The Second Son

Summary: The Yondaime Hokage was known to be a paranoid man, especially when it came to his past and family. When a stranger looking for a man that has been dead for over five years appears at the gates of Konoha, an orphan, who everyone seems to detest, gains an uncle. Now, while a secret that has already taken many lives is being threatened to come into light, one man is determined to redeem himself of a broken oath. No matter the cost. (A twisted mystery fic. starring a blonde orphan, a living omen, a brother in a coffin, and many faceless pawns.)

AN: Okay, my first try at a mystery, I hope it goes well. Anyways, The Second Son will be replacing Broken Blood (until I fix it up). I forgot to mention that I write very slowly (especially when I take my time), so these stories will probably be updated just as slow. Terribly sorry, but that's how I work. As I said from other fanfics, any suggestions or comments are welcomed (criticism as well). Thanks!

Warnings: There may be some language and blood in future chapters as well as child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for this story).

Prologue: His Other Half

"Son, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars."

-Epictetus

It was that small simple knock on his door. At first the man thought it was the wind, their village had gotten many warnings in the form of telegraphs to their mayor of the village west of them. Their village had been having recent problems with the weather, the heavy rainfall they had been receiving was flooding their fields and their crops were being ripped from the ground because of the strong wind that would plow through their plants.

The man believed that it had been a broken branch that had been caught by the wind and was being thrown against his door. But then the rhythmic sharp knocks on his wooden door came again, ringing dully in his ears, and he knew that no wind could make that noise.

He stood up and rushed to the door. He slipped the eyehole open and gazed out of the small slot. A muddied figure; about thigh high and dressed in a dark gray cloak; stood by his door. The man openly stared at the small-cloaked child, for what else could it be? He was surprised when the child's hooded head moved upward to look into his eyes. He was shocked by the, oh so familiar eyes that stared through him.

His breath caught in his throat as his hand numbly struggled to open the door. It creaked open and he watched the child slowly step into his humble abode. The little boy shook the water droplets from his coat and dumped the worn out article at his feet.

The man scrambled to pick up the piece of clothing and hung it carefully on the coat rack next to the door. He turned to see the child pick up on of the many papers he had been looking through. He cleared his throat nervously, "When I received your letter, I pictured someone more…older." He motioned for the child to sit down on the couch while he took the chair across from him. The child said nothing and sat down silently, too silently.

"I expected as much, from a civilian. You seemed to have done your research well, I'll give you that." The boy gestured to the papers. The man pursed his lips together and did his best to calmly shuffle his work into a file. "I suppose so." He looked back to the child and forced himself to look at the boy's eyes. "Though I had the impression that you came here for a bargain."

The boy nodded and gave the man a small smile. He didn't like the smile the child was giving him. It reminded him of a creature ready to pounce on his prey.

"A bargain indeed."

"Minato? What are you doing here? Where is-Oh, no! What happened to your face dear?" The honey haired lady set down her cooking equipment and kneeled down next to her small three-year-old son. A bruise about the size of an adults fist covered the bright blonde haired boys left cheek. It was turning a deep angry purple with a light red tinge circling it.

The boy had tears streaming down his chubby cheeks, though he was desperately trying to rub them away, which only made his eyes puffy and pink. He sniffled loudly and winced when his mother gently brushed the large bruise on his cheek. She glanced knowingly at the kitchen door, her jaw stiffened and she swallowed her desires to cry out loud.

Standing up, she pulled out an ice bag from the freezer and wrapped a soft towel around it. "Lets get that bruise to go away, okay? And then we can get you cleaned up. Would you like some soup?"

Minato shook his head and ran to his mother, clutching at her long dress and began to pull her to the door. "Kaa-san! Please, tou-san and ototō are fighting again! Kaa-san, please! Tou-san is going to hurt ototō badly! I don't want ototō at the hospital again!" He pleaded to his mother, trying his best to push her out of the kitchen.

His mother bit her lip. Minato remembered the word fear. He learned it from his brother. His brother learned it from their mother. Their mother showed it when they were around their father. Right now, he could see the fear on her face. Minato was in fear as well, but more for his brother than himself.

His brother and their father never liked each other. Whenever his brother did something bad or wrong their father hurt him. And whenever their father did something bad or wrong his brother would call it out on him. Minato hated it. One time their father had a bad day at work and came home late. Minato was supposed to of done the chores for that day, and his father got really angry, but his brother lied and said that it was actually his turn to do the chores. It was a week later when he was able to leave the hospital without and life threatening injuries.

Minato knew that the other villagers had their suspicions. But no one dared to say anything about it. Their father was a member of the village's council. He was shown in a good light and high standing. Also, it wasn't like their village had a police force. They were a very small, unknown village that was built near the southeastern boarders of Konoha and were closer to the uncharted land that was directly east of us, though Wave and Whirlpool were north of us, they were too far away to actually cause trouble.

