"What is Chakra?

Chakra is our foundation. Our way of life. For what are we, who, are we, without the spiritual energy that flows through our veins?

Chakra is present in all living things. It is in your dog, your cat, and yes, even in that fly you see, sitting by your bedroom window. It is something that is not seen, but we feel its presence everywhere we go. It is practically part of our job in this day and age, as we sacrifice our lives to the betterment of the village, as Ninja."

A hand slowly raised in the back of the class.

"Yes, Inuzuka-san?" the lecturer said, well aware of the annoyed gazes of the students around him.

"Sensei, you said every living being has chakra. Does that include the Biju as well?"

The class, which had been filled with soft, if not subtle whispers up to that point, quieted. The teacher sighed softly, realizing he should have expected such a question from a student so young.

"Stupid mutt!" a stingy-looking girl in the back of the class yapped. "The Biju aren't real!"

"Oh yeah?! And where's your proof of that, ugly?!"

That insult was what started a horrible argument, and the teacher began to crease his brow in distaste. Why had he decided it'd be a good idea to retire to teach again…?

Just before he opened his mouth to berate the two and silence the class, a calm, confident voice arose from the center of the class.

"I… don't know whether the Biju are real or not," a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy said, "but I think, that if they were real, they too, would be bound by our rules. Chakra, physical energy, spiritual energy. Everything has it… and, I'd like to think, that everything can use it, as well."

His words seemed to calm the rowdy students, and meekly, the Inuzuka boy who'd first asked the question found the will to speak again.

"Sis says the Biju will eat whoever doesn't do well on the Graduation Exam. It's why so many of our clansmen have disappeared lately."

If only that were true, the teacher thought. Still, the idea of the mythological beings feasting on Konoha's soldiers was humorous, compared to the truth.

War was an ugly thing, after all.

"I don't think that Sage's Tale was meant to teach us to fear the Biju." The blonde-haired boy spoke once more. "I believe, that it was meant to teach us to respect the world around us, and see things as they are, and not as they appear to be. Nature gave us these abilities… and it can take them away."

"Well-said, Namikaze-san." The teacher smiled thankfully, and prompted the boy to sit back down. "As your classmate has said, Inuzuka-san, the Sage's Tale is meant to teach wisdom and respect for the world around us. The Biju are mere fairytales, and certainly haven't been responsible for your family's disappearances. But tell your sister that your teacher says to stop picking on you, or maybe she'll be the one tossed down the Juubi's throat, eh?"

The Inuzuka smiled at that and nodded, and class continued as it had.

Just outside the room, an old, white-haired man frowned.

"So, Jiraiya." The man's old teacher said, rubbing his beard in thought. "Did you see any you like?"

"Hmph. They're all brats. You really think any of them are worthy of my teachings?"

His teacher sighed.

"Spare me the nonsense Jiraiya. I can see it in your eyes. You've found one you liked, didn't you?"

The aged Sannin grunted his agreement, and despite himself, a wry smile formed upon his lips.

"The blonde one. He has a good head on his shoulders. Make it him."

The other man nodded and turned to leave.

"Minato Namikaze then." he said, his voice solemn. "It shall be done."

There was a swirl of leaves, and they were gone.

Twelve years had passed since that day, and Minato Namikaze had grown.

His small, short body had grown tall and lean, and his hair, blonde as ever, had grown, if only by a few inches. His strength too, had increased. He was proud to say that he was now filled with the muscles fit for a Jounin of Konohagakure.

Jounin.

The title still felt strange to the twenty-four year old blonde. Just a few days ago he'd been a member of ANBU, working among the shadows to ensure the safety of the village. How many years had he spent, playing lapdog to the whims of Danzo Shimura? How long had he sought to finally rejoin the ranks of Konoha's main force?

Far too long, he thought.

Still, his patience was well rewarded, it seemed.

Finally, he was free to continue moving up the ladder, he thought to himself. Now that he had returned to the light, all that was left was for him to take the hat.

Hokage.

It was always the endgame, Minato knew. No matter how many years he spent wallowing in the dark, Minato had always kept his eyes on the prize.

A prize, that was not far off, if his sources were to be believed.

But could they, when they spent most of their time writing porn just beyond the gaze of the women at the bathhouse?

