PROLOGUE

One century ago, a war had started between dragons and humans. A war that consisted of death, fire, bloodshed, tyranny, and betrayal. For years, the humans had trusted the dragons. They looked to them for guidance and support. And the dragons had done the same. The two species were dependent on each other, but as if it were nothing more than a fleeting, nostalgic memory, history completely changed.

The dragons had suddenly turned on people. Setting fires to villages, attacking kingdoms, taking children and riches, and just becoming plain bloodthirsty. It came as a shock to everyone, to see that their most powerful and trusted allies had become nothing more than merciless monsters. No one had expected it to happen because of the whimsical and mutual understanding the two species had between each other, but at the same time, the threat was always there. The threat was there, and all the people berated themselves for being too stupid to see it. For being so oblivious to the danger. For trusting an absolute monster.

For nearly one hundred years, the war continued to wage against the dragons. Dragons were eventually banished completely from stepping foot upon human settlements or they would be killed. Marriage and partnerships between people and dragons were now considered taboo. Dragons nests would be found and raided, have their eggs stolen, the parents killed and then cooked to celebrate the destruction of the species. Hunting dragons had become a sport and the killing of one would often result in the person becoming knighted or heralded as a hero for protecting their kingdom and land. Some had even become nothing more than meager slaves or pets to humans, chained up and forced to obey every command or face being beheaded. This was the new era. The era between dragons and people; the era of absolute fear between the two species. The era that was born out of mutual agreement, understanding, and support for one another, was no longer existent.

The eleven year old, blue eyed boy sat in his grandfather's lap, staring at the book and listening carefully to the story that he heard almost every night before bed when he refused to go to sleep. Even though he should know this history by heart, just hearing of what it used to be like was something quite mysterious, quite elegant, even quite unsettling to the young prince. "So are all dragons bad, grandpa?"

The old man chuckled as he turned a page, showing a picture of a dragon nuzzling what appeared to be a princess. "No, Naruto. Not all dragons are or were bad. Some were even heralded as heroes and knights that served kingdoms. They would be fitted with armor and help fight wars and make treaties between other kingdoms. They even protected princes and princesses during times of great battle, and served kings and queens."

"So then, why did we have to banish them? Even though our kingdom still has a pact with dragons, why do we have to keep them away from us in the forest by our kingdom? And how come other kingdoms wont do the same?"

"Because..." the old man sighed, "We are probably one of the only kingdoms left that still protects dragons. We made a pact with them, offering them protection from being hunted and extinguished. And they offered their own protection in exchange. What our kingdom does is considered taboo by many other kingdoms and people. They would rather see our downfall than have the continuation of the species in this world. But our family has a long history with dragons. They served us and we served them. There just isn't a way that we could kill them over the mistakes of but a few. And so, they are the only thing that protects us from the threat of other kingdoms. And we are the only ones that protect them. They don't deserve to die just because of what their ancestors did."

Naruto stared back at the book, trying to process his grandfather's words. "I think so too..." He said. "I don't think all dragons deserve to die. Mother even said she met a dragon once, and he was gentle and kind~"

"Oh? Your mother told you that?" The man chuckled, patting Naruto's head.

"Yeah! So I don't think any dragon would hurt us unless it had a reason to!"

"Naruto... you're just like your father." He said as he closed the book. "Now its time for you to go to bed."

"Yeah! Even father said that theres no chance of that happening. Father always tries to understand dragons~" Upon hearing that it was his bedtime, Naruto pouted. "But I don't wanna!" He clung to his grandfather. "I don't want to sleep, grandpa! How come you get to stay up?!"

"Because I'm not a prince who needs their beauty sleep. You've got another long day of sword training tomorrow."

"Hmph. But I'm already good at wielding a sword..."

"Yes, but you also need to work on your magic training, too." He playfully plucked his forehead. "Don't think that I haven't heard from your mentor that you've been skipping out."

