Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto I'm simply borrowing this brilliant universe to write this.

Authors note:

I came up with the general idea for this story around 2007 and wrote nearly 100k words for it back then. Unfortunately, disaster struck and I lost nearly all of my work in a hard drive failure. Pretty much killing my motivation for finishing it. The idea kept swimming around in the back of my mind however. Until recently when I ended up talking with another author on this site going by the name of Clutus. Who after reading the initial 20k words that were still posted on this site, basically demanded I'd pick it up again and somehow managed to wake up my hibernating muse. Which hasn't stopped bugging me since. So here I am, once more committed to the story and I can honestly say it feels great to finally pick this up again.

The first chapter has been rather heavily edited from the version I posted back in 2008. The concept is still the same and some parts survived my muses editing spree but a lot of it has changed. So I decided to completely start over. Also please bear in mind that while I am rather confident in my English it isn't my native language. So some mistakes might slip in. If you do spot any glaring errors please let me know and I'll do my best to fix them and prevent them in the future.

Anyway without further ado I give you the prologue of a story that has been years in the making.

Chapter 1

Prologue: The Beginning

The earth shook as a primal roar tore through the village of Konoha, followed shortly by a suffocating presence so strong, that even those who weren't sensitive to chakra could sense it. The feeling of safety and peace that had been predominant since the end of the third great ninja war, shattered in an instance. Most of the villagers had no idea what was going on but long forgotten instincts urged them to flee for their life. They were the ones that had it easy...

For the ninja in the village and especially the sensors among them, it was much worse. Unlike the villagers, they could feel the sheer magnitude of the ancient power that was heading straight for their village. One of the few sensors that had been strong enough to stay conscious when the initial blast of power swept over them, compared their own to that of a candle next to a raging inferno. Needless to say, they did not like their chances if that force decided to attack their beloved home. In the end, it didn't matter. They were the proud ninja of the leaf and if needed they would give their lives to protect their own.

Then there were the few that recognised the feeling and knew what was coming for them. Most of them were veterans that had been alive when their first Hokage had defeated the Kyuubi with the help of his wife Uzumaki Mito, or had felt something similar during one of the wars. They hurriedly sent their loved ones to the shelters and prepared for what likely would be the last fight of their life. They knew that their chances of survival when fighting one of the Bijuu was slim at best.

Finally, there was a select group of people that knew exactly who it was. They had been present on the deathbed of Uzumaki Mito when they Kyuubi had been released from its seal. Originally they had planned to re-seal the strongest of the Bijuu in her niece Uzumaki Kushina. Something had gone wrong that night however and eventually, a large and ancient part of the land of fire had been sealed off. Keeping the Kyuubi in and everyone else out. However, by the feel of it, the barrier had either been broken or was about to. Leaving the Kyuubi free to roam the elemental nations once again.

"No, no, no, nooo! Dammit why today of all times!" Kushina swore as she tore through her house in her weakened state. "Even I need time to recover from giving birth for Kami's sake!"

Little Naruto had been born last night. Minato left a while ago to get the paperwork in order and to get Sarutobi up to date on current affairs. The third had been kind enough to offer taking over as acting Hokage for a few weeks so her husband could be with his family. And uncle Kenamo left at sunrise to gather everything they'd need for her sons induction into the family jutsu. Which left her as the only seal master available to deal with the current crisis, before it was to late.

Reaching her destination at the families' hidden vault, she expertly manipulated the necessary seals, proved her identity as an Uzumaki by blood and recovered their scroll of sealing. Quickly opening it , she headed straight for the end where everything Bijuu related had been stored. A desperate sob escaped her when she found what she was looking for, and read what would be needed if the Kyuubi managed to break free. Simultaneously she felt the unmistakable spike of chakra signalling the appearance of her husband at her side.

"Kushina! We have to get Naruto and get you two to..." Minato's words died in his throat when he saw his wife and the way she looked at him. Kneeling on the floor, her clans' scroll of sealing clutched in her hands, and a mixture of fear and ironclad determination in her eyes.

"We can't... it has to be us. Only a carrier of the Uzumaki bloodline can survive the sealing." A single tear escaped her as she pointed at the relevant portion of the scroll. "Get Naruto and take us there. We may still be able to stop the barrier from breaking...". Taking a deep breath her voice cracked a bit as she continued. "But we need our son and be prepared for the worst".Minato hesitated for a second, knowing his wife was right, but still desperately searching his mind for a solution that wouldn't put his family in mortal danger.

Unfortunately he never got the time, as an ear shattering sound similar to breaking glass signalled the barrier had been destroyed. Steeling his resolve he manipulated time and space with his signature Hirashin no jutsu (Flying thunder god technique) to grab his wife and son and teleport as close as he safely could to the rampaging Nine Tails.

Kushina quickly sped her way through the ancient forest, wincing every once in a while as her sore body protested the strain it was put through. She paid it no heed though, if she failed it wouldn't matter anyway and if she succeeded she could take the time to recover afterwards. Right now she was the only one who could prevent the Kyuubi from killing her loved ones, destroying her beloved village and even have a small chance of surviving to tell the tale. If something went wrong though… she hated to think of it but she needed a contingency plan.

"Minato! Take this and keep it safe." Taking out her families scroll she gave it to her husband who had been on her tail the whole time, carefully carrying their newly born son. "I don't plan on dying today, but if something goes wrong…

"You won't die! I won't let you! As long as I draw breath I won't allow any harm to come to you or our son!" He interrupted her full of conviction.

"I know love, but you know as well as I do that I'm the only one around who can survive the sealing. You can't do this for me…" Taking a deep breath Kushina quickly gathered her thoughts. "Promise me… promise me, that whatever happens… that you protect our son."

"I'll protect you both!" Minato countered, he couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them, but knew their chances weren't good.

"Promise me! Whatever happens, Naruto comes first you hear!"

