The Flash

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Edit A/N: I went through this chapter and fixed some mistakes. (Thanks for pointing them out limadude120!) I also added more description for Hyko, Hansha, and Mariko in this chapter so if you read it before July 3rd 2012 you might want to skim through it again.

Original A/N: This is my first fanfiction.

IMPORTANT! READ THIS!

This story is AU! As in, forget everything that happened in Naruto! The reason I am saying this is so you don't think "He's going to be killed by the Fox. She's going to die in the Uchiha massacre. He's going to be killed by Iwa ninja." Everything that happened in Naruto most likely will NOT happen here! The only things that are canon are most personalities, Jiraiya teaching Minato, Minato teaching Kakashi Obito and Rin, Kushina being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, canon pairings and abilities (for the most part), and a couple of other things. Also: People's ages are going to different than in canon. (Ex: Hizashi, Genma, Shikaku, and others are going to be the same age as Minato. Iruka and others are going to be the same age as Kakashi, etc.)

Basically, don't try to predict what will happen based on what happened in canon. This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE fic!

Main Characters: Minato, Kushina, Hizashi, Mikoto, Jiraiya, Tsunade.

Eventual Main Characters: Kakashi, Rin, Obito, and others. (I can't reveal who without there being spoilers)

ALSO IMPORTANT! READ THIS TOO!

In this story, the Second Shinobi War ended before Minato was born. That means Sarutobi is already Hokage, and Jiraiya has already trained Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko. Dan, Tobirama (the Nidaime), and Nawaki are dead.

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Chapter One: Beginnings

The small, blonde-haired, three year-old boy stood in the center of the streets, screaming people running around him in a panicked mob. Smoke burned his throat, making him cough, and the smell of blood filled his nostrils. He whimpered, clutching his stuffed bear tight, and could only watch with terrified eyes as masked men raided the village.

It had started out as a normal enough day. His mommy had woken him with eggs for breakfast, his father had chattered amiably about where he was fishing that day. The neighbors had yelled at the twins for stepping on her plants. The sun had been shining. A normal day if there ever was one.

Now the sun was covered by clouds of smoke. Now the neighbor's plants were too trampled to be identified as such. Now the twins were dead, lying in the road in pools of red liquid. Now the day was anything but normal.

Most villagers fled before the invades- Minato heard someone call them "shinobi"- vicious, too fast-to-follow onslaught, while others stood bravely before them, falling faster than leaves in a storm. The masked men, whose movements were superhuman –they leapt onto roofs and walked up walls like they were walking across the ground- favored fire and swords as their weapons, mercilessly cutting down the people around the boy. Fire blew from their mouths like dragons from mommy's stories could do, their swords swinging and stabbing into unarmored, unprotected flesh. They ignored the little boy standing frozen in the road, focusing on the adults. A small, terrified child was no threat.

Someone grabbed the boy and he screamed, his cry unheard in the chaos, before he was violently spun around by the offending hand. His father, a blonde-haired man, arms muscled from fishing, knelt to his eye level, fear etched into his sapphire-blue gaze, identical to the boy's own. His voice was low, but tinged with fear.

"Run Minato! Get out of here!"

Still Minato didn't move. He couldn't. He was too frozen by fear. A masked man, garbed completely in black, his demonic mask snarling and cruel, rose up behind his father, sword swinging down. The blonde-haired man shoved Minato back, making the boy drop his stuffed bear. Blood sprayed across the street, staining the fur of the fallen bear a terrible, glistening red, and Minato's father's head fell beside it. The blue eyes gazed at Minato's dull yet wide with shock.

"DADDY!"

The masked man looked at Minato, cold, merciless eyes visible behind the plaster forged into a demon's face. The boy took a step back, then pelted for the trees. Footsteps followed him, calculated but swift, those of a hunter stalking frightened prey. There was the sharp sound of clashing metal as someone intercepted his pursuer.

"Go Minato!" a woman's voice shouted, and Minato recognized his mother's voice. "Don't look back!"

