Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; this concerns the entire story, so I'll only post a disclaimer in the first chapter.

Note: My first story here and I can assure you, it's not perfect, but I think it's original. I've never really stumbled upon an idea like this before, and I'd appreciate it if you told me about your own estimations. I like Minato/Naruto stories quite a bit and I hope you'll enjoy reading this. If there's something that bothers you, please, do tell me.

Warnings: coarse language, suicidal thoughts, OCs, character deaths, mixed English, usage of Japanese, blood and violence.

Chapter One: I Won't Let You
Betad by Carrie2sky

Uzumaki Naruto, a fifteen-year-old boy with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes sat and ate ramen at his favourite place Ichiraku's. He had just come back from a mission that had been really breathtaking and he was still recovering from it, because the mission's main priority was to take down the Akatsuki members Kakazu and Hidan. Shikamaru had finished Hidan off while Kakashi and Naruto had taken on Kakazu.

Naruto ate in silence and Teuchi looked at him with wondering eyes.

"You're really quiet today Naruto", he said while polishing a glass.

"Oh, sorry old man! I'm just so deep down in my own thoughts, that's all," Naruto said with a wide smile looking at Teuchi.

"Ah . . . I thought that you were sick; it's not like you to be so quiet and peaceful. But it doesn't matter anymore! If you say that you're fine then I believe you. But tell me . . . How went the mission? This is the first time you've been here since you came back to Konoha. I heard that it was something about Akatsuki," Teuchi said and Naruto's smile widened.

"Yeah, that's right! The Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakazu were there, but none of them could pass through us! Shikamaru took out Hidan while I and Kakashi-sensei took Kakazu. But Kakashi-sensei couldn't have done a single thing against them if it wasn't for me and my new jutsu! He couldn't move after that hit! All his cells were demolished!" Naruto answered acting like his old self again.

"I guess that your new jutsu is the reason for why your arm looks like it does," Teuchi said, pointing at Naruto's bandaged arm. The arm was a lot better now than a couple of weeks ago. It had been in a plaster, but thanks to Kyūbi's healing powers, Naruto's arm healed very fast and well.

"Oi, Naruto," said a familiar voice from behind Naruto. Naruto turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Ah, Shikamaru! What's up? Does baa-chan want to see me again?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah . . . and you better hurry," Shikamaru said.

"Why am I not surprised . . .?" Naruto said under his breath, while quickly finishing up the last of the ramen before he left. "See you later old man!" The blonde walked away towards the Hokage's office and when he arrived outside Tsunade's door he knocked three times. He heard a 'come in' from inside the office and entered the room, with a huge grin.

"Oi, baa-chan!" Naurto greeted her and closed the door behind him.

"Don't call me that you brat!" she shouted, but he just smiled.

"Why did you call me?" Naruto asked while changing his toothy grin to a serious expression.

"I've gathered some information from other countries and it's very important that you be aware of its contents," she explained looking at him with business eyes.

"Huh? Nani?" he asked.

"Orochimaru's dead and his killer is no one else than a certain Uchiha Sasuke," she said and Naruto's eyes widened in shock and happiness.

"Nani . . . ? But how . . .?"

"It's the truth Naruto," said another voice and Naruto turned around.

"Ero-sennin?" he said surprised and looked at Jiraiya who had entered the room.

"Don't call me that! It's Jiraiya-sama or Jiraiya, got that!" He roared, annoyed. "But we have more important things to discuss . . ."

"Oh, yeah that's right!" Naruto said. "But, Sasuke! If he killed Orochimaru doesn't it mean that he'll be coming back to Konoha?" Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya answered him. "Right . . .?" Naruto tried again. His face became a confused expression and his eyes became dull with sadness.

"He's not coming back, then? But what's he going to do? He wouldn't kill Orochimaru without a reason," Naruto said straightening up a bit.

"It seems that he has created an organisation of his own. They are calling themselves 'Hebi' which contains four members including himself," Jiraiya explained as Naruto's eyes became smaller which made him look a lot older than he truly was. No one said a word in a long time.

"Do we know why he created this group . . . 'Hebi'?" Naruto finally asked.

"We're not completely sure about the matter only that Sasuke had revenge on his mind. He wants to see Itachi dead, which was the main reason for why he left the village nearly three years ago," Jiraiya sighed.

