Disclaimer: I own none of these properties. If I did, there would have been some changes.

"Hi there" normal Speech

'Hi there' Internal thought

"Listen well, boy." Bijū /Summon speech

Insert Jutsu Here. Jutsus

'Listen well, boy.' Bijū/Summon Internal Thought

An: So again, another well-received chapter, and I thank you all for the complements in the reviews and all the new readers that have liked, followed, and left a review. I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know I am not the best at giving constant updates, and I thank the people who have stuck with me through that. It's just I want the chapters to be great, and I continuously go back and read what I write. If I don't like something, I go back and rewrite over and over again till I myself am satisfied with it. For example, this chapter was a big political and consequential chapter, so it took me a while to get everything to where I liked. I hope everyone has been safe and healthy during these times. So sorry again, and I want to respond to a few reviews.

Mugiwara555: You will have to read and find out :).

SPark681: Thank you! I don't see this done in many stories, and I wanted to try my hand at it. Not a bad job for someone's first attempt at a fanfic, right?

Timberwolfe: Like I just said, I am methodical when I write, so it will take time for me to update. Also, I will not be dropping this story anytime soon.

Guest: Thank you! Will do!

helrio uzugaku: Welcome back and hello again. I got more coming, and I hope that you continue to join also, thank you for adding that anime to my Netflix queue and I have to watch to see what you are talking about.

PinkiePieParty122894: Thanks, here is the next one tell me what you think.

SkylerHollow: You are welcome, and as a gift, here is another.

Sarcoisagoodboy: Thank you!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Chapter 5: Flames Grow and Shadows Cast

Hokage Tower

Minato sat at his desk, just preoccupying himself to keep his mind busy. He was in the process of reworking the curriculum for the next year of the shinobi academy. That was one of the things he would never agree with his predecessor. Hiruzen was in the middle of a war at the time when he simplified the teachings of the academy to supply his army with more shinobi. Minato could never grasp that aspect, for a man who was a once in a generation genius, he made many mistakes. If he was to lead an army of freshly minted troops, what was the point in having those troops when most of them slowed down mission or ended up dead within their first year of being a shinobi? He had chosen quantity over quality during his time. For a man who spoke of once obtaining peace, he was very prepared for war.

As Minato wrote his signature and stamped his seal to pass the changes he wanted to implement. The last two weeks had been absolute hell for him as Hokage, not only for him but also for his village, to his friends, and most importantly to his wife. His poor wife, who had always been a rock to the family, had been in shambles. It almost cost them a very precious life.

Two Weeks Ago, Uzumaki-Namikaze Residence

Kushina was hyperventilating on her couch. Her son was missing, and she had no idea where he could possibly be. Under her breath, she mumbled, "I don't know where he is," and "I am a terrible mother," She feared the worse. If what Kakashi told her about the Kumo shinobi taking Hinata, maybe Kumo took Naruto as well. That was something she dreaded; she could only imagine what they would do to her oldest. She started to tear up again and wail again. She had sent Kakashi to watch Menma and Narumi. They were crying and freaking out after their mother revealed Naruto was missing and started freaking out, which in turned freaked them out.

Suddenly she heard the sound of her husband's jutsu caught her attention. She ran to the door to tell him about Naruto missing. Kakashi listened to the sound of his sensei's jutsu came out of the room with the twins and looked over the railing of the landing to see Kushina rush to him and began blabbering "Minato-koi! Naruto! Naruto isn't in his room, and I don't know where he is, and I don't know if he was taken or, or, or…" her mind was swimming for any detail she could give her husband.

Her stuttering was stopped when Minato clasped her shoulders with both of his hands. She stopped talking and stared at him teary-eyed as her disheveled features looked up at him, "I know. I found him in the forest outside the village," he smiled at her. He would get behind how Naruto was captured later right now he wanted to bring the news to his wife, who, as he guessed it, was a shambling mess.

Kushina's tear-filled eyes widen and then slightly close in relief, and she cried again this time in happiness "Thank Kami. Thank Kami," she sputtered as she cried at the end of the of her sentence. She was able to breathe again and now asked the big question, "Where is he?"

Minato smiled vanished as he looked down at his wife "He is at the hospital. He is asleep and won't wake up," Minato had given Naruto into the care of Tsunade who tried many different ways to wake the boy, but to no avail. Tsunade put it as if he was hibernating, "He is at the hospital. He looks likes he was attacked," Kushina gasped as she was about to move to go out the door and then to the hospital to be with her eldest baby. However, she was stopped by Minato, who continued, "But, he is alright," she sighed.

She dropped down to the ground, sliding to her knees as her legs spread out to sides as she sat. Minato went with her, smiling again, looking at the thankful expression that his wife. Suddenly Kushina groaned as she grabbed her stomach in pain. Minato seeing Kushina in discomfort, asks, "Kushina? Kushina, what's wrong?" Something was not right. She then looked down. Did her water break? She put a hand down her pants.

Pulling her hand out, they both saw blood coating her fingertips. She became pale and felt incredibly weak as she nearly lost consciousness. Minato caught her "Kushina-chan! Hey! Hey, hey, hey…" he repeatedly said while he started to lightly smack her cheek to keep her from closing her eyes. Minato picked her up in a bridal carry and started to shout, "Kakashi! Watch the children!" He knew they were in good hands with his one-time pupil.

Kakashi ran down the stairs seeing a nearly passed out Kushina in Minato's arms, "Sensei? Is Kushina-sama okay?" he asked. He never got an answer as Minato disappeared in a flash of light.

Hospital

Tsunade was reading Naruto's chart as the boy lay in bed, the only sign he was alive was the constant rise and fall of his chest. The boy had been a medical mystery to her. There was no sign of damage to his body. However, what caught her attention were the clothes he was wearing. The clothing showed signs of damage due to the scorch marks, and there was a hole in the front of the shirt and the back that could only mean he was attacked and wounded, 'It's like he was struck completely through his body. What happened to you, Naruto?" she thought as she put the clipboard back the hook of bed. She walked out of the room and went down the hall towards her office.

As she was going down the hall, hospital staff were walking past her. Some gave a bow of respect to the woman. She made it to her office and entered before shutting the door firmly behind her. She laid on a couch that was against the wall. She wanted the day to end and go home to enjoy a bottle of sake. The medical mystery that was Naruto was draining her patience and energy. She needed a vacation. She put her arm over her eyes, maybe she could get a quick nap in before she was needed again. The sound of a thunderclap put a pin in that idea.

Groaning, she peeked one eye out from behind her arm and looked towards the source of the sound, and in an annoyed voice groaned out, "Minato, there's been no change to…" When her vision focused on the scene and finally registered in her brain, she gasped. She got up quickly took the fainted Kushina into her arms "What the hell happened?" she questioned. She was quickly examining Kushina. When she didn't get an answer, she asked the question again, but still received no response as Minato looked at his hands with the blood of his wife on his hands.

It was just like before with Naruto, he could not do anything to stop the suffering of his family again. What good was he? Minato finally heard someone calling his name as he finally was broken form his thoughts, "She was complaining of stomach pain and …" Minato told Tsunade the step by step of what happened to lead to the predicament. Tsunade listened as she tried to stop the bleeding, with her Shōsen Jutsu. The problem she was facing was the chakra network working to feed energy into the uterus to craft a chakra network for the child within the mother. It was taking the chakra that she was giving Kushina and directing it to the child.

Tsunade rushed to the door of her office and yelled out to the staff, "Someone get me a gurney and prep the O.R. and NICU. And somebody get me, Shizune!" Minato picked up Kushina as he started to carry her towards the OR with Tsunade walking with him. An unknown nurse came up with a gurney beside the two. Minato placed Kushina on it and continued their jog to the other side of the hospital.

Minato kept with the hospital staff and finally asked a question he had been dreading, "What happened to her?"

Tsunade kept up with the hospital staff who was running a pre-check before they got her ready, she answered Minato "She went into a stressed induced labor. The shock she was in caused all this. If I don't act soon, she could lose the baby," As they neared the O.R. he suddenly stopped by Tsunade as she held up a hand to stop him, "This is as far as you go," Minato went to go forward. Still, the strength of the doctor held him back. Tsunade was about to scold at the man but stopped as he saw the pain in his eyes as he wanted to go with him, "I will take care of her. Trust me," She then guided the man to a chair outside the door of the O.R.

Minato sat down and watched as Tsunade left behind the doors to the operating room. This night was going to be a long one. Minato sat in his chair and sighed. He looked around, seeing a handful of people in their waiting. Most of them gawked at him and stole glances at him. Minato wanted to go back to Tsunade's office. Right at this moment, he wanted some privacy to let out his frustrations. Smash a wall, through something, anything to stop his aching heart. Minato took a second to look at the major accomplishments in his life. He rose up from an orphan to become the best student at the academy. He was trained by the one of the Densetsu no Sannin, he trained three extraordinary shinobi. He married the woman of his dreams and became the Hokage. He became a father and saved the village. Now all that seemed to be useless to him. What good was all that if it was all falling apart around him?

Suddenly he didn't know how, but someone snuck up on him and was shaking him. He looked up and saw Shizune standing over him, smiling, "Minato-sama, time to wake-up," she said to him. Had he fallen asleep?