They had no trouble with bandits or missing-nins, the villagers barely even knew how to fight. There really was no reason to. Everything was priced fairly, every family owned a farm, everyone had a house and clothing, they had no orphans; basically, everything was perfect. Almost everything.

Humans were naturally born greedy and selfish. That's what his brother told him. So it didn't matter if you lived in a perfect village and had a perfect life. Humans are destined to live with hate, fear, and pain. Minato didn't like that, he wanted to change everything, to save the world and bring peace to everyone. His brother told him that his dream was useless and that there was no reason for him to want peace.

He said that even with peace, people would destroy it over and over again. He said that without darkness there would be no light, and with light there would be darkness. Minato didn't understand what that really meant, but his determination for peace didn't dwindle, it only grew.

Minato gave up on trying to pull his mother out of the kitchen. Instead, he let go of her dress and dashed out the door, climbing his way up the stairs to the second floor of the house and stopped in front of a closed door. Two nameplates hung from a nail that had been hammered into the wood. One spelled out Minato while the other spelled Satoru.

Minato rested a clammy hand on the doors handle and slowly opened it. He peeked into the darkened room but saw nothing nor heard anything. He reached for the light switch and flicked it on but the single light bulb that was built into their room didn't turn on. "Taiyō-san broke the light bulb, Minato-kun, so watch where you step. I will fix it later this week."

Minato flinched at his brother's cold tone and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. His brother called both of their parents by their first name, yet always added san to their names. If he didn't their father would beat him again.

Minato slowly crawled along the perimeter of the room, he couldn't see anything at all so there really was no way for him to avoid the glass, and edged toward the sound of his brothers voice. "Minato, take a step back and turn ninety degrees to your left." Minato froze and followed his brother's directions. A small thin hand brushed against his and grabbed his wrist. He was suddenly pushed onto something soft and bumpy.

"What have I told you about coming near us when we're arguing? Stay away from Taiyō-san when he's like that. Can't believe he actually hit you this time." Something cold and smelly was smeared over his cheek. Minato flinched at the touch but didn't stop his brother's actions. A strip of gauze was pressed to his cheek while medical tape was applied to the edges.

"Ototō, what happened this time?" Minato questioned the dark, he had no idea how his brother did it, it was like he had night vision. "Nothing, really. He was drunk and I said some things to him that made him mad. Kind of stupid of me, but it was going to happen sooner or later." Minato could hear his brother shuffle through the drawers of his bedside table. A few seconds later he heard a swift scratching noise and saw a flicker of light.

A small match brought light into the room, though it was still quite dim. Minato could now see the soft figure of his brother. Satoru and Minato were twins; looking at each other was like looking at a mirror. They both had the same shaped face, the sharp eyes, and the untamed spiky hair with two ear tails. Though there were some differences, mostly in their coloring. While Minato had bright yellow blonde hair, lightly tanned skin, and sky blue eyes; Satoru had light white blonde hair that looked bleached, pale yet fair skin, and neon teal eyes.

Both boys looked more like their father than their mother. Their father had dull blonde hair, tan skin, and blue eyes while their mother had honey brown hair, fair skin, and green eyes. Though Satoru got his mothers skin and eyes, he and Minato had their father's face and eye structure.

Satoru sighed and pulled out some candles, lighting them with the match, he set them on the small table and began slathering a white almost transparent paste on the many bruises that were beginning to form on his arms, legs, and face. Minato took some of the paste and helped him out, his nose wrinkled at the foul smell, but he continued on his task.

Their mother had been a doctor in her previous village, and had taught him and Satoru all that she knew. After wrapping bandages around the more serious wounds, the two brothers lied down on their single bed and cuddled together under the blankets. The shouting of their parents could clearly be heard from the floor beneath them. "Ne, ototō…do you think we could become a ninja?"

Satoru stiffened next to his brother and frowned in thought, "Why would you want to be a ninja?" Minato ignored the anger that was prominent in his brother's voice, "So we can get out of here. If we became a ninja we could take kaa-san somewhere safer and live together. We could bring peace to everyone if we worked hard enough." Minato could hear his brother growling softly, but then, "If that's what you want, I will help you. But I won't become a ninja, I can't."

There was another reason for their father not liking Satoru. He had a weak heart; if he worked too much he could die. Satoru was never allowed to do anything too strenuous around the house or work on their farm. He did the small chores that a female would do; like cleaning, cooking, doing the laundry. Their father saw him as weak and useless.

Minato just nodded and slowly closed his eyes, letting his mind succumb to the sweet darkness of sleep. Satoru sighed and closed his eyes as well, but he didn't fall asleep. He listened to his parents arguing, the slamming of doors, and then the total silence that always came after a loud fight. He wrapped his arms around Minato, letting the tears he had been holding in slip down his face. "I will always protect you, Minato. Dead or alive, I will always be there for you."