"That only means that we have to get to him before Sasuke does," Naruto said, his bangs covering his blue eyes.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"If we can get to Itachi before Sasuke does, then we have the advantage. The only reason Sasuke continues to live is so he can find and kill Itachi, right? Itachi let Sasuke live so someone from the Uchiha clan could come after him for revenge. Sasuke's a real bastard! Doing what Itachi wants him to do!" Naruto shouted angrily. "But like I said, if we can get to Itachi before he does . . . maybe Sasuke could keep his mind on something else . . . "

"Naruto . . ." Tsunade said quietly.

"Sometimes you really do know how to use that thing between your shoulders," teased Jiraiya.

Naruto glared at him in response. "If we find Itachi we can either take him to Konoha or we kill him. But there's a catch in both of those opportunities. If we take him to Konoha . . . there is always a chance that he'll escape and devastation will break lose, and if we kill him, Sasuke will go berserk and kill Itachi's killer," Naruto continued while Tsunade stared at him with wondering eyes.

"He's using his brain, but will it work?" Tsunade thought as she looked at Jiraiya with a questioning glance.

"You haven't taught him about intelligence, huh?" she said with a grin towards Jiraiya.

"Hey, show me some respect, will you!" warned Jiraiya. Naruto smiled his normal 'foxy grin' at that statement.

"But what shall we do?" Naruto asked, looking at Tsunade. "We have to act, we can't just sit here and do nothing, right!"

"Well . . . you're right Naruto, but we have no idea where Itachi is and we don't have enough shinobi in Konoha for such a mission. They are all out on other missions, so my answer is no, Naruto," she said when she saw Naruto's face. "And you can't do this mission on your own!"

"Why not! I know that I'm just a Genin, but I can do a hell of a lot more than the other Genin!" he roared at Tsunade.

"Akatsuki's after you, baka! They want to get to Kyūbi! You're a Jinchūriki , remember! You're exactly like Sasuke! Do you want your enemies to do what they want with you?" She screamed at him with pure fury in her eyes.

"But I . . ." Naruto tried.

"No!" Tsunade screamed so loud that the windows shook. Naruto had never seen Tsunade so angry; it momentarily silenced him.

"I know that they want Kyūbi, but just because I'm a Jinchūriki doesn't mean I can't act on my own," he said quietly, but Tsunade and Jiraya heard the anger in his voice.

"Normally I can't be outside Konoha's walls, but I'm not respecting that. I'm going in and out like any normal person! So why? Why do you think you can stop me from haunting down Itachi when you can't keep me inside Konoha!" Naruto roared, his voice becoming higher and higher with each word.

"I'm not an irresponsible kid anymore! Yes, I can act before I think sometimes but it doesn't mean that I'm a stupid idiot! I can do things like any other shinobi!" Jiraiya looked at Naruto and then Tsunade, who looked like she was going to cry. Wait . . . Jiraiya's eyes widened. Cry? Tsunade?

"Naruto . . ." He said. "You have gone too far."

"Nani?" Naruto answered with another glare.

"I know what you're capable of but to play into Akatsuki's hands is not an option. Do you want to die? Do you want to give up everything you have fought for?" Jiraiya asked with a hard edge in his voice.

"If you keep hunting after Akatsuki all the time you'll die in a short period of time. Can't you understand that? That's why Tsunade won't let you go. If we wanted to see you dead we wouldn't be able to call ourselves Sannin," he finished.

"I can defend myself," Naruto said in a faint voice.

"I know, but each time you went out on a mission Akatsuki or Orochimaru were involved in you came back injured. Maybe not every single time but you've acted recklessly," Tsunade said, hiding her face in her hands.

"I am not the only one Akatsuki's after!" Naruto protested.

"Don't you think that we know that?" Tsunade screamed and stood up. "If you want to you can use the powers of Kyūbi, but each time you do that Kyūbi comes closer to its freedom and your death!" She now stood in front of Naruto and held him by his collar. She looked him straight in the eyes and he stared back at her with cold eyes. The warm crystal blue eyes were like piercing ice sticks.

"I know," he said calmly, without breaking the eye contact. "But do you know how this is for me? I want to fight Akatsuki and get Sasuke back." Now it was Tsunade's turn to stare with cold eyes.

