Chapter 1: Prologue

A/N: This story is based off of another story called "Fate of the Two" by nubsauce13. It is the inspiration for this creation. Enjoy the Story.

I do not own Naruto

"Several millennia ago, during a time ruled by gods, demons, and elementals, a land divided for those who rule it. The gods claimed the sky, created their cities of light and named it Olympus while the demons declared the underworld their home, constructed a fortress called Makai. Finally, the elementals who ruled the land above Makai and below Olympus, divided it into five regions for the five basic elements of life. United, this land was named Arlamend, and together, the elements came together to create Daxium, the White Castle of the Northern Wind, along with its sister, Teritus, the Black Fortress of the Southern Current. Abacus, the Silver City of the Western Ranges, and Zeriphius, the Grey Village of the Eastern Storms, soon followed several years later. These four cities soon became the symbol for all of the elements except for one; fire. Jealously and madness started to fill the fire elementals' bodies and before long, chaos started to appear. It wasn't until centuries later that the most of the fire elementals left their respective cities before they met at the heart of Arlamend. There, they constructed a city for themselves, one they intended on using to show their might and power over the other four elements. They called this place Mortus, the Forbidden Gates of the Inferno. It would be years after the city's completion before the fire elementals would attack. Abacus was the first to be hit by the horde of flames before it quickly fell after a few hours of combat. The few survivors of the fallen city travelled to as quickly as they could, the news of the attack quickly spread to all who would listen. But unfortunately, not many would listen until the fall of Zeriphius. Once the fall of Zeriphius reached the ears of the elementals in Daxium and Teritus, all attempts were made to create an army to fight. It would be months before the army of the flames reached the walls of Daxium and when it did, the two groups looked at each other before they charged. This was the beginning.

The battles were far more than any could count and days of combat turned into weeks before it turned into months and then years. These warring beasts battles soon started to spread until it covered the whole land of Arlamend. The armies of land, sea, and air engaged in an endless battle as they ripped the very ground that they stood on through their manipulation of the elements. Water from the oceans surged with ferocity as it forced the very land to shift at its whim. Wind sliced through all obstacles in its path as it left a trail of destruction in its wake. Fire scorched the fields of green as it reduced everything to ash and scarred the earth. Earth rose from the empty fields as mountains appeared in the middle of oceans while peaks crashed down the heavens where they roamed for all of eternity. Days turn into weeks, months turn into years as the endless war continues on. The rivers of blood never stopped.

As the sun rose above the destroyed field of battle, the five armies of the elements appeared to do battle once more. From the horizon, an army of warriors appeared with their weapons drawn and no essence of fear in their bloods. With the darkened clouds loomed overhead, the army charges towards the elemental armies with hope of victory and restore the peace to the lands. For seven days and six nights, the six armies battled against each other with no intent to stop until there was a clear victory. On the seventh night, the army of warriors finally fell to the combined combat, leaving the ten generals to fight the horde of creatures. Hours into the night, the generals started to fall one by one. As the last one fell to the blade of an elemental, an unnatural force shook the field with power no one has ever felt before. The ground split wide open as it devoured some of the combatants. Flames roared from the deeps of the abyss as it launched itself into the night sky before they dissipated completely. Some say that the gates of Makai broke open as a demon rose from the fiery abyss. Others say that a god that had fallen from Olympus had woken from his slumber after several millennia before he broke the gates of Makai. Whether demon or god, the remainder of the five armies attacked yet nothing could touch him. The wind roared with every swipe while the earth trembled with every step.

As the sun rose over the battlefield on the eight day, it illuminated the carcass-covered field with no evidence of life anywhere. With the weapons of the ten warrior generals gathered together, the elemental slayer stabs them into the ground before it started chanting. Slowly, the bodies of the beasts started to dissolve into particles before it floated towards the weapons. Each weapon started to glow brighter and brighter as more particles flew into them until a bright light consumed the whole field and the slayer. The light died down slowly to reveal the ten weapons but there was no evidence of the elemental slayer. The land suddenly broke before it encompassed the weapons in a tomb of stone.