"Ugh." Naruto rubbed his forehead. "But Madara's training is so hard! He always wants every move I make to be perfect! I hate it!"

"Now Naruto, Madara is the strongest mage in the kingdom, possibly in the world. His magic skills are unrivaled by many, and he has served this family well. You'd be wise to listen to him."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "Jiraiya, did you manage to put Naruto to sleep yet?" The door opened as a man stepped inside. They had a sturdy figure, dressed in a royal blue cape with orange, silken clothing and a golden crown adorned atop their head. As the man closed the door behind him and turned to face the prince and his grandfather, the flickering flames from the fireplace in the room bounced off his striking blue eyes and added a glow to his spiky blonde hair.

"Father!" Naruto ran up to the man and hugged him. "You're back from patrol!"

"Heheh..." the man chuckled as he warmly looked at his son and gave him a hug. "Yes, I'm back, Naruto."

"So, Minato..." Jiraiya stood from his chair. "How was it? Is everything good now?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I think we managed to ward off that rogue dragon running rampant in the forest, so it shouldn't step foot in the kingdom at least."

"Um, father..." Naruto looked up at Minato. "Not all dragons are bad, right?"

"Thats right, son. Not all of them. Only some of them, like the ones who go out of control and attack or kill people for no reason. Thats why we only go after rogue dragons."

"Then... then why do I still have to kill one in order to become king? I don't wanna kill a dragon! I don't want to!" Naruto said furiously. "Isn't it wrong to kill something for something so selfish? You didn't have to kill one and mom didn't either! And grandfather even said they used to serve us in the past. So why..."

Minato sighed and picked up the boy. He carried him to the bed and lied him down. "I know. Back then, there was no such law required until the other kingdoms began to protest, and eventually the court decided it was necessary for this generation to follow the new ways. There was nothing I could do at the time to fight against it before you were born. Thats why I'm trying to pass a law to change that. If all goes well, we'll never have to kill a dragon again unless absolutely necessary. We will only go after dragons who's intent is to harm us."

"You promise?"

"I promise. When you become king, Naruto, your hands will not have to have any blood on them; no blood of people, nor dragons." He said as he tucked him in. "But! Thats only if you go to sleep! Ok?"

"...but I can't sleep. I don't want you to leave again."

"Then take this." Minato took off a gold chain necklace he was wearing and put it around Naruto's neck. Attached to the necklace was an extravagant and beautiful orange amulet with the mark of a dragon coiled around the family's crest engraved on it. "As long as you wear this, Naruto, I'll be there even in your sleep. I'll be right there with you anytime I am away. Ok?" He leaned down and kissed Naruto's forehead. "Because I love you. And this amulet is our family's treasure; it is my love from me, your mother, your grandfather, and everyone else in the kingdom. Remember that if you ever think you have nothing left, you will always have us."

Naruto's eyelids began to grow heavy as he listened to his father's words. He whispered an 'Ok.' before finally falling asleep. Minato smiled as he tucked the child in and then stood up silently while turning to Jiraiya and putting a finger on his lips telling him to be quiet.

The adults finally left the room together with Minato silently closing the door, waiting for the soft click to resound before he exhaled. "That boy... you can tell he's just going to get more and more restless as he gets older."

Jiraiya just laughed heartily. "You think so? Isn't he just like you, Minato?"

"Oh hush, old man."

"Hm but... are you sure you want to give that to him? Its still a bit early, isn't it?"

"Its fine." Minato insisted. "With how crazy times have gotten, I'd rather he have it now than later before anything too serious can happen. I had intended to pass it onto him when he became king on his coronation day, but heh... thats another decade from now, isn't it~? I guess you can say I just can't wait to see what kind of person he becomes. Hopefully, he can change the fate of this world to show that not everything is what people make it out to be. Dragons are just like people. They both can be misunderstood."

Jiraiya nodded. "That is true. I too wish we could go back to the days where times were different... but I guess its just time to accept that it wont happen."