Time Skip: 1 Year

The boy gazed dully at his school cubby. The large black words were scribbled messily all over the small boxes interior. Bits of mud and trash stuck to the bottom of the cubby while dirt, dead insects, and ripped up paper littered the boys feet, having previously fallen from his cubby when he opened it.

The boy sighed tiredly, this happened almost every single day, didn't bullies get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Don't they have a life? He stared at the childish display and calmly pulled his outside shoes from under a pile of dirt and grass. The shoes had been written all over with a permanent marker and thoroughly soaked and muddied.

Behind his back he could hear the shallow whispers and quiet laughter of the children who had huddled up in groups behind him. The sharp stares of the other children burned into his back as they watched him slowly clean out his cubby and shoes. They were expecting him to break out in tears, throw a tantrum, or get angry and start yelling his head off. He did none.

Some of them began throwing taunts at him as he slipped on his damp shoes and placed his inside shoes in his cubby. He paused for a moment and then took his inside shoes and placed them carefully in his school bag. It would be a pretty brainless thing to do if he left his shoes in his cubby.

Everyone fell silent or turned away when a bright haired, blue eyed, and tan skinned boy slammed the classroom door open, not noticing the flinches of the other children when he did so, and flung himself at the other boy who looked almost exactly like him. He clung to the boy's shoulders, resembling a golden furred monkey, and flashed a mega watt smile.

"Ototō! How was your day? Did you get any homework? Do you need help?" The boy patted his brother's arms, which were wrapped tightly around his throat, chocking him. He gave Minato a small smile, notably, the smile didn't reach his eyes, "Perfectly fine, Minato-san. I did get homework, though I have already finished it." Minato slid off his brother, a disappointed look present on his face, "You can't call me that! No san, I don't like it."

"Taiyō-san insisted that I show others more respect. Which reminds me, we should get going, Taiyō-san and Odayaka-san are waiting for us. We wouldn't want to make them wait, Minato-kun." Minato smiled enthusiastically and grabbed his brother's hand, practically pulling him to the school gates. They spotted their parents and walked over to them, "Kaa-san, tou-san! Sorry we made you wait!"

Their mother merely smiled beautifully and knelt down to greet her boys with a warm hug. Their father looked away, not even acknowledging the two boys presence and began to walk away. Odayaka, their mother, gently grabbed their hands, Minato with her left and Satoru with her right, and walked up to their father. Satoru was the farthest away from the man, as always.

"It's alright. We just got here as well. How was your day at school?" While his brother went on explaining to their mother, in very explicit detail, how his day went, Satoru stayed silent. He turned and faced his father. The man caught his gaze and his facial expression went rigid. Both males stared into the others cold and narrowed eyes, a silent conversation of sharp words passed in between them.

"Taiyō, what do you think?" His father turned his gaze to his mother and the two adults began to engage in a conversation. Satoru looked at his brother who was, supposedly, chatting up a conversation with him. He just nodded along, his own mind wandering off into his own thoughts.

"You know what the other villagers have been saying! They speak about the boy every time they talk to me, and I agree with them! The boy needs to leave; I don't want him living here anymore! It's bad enough that he barely even acts his own age, makes everyone suspicious." His father's words stabbed panic into his heart; he wouldn't be abandoned, would he? "Taiyō. I know he seems a bit different, but that gives you no reason to abandon your own son. He frightens me as well, but we shouldn't just push him out into the streets! Not only would it kill him, but Minato as well!"

"I couldn't care less. That thing is not my child; I want it gone by morning. It doesn't matter to me if it's on the streets or in another village, he will die either way." He could hear his mother standing up from her chair and then a sharp crack echoed from the room and into the hall. He couldn't believe it; his mother had just slapped his father! "Very well. I will be taking him back to my village and we will live there until you sort yourself out. Take care of Minato."

He scrambled from his spot and dashed to his room. A true smile blossomed on his face. He had a bag to pack.

Time Skip: 2 Years

"Aren't you a bit too young to be traveling alone? Where's you're parents? They okay with you doing this?" Bright teal eyes glanced at the aging man in boredom, "I would think so. If they were alive that is." The man flinched at the dull and uncaring tone the boy had used when speaking of his parents deaths. Startled and a bit unnerved, the man just nodded dumbly, "Oh. Um, where to?" The boy hopped into his wagon and settled himself down. "Konohagakure. And as quickly as you can."

AN: And…done! Yay! God, that took forever. Okay, hope you enjoyed! I will try my best to upload as quickly as I can, but I have old fingers over here (maybe), and they move at a snails pace. I'm so happy that I actually finished one chapter (prologue) that I could cry! (T^T)