Minato ran. He did not look back. But his mother's agonizing, cut off scream would haunt him for years to come. The village burned behind the boy as he pelted into the trees. Busy massacring the helpless villagers, the masked men did not pursue.

XXXXXXXXXX

Minato stumbled through the darkening woods, swaying from exhaustion. He'd been running for a long time, he didn't know how long, and was hungry, cold, and tired. The boy tripped over a root and fell, crying out in pain. He lay there for a moment, tears swimming in his eyes, as small sobs that escaped his lips. His father's decapitated head lying in the road was burned into his retinas, waiting for him whenever he shut his eyes. Minato shuddered, unable to block out the memory of the screams of the dying.

Minato heard a rustle. Something was coming. His breath caught and he crawled to the nearest bush, hiding in the low branches and leaves. Minato listened to the approaching sound warily, not knowing what he feared more- a wild animal or the masked men who had killed his family.

The rustling continued, followed by a snuffling sound. Minato felt warm air brush his skin. He looked up to find himself face to face with a gigantic dog. The boy squeaked, flinching away, burrowing himself deeper into the bush. The dog barked loudly. Minato went white, eyes darting for an escape route.

"Shh!" he begged. "Shh doggie! Quiet!"

Minato sensed something behind him. Hands grabbed the boy, and he screamed.

"No! NO!"

He struggled against the hands that held him, still screaming in terror. His head whipped around and he saw that his captor was a masked man. Minato's cries grew in volume and pitch, transforming into full blown panic, not seeing that the mask was that of an animal, not a demon. The boy lashed out with his feet, foot slamming into the man's stomach. With an "Oof!" the man dropped him. Minato felt a soft wind rustle and two more masked figures emerged. His heart sped up, pounding in his chest, and he shook with unbridled terror. He wouldn't be able to outrun one of the masked people. With three, there was no chance of escape. Still, he tried.

Minato leapt up, racing through the trees as fast as his small legs could take him. The masked people seemed stunned by his sudden departure for a moment, then pursued, the dog bounding at their side. Minato glanced behind him to see them quickly gaining. The fear stabbed through him, more potent than anything a child should feel. He had to get away. He had to get away-

Minato vanished in a yellow flash, reappearing fifty yards ahead. His foot caught on another root and he slammed to the ground, hitting the earth hard. The masked people were there in an instant. The cat masked man knelt beside Minato, who curled up into a ball, flinching.

"P-Please d-don't k-kill m-m-me," he whimpered.

He didn't see them stiffen. His shakes grew greater as the cat-masked one put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shh." the man said softly. "It's all right. We're not here to hurt you."

"Y-You're not one of t-them?" Minato stuttered in a whisper.

"One of who?" the bird mask asked, her voice definitively female.

"The people who killed Mommy and Daddy and everyone in the village." Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Again, they stiffened, their horrified expressions hidden by their masks.

"No, we're not them. We're from Konohagakure." Cat said gently, recovering quickly. "We're friendly."

Minato stared at him disbelievingly, azure eyes haunted with a look that should never be seen in a child's face. The look of someone who'd seen death. Bird knelt beside Cat, keeping her movements nonthreatening and slow. The boy watched her warily. Slowly, she reached into her pouch and brought out a small package, a ration bar.

"You look hungry. Here." She offered the ration bar to him.

Minato warily took the food, eyes still wide with suspicion and fear.

"What's your name?" Bird prompted.

"M-Minato." the boy whispered.

"Where's your village?" Cat asked. "Your family?"

The boy shivered. "I don't know. Everyone's gone... The masked people killed them."

The ANBU exchanged a glance.

"How about you stay with us then?" Cat offered, voice still light and soothing. "We can protect you from the masked people if they come."

Minato nodded hesitantly, gripping the food tightly in his small, grubby hands. The ANBUs' hearts twisted at the heartbreaking sight. They set up camp around the boy and a built a fire. Minato didn't move from the spot in which he sat, watching them nervously. These masked people may have given him food, and seemed to be nice, but he didn't trust them. Not yet.

The third masked ninja, Dog, watched the boy from the corner of his eye.

