Naruto: The Road Less Taken

Chapter One: Minato Namikaze

The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze frantically searched through a large pile of scrolls and books, eyebrows furrowed in frustrating. The Yondaime also known as the Yellow Flash was concerned for the safety of Konoha, because the Hidden Leaf village would be attacked in any minute. For some reason as the fates would have Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon was about to attack and destroy the village. Minato had been searching for a way to defeat it, and the only option was suicidal, literally.

The only way he knew how to defeat him would cost him his very life, it involved a series of seals that would invoke Shinami, the death god and rip Kyuubi's essence out of his corporeal body. Then he'd have to seal it into the body of a newborn child. As fates would also have it, today his son was born. The reason it needed to be a newborn child was because a child of a couple months old, days old even would reject the seal as well as the Kyuubi's chakra and unleash the Kyuubi into Konoha again. But with a Four Symbols seal and an Eight Tetragram Sealing style, his son's chakra and Kyuubi's would mix properly.

There was no other choice, it had to be his newborn son Naruto Uzamaki-Namikaze. He pulled a cigarette out of the box he had in one of his hidden drawers. This could be his very last one. Sending a flare of flames to his hand using chakra, he lit his cigarette, pulling deep from it. He was only twenty two, to young to die, and too young to be Hokage really, but the Sandaime had fallen sickly in his old age and elected Minato be to the Yondaime rather than that creepy Orochimaru. Sometimes he didn't know if he should hate or thank Sarutobi.

Standing up he put on his white jacket with flames running across the back and headed out to find the Sandaime to say his goodbyes. He did not want to see his son until necessary, or else he would go through with this plan at.

As he sprinted towards Sarutobi's house, a medic-nin called out his name. "Hokage-sama." The pale faced nin said.

"Yes Haruno." Minato replied, swiveling his eyes towards the frightened Haruno.

"It's about your wife Hokage-sama. Due to complications during the childbirth, she didn't make it."

Minato blinked his eyes in confusion. His eyes began watering up fast. "What did you say?" Minato growled out, the medic-nin frozen in place by the mass amount of killer intent the young Hokage was putting out.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I thought you'd want to know sir." Haruno replied shakily. He knew that the Yondaime was called the Yellow Flash for no reason; his Flying Thunder God technique was throughout the world. It was the reason the Hidden Leaf village hadn't been attack since Minato became the Yondaime.

"Take me to her Haruno-san. Please." As Haruno lifted his head up to see the Hokage eye to eye, he saw Minato's face streaked with tears of concern.

"Yes, sir. Follow me." The two began sprinting towards the hospital. Tears blurred Minato's vision, as he tore through the streets of Konoha to the Hidden Leaf's Hospital. He rushed past a few genin and headed straight to the receptionist's counter.

"What room is Kushina Uzamaki in?" Minato demanded, startling a few of the nurses manning the desk.

"Sir you cannot go in there right now?" A kunoichi said, standing in his way, in a feeble attempt to prevent him from going further.

"I am her husband and the goddamned Hokage of this village. I will see my wife, using whatever means of violence I see fit. Take that as a hint to get the fuck out of my way." Minato replied, holding out his right hand out, he was about to do something drastic in his fury.

Without notice, there was a blue ball of spinning chakra in his hand. Seeing this Mikubi Haruno began sprinting towards the ANBU security. Suddenly some one gripped his right hand, canceling the attack. "Sensei, please do not do something so drastic." To Minato's right was his student Hatake Kakashi, his right eye pleading Minato to calm down.

"Kushina-chan's dead." Minato said, looking at his student sadly, his eyes blurred with tears he'd been trying to hold in.

Hatake Kakashi, a prodigy, son of the White Fang bowed his head down for a second before looking at his sensei with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry sensei." He put his left hand on Minato's shoulder to offer comfort. The fourteen year old jounin stared at his sensei, at his friend. "I'm here if you need me."

Minato nodded his thanks. "Hatake… I'm not making it out of this alive. But I'm taking Kyuubi with me, please Hatake, take care of my son as if he were your own." Minato pleaded, tears streaming.

He was a broken man, a broken Hokage.

They say shinobi are just tools that they don't feel.

He felt.

Pain.

It was tearing him up inside to know that Kushina was dead, she had always been so hyperactive and lively, and now that was gone. She just a corpse, no longer the lively woman that was his wife.

Nothing else.

"You're going to come out alive, sensei." Kakashi said. He didn't wanna lose the Yondaime as well.

A couple of years ago his father had committed suicide, and he had never known his mother. Then he lost Obito and Rin, all he had left was his sensei, the Yondaime.

