Prologue; The past

Hidden somewhere in the leaves of the Fire country is the village of Konohagakure. The village was known to the other villages as the strongest shinobi village. The ninja were trained to be fast, strong, stealthy, and to teach others what they knew. The Fourth Hokage, the Yondaime,was the best example of such. Not only was he the strongest in the village-and probably of all Hokages before-but he was a teacher, and an apprentice. His shinobi master was Jiraiya the toad senin, one of the three great senin taught by the Third Hokage.

The Yondaime was the youngest to ever be chosen as Hokage, but he held a lot of power, and not just as a shinobi, but as a man running a village. He was also a peaceful man and could always find a diplomatic solution when faced with war. It wasbecause ofhim that most of the hidden villages were at peace with Konohagakure, and had long lasting treaties.

Both the villagers and the ninja of the hidden leaf were proud to call him their leader. But none were more proud then his young wife. Saiyuri was a beautiful woman who had known him since the academy. She had known of his dreams, like his most important one to become Hokage, and wished he could fulfill them one day, but never once did she tell him as she became extremelyshy in his presence. But the Fourth had noticed herencouraging him from afar, and when his dreams started coming true he took her aside and told her, "I owe it all to, Saiyuri. If you hadn't been cheering me on all this time I never would have made it so far."

Saiyuri had never dreamed that he would notice her, or that her support would have meant so much to him. That had been the start of their long relationship. The two had loved each other with all their hearts that they married just before the village named him Hokage.

As said before, the village hidden in the leaves had treaties with most shinobi villages, except the village hidden in the rain. Constant war had broken out between the two villages for decades. They refused peace with even the Fourth Hokage. Over the years the rain had learned direct attacks on the Leaf never went in their favor.

As a result, during the time of the Fourth a group of four had been sent to infiltrate the Leaf, and then assassinate the Yondaime. Unfortunately for them, the Hokage had left to go to the village hidden in the sand for diplomatic reasons. As a back up plan they had taken his heavily pregnant wife, leaving a single peace of paper with the symbol for the Rain.

The Yondaime was informed instantly and he took off for the Rain immediately. A great battle ensued because the village refused to hand over Saiyuri. The young Hokage easily overpowered the shinobi but was killedin trickery. One of the rain shinobi told him that Saiyuri had died along with her childgiving birth, upon arriving to the village. The devastating loss had distracted him, and another shinobi had killed him from behind.

The Yondaime's apprentice, Hatake Kakashi the copy nin, had been with him from the moment he left Konohagakure and had witnessed his unjust death. The young ninja killed the assailants and returned the Hokage's body to his village, along with the news of Saiyuri's death as well.

The village received the news with great despair and mourned the loss of their Hokage and his wife. Although the death of the greatest Hokage was colossal, another had to be chosen. Tsunade, the snail senin and former team mate to Jiraiya was the perfect candidate. Although she was an older woman, the senin looked no older then twenty because of her profession as a medical ninja. The village elders all agreed that Tsunade was to become the Godaime. And with the medic nin in charge, war with the rain was avoided, but any former pleasantries shared were forgone.

The village had been led to believe the Uzumaki clan-the clan of the fourth-had ended with the death of Saiyuri and her unbornchild. But this was not the truth, and only one living being knew the truth.

On the night of Saiyuri's kidnapping the rain shinobi had fled into the surrounding forest. Unlike the natives however, these ninja did not know that the forest was called the Fox Tail because of its inhabitant. Imagine their surprise upon reaching the center of Fox Tail a day into the forest only to find the Kyuubi, the nine tailed kitsune and strongest of all demons. The large fox was furious at the intrusion on his land and slaughtered all four ninja.

But when it turned onto the other intruder, the woman, it lost its anger. He found her lying on the ground screaming out in pain. She had been nearly nine months pregnant and the stress from everything had forced her into labor.

Kyuubi had always been known as the Merciless One. He was quickand vicious, never leaving survivors after a battle. But this did not mean he didn't value life, in fact he was in complete adulation of it. To him life was fragile and precious. It was only those who deserved it, that felt the wrath he was known for. The woman before him was rich with the life ofthe new born child coming to the world.

So Kyuubi, in a moment of compassion, took a much smaller form not many were familiar with. A handsome young man with red hair appeared in his place, and the demon helped Saiyuri give birth to a boy. Life however would not continue as the young mother was dieing.

In those few moments before her end she reached for her son and held him close to her heart. Her last breath was used tospeak her child's name. "My sweet little Naruto."

She slipped away from life handing the great demon her young Naruto. The kitsune accepted the child, and wrapped him in a cloth his mother had been wearing. It bore the symbol of the Uzumaki clan telling the demon this was the son of the great Hokage. After giving the woman a rightful send off to the afterlife, but not before gently taking the necklace placed around her neck, he set out for Konohagakure with the child.

He had arrived too late. News had spread of the mother and child's death along with the body of the Yondaime awaiting the ceremony in a shrine. Kyuubi stood alone in the shrine before the late Hokage holding the son he had never gotten the chance to see. He paid his respects to one of the few men that held his respect, and said a prayer before he left the village with the child as silently as he had come. His own words kept echoing inside the fox's mind.

"You have dedicated your life to finding peace, peace between yourselves and with demons, yet despite that you've made many enemies. Your son can do no better then to have the protection of a demon. I will protect him as if he were my own son. We will find that peace for you, Naruto and I."

This is the story of finding that peace in Konohagakure. This is the story of the Fourth Hokage's child. Uzumaki Naruto, the fox's son.

Was it good?

Bad?

Just plain ugly?

I NEED TO KNOW! (desperately crying for reviews)

Or Ye Walk The Plank!

And please tell me how to spell these damn words. Also, does the 4th have a name? If he does someone please tell me.

-Kastel