"You do realize protocol states that we must kill all people who encounter us while we are on a mission?" Dog stated.

Cat shot him a glare— Dog could tell by his posture. "That doesn't apply to children. The boy doesn't know we're ANBU— or what ANBU even are."

"Yet he's terrified of our masks," Bird murmured. "Maybe he's the son of missing ninja who were caught by hunter ninja?"

"I don't think so. He said his whole village was killed." Dog disagreed.

"I think we should take him to Konoha." Cat blurted abruptly.

"What? Why?" Dog gaped.

"Because he's in danger, he has nowhere to go, and he has a Kekkei Genkai of some kind." Cat reasoned. "You did see him teleport right?"

"Yeah." Dog grunted. "That definitely wasn't Shunshin. It was... almost instinctive. Like when an Uchiha activates their Sharingan for the first time." The Inuzuka ANBU sighed. "Fine. Shudomaru, go make friends. Try to calm him down."

The white-and-brown dog barked and wandered over to Minato, who watched him warily. Shudomaru plopped down next to the boy, gently nuzzling him with his wet nose and licking his face. Minato giggled and clung to the dog, stroking his soft fur. Bird watched them, releasing a minute pulse of chakra only few could sense, then stiffened.

"Cat... his chakra is blue and yellow."

They all stared at the small, dirty boy playing with the dog.

"Yeah." Cat murmured. "He is definitely coming with us."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, rose his eyebrows at the sight of the small blonde-haired boy Cat carried. Although he was only in his forties, Hiruzen already emitted a grandfatherly aura. His dark eyes were kind and laced with wisdom, wrinkles appearing around his eyes every time he smiled. Hiruzen wa also a strict, powerful leader, the God of Shinobi, a wise choice for the role of Sandaime Hokage. He balanced leadership with kindness, wisdom with friendship, and sacrifice with sympathy. He was the Sandaime, and his job was to protect and lead his village.

Sky blue eyes met Hiruzen's shyly for a moment, before the boy buried his head into Cat's armored chest. The tiny body shook slightly, and Cat instinctively rocked him back and forth. Soothed, the boy quickly fell asleep, breathing soft and even.

"Care to explain?" Hiruzen murmured quietly, eyes on the boy.

"We found him near the border of Wave, injured and half starved," Bird reported. "When we asked him what happened, he said a group of masked people destroyed his village and killed his family."

Hiruzen nodded. "So you brought him with you." he said neutrally.

"We couldn't leave him!" Bird burst out, voice thick with rarely seen emotion. The blonde-haired boy twitched at the loud noise but did not wake.

Hiruzen calmed the ANBU with a raised hand. "I didn't expect you to leave him. But why take him here? You could have left him in the nearest village."

"Hokage-sama," Cat said gravely, "Whoever killed his family were ninja. If we left him in a village in Wave, he'd have been dead the next day, along with anyone with him. I thought it would be safer to bring him to our village. Also..." he hesitated. "The boy has a bloodline limit."

Sarutobi stiffened. "That would explain why his family was killed... Konoha is one of the few places that accepts bloodlines. What is his Kekkei Genkai?"

"He can teleport." Cat said bluntly. "He disappears and appears in a soft flash of yellow light."

Hiruzen's mouth fell open before he composed himself. "Actual teleportation? Not Shunshin?"

"Definitely not sir." Dog said, speaking up for the first time.

Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "This is intriguing. The boy is too young to test now, but we should eventually see what he can do." Hiruzen's thoughts turned to the Shinobi Council, and certain members on it. (cough cough Danzo cough cough) "This is an SS class secret. Tell no one."

"Yes sir." the three ANBU replied, bowing smartly.