"Why am I not surprised to find you here, Master?" the blonde drawled, a disappointed stare coming over his features as he laid eyes upon his teacher and friend, the self-proclaimed gallant Sage, Jiraiya.

"Ah! Minato! Just the gaki I was waiting for!" the white-haired shinobi grinned with glee. "Tell me, which of these women best suit your taste?"

The man's gaze was perverse, as always, Minato noted. A shame Tsunade was no longer present to reel him in, when necessary.

"Must you really play these games now Master? Our comrades have already grown tired of your habits, and you must admit that even your… reputation has been lacking as of late. And despite this you still…"

"Oh, come off it already and tell me what you think!" Jiraiya laughed, interrupting the blonde's words with a wave of his hand. "We both know you aren't going to tell anyone anyway!"

With a soft sigh, Minato relented to his teacher's demands, and subtly scanned the crowd in the bathhouse below.

"Woman on the far left," he said, "blonde hair."

Jiraiya moved his binoculars as instructed, and the low sound of perverted giggles filled the air.

"Oooh, a Yamanaka girl, eh? You sure know how to pick em, gaki! The size of those things!" Jiraiya laughed. "Not as good as Tsunade's, but they'll do. Still," he added, lowering the scope and returning them to the folds of his robes, "I would've taken you as a red-head lover myself."

"Quite." Minato sighed, folding his arms at his forlorn sensei. "Now then, if you're done peeking on the fine women of this establishment," another laugh from Jiraiya, "perhaps you'd like to tell me just what you called me for in such a hurry? I can't imagine it'd be to read over your new book?"

"Ah! Right, right!" Jiraiya remembered, rising from his place to grab a set of scrolls from his pockets. "Watch closely, Minato! I think I've discovered a new formula to use-!"

As the man began to unravel his notes and scriptures, Minato resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Not again with these ridiculous patterns of yours Master-"

"Not patterns!" Jiraiya scolded. "Seals! And mighty fine ones too, if I've created them right! Just think, Minato! The power of infinite space, in the palm of your hands! To carry any number of indefinite items, and have it weigh no more than a simple scroll! This is it! This is the-"

"-big one, yes I know." Minato sighed, having heard the same spiel from Jiraiya the past five years.

He didn't know when Jiraiya had become so interested in sealing, an art long deemed worthless and unnecessary, if only for practically every shinobi's inability to practice it. Perhaps it had been during the Sage's venture to the West, where he claimed to have been set upon by "highly skilled natives." Minato sighed. The man never had been quite the same after that.

"I'm telling you gaki, this one. It'll be useful." Jiraiya said, a glint of steel shining in his eye.

Slowly, the man retrieved a kunai from his back pouch, setting it upon the gathered symbols and crude lines written upon the scroll. Jiraiya pressed his palms to the paper's ink, and muttered a whisper so soft not even Minato could hear.

Almost instantly the lines upon the scroll glowed with white light, and for a moment, Minato had thought his teacher had done the impossible. He almost, almost, spoke too soon. The light soon fizzled and faded away as a small plume of smoke erupted from the scroll's page, covering the old Sage with soot and charred ash. As Jiraiya waved it all away, the kunai was revealed to be exactly where he had left it; upon the scroll's charred pages. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the kunai had been cooked somewhat thoroughly.

"Well," Minato smiled wryly, "at least now you'll be able to fry all the basil-pickled garlic and chicken you want, right?"

"Damn it!" Jiraiya cursed, ignoring Minato's attempt at humor. "I don't understand what went wrong! Were my calculations off? I could've sworn that with a hexagon it'd be more stable… did I overload it somehow, or were one of the codes misaligned…?"

Jiraiya continue to muse and curse over his latest failure, ignorant to his surroundings. Minato however, was not so distracted.

"I think your corrections will have to wait, Master." Minato said, his eyes narrowing as he felt the approach of a several strong ninja. "We have company."

No sooner did Minato finish that statement did five fully armed ANBU descend upon them, each wearing their own, stylized, ANBU mask.

"Jiraiya-dono, Namikaze-san, the Hokage requests your presence." One of the ANBU stated, stepping forward to speak for the group.