"For my entire life I have been hated because of Kyūbi that Yondaime sealed inside me. The last three years, if not more, Akatsuki has been after me. Earlier in my life I had a best friend. So why do you think I'm going to let you stop me from doing this?" asked Naruto without blinking.

"Stop Naruto," Tsunade said "I know very well how your life has been and how it is now, but if you'll keep going on like this I will have to take your hitai-ate from you."

Naruto didn't move a muscle. My hitai-ate? She can't be serious? If she wants my hitai-ate . . . it's the same thing as . . . never being a ninja anymore. Without the title of shinobi. I won't go back to that life . . . I wouldn't be able to take that . . . I would probably be alone again, without friends. All alone . . . all my friends will be out on missions while I'm stuck in Konoha . . . but . . . Naruto's thoughts were spinning like crazy in his head.

The blonde stared at her and blinked for the first time and Tsunade broke eye contact, but her grip on his collar tightened.

"One more word about this, and I will take your title from you," she said tightening the grip even more, so Naruto had to stand on his tiptoes.

"Do you hear me!" She roared as she threw Naruto against the wall so hard that a huge crack appeared. Jiraiya looked with shocked and worried eyes towards Naruto who sat with his head down on the floor. His bangs were covering his eyes.

"Naruto!" Tsunade roared again and Naruto looked up at her with his face devoid of emotion.

"Gomen, Tsunade-sama," he said as he stood up and Tsunade looked shocked. An utterly silent Naruto went out of the door and closed it behind him.

Klonk

Tsunade and Jiraiya stared at the door with concern and shock.

"Naruto . . ." said Tsunade and hurried towards the door and opened it with a jerk. On the floor in front of her lay Naruto's hitai-ate. The black material with the symbol of Konoha on it, the symbol that told everyone who saw it, that that person was a Konoha shinobi.

"He . . ." Jiraiya began and looked at Naruto's hitai-ate with shock.

"He actually did it. I can't believe this," he said, walking over to Tsunade who stared at the hitai-ate on the floor.

"Tsunade . . .?" asked Jiraiya looking at her with worry.

"No . . ." Tsunade said and sank to her knees. "No, I didn't mean . . . it was an empty threat! Without him . . . we . . ." She couldn't finish her sentence. She picked up his hitai-ate with concern in her eyes.

I'm sure he knew that it was an empty threat, but still he went this far, Jiraiya thought looking down once again at Tsunade.

"We have to find him," She said at last. "He's right when he says that he's just a Genin, but he got potential and power like a Jounin."

"I agree," Jiraiya answered. "But just in one or two ways . . ." He said to himself smiling.

"Bring me everyone from Konoha 11 and their sensei," Tsunade roared. "They are the ones that know where he could be." For the first time ever, Jiraiya did what he was told and went looking for all of Naruto's friends. Forty minutes later, they all were in Tsunade's office with confused looks on their faces. Jiraiya had just told them to go to Tsunade but not the reason why. Team Gai; Neji Hyūga and Rock Lee, team Asuma; Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi, team Kurenai; Shino Aburame and team Kakashi with Sakura Haruno, the others weren't in the village.

"Why are we here? And why isn't Naruto here? I know that he isn't out on a mission," Sakura said noticing that Naruto wasn't there.

"The reason you all are here is because of Naruto. He isn't a shinobi anymore," Tsunade answered. All of them looked at her with shock.

"Nani!" screamed Lee, Sakura, Gai and Kakashi.

"You heard her. Naruto's not a shinobi anymore, but we have to find him because he just left and his hitai-ate's still here," explained Jiraiya.

"But why did he quit?" asked Kakashi with a surprised eye. What happened to you Naruto? He thought worriedly.

"It was an empty threat," said Tsunade and everyone looked at her. "I said that if he even mentioned the idea of taking a mission higher than an S-class I would take his hitai-ate from him."

"But why did you take his hitai-ate then?" asked Lee pointing at Naruto's hitai-ate on her desk. "If it was an empty threat . . ."

"I went too far," Tsunade said, pointing behind them. They turned around and saw the massive cracks on the wall.

"Na . . . ni . . .?" Gai exclaimed, looking back at Tsunade. "You threw him . . .?"

"I know that it wasn't good, but the way he behaved, it wasn't the Naruto I know. After I had thrown him he went straight out from the office and said 'gomen, Tsunade-sama.' But before he left the building he left his hitai-ate in front of the door," she explained.