Immediately he shot up and grabbed Shizune by her shoulders, "How is my wife? Is she okay? How is the baby?" As the questions rained from his mouth, his mind raced with the same question over and over, 'Did I fail them again?'

Shizune escaped the man's grasped before stepping aside and putting her hand out, guiding his vision towards it, "Why don't we go see them?" she smiled as she said that. Minato followed Shizune to a room. She opened the door and let Minato in "I'll make sure you three are left alone. By the way, congratulations~," Shizune said in a sing-along tone. She then exited, leaving the family to enjoy the moment.

Kushina was resting, and the small cradle that the baby was placed in was right next to Kushina. Minato silently made his way across the room and looked at his wife. She looked like a wreck. Her hair was a mess, she had bags under her eyes, and she was sweating slightly. She was all the more beautiful. He knelt down and was now face level with his wife. He took one of her hands and gently kiss it while rubbing it. The light kissing and caressing of her hand woke the woman. She had trouble focusing her vision from her exhaustion. She continued to stare until finally, the grey blurry image turned in her husband. When he saw she was staring at him, he smiled and said, "Good morning tenshi,"

Kushina smiled and let Minato kiss her forehead, "Minato-koi," she replied. Minato laid his forehead onto hers. He smiled, and she smiled too. They sat connected in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Kushina looked at the small plastic crib sitting next to the bed. She immediately felt maternal instincts take over as she looked to her husband, "Can you bring our baby?" Minato nodded and went over to the crib. Inside was a small baby wrapped in a pink blanket. It was a girl. Minato smiled; he couldn't wait to see his wife's reaction.

As he brought the small babe over to his wife, her breath hitched as she reached for the pink blanket covered babe. She had tears in her eyes she got a look at the baby's face and saw it a small scruff of red hair on top of its head. The baby slightly opened its eyes, and Kushina saw that her eye color was a crimson red. Kushina was somewhat startled at first, worried that the leftover Kyūbi charka in her system had somehow affected the baby. However, the fears were melted away as the baby let out a cute yawn, which melted the woman's heart. Minato broke his wife of her thoughts with a small chuckle "I guess you got your wish? Another beautiful girl. Just like her mother," Minato whispered.

Kushina whimpered and suddenly began to cry as she brought the baby close to her bosom. Kushina's tears lightly fell on the baby who just stared up at her with those beautiful red eyes, then it finally dawned on her, "We need a name for the little beauty,"

Minato looked at the baby, and then at his wife. They had been through the endeavor together, so it seemed the right thing to say at the moment, "You choose a name for her," he smiled at her as he encouraged his wife.

Shockingly Kushina shook her head and stared deeply, lovingly in her husband's eyes, and said, "Remember our rule. I get to name the boys. You get to name the girls," she brandished a smile that was like a star in the early morning sky, acting like she never went through the ordeal.

Minato took the baby and held her up in the light. The baby's red eyes watch the man with interest as it remained quiet. Minato found the child to be strange. The child was unusually quiet and less active when they were born. Her red hair was her most distinguishing feature, and it seemed the perfect name, "How 'bout Akane? Huh, you like that Akane-chan," he asked more towards the baby than his wife. Kushina smiled, seeing her husband already bonding with the little baby. The baby shut her eyes and yawned cutely before going back to sleep. It was now official, the family grew that day.

Hokage Tower

Minato smiled fondly at how the Menma and Narumi were happy to have their mother back home within a day and to see the new addition to the family. Narumi took to the young girl instantly. She always wanted to hold her, feed her, burp her, every little thing to be with the child. Menma was happy to watch over the girl whenever Kushina asked, he would smile and entertain the baby whenever he could. He sighed, it felt like his family was coming back together. All that was needed was Naruto's return, and everything would be okay and be back to normal. While his personal problems calmed down, his life as Hokage got a bit more complicated. He revealed to the council what he had done that night. What he did to the bodies and how he ordered their bodies to be sent back to the Kumo. It was time for him to answer for his rash decisions.

Konoha Council Chamber

Five days after the birth of his youngest daughter Minato had summoned the council to debate on the next step in the Kumo incident. Right now, all the clan heads were present; the atmosphere of playfulness nowhere to be found as Minato was now under the scrutiny of his council. Most of the council members had scowls on their faces. Some of the members were glad by their Hokage's actions. While others were less than pleased. The first to speak their mind was Hiashi, "What you did was very foolish, Minato," he said sternly.

The thing they were talking about was Minato sending the bodies of the Kumo ambassadors back to Kumo as explosives. Minato sighed as he slumped in his chair, at the time it was him retaliating to someone having the audacity to lay a hand on his son. That was not like him at all, he was a man of calm calculations. He always thought his idea through, and now for the time ever, he reacted like he did was coming back to bite him. However, he did what he did and now had to face the consequences of his actions. He let out a sigh as he now had to explain his actions, "I understand that Hiashi. That is why we are here to discuss this,"

It was then Shikaku spoke up from his side of the table, sitting up straight and spoke in a harsh tone showing how dangerous the situation was, "For as long as I have known you. I have never seen you do something so irrational. You may have made the situation worse!" The General of Konoha thought of the retaliation that Kumo was now within the right to attack Konoha. It would be another war. Another war they were not going to win. Shikaku hoped to get that through his Hokage's skull.

Inoichi then spoke up along with his oldest "I understand how you felt when you saw Naruto, Minato. Still, what you did could be taken as an act of war. You could have very well started a war," he spoke calmly. Inoichi knew what Minato felt that night. If it had been his little girl he saw lying motionless in the dark forest, he would have no idea what he would do either. However, this was not a world of "ifs." It was a world of truths, and the truth was Minato sent the bodies of the Kumo ambassadors to Raikage with an explosion seal on them rigged to blow.

However, while he may have had some of the council's ire, he did have some of their backing "I say they got what was coming to them," Tsume said from her seat. The woman was surprised by the rash action of the mellow controlled man. Still, she liked that man took a stab and the people who once hunted down his wife and had the nerves to lay a hand on the Hyuga heiress. It was refreshing to see this out of Minato, the man always thought before doing kind of man. Tsume had also added something significant, "It wasn't any of us that killed them anyway. It was just a beast," Tsume stated. Everyone then did nod as well except for one.

Chōza then asked Tsume a question that was bugging the portly man, "Have we been able to determine what the beast was?" he brought the attention back to Minato and Hiashi.

Minato shook his head, "We were unable to find any evidence of what it was. However, I will say this, and Hiashi can verify this. The beast let out a killing intent that was similar to a Bijū," Everyone was startled by the revolution and looked to Hiashi for conformation. A nod was what they received. There was something out there that was just as terrifying as the Kyūbi, and it was free to do what it wanted. That was not acceptable.

Shikaku then brought up something important, "Even if we could prove this monster existed, would they even believe something like an animal killed their shinobi?" Kumo was known for having pried in their shinobi in both skill and power. Ay himself kept the tradition of maintaining the shinobi strong and would find it hard to believe his shinobi to be killed by an animal. No matter how strong it seemed.

Following Tsume's lead was Fugaku, who was happy to stick it Kumo, brought up another valid point, "Minato, do not forget that is was they that laid a hand on not just the Hyuga heiress, But your heir as well," Fugaku brought it to the attention of the council that Naruto being the oldest child was the heir of a clan as well. Fugaku looked towards everyone else on the council and countered the argument Inoichi made "You are right Inoichi. You don't understand. You didn't have your child snatched from their room in the middle of the night. It was not your daughter that was going to be taken and have Kami-knows-what done to her. If it was, you would have done the same as Minato," This sparked the entire chamber to clamber into debate.

Suddenly Shibi, for the first time ever, spoke with a sharp edge to his tone "Tsume-san! Fugaku-san! Do not encourage this! Why? Because what he did was dangerous not just for the shinobi, but the civilians of this village! To the people!" The normally soft-spoken and usually neutral man finally burst out. It caused everyone at the table to give the man his full attention. Shibi continued, "I understand this is personal to you, but you have to be objective about this and think like a clan head! Think like a Hokage!" He said with finality and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tsume and Fugaku stared daggers at Shibi. Everyone in the room was quiet for a moment, but Minato broke the silence for the first time since he entered the chamber, "You are right, I did act not as a Hokage." Everyone's eyes were on the man, all listening intently, "I acted like anyone else would have when their child is in danger." He scanned then gestured to Hiashi, "How could I be able to sit at this table with my advisor, my friend. Have to look at him in the eye and tell him, "Sorry, your daughter's gone. There is nothing I can do,"? I don't think that man over there would even be able to look me and call me Hokage-sama, let alone a friend." Hiashi looked at the man with a small grin on his face. The man who was a second brother to him had made a vow.

He then scanned the table, looking at every person at this table, "We grew up together, trained together, fought a war together. We shed blood, sweat, and tears side-by-side with one another. I call all of you, friend. Our children are growing up together, they will be the ones to take our place as either clan heads or Hokage one day. They are our future, and one day they will bury us with their families beside them." His speech was rousing most of the people, even Fugaku gave a small grin, Shibi was the only one who he couldn't get a read on due to the collar. Minato then finished the rousing speech with, "I would expect all of you to do the same as me in a situation like that. Not because I am the Hokage, and they are my children. I expect it because you are my friends, and I would expect my friends to protect my children, just like I would yours," The Ino-Shika-Cho trio all smiled as their leader finished his speech. The three of them made a similar promise years ago when they became an unstoppable team. Tsume worn a more feral grin, she loved that her pack had a strong leader and better man than most to lead them. Fugaku and Hiashi performed the same expression a subtle smile

Minato then looked a Shibi, "If it helps you sleep better at night, Shibi-san. Then think of it as a Hokage making sure two valuable assets never made it into enemy hands." He sat down as he was finished; he had rallied his council members.

