Hey...

This story was conceived from the challenge set up by Hektols...

Few things we need to be clear of:

1. I already have the pairing in mind so I don't want to hear anyone 'suggesting' any pairings...

2. This first chapter will be short... Sorry... I promise the next chapter will be longer...

Now that we've got that cleared up, I'll start the chapter...

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."
~From a headstone in Ireland

Chapter 1/Prologue: The Stolen Fox...

I don't own anything...

The sound of an infant crying could be heard though the night. A blond child cried in the arms of his mother, who was unconscious and unable to tend to the infant. Over them, stood the hero of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash. He smiled softly at his family who he was thankful were alive. His fight with Madara proved to be anything but easy but in the end, he pulled through.

He did find it odd that Madara suddenly ran off but with the Kyūbi sealed in his son and his wife still breathing, he couldn't find much to complain about. Although his wished to spare his son from the curse of containing a chakra beast, he was at least grateful everyone in his family was in one piece. He called for his ANBU to recover the victims of Madara's spontaneous attack and to send them to the morgue. He watched sorrowfully as Hiruzen and his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, were taken away. The life of a shinobi was an unpredictable and dangerous profession, not only for the ninja him or herself but for their families as well. If it wasn't for Hiruzen, he would've been the one lying on the ground, dead.

He summoned one of his clones and ordered it to summon a meeting with Konoha's council, clan heads and all other jōnins. The clone left with a nod and Minato shifted his gaze to Kushina. He walked over to her and picked her up with her cuddling in his arms, wary of their child.

"Little Naruto," Minato said pridefully as he watched his son begin to calm down. "My son."

"Our... son." Kushina added weakly and Minato chuckled softly with a nod.

"I'm sorry, our son." Minato said as he used Hiraishin to send the three to their home. The use of the jutsu disturbed Naruto and caused him to cry loudly. Kushina groaned.

"It's your turn to deal with him." Kushina mumbled.

"He's in your arms." Minato told her and she mumbled incoherently before remaining quiet. Minato sweat dropped. "Fine, but I'm only doing this because you gave birth to him." Minato said and a smile appeared on Kushina's lips. "Now she hears me." Minato commented to himself as he headed for their bedroom. Somehow managing to open the door with his foot, he gently laid his wife on the bed and watched as she rolled to her side, taking Naruto with her.

Kushina lay him down next to her, opening her eyes and smiling motherly as she hummed a tune and ran her fingers through his small, blond hairs.

"I thought it was my turn?" Minato teased and Kushina giggled.

"You had your chance, daddy." Kushina taunted and Minato smirked as he lay on the other side of the bed. Staring at his wife, he rested his head on the pillow. Just the motherly way Kushina touched her son made Minato indescribably happy.

"I get a second chance, though, right mommy?" He asked with a pout and Kushina nodded, never taking her eyes off their child.

"You get no arguments from me." She answered softly and Minato chuckled and started to do what Kushina was doing. The softness of his hair felt almost as if it wasn't real and Minato could've sworn Naruto was smiling.

"He's going to look like you." Kushina stated after a moment of silence and Minato smiled widely.

"No, he's going to have my hair but other than that, he'll look like you." Minato said. "He'll probably act like you too." He added and Kushina softly placed her forehead against his.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan." Kushina said with a smile and Minato placed a light hand on her cheek.

"Why should you be sorry? With my hair and your looks, we'll need our best jutsus just to keep the girls away from him." Minato joked and received a playful hit over the head by Kushina. "What did I say?" He asked with a playful pout.

"He's too young to be thinking about girls." She scowled and Minato chuckled. "He's still my little Naru-chan. My sweet, lovable baby boy." She said lovingly as she shifted her gaze to her son again. She was too busy looking at her son to see Minato staring at her as if she grew two angel wings.

"You're going to be an amazing mother to our child." He whispered and Kushina's violet eyes connected with Minato's azure ones.

"You think so?" She asked and Minato nodded his head.

"Dattebane." He mocked and Kushina closed her eyes tiredly and smiled.

"I'll get you for that tomorrow." She said sleepily.

"Until then, rest. We have a big day tomorrow, what with the welcoming party and all." He said as he got off the bed. Kushina nodded and held Naruto close to her as they both slept silently. He kissed Naruto on the cheek and gave an innocent but loving kiss on the lips to his wife before walking out of the room and stepping into the hall. He slowly closed the door, so he wouldn't wake Kushina or Naruto up. Making hand signs, another Minato appeared and Minato ordered it to stay to guard his family. He then walked down the hall and to the front door with much on his mind. A knock came from the door just as he opened the door and was greeted to the sight of Kakashi.