"Yeah..." Minato sighed. "For now, for as long as I am alive, all I can do is try to make things easier for Naruto. Right now he's so open minded and accepting, just like his mother. And I'm so worried of what might happen..."

"You have nothing to fear, Minato. Everything will turn out fine. I will look out for him."

Minato smiled at Jiraiya and then exhaled. "Lets get to bed, old man."

With that said, both the king and his father finally turned in for the night, disappearing into the faintly lit corridors of the castle.

~:::~

As the evening continued very late into the night, all was not as peaceful as previously once thought. The moon was lit brilliantly in the sky as smokey grey clouds drifted by and red cinders danced among them, resembling glowing orange stars. Part of the kingdom was burning, people were screaming, and the roars of a fearsome beast sounded off so loudly that it was enough to rattle the walls of surrounding buildings.

A man dressed in regal red and black magician robes ran down the hallway of the castle, with his black hair flowing behind him and razor sharp gauntlets charging with magical energy. He turned a few corners, running past guards who had weapons and swords in hand going the opposite direction to fight the impending doom outside. Finally reaching his destination, the black haired man pushed the door open. "Minato! The dragon, its back! And its attacking the kingdom!"

"Yes, Madara. I know." The king responded, back turned as he faced a mirror. He was dressed in silver armor and donned a large sword with a jeweled handle. A long, orange headband adorned his forward, flowing behind him with the family's crest. His blue eyes seemed to be sharper than they were before as he sighed upon hearing the dragon's roar coming closer to his castle.

"It is the rogue black dragon that inhabits the forest. My king, this dragon has been a constant nuisance upon us for quite some time now. And now that it has actually step foot in our kingdom, you can't simply ignore it any longer! We must take action and destroy it!"

"Yes, I know." Minato turned around to face the man. "I will deal with it. No harm will come to my kingdom or family. It wishes to be rid of me and claim this land as its own. I wont allow it!" He gripped the handle of his sword tighter. "Are you ready? We are going to get rid of this threat once and for all. This will be the last dragon we have to kill."

"Yes, my king." Madara held up his gauntlets, and glowing energy surrounded them. "Lets put an end to this monster's obstruction!"

As they both ran out of the room, a woman's voice called out. "Minato, be safe!"

"I will, Kushina! Look after Naruto!" The king called back as he kept running. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself to face the dragon. His eyes widened when he stepped outside.

No more than several hundred feet from the castle's gate did the dragon stand. The only thing keeping it from getting any closer were the castle's knights and guards desperately trying to hold it off. The dragon roared as its claws came down on one of the warriors, knocking their sword from their hand and then leaning down to bite them in half. Blood rained down from the beast's jaws as it continued to swat and oppose the forces surrounding it. It took in a deep breath and released searing black fire from its mouth, charring the ground beneath it and nearly melting off the armor of the knights within range.

"My king! Magician Madara! Please, we need your help! We can't keep holding it off! Its too powerful!"

Hearing his men call out to him, Minato charged at the dragon with a war cry, clashing his sword with its claws. He swung with all his might, not giving the dragon an inch. He looked to his mage for support. "Madara, water!"

Madara nodded as he held up his hands. He began to utter words as he cast a spell. A blue glyph appeared above the dragon, and then tons water splashed onto it from the glyph, as if the man had summoned the very ocean itself that stood by the edge of the kingdom to his aid.

As the battle waged on, the queen Kushina watched from Naruto's bedroom window, praying that her husband would end the battle quickly and come back home. "Please, Minato... bring us peace." She said, putting her hands together and praying desperately. She ignored the thick, black smoke that hung in the air, and tried to zone out the dragon's roaring and the men screaming. Soon it would all be over.

"...mother?"

Kushina opened her eyes as she turned to see Naruto approaching her. Panicking, she pushed the boy away by his shoulders. "Naruto, get back in bed!"

"Huh? But I can't. I keep hearing loud noises and..." The boy sniffed the air, catching a whiff of the smoke coming from outside. "Mother, whats going on? Where's father?!"