At that moment his heart started breaking as he saw his strong, proud and stubborn wife openly crying and basically begging him to choose Naruto's well-being over her own. Unable to form the words, he nodded in agreement. Sealing the promise. Their time was up, they were close enough to start.

"Thank you, I love you. And you Naruto, stay strong dear. This is going to hurt but I know you can handle this!" Saying this she gave their son a teary eyed kiss, looked up at her husband, kissed him passionately and steeled her nerves. It was now or never and even though her chances were slim at best she was not going to give up now!

Her resolve set Kushina gave them one last loving look as Minato started preparing their son for the sealing. She gathered her chakra and charged straight in the way of the rampaging Kyuubi that was nearly upon them.

For a moment she faltered, the immense power of the Nine tailed fox momentarily overwhelming her senses. The utter rage and madness that was coming off of it actually physically hurting her. She hadn't come this far in life by giving up though and she wasn't about to start now! Flaring her chakra as high as it could go immense golden chains shot from her body managing to catch the demon lord by surprise.

A small grin appeared on her face as she managed to bind it in place. She wouldn't be able to hold on for long, the power was simply to much even for her chains. It would simply have to be enough. Had she been in perfect health it might have been a different story, sadly that wasn't the case.

"Minato! Bring Naruto I can't keep this up for long!" While shouting this she started the long seal sequence required for a slight variation of the forbidden Uzumaki sealing technique her aunt Mito had used years ago, to seal the Kyuubi in herself. Something she unfortunately couldn't do. So close after giving birth that seal would kill her, and she could not bear the thought of letting her son grow up without her.

Glancing back she saw Minato quickly heading her way. At the same time feeling a disturbance near one of the Kyuubi's tails. "What fool would be suicidal enough to get that close to a rampaging Bijuu?" Had it not been in spitting distance of one of her chains, the overwhelming power of the struggling Kyuubi would have certainly masked it.

Her eyes widened as with a sudden localised power spike said chain shattered. The Kyuubi's tail breaking free and it's tip shooting straight through her chest. The shocked looks of her husband and the third Hokage who shot into the clearing at that precise moment, the last thing she would ever see.

The crying of her son and the heartbreaking cry of her husband calling out her name in desperation the last thing she would ever hear…

Sarutobi spared a quick glance back, tears in his eyes as he recalled the last moments of one of his most precious shinobi. He had been in the office with Minato when everything went to hell. Both realising what was happening the moment they felt the Kyuubi's immense chakra. He had asked Minato if he knew where Kenamo was. They were going to need him for this. Only to learn that the old man was likely far from the village for something clan related. Cursing the timing he'd basically ordered the fourth to take his family to safety while he took care of the village.

Evidently, that hadn't gone as planned. When he felt the barrier breaking he knew they were in serious trouble. He'd summoned their strongest barrier squad and headed straight for the Kyuubi. Trusting the village to follow protocol for the highest state of emergency he had declared minutes ago. He'd arrived too late though.

First thing he saw when he entered the clearing was one of the fox's tails spearing straight through her chest. Before he had any chance of reacting he saw a yellow flash and found little Naruto in his arms. The fourth calling out his wife's name as the strongest Rasengan he ever saw crashed into the Kyuubi's tail in a desperate attempt to save her life. Unfortunately it had been to late and he had been forced to watch powerlessly as her life left her once vibrant eyes.

Meanwhile the barrier squad followed their training and set up their strongest barrier between them and the Kyuubi. They knew it wouldn't hold long but they gave everything they had to prevent further casualties. Sarutobi gathered his chakra prepared to give Naruto back to the fourth and go one on one with the Kyuubi as a distraction, so they could escape. When a heartbroken Minato ordered him to take Naruto to safety. Minato's Hokage guard appeared at the scene and were promptly ordered to find Hiashi and Jiraiya to send them to the Hokage tower.

Harshly shoving his grief aside Sarutobi cradled little Naruto in his arms on his way there. The heartbreaking cries of the infant that just lost his mother tugging at his heartstrings. As hard as it was though, grieving would have to wait. If they wanted to have anything left by the end of this hellish day something would have to be done. Fortunately it seemed like the Fourth had a plan.

Entering the room Sarutobi looked around and saw the familiar faces of his student Jiraiya and Hiashi Hyuuga, Minato's former teammate and most trusted friend. Both of them seemed anxious to get back out there and help their loved ones fight what so far seemed to be a hopeless battle.

Nothing short of a boss summon or an Akimichi with the size of one, seemed to be able to make it pause. Considering the clan head was the only one actually able to pull this off and not for a long time at that... all of them knew they needed something to give them an edge. Considering the fourth gathered them in the middle of this crisis instead of having them fight with the rest of the ninja population, they could only assume he thought of something and needed their help to pull it off.

"You called for us, Hokage-sama?"

Seeing his son arrive in the arms of predecessor Minato quickly took him in his arms. Not taking heed of the blood covering him. Comforting his son was more important right now. The comfort of having his closest friends around being the main thing that allowed him to keep a semblance of calm.

"I did, I need your advice. Let's go somewhere more secure first though. I can't risk any of this getting out."

Looking over at Hiashi and Jiraiya, Sarutobi saw his own concerns reflected in their eyes. If they were going 'there' to ensure they wouldn't be overheard, it had to be something very serious indeed. Getting up they followed the Yondaime into the conference room, which was next to the office.

The conference room was large, with a long rectangular table in the middle. The wall on the west side was filled with bookcases, the remains of a large broad window covered the east. It appeared to have been blown inward by an earlier attack.

One could enjoy the scenery of the entire village from here, Sarutobi reflected. The bookcases were mainly used to store reference scrolls of the meetings that took place in there. It had been used since he himself had become Hokage, he and his advisors had used it to discuss important decisions which would affect the entire village. This tradition had been kept alive when Minato became Hokage. However, this wasn't where they were headed.

