Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto!

"Are we there yet?"

A set of legs swung aimlessly from the shoulders of a tall blond spiky haired man.

"I already told you, it'll probably take another hour at most." Minato Namikaze twitched as his sons legs kept hitting into his chest. Maybe keeping the restless boy on his shoulders wasn't the best idea.

"Mom said there might be shinobi to fight on the way. Where are the shinobi?" Naruto leaned forward to try to catch his father's eyes. Two pairs of bright blue eyes met, and Minato chuckled.

"If shinobi actually attacked us, I'm sure your mother would kill me for even allowing them to get close to you." It was a long trip and Minato was inwardly surprised that not even a group of bandits appeared at any point.

"Yeah! As if anybody could hurt us! Dad you're so cool with that ninjutsu!" Naruto compliments always made Minato feel proud. Proud that he was perceived as 'cool' in his seven year old sons eyes. "Who could even beat the Hiruzen Jutsu anyway?" Naruto nodded happily to himself.

Minato paused in his walking and angled his head towards his son. "You and I both know that's not the name of my technique. Want to try again?" Admittedly, he didn't explain the Hiraishin no Jutsu to Naruto in depth yet, but the boy should at least know the name. He was his mother's son though.

"..."

"Hiraishin Naruto."

"That was totally my second guess ya know!"

"I'm sure it was son."

Naruto pouted and muttered something that sounded similar to "It was..." before Minato's eyes hardened and his hand twitched towards his weapons pouch.

A platoon of Iwagakure shinobi dropped down from the trees in front of the blond duo. Naruto stared at them curiously. They didn't appear to be overjoyed to see his father.

"Yondaime Hokage...you've come with no protection and your young child. I don't know if I'd call that careless or if you're trying to prove a point." A large heavyset man stood in front of the platoon and watched the man wearily. Dressed in the typical garb of a Iwa Jōnin ranked shinobi, the man would appear intimidating to some shinobi.

Minato was not just any shinobi.

"Kitsuchi correct? Ōnoki sent his best to escort us it seems." Minato removed his hand from the pouch attached to him. His eyes scanned over the entire group of shinobi. Memorizing each of their faces and searching for any signs of an attack. Most watched him with concern, some disgust, others held begrudging respect. "Oh. Do not worry about my protection. I assure you that I'm more than capable of watching over myself and my son." Those words could seem arrogant if they weren't backed up by Minato's prowess and legacy.

"Understandable. Iwagakure is only under an hour from here. Ōnoki-sama has been awaiting your arrival." Kitsuchi truthfully informed the living legend before him.

"That's great news then!" Minato's smile was so bright that it took some of the Iwa shinobi back for a second. "It's about time we sorted out all this bad blood. Nobody truthfully enjoys conflict... right?" Minato's voice didn't change but the shinobi before him tensed. His bright presence didn't deter from the fact that this man could end their lives in a literal flash.

"Pssst... Dad? That guy has a big nose..." Naruto's horrible attempt at a whisper broke everyone out of their thoughts. Minato laughed awkwardly at the comment before patting his sons leg.

"Naruto that's not nice. You know how you get when people make fun of your markings." Minato reminded his son of the unique whiskers that were present on his face. A side effect from being born from a Jinchūriki.

"Mom says they're cute..."

"They are. Although, that doesn't mean you can go around making fun of people either." The Iwa shinobi shuffled as the father and son interaction continued.

"Fine... Sorry rock man!" Naruto shouted at the Jōnin who looked faintly amused.

"It's quite alright." Kitsuchi would accept the apology even if he was offended. Minato was not a man anyone wished to anger. "We will move forward as a show of good faith." The Jōnin was referring to showing their backs to a potential enemy. Minato rose an eyebrow at such a statement. Maybe Ōnoki really did want a semblance of peace between their villages.

"Very well. Just one moment please." The Iwa shinobi were confused before another presence landed besides them. A copy of Minato Namikaze. The man nodded before dispelling in a cloud of smoke.

'He had a clone scout far ahead, all the while we didn't sense a single thing. He truly needs no other protection other than himself.' Kitsuchi eyed the smiling father and son.

The Yellow Flash was the embodiment of a one man army. Yet, seeing the man acting like the picture perfect definition of a father at the same time, it was frightening.