Legends stated that centuries after that battle, a group of ten warriors that had explored the land had found the weapons located within the tomb. With weapons in hand, they continued on their way, not knowing what would occur in their evident future. Before long, the powers of the elementals leaked out of the weapons and resulted in corrupting the ten beings with the power until they transformed into something beyond their wildest imaginations. Legends stated that the weapons gave the ten men power beyond their wildest dreams but at the cost of being transformed into the beasts themselves. No longer were they adventurers or explorers but rather Titans. With their newly gained power, the ten warriors conquered the former lands of Arlamend and built their own empires. Fueled with the powers of the souls in their weapons, the Titans gained power over individual elements. These elements branched out from the natural five natural elements. The first five of the Titans received one of the basic elements of earth, fire, water, air, and lightning. From fire came magma while ice came from water. From earth came plants while lightning brought forth storms. Air remained true to itself and never branched out to other elements. However, the tenth Titan acquired a unique element and thus made him different from the others. Some said that the new element brought strength and power that gave him power over the other nine. Once again, the shadows of darkness cover the land like it once did many centuries ago. The clouds no longer let the sun shine through them as the dark clouds above constantly hovers in the sky, as it gave no hope of an end. The ten Titans established their court in the ruins of Mortus before they established their empires. Using their power, they extended Arlamend and named the extension Titanus. With both Arlamend and Titanus under their control, the Titans established their empires, giving each other an approximate equal to the others. Peace remained intact for several more years.

As it occurred hundreds of scores ago, tension started to build between the separate Titan empire to the point that war was inevitable between the powers. The lands once again became scarred after many centuries of healing while the clouds no longer parted, leaving darkness in its wake. Months of combat turned into years of slaughtering as villages and cities were destroyed. Nothing escaped the devastation of the war.

As history repeats itself, deep from the pits of Makai, something rose from its slumber after many centuries and for the second time in several millennium, opens the earth once more to walk on it once again. Like the elementals several centuries ago, the Titan armies attacked the being only to easily defeated. He drew his blade, Dyrnwyn, along with Asengard, a war axe shaped tomahawk, before they charged into the fray like he once did many centuries ago. Demons, giants, elemental spirits, and all creatures or warriors called by the Titans fell to the weapons. And one by one, the Titans fell. As each one fell, he sealed them away, never to be found for all eternity. It was years later that the tenth and final Titan was sealed into his prison, but the conflict between the two didn't come without a price. It occurred several months after the sealing, the slayer of elementals and Titans fell to his knees at the gates of Makai before he closed his eyes. He knew it was his end and he stabbed Dyrnwyn into rock before he started to fade. His body slowly disappeared into the thin air, leaving his blade embed into the stone.

A red haired woman closed the book she held in her hands before she looked down at her swollen belly. Her name is Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, also known as the Red Death, and now, future mother of a child. With a smile, she turned her gaze outside to the dark clouds that covered the moon before she heard a knock on the door. She heard the door creak open and she turned to face it, only for a smile to grow on her face. Right by the door was her secret husband, Minato Namikaze, also known as the Yellow Flash and the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. With a smile plastered on his face, the blonde man moved towards the red haired woman before he engulfed her in an embrace. She returns it after she placed the book onto a nearby table.

"Reading to the baby again, dear?" Minato asked his wife while he held her close to him.

"Of course," she replied as she turned to face her blonde husband with a smile on her face. "He's going to become an amazing ninja like us one day, I can feel it…"

"I'm not going to argue with you on that one though how will you know that the baby will be a he, not a she?"

"Call it a mother's intuition."

"What were you ready to him anyway?" the blonde asked as he stared at the book that was once in the his wife's hands before she placed it down.

"It's called…" she grabbed it back from the table she placed it on before relocating it to a bookcase nearby. "The Legend of the Fallen. I found it when I was looking in your library and just started to read it to the baby."

"Legend of the Fallen?" Minato said as his mind wandered. "I remember now. The book is about how the mythical titans came to be and how the Fallen rose from his slumber to defeat them. Why would you read this to the baby though?"