The door to the chamber opened, and a man with bandages wrapped around the right side of his face. An x-shaped scar was on his chin, black spikey hair on top of his head. He wears a white shirt, with a black robe over the top of it covering from his feet, to just over his right shoulder concealing his right arm. As he walked, he was supported by a cane that would tap the tile floor. This man is Danzō Shimura, former shinobi, secret head of the Root shinobi, and a former team member of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He was flanked by two other elderly people, one man, and one woman. The man was in a red and white robe. He showed his age with grey in his hair and beard. Glasses were present on his face. The man looked like he rarely smiled. His face, while wrinkled with age, still retained a strong jawline. This man is Homura Mitokado, a former shinobi and one of three former members of Hiruzen's team.

The last person was a woman with dangling earrings, her hair up in twin buns with a hairpin with pearls on it going through the hair buns. She is wearing a simple long kimono, closed by an obi, a jacket, and a sash over it. Something peculiar about her is the fact she is squinting almost to the point of her eyes were barely open. She was the sole female member of Hiruzen's old team Koharu Utatane.

All of them were being stared down by all the shinobi in the room. The trio walked in and closed the door behind them. If they were intimidated, Minato narrowed his eyes at the three, and his Hokage voice demanded, "Why are you three here?" he gained the attention of the trio. It was apparent why they were here, but he wanted to be sure.

Danzō stepped forward, he came for two reasons. His face remained neutral while on the inside, he was grinning like a madman. This was a spark of conflict in the air, and it just needed to catch fire in order for his plan to work. He cleared his throat as he started with the first reason he was here, "Us three come here in representation of the Civilian Council," he stated calmly. He got some annoyed huffs from the some the clan heads, "We are concerned about four things, the first being the protection of this village. We feel the Uchiha police were ineffective in the recent attack and wish to know what is to be done?" he stated. At the same time, he eyed the head of the Uchiha clan. Fugaku eyed the man back as he new the jab was at the Uchiha Police. While Anbu handled the more extreme crimes, such as espionage, traitors, and crimes against the nation of Konoha. The Uchiha Police were the ones who dealt with the day to day crimes, like theft, robbery, etc. Fugaku himself was the Chief of Police, and next to Minato, he was responsible for the safety of every civilian and shinobi inside Konoha's walls.

Now Fugaku was insulted, "I am sorry Danzō-san, but were there any civilians injured in the attempt on young Hinata-chan or Naruto-san? In my discussion with Minato-sama, we agreed to let Anbu handle it. I was simply following orders from our leader." Danzō's gaze leveled at the Uchiha clan head. Fugaku was no fool. He played the political games of Konoha for too long to fall into the trap of the old war-hawk.

Danzō ignored the clan head, he still could not comprehend why the Uchiha were so trusted. It didn't matter at the moment and continued, "The lack of response from the Uchiha is concerning, and the Civilian Council would like to know how the Hokage will respond." Danzō said, questioning the leader.

Minato answered back, "Nothing will be done. What Fugaku-sama said was correct. He knows things like this are handled by Anbu." He thought back as to why he let the Civilian Council still be established, and there was only one real positive. They handled the mundane work of the village, such as building repairs, maintenance on the village's sewer systems, small scale business ventures. As well as other minor little things that would come across his desk. He let the Civilian Council deal with something like that make them feel importance and to keep them from dealing with shinobi issues.

Koharu then spoke up from her position, and with a neutral expression, she said, "The second issue comes from the bodies of the Kumo ambassadors." Her voice was calm and sweet, overly sweet, for some of the Shinobi Council.

Tsume let out a scuff as she spoke up, "They're dead, why does it concern the Civilian Council?" she leaned back in her seat as she eyed the three old goats. Minato, on the other hand, leaned in, his instincts tell him they had something up their sleeves.

Koharu continued still in the sweet voice, "We are talking about what killed them. If a beast is out there with killing intent similar to that of a Bijū… Well, you can understand the council's concern. We want to know if you plan on hunting the thing down." Minato's eyes widened slightly when she finished speaking. They never told anyone about that bit of information.

Minato looked out of the corner of his eye toward Hiashi and saw the man doing the same. They had a leak that needed to be dealt with. Minato at first tried to get as much information as he could, he asked the counselor, "Excuse me, Koharu-san. How did you come across this bit of information?" He would see if both sides of Konoha could play nice.

Koharu, however, was not going to hand over the information so easily, "Someone who was a concern with the events of the night," she said. Minato closed his eyes, thinking contemplating on who was there that night. Minato gave a slight hand gesture, and the hidden Anbu in the room understood what was needed of them. Inu was already assigning someone to look into how this happened.

Hiashi, however, spoke up this time, "Well, noble councilmen, none of us who were there never got a look at what this monster. We do not know what we are looking for nor what it looks like. If you would like, you can gather a group and go find it. If it really concerns you." He saw the woman's face gave a small frown on it. The woman was a viper that hid beneath an old rose bush.

Danzō spoke up a bit annoyed the advisor talked over the Hokage, "What do you plan on doing about this Minato?" he tapped his cane on the floor.

Minato looked at old cripple, "As my advisor told you. At this moment, nothing. I won't have shinobi running around the forest looking for a beast that could possibly destroy us if we anger it." He then glared at Danzō, "And it's Hokage-sama to you. You do not get to call me by name," he let out a smidge of his killing intent when he said that clarifying the elders on who was in charge.

Homura decided it was his turn to speak, "Why not cast a genjutsu and have become a weapon for us?" The man was more practical; he looked for a way to keep the Konoha strong without having to go to war. He had seen enough in his time.

Shikaku spoke up this time, giving a crucial reminder, "Even if we did know where it was, do you think it would come quietly? Do you think we have the manpower to deal with it?" he let the questions linger in the air. It made both Koharu and Homura look at each other, they both comprehended the implication of going on the wild hunt.

Tsume's last nerve was being worked by the trio, "Are we done with your complaints?" she barked out. She received many subtle nods of thanks from everyone around the table.

Danzō then spoke again, "It concerns the twin Jinchūriki," everyone at the table tensed. All clan heads felt the air in the chamber suddenly chilled as Minato glared intently at the three, Danzō especially.

Minato spoke in a quiet fury, "What about them?" the tone promising pain if the wrong thing was said.

"We believe the two of them should be trained immediately by both you, your wife, and the remaining Sannin," Danzō said as the other two nodded.

Minato responded immediately, "No,"

Koharu spoke up, keeping her face from showing a sneer, "Be reasonable, Hokage-sama. Those children are our military's most vital weapons. They need to be trained right away. With you and the Sannin, their potentials are limitless," Minato knew they had potential, all his children did.

Minato again responded with cold fury, "My wife and I have a plan in the works. Our children will be ready when the time comes," his eyes directed at Koharu, who stepped back and shivered.

Danzō spoke up and, in a neutral tone, said, "Well, if you are unwilling, then I would be more than willing to train them," the man was trying to get his hands on the Jinchūriki. They needed to be prepared to fight and, if necessary, die for their great country.

Killing intent was blasted at the man, and he stepped back as he lost his breath. Minato's eyes stared wholes at the man. Danzō himself felt fear for the first time since he was asked who the decoy on the mission would be many years ago. Minato again spoke in a cold fury, "I will be buried and in the ground before that would happen. The answer is, No." That decision is made as Hokage and as their father," Minato stared the man down, daring him to challenge him.

Danzō let out an annoyed grunt before he retrieved something from within his robes, "This scroll was our final concern," the letter in his hand was already open. Minato was able to catch a glance at the broken wax seal and saw that it was the Raikage's. Minato snapped his fingers, and Anbu surrounded the three with weapons drawn. Kakashi grabbed the letter and then handing it off to his sensei. The three council members became weary of the situation as Danzō yelled, "What is the meaning of this Hokage-sama?" Danzō knew what it was about, but he would play at being the old fool for now.

Minato quickly opened the scroll and read with haste. His eyes pierced through the three, "Why was this scroll opened? The wax seal clearly showed it was meant for eyes, but you took it upon yourselves to read it. That could be considered treason," the ice in his voice made everyone around the table know how pissed he was at this very moment. It all directed at the three Civilian Council members.

Koharu and Homura were sputtering out excuses left and right, trying the save their hides. However, Danzō gave a reason, "We did see the seal Hokage-sama. We were checking to make sure that it wasn't an attempt on your life. Like you did his. The three of us were just looking out for you, sir." If that had come out of anyone else's mouth, Minato might have believed them. He just shook it off and put away the scroll. Danzō went in for another strike, asking, "Aren't you gonna tell the Shinobi Council what the letter says?" Minato eyed the man for a second before looking at people at the table.