Still following the Yondaime they silently walked to the northern end of the room. Straight to a large portrait depicting a sunset, by now the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Minato sighed, looking over through the window at his right he saw the bright flames that where a result of the fierce battle raging outside. He would have to hurry if he wanted to have a village left by the end of the day.

Taking a cleansing breath he put his hands together to form the familiar seals, the chant of "Hireki no jutsu" leaving his mouth with barely a whisper. In reaction to the Yondaime's chakra signature the portrait disappeared to make room for a large oaken door, which was the only entrance to a small room with just enough space for the four of them.

Entering, they saw the familiar sights of the place they had spent countless hours in. Here they discussed topics too important, or too dangerous, to risk being heard by outsiders. Apparently whatever Minato had to tell them, fell into this category. They walked over to the comfortable chairs, surrounding a wooden square table in the middle of the room. Sarutobi, Hiashi and Jiraiya made themselves comfortable while waiting for the Yondaime to speak up.

"The good news is I found a jutsu which should stop the Kyuubi". Studying their reaction to his first announcement, he saw the hope that was nearly lost, returning to their eyes. But apparently sensing his hesitation to continue, Minato noticed a look of suspicion and concern growing on his friends faces. They really did know him to well...

Feeling rather apprehensive about their reaction to the other part, he took another deep breath and continued: "The bad news is I won't live to tell the tale after I've used it." He looked back over at his longtime friends, in order to try and gauge their reaction.

Hiashi was the first one the message seemed to get through to. In a rare show of emotion the normally calm and collected man jumped up from his chair and actually started yelling at him: "Minato! Have you gone insane! You're the Hokage for Kami's sake. We can't allow you to sacrifice your life! What about your family! What would Kushina say!"

"Kushina is dead! The Kyuuby killed her a few minutes ago!" Minato's furious reply momentarily shocked him into silence. Years of shoving his feelings behind a mask served him well in this case though. He had loved Kushina like a sister but right now there was nothing he could do for her. He would grieve for her if he survived the night. Right now his friend needed him more.

"Then think about your son! If you die as well the old man will be the only family he'll have left! Dying to follow after your wife isn't the answer, if you need a reason to go on then live for your son! You know Kushina would have wanted that!"

"Dammit Hiashi, do you think I want to die! That I want to have my son grow up as an orphan like I did? It's the only way I can make sure my son and everyone else I care about has a future after tonight."

Hiashi recognising his friend has made up his mind acknowledged that he wouldn't be able to change it. A quick look at the shocked faces of Jiraiya and Sarutobi told him he would get no help from them in this particular matter.

Blinking away his tears and holding Naruto close Minato decided to explain. "The only thing I can think of to stop the Kyuubi and save the village is a variation of the Shiki Fuujin combined with a family technique." Noticing their confused glances at the name of the Kinjutsu that had been developed by the Uzumaki clan a long time ago, he realised that they had no way of knowing about it, so he decided to elaborate a little. "Shiki Fuujin is basically a summoning technique that calls forth The God of Death. By summoning him I…-"

"You plan to do what!" Jiraiya exploded his eyes full of disbelief after hearing what his prize student was planning to do. Minato, however, motioned for silence again. "Please, Sensei let me explain. As I was saying, by summoning him I should be able to divide the Kyuubi's very soul from his body. Normally his soul would be devoured by the death god, but I am afraid since the Kyuubi is a daemon and therefore an immortal being, his soul cannot be consumed this way".

"So instead of consuming him as normally would have been the case, I believe that you plan to seal his soul away"? Sarutobi commented looking questioningly at the Yondaime. "Exactly," Minato responded a bit surprised. "However since Kyuubi is so powerful we will have to seal him away in a living being, an object simply would be unable to keep it contained". Sarutobi was thinking out loud now and Minato decided to let him finish his musings and go from there.

"But how would the vessel survive the intrusion of something as powerful as the Kyuubi"? Sarutobi looked up questioningly at the Yondaime. "Even if the vessel was only a few days old and therefore has not completely formed his chakra coils, the sealing process would most likely destroy them faster then they could recover, unless…." Staring straight at little Naruto who had fallen in a restless sleep, realisation hit Sarutobi as a ton of bricks. "You'll use your son. Thanks to your families' bloodline techniques he would be the only one who would be able to survive the binding.

Minato just nodded, Sarutobi was able to figure it out completely. He had always been a very smart man so he wasn't all that surprised.

"There is one thing I don't understand though Minato." Jiraiya cut in. "Why don't you allow one of us to perform the Shiki Fuujin in your place? Every one of us in this room can perform a summoning jutsu so we should be able to learn it rather easily.

"I would never be able to ask one of you to sacrifice yourself in my place." Minato replied. Seeing all of them about to object he continued. "Besides I will have to combine the Shiki Fuujin with one of our family techniques in order to be able to bind the Kyuubi to my son".

Sensing his friends accepted though rather reluctantly that he was right, Minato decided to explain the details to them so everything could be arranged before it was too late. Opening a scroll on his table he showed them the six point seal he planned on using.

"You see this part symbolises the cage he will be sealed in," he said pointing at the four points on the outside of the seal. "This however is where the genius part comes in." Minato told them."This part here allows Naruto to tap in the Kyuubi's chakra when he needs to. I can't think of a better way to get revenge on him for killing Kushina. The powers of the most powerful daemon lord of all known history, used for good by our own legacy." Minato grinned slightly at this thought with his trademark mischievous twinkle lighting up his eyes.

"The downside however, is that Kyuubi may be able to use that to communicate mentally to my son. So I included a 6th point to the seal which will seal off the 5th until Naruto finds out he is the Kyuubi's keeper, or his life is in see this is where we have a problem, mad as the fox appears to be, I'm afraid he will affect my son once the seal on the link is broken and that is what I need your advice on. Do any of you know any way to prevent this from happening, or at least help my son through it?"

