the child?"

Tsunade stared at the small bundle in her arms. He looked so similar to Minato that no one would be able to tell who the father was of this child unless they were otherwise told so. And Tsunade and Jiraiya intended to keep that secret between them and their sensei. "We will make sure no one ever speaks of his first day of life in this world. We can only hope that Orochimaru will not succeed in his plans."

Turning back towards the village, the two teammates head back to their home, a heavy burden held upon their shoulders.