The big-hearted Chōza spoke up out of all them, "Well? What does it say, Hokage-sama?" everyone leaned in closer, curious as what Kumo wanted. Was it a call for war? Was it a demand for compensation for his shinobi? Or both?

Minato let a sigh through his nose, this was going to suck for him, "Ay wants to have a sit-down. Me and him." The room broke out in another debate. Many said for him not to go; others said to bring a small army if he went. It was going to be a long rest of the day. He did notice how the three elders of the Civilian Council slinked off after what they caused.

Hokage Tower

The message was from Ay. Ay had wanted to call a summit between the two to "clear the air" as he put it. While Minato didn't like it, he had to answer the call. He had no other choice; it was this or war would break out right away. Kushina didn't want him to go, not with a new infant here, and not with Naruto still in the coma. However, it wasn't something he could ignore, not without the threat of war it could bring. While Konoha was strong, he knew that Kumo had a Jinchūriki that had full control over his Bijū. If war came, it wouldn't be a long war. He was worried about the leak of information that somehow got to the Civilian Council. Right now, that was what Neko was looking into with her squad along with Karasu.

Tetsu no Kuni

The meeting room of Tetsu no Kuni was occupied by the Hokage, his guard, Raikage, his guard, and many samurai. Minato sat in the chair at the one end of the table, his elbows planted on the table, with Kakashi and Hiashi standing next to him acting both as bodyguards and advisors. Well, Kakashi more as a bodyguard. The young man had no mind for advising. Hiashi leered at the men across from them. While he wished for revenge for the attempted kidnapping of his daughter, he would have to wait for his moment to strike.

Across the table seated at the other end of the table was Ay with his Raikage jacket and hat present on his person. He sat in a relaxed position with his one arm hanging off the back of the chair while his left leg was crossed over his lap. Similar to Minato, Ay had two people accompanied him as well. The first was a tall, dark-skinned teen with a bulbous nose that stood on Ay's right. His black eyes that usually showed a lack of interest. He was bored. His hair was shaggy and white that covered his left eye. He was wearing a high-collared, sleeveless uniform with loose-fitting pants, bandages on his wrists, and the one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket of a Kumogakure shinobi. He looked younger than Kakashi. The boy was Darui, and it was obvious this boy was a seasoned warrior from just the way he held himself. He was a near mirror image of Kakashi in that sense, both boys were hardened warriors.

The second was an adolescent girl. She is a tall fair-skinned girl with a blonde head of hair that reached her shoulders. She had a neutral expression on her face. She wore a Kumo flat jacket that covered her midsection, red handguards, high boots, and mesh armor underneath her uniform. She was Samui, and she stood at her Kage's left.

The two sides stared each other down, the air was thick with tension as both Kages and advisors just looked for an excuse. It was Ay that broke the ice speaking politely, "Hokage-dono, I have to say I am sad to see you didn't like the gift of my ambassadors. They were good men," Ay grinned, testing the waters to see how is rival would react to his goading. Seeing if he was still the calm, cool, and collective man who rivaled him and his brother.

Minato kept a neutral expression, knowing what the Raikage was trying to do. Two could play that game, "How did you like my gift, Raikage-dono?" Ay's smirk stayed. He was now leaning forward with his forearms on the table, and he leaned in.

He was about to reply when the doors opened, and their host/mediator Mifune walked in. The man that walked in had long black greying hair that almost reached down to his waist with a goatee and mustache that matched the color of his hair. He had bandages wrapped around his head. He has black eyes, and a was beginning to show wrinkles underneath his eyes. He wore a simple purple kimono and sandals. He nodded to the two samurai by the door who bowed and went out the door to guard the meeting chamber. Mifune then spoke to the two village leaders as he walked to the table, "My apologies Hokage-dono, Raikage-dono," he gave a bow to each of the leaders. He continued as he took a seat in the middle of the table, "Now let us begin the talks. Be warned though, there will be no violence here. This is a neutral country, and I will not have it become a warzone. Am I clear?" Both Kages nodded their heads, accepting the agreed-upon terms. Mifune studied both men out of the corner of his eyes looking for any deceit. He found none, "Good let us begin then," Mifune gave the command as mediator.

Minato went first, speaking his grievances, "You sent a team of shinobi under the guise of peaceful ambassadors. They then went on to abduct both Hyuga Hinata, heiress of the Hyuga clan, and my eldest son Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. We were the first wounded at not just a national level, but a personal level," Minato laid his complaints out to the Raikage. He would refuse anything that was demanded of both him and his village.

Ay then counter, "I sent three ambassadors, who happened to shinobi. Yes, they had made a kidnapped attempt on the Hyuga heiress. The attempt on your son was of their own volition. However, the assassination attempt was a nice touch. Trying to blow me up in that explosion was a nice touch," Ay smirked, this is was as close as a battlefield he would get to be on with Minato. He would make this last as long as he could.

Mifune then spoke up, "Both grievances have been brought forward. Now each will state what they will want in compensation for the crimes, and then negotiations will begin," He then gestured for Ay to go first with his demands.

Ay wore a grin that made Hiashi and Kakashi uneasy. Minato kept his expression neutral as he contemplated what his adversary would demand from him and his village. He already knew something of the things that would be demanded. He just had to wait and see if he was correct. Ay spoke in a booming voice, playing for the theatrics of the situation, "Hokage-dono, I am looking for compensation for both my shinobi and the attempt on my life. My council would like compensation of a Hyuga male, preferably one of sexual maturity." Hiashi instantly tensed as he looked to Minato, while he knew his friend would deny this demand it still rattled him. He couldn't lose anyone else in his family or clan.

Ay smirked as he got a reaction from the Hyuga clan leader, but looking at an unshaken Minato made the small victory lose its flavor, "As for the attempt on my life and the life of my young cousin, I want you eldest son as a political prisoner," Minato's eyes widened for a second and then a glare followed. Ay chuckled as he could tally a win against the opposing Hokage. Even with the killing intent blaring down on him, warning him to choose his next words carefully, he didn't care. He got to see the mask of calmness fall and was greeted with the rage he always wanted to see on Minato's face. To see the monster that made Iwa shinobi both respect and fear him. The monster didn't disappoint. If he could describe Minato at this point, it was like looking into the Shinigami's eyes. He looked over at his two subordinates, the two of them were slightly sweating, and their shaky hands inched slightly closer towards their swords.

Kakashi was slightly frightened as well. He had seen his sensei get serious many times, but this was different from that. He had only seen him like this a handful of times during the war, and even when it wasn't directed at him or his team, it was as if the air itself became thick and hard to inhale. Hiashi looked at his friend, slightly taken back. He was handling it better than Kakashi and the Raikage's guards. He still felt himself sweat from the pressure and looked over to the other Kage, who kept a shit-eating grin on his face.

Minato's fury threatened to boil over as his interlocked hands clenched tight. Almost to the point, his nails let indentations on his flesh. Ay was bold in his request, but it would be over his dead body before he handed over his son. Mifune kept a neutral expression on his face waited for Ay to finish. He nodded his head in the direction of the Raikage. Then he looked over to Minato, "Hokage-dono, it is your turn to make demands," he gestured for the leaf leader to go.

Minato released his anger into an exhale. If Ay wanted to play games, Minato would gladly play, "I feel my village and people have been wronged a total of four times. The first being the fake peace treaty, the damage done by your shinobi, the kidnapping attempt on Hyuga Heiress, Hyuga Hinata, and the attempted kidnapping on my oldest son." Ay nodded his head, seeing at those were fair complaints. Minato continued, "As compensation for the fake negotiations, Konoha demands at the minimum four to five A-Ranked mission be handed over. For the damage done by your shinobi, I think them dying was sufficient enough." Ay grinned; it looked like they wouldn't have to for Kenichi's idiocy.

Minato spoke again, "For the damage done to the Hyugas, Hiashi-sama has asked that your village turn over one million ryō to the Hyuga clan." Hiashi nodded, appreciating that Minato spoke on his and his clan's behalf.

Ay let out a roar of laughter and placed one hand on his stomach as it rose and deflated, "One million ryō? That's the price for your daughter and her innocence? That pretty cold coming from her father." He wiped away an imaginary tear. Hiashi's Byakugan flared the veins around his eyes. Kakashi opened his Sharingan that slowly spun.

Ay's two guards pulled their blades out just about an inch a warning to two to try something. All hostilities halted when their host quickly shot from his seat and yelled, "There will be no violence here! I gave you a warning, and it will be the last. The next show of hostility will result in both parties being removed from Tetsu no Kuni. Am I clear!?" Mifune eyed both parties, making sure his message was received.

Minato's party nodded, while Ay's group put their blades away. Ay just waved the older samurai off, "Hai, Hai," he said lazily, while he didn't want to piss off the nation of samurai, he didn't want this fun to stop.

Mifune nodded his head and sat. Then gestured for Minato to continue, "For the attempted kidnapping of my son. I want your head." He finished in an eerie calmness. Ay grinned, he again got to see the monster behind the mask. He was loving this; his two guards, however, were not. Their hands crept up to their swords. They never laid a hand on the handle, Minato cut them off, "I am, however, willing to let this injustice slide. In exchange for your brother," Minato had a ghost of a smirk on his face when Ay's grin finally dropped for the first time since the negotiations started.