"Hmph. A summons? Tell that old codger to wait would ya? I'm busy." Jiraiya snorted, continuing to stare at his failed seal.

Minato would have been struck stupid by the sheer audacity of his teacher to speak of the Hokage in such a way, if he had not known beforehand that the insults were not meant in a demeaning fashion.

Evidently however, not all of the ANBU knew Jiraiya as he did.

"You dare-!" one of the lesser experienced ANBU began, moving to take a step forward only to be halted by a stern hand from their superior. Minato could feel the glare the rookie was being given beneath the mask.

"He said it was urgent, Jiraiya-dono." The lead ANBU said, and a brief silence settled between them.

It was with a reluctant sigh that Jiraiya finally caved, rolling his scroll shut and making to stand.

"So sensei wants to see me eh? And he wants me to bring gaki here along too?" Jiraiya repeated the summons, earning a nod from the ANBU unit. "Alright. I'll go see what the old man wants. Besides, he might be happy to hear that some of his ANBU aren't as emotionless as Danzo wants them to be, even when they're on the job."

"Rest assured, Jiraiya-dono," the head ANBU said with a stoic voice, "it won't remain that way long."

With a subtle signal the ANBU unit dispersed, and Jiraiya turned to gaze at his prized apprentice.

"Well, you heard the man," the Sage said with a tired sigh, "let's go see what Sarutobi wants."

They took to the rooftops, and Minato realized that for once, Jiraiya hadn't left the hot springs screaming.

There was a first time for everything, he supposed.

A shame the same could not be said for entering the Hokage's office.

As the pair entered the corridor leading to the man's office (Jiraiya's sober mood had lessened the entertainment of entering the "usual" way) Minato couldn't help but notice the sheer number of shinobi present in the area.

Certainly, being the Hokage's Office one would expect for ninja to be present at all times. It was where they got paid after all, but the situation… it was different.

Far too many shinobi were present, and the uneasy tension that had filled the room… it reminded Minato far too much of the atmosphere during the Third War.

Immediately, a fearsome worry clutched at his heart.

Had Iwagakure finally made their move? Minato had known it would only be a matter of time. Konohagakure had slaughtered half their forces during the war after all, but to recover so soon?

No, he thought, attempting to rationalize the situation.

It had to be something else. The Tsuchikage may have been a stern, unpleasant man, but he was no fool. Something else was going on, and with any luck, Minato was about to find out.

"Toad Sage and Gaki here to see the old man." Jiraiya said simply, smirking at the secretary Sarutobi had chosen for the day.

"Jiraiya…" the woman groaned, gesturing for them to enter. "I am in no mood for your games. Go, and none of your nonsense. It's rather serious this time, from what I've been hearing."

The sage's eyes widened in surprise at the knowledge, and he nodded, moving past her to step inside the office as ordered.

"-do nothing and wait, Hiruzen! We must strike now, before they have further time to act!"

"Nothing is confirmed, Danzo. I think it best you remember which of us is the Hokage, and I declare that we shall not start a war without first knowing all the facts!"

Jiraiya nodded at the argument, and chose that exact moment to enter.

The doors slammed open, and the Toad Sage strolled in with his usual gallant smile, subtly accompanied by Minato, as usual.

"A summons Sensei?" Jiraiya asked, raising a brow at the man in question. "I'd have never guessed you'd stoop so low."

"Yes, well, you're here aren't you?" the gruff, old voice of the Third Hokage asked, and the man's fingers moved toward the open seats. "Sit, both of you. We have much to discuss. Danzo-"

"This isn't over, Hiruzen." The old warhawk said, turning with a scowl. "We'll speak of this further."

"Yes." the Third agreed, his eyes cold. "We shall."

Danzo left the room, but not before sparing the time to glare at the two new entries to the room. The door slammed shut behind him, and Minato found himself pointing to the door curiously.

"What's wrong with him? He seems even… more upset than usual." Minato asked.

"The times are trying." The Third explained. "Danzo has always been a man of war, and I fear that if the stay the course, a war we shall have. Sit, Minato. You are privy to this conversation as well. Your… exploits, have earned that much."

Minato obliged, and finally, Jiraiya made to speak.

"So, what's this about sensei?" he asked, tinkering with the toys in his pockets. "There were quite a few shinobi out front. Has something happened?"