Ōnoki, one of the oldest Kage still renowned for his skill, was seeing double at two blonde people in his office. Their outfits were even similar. The young boy seemingly mimicking his father's clothing. Minato Namikaze wore his classic Hokage cloak over his Konoha green flak jacket and blue pants. His son copied that look perfectly, minus the headband and dynamic cloak.

"I see you're even dressing him the same way. Will I see another damned Yellow Flash in my lifetime?" Ōnoki commented with a calculating stare. Minato rose a hand to rub the back of his head.

"My wife... uh... picks out his outfits."

"Mom says I'm her little shinobi!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked unflinchingly at the old Tsuchikage.

"Kushina Uzumaki. I've only met her once before but she's something isn't she?" Ōnoki commented evenly.

"You're telling me..." There were a lot of words Minato would use to describe his lovely wife. "It's nice to see you again Ōnoki. You're looking well." Minato gave the man a small smile. The lack of respectful suffixes between the two of them was not brought up.

"I question your eye sight Namikaze. On my worst days I get these awful pains in my back. Living this long is a blessing and a curse I swear." Ōnoki scowled and rubbed at his aching back.

"Pssst..." Naruto was about to whisper before Minato put a hand over his mouth. His son had a habit of saying what was on his mind, another thing he picked up from Kushina. He ignored the attempt Naruto made to bite at the appendage.

"You know why I'm here Ōnoki. I think it's about time that our villages stopped being on edge around each other. Recently, when undergoing a mission close to Sunagakure, teams of our shinobi met. No fighting occurred but that hostility should be a thing of the past. It will only cause more hatred to be spread." Minato concluded his little speech with a firm glint in his blue eyes.

"Hmph. I see that Sannin has passed on his ideology to the student. Peace is a foreign concept in this world Namikaze. There could never be everlasting times of happiness and cooperation." Ōnoki leant forward on his desk and kept his eyes locked with his fellow Kage.

"It may seem unrealistic currently, but it's a goal worth fighting for. The Elemental Nations have suffered multiple wars before, and we know what happened in the last one. The relationship between our villages hasn't changed ever since. How many more shinobi need to be sent to their death just to satisfy a Kage's feeling of superiority? How many more young shinobi need to die?" Minato broke eye contact to momentarily look to his son. Naruto was surprisingly watching the interaction with a small frown. Usually the boy couldn't sit still for a moment, and it made Minato happy that his boy could pay attention at times like this. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about him for the time being, so he focused entirely on the Tsuchikage.

"...Upon hearing your request to speak in person I laughed it off. Surely it must have been some joke from Konoha. The man who became a local nightmare wishing for a meeting? Preposterous. However, seeing you in person, I have to admit one thing I respect about you. It's a rare trait for a man, let alone a shinobi, to really believe in their own words. Even as you sweeten your words with hopes of peace, I get a sense of you genuinely caring for our lands future." Ōnoki assessed the man before him with a neutral expression.

"You're not the only one I have to convince regarding this ceasefire of sorts between the nations. I'm not particularly looking forward to meeting with the Mizukage..." Both Minato and Ōnoki frowned at those words. They were well aware of the state of Kirigakure. "There's also Kumogakure..."

"Good luck getting that brute to agree to anything regarding 'peace'." Ōnoki was aware of the Raikage's volatile personality quite well.

While the two Kage's continued to speak of Minato's so called goal, Naruto turned to the large windows within the Tsuchikage's office. He did keep an ear on the conversation between his father and the old man but a seven year old can only understand so much. Naruto squinted at a figure descending the stairs of a nearby building. They looked to be about his age and were holding a weird white doll with wings.

"There would be benefits to this between our villages outside of death and combat. Trading and resource development are something I'm sure interests you. While I can't promise anything, the Explosion Corps of your village could benefit from some more knowledge only available in Konoha." Minato smirked at the older man. Ōnoki started laughing at the words of the younger Yondaime.

"Hehehe, you're an odd man Minato Namikaze. What's stopping my village from taking this alleged knowledge and using it against your own?"

Minato's smirk widened and his palm lit up with a strange formula of Fūinjutsu. "I wonder..."

Ōnoki only laughed some more.