"That is not gonna happen," Ay said. While the grin was gone, he still sat in the chair in a relaxed position. Mifune glared at the Raikage, who closed his mouth before anything more could be said.

Mifune saw that Minato was finished and then began the final part, "Negotiations shall now begin." He then let men started.

"The demand for a Hyuga will not be answered. Your men plotted against the Hyuga and our village. You will get nothing for that insult," Minato stated.

"What about my shinobi? I lost three good men, and then you blew them up and tried to kill?" Ay asked in false compassion. Darui and Samui both looked at one another at sweatdropped at their Kage's antics.

"That was just a warning to not go after my family. And your men took my son, I say that was a fair trade." Minato counter and then added the critical piece of information, "Besides, we did not kill your men," he stated plainly. He hoped the truth would get them out this mess.

That got Ay's attention for the first time in this whole conversation, "What killed them then?" he was curious if it wasn't Konoha, then what did?

"It was some sort of beast," Minato stated plainly like he was talking about the weather.

Aye raised an eyebrow but this time in a mixture of amusement and disbelief, "You expect me to believe a beast killed my men?" he was back to sitting lazily in his chair

Minato gained a glint of mischief in his eye, "Seems your shinobi have become pathetic under your watch Ay." When Ay heard that part, he reacted just the way Minato had predicted. An insult to his men and country riled him.

The actions of the two had reversed Minato sat lazily in the char, and Ay was scowling. His posture quickly changed to attentive and he was leaning on the table with his elbows, "Watch what you say, Hokage-sama. I may have called for this sit-down, but that doesn't mean I will not be the first to get up and leave," he gave a warning. The man had insulted his village and his shinobi. While he had come for some fun and antagonize his old rival, it was now starting to become a hassle.

Minato then waved his hand, signaling the man to relax. He then let out a heavy sigh as he finally broke the silence, "Okay Ay-sama, let's cut the bullshit. You want something for your men, and I want something the dishonor that was done to both me and Hiashi. You are not getting a Hyuga, you're not getting my son, and we are not getting Bee. So let's come to an understanding," Minato finished speaking. He had everyone's attention, even the neutral Mifune's the man had a way with words.

Ay then laughed hard, harder then he had in many years. Tears streamed from his eyes as he laughed. His guards both looked at one another before Darui spoke up, "Raikage-sama, you okay? You're freaking us out," he meant him and Samui. The people at the other end of the table didn't look the least bit disturbed by the display.

Ay wiped the tears from his eyes, "This is what I admire about you, Minato!" He spoke to the Hokage as though they were old friends catching up on lost time, "I could give a damn about what my council wanted. They wanted the Hyuga heiress, not me." He said with a wicked grin, he was having so much fun. Minato was once again studying him thinking about what would come next, and now they were at a standoff like all those years ago.

Minato's eyes went wide in shock and surprise, "Tell me, Ay-sama, what is it you really want?" He thought of multiple scenarios when on the journey to this frozen tundra, He predicted a battle between the two of them, a degree of war, a tournament of power anything really. However, this was not was one of them.

Ay then raised his hands, gesturing to Minato, "You, of course," Minato's group and even Ay's withered back in surprise, "I want my old rival back. I want the man who stood toe-to-toe with me and my brother. I wanted to see if fatherhood had made you weak. I was wrong. It made you all more the fierce," Ay grinned.

Minato coughs in his hand. This was a little bit weird for his liking, "So Ay, since you got what you wished, we can leave in peace," he went to stand up.

Ay spoke, making him stop, "You misunderstand me, Hokage-sama, while I am satisfied with you. There is something that has me all the more curious." The grin drew to almost splitting his face.

Minato looked to Hiashi with worry, and he had the same look as well. They had a bad feeling of what is to come, "What would that be?"

Ay let out little more than a whisper, "Your children,"

Minato's eyes narrowed, "What about them?"

"I want to see if they can become stronger than you. I have heard you married that fiery Akai Chishio no Habanero, right? That is some impressive blood flowing through their veins," Aye said.

Minato was getting aggravated with the game Ay was playing, "Get to the point," he said through gritted teeth.

"I want to see what will become of them. So, I have a wager. Forget about the damages we have both done to one another. We call it even. However, your children will be the deciding factor." Ay, let out an eerie laugh.

Minato felt dread creep up his spine, "Deciding factor of what?" He had an inkling of what Ay was plotting, but he wanted to hear it from the man's mouth.

Ay's grin grew wider, almost giving him an insane look, "If we go to war," Minato's entourage took a sharp inhale. Ay's group went rigid but said nothing. Ay then continued, "If they go beyond my expectations, there will be no war. I will even have Bee train your children with their Bijū. If they don't meet or exceed my expectations, well, I will personally lead the charge on Konoha." Ay finished, and everyone around the table, even Mifune, were in shock by Ay's decree.

Minato was quickly running through options that he could do and spit the first one out he could come up with, "What if I say no?!" he shouted that out across the room. He was in a panic at this point, not thinking.

Ay was no longer grinning. In fact, he looked disappointed almost bored, "Then I declare war right this second," he declared evenly.

"Raikage-sama!?"/Boss-sama?!" both his guards shouted questioningly. They knew their leader came for a reason but to just declare war so openly. It was insane. One glare from Ay silenced them from speaking any further. While he showed favoritism to the new younger generation, he was still their leader. They would not question him.

Minato grit his teeth for once he had his back against the wall in the negotiations. He thought about declining and going to war. However, they were still recovering from the Kyūbi attack. They didn't have the manpower at this time, and they had two, untrained Jinchūriki. He looked to both Kakashi and Hiashi, looking for advice. Kakashi looked frightened by the threat of war. Hiashi looked calm as usual, but Minato knew the man was thinking along the same lines as he was. He then answered, "Fine, you have your deal, but the money is non-negotiable. The Hyuga's will demand retribution," the words tasted bitter in his mouth. His wife was going to kill him for this, but he was out of options, "You can see where they have gone when they take their Chūnin Exams," at least he could buy some time.

Ay ejected from his seat as he let out a cheer, "Excellent! I cannot wait to see the results! The money will be transferred within the month. I cannot wait to see how far they will go!" Minato and Ay met at the halfway point with the table with their respective entourages. They shook, "Pleasure doing business, Hokage-dono," Ay let out a chuckle while grinning like a madman.

Minato looked like sucked on a lemon as he said, "It truly was Raikage-dono." The two left and would not meet again for years to come.

Hokage Tower

Kushina had been less than pleased when he told her about the negotiations. She was not happy that her children were going to be used as a war deterrent. When Minato explained how the negotiations went, she did understand to a point. It was the saving grace that led him to only being banned to the couch for only one night.

Minato had dealt with all of this and the birth of his youngest daughter. She was a carbon copy of Kushina, red hair and all. The babe bore no whisker marks on her cheeks, similar to Naruto. What did show, were signs she was touched by Kyūbi's residual chakra. Her irises were the color red. She also had been an incredibly quiet baby. Never making a fuss and only made noise when in need of food, of a diaper change.

Tsunade and Inoichi had tried to wake Naruto on many occasions. Tsunade could never find a medical reason, and even trying to heal his mind never seemed to work. Inoichi did notice something peculiar interesting. He had tried to wake the child up through his jutsu. Still, he could not get through a mental blockade of unknown origins.

The council had left him alone for now. Danzō had still come to him about a counterstrike against Kumo for what they have done and to prove Konoha was still strong.

Suddenly the door to his office burst open, revealing a dog masked Kakashi "Minato-sensei!" he cried out.

Minato rose sharply from his desk, ready to spring into action, prepared to hear more bad news, "Kakashi? What's wrong?" he asked. Kakashi would never come into the office if this

"It's Naruto-kun! He's awake!" Kakashi shouted out. Minato instantly went rigid, and then his shoulders went slack. Finally, some good news, he couldn't contain. His legs gave out on him as he put his hand out to steady himself. He looked down and shut his eyes tight and began to slight shake. Kakashi took a step forward and pulled his mask to the side, both his eyes wide at the scene before him. A man he held in the highest regard, the man he would follow to the depths of any hell, was crying. The man was a rock for Kakashi for years from his father to Obito, to Rin, and to see him now shocked him.

Kakashi inched closer and could make out his sensei whispering something under his breath. He took another step closer and finally heard what the man was saying, "Thank Kami. Thank Kami," he whimpered out the last word. Then just like flipping a switch, the man was able to compose himself, and the tears stopped, "Thank you, Kakashi. Let's go see my son," Minato grabbed the teen and was gone from the office in a flash.

Naruto's Hospital Room

"Naruto-nii, please wake up soon. We miss you," Narumi said as she had come to visit her brother for the fifteenth straight day. She was walking around the room and arranged all the bouquets that were delivered to her brother's room. She had usually come with her brother and mother, who brought their new baby sister. Their mother would sing to both the baby and Naruto, trying to get the boy to wake up. Right now, it was just her as she sighed unhappily. The last time she and her brother talked to one another, it broke out into a fight, and some of the words she said about him when she was upset made her feel all the worse. When she was told her brother was found the night, he went missing relief washed over her and her brother. Then their mother had gotten sick with the baby.