"He said, 'Tsunade-sama?'" asked Neji and frowned. "That's not like him."

"I know, but it seems like this isn't the only event that's causing him troubled thoughts," Tsunade said scratching her forehead. "Did any of you notice anything strange with him during your last mission, when Hidan and Kakazu were involved?" They all shook their heads except Kakashi, who seemed deep in thought.

"Kakashi . . .?"Asked Tsunade, looking at him. The others did as well.

"During our time at the training grounds, while Naruto was practicing his new jutsu, I noticed something. More than once his eye colour changed to a more lustrous blue. It was the same blue, maybe a bit lighter, but it kind of . . . I don't know . . . they were glowing. I have no idea what happened, but I could barely notice it with my Sharingan," Kakashi explained. Tsunade looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"What happened when his eyes changed?" asked Gai. Kakashi went deep in thought again, remembering the incident.

"His chakra changed a bit in strength, that's all," he answered with a sigh.

"Hold on . . . during Naruto's training with me, when he learnt how to summon Gamabunta, he told me about the colour of different chakra types; which colour chakra he thought he had. He said that his normal chakra is blue (1)," Jiraiya said, giving Tsunade, Gai and Kakashi a significant gaze. Sakura understood as well. Normal chakra is blue while Kyūbi's chakra is red.

"Do you think Naruto's chakra colour changed?" Kiba asked dumbly, confused.

"Remember when we went to Hoshi (Hoshigakure no Sato – Hidden Star Village)?"Neji suddenly asked. The ones that had been on that mission nodded. "The chakra those people had from the fallen star were purple. And I have also seen Naruto using an inhuman chakra which was red," he continued. Sakura's eye twitched.

I won't tell them, Naruto. Not today, because you're the one who's supposed to tell them, thought Tsunade.

"So we're wondering if Naruto's colour of chakra changed?" Lee asked Neji and then looked at Tsunade.

"Exactly!" said Tsunade who then looked at Kakashi.

"Seriously, I don't know, but . . . wait . . . maybe it did," Kakashi said, while all of them looked at him curiously. "If it should have been a colour . . . no. I don't know."

"Very well . . . we have to find him, right? And when you do, try to persuade him to come back; force him if necessary, but do not hurt him. Got it?" Tsunade asked, looking at Konoha 11.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" They said and left. Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi stayed behind.

"Why are you still here Kakashi? Shouldn't you go look for Naruto?" asked Jiraiya, looking at him with curious eyes.

"Naruto's chakra was yellow," Kakashi stated suddenly.

"Yellow?" asked Jiraya with widened eyes. "And you're sure?"

"Well . . . yes," answered Kakashi, shrugging his shoulders however, he had a very serious face under his mask, which was perfectly clear.

"A yellow chakra . . . but . . . the Yondaime was the only one who could produce a yellow chakra, and he did that when he used his Hiraishin no jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). That's why he was called Konoha no Kiiroi Senku(Konoha's Yellow Flash)," said Jiraiya, looking with suspicious eyes at Kakashi who seemed indifferent about the glare he received.

"But Minato is Naruto's father – it wouldn't surprise me if there was something genetic about that jutsu. To reach such a high speed by only using ninjutsu should be impossible. Actually . . . to move that fast . . . well . . . Minato made the impossible possible so it wouldn't be impossible if Naruto could use that chakra too," said Tsunade. She sighed deeply while closing her eyes. "Like father like son, right?"

"It can't be genetic," Jiraiya said, looking out of the window towards the Hokage monument.

"Yes, I doubt that too . . . but there is something that's happening to Naruto," Kakashi said, and Tsunade nodded in agreement.

"We really have to find him," Jiraiya said. "But when we finally do that we have to talk to him about this yellow chakra. Because I think that this is something that he is not completely unaware of, but I'm not quite sure."

"Don't you think that he'll be suspicious about something? He may believe that we think he's sick or something. I have noticed that he's smarter than he seems to be," Kakashi put in, while sighing and looking down at the floor.

"Well, we just have to wait and see. He may be unconscious when I'm done with him," Tsunade said, making both Kakashi and Jiraiya sweat drop.

(1) In the anime the normal chakra is blue and in the manga it is yellow, I know, but I had to use the colour blue since this yellow chakra is important, sorry if I'm confusing you guys.