Dog and Bird left, vanishing like whispers of wind, but Cat remained with the boy. He removed his mask. Hyko Namikaze had chocolate brown eyes that normally emitted an aura of warmth, like hot chocolate on a cold day but could become chips of cold, expressionless ice if the man were angered. His face was lightly tan, more pink than brown, and his nose was like thin blade. The small wrinkles around his mouth suggested he smiled a lot, a rare trait on ANBU— even off duty ones. Hyko was a strict but tolerant man of twenty-nine, who expected much from each passing generation of young shinobi. If he ever had a child who was to follow the ninja path, he'd be half father, half instructor. Despite this, Hyko was a caring family man— most ANBU didn't dare to have families so he was one of the lucky ones— with a wife and child waiting at home. So when Sarutobi saw the father with the child cradled protectively in his arms, he knew what the man was going to ask before he did.

"Sir." Hyko said. "I would like to adopt Minato."

"Are you sure Hyko? Your wife and daughter—"

"—would love to have him," Hyko said firmly. "Hansha became barren after Mariko was born. And Mariko would love to have a little brother. Besides..." His voice hardened. "He can't go to the orphanage. You know Danzo gets his "recruits" from there."

Hiruzen grimaced and nodded. "Very well. I'll sign the necessary paperwork." Now I have even more paperwork... he thought sourly.

Hyko bowed, returning his mask to his face. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

The ANBU left, the child cradled protectively in his arms.

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After changing into normal Jönin attire, Hyko picked up the sleeping Minato and emerged from the secret ANBU headquarters, walking steadily through Konoha's streets. He passed through the merchant section, nodding as people called out to him, but did not stop to talk. The mission to Wave had been long, and Hyko wanted to see his family. He entered the humble house at the corner of one of the shinobi housing districts. Instantly, six year-old Mariko was there, leaping for him.

"Daddy!"

Mariko was brown haired, hazel eyed, and an endless supply of hyperactivity. She was curious to the point of endangerment, always flitting about like a butterfly inspecting new flowers. Mariko also had the knack to find herself in places she shouldn't be. Hyko had caught his daughter trying to follow him to ANBU HQ once. He sent her home— giving her a lecture she ignored— and handed her off to her mother. His ANBU squad had teased him for a week. Hyko had never seen his daughter stay still for more than a few seconds at most, too impatient and hyper to even think about remaining in one place. The phrase "Think before acting" was the opposite of Mariko, who acted without thinking all of the time. Hyko and his wife had tried to teach Mariko the meaning of the phrase— and how to use it in life— without success. She saw, she grew interested, she jumped. A part of Hyko hoped it was just childhood energy, but his instincts told him Mariko would always be too curious for her own good.

Minato woke when he was crushed between his adoptive father and sister, smothered by Mariko's hug. He gave a small squeak of surprise. Mariko jumped back, eyes widening.

"Oops!" A gleeful grin crossed her face, and her hazel eyes shone with excitement. Her brown curls bounced as she did, like an excited, bold rabbit. "Daddy-Daddy-Daddy! Who's this?"

"I'd like to know as well," a gentle voice said.

Hansha Namikaze walked into the room –every step like a dancer's graceful movements- eyes instantly softening as she saw Minato. Hyko's wife was the adult version of their daughter, brown curled and hazel eyed, all elegance, gentleness, and regal-like grace. Well, for Mariko, not so much grace and elegance -yet- though she could look regal if she wanted to... or when Hyko said a word Hansha deemed "not meant for young ears or civilized conversation". Hyko lost a lot of money keeping his daughter quiet about his slip ups. Mariko could con the Hokage out of his hat if she put her mind to it... Back to Hansha. She was a soft spoken woman for the most part, a surprising trait in a former Kunoichi. Hansha had retired after becoming a Chünin to settle down and marry. When asked why she didn't wait until she was a Jönin, the woman would merely say she had enough skill to protect her family. It was true. Hansha was Jönin level, but merely hadn't gotten an official promotion. She didn't mind though. All that mattered was protecting he family, which she would do with the fierceness of a tigress. And if someone underestimated her because of Chünin status, sucks for them.

Minato peeked at the two females then buried his head back into Hyko's shirt. He seemed to like doing that.

"This is Minato." Hyko introduced. "I sorta... adopted him."

Mariko's smile grew so wide Hyko was surprised her face didn't split in half from the extension.