"Are you questioning me right now, mister?" his wife asked with a sweet tone that made him shiver while he slowly backed away.

"O-Of c-course not dear," he stuttered out, resulting in a smile from the woman in front of him.

Time Skip (Five Months)

In a cottage far away from the village, the cries of agony echo throughout the small household as a red haired woman balled up her hands tightly before she released another blood-curling scream of pain. Right beside her was the wife of the Third Hokage, Biwako Sarutobi, while a blonde blur ran around like a chicken whose head just got cut off.

"Ok, dear," Biwako said calmly to the red head. "When the next contraction comes, you need to push."

"Ok," muttered an exhausted Kushina Uzumaki before the letting out a grunt of pain. "Minato Namikaze! This is all of your fault, if you hadn't knocked me up like this! You're lucky that I can't move or so help Kami, I would make sure that you wouldn't be able to do this to me again!"

"But Kushi-chan…" the blonde said in a small voice, afraid of the demonic energy that seems to be coming off from the red haired woman.

"No buts, Namikaze! I promise you—Aaahh!"

"Minato! Get your ass over here and help maintain the seal!" Biwako shouted at the trembling blonde a few feet away. "Are you not the Fourth Hokage? I mean this is the reason why male don't get pregnant, they're too weak to handle the pain…"

The blonde regained his composure as he moved towards his wife and watched as the red youki started to leak out from the seal on her stomach before it gradually receded. Unknowns to him, Kushina and the sealed being were trying to keep themselves from being separated with all their might but the pregnancy had weakened both of their strengths in great proportions. It was at that moment that a wave of pain surged through the red-haired kunoichi as she released a cry of agony.

"Now Kushina!" Biwako called to her. "Push!"

With a grunt, the woman pushed as she wrapped her hand around her husband's hand and held it tightly. Minato, on the other hand, used a shadow clone to assist him in maintaining the seal. After a few minutes of grunts, pains, and pants, Biwako moved towards the two with a bundle in her hands. She then handed them the bundle to reveal a baby with cerulean eyes that stared into theirs.

"Congratulations," the wife of the third said to them softly. "You have a healthy young boy."

"I told you the baby would be a boy," Kushina whispered to her blonde lover before she started to cough violently. Her husband and the old Sarutobi female both held looks of concern and it only deepened when they spotted a small splatters of blood that stained her white hospital gown.

"Kushina!" Minato shouted with surprise as he moved to hold her hand but only for him to be pushed away by Biwako. The female Sarutobi and the few nurses started to examine the red-haired woman as she continued to cough up the red liquid. The sudden chatter between the doctors caused Minato to start pacing back and forth quickly while worrying and fear started to enter his system. Several screams alerted him as he turns towards the door to find a man with an orange mask on and his ANBU guards lying on the ground in rather large puddles of blood. With amazing speed, the orange masked man throws several kunai at the blonde Hokage while throwing another set at the group of cowering nurses around Kushina's bed. With speed only he possessed, Minato dodged the hail of projectiles before he heard more screams. He turns to find that the second set of projectiles had killed the nurses, along with Biwako. All that remained were the Hokage, his wife, his newly born son, and the masked man.

"I must say," the masked man said aloud. "You are quite faster than I had expected Minato Namikaze, but I must say not fast enough."

Minato narrowed his eyes and thoroughly examined his opponent. From what he had heard, it was a male and he wore an orange mask with a spiral pattern on it. His consisted of a large black cloak, capable of hiding weapons from his line of sight.

"What do you want from me?" the Fourth Hokage asked seriously.

"You? I want nothing of you. But rather I want your wife. I suggest you back away from the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitusne, Minato," the masked man replied before lifting his hand and revealed a bundle of towels and cloth. "Otherwise your child dies. It would a shame really."

"Naruto!" the distressed mother called out before she coughed once again.

"I guess I have no choice do I?" the aggressor said before he tossed the new born up into the arm. Minato's eyes widened before he hurled his tri-pronged kunai. The projectile imbedded itself into the wall before a yellow flash appeared and grabbed the falling baby boy.