Naruto's eyes widened at the little white bird thing blowing up slightly in the persons face. It actually flew before blowing up! This person made a bird! He squinted more to try to get a better look at them, but from this distance it was hard to make out anything other than the long blonde hair similar to his own.

"How do you think my shinobi and villagers would react to forming an agreement with the ones who left us in a decline after the war?" Ōnoki knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Minato's response.

"Your shinobi didn't look at me with as much contempt as I expected. The civilians could be a different story. I'm sure my villages populace won't be jumping for joy at this either. At the end of the day, it's our call to make as Kage. We are supposed to do what's best for the village... right?" Minato didn't relax his stance at all in front of the man, even if the talk wasn't going terribly.

"Indeed. My shinobi realize what war causes among nations. They may not all like you, and some practically despise the ground you walk on, but none can deny your strength Namikaze. Going by your previous words, you mentioned trade and resource sharing. I assume this is similar to the system you have in place with Suna?" Ōnoki and Minato, two shinobi that were more powerful than any in their villages, didn't realize the absence of Naruto.

"Yes. Sunagakure receives these benefits and with a agreement from the Daimyō, even some missions are circulated through the villages. The pay and such are sorted out by agreement of both parties."

Ōnoki tapped his fingers against his desk as he stared at the Yellow Flash. Suddenly, he raised his hand in a simple hand sign and Minato tensed considerably. A small rock formation resembling a chair appeared behind Minato. The Yondaime Hokage eyed the Tsuchikage suspiciously before Ōnoki scoffed.

"It's not a trap fool. I've been alive far longer than you have, and you think my best trap would involve a chair made of rock? Insulting." Ōnoki flatly looked at the blond man. Minato sighed before seating himself on the chair, knowing this meeting was only just beginning.

'It's not very comfortable though... Konoha definitely has better chairs for their guests.'

If Minato peeked out the window for a brief moment, he would have noticed his son pursuing another blonde haired person.

A small blonde girl entered a small training area close to the mountainous terrain of Iwagakure. Dressed in a simple bright green shirt and matching shorts, she stuck her hands into two pouches situated on her hips. Her slanted blue eyes narrowed at the trees before her. For a few seconds she stood still, before suddenly throwing her hands out and two small bird like creatures flew out of the palms. They were pure white and slowly flapped their wings towards the trees. She waited with baited breath as they exploded upon impact...

Nothing. The tree didn't even shake from the impact. Her hands shot up to her hair and ruffled it furiously. Her blonde hair styled in a ponytail waved about from her motions. Upon stopping her frantic movement, a long bang of her blonde hair covered her left eye and she sighed.

"Wow! How'd you do that?! What was that?!" An excited voice startled her, and she hid her hands behind her back quickly. Turning her head with panic showing in her uncovered eye, she looked shocked at the person before her. He was blond, just like her and he had a whisker markings on his face. They were currently spread wide with his toothy grin. His sparkling eyes were filled with wonder and amazement at her technique. She can safely say she's never seen this boy before.

"Well? You gonna answer?! You made those birds fly!" Naruto walked closer to the girl with no hesitation. She didn't move a muscle as he approached.

"Hey? You okay?" Naruto began to frown when he noticed she was frozen in place. Was it something he said to her? He just wanted to know about that jutsu with the birds. The explosion was badass too! He was only allowed to use that word inside his head or his mother would somehow find out.

"Who are you...? Did Tsuchikage-sama send you?" She looked worried at that question. Naruto scratched at his cheek with a finger before shaking his head in the negative.

"Nah. I left Dad behind to follow you. He was talking to the old man about a lot of important things. Then I saw that little bird you made blow up and I had to see more!" Naruto's answer made the girls blue eye widen.

"You needed to see more?" She asked him slowly.

"Yeah! Show me it again please! I love seeing all types of ninjutsu ya know?"

The girl felt a smile coming to her face, and fortunately she could pinpoint the reason. He wanted to see more. He didn't consider it annoying like other kids in the village.

"...Fine! I'll show you my art, yeah!" Her personality completely flipped, and Naruto was confused before disregarding it as unimportant.

"This is called art jutsu? I thought art was paintings and stuff?" Naruto tilted his head at her. The girl, keeping her hands behind her back still, shook her head fiercely.