However, their worry was for nothing as when their dad brought their mom home with a new baby. It was as if Kami was finally letting things fall back into place. As she looked over at the windowsill where multiple flower arrangements were on display from various clans and civilians alike. She didn't know the fact that most of the civilians were just trying to get in her father's and mother's good graces. It brought a smile to the naïve girl's face as she saw that everyone cared about her brother and his wellbeing. She sighed as she looked up at the clock in the room. It was half-past noon, she would meet her mother and brother for lunch soon. She skipped happily to the door, but not before looking at her brother. She talked to him as if he were aware of everything around him, "I gotta go Nii-san, I will come by later with Menma-nii tomorrow. Okay?" no answer was given as she left to go home.

Naruto was still sleeping, seemingly dead to the world. The only sound that came was the heart monitor that beeped with every beat. Unknown to all, the boy was in the middle of an extraordinary discovery.

Naruto Mindscape

Naruto's eyes opened as he looked up into nothing but a gleaming light that shined down from an unknown source. He stood up and took around where he was. He was in a void, he did not see walls or any form of boundaries that could tell him how big the room was. Then the ground beneath his feet began to shake, causing the boy to look around. Then out of the nothingness below came five statues, each one different from the other. The only part the statues had in common were the dragons that decorated the statue. At first, he could not tell, but he did notice it was the same dragon that sat upon each statue. Upon closer inspection of the statues, he saw that they all seem to be sleeping. He walked up to it, unsure of what to do. He did admire the art of the statue. The sculpting of it was phenomenal, detailed to the point where he could make out the layers of scales. He reached out and place a hand on one. Suddenly the eye of the statue opened, and the beast came to life upon his touch. The dragon went from a curled sleeping position to standing on its hind legs and let out a roar that made the boy cover his ears and his clothing blow in the shockwave. Finally, fire burst from the pedestal underneath the statue. The fire settled down and was now a calming blaze that set below the statue. The dragon stood tall, powerful, and full of pride on top of the flames. The flames were in a brazier that acted as the base of the statue.

Naruto stood in awe of what he just witnessed. He stared at the magic he saw. He could only compare it to the time he witnessed Kreinjun show him his breathing. As he was in awe, staring at the once moving statue, he never noticed underneath his feet white-colored energy was gathering at his feet. It started to get brighter and brighter. Naruto finally took notice, but it was too late as the energy shot up and enveloped the boy once again. He screamed as he felt like his insides were being set on fire, he felt his skin burn and his voice became hoarse as he yelled. The beam continued until he was enveloped completely, leaving an outline of a statue in the beam, and just before he was gone from this place, his scream turned into a roar.

Hospital

Naruto was laying peacefully in a bed as the white sheets covered his body. The only sounds that resonated in the room were the sounds of breathing and monitors beating. Naruto had been in this state for two weeks since he was found in the woods. On the windowsill of the room were many bouquets of flowers from the shinobi clans and a few civilians. As the rays of the sun settled on the boy's face. Naruto's eyes snapped open, he quickly rose up and inhaled big gulps of breath as if he had drowned.

Naruto quickly threw the sheets of his body and began checking over his body. The only thing he was wearing was a hospital gown and a pair of white shorts that were provided from the hospital. Everything was intact where it should be. Naruto could have sworn he had dissolved in the light. Suddenly the sound of the knob rotating caught his attention, and coming through was a nurse who had her nose in a chart. When she looked up to see the bed empty, she let out a small gasp and looked around the room, seeing the young boy up moving around with his back towards her. She smiled warmly and walked towards, "Come now, let's get you back in bed," she said while trying to escort the boy by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto didn't hear her or notice the young woman come up from behind him, so when the nurse put a hand on his shoulder, it surprised him. He quickly spun around and pushed her away a surprising amount of strength, which caused her to stagger back and nearly fall, causing her to cry out in surprise. The nurse hit the "Call" button, which let out a silent call to the nursing station. Seconds later, nurses burst through the door. Most of them gasped as they saw the boy standing in the room and looking around. One of the senior nurses stepped forward and took control of the situation, "Someone, go get Tsunade-sama, and someone get word to Minato-sama. Tell him his son is awake," the two nurses did as they were instructed and ran off to do the tasks. The senior nurse then coughed into her hand to try and get the Naruto's attention "Naruto-sama, please get back to bed. We need to make sure you are okay," she then stepped forward, which the other nurses followed the action.

Naruto started to frantically look about; his mind was still in the process of recovering from what he experienced. The only thing driving him was his fight or flight instinct. With five nurses cornering him, he began looking for an escape route. The nurses blocked the door, and while he could possibly barrel through them, but he could potentially be caught. That option was out. He could fight his way out, but he didn't know who was in the hallway. He then caught the sound of the blinds rattling from one of the open windows. Naruto dashed towards it and was on the windowsill by the time one of the nurses could call out to stop him, "What are you doing!? Naruto-sama, stop!" Naruto barreled through the window, crossing his arms as to guard his face as he went out it.

Naruto jumped out the window. What he didn't realize they were on the third floor of the hospital. The wind whipped across his skin as he fell. The sunlight temporarily blinded him as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden exposure to sunlight. As his body contacted the dirt, rolled into it, stopping on one of his knees. He looked back to see the shocked faces of the nurses. The look of horror, surprise, and anger on their faces made the boy leave, not wanting to get in trouble for his actions. He started running to where he did not know.

Back in Naruto's room, all the nurses began to panic, all of them scrambling to figure out what had just happened.

"Did you see that?"

"The crazy gaki jumped from the third story!"

"We have to go get him!"

"Did he break anything else?"

All of these were valid questions and worries. Their day was about to get a lot worse. The nurse that had been told to fetch both Tsunade and the Hokage had returned, "Alright! I sent for Hokage-sama and Tsunade-sama is on her way down now as we speak," the chipper tone brought dread to the staff.

That only got one response from the most senior nurse, "We're all fired." she said in defeat.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Residence

Kushina was lying on her couch with Akane in her hand holding the little babe in her the air making cooing noises, "Oh look at my little Akane-chan," she said in baby babble. The baby, however, would just smile back at her mother, hardly making a noise. Kushina was semi-concerned with the behavior of the baby. The reason for her worry was because the only experience she had with infants was with her oldest triplets, who were extremely vocal when they were born. She was so busy when they were younger that with just one babe, she felt she was lacking as a mother right now. She was so busy with all of them, and now with only one this time around, it was uneventful and slow. She brought the baby to her chest to snuggle with her "My little Akane-chan," she said fondly. The baby snuggling into her mother.

Then within the kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans clattered to the ground, and a curse was heard "Son of a…!" the voice of Menma called out. Menma had been tasked with getting the pots and pans that Kushina needed to make lunch for everyone.

Kushina called out from her spot, but not before covering the ears of the baby, "Watch your language, young man! If I have to get up from here, you're in deep trouble!" she yelled towards her son.

Menma quickly went back to prep the kitchen. Beads of sweat covered his face; he had no intention of facing his mother's wrath, "Of course, Kaa-chan! Won't happen again, Kaa-chan," he said overly sweet. One of the pots had hit him in the head, and in his painfilled anger, he swore. A big mistake he hoped his mother wouldn't punish him too harshly. Then something came across him his mind, why was he the only one doing this? Menma called to his mother to voice his concerns, "Kaa-san! Where is Narumi-nee, and why is she not helping?" why was he always working?

Kushina scuffed as she put her hands over her baby's ears in aggravation, "Your sister went to see Naru-chan at the hospital," she said before sighing. Her maternal instincts made her feel dread when she thought of her oldest being stuck in the hospital in a coma. She still hadn't forgiven himself for letting him be taken. She would pace at the front door in worry if the children were ever late coming home. She demanded that Minato assign them Anbu guards, and he wholeheartedly agreed. Right now, she knew Narumi was safe, but the events that unfolded could have been avoided if something like this was in place. She got up from the couch with little Akane snuggled into her arms. She saw Menma had done as she asked and even started to fill a pot with water. Kushina put Akane in a small crib that was near the corner of the kitchen. She approached Menma and lightly ran her hand up the back of his head and gently rubbed her youngest son's scalp, a small smile gracing her lips, "You know I appreciate all your help right?" Menma had been like her husband throughout the endeavor, he was a rock that held the family up. He comforted his sister, he helped her, and he put on a strong face for the village.

Menma looked over his shoulder, he smiled brightly as he watched the pot get filled, "Yeah I know," he just did what was right, he took care of his family just like his father.

Kushina felt her heart melt when Menma smiled the same way all three of the triplets smiled. With all their teeth on display and full of sincerity. A smile that could make worries go away and keep promises. She said joyfully, "Come on, let's get dinner started," this got Menma to smile for the first time since meeting his baby sister.

She then reminded her son of his assignment from his father, "Don't forget you have to practice your calligraphy later, okay?" In truth, this was a way to discover if any of their children had an aptitude for seals.

Konoha Streets

Naruto was walking through the streets, getting a few odd looks from the people, watching the half-naked shoeless boy walk through the streets in a slight daze. Naruto felt he was in a daze. His senses were overly sharp, he could smell things that he couldn't see, he could hear the people around him whisper stuff under their breath. He could see a small fly buzzing around a pile of garbage at the far ending of an alley he looked down. It was all giving him a headache as he stumbled into an alley, his brain going into overload, hearing all the people talk at once.

