Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other characters. Haku's rabbit belong to my girlfriend though.

On with the story!

'though'

"speaking"

"La…la-la… Little kid can touch the sky…little hands can stroke the stars…laaaaaa… the little angel can fly without leaving his mama's arms…"

On a rooftop, just before sunset, a mother was singing to her baby. He was still newborn, being less than two days old. This very youth would be his end. Just hours ago, a giant beast was sighted north of their hidden village. It seems they were not hidden from that demon's eye. It being tall enough to look at them from above the tallest trees might explain why. The giant fox was raging and destroying anything and everything in its path. Had it not been that sudden an attack, they would have simply evacuated the village, hide, wait for it to go away and rebuild their home. That was not to be. The savage beast was not only set on destroying landscape but was hunting without recrimination, even if the prey was so small that it could not flee before being crushed beneath its paws.

The totality of the village's ninjas went to fight it. It was not going down easy. It was way out of their league. The Yondaime may have found a solution, but a cruel one. It had to be sealed in a living being. A newborn child. Her child! The fragile link to life of a youngster and the still developing chakra system allow a little twinkle with the soul to make it hold, with the help of a seal, the very spirit of the bijuu. She knew she had the last baby born in Konoha.

"Tu-tu-tut…"

She knew she only had moments before an Anbu would come, take her baby away and leave her alone. Even from where she stood, she could see the little flies that were ninjas around the fox. She could hear its outraged growling when a lucky strike scratched its skin.

Then she saw him. It must be the Yondaime himself. Only Jiraiya and the current Hokage could summon the frog boss, Gamabunta. A soft blue light was shining on the top of the toad's head. The Kyuubi seemed truly interested for once. The frog boss jumped ahead with his blade drawn and tried to stab the monster before him. He was stopped by the tails of the fox, and one even wounded its head. The Fox was about to sink its teeth in the toad's throat when the light, that never stopped, grew brighter. She saw a flash that engulfed the surprised beast, the frog boss… the whole battlefield. Then it was gone, leaving the beast's body behind.

The frog boss had disappeared in a way that suggest that the summoner was unable to keep it in this plane. Usually, it meant death. No more blue light, no more fighting. Only a huge unmoving body covered in flaming orange fur. The beast seemed to have been beaten, but how? Her baby, opening his eyes distinct to his clan, was still in her arms. Why? Why had they not come to take her little Sasuke?

The Sandaime Hokage was an old man and he knew it. That was the reason he passed the title on to his student's student. Minato was smart, strong and respected. He had the drive to protect the village and to make it evolve with its time. He even asked for training session with him, saying he would be old only when he would stop learning! Of course, an ex-Kage named "The Professor" was the best you could hope for as a teacher. Now Minato was gone, leaving the title in his hands again. Why did he have to live so long if it was to bury all the young hopes? He had in his arms one of those very hopes.

"Will you die on me too, Uzumaki Naruto? Will you disappear some day, leaving the village with one less great soul?" Sarutobi asked the young toddler.

He knew that just any baby could not contain the soul of the bijuu. Only one blessed with a strong bloodline could. The question was: whose was it? The Yondaime came at the last minutes with this child in place of the newborn Uchiha. He seemed to hold it…protectively. Now that he had a chance to look closer, he saw the striking likeliness: his own son. But who was the mother? What was the bloodline? The only one to know gave himself in the Death's God hands. The third Hokage entered the crowded room filled with the heads of clans, families and the council members. Now was the time to decide of the future of this unknowing hero. He took his place in front of the crowd and they silenced immediately, waiting for the wise man to speak.

"My children, let me present you...", he said in a soft voice that could be heard anywhere in the hall, "...the new village's hero. The newborn son… of a great line that took the burden of hosting the fox spirit."

Seeing a few frown in the eerily silent crowd, he continued.

"Through a forbidden jutsu, the Yondaime ripped the soul of the Kyuubi from its original body and imprisoned it in this child. This toddler's soul, aided with a master seal, will keep away the evil that almost destroyed our village."

It was the moment of truth. The one that would define how the boy would be accepted by everyone he would live with.

His name was Yatato. He was no ninja and was barely the head of a family of ten. He had a talent to make explosive notes that kept his family away from poverty. He was not that bright and far from strong. He wasn't respected or counted on for anything. Still, he had something special. He was the quickest in the village to make up his mind, and he was a loud mouth. Combine that with the anonymity that gives you a massive crowd and you've got the one who makes the real decisions in the village's meetings.

When he heard the Sandaime say that the soul of the monster was in the boy, he almost called it a demon, but he hesitated. Even he don't know why. Then the Hokage explained about the seal and the baby being, in fact, the jailer of that scary beast. Now that changed everything!

"He's a hero! The demon is dead thanks to him!" he yelled.

The crowd, seeing the logic, began to murmur in agreement. Then it exploded its joy, having the confirmation from the Hokage himself that they were now safe, thanks to the savior in his arms. The sheep followed the herd right there and then. It was a funny thing, how fate can be so easily changed.