"No no! This is true art. Paintings and stuff aren't the same as this art, yeah. Art... art is an explosion!" She shouted at him and Naruto started laughing.

"Wow, you like this art! Well, I like it too!" Naruto didn't share the same passion that was present in her voice, but he was extremely interested now. She eyed him head to toe quickly and nodded to herself.

"I'm Deidara..." She introduced herself but kept her hands hidden. Naruto threw her a cheeky wave and followed her example.

"I'm Naruto! So are you going to show me some more art?"

Deidara was beginning to get excited at the idea of someone caring about her art before panic set in once more. The way she performed her art. Her Kekkei Genkai, the one she inherited from birth, was enhanced with a forbidden technique that she received from Ōnoki. It was a Kinjutsu that he believed only she was capable of utilizing. She also promised to join the famed Explosion Corps when becoming a shinobi as a result of this gift. There was one downside for the seven year old girl to creating her art. While the adults and shinobi looked at her art somewhat appreciatively, kids her age stood away from her. She was considered a freak and weirdo. They even made fun of her verbal tick whenever bullying her.

"Deidara? Deidaraaa? Deidara?" Naruto snapped his fingers loudly in front her face and Deidara blinked before looking away.

"Naruto, um, my art is... different yeah. Do you promise not to make fun of it?" It was a childish question, but then again, they were children. Naruto nodded seriously at the girl. He had a bad habit of running his mouth, except this situation seemed different. She looked sad when asking him that question and he didn't want to scare her away.

"I promise. Dad says a shinobi never goes back on his word. I may not be a shinobi yet, but it doesn't matter!" Naruto's eyes were determined, and it made Deidara calm down slightly.

Her hands clenched into fists before she stuffed them into the pouches on her sides. Naruto watched with rapt attention. He thought he heard something similar to a chewing sound for a moment.

Deidara removed her hands and Naruto had to resist bouncing up and down. Would the explosion be bigger? Would it be a bigger bird? Maybe a different animal?

She opened her palms.

Naruto's mouth opened at the sight before him. Yes, two small birds sat on the palms. That wasn't what captured his attention. There were two mouths, actual mouths, attached to her hands. Deidara noticed his reaction and felt her lip quiver. Would he make fun of her now too? Is he going to call her a monster or freak show?

"EH?! You have mouths on your hands! How?! Deidara that's so freaking cool! Hey hey, do they eat? Do they talk? Can they talk to me?" Naruto's rapid fire questioning made Deidara's grip weaken on her clay art. She had to remember that they were indeed responsive right now and they could blow up if they impacted a surface. She needed to work on that. For now though...

"You... don't think I'm a freak? Do you think I look like a monster?" Deidara expected him to have second thoughts. Maybe even move away from her. She was proven extremely wrong when Naruto got into her personal space to grab at her hands. Her uncovered eye watched him closely.

"No way! Oh man, if I had more mouths, I could probably eat way more ramen! Mom would hate that... maybe that's not a good idea for me. It's still cool for you though!" Naruto started poking at the palm of her hand, which she willed close after creating the clay explosives.

'Why's he so okay with this? Do... do I actually have a fan of my art? He's my first fan! This is my big break, yeah!' Deidara started to grin even more. This boy, he was supporting her art more than anyone else has besides the Tsuchikage. Her first fan, she couldn't believe it. Her blue eye sought out Naruto's and her grin mirrored his own, all traces of anxiety were gone.

"Naruto, yeah. Do you want to see an explosion?!"

Naruto and Deidara's matching facial expressions would cause a lot of headaches in the coming future for both Kage's of their villages.

"You realize I'll have to present this to the Daimyō first before giving you an honest answer." Ōnoki leaned back in his cushioned chair and watched the blond Hokage squirm. He held back the smirk at the uncomfortable one man army.

Minato hated this hastily made rock chair, but he nodded at the Kage nonetheless. "That's fine. I would say I can leave you a kunai to call me when you receive an answer, although I doubt you'd want that."

"Allow the esteemed Yellow Flash easy access to my village? How would that look?" Ōnoki asked the man rhetorically.

"Haha... yeah..." Minato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm not opposed to having you remain here for a few days. Word can be sent out today and luckily our Daimyō is rather responsive in his older years. We should have an answer back shortly." Ōnoki wasn't thrilled at housing the Yellow Flash in his village, with no protection at that, but if they were really going to thrive for this alliance then it was a step in the right direction.