A long silence swept over the Yondaime's office, while the four friends where thinking of possibilities to prevent this from happening. Suddenly Jiraiya spoke up. "How about we hook him up to a nice girl? That should keep him distracted from the Kyuubi's influence!" Jiraiya snickered while thinking about how exactly this nice girl would accomplish this when he got hit over the head by Minato.

"What did you do that for?!" Jiraiya asked him indignantly. The Yondaime just sighed, "It's my own fault. I should've known better than to ask you about moral advice for my son's well being, sensei." he said shaking his head.

"As immoral as his ideas probably were he did give me an idea. This is one of the most highly guarded secrets of my clan. What I'm about to say does not leave this room, understood?" Hiashi said shooting a glare at nods in agreement from them Hiashi continued. "There is an ancient Kinjutsu in the Hyuuga clan which was used on infants when it was decided they were going to be partners in combat, life or in both. It was used to establish a…"

Hiashi was interrupted by the door slamming open. Everyone turned to the door looking up surprised when an old man near Sarutobi's age jovially walked into the room carrying a couple of sake bottles, a backpack and a deck of poker cards. He was wearing a black shinobi outfit with an orange whirl on the shoulders and the backside, marking him as one of the Uzumaki family. The most noticeable part though was the eagle claw hanging on his left ear, half hidden by his long white hair. Not noticing the serious atmosphere hanging around the room as a result of the meeting, the old man walked inside while putting down his backpack in a corner.

"Oi Minato, here is the animal tooth needed for the little tyke's bonding ritual. I was trying to find a bear, but the fox tooth that ended up in my arm should be even better." He was looking over at the Yondaime with a knowing look in his eyes and not for the first time Minato wondered about the old Uzumakis' unusual foresight.

"Oh! By the way did you guys notice that large demon fox trampling the village back there?" he said while pointing over his shoulder. Realising the little amount of time they had for the meeting was over Minato turned around facing the others.

"Jii-san I'm afraid I have to force you out of your well deserved retirement, please take care of Konoha for me." Overwhelmed by his emotions all Sarutobi could do was nod in a silent promise to Minato that he would do what he could to keep Konoha this he turned over to Jiraiya. "Good luck with your novels sensei I'm sure they will sell great once you finish them. Do keep them away from my son until he is old enough though." Unable to think of a good response for once Jiraiya gave Minato a hug. "Thanks kid," he said after gaining control over his voice again.

Stepping away from his Sensei, Minato went over to the last of his most trusted friends and his former teammate. "Hiashi make preparations for your clans Kinjutsu as soon as it's possible, I'm afraid I don't have time to hear the details but I trust you my friend."

Hiashi looked up in Minato's eyes for a moment seeing the despair of a man who knew he wasn't long for this world, but also the determination to do what is needed to save his people."I swear I'll do everything in my power to make sure your son gets the best chance he can get!" As he said this Hiashi bowed deeply to his dearest friend. "Tell Kushina I'll do what I can to protect him"."Thank you Hiashi, you have no idea how much of a comfort that is."

"Old man I need you to bring Naruto and prepare the binding ritual, and guys…. thank you for everything, it has been an honour." With those parting words and a single tear falling from his eye Minato disappeared in his signature yellow flash."Well I guess Poker night is off for now." The old man known as Uzumaki Kenamo quickly set down his poker cards and sake bottles and left with Naruto to get the needed supplies, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"The ritual is almost prepared kid, I just need a few more minutes." Kenamo said.

Tearing his mind off of the thoughts that had kept him occupied since the earlier conversation they held, Minato turned around. Seeing his son lying in a crib in the middle of six candles, one candle for each point in the seal, Minato momentarily despaired. It was only brief however. He hardened his resolve for the sake of his village and more importantly his last remaining family, and soon he was more determined then ever to go through with it.

A note had been delivered by one of Hiashi's summon animals which showed a seventh point that had to be included in the seal, in order to make the Hyuuga Kinjutsu possible. Minato had used the necessary time to adjust the seal to clear up some questions that had been bothering him for a long time. Unfortunately, each mystery solved created a dozen more, and he didn't have the time to solve them all. The information he had been given seemed mind-boggling yet somehow it still made sense. It really was a shame he didn't have…

A loud crash sounded nearby as a huge part of the wall collapsed under the might of one of the Kyuubi's tails. Minato and Kenamo cursed at the same time when they saw how the Ninetails had penetrated the borders of the village. If there was to be any chance of defeating it before it wrecked all of their homes there was no time left to waste. Looking back at the old man he saw he would have to stall a bit since not all of the preparations had been completed yet."Take care of him." Was the last thing Minato said to him before he created some distance between them and summoned the boss frog going by the name of Gamabunta.

Immediately figuring out what the fourth was planning to do he mentally wished him luck and concentrated back on finishing the preparations for the ritual, time was running out and he could not afford to make even the slightest mistake in the preparations.

Minato was looking straight into the huge burning red eyes of the giant fox and saw nothing there but raw anger and a hint of madness. For a brief moment he thought he saw something else, but the anger quickly masked whatever emotion it could have been. For an instant, he was frozen in awe by the immense power the daemon lord gave off. He couldn't help but wonder what could have driven the powerful creature to attack the place he called home. The winds picked up and a heavy downpour started to fall from the gathering ominous clouds. As if nature itself was weeping over the destruction that would result from the epic battle that was going to take place. Lightning lit up the sky, a heavy thunder following it within less than a second.

Apparently taking this as a sign to start the battle the Kyuubi opened its enormous mouth. Minato felt a huge amount of chakra gathering as a ball of fire not unlike the patented Uchiha jutsu formed in between the mighty beasts' jaws. Releasing it at lightning speed at the first worthy opponent he had recognised in the boss frog.