"Was that Naruto-sama?" a woman questioned.

"Why is he wearing that?" A man said.

"Kaa-san, why is the boy only wearing pants?" a child said.

"Weird ass gaki," an older man grumbled.

Naruto had covered his ears at this point as he scrunched himself into a ball, trying to ease the pain of what he was happening to him. Eventually, the voices all blended into one, and all Naruto heard was a high pitch static. Unable to handle it any longer, he screamed and started running, gaining some more attention. Naruto ran and ran, having no clue where he was going. He knocked over a stack of boxes, nearly crashed into alley cats who gave off a hiss jumping out of his way. He knocked over a garbage can littering its contents on the grounds.

Naruto eventually came to a stop when the voices died down enough to the point they were now whispers to him. He opened his eyes and saw he was at the park where he and his siblings played. Naruto had not been here for what seemed like forever. Like a zombie, he walked through the park. It was empty, not a soul in sight. Naruto made it to the swing set, taking a seat. Naruto felt his body relax as he sat. Naruto let out a breath in a huff as he tried to calm himself down.

His heart was racing, whether it was from exhaustion, fear, or a mixture of both he didn't know. He looked at his hands, his in shock, he didn't mean to throw that nurse. He felt weird like his body was coursing with electricity. His blood bubbled with energy, and it needed to get out. He felt strong, too strong, and it scared him. When he shoved the nurse off him, he never meant to hurt her. He buried his head into his hands. What was happening to him? How were his parents going to react to what has become of him? Was he some sort of monster? His contorted in pain as he wanted to start crying.

Naruto's sharp hearing picked up the sound of a mocking voice coming from the other side of the park, "Awwww, what's wrong giant forehead? You gonna cry?" it was a boy's voice, followed next here two sets of laughter. It was another two boys, three in total. Along with the laughter, there was a girl's sob that was underneath all the laughter. Naruto got up, drying his eyes, and followed his hearing, to the side of a park. He saw three older boys maybe three years older than himself. They had cornered a pink-haired girl in a semi-circle. She had her back against a tree and was trembling.

Sakura had gone to the park to see if her friends were able to play. However, after the incident with the Kumo ambassadors, the children of the clan heads hardly left their houses or compounds. She was minding her own business when the older boys surrounded her, calling her names and making fun of her forehead. She was in tears at this point from their bullying of her. They eventually cornered her and started to get nastier. Why couldn't they leave her alone? She did nothing to them.

Sakura hiccupped as she tried to talk and stuttering, "Leave me alone," escaped her lips.

The leader of the boys sneered down at the girl as he looked over at his shoulder at his two cohorts, "What do you say, boys? Should we help make her pretty?" the boy cruelly looked back at in the corner of his eye.

The two followers laughed simultaneously as they smiled cruelly at the younger girl, "Yeah, boss, let's make her pretty," one said while he clapped his hand.

"Yeah, make her really pretty starting with the ribbon!" the other boy shouted.

"Sounds like a plan to me," the leader grabbed the red ribbon in Sakura's hair and gave a sharp jerk pulling hair along with the ribbon. This action made Sakura cry out. The trio of boys laughed louder, having joy in inflicting pain. The leader threw the bow into the dirt and then started to grind his heel into it. The ribbon was a gift that Sakura's father gave her after one of his trips outside the village. It was a Sakura at this point shut her eyes unable to stand the cruelty anymore, all she wished was for it all to end. The leader smiled at the reaction he got, he wanted more. He crouched and pick up a clump of dirt, "Now let's work on the giant forehead of yours," he boasted as he stepped closer to the girl.

Sakura was trying to make herself as small as possible, she curled into a ball crying and refused to look up at them. The leader went to grab her hair to get her to look up so he could rub dirt in the girl's face.

The leader's hand was stopped when his wrist was grabbed in what felt like a vice grip. He looked over at what stopped him and barked out, "Who are…?" he never got to finish as he was thrown hard.

Naruto had seen enough, the girl asked to be left alone, and they didn't listen. He had grabbed the boy by the wrist and, with his newfound strength, threw him past his two cronies a good six feet. The leader quickly recovered, leaning on his elbows to look at what had thrown him, and to his surprise was a younger boy. The boy bore a look of pure anger, his teeth were gritting and were pointed like fangs. His eyes were slits. The other two boys stayed in place in shock. Naruto looked like a monster about to attack. Naruto then let out a growl and then, in a low, sharp voice, told the boys, "Beat it!" The boys didn't need to be told twice as they scattered, sending promises of revenge and threats as they left.

Naruto let out a huff as he looked behind him, "You alright?" he asked. Naruto looked down at the girl. He arched an eyebrow in recognition, he had seen her somewhere before, but he just couldn't quite remember. When the girl looked up with tears in her eyes, Naruto heeded the advice his father gave him when being polite to a girl. He gave a smile and offered his hand to help her up.

Sakura was shaken at the violence that had been at been on display. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze had come to her rescue. She gingerly took his hand, something was different about him, she didn't mean the clothing or his lack of. In fact, a thought crossed her mind, 'Isn't he supposed to be in the hospital?" She had heard what happened. Everyone in the village had heard about both him and the Hyuga heiress being taken from their homes in the middle of the night. How Hinata had been fine, and Naruto ended up in a coma. She had been so lost in her thought that she never registered the hand that was being offered. As she took it, she looked up and was gifted by the sight of his warming smile. He was gentle as he grasped her hand, the total opposite of his action from a few moments ago. He pulled her up, and she was shocked by how strong he was, he lifted her slightly off her feet. He was still giving her that same bright smile as before, "Thank you, Naruto-sama," she bowed her head out of politeness.

Naruto lightly nodded his head in acknowledgment, but then reality struck him as his hearing began to pick up people talking again. The ringing in his ears started again. His dilemma was brought back to his attention. How he was able to do the things he could do, 'What if no one can help me?' he thought in dread. He started to stagger when a crunch from underneath his foot caught his attention. He noticed the girl's ribbon that was mushed into the dirt of the playground. He crouched and picked it up gingerly, wiping the bigger bits of the soil that stuck to it. He saw how the girl reacted and how upset the boys made her when they tried to destroy it. He walked over to her and offered the ribbon to her, "Here, its pretty beat up. Sorry about what happened to it," Naruto told her. He was sorry that he didn't stop them sooner.

Sakura took it out of his hands. She looked at the ribbon, it was stained with dirt, and the ends were only being held by thin threads of the fabric. Tears began to sting the edge her eyes, the boy had been her savior, and he was sorry that he wasn't here fast enough. Sakura looked at him and said, "Thank you so much," tears spilled out of her eyes. She quickly wiped her face and then smiled at him.

Naruto was able to hear her over the other voices, but he couldn't focus enough to reply. He needed help, but who could he go to? His mother and father would not be able to help understand what was happening with him when he had no idea. He could go to Tsunade, but he would have to go back to the hospital, and he was scared of what would happen to him after he attacked the nurses. He knew only one person who could help him. He looked at the familiar girl again, saying, "I hope you are okay, but I got to go. Bye!" and like that, he was already sprinting off.

Sakura watched him go just like before, and in her daze, she waved lightly, "Good-bye," her voice barely above a whisper. She then realized something important, 'He doesn't even know my name,' she smiled lightly. She made a promise that the next time they met, she would introduce herself properly. She looked at the ribbon and made her way, hoping her mother could sew it back together. Up above on the roofs of buildings, a small dark figure was watching the scene below. It was interested in the display below, it had never seen anything like this. Compassion and friendship only lead to weakness. Weakness lead to death. It quickly regained its composure as it went after the black-haired boy.

Hospital

Tsunade was staring out the window that Naruto had jumped out of and looked at the nursing staff that found everywhere else in the room more interesting than where she was standing. Tsunade stood in front of the nurses tapping her sandal covered foot, "Well! Who wants to explain this?" She was informed that something had happened to her godson when one of her nurses came into her office, screaming about him attacking people.

Most of the nurses looked at one another, prompting the most senior of the nurses to step forwards, "Tsunade-sama, we apologize for what happened," she bowed her head towards the Senju heiress.

Tsunade was still not pleased and snapped at her staff "Where is Naruto!?" she had a snarl on her face, she was ready to start knocking heads until she got answers.

The senior nurse answered back, lowly, "That is the problem, Tsunade-sama. He freaked and went out the window. We don't know where he went after that," her explanation was met with a yell from Tsunade.

Tsunade groaned at the incompetence she was dealing with her staff, "At least we can keep this contain until we fix this. I will send some shinobi to go look for him," She started to walk out. Seeing as her ire was not focused them anymore, the nurses were relaxing, "We just have to keep Minato-gaki out of the loop," instantly the room tensed again. Tsunade sensed the immediate tension and looked at the nurses. The pale expressions on their faces told her all she needed to know, "You idiots told the Hokage! That's just fucking…" the door opened, revealing Minato and Kakashi coming in with smiles on their faces, "…great!" This day was going to get much, much worse.

Minato looked around the room, seeing that Tsunade was there and many nurses, but no Naruto. He didn't notice that most of the nurses were now leaving the room, but Kakashi did and asked, "Tsunade-sama, why are they leaving?" not understanding what was happening. He didn't receive an answer.