"I wouldn't mind that either. Hiruzen-sama is overlooking my duties until my return." Minato had no concerns about his safety. One flash was all it took to return to Konoha. He could protect himself and... Naruto... "Huh? Naruto?" Minato shot up from the man made chair to frantically look around the room for his son. Ōnoki blinked in confusion before his own eyes widened. How the hell could they not notice the boys disappearance? The Hokage breathed in deeply to calm himself, judging by the Tsuchikage's own shock, it wasn't a kidnapping. Besides, if someone dared try something like that, Minato had Naruto marked since birth.

"Ōnoki, I have a marking on Naruto. I'm going to find him now." Minato turned to the elder and turned on his Hokage persona.

"Let me join you. I can't have you flashing around my village alone and causing panic." Ōnoki also wondered how it felt to teleport with that fabled jutsu. The one that decimated Iwa's forces and many others.

"Understandable. Can I grab onto your shoulder?" Minato knew this required a great deal of trust. All it took was one move and Minato could end the old man's reign. Ōnoki thought quietly to himself for a few seconds before agreeing.

"Make it quick Namikaze brat." With that, Minato gently grasped the Kage's shoulder and focused on one specific marker. He's marked both Naruto and Kushina countless times. In Kushina's case, he had one directly onto her seal and some other hidden places.

They vanished from the Tsuchikage's office in a flash and Ōnoki steadied his floating body. The speed and pull he felt from just being a tag along on that jutsu was incredible. He looked at Minato with slightly more respect for a moment before observing the situation before him.

"Dad? Old man? What the heck are you doin' here?" Naruto dropped the brown rocks he was holding when he noticed his father flash in front of him with the Tsuchikage.

"Naruto! You're safe!" Minato pulled his son close to him for a second and showed Ōnoki one weakness the unstoppable man truly had. His child. A weakness that Ōnoki could relate to.

"Of course I am Dad! Let me go... this is embarrassing ya know?" Naruto wiggled out of his father's hold and pushed past him. Minato and Ōnoki followed his every movement. "Yo! Deidara, can we do it again?! Maybe you can even show my Dad!" Naruto called out and Minato furrowed his brow in confusion. That's when he noticed a small blonde girl peeking out from behind a tree. Her hands were closed tightly. Ōnoki also looked surprised at her appearance.

Deidara hid behind that tree for one specific reason. It was a scary tale some children of the village spoke about. It involved seeing that yellow flash. The second she saw it appear before Naruto, the stories she heard from others came to her mind. Like any other child who believed the scary story, she didn't want to stick around. Naruto's shout did alert her and resulted in her peeking out.

"Deidara? Come on, we can do the thing with your art again. Dad's been teaching me how to throw weapons so I can definitely nail them this time with these rocks." Before the Kage's arrival, Deidara would make a few clay birds and release them into the air. Naruto made attempts to blow them up before they either impacted with a tree or she manually detonated them. The explosions weren't exactly large but they both enjoyed seeing them.

Minato frowned at the sight of the scared girl. He figured it must be due to his presence. Making sure to reprimand Naruto about leaving his side later, Minato cleared his throat.

"Deidara is it? I'm sorry for surprising you with my jutsu. Naruto is my son and I got very worried when he disappeared on me. Please, don't hide. I mean no harm." Minato gave his best smile at the wide eyed girl. Deidara mentally compared the two smiles the father and son seemed to wear.

"Deidara. Allow me to see what you've been doing with Namikaze's boy this whole time." Ōnoki floated next to the Yondaime Hokage. He knew this young girl quite well. Orphaned from a young age but she had a ridiculous ability for explosives. Upon allowing her to utilize a kinjutsu, Ōnoki assured her enrollment to the villages Explosive Corps in the future. It wasn't reckless to allow her access to a forbidden technique considering he was the one who supervised her for the most part.

"... Okay Tsuchikage-sama. Naruto, want to try again yeah?" Deidara opened up her slightly shaky hands and tried to ignore the older blond man. Naruto jumped up happily and got to her side in a instant. Minato watched on in wonder. His boy was getting along so well with someone from a different village. One that wasn't an ally. He turned to look at Ōnoki and the man was watching the interaction attentively.