In reflex Minato formed a seal that instantly transported Gamabunta and himself out of harms way as the Kyuubi had initiated an attack. His signature yellow flash being the only proof of them having moved at all. The raging inferno he had only just escaped laid several houses into ashes in seconds. The pressure the raw power of the foxes' chakra was giving off was immense. It dwarfed that of even the most powerful ninja in existence and the effect it was having on its surroundings was unmistakable. Only the strongest of Shinobi where capable of moving in close vicinity of the powerful creature.

Dispite what had happened before it was impossible not to be impressed by the eons old creature's raw power and beauty, but he knew there was no room for failure. He knew that if he failed that not only his beloved village Konoha would be obliterated from the face of the earth but soon others would follow. Thankfully he had the advantage of fighting in his home ground which was layered with seals that allowed him to transport Gamabunta and himself around in a moment's notice. It wouldn't work forever but it wouldn't have to. He just had to survive long enough for the old man to finish the ritual so he could seal the Kyuubi away and save the village.

Another great ball of fire was heading their way with nearly mind boggling speed, and several of the Kyuubi's tails were heading their way from multiple directions in rapid succession. Once again Minato was forced to use the Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport out of the way and witness another part of the district go up in ashes and ruins respectively from the powerful attacks. Along with several of the ninja fighting who hadn't been able to get away in time.

He had almost missed the attack coming from behind when the Kyuubi focused on them once again. Apparently there was more than just an insane amount of brute force to the fox. As several of the raging infernos behind him caused by the previous brutal attacks suddenly packed together at a flick of a tail and formed a new attack from behind. The only warning he had before the attack struck was the rapidly increasing heat and the searing of the flames behind him. The fast flying burst of flames crashed roughly into the ground exploding on impact and leaving a small crater. Minato and Gamabunta only barely made it out of harm's way that time, even judging by their standards.

It seemed like the daemon lord was getting frustrated with its lack of success of hitting its first worthy foe in a while, as was obvious by the rapidly increasing speed of powerful attacks. He couldn't drag this out much longer if he wanted to have a village left by the time this battle was fought.

A majestic eagle circled around his head screeching two times. Minato sighed in relief. It was the agreed upon signal that the preparations were complete, and not a moment too soon. He had to act fast, after bonding Naruto with the foxes his chakra coils would finish adjusting within 5 minutes and he would have to complete the sealing before that happened. He needed a distraction to get those precious few seconds to pick up Naruto and form the jutsu. "Hmm why not… sometimes the simplest jutsu work best". He split second of distraction that the eagle had provided was all that the fearsome daemon he was battling needed however. As a large clawed paw raced in their direction, oddly enough for such a huge appendix it didn't make a single sound, belaying the grace and skill the eons old fox fought with.

Taken by surprise by the ferocious attack heading their way Minato froze up for a split second which would have been the end of the fight if the huge amphibian he was standing on hadn't jumped away at that precise moment. Nothing but the years of training he had went through enabled him to keep his feet attached to his partners head by the use of chakra when they left their previous position with a huge burst of speed and force. However not even the lighting quick reflexes his summon had displayed proved to be enough to completely avoid the deadly attack as became painfully obvious when a huge slash appeared across the frog lords' eye. Wincing in pain a startled cry escaped his mouth making Minato look down in concern for his friend.

"Gamabunta we're going to need a distraction, we'll create a clone on three and have it distract the Ninetails while I use Hiraishin no Jutsu to get us out of his immediate line of sight". He told his faithful summoned friend. Gamabunta gave a small nod to acknowledge the Fourth's plan, while a steady stream of blood streamed down from the wound over his eye, and started counting to three."One… Two… Three!" Gamabunta shouted. The moment he finished counting Minato formed the needed seals for the jutsu to fast for even the trained eye to follow and performed them in such rapid succession that they disappeared nearly at the same time the bunshin was created. Allowing them to retreat back to gramps and Naruto unnoticed.

Everything had been said already when the elder man landed behind him with a crying Naruto in his arms. Kenamo had been as a father to him after his biological parents had died on a mission. And thus without saying another word he took his wailing son out of his arms and turned around to face the Kyuubi. The time had come. Taking one last look at his only son who would have to grow up with the huge burden of being the Kyuubi's jailor; he balanced Naruto on his lower arms so he would have his hands free and started the seals for the last jutsu he would ever use.

Shikifuujin! (Dead Daemon Imprisonment)

The only thing the people and ninja of Konoha could see from their position on the ground was their Hokage wreathed in an extremely bright light. No one noticed the kid resting on his lower arms nor did they see the old man that stood behind him on the giant next thing the citizens of Konoha registered was a bright light which was impossible to look at. By the time they regained their sense of sight the Kyuubi had disappeared. The only evidence of the epic battle that had waged between the people of Konoha and the Kyuubi was the amount of destruction it had left behind, and the sound of a crying child being cradled in the arms of the deceased Yondaime.

A heavy storm was raging over Konoha that night. It was as if the elements themselves tried to rid the land of the remnants of the fight that had taken place only hours before, cleansing the soiled earth of death and destruction. Through these raging winds and heavy downpours, a single old man carrying an infant was fighting a battle of his own, just him against the elements as he made his way home.

Even though he couldn't see much most of the time, the flashes he got when the lightning lit up the sky would forever be etched into his mind. He was near the part where one of the Kyuubi's tails had wrecked the outer walls and parts of the village. Corpses of his fellow Shinobi who bravely stood up against the might of the demon lord were littered all around the area. Debris was everywhere and several houses were still aflame. The raging infernos that had been part of the Kyuubi's attacks had laid the entire district into ashes. The Uzumaki mansion wasn't far from here and he prayed it would still be there when he arrived.