"Your reputation precedes you, Namikaze," a voice said behind him. The blonde man turns to find the masked man to be standing right beside his wife. She seemed to be struggling in his grasp but her weakened state did nothing to help her current position.

"No!" the Hokage cried as the two disappeared into thin air.

Clearing Several Miles From Konoha

As quickly as he had disappeared, the masked man reappeared with the weakened Kushina beside him in a clearing with several towering rocks. Kushina, on the other hand, faded in between the blackness of unconsciousness and the color of reality. She felt nothing when the man placed shackles on her wrists and ankles.

"I would really like it if you would stay awake dear," sneered the masked man. . "So you can see the end of Konoha along with your beloved Hokage before you die. I do need my pet from you though."

With that said, the red youki started to leak from the red haired woman's navel while she cried out in pain. The process continued as more and more of the red colored youki poured out before it shaped itself into a fox with nine tails. More minutes had passed and the blood red fox started to grow to the point it was around thirty stories tall. Soon, the youki started to fade away to reveal the red-orange fur of the fox and the black eyes. Meanwhile, the red-haired woman just let her head hang as darkness closed around her.

"Naruto… Minato…" she mumbled as exhaustion soon started to claim her.

"At last! You are mine now!" the man cried out as the beast released a feral roar into the dark night. "It is time you returned to your rightly owner."

"I don't think so," a voice behind him said, which prompted the cloaked figure to turn. Standing several feet in front of him was a man with a mop of blonde, spiky hair. It was all he needed to know who it was.

"It seems that you found me," he mocked. "A shame really, but it seems that you are too late to stop me now."

"It's never too late to stop you!" shouted the Namikaze as he hurled several of his tri-pronged kunai at his opponent.

The cloaked man jumped away before his hands sped through several seals.

"You have tried to interfere in my plans for the last time!" he shouted angrily. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

A great dragon of bright orange fire appeared from the mouth of the masked man before it launched itself towards the Fourth Hokage. He vanished in a yellow flash before he reappeared several meters away. The roars of the fox demon echoed in the background as the two stared each other down. The two moved in a synchronized manner as they jumped backwards as they launched several projectiles like shurikens and kunais aimed at the other. The metal objects collided in mid air and caused a cacophony of sounds before free falling to the ground.

"You are only delaying the inevitable, Namikaze," growled the masked man. "No one, not even you can stop me."

"No one is unbeatable!" the blonde Kage retorted back. "I will ensure of that!"

With that said, the blonde started to channel chakra to the palm of his hand. The chakra soon started to become visible to the naked eye as it formed a medium sized ball. The ball of energy soon stabilized itself as it rested above the Kage's hand. Minato then disappeared in a yellow flash, making the masked man's eyes narrow slightly.

'Where will he be?' he thought as his feet shifted. 'I guess I will have to use that move then…'

Suddenly, a yellow flash appeared right beside him and the ball of chakra is pushed forward, only for its intended target to disappear. Instead, the ball crashes into a tree and split it in half in mere seconds.

"Foolish attack Namikaze," the Hokage's enemy said. "But I don't have time for you."

With that, the man vanished along with the Nine-tailed fox.

The Next Day

It had been a day since the fox had been released from Kushina's body and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Minato never left her side when the doctors examined her after they returned after the conflict with the man. One of these doctors was Tsunade Senju, a student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of the legendary Sannin, and the best medical ninja they knew. It brought relief to both husband and wife when she told them the results of the examination. Kushina had suffered some internal damage because of the forced exit of the Kyuubi but thanks to the small amounts of youki that was left in her body's system, it started to make repairs. It was because of this that Kushina was going to live. This greatly confused the two but they just accepted the fact that the red head was going to live even after the ordeal that just occurred. She was still ordered bed rest by the blonde Sannin, and thus resulted in Minato staying by her side to the point that he brought most of his paperwork with him to the hospital. The two decided to tell the events that occurred at the cottage with only two people: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato's sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin. The former Kage could only look at the two with shock when they revealed the death of his wife by the hands of the unknown assailant.