Before she had time to exlpain or come up with an excuse, Naruto had pushed her out of the way and looked outside his bedroom window. His eyes widened in pure shock and disbelief. "F-father...?" He watched as his father's sword was knocked out of his hand and then pinned down to the ground by the dragon. "Father!" Naruto pushed open the window and stepped out onto the balcony. "FATHER!"

"Naruto! Get back inside!" Kushina quickly grabbed her son who immediately began to squirm in her arms.

"No, let me go, mother! Father is... father is going to die!"

"No, he wont! Its ok, Naruto! Your father will be fine! He has Madara with him!"

But the prince only shook his head in protest. "No! Look at that dragon, mother! Its huge! They can't do it alone! I can help! Thats why I've been sword practicing!"

"No, Naruto! You can't!" She held Naruto firmly, until he finally stopped struggling. For a moment, they just stood there in awe, watching the battle continue. Minato desparately shielded himself with his gauntlets, holding back the dragon's mouth and attacking with his own magic while Madara tried to pry it's claw away from him.

"Its... too strong... Minato." Madara said, attempting to use the power of wind to push off some of the dragon's weight.

"Just keep going! If we wear it down enough, it wont have the energy to fight anymore. It may even retreat!"

"I keep telling you, my king! Its too late for that! We have to kill it now!"

Naruto couldn't make out the exchange, but having to watch his father and his mentor suffer while he stood there and did nothing was becoming too much! "We have to do something, mother!" Having shouted that, Naruto bit into his mother's arm hard, making her wince and loosen her grip on him.

"Ouch! N-Naruto!" She didn't have the chance to grab him again as the prince managed to slip right past her, grab his sword and run out the door. "Naruto, DON'T!" She called out, running after him! "Guards!" She shouted for someone, 'anyone' to hear her and stop her son. But all the guards were preoccupied with the fight outside.

With a determined look in his eyes, the young prince made his way outside, carefully running down the castle's steps as he got closer and closer to the scene. Already he was out of breath, but refused to slow down until he got to his father. When he got within range of the fight, the thickness of the smoke was enough to make his breath hitch and he began coughing and squinting his eyes to see through the dense smog. "Ngh... father... father where are you?" He kept trying to navigate his way through the smoke and the war cries, and the clattering of swords against teeth and claws. At one point a guard came barreling back into him. He didn't have the time to dodge him and the guard fell on top of him. "Ngh..." Naruto managed to pull himself from under him. "Are you alright?!"

"...my king... my queen... I'm sorry..."

Naruto stared in horror. The guard's body had been charred by the dragon's flames and smelled of burnt flesh. His body was still so hot from the attack that steam was coming off of him. His helmet had melted into the side of his face, so much so that Naruto couldn't even tell skin from metal. Only his eyeball stuck out as proof that it was in fact the guard's face. Just witnessing the sight of such a grotesque scene was almost enough to make the child feel quesy. But he shook off the nauseous feeling and hurriedly stood to his feet. He couldn't let the same thing happen to his father.

Some of the smoke finally began to clear, and Naruto could finally see the true damage. Tons of injured and dead guards were piled all around him. They'd either been burned to death or hacked to pieces. Some, barely alive, were bleeding out and trying to help the wounded. And when the prince finally looked ahead, he could see his father, still pinned down by the dragon's claw; his gauntlets were damaged to the point that they were dented and barely even protected him anymore. He was completely defenseless.

"Madara... its been fun." He smiled, looking at his mage still trying to do everything he could to distract the dragon. "Look after Naruto and Kushina for me, ok? And the old man, too..." he coughed.

"What are you saying? I'm not letting you die! And if you die, I'm going with you!"

Just as the mage said that, the dragon looked down at Minato with its piercing red eyes. It bared its razor sharp teeth; saliva dripped from its maw. With a roar, its gaping mouth came down on Minato. The king closed his eyes as he awaited death's embrace.

"FATHER!"