He had nearly arrived at the place he called home when he heard the unmistakable whistling sound of a set of kunai flying to him at high speed. Jumping away he shifted Naruto to his back, attaching his carrier there with chakra while scanning around for his attacker. It only took a moment, because he'd recognise that chakra signature in a room of a million others. This particular missing Nin had been evading him for years. "With Naruto on my back it is to risky to take him on alone, I'll need help".

Thinking fast Kenamo quickly formed a couple of seals, bit his thumb and slammed his palm on the floor. A beautiful eagle flew out of the smoke and sat down on the old mans' shoulder. He took a red coloured scroll out of one of his scroll pockets and gave it to the bird.

Recognising the colour code of the scroll the missing Nin knew he had to intercept that bird in order to prevent it from calling in reinforcements. He quickly switched his attention to the bird, took out a kunai, and threw it with pinpoint precision. With a satisfied look he saw the majestic bird explode in a puff of smoke. After assuring himself the old man hadn't summoned any other birds with warning messages he turned his attention back to him.

"I have a proposal for you old man", Kenamo heard him say as he slowly turned around in a circle, tuning his senses to discover the direction his nemesis was in.

"Damn he is using some sort of genjutsu in order to hide his presence, to bad I suck at those. Bloody snake always was way to smart for his own good". Kenamo ranted in his mind, finding it impossible to pinpoint the exact hiding place of the sneaky bastard, he turned into the general direction he faintly sensed the presence coming from.

"You have five seconds to show yourself and tell me what you have to say before I start tearing apart whatever is left of this place until I flush you out." Noticing the balanced stance and the green tinted katana that had somehow appeared in the old man's hand, once again out of nowhere, he knew Kenamo was serious. He had seen that sword only once before, years ago when he was still a Genin loyal to Konoha. Like everyone else in the village he had heard of the seeming legendary proficiency that the Uzumaki clan had with swords, but the battle he had seen on that fateful day had been burned into his mind forever.

[Flashback]

One of the Seven swordsmen of the mist had somehow snuck into Konoha unnoticed and assassinated a young Uzumaki who had wandered off into the forest near the walls. He had tried to escape with the body so they would be able to unravel the secrets that were held in the child's blood. He was stopped rather abruptly by an enraged Uzumaki Kenamo who had seen it happen but had been too far away to prevent it. Sensing the huge chakra spike behind him, the mist Nin turned around with both of his hook swords drawn. Orochimaru hadn't been able to do anything but stare in awe at the beautiful yet brutal dance of death which had followed.

Enraged beyond reason by the gruesome scene he had witnessed Kenamo took out his katana for the first time in all the years Orochimaru had known him. Where the sword had come from had been a mystery to him. Even now he had no idea where the damn thing appeared from. The blade that was exposed was of masterful craftsmanship, glowing with an unearthly green colour, it gave off an incredibly powerful yet extraordinarily eerie aura. As his chakra spiked, fuelled by his rage, the winds Kenamo mastered picked up and his chakra started licking the blade causing the glow to intensify. Rushing to his opponent at high speed, Kenamo kicked up a flurry of dust and debris behind him. In less then a second the distance between the two Nins was covered and a flurry of blows exchanged.

Not prepared for the strength behind the strikes of the enraged Uzumaki, the surprised Mist Nin staggered back a bit while parrying the onslaught of strikes to the best of his ability all the while looking for an opening to counter attack. Yet even though he was using two swords against Kenamo's one, he wasn't able to do anything but dodge and parry, narrowly preventing himself from being cut to pieces by the sword. As Kenamo danced through his forms it rapidly became painfully obvious he was facing a master. Every attack flowed smoothly into the next, and he didn't leave a single opening large enough to exploit.

Finally though he saw a pause in the chain of attacks and used it to jump backwards in order to create some distance. Hooking the end of his left sword into the right one he swung the sharpened end below the handle of the attached sword towards Kenamo in order to slit his throat with his suddenly increased range.

Moving back as well Kenamo avoided the blade by a hair and gathered an enormous amount of chakra in his sword. The winds picked up around him to such an extent that it looked like he was standing in the middle of a raging typhoon. As sudden as it appeared however the typhoon had disappeared, seemingly absorbed by the sword which was now almost blinding to look at.

The shocked mistnin was frozen in awe by the beautiful but deadly scene that played out in front of him, the older man resembled nothing less then an enraged and avenging Archangel, his entire countenance lit up with righteous fury. A roiling wave of chakra trailed in the path of the sword as Kenamo used the pause for a devastating counter attack. In one last desperate attempt to prevent his untimely demise the mist nin reinforced his swords with nearly all the chakra he had left in order to block the oncoming attack. Crossing them in front of him he prepared to block with all the strength left in his weary body. Having finished the gathering of his chakra Kenamo shouted out the last words the mist Nin would ever hear.

"Fuuton: Kiruken!" (Wind type: Flying Blade).

The powerful defence the mist Nin had thrown up had been to no avail. The moment Kenamo had released his attack the mist Nins' fate had been sealed, and he was dead before he had been able to register the fact that the jutsu cleaved straight trough both him and his swords. The attack hadn't ended with him though. This had been glaringly obvious from the carnage in the path of the attack, which had cut a twenty foot swath out of the forest behind him as well.

[End Flashback]

Sensing the now familiar chakra spike he associated with the old man, Orochimaru saw him preparing for the same powerful Jutsu he had used back then. Remembering the widespread damage the attack had caused he decided he didn't fancy being caught in its radius, and quickly complied with the old mans' demand to show himself.

Noticing Orochimaru getting out of his hiding place Kenamo held the attack he was about to release in his sword, whose glow was now lighting up the entire environment. Seeing as the blade didn't blind him this time however Orochimaru figured the attack wasn't charged as fully as it was the last time he saw it. Tearing his eyes off the entrancing sword he turned his attention to Kenamo while he rolled his suggestion around in his mind in order to phrase it in a way that wouldn't get him attacked instantly.