"Minato-sensei." Kakashi greeted as he bowed.

"Kakashi." Minato greeted and walked by. "Make it quick, I got a meeting to attend to." Minato spoke quickly and seriously and Kakashi nodded.

"I wanted to see how you and Kushina are." Kakashi said just as quickly and Minato nodded his head with a thumb up.

"We're fine; Naruto's great too." Minato added with a smile and Kakashi eye smiled.

"And Sandaime-sama?" Kakashi asked and Minato stopped walking. Kakashi blinked, watching his sensei think to himself quietly and somberly. Minato slowly turned his head and stared at Kakashi with solemn eyes.

"He's not with us anymore." He stated before continuing on his walk. Sadness crept into his heart and he felt his mood darken a bit. Kakashi didn't notice that Minato had continued walking without him and before long, he walked in a different direction. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi felt someone a few feet in front of him.

"Kakashi-teme." Kakashi looked up and was surprised to see his best friend up so late.

Minato shook off his sadness and replaced it with a stoic and serious expression and demeanor as the Hokage tower was in sight. He went up the steps and through the hall until he stopped in front of blue double doors. He took in a deep breath and opened the door to see Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sitting behind their seats in a giant room. They were sat beside a chair that was in between them. Minato waved to the jonin and clan heads that resided in the room as he made his way to his seat.

"What's going on, Minato?" Homura asked but Minato didn't acknowledge him, he just faced the clan heads and jonin.

"As you know, we were attacked by the Kyūbi, the nine-tailed fox." The jonin and clan heads nodded. "The battle was difficult but in the end, it is no longer a threat to us."

"You managed to kill the demon?" A random jonin asked and Minato shook his head.

"Something like the Kyūbi is too much to handle, even for me." Minato informed them and they started muttering to themselves. "However, I managed to seal it in a human container so it would not roam free."

"Why don't we kill the container?" Shouted another jonin. "That way, the Kyūbi dies with it." A couple of agreeing murmurs were heard before they were all hushed by the sound of Minato's fist hitting the table in front of him and the feel of his killing intent.

"No!" He shouted and glared at everyone in the room. "Killing the host will not kill the Kyūbi. It will only be released and all our hard work would go to waste." He scolded. The jonin and clan heads remained silent. "On top of that, I won't allow anyone to kill my son." Shocked gasps and looks of shock were seen and heard throughout the room.

"So, what you're saying is…" Hiashi began and Minato nodded.

"That's correct, my son is the Kyūbi's container. If anyone wants to kill my son, I suggest you go through me first." He directed his gaze on every person in the room and watched as everyone averted their gaze. Minato noticed that his friends, Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, Tsume and Hiashi seemed to support him and showed no ill-will toward his son. Others, like Shibi, and majority of the jonin seemed to be neutral on the subject. Minato's eyes narrowed when he saw a man with black hair make his way towards him.

The man had short, brown hair and onyx eyes with visible creases below them. He wore the standard ninja vest, a black t-shirt with the Konoha Military Police Force symbol, and a black cloak with white diamonds on the bottom that stops just before his ankles. His black eyes stared challengingly at Minato's blue eyes.

"The Kyūbi is a menace and a hazard to Konoha's safety. As Leader of the Konoha Military Police Force, I propose we keep the child locked up and under constant supervision." Fugaku Uchiha said.

"I second that." Minato's eyes glared holes into the second man who spoke. Said man was Danzō, an old war hawk who was always looking for potential future ROOT members. Minato had yet to discover the forbidden group but he had a gut feeling it was still alive somewhere.

"He is my son, my wife and I defeated the Kyūbi together and helped seal it in my son. If he was a danger to the village, I would not be here." Minato assured as he glared at Fugaku and Danzō.

"As you said, he is your son, so how do we know you're not lying to us just to save your son's hide?" Danzō asked.

"The Kyūbi was sealed within my son, the choice was heartbreaking but I knew it had to be done. I sacrificed my son's future for this village's safety because I am the Hokage. And I won't let anything obscure my duties. I give you my word, the Kyūbi will not be let lose in Konoha." Minato declared and noticed that many of the people in the room became more relaxed.