Now, it was nighttime in Konoha, though one could be forgiven if any had said it was as warm as a summer's day. The reason of the warmth and brightness was that Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was under attack. The attacker was not the army of an enemy village nor was it even human. It was a fox of monstrous proportions with nine waving tails behind it. The fox was by all definitions a demon and as such had a fitting title: Kyuubi no Youko, the Demon Lord of the Ninth Circle of Makai. Its maws unleashed torrents of flames that ignited the field of trees and its tails caused mountains to crumble into dust. The flames spread throughout some parts of the village and it was burning so brightly that one would mistake it for the sunrise. Many buildings burned down while civilians run towards the bunkers and safe houses located in several areas of the village. On the other hand, all shinobi and kunoichi raced towards the front lines with hopes to delay the beast.

The ninja of Konoha were not simply going to let this demon destroy their home. Everything that they had worked so hard to rebuild after the war with Iwagakure would be for naught if the Fox penetrated their line of defense. They fought with all the power they could muster; trying everything to subdue the beast, but it was not enough. The nine-tailed demon was attacking at random patterns, leaving destruction and death in its wake. Any attacks that the shinobi launched at the beast would do nothing other than annoy it. All they could do was stall it and hope that their Hokage could muster a plan to defeat the Demon Lord and end the destruction.

With Minato

"Minato-kun, what will you do?" asked a weak and weary Kushina.

There was no immediate answer as a long silence followed the question. Kushina only looked at her husband and instantly knew he was deep in thought. She waited patiently, something she was never good at, before she saw the small frown that marred his face. This worried her greatly as she continued to look at her husband.

"I'm thinking that I may have to seal it. There doesn't seem to be any other way," the blonde kage answered.

"Seal?" she inquired as her eyes narrowed. "Into what exactly? This is the Kyuubi no Youko that we are talking about here. She cannot easily be sealed into an iron ball like the Nibi or a kettle like the Ichibi. The container would easily be destroyed in a matter of hours unless it was a person you sealed her into. Besides, Kyuubi-chan is not like this! What reason would she attack Konoha and us? This isn't like her at all… She was and still our friend… Besides, what would you seal her into?"

As she asked this question, the fear within her body started to rise as she thought of the possible solutions for their current dilemma. She was deep into thought and didn't see her lover look down.

'He would have to seal it into a human being,' she concluded. 'That could mean only one thing…'

"Kushina-chan, I must seal it into a newborn baby," he replied softly. "It is the only way."

Kushina looked at the man she currently loved as his answer only confirmed her fears. Her look did not held one of love, happiness, or anything positive but rather one of pain and suffering. This was aimed at the Hokage as she slowly moves towards the frightened man.

"You cannot be serious! You would be damning that child to a life of misery," she shouted at him while she thought about her newborn child and the events that would occur if this fate was thrust upon him.

"I have no choice. Either one must endure this or the whole village will be destroyed."

There was no anger in his voice, only regret and disappointment for the current course of action. Her expression softened as she looked at him.

"What about if you an I…" she asked quietly, only to be interrupted by Minato.

"No, it would not be possible. You are still weak from that man extracting Kyuubi from you. There is nothing we can do; the sealing is the only method."

"I still don't agree… But there haven't been any births…"

Her voice tapered as her thoughts wandered on before realization struck her. She turned to see the apologetic look upon the Namikaze's face before she gave him a death glare.

"No, you will not use our child! I will not subject our own flesh and blood to that! I absolutely refuse!"

"I would trust no one else with such a burden other than one of my own flesh and blood…"

"No! I absolutely refuse to do this! Nothing means more to me than him!"

"If I can't make the sacrifice, how can I ask someone else to do so? There are no births as of the last two days other than Naruto. I must seal Kyuubi into him to save the village and that would mean that Naruto will become an orphan…"

"Orphan? What do you mean orphan?"

"The sealing…" he said hesitantly before continuing."The sealing will require my life. I must summon the Shinigami to consummate the sealing."