Sarutobi was staring out of the hole that used to be the window of the Hokage's conference room. He was standing in the debris of what was left of it, staring over the ruins of the village, contemplating the events of the day. He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that he could have done differently, some motion he could have made to minimize the casualties.

His attention was drawn by a chakra spike that he quickly identified as Kenamo's. Wondering whether his old friend was handling his emotions in a bit of a different matter then he was himself, his eyes were drawn to an unearthly green tinted light on his left. Even though he had only seen it a few times before in his life, he recognized it immediately. Kenamo wouldn't use that jutsu to handle his emotions. It could only mean one thing. Kenamo was in trouble and needed help.

Fearing for the safety of his old friend and the Yondaime's son Naruto, he quickly sprung to action, his promise to Minato still fresh in his mind as he motioned for the nearby ANBU team to follow him and, without bothering to exit in a normal way; he jumped out of the window, or at least what was left of it. The ANBU team hot on his heals travelling in the direction of the light. A dog masked ANBU who couldn't be much over fourteen years old caught up with him soon after. "Sarutobi-sama, what are your orders?"

"Stay hidden and provide cover when needed, after the issue is resolved, follow Uzumaki-san and protect him and the child with your lives. It will be a long term A-rank mission until the village has recovered from the Kyuubi's attack." Below the mask the dog masked Nin arched an eyebrow, wondering why one of the most powerful ninja's of the village would need an ANBU squad for protection. He had all the information he needed though so he fell back with his squad and quickly informed them of their orders.

"Spit it out before I change my mind Orochimaru!". Kenamo spat venomously.

A bit surprised at the uncharacteristic display of hostility coming from the usually flippant and apparently crazy old man he used to know, he decided not to test the old man's patience. He knew that even with the kid on his back giving him a huge disadvantage in a fight, Uzumaki Kenamo wasn't a foe he could dispose of quickly or easily. Sarutobi and the ANBU would be there for reinforcement long before he would be able to kill the old man and get away with the damn brat. Even now his time was running short since the eerie otherworldly light the sword was giving off was sure to alert them. "So much for preventing fast reinforcements", Orochimaru grumbled in his mind.

"I propose you give me the kid and…" He was forced to jump away with all the speed he could muster in order to avoid the attack. Even so he lost more than then just a few hairs. "

"I have heard enough, there isn't a snowballs chance in hell I'll give him to you!"

Orochimaru reached out with his senses while he was dodging Kenamo's attacks in order to gauge how much time he had left, and ended up cursing as he sensed Sarutobi and the ANBU less then a minute away.

"I can revive another in his place!"

Kenamo paused briefly and Orochimaru took this opportunity as the time to press his case.

"Think about it Uzumaki-sama" Orochimaru continued smoothly. "For the price of just that one little demon brat over there I can raise your entire family from death".

For a moment it looked like Kenamo would take the bait and would hand the brat over. Just as Orochimaru started to move in Kenamo's direction to take the kid of his hands, the old man started laughing maniacally. Surprised at the sudden mood change the missing Nin halted his approach and waited impatiently for the response he was sure would follow. He wasn't disappointed.

"What do you take me for? Some senile old fool?" Kenamo said a few seconds later after his laughter died down. "Why for the love of everything that's holy would I want to keep a family of living death?" The old man seemed genuinely perplexed as if he couldn't even fathom why anyone would want to do something like that.

Seeing as he didn't have the time left to convince the old man of a deal, Orochimaru did what every self respecting missing Nin in his position would do. He threw a set of shuriken as a distraction, forcing Kenamo to dodge swiftly, and started a set of hand seals faster then the eye could follow. Before Kenamo had a chance to react Orochimaru shouted his technique Biransei no Jutsu (Poison Gas Technique).

Filling his lungs with air Orochimaru manipulated the chakra to create a huge amount of poisoned gas in his mouth and exhaled sharply. Only to use the distraction to disappear into the night, leaving one last threat in the air: "I will get the brat eventually old man..."

Mere moments after the snake Sannin disappeared, Sarutobi arrived at the scene. The ANBU squad staying hidden as they where ordered to. Just when Sarutobi was about to use a jutsu to get rid of the poison gas he heard the unmistaken voice of his old friend.

Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Flame Type: Dragon Fire Technique)

Realizing with a shock what Kenamo was doing Sarutobi created as much distance as possible between him and the poison cloud in the little amount of time he had. The ANBU squad realizing the same were right on his heels. A moment later he heard the unmistakable sound of a huge explosion that rocked the city behind him. And he got nearly lifted off his feet by the resulting shockwave. Shaking his head at his friends' impulsive behaviour he made his way back to the crater that used to be a part of the town. He was sure that whoever had been suicidal enough to attack Kenamo would have made his escape by now. Assuming the assailant survived of course.

When Sarutobi arrived back at the part of the town gone crater he sweatdropped at the amount of destruction the blast had caused. Everything in a five hundred yard radius had been completely wiped off the face of the earth. In the middle of all the chaos and diminishing smoke and dirt he saw the old man holding Naruto looking a bit ruffled up from the skirmish and explosion a moment ago. Fortunately it didn't look like he or Naruto received a serious injury during the fight.

"Kenamo are you two alright? What happened?" Sarutobi asked worriedly.

After a few seconds a rather worn out Kenamo told his old friend what had transpired only moments before. Only to run off without even bothering to check on how he reacted to the news that his old student and the strongest missing nin from Konoha, had been spotted in the ruined parts of the village. Apparently he was after either Naruto or his tenant.

At that moment the place Kenamo called home for all those years had a higher priority on his list than the events from before. And thus before anyone had a chance to keep him occupied any longer he hurried off in order to try and save his house from destruction. Staying hidden to the best of their abilities the shaken up ANBU squad followed him every step of the way.