'...Naruto?!' The king opened his eyes. He turned his head to see his son running toward him sword in hand and shouting as he jumped up and pierced his weapon directly into the dragon's eye.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Madara shouted.

"I'm... not letting... you die! I wont let it happen, father! Remember, you said you'd be with me always! What happened to that?! I'll fight as long as you fight, father! So come on... get up!" Naruto urged as he held on tightly to the sword. The dragon swung its head wildly, growling out in pain. It started to rampage, trying to remove the metal object from its eye.

"Ngh..." Minato sat up, having finally been freed from the dragon's grip. But just as he started to move, he found that he couldn't. 'What?' He looked down; one of his legs had been crushed from the weight of the dragon. As the adrenaline began to wear off, he finally realized the severity of the situation. There was nothing he could do. And his son was risking his life to save him. He had failed at trying to keep everyone safe. His duties and commitment as a king, a lover, a father... he realized that they were going to be over. But before he could even think of giving up, Naruto's words echoed in the back of his mind. No. He couldn't give up. He would fight to his last breath. Looking around, he felt the wetness beneath his fingertips from Madara's last attack. It gave him an idea. "Madara..." he uttered.

"What is it, my king?!" Madara knelt beside Minato, lifting his back up gently so that he could sit up. "Your leg... I can heal it. Just hold on." He put a hand out over the man's leg, but Minato grabbed his hand.

"No. It would take too long. Go save Naruto."

"But-"

"Thats an order, Madara! Go get him! I know what I have to do..." Minato looked down and closed his eyes.

"...I understand."

The mage reluctantly set Minato back down and ran off to go save the prince. He could see that Naruto was still just barely hanging on to his training sword. His small and meek body dangled in the air as the dragon violently shook and rampaged around the castle. It finally knocked Naruto off by headbutting into a wall. The impact was enough to throw the prince off, and he ended up hitting the ground hard, dazing him. The dragon looked down at Naruto, and without hesitation brought one of its claws down to crush him.

"No! Naruto!" Using the power of wind, Madara just barely managed to slide beneath the dragon's claw and grab Naruto as the beast stomped on the ground hard. They narrowly managed to avoid death. But now, with both of them being against the wall and most of his magic depleted from the fight, Madara desperately looked around for another chance to escape. But there was none. They were trapped. He held Naruto close to his body, protecting him. Using the last ounce of his strength, he managed to put up a protective barrier around them. He glared at the dragon. "I will not allow you to kill us so easily."

Just then, something shot at the dragon from behind. A blazing, hot ball of red energy. The dragon roared in pain as it turned around to contront the thing that attacked it. It was Minato, propping himself up on his sword as he looked at the dragon. Minato himself had trained in a bit of magic, although it wasn't as strong as Madara's. With a smirk, he looked up at the dragon and smiled. "Come get me, big boy."

When the dragon charged at it, Minato quickly turned around and began to limp away as quickly as he could, using his sword as a crutch. It was a good thing that he had managed to put some distance between himself and the dragon before attacking, but now it was time to put an end to its reign. Minato headed for the hillside behind the castle.

Naruto finally came out of his daze and looked around. Madara's forcefield disappeared and he panted hard, having exhausted all of his magical energy. Naruto crawled from under his protective holding. "Where's father?!" He demanded.

"The... dragon... he's... headed for the.. hillside."

"What?!" Naruto looked toward the direction, but he could see neither his father nor the dragon. "Is he crazy! He'll fall!" The prince began to run toward the hillside.

"Wait!" Madara called out, barely managing to get to his feet and he ran after the boy.

Once Minato had finally gotten to the edge of the hillside, he stopped and turned around to look at the dragon. The dragon was still coming after him; good. He simply stood there and waited. He was using himself as bait. Once the beast had gotten close enough, Minato's eyes glowed and the power of wind blew from behind the dragon harshly like a winter's storm. It was enough to push it right over the edge, with Minato just barely managing to duck beneath it. But the dragon was too smart; one of its claws scrapped into the ground, giving it just enough pause to bite into Minato's uninjured leg as it went sliding down the grassy hill.