She quickly realized what he just said before letting the grief and sadness flood her system. She shared a bond with Minato that was beyond the status of husband and wife. It was to the point that when one of them died, the other would shortly follow to ensure that they would remain united even in the afterlife. It was too much for her to bear as the tears started to fall from her eyes. She held on to her son, knowing that these were going to be that last moments that they have together. Both Minato and Kushina spoke nothing more as they cherished the last few minutes they had together with their son. Unfortunately, the monstrous roar of the Kyuubi reached their ears and with sorrowful eyes, the blonde Hokage took the infant from his wife's arms.

"Kushina-hime, its time, I must go and perform the sealing before any more lives are lost," Minato said in a soft voice.

"I'll see you on the other side, Minato-koi," she replied before looking at her son. "Naruto, know that I will always love you even though your father and I could not be with you in life. Live your life like we did with ours and know that we will always be watching you. Make sure to eat your vegetables and become a great shinobi like your father and I were. Goodbye my son…"

Her voice softened as she planted a kiss on the babe's forehead before more tears cascaded from her eyes. She just looked at Minato with sad eyes as he looked at their son before disappearing in a yellow flash.

Battlefield

When he arrived at the battlefield in a bright yellow flash, a unanimous cry from all Konoha shinobi filled the air. The commotion started to pick up as the waves of attacks started to increase. This significantly started to slow down the Demon Lord from the mass of attacks. But Minato heard none of this. All he saw was the large scale of destruction that littered the field. All of his senses were at an all time high. The feeling of a blood soaked ground squelching as he walks towards the sound of dying comrades. The smell of burning flesh, the taste of the smoke thick in the air from all of the fires, and the sight, the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of lifeless bodies, ripped in to shreds, burnt, flattened by the Foxes great paws all dyed red with blood. It was all too much. Right beside the blonde man was a rather old one wearing battle armor and behind these two were two other shinobi.

"Minato-kun, are you sure that this is for the best? You could teach me the hand signs for the jutsu and allow me to take your place?" asked the old man.

"No thank you, Sarutobi-sama. This is my responsibility and I will not shirk from my duties as Hokage," Minato said strongly before looking at the elder man. It was there that Sarutobi saw a resolve of steel. He then knew nothing he said would affect the man's decision in any form.

"Kakashi, come," the blonde called as a man with gravity defying hair walks forward. "Watch over him and protect him. When the time comes, be there for him. Please…"

"I will sensei," Kakashi answered softly.

"Jiraiya-sensei…."

"I already know brat," replied Jiraiya, a man with a flowing mane of white spiky hair. "Teach him when he's ready and don't turn him into a pervert unless I want Kushina to come back and kill me for it."

This earned small chuckles from the three shinobi while Jiraiya just lets out a sigh of disappointment. Minato then turned towards the elder Sarutobi once again.

"Sarutobi-sama, please make sure he is treated like a hero. He deserves to be one.

"I will make sure he will be."

The reassurance was all Minato needed before he bit his thumb. His hands started to weave into handsigns before they slammed onto the ground. Suddenly, a large plume of white smoke appeared before dissipating to reveal a very large toad wearing a large blue happi vest with a massive dosu blade at his hip. The toad's famous kiseru pipe hung from his mouth, he looks towards his opponent. This was Gambunta, the current Boss Summon for the Toad Summoning Clan.

"Minato, if I'm not much mistaken that's the Kyuubi. Don't tell me you seriously intend on taking on the most powerful of the Bijuu?" Gamabunta asked the blonde Kage riding on top his head.

"Afraid so Boss. I need you to keep him busy and me out of his reach while I make the final preparations for the sealing," Minato replied.

"I will do what I can," the Toad Boss replied before he jumped towards the nine-tailed fox. "Water Release: Gunshot!"

Bullets of water shot out of the Boss Summons mouth and flew towards the red fox before making impact. With a mighty roar, the Demon Lord unleashed a torrent of crimson flames. The flames made impact with the ground and resulted in earth shattering screams.

