Hei guys. Erm, some of you must have read my story Uchiha prodigy but I have stopped it due to a review. I dont hate him for it and should thank him... Or her... What the author said is true, my OC was too powerful so I decided to make this story. It will concentrate on Naruto and my OC. He still has the same name and unique abilities which are the kunai and shadow clone thing.

So, the storyline is still the same but my OC is now only in par with kakashi.

So hope this story will be better and review please.

Disclaimer: All names and places here are property of Masashi Kishimoto, except for Maki.

CHAPTER 1: SEALING OF THE DEMON

It was a cold and dark night when the nine tails attacked the village of Konoha. It was said that the demon could not be killed, which was actually true. Nothing could stop the demon and as the ninjas of Konoha desperately attemps to defend their home from the monster, the leader of the village, the Hokage was not seen among the shinobi fighting the monster.

Minato Namikaze, the current Hokage was at Konoha hospital, pacing around in circles like mad as he awaited the news of his wife, Kushina Uzumaki delivering their baby. Watching their Hokage in worry were four men. They were the previous Hokage; Sarutobi, his sensei the frog sannin; Jiraiya, his student; Hatake Kakashi and a an elite Jounin almost on par with Kakashi, Haruno Maki.

Haruno Maki was the same age as Kakashi and the two were considered the best elite Jounins in Konoha. Of course when it comes to skill, Kakashi was said to be better but that neither had sparred with the other seriously to actually test the theory. Maki had developed his own personal skills and he is known throughout the land as 'The replicator' for his use of confusion with his shadow clones.

There were two unique ways Maki fought with his special 'clone' kunai. The clone kunai were Maki's own set of custom kunais and with them, he could create shadow clones through two methods. One was by drawing out chakra from a seal Maki had placed in the clone kunai. The other method was if the clone kunai was able to draw blood on the victim. If blood touches the clone kunai, immediately a shadow clone would be created.

Minato of course knew of the kyuubi attacking his village and he had assured the four men that he would fight the kyuubi once he knows of his wife's condition. The Hokage was the only person that could probably defeat the demon as everyone else had tried. Maki knew that his brother was probably among the ninjas fighting the nine-tails. He prayed that he would make it before he arrived.

Finally, a doctor emerged from the delivery room, catching the five men's attention. Minato ran towards the doctor and grabbed the doctor by his shoulders.

"How is she? How is my son?"

"Your son is fine, Hokage-sama," The doctor assured him, "He is a healthy little boy. However, your wife..."

The doctor stopped there which brought fear to everyone. Minato was trembling as he felt the worst possible news would be heard, "What's wrong? What's wrong with my wife?"

"Your wife..." The doctor hesitated once more, "Your wife has died during child birth. We're not so sure of the cause but we have lost her. I'm sorry."

At that moment, everyone could see that Minato's spirit had been broken. His heart was broken to pieces and his legs actually went weak. He had to use the wall for support to keep him from falling. It was probably the first time that many had seen the Hokage so defeated.

"I... I want to see my son." Minato choked.

"But Minato, what about..." Sarutobi started but Minato cut him off.

"I need to spend five minutes at least with my son. The rest of you, try and hold him and I will come."

All four men nodded their heads. Everyone but Jiraiya disappeared in order to try and stop the Kyuubi. Or at least to buy some time until the Hokage arrived to stop the rampaging beast himself. The four men were after all Konoha's finest shinobi after Minato.

The demon continued on it's wild rampage, killing shinobi's that attacked it. All attacks were futile as the kyuubi had the power of regeneration. It healed so fast that all the attacks were not even affecting the kyuubi.

The copy ninja and replicator were jumping from rooftops to rooftops, hurrying to the north gate where the kyuubi could be seen. It seems that the kyuubi is getting closer and closer. Kakashi looked at the Jounin next to him.

"Let's just hope that we can delay the monster before sensei arrives."

Maki nodded, "If Hokage-sama can't stop the demon, no one can."

They reached the gates and found that most of their comrades were being treated of their wounds while some were retreating back. Kakashi cursed under his breath and raised his forehead protector, revealing his foreign eye, the Sharingan.

Maki took out his custom Kunai. The kunai was thinner and lighter than the normal kunai. This is to allow him to throw the kunai at a faster speed that the enemy could not see the kunai coming at him. This is so that his custom jutsu can work, which needs to draw enemy blood to create a shadow clone. He has about fifty of them at home and ten of them in his back pouch right now.

The two of them ran forwards the nine tailed demon. The demon felt the presence of the two shinobi as it sensed that they were both stronger than the previous shinobi and that they are equal in skills, it seems. The kyuubi started using one of it's tails to strike at the two incoming shinobi but they easily dodged it by jumping away.

While still in the air, Maki formed a set of seals.

"Katon! Ryuuka no jutsu!"

A great fire emerged from Maki's mouth in the shape of that like a dragon. The fire blasted on it's face but the kyuubi felt no pain. It ignored the blast and it only felt like a mosquito bite. Kakashi also formed seals and once completed, used his right hand like as if he was waving.

"Raiton! Lightning blast technique!"