"But-" Fukagu was about to say but was interrupted.

"Silence!" Minato shouted, silencing everyone. "The subject of my son and the Kyūbi is over. Not another word." He scanned the room and saw no one try to argue. He saw a few faces that seemed angered by the current news but Minato knew they wouldn't dare do anything to go against him.

"I've got more news." His voice became solemn and harsh as he continued to speak. "I know we've lost lives today, none of which can ever be replaced. However, today was the passing of an old comrade and a person who was like a grandfather to us all." Minato said and some people immediately knew who he was talking about.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, The God of Shinobi, the Professor, passed away." Minato said and fought back a single tear. "Let us bow our head, not only to show respect to his passing but also of the others we've lost." Minato bowed his head and everyone did as well. After a few moments, he raised his head and saw others staring at him.

"This meeting is adjourned." He said and many shinobi started leaving. The Ino-Shika-Cho walked up to him and smiled.

"So your son is finally born, eh? Troublesome." Shikaku said and Minato smiled for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.

"Don't listen to him; having a child is a blessing." Inoichi said and Minato nodded.

"Babies are expensive and they sure love to eat." Chōza said and Shikaku chuckled.

"No, Chōza, yours just loves to eat. My kid just sleeps all the time. My troublesome wife has to wake him up just to feed him. Brat is too lazy to even wake up for food." Shikaku said and the four started to laugh. He then looked at his other long time friend, Inoichi. "Yours probably never stops crying, am I right, Inoichi?" Said man blinked as the other continued laughing.

"That's right; you did end up having a girl." Chōza stated and Inoichi looked away.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of." He said and the others started to calm down. "She will be Konoha's best kunoichi." Inoichi declared.

"I beg to differ." The four men turned to see Hiashi making his way towards them. His stoic face was looking at each of them. "My daughter will be born in two months from now. She will give your daughter more than a challenge." The five men became deadly silent before Minato started to laugh again. Shikaku, Chōza and Inoichi followed and Hiashi smiled.

"It seems that the next generation will be an interesting group." Hiashi stated and they nodded. They continued to talk among themselves before Minato yawned.

"Damn, the Yellow Flash is tired." Shikaku taunted and Minato lightly glared at him. "Hopefully there won't be another attack." Minato bade them a farewell before leaving and heading home. He entered his home, dispersed his clone whose memories showed that no one tried to attack his family, and climbed into bed. He saw Kushina open a magenta eye before it closed and she smiled.

"I'm home." Minato said and Kushina nodded feeling Minato caress her cheek.

"I love you." She mumbled sleepily, causing Minato's smile to widen.

"I love you too." He said before looking at his son. "And you as well, Naruto." He added before falling asleep.

[*.*.*.*]

Minato's eyes sprang open as his heartbeat raced and cold sweat travelled down his face. His dream… It felt so real. His heart felt heavy as the images of his dreams replayed in his head. He shook his head; thankfully, he was forgetting some of the more gruesome details of the dreams.

His cerulean eyes scanned the room and saw the still night sky from his window. However, according to his clock, dawn was nearing. He turned to see his son still sleeping soundly but his wife missing. He propped himself up and rubbed his eyes. He got off the bed and out of the room. Down the hall, he saw a light coming from the kitchen. Suddenly, his nose was assaulted by an alluring and delicious aroma. He followed it and wasn't surprised when he saw Kushina standing over the stove.

"Why am I not surprised?" Minato said as he hugged his wife from behind. She smiled and put her left hand on top of his head.

"You hungry?" She asked and Minato took a deep breath.

"Now I am." Kushina laughed as she served herself and Minato some salt ramen. They sat down on the table and were about to eat when Naruto started crying. Minato got up but was stopped by Kushina who placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, I'll get him." She said as she walked out of the kitchen. He stared longingly at the ramen as he waited for her to comeback. His senses suddenly steeled and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"MINATO!" Kushina's bloodcurdling scream broke the night's silence. His heart pounding, Minato jumped out of his seat and ran to his bedroom to see Kushina staring fearfully at the other side of the room. He slowly turned his eyes to the other side the room and his eyes widened. Standing near the open window was a masked man holding his crying, newborn child in one hand and a kunai in the other. To Minato, it seemed like time slowed down as the masked man brought the kunai over Naruto and stabbed him with it. His cries abruptly stopped and stock-still silence covered the room. Tears appeared on Minato's eyes while Kushina shook with dread and shock. Even under the mask, Minato could see a smile on the man's lips.