"Gamabunta, we need to get the fox away from the village!" shouted the blonde Hokage.

"I'll try but I don't know if I will be able to," grunted the Toad Boss before he drew his blade from its sheathe. "Come on flame breathe, let's see what you got. Water Release: Gunshot!"

Several blobs of water shot out of the toad's mouth and made impact with the fox demon. It unleashed another roar before one of the tails lunged to attack. Gamabunta dodges the attack with a quick dodge before he spat out more balls of liquid and lunged forward with his blade. It almost reached its target before several tails slammed on to the boss summon's side and caused him to slide several meters. Gamabunta took a few seconds to regain his senses and during this time, the Kyuubi slashed him. The attack didn't hit the large toad but rather hit his pipe, causing it to break into several pieces.

"Damn," muttered Gamabunta as he spat out the remains of pipe before he tightened his hold on his blade. "That was favorite pipe…"

He then charged the beast and clashed with it. The fox held the Toad Boss to a standstill and caused the surrounding area to become even more devastated. Every time the fox left an opening, Gambunta took advantage with an attack. The fox would defend itself from any of the attacks using its tails.

"It's ready!" Minato screamed over the sounds of battle. "I'm sorry but this must be done… Especially to you Kyuubi no Youko. Shiki Fuin!"

Above the Fourth Hokage, a spectral entity appeared. It wore a white cloak while it held a dagger between its teeth. He knew just who this entity was. It was the Shinigami. Kyuubi tried to move away from the being but its body would not move one bit. The Demon Lord watched as the Shinigami plunged its hand through the blonde Hokage before it grabbed its soul. Kyuubi tried to struggle out of its grasp as it was once again sealed into another human being. This time, it was sealed into the newborn named Naruto and when the Shinigami released it, an intricate pattern appears on his stomach. Minato just spent the last few moments of his life and held his son.

"I'm sorry for doing this my son," he whispered while his tears flowed from his eyes. "I'm sorry for preventing you from having a family. I'm sorry for not being able to be there for you when you start your own family… I can only hope that you will find someone who will love you, no matter what you contain. Someone like your mother… I'm sorry, my son…"

With those final words, the blonde kage took his last breathe with his eyes centered on his crying son. He knew that Kushina would soon follow him to the afterlife and he hoped that his village would treat him as a hero. At the battlefield, the shinobi of Konoha could only celebrate as they watched the Kyuubi disappear and knew that their Hokage had defeated it. Everyone cheered except for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. These three shinobi rushed to where the Kyuubi disappeared and found the dead body of the Fourth holding his crying son. Above them, Gambunta let a single tear fall from his eye before he returned to the summoning realm. Kakashi took the crying baby into his arms while Jiraiya lifted the dead body of the Hokage. It was at this point that Konoha shinobi appeared from the trees before they asked the location of the Fourth but the Sarutobi prevented them. He quickly took control of the situation and told them that this was neither the time nor the place to answer the questions.

Days later, Sarutobi retook the mantle as the Hokage to prevent the chaos and anarchy that would have emerged from the death of their Hokage. He held the information of Naruto's true heritage from the council and told them of his status as an orphan from a civilian family. He also told them the burden he currently held as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and how the Fourth wanted him seen as a hero. The civilians and elders called for his death and constantly call for his death as they state that he would become the demon reincarnated. On the other hand, the shinobi side wanted to respect their dead Kage's last wish and attempted to adopt the child with the exception of the Uchiha clan. The elders and the civilian council put down the idea quickly. Sarutobi knew what had to be done and told the council that Naruto will be placed in an orphanage. His status as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was now an S-ranked secret with the penalty of death to those that speak of it before he dismissed the council.

Years later, Sarutobi looked outside his window at the proud village of Konoha with his thoughts wandering to the blonde child. Little did he know about the fate he would have or the greatness that he would soon achieve. Little did he know about the future of Konoha. Little did he know about what will soon happen to the Elemental Nations.

A/N: Edited and Completed.

R&R. No Flames.

Shadow