A wave of lightning emerged from the palm of Kakashi's hand and it strike the kyuubi on it's left muzzle. This hurt the kyuubi by a little but it was not enough. The two jounin's continued using ninjutsu to assault the kyuubi from a distance but their attacks were futile. The two jounins continued to distract the demon until they realized that they can't do anymroe as they were running out of chakra. As they retreated back, they saw a large puff of smoke was created in front of the demon. It was the toad king, Gamabunta and on top of it, was the fourth Hokage.

Maki jumped to a tree and watched on as the fourth Hokage fought against the legendary nine tailed beast. They were both equal but however, as the fight continued on, they could see who was winning. With the kyuubi's enormous amount of chakra, the beast cannot be stopped. The fourth Hokage was losing.

However, Maki observed something strange with the fourth Hokage. He was now holding a baby in his arms. When seen carefully, it was his son as the child had blonde hair like him. Why would the fourth Hokage be endangering his son? He started whispering something to his son and he formed the seals. Kakashi gasped when he saw the seals.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?" Maki asked.

Kakashi did not respond. He knew that seal though. It was a forbidden technique and no one has ever used it. Could it be that Minato knew that there was nothing else that could beat the beast. He was taken out of his thoughts as Maki's hands were on his shoulder and shaking him.

"Kakashi, what's wrong?"

"That seal," Kakashi said weakly, "That seal that he is doing. It is a forbidden jutsu. No one has ever used it as whoever uses it, will…"

Kakashi did not finish it. He did not want to say it but Maki somehow knew the answer. Whoever uses that technique will die. At that moment, Minato finished his seal and he said to something behind him but Maki could see no one. The kyuubi lunged forward and was about to strike when it suddenly stopped. It was like being sucked towards Minato.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the kyuubi was being sucked into the child. Minato was looking as the kyuubi was being sealed into his new born child. It was the only option. Once the kyuubi was fully sealed into the kyuubi, the shinigami started to take Minato's soul. Gamabunta placed the fourth to the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Maki and Kakashi leapt towards the dying fourth Hokage. When they reached them, Kakashi placed Minato in his hands, holding him up.

"Kakashi…" Minato said weakly, struggling to not close his eyes.

"What sensei?" Kakashi was on the verge of crying, one that does not happen often.

"The kyuubi… is now sealed… in my son…" He said, pointing towards the newborn. Maki stared at the newborn baby and he had a black seal on his stomach. So it is true.

"Kakashi!" Minato said, now gasping for breath, "Naruto… My son… Tell the villagers… to treat him as… a hero… and not… a…."

Minato stopped there as he finally lost his fight for life. He closed his eyes and both jounin's present knew that his eyes will never open again. Kakashi wept on his sensei's chest and Maki just looked at the boy. He held the boy in his arms as the boy started to cry.

Several ninja's started to surround them and watched in grief at their fallen Hokage. They stared at the two top jounin. One of them was still crying while the other took started walking back to the village with the boy cradled in his arms. He can't take care of the child as he knew that his sister-in law will need to take care of her daughter now that his brother is dead.

Still, he will not abandon the boy. He is the fourth legacy and as the fourth's final request, he is to be viewed as the hero.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sarutobi-sama, what do you say?" Maki said in a concerned voice.

Sarutobi was now seated behind the Hokage's desk, taking a puff of smoke from his pipe. Sarutobi was having a headache. He was now once again the Hokage and he was old. He sighed heavily.

"We will respect the fourth's request that he be viewed as a hero."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Maki interrupted, "We shouldn't take this only as a request. He is the fourth's son. He deserves the respect that his father was also the hero."

Sarutobi nodded, "Let us just hope that the villagers will listen to this request though it also might fall on deaf ears."

There was an awkward silence in the room now. Naruto was now asleep in Maki's arms after he comforted the child. Kakashi was not present as he carried his sensei's body to be buried personally by him. He was the remaining student from his team so he was the best to do so.

"How is your sister-in law?" Sarutobi asked.

Maki shook his head sadly, "Not too well. She's still blaming the kyuubi for his death and if she finds out about Naruto, I doubt she will listen to not blame the child. After all, she lost her husband."

"And do you blame Naruto?" Sarutobi asked sternly.

"No. Naruto here, will be like his father. He will bring honour to Konoha. In the future that is."

Sarutobi smiled. So it was decided then that Naruto for now will be placed in an orphanage and Kakashi and Maki will look after him to make sure that he is not harmed. Maki bowed and left Naruto with Sarutobi to do the job. He closed the door behind him and started to make his way home. He hoped that the villagers will indeed listen to the fourth Hokage's last request.

He started to think on Kakashi. He was the student of the fourth and the two of them were near equals but Kakashi just might be slightly better with his Sharingan. He sighed. It's not that they are rivals. They are just nothing but close friends/

Maki entered his house and found his sister-in law crying on the loss of her husband. He too know the loss. His brother was a good man and a wonderful shinobi. He sighed. His brother was a man that he respected a lot and loved him too. He knew that he made a good choice in finding her as a wife. She was beautiful with her pink hair and emerald eyes but he knew that he did not want her to suffer like this.

Sadly, Maki knew that he needed her to let it all out. He will try and comfort her tomorrow. He walked into a room where the girl was found sleeping. He smiled as he watched his niece sleep peacefully.

"Don't worry child," He whispered to her ear, even though she was asleep, "I'll take good care of you just like my brother took care of you. So sleep well, Sakura."