"You know it has." The Third grimaced, slapping a pair of folders in front of the two shinobi. "Read them, quickly."

Jiraiya reached for the folder almost instantly, flipping it open to discern its contents. Upon seeing his teacher's eyes widen, Minato too moved, wishing to read his own file. Just what was it his Master had seen?

Upon opening the folder, the blonde found out.

Pictures of a ruined town, torn and smashed to ash as if an earthquake, no, a hurricane tore through. Buildings were scattered, and dead, frail bodies littered the streets. If it had not been for his shinobi training, Minato wondered if he would have puked right then and there.

"What…?"

"Check the date. And location while you're at it." The Third stated, interlocking his fingers in a gruesome manner.

"This… this was not even two days ago." Jiraiya realized. "Sensei, how on earth did you-?"

"ANBU Black Ops delivered this file to my desk this morning. The entire squadron had been decimated, slaughtered, by a foe they could not see or hear. ANBU Black Ops, the best of Konoha, beaten," the Third snarled, smashing his fist onto the counter, "by something they could not comprehend. Jiraiya, take a look at the last picture. Tell me what you see."

Jiraiya frowned, flipping the file to its final page and glancing at the poor photography.

Black and White was so Second War, but if it was the best they could do…

"Smoke, ash." Jiraiya mused, studying the photo thoroughly.

Indeed, the picture in the file was of the burning village. The smoke had fogged up the lens it seemed, rendering any photo taken blurred and inaccurate. Still, Jiraiya thought he could make out spots that were darker than others, and if he connected them together… what was that?

"A cloud…?" he asked after a moment, his eyes squinting unsurely.

"A cloud, perhaps." the Third agreed. "Perhaps it is a falling building. Perhaps, it is the aftereffect of whatever jutsu caused this. Danzo seems to think as much, and I need not tell you who he thinks fired it."

"Iwagakure." Minato realized, staring at the same picture with a steady gaze.

"I, however, am not yet sure what to think." the Third said. "There is not yet enough information to make such a crucial decision. I require facts, Jiraiya. Facts, that you are known to deal in. Tell me, pupil, have you ever seen something such as this?"

"Not since Hanzo." Jiraiya admitted, his face twisting into a grimace.

Minato didn't blame him. The Salamander was not likely one of the man's fondest memories.

"Then it is as I feared." the Third breathed. "We stand against an invisible foe, not knowing when or where they will strike next."

"We must have time?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. "Whoever did this, Iwa, a Nukenin, they can't have gotten that close without some kind of sighting?"

"These buildings… they look familiar." Minato said suddenly, and the Third frowned.

"I fear they would be, to those in the village. Look at the location dated in the report, Namikaze-san." He said as gently as he could. "Just beneath the date."

Minato did as instructed, and upon reading the words his heart stopped.

"But… that has to be a mistake." The blonde breathed, and Jiraiya too, noticed what he missed.

"Impossible…" the sage muttered.

"Yes." The Third said gravely, taking a moment to smoke his pipe. "The village attacked… was Tanzaku Gai."

Hello all. Hope you enjoyed reading this small first chapter I've written.

I'm sure you're all a bit confused as to why Jiraiya, a well-renowned seal master in canon, had trouble activating, much less using a simple Storage Seal during the course of this chapter.

Simply put, this is my take on a Narutoverse where sealing was not so widely studied or used. As such, many things have changed as a result. For example, the Hyuga, well-known for their use of the Caged Bird Seal to protect the secrets of the Byakugan, have no such seal to defend themselves with. As shown, Jiraiya was having trouble producing, or should I say, inventing a storage seal, something that people like Tenten used often in canon. It was a little crude, I'll admit, but I was interested in seeing what would happen in such a world, and hope to explore the matter further. That being said, I don't want you to think sealing simply doesn't exist. There are those within this modified verse who use seals, and are competent in them, but they aren't exactly going around teaching everyone their secrets. Anyway, I won't say more at risk of spoiling you all, so I hope you all check back for the next chapter, assuming this one hasn't dried your interest.

Be sure to give me your thoughts and review (if you want), and I'll try to get back with any questions you might have.

Thanks for reading, and as always,

See you next time!