"I got a bro-ther!" she sang, skipping around Hyko. "I got a bro-ther!" She bounced up and down in front of Hyko, impossibly energetic. "Doeshewannaplay?Doesheliketeaparties? What'shisfavoritecolor? Doyouthinkhe'llwearadress?" She asked in rapid succession.

Hansha laughed. "There's no need to traumatize him dear."

Hyko's face darkened slightly, something his wife noticed. The ANBU gently set Minato down.

"This is your big sister Mariko." he told the boy. "And this is your new mommy."

Hansha knelt to his eye-level, smiling. "Hello."

Minato approached her warily, eyes downcast. "Hello." he whispered. He looked at Hansha and his lip trembled.

"What's the matter sweetie?" Hansha murmured.

"I want my old mommy!" Minato sobbed, bursting into tears.

Hansha took him into her arms, soothing him and rocking him back and forth as he bawled. She cast Hyko a questioning glance. The man merely shook his head, his wife's eyes growing sad in response. Minato slowly calmed down, sobs transforming into hiccups, the tears drying on his face. Mariko watched the exchange with a wide-eyed, confused expression. When Minato calmed down, the girl stepped forward, strangely quiet and shy.

"Wanna play?"

Minato hesitantly nodded. Mariko grinned, perking up instantly, and took his hand, pulling the startled boy out of the house and into the backyard. The two bemused parents smiled as they watched the children play, Minato easily forgetting his earlier grief. Hyko's smile faded as he recalled other things Minato would forget... and things he never would.

Hansha turned to Hyko, eyes narrowing slightly. "Explain." It was amazing how authoritative the gentle woman could sound.

"His parents were murdered." Hyko said softly. "My team found him during our mission. I couldn't just drop him in an orphanage, especially considering..." He grimaced. All of the ANBU knew about Root. And all of the ones with family highly disapproved of the organization. The torture of children barely old enough to enter the Academy wasn't even the worst thing Danzo allowed to breed his "perfect shinobi".

"The boy is special isn't he." Hansha stated. Her eyes narrowed. "Special enough that you worried about putting him in an orphanage." His wife was a very smart, perceptive woman. She put two and two together, and had the sense to keep quiet about it.

"Yes." Hyko said simply, not elaborating.

Hansha sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I'll find out everything eventually, won't I?"

Hyko nodded. Hansha smiled, eyes never leaving her children.

"Welcome to the family, Minato Namikaze." she said softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Five year-old Minato Namikaze skipped next to Hyko as they walked down Konoha's busy street. Hyko watched his son with a mixture of amusement and gravity.

"All right Minato. There's going to be a lot of children –including some Clan Heirs- at this birthday party. Make some friends, okay?" He said, as if he were giving the boy a mission.

Minato looked hesitant. "But... what if no one likes me?"

Hyko sighed, ruffling his son's hair. "Don't worry. They will."

Many adults were prejudiced against Minato because of his origins and shocking blonde hair. After Minato arrived in Konoha, rumors spread quickly about the boy. Rumors about him having demonic powers was one of the stories that was whispered the most. Quietly. When ANBu weren't around. No one knew that Hyko was an ANBU, so none understood why people were knocked out by Killer Intent whenever they said cruel rumors about Minato. Hyko cursed whoever had leaked information about Minato's bloodline for the thousandth time. It was true that Konoha was more accepting than other villages about bloodlines, but many were still wary whenever new Kekkei Genkai were introduced. As a result of misinformation and gossip, Minato's teleportation bloodline had been translated into an evil demonic power. Sure, Minato was a handful and caused panic when he Flashed –that's what Hyko called his son's teleportation ability- unintentionally when he was younger, but he was not a demon. How could people even think that?

Hmph. These morons wouldn't know a demon if it kicked them in the asses, Hyko silently fumed as he glared at civilians who were giving Minato looks.

"Okay Daddy!" Minato said excitedly, oblivious to the civilian's glares and ANBU's angry thoughts. "You make friends too!"

A smile flicked across Hyko's face. "I'm already friends with the adults Minato."