"AGH!" Minato screamed out in pain. He desperately tried to grip the grass with his fingertips while also trying to stab his sword into the ground in order to stop himself from sliding.

"Father!" Naruto had just reached the edge of the hill as he watched both his father and the dragon tumbling downward toward the vast, blue ocean. Before he could even take another step, Madara grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.

"Naruto, stop! Or do you want to die as well?!"

"But... but..!"

"Look at your father. He's fighting with everything he has left. His final resolve. He isn't giving up."

Using his last ounce of strength, Minato turned around, took his sword, and ran it through the dragon's head with both of his hands. The beast let out a loud roar of pain and bit down harder. Minato sighed. "So you're taking me with you, huh?" He closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry that there was nothing I could do for you." He gently brought his hand to the dragon's nose and pat it. "See you in hell." The king smiled as his eyes closed and both he and the dragon disappeared from sight as they fell over the side of the cliff. The last thing that could be heard of their battle was a single loud splash.

Naruto, having witnessed the whole thing, began to tear up and dropped to his knees. "Father... no!" He brought his hand to his face and pushed away tears, refusing to let them fall.

Looking onward, Madara sighed. "Stand up, prince."

"Ngh... f-father..."

"I said, STAND UP!" Madara snapped, yanking the boy up. Naruto looked at him and stood in shock, unable to move from the cold, hard glare his mentor was giving him. "What did I tell you before? A prince doesn't cry. A prince doesn't get on his knees for anyone nor for anything other than when he is being crowned. Your father did not kneel before that dragon for a single moment. He stood and fought with all his might. Even when one of his legs were broken. And he did it all for the kingdom."

Naruto listened to the mage speak, tears still pricking at the corners of his blue eyes. "I-I know... I just wished I could have done something."

"Then do what your father couldn't. Hate dragons. Hate what they have done to your family, your kingdom, your home. They are nothing more than monsters who wish to kill for their own satisfaction. Forget what you've heard about in myths and stories. They are not our allies anymore. They are our pure, bloodthirsty, enemies. And we need to remember that. There is nothing that can change that. Remember: every dragon is a bad dragon. And any good dragon is a dragon with a motive."

"..."

"Come. Let me return you to bed and your mother. You have probably worried her sick."

With that, Naruto silently held Madara's hand and followed him back inside of the castle. His mother greeted him with a hug, tears in her eyes and she was happy to see that he was safe. He was then cleaned up and put back to bed by his grandfather while his mother and Madara assessed the damage and tended to the wounded. The rest of the fires were finally put out, the wind from the long night carried away the smoke, and finally there was silence yet again.

Naruto stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, thinking of his father's fight and the dragon that had attacked. Everything that happened almost didn't seem real and the young prince prayed to himself that when he woke up in the morning, it would all be nothing more than a bad dream. He finally, truly went to sleep that night.

Madara stood outside of Naruto's doorway for a while, listening to make sure that everything was situated. After Jiraiya walked out, Madara left with a sigh and headed to his own bedroom chambers. He was greeted by a guard standing at attention by his doorway.

"Turning in for the night, sir? What about your wounds?"

"I will be fine. I can heal on my own."

"...and as for Naruto? What shall we do now that the king has passed?"

"The only thing we can do: wait for his decision. It is Naruto's choice whether or not this kingdom moves forward. The king stated that if something happened resulting in his death, Naruto would make the choice whether or not we got rid of the pact between ourselves and dragons when he becomes king."

"I see..." The guard sighed.

"Worry not. A decade is more than enough time for him to make his decision." He smiled as he walked into his room. "And if not, I will push him toward that decision." Nothing else was said as the mage disappeared behind the door, leaving the corridors quiet as Konoha Kingdom mourned over the loss of their king.

-Thank you for reading! Please leave me any feedback or comments on what you think about the story so far!