"Let me take your place sensei. I'll copy all the seals with the Sharingan and do it for you, but you can't die and leave me alone." Hatake pushed the Yondaime against the wall. "Not again."

"It has to be this way. You can't escape destiny."

"Minato, shame on you." A deeper voice called out. It was Sarutobi, the Sandaime. "You never believed all that destiny crap and now because Kushina's gone you're going to leave Naruto to suffer a life without both parents. Its bad enough you want to seal the Kyuubi away in him, but leave him parentless. Have you lost all your humanity since becoming Hokage? I expected better from you." Sarutobi reprimanded him.

"Tell me then. Tell me how to stop the Kyuubi. He's already in Fire Country and headed here. Not to mention the fact that Cloud Nin will probably attack right after the Kyuubi in an attempt to destroy Konoha." Minato said bitterly, cursing himself on the inside for being Hokage.

"Minato-kun. I have always looked at you as if you were a second son, so I am prepared to help you defeat Kyuubi, no matter what it takes.

"You know what it was like when your father Akina Namikaze died! Why would you condemn your son to the same fate? If you sacrifice yourself and seal the Kyuubi into Naruto, who would protect him in your death? He would be the scapegoat of their hate for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. If you live you can stop that. We need you alive Minato, that and your Flying Thunder God technique is legendary. I'm an old bat now; I'm forty eight years old, much too old to defend the village from Cloud Nin and such." Sarutobi said, pulling out his pipe and lighting it up, puffing some smoke into the air.

"What do you suggest then, Sandaime?" Minato asked, brows furrowed in concentration.

"There is a kinjutsu I've created. It's very similar to the shadow clone jutsu. This kinjutsu that a call the Blood Clone Jutsu would form a clone of me, a life within itself, with a soul and all. Right now I have about forty years to live, give or take a couple. Using this Blood Clone technique will leave me with about twenty. It drains you of half the life that you got left for an actual living clone of yourself. This clone, I'll use to seal the Kyuubi away into Naruto and sacrifice it, effectively taking your place." the Sandaime explained.

"I can't let you do that Sarutobi."

"Nonsense Minato-kun. You are still young. Both Asuma and Kokuzu will have their father for a couple more years and when I do die, they will be grown men. I will do this. You will not shirk your duties as Hokage and as a father when this is the most sensible solution." Sarutobi growled out at him, effectively closing the conversation.

Minato bowed his head and Sarutobi hugged him. "I'm sorry to hear about Kushina for what it's worth." Rather than fight against the old man's embrace, Minato gave in, crying bitter tears against the old man's chest.

"I can't believe she's gone, Kushina's dead." Minato sobbed.

"Let's get ready for that demon Kyuubi then." Sarutobi spoke moments later.

"Hai." Straightening himself out, the Yondaime stood tall with a determined look in his eyes, white leather jacket billowing around.

I will not fail you Naruto…

I will not fail you…

The blood clone jutsu was a success and Sarutobi's clone managed to seal Kyuubi into Naruto. Minato leading a small army of Leaf jounin and chuunin destroyed the Cloud nin and Minato beheaded their Kage, setting it upon a spear on the borders of the Leaf Village to warn and outsiders threatening to attack. Three years later the council pushed Minato into marrying Yukani Uchiha, sister to Fugaku Uchiha to interbreed the dying the Namikaze clan with the prestigious Uchihas.

One year later she gave birth to a baby boy named Kakashi Namikaze, named after the Yondaime's favorite pupil and godfather to the child, Kakashi Hatake. Five years after that ANBU Captain Itachi Uchiha murdered his best friend Shishui as well as his father Fugaku, fleeing from the village as the Yondaime arrived in time to rescue the remaining Uchihas.

It is rumored that Itachi killed his father using the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Shortly after that the Yondaime started a law forcing the ninja academy not to accept pupils until they were thirteen, in an attempt to stall young children from obtaining power at such a young age. Another seven years pass with relative ease, just a few political squabbles with Iwa, but bloodshed had not been seen in quite some time for Konoha. They were allies with Sunagakura and Kirigakure and the other countries remained neutral with them. Fearing the Yellow Flash, they did not attack.

Somewhere, deep in a cave, a pale-faced nin with slitted yellow eyes conversed with his two apprentices.

"Soon we shall kill the Yondaime, and destroy Konoha forever." He said, cackling with laughter.

AN: First of all, this is my first Naruto story, and many might complain that the first chapter's a bit rush. Seriously, I don't wanna write 10000 words of some Naruto rehash of the first episode. This is just a prologue introducing you to the beginning of the story. Please review, I'm a lazy writer and reviews would fuel me to update faster. I don't know the pairings yet, haven't thought about it, but absolutely no yaoi, so don't expect so SasuNaru.