Minato's nose wrinkled cutely. "Oh. But then why do you call the Hyuuga Head a bas-"

Hyko paled. "Don't finish that okay? Mommy won't be happy if you say that word around her."

They passed one of the Hyuuga guards, entering the complex. It was the Heir and is brother's birthday, so a lot of people were invited. Minato's eyes bugged at the sheer amount of people- specifically children. He spotted a group near the edge of the party playing a game, and glanced hopefully at his father.

Hyko sighed. "Go on."

Minato raced over to the kids. They looked up when he came over.

"Hi! I'm Minato!" he said happily.

A bored looking child with black hair that was pulled up into a spiky pony-tail waved lazily. "I'm Shikaku Nara."

The fa- I mean, pleasantly plump- child munching on a bag of chips waved. "I'm Chouza Akimichi. Want a chip?"

"I'm Tsume Inuzuka." a feral looking girl proclaimed, before Minato could reply. "This is Kuromaru." Her puppy barked a greeting.

"I'm Inoichi Yamanaka." the light blonde haired boy said.

A child with glasses and a high collared coat that covered half his face spoke. "My name is Shibi Aburame. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The red haired girl jabbed him in the side. "Why do you always have to use such loooonnnngggg words? Lighten up!" She grinned cheekily at Minato, offering her hand. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki ya know!" Minato shook the offered hand, liking the energy-filled red head immediately. "Wanna play duck duck goose?" Minato nodded and sat in the circle.

A Hyuuga boy walked up to them, white eyes calmly surveying the crowd of kids. "May I join you?"

They agreed. The boy sat.

"You're one of the twins right?" Minato asked.

He nodded. "I am Hizashi Hyuuga. My brother is Hiashi, the Hyuuga Heir." A hint of sadness entered his voice.

"Good for him." Kushina said, speaking her thoughts. "Since he's the Heir that means you won't get stuck in a stuffy room dealing with cranky old people!"

Hizashi's eyebrows rose. He looked at her, perplexed.

"Wanna play hide and seek?" Chouza asked hopefully.

"I'll be the seeker!" Minato offered.

The children scurried off to hide. Minato counted to twenty- he wasn't sure what number came after twenty- and looked around. He instantly found Chouza at the food table, and Shikaku laying on his back, staring at the clouds. Minato found Inoichi when he emerged from his hiding spot to yell at Shikaku for being lazy. Tsume was up in a tree, as was Shibi surprisingly. The boy didn't seem like the tree-climbing type... that left Hizashi and Kushina.

Minato scoured the Hyuuga complex, unable to find the two. He wasn't worried however. They were just good at hiding. The boy wandered to the edge of the party, closer to the wall that encircled the compound. Minato sensed someone nearby, through their chakra. His father, upon discovering that Minato was a natural sensor, had given Minato lessons to hone his abilities –through the cover of playing games of course. As it was, Minato was a better sensor than most shinobi. Hyko believed it was a part of the boy's mysterious bloodline.

None of this was running through Minato's mind as he headed towards the presence he felt. He emerged just outside the complex to find a man there with a sack over his shoulder. Minato sensed two familiar presences. He froze.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked.

The man stiffened, whipping out a kunai. Minato Flashed out of the path of the flying weapon, and did what his father told him to do if someone attacked him. He screamed.

Instantly, five Hyuugas, plus half the parents at the party, appeared out of nowhere, taking the man down like the enraged, protective parents that they were and reliving him of the sack. The sack wiggled and a man who looked a lot like Tsume opened the bag to reveal Kushina and Hizashi. The three children were grabbed by the adults and Shunshined away as the remainder stayed with the defeated kidnapper. Minato appeared at the hospital in his father's arms, used to vanishing and appearing elsewhere, a concerned nurse instantly heading towards them.

The three spent the next hour being fussed over and questioned before they were left in a room so the adults could talk. It turned out that a rival village had instigated an attempt to kidnap Hizashi— for his eyes— and Kushina— for unknown reasons. The adults were appalled and ashamed that a five year-old sensed the intruder before them.