He barely made it in time. The shed containing most of the families' weapon collection was ablaze and the flames were licking on the east side of the mansion, he would have to act fast. Shifting Naruto back on his back again he started forming a long set of seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Type: Great Waterfall Technique)," he bellowed. The rain around him being manipulated by his chakra rapidly formed into a huge mass of water. The resulting tidal wave washed over the house and ripped through the already weakened shed.

"Hmm, guess I overdid it a little…" He had used a bit more chakra then was necessary for the Jutsu to extinguish the fire. Sure the fire was gone, unfortunately so was the shed and everything behind it. The house which only took a glancing hit had luckily been able to withstand the onslaught of the powerful water elemental technique.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he shifted Naruto back into a more comfortable position. Using his free hand he motioned to one of the ANBU who had been following him since his encounter with Orochimaru.

Masking his surprise at being discovered the dog-masked Nin jumped down from his hiding place and joined Kenamo. He saw the old man making a sweeping motion and pointing at the house. Nodding to acknowledge the order he received from his superior, Kakashi turned around to his team and repeated the order to sweep the area.

The team moved out surrounding the place while staying hidden to the best of their ability. Considering this was an elite team even among the ANBU the best of their ability meant that it was nearly impossible to tell where they were, even for Kenamo. Kakashi signalled the lioness-masked squad member and ordered her to join him in sweeping the house, while the others covered the exits from the outside, her lion companion stalked over to Kenamo and Naruto in order to guard them while his mistress swept the house.

Carefully Kakashi and Youko entered the premises through a window on the second floor. The two highly trained ANBU moved without making a sound. Looking around Kakashi halted in surprise by the sight that met them. The room they had entered was completely ransacked. Clothes, scrolls, weapons and personal possessions were scattered throughout the chamber. Judging by the open drawers which looked like they had been sifted through in a hurry, it seemed safe to presume someone had broken in a short while ago in order to look for something. Whether or not anything was missing would have to be sought out by the old man.

Using ANBU sign language, Kakashi quickly coded his observations to his partner. "Careful it looks like someone has broken in here recently, the burglar could still be here." His attention turned to his lioness masked teammate. She was fidgeting a bit and shifted her weight embarrassedly. "Uhm, actually this is the way I left my room. I was in a bit of a hurry when we had to leave on our last mission… I… overslept." She responded.

Kakashi sweatdropped, but he chose not to comment on it for the time being. He made a quick hand sign while carefully leaving the room through the open door signalling that both of them would look in a different direction. Kakashi headed for the entrance while Youko stealthily moved over through the rear of the mansion she knew like the back of her hand. Swiftly she cleared the house. Perhaps it was simply because she knew the place so well. It had made her somewhat careless, but at the moment she heard the unmistakable clicking of an activating trap mechanism she knew her fate had been sealed.

"They should be nearly done by now". Kenamo softly told the little tyke in his arms. He was known for many things but patience wasn't among it. Lack of it was more likely to be mentioned when you asked anyone who knew him. And thus he did what everyone else in his shoes would have done. Without waiting for the ANBU to report the situation in his home he crossed the remaining distance between himself and the door. His nieces' lion followed him every step of the way.

With some trepidation Kenamo slowly entered the mansion he had been living in for all these years with the Uzumaki clan, his family. Now Naruto, the crying infant he cradled in his arms, he, and the female ANBU who was currently sweeping the mansion were the only members of his family whom survived the tragic day.

It didn't feel right though. It was a beautiful place filled with a lot of happy memories of his past. However somehow it felt empty and hollow without his family's bristling of life that he was so used to hearing upon entering. The mansion he had called home for all these years suddenly didn't feel all that welcoming a sigh he dropped his backpack on the floor and he heard a sudden undignified yelp coming out of it. Little Naruto stopped crying immediately when he heard it, looking around with interest as if he was trying to determine where the strange sound had come from. Deciding to check it out gramps put Naruto down.

Carefully opening his backpack so he could see what had caused the noise, he suddenly pulled back in a reflex as he saw something jumping out of it at high speed. Feeling something bite down on him for the second time that day, Kenamo looked at his arm. For some reason he wasn't surprised to see a little fox cub attached to he made some rather rude assumptions about the little foxes parents, while making sure to keep his voice down. Naruto's wailing had given him a hell of a headache. And he didn't fancy that brat starting to cry again just because he did some original swearing.

Putting some pressure with one of his fingers against the little fox's jaw joint he was able to detach her from his arm without causing more damage. Without thinking about it any further he put her down beside him and rummaged through his backpack for his first aid kit so he could take care of the wound.

"Grrrr", she was growling menacingly behind him. Quickly Kenamo turned around to make sure Naruto would be alright. The scene he saw wasn't what he had expected though, instead of seeing Naruto tugging on an interestingly moving tail as he imagined; he saw the little vixen standing protectively in front of the kid with all her hairs on end, growling at an appearing shadow. His nieces companion was standing protectively over them. Without a doubt the fearsome beast had been put on edge by the menacing growl the little vixen was producing.

Suddenly all of Kenamo's senses went on edge, and a kunai appeared in his hand in the blink of an eye. A katana just wasn't very practical in close quarters. "Show yourself!" he demanded of the approaching shadow.

Chuckling a bit while his hands rose over his head Kakashi appeared around the corner. "No worries old man I won't hurt you". He replied cheekily. Both Kenamo and the lion relaxed when they recognized the familiar voice of one of Minato's students. Kenamo put down his kunai only to be blown backwards by a huge explosion that obliterated the majority of the mansion.

Authors' note:

I hope you enjoyed the prologue, I realize it was a bit dark and I hope I have been able to convey the scenes the way they played out in my mind.

Was I able to convey the characters' emotions, or did they get lost in translation somewhere between my mind and the story? Maybe some tips for the fighting scenes? For some reason I just can't seem to portray them the way I want. Either way please let me know what you think. Any tips or even just a small comment that you enjoyed the chapter will help feed the muse.