With reflexes developed through years of training, Minato grabbed his three-pronged kunai from his kunai pouch and tossed it at the man who killed his son. The man turned his head to the side, avoiding the kunai. His eyes widened when Minato disappeared.

"Bastard!" Minato grabbed the man by his collar and threw him through the window. The sound of glass breaking could be heard as the man rolled and stopped. Minato jumped out to follow him and took out four more kunai. He threw them and surrounded the man with them. The man looked around and saw more of the three-pronged kunai. Minato used the Hiraishin jutsu and the man found himself surrounded by yellow flashes. With a kunai in hand, Minato began to cut the man up through various angles and sides. The man rose from the attacks and when the attacks finally stopped, he headed for the ground. The man's eyes slowly opened and the last thing he saw was Minato heading for him with a blue, spiraling ball of chakra in his right hand.

"Rasengan!" Minato shouted as he slammed the rasengan on the man's stomach, drilling his stomach and causing the man to create a crater in the ground under him. Minato took a step back, inhaled deeply and was suddenly hit by the grief of losing his only son. He fell to his knees and tears fell from his eyes. Summoning another rasengan, he slammed it into the ground, letting off his frustration. He was about to do it again but was stopped by a hand. He looked up; his cold, hard eyes glancing back at violet ones.

"Minato-kun…" Kushina cried as she held her side with her right hand. Minato looked down and saw blood staining her white robe. "H-He… I… N-N-Nar…" Minato grabbed her as she fell and held her tightly. She sobbed in his chest and shook violently. Minato held her as tightly as he could and cried in her shoulder. The pain he felt was worse than any feeling he's ever felt before. He felt like he got kicked in the chest by Tsunade and found it difficult to breathe. By the way his wife sniffed and cried, he had no doubt she felt the same.

"He killed my baby boy!" Kushina shouted and Minato nodded somberly. A team of ANBU appeared, hearing Kushina's earlier scream and took note of the environment. Minato composed himself long enough to stare at the four ANBU with cold, steeled eyes.

"Get him to Ibiki. NOW!" The four nodded as one of them recovered the unconscious man and disappeared. Minato focused his attention back on his wife and saw her shivering. He picked her up and brought her back into the house. He placed her on the bed before she stood up and walked out of the room. He followed her and saw her go to the living room and sat on the couch. Minato sat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and saw silent tears falling down her cheeks. He felt his own tears quietly traveling down his cheek and he quickly wiped them away.

They sat quickly, neither saying a word nor looking at each other. They just sat there until they fell asleep.

Off in the distance, a man smiled as he held a sleeping, blond haired baby in his right hand. He looked down at the baby and he chuckled. He stopped laughing as he felt a second presence nearing. Turning around, he saw the mask of his leader.

"Madara." Two voices said simultaneously as the man bowed as best he could with the child. Madara walked out of the shadows and looked down at Naruto. His lone, sharingan eye spun slightly as he focused on him.

"So your mission was to abduct the Yondaime Hokage's only son, eh Zetsu?" Madara asked and the half plant, half man smiled.

"That's correct." Black Zetsu said as his white side chuckled.

"It was really easy actually." White Zetsu said.

"What of your client?" Madara asked and White Zetsu laughed while his counterpart scoffed.

"Tch, the fool was just cannon fodder." The Black side said with disgust.

"Haha, what a baka." White Zetsu said with a laugh.

"Very well." Madara said and was about to walk away but was stopped by Zetsu.

"Didn't you come here for the Kyūbi?" White Zetsu said, nodding his head to Naruto.

"Baka, shut up." Black Zetsu scolded as Madara turned.

"I did but there's been a change in plans." Madara informed them as he eyed Naruto again. "Go, finish your mission. Report back to me when you've completed it." Zetsu nodded before 'swallowing' Naruto with his venus fly trap-like appendage and blended with the ground. Madara began to walk before using his space-time technique to head to Kirigakure. If he expected his plans to begin, he'd have to start soon. Besides, he needed to look for more recruits.

Hopefully, you enjoyed the story so far...

I got a few plans for this and hopefully, it'll be one of my best works...

Reviews would be appreciated...

More details will be given in the next chapter and we'll see where little Naruto is taken...

Any guesses?

Till then...

Next Chapter: Welcome Little Naruto...

Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...

P.s: Title might change...