"Whenever you're ready!" Naruto smiled happily at the girl. Her own smile bloomed for two reasons. Explosions and having someone being this excited for her art. It made her face warm up considerably.

"Alright! Let's show them true art, yeah!" Deidara stuffed her hands into the pouches on her person and Naruto bounced in place. Minato focused intently on the action the young girl was performing. Her hands whipped out of the pouches and flung forward. Four small birds of what appeared to be white clay flew into the open air. Naruto grinned and held up four small rocks, his eyes traced the clay birds flight before he twisted his own hand and flicked the rocks forward. Minato held back the prideful smile at the textbook throw.

The rocks did hit their target and four small explosions went off simultaneously. Deidara's eyes lit up at the sight. There was a certain thrill she got from anything involving explosions. Naruto gave his own sound of satisfaction before turning to the girl. He raised his hand up in the universal sign for a high five and Deidara reacted without thinking. Their hands hit each other with matching smiles once more.

"I think your mouth just licked me..." Naruto commented with a odd look. Deidara's cheeks tinted red at that.

"It did not! You're imagining things! The awesome explosion is messing with your head, yeah!" Deidara argued back.

"My hand is wet though." Naruto felt his palm for proof.

"Naruto!" She shouted at him in embarrassment.

Minato heard the conversation after watching the small showing of explosions. It was certainly impressive. On both accounts. The girl was able to produce tiny explosives out of some sort of clay and Naruto's ability to hit a moving target was perfect.

"It's a village technique. Don't worry about it Namikaze." Ōnoki told the Hokage quickly. They might become allies, but that didn't mean he would tell the man about village secrets.

"Mouths? On her hands...?" Minato whispered and wasn't sure how to take that. His son certainly didn't seem to mind judging by the high five and attitude. In fact, the blonde girl was chasing his son playfully now.

"Like I said, village technique. Should I ask you about your flashy moves?" Ōnoki eyed the man with annoyance.

"Oh? I'll be glad to explain the fūinjutsu behind it. Do you think you could keep up?" Minato was being cocky and the grumble from the Tsuchikage made him grin.

"It's interesting though isn't it? The girl has probably heard those stories about you but she interacts with your son easily. Maybe she's too young to understand the severity of it all. That doesn't change how quickly she warmed up to your brat. Nobody her age wants anything to do with her." Ōnoki explained to the Hokage while watching the two children.

Minato stood in silence for a minute and observed the carefree smiles on the children's faces. Even as Deidara chased him, she looked happy to do so.

"Remember how I mentioned your division of shinobi could benefit from Konoha?" Minato asked Ōnoki once more.

"Hm?" The Tsuchikage hummed.

"I think we are looking at the future of explosives for both villages."

Ōnoki began to chuckle again. The Yondaime Hokage was almost as amusing as he is powerful. Then his aged face turned serious, genuinely pondering this words. The Explosion Division of Iwa were the best at their jobs. Deidara's potential was overwhelming enough by herself, but with Naruto's involvement and by extension Konoha's...

"If you move I'll blow them up, yeah!" Deidara created small caterpillar clay explosives and had them crawl on Naruto's legs. They would barely do much damage at her current level but in the future that could easily remove a person's legs.

"What if I did... this!"

"Naruto get off me!"

"Nope!"

Naruto held the girl in a bear hug and laughed loudly. The Tsuchikage sighed to himself before turning to his fellow Kage.

"... I find myself hoping for the Daimyō's approval."

Minato's laugh mixed with his sons as it rang throughout the rocky clearing.

A/N - Anotha One. Another idea that was on my phone for over four months and I never got around to posting it. Female Deidara. Why? Because... who knows anymore. Yeah Minato and Kushina are alive. Naruto doesn't have Kurama. Minato is pursuing peace and in this case he went for Iwa first.

Deidara is obviously changed here, you know by being a girl. And the age. SHE is the same age as Naruto.

Oh. Yeah Minato is crazy strong here of course. Mans is a monster when you look at how powerful his jutsu is. Put some respect on my guys name.

Let me know what you guys think. Adding another story to my already packed list of stories I need to update... haha... whoops.