Now how would he do it? The Kyuubi should have been sealed in his son, Uchiha Sasuke! Such power to be raised at the beck and call of the clan… He would have raised him as any true Uchiha, like his own son, to be the strongest ninja Konoha had ever seen. Now the title of strongest would go to another clan! Oh, but not if he could help it. The Yondaime was a son of war, found on a battlefield, weeping at the lost of both his parents. He was three years old then. The baby, Minato's son, had no clan to belong to. Seeing the boy accepted, the Hokage let his heritage being known. But with the mother unknown, that left him with one last option: adoption. He would look like a benevolent villager kind enough to take him in his clan. He walked in the Hokage's office, having an appointment on that matter. Fugaku Uchiha wasn't surprised to see Hiashi Hyuga in the room but it still didn't pleased him one bit. He wanted the brat too, how surprising.

Sarutobi let a cloud of smoke leave his lips, relaxing himself before the political battle for the ownership of Uzumaki Naruto began. He wasn't blind of their true motivations, but even then, growing up in a clan would be better that in an orphanage. That was the only reason he let it happen. Hopefully, he was the Hokage. He could set his rules. Those were the moments he liked his power over the villagers heads the most.

"Well then, let's begin! We all know why we are here and that none of you two have any priorities over the baby. You will both explain to me, without saying a word about the other clan, why I should let Naruto-kun in your care."

Both of them wanted Naruto. None of them were stupid enough to piss off a Hokage. He ruled, period. The Uchiha gave a nod to his rival, giving him the first word. He would have the last.

"Thank you," said Hiashi, nodding back. "First off, I would like to specify that we have many children around his age that he would be able to grow up with. We are one of the most prestigious clans of Konoha and we train, at a young age, children to become ninja even before their time at the academy. He would have a huge advantage over others."

Hiashi crossed his arms, his points clearly proved.

"Well… Our clan hosts the police force of the village and would keep Naruto safe," began the Uchiha head in turn. "We also have our style of training and fighting, that is if he decides to become a ninja."

Hiashi seemed startled that anything else could be considered. Fugaku made his point, smiling. He would not force the kid to do anything. Anyway, his destiny was to fight.

"On top of that, my wife who, by the way, is forever grateful for the burden that have been lift from her son's shoulder, would be honored to take care of him in this vulnerable period of life. She's already feeding one child…"

Sarutobi sat back in his chair, dragging a very long puff of smoke. He blew the smoke, his eyes closed, before opening them again.

"I have come to a decision. Both of your clans shall adopt the boy," he said with finality.

The clan's head didn't saw that one coming.

"What? How?" they asked.

"Fairly easy. As suggested, the mother shall be an Uchiha. I know Mikoto will take good care of him. She's a good woman. The father shall be a Hyuga. No romance intended. Naruto will live with his mother but he'll have the right to see his father anytime he pleases. When Naruto will be old enough to ask, he will be granted any wish to see his mother or father that will be reasonable. Be careful to what either of you tell or teach the boy, because I will be watching over him very closely. I'm doing all of this to prevent clan rivalry and to give Naruto a happy home. If he is ever sad about this or if you pressure him in any way to choose between clans, he will be taken from your custody. And then, punishment will be administered. I love that little blond like my own grandchild already. Do not disappoint me."

The Hyuga and Uchiha bowed before leaving the office.

"So…who in your family is going to be the father?" asked Fugaku curiously to Hiashi.

"My brother, head of the branch family," he answered.

"A slave already, hum? If you ever try to put a curse seal on him, there will be blood shed," stated the Uchiha.

"Of course. If you ever try a ceremony of blood kinship on your side, to try and give him your sharingan and take him further from us, expect retaliation the same."

Fugaku smiled at that. He had actually considered it.

"Agreed. After all, he will have a mother Uchiha and a father Hyuga. Nonetheless, he will stay an Uzumaki."

"It shall be very interesting."

"Indeed."

In the Uchiha household, things went a lot less smooth.

"What?" Fugaku Uchiha asked his wife, not believing her words.

"I will not take that demon brat in my home, less feed it!" she repeated.

"How can you even say that? He is the hero of this village!"

"He is inhabited by the spirit of the beast that killed so many of us! The body hasn't even finished decaying and it's bringing all kind of monsters around! They even say that strange trees are growing where it has fallen. This is an aberration, an abnormality!"

"Stupid woman!" yelled Fugaku, looking very angry.

Mikoto Uchiha took a step back. Rarely did her husband yell at her. She knew of his commanding spirit but never did he use force against her before.

"Don't you realize that the demon is a prisoner now? That this kid is keeping it caged? Do you get in your head that thanks to him, Sasuke won't have to deal with this? Don't you see he is but just another victim?" asked the leader of Konoha's police force.

Mikoto was far from stupid. Her husband had his reasons to want Naruto in their clan. That didn't mean his arguments were invalid.

"So this is the honor of my wife?" he kept on. "She would let a harmless baby fare for itself? Why not put you to the test then?"

Fugaku opened the front door and made a sign. An Anbu came, carrying a small parcel. He took it with great care, walked toward his confused wife and pushed it in her arms. When she looked down, she saw the newborn hero. His little hands were close firmly, as if grabbing the dream he was in, never letting go. The mother took him properly in her arms, resting him against her chest. It was too late for her now: her motherly side took over.

"Damn you husband, damn you. That was a cheap shot," she whispered.

"Will you take care of him?"

"Of course I will," she answered, cradling the young boy protectively.

"Do you even regret it?"

"No…I don't. Damn you."

Beta'ed on 2/23/08 by Rauchster.