Unaware of the conversation going on outside, the three children sat on the floor in a circle, all extremely confused as to what was going on. Kushina was telling Minato a— highly dramatic and altered— version of their capture, claiming that she'd stumbled upon the man grabbing Hizashi (True), and had bravely fought him (Sorta true), starting an epic battle in which the enemy was forced to use his ultimate technique to subdue her (So not true). Minato hung onto her every word, eyes widening in awe.

"I'll bet that the old men will be so impressed by me," Kushina finished, "That they'll make me Hokage!"

Minato blinked. "You want to be Hokage?"

"Yeah! I do!" she snapped, sounding defensive. "It's my dream!"

Minato smiled sadly. "I want to be Hokage too... so I can protect everyone." There was such sadness and grief in his voice Kushina didn't protest.

Hizashi huffed. "That's stupid. You can't protect everyone."

"Why not?" Kushina demanded.

"Because." Hizashi stated. "Even the Hokage can't interfere with Clan business."

Minato was very perceptive for his age. You had to be when living with an ANBU for a father. "What Clan business?"

Hizashi hesitated, uncertainty seeping into his expression.

"We won't tell anyone you told us anything ya know," Kushina promised.

Hizashi sighed, and slowly removed the bandages from around his forehead. He lowered the strips, revealing a strange green seal on his forehead. "This is the Caged Bird Seal. It's given to the Branch Members of the Hyuuga Clan to keep them in their place." His tone suggested he was repeating someone else's words.

Kushina leaned forward and touched the seal. Hizashi let her, though he stiffened slightly.

"What does it do?" she asked.

"I don't know." Hizashi whispered. "But Father says it hurts Branch Members."

Minato's eyes narrowed. He recalled Hizashi's not covered, seal-free forehead. "I don't understand. Hiashi doesn't have a seal but he's your brother."

Hizashi sighed. "I was born into the Main Family but since Hiashi and I were twins, the Hyuuga Council decided I needed to have a seal to keep me from being disloyal to my brother. Hiashi is the Heir, so I must be a Branch member to keep the peace." Again, he sounded like he was repeating something someone told him.

Minato frowned. "That's stupid."

"It is." Kushina agreed. "Just like how people don't like me 'cause I'm from Whirlpool."

Minato blinked at her, then glanced at Hizashi. Slowly, he realized that he'd found other outcasts.

"Do you... want to be best friends?" Minato asked hesitantly.

Kushina nodded happily. Hizashi hesitantly smiled.

"Yes!" Kushina cheered. She pointed at Hizashi. "I will teach you to lighten up, cause there is no reason for you to be stuffy cause you're not gonna be a polly-pollytispin!" She was trying to say "politician", but couldn't remember the word.

"And when Kushina or I become Hokage, we'll change your Clan!" Minato proclaimed.

Hizashi's smile widened. "Okay."

None of the children noticed Hyko standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Hyko sat deep in thought, replaying the day's events over and over in his head. He knew Minato had only survived through luck. Because of his Kekkei Genkai. Hyko's brow furrowed as he thought about the mysterious bloodline the boy possessed. They had no idea what it could do... The ANBU grimaced. He knew where his thoughts were heading. Hyko stood and prepared himself for the biggest battle of his life.

The ANBU had a long, heated discussion with Hansha. After a relentless period of arguing with her husband, the woman gave in to her husband's wishes.

"Fine." she said softly. "You can start "seriously" training him. But I expect you both back in a year, got it?"

Hyko nodded, smiling, and kissed his wife. "I know."

The next day, Hyko woke Minato early. "Come on Mina-chan. We're going on a trip."

It was time to see what Minato's Kekkei Genkai could do.

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: There's the first chapter. I hope you liked it. Before you flame about Minato being able to sense Jönin at the age of five, it's a part of his bloodline. Also: the civilians think Minato's powers are demonic... remember that. (Hint hint wink wink) (No, Minato is not a Jinchuuriki, and no, he is not going to become a Jinchuuriki. He is also not a Bijuu, or a demon of any kind.) There will be a time skip of five years between the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next one. Minato will be ten.

Chapter Two will be called "Genin".