Minato then asked the obvious question, "Tsunade-san, where's Naruto? Did you take him for some tests?" wanting to go where his son was to see how he was doing after his ordeal. He also needed to get information out of Naruto, most importantly, how he was abducted. Minato took notice of the room, more importantly, the broken window. His blood went cold, and his eyes landed on Tsunade, and a shaky voice asked, "Tsunade, where is Naruto?"

Tsunade stepped close to put a hand on Minato's shoulder, "Listen. Why don't we sit and discuss…" before she could lay a hand on Minato, he swatted it away. His fury danced in his stare.

Minato was in a mixed state of panic and rage. If this was another kidnap attempt, his family would shatter, he could scarily imagine what would happen to his wife. They had finally got back together, he would not let it his family break again. In a low chilling voice, he demanded, "Where. Is. My. Son!?" the authority in his voice made the air itself still.

Tsunade was not a weak woman, she had been in war since she was a child. She had faced the likes of Sanshōuo no Hanzō. She became a Sannin that day, facing down a man that was stronger than her sensei and her two teammates. She had seen war and the world at its darkest moments. She had faced the death of her brother and lover. She had faced down her former teammate Orochimaru when he turned traitor. However, right now, she felt small with the stare Minato was giving her. This was a father and Hokage looking for his child. To all those that stood in his way, Kami help them. Tsunade steeled herself as she spoke, "We…I…don't know." She cursed herself for stuttering like a green shinobi, "The nurses told me we went crazy and went out the window. That's all we know." She pointed over to the window that was shattered, a few jagged edges still in the frame.

Minato inspected the window, thinking, and following what Tsunade said. He then turned to his former student, "Inu! Summon your Ninken and find my son. I want him found now!" his command firm as he stared at the dog-masked teen.

Kakashi immediately went to a knee and lowered his head. He knew his sensei was in Hokage mode now. He responded with a sharp "Hai!" he quickly stood and went through multiple hand signs before slamming his open palm on the ground while saying, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" In puffs of smoke, a group of eight dogs appeared sitting at attention. Kakashi then gave his orders while pointing to the bed, "Go to the bed and get the scent. We are looking for the Hokage's son. We are to track and retrieve. Failure is not an option. Understood!?" he received a series of barks from the dogs as a response. The hounds stormed the bed finding the scent of the boy and immediately went followed it out the window with Kakashi following.

Minato watched as they left before turning and walking out the door. Tsunade called out to him, wondering what his next move would be, "Where are you going?"

He continued to leave, but not before giving some parting words to the Slug Sannin, "To call sensei. If this is another kidnapping, I want him back here as fast as possible to track Naruto," and with that, he left. Tsunade let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she left to continue her duties.

Clearing

Naruto's luck was golden again when he went to exit the village, the two usual guards were daydreaming or sleeping. He snuck by them without them noticing. As Naruto burst into the clearing immediately went to the spot where Kreinjun usually laid. However, there was no dragon to be found. What stood in its place was a mighty tree, a tree that looked it had been there for years. He panned around the clearing, hoping to get a glimpse of his old friend. He didn't, though. At first, a thought crossed his mind, 'Is this the wrong place?' He wasn't though, he knew it. He had been here hundreds of times, and he knew the way here blindfolded. Naruto went to his knees, clutching his ears, he could hear every bird chirp animal call and leaf shake in the wind. It was too much; tears stream from his eyes. The child was broken and pitiful, wallowing in the dirt. He just wanted the pain to stop, and there was no one here who could help him. Worse of all, his friend was gone, and he would never be able to apologize to him. All the anger and frustration built until he couldn't keep it inside him anymore, and he let out a mighty yell. The yell went on and on until it suddenly turned into a roar. The roar of a dragon.

The roar made his lungs burn for air. He went to his hands and knees, he gripped the dirt in his suffering. All hope was lost, and in a strained broken voice, he whispered, "Please, I just want it to stop," he said to himself.

Then as if his prays had been answered, a deep but low voice answered him, "Stop what hatchling?" Naruto whirled around and saw the body of Kreinjun first before looking up at his neck and then his face. Kreinjun had heard the call and knew who it had to be, but deep inside, he had hoped it was one of his kind. Still, he found the boy in a sorry state looking lost.

Naruto looked up at his friend in awe, finally seeing Kreinjun stand at full glory. Kreinjun had told him dragons were proud creatures, and he could see why as Kreinjun stood at his full height. His stature alone demanded respect from everyone and everything. With the pain forgotten, Naruto stared wide-eyed. Then tears of relief came to as he stood up and instinctively latched onto Kreinjun's maw. His small arms not even coming close to being able to wrap around the maw. Naruto grabbed ahold of friend, not wanting to let him go in fear he disappeared. Kreinjun eye's being wide showed he was started by the boy's action but then quickly closed his eyes, relishing in the embrace. Naruto continued to hold him as a small voice escaped him, "I'm sorry," he nestled his head into Kreinjun even more.

The mighty dragon asked the boy, "For what Naruto?" not understanding what Naruto was sorry for. If anything, it is he who should apologize for lashing out at him.

Naruto sniffed has he stepped back, "For making you angry," the child said in his innocent tone.

The dragon let out a rumble that echoed his throat, a sign he was apologetic, "No Naruto, it is I who should apologize. I let my anger get the better of me, and it was taken out on you. For that, I am sorry," Kreinjun said sorrowfully.

Naruto took a peek at the back of Kreinjun and saw that a wing was missing. The wound at the joint did not look clean what so ever. The flies that buzzed around the stump made it clear it was starting to get worse. That brought Naruto's attention to the tree that stood on the other side of the clearing, "Where is your wing? And why is a tree there?" he pointed to the spot he was used to seeing the great beast.

Kreinjun chuckled a little and began his explanation, "Magic is a part of nature. Dragons are beings of magic, and so when a dragon dies, its body dissolves into magic and returns to nature. My wing became that mighty tree, it returned to the earth. It became a part of nature," Naruto looked at the tree in amazement, the young boy didn't wholly understand death, but just the words sounded beautiful. Life coming from death seemed beautiful. Naruto gripped his head as his sense went into overload again, he gripped his head trying to make himself comfortable in any possible way

Naruto let out a shout as he cried out, "Make it stop!" he slammed his fist in the dirt his body following.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" the dragon asked.

"Everything hurts!" was all he could let out as he wallowed in the dirt.

Kreinjun felt guilt run through his body; his gift was hurting the boy. He would correct that, "Listen to me, my boy, you need to let everything in. The more you fight, the more your body will destroy itself," Kreinjun said, warning the boy.

Naruto looked up, pleading for an answer, "How do I do that!?" he shouted out in pain.

Kreinjun could guide the boy at this point. It was in Naruto's hands now, "Accept everything around you, the sounds, the tastes, the sights, and the power. Take it all in and let go!" Kreinjun gave his instructions. This was a common occurrence when young dragons are firstborn. If they could not accept the new power from within and they would die because of it.

Naruto let in everything he was told, letting little to no resistance his body was assaulted by whatever was happening. He shook on the ground, acting like he was having a seizure. Unknown to Naruto but seen by Kreinjun, the outline of his body glowed copper. His body was adjusting to the power. Naruto's rapid breathing suddenly steadied a good sign. Kreinjun sensed the magical energy flow within the boy, it impressed the dragon, the amount the boy had, and at such a young age. It would grow right alongside him.

Naruto exhaled as he steadied himself. Kreinjun let the boy put a hand on his forehead for support. Naruto looked at his hands and flexed his fingers, he felt better than he had all day, in fact, better than he felt all his life. He looked up at the dragon and asked him the question that was bothering him, "Kreinjun? How did you know what was happening to me?" He looked at the eyes of the dragons.

Kreinjun let a sigh through his nose that blew out a small amount of smoke at the young boy, it was time to reveal what choice he made, "I gave you a gift hatchling."

Naruto was confused, "What gift?" he was never given anything from the dragon.

Kreinjun took a breath and began to tell what he had done and why, "Naruto, you were dying. That man shot a bolt of lightning through your chest," Naruto paled as he reached for the spot where he remembered the pain from that night. A phantom pain lingered for a moment, "In order to save you, I had to perform a…ritual," it took him a second to find the right word to use.

Naruto immediately asked, "What did the ritual do to me?"

Kreinjun replied, "It is an old ritual, passed down from generation. The original purpose was to pass the reigns of Dragon King from the old one to the new one. However, performing the ritual on one, such as yourself, was different. You never had the power of a dragon. The new king had the power of a Dragon King already, and it would add to his own through the generations. Since you did not have the power already inside you. Well…You bared the result. You were reborn. My best guess is the ritual will give you the power to become a Dragon King," Kreinjun told the boy as his nose picked up the scent of something rushing towards the clearing. One scent was that of a human male, a group of small mammals and something that smelt like wood? He had to make himself scares and get Naruto to leave.

Naruto stared up with stars in eyes as he heard the news, and the excited child asked, "Can I breathe fire now?" he was nearly close to exploding, waiting for the answer.

Kreinjun let a chuckle rattle in his throat as his young friend became excited. He would have to cut their reunion short. Kreinjun rose his head back up, letting the boy stand on his own, "Naruto, you have to go back. Your people will be worried," Kreinjun looked over his shoulder at the direction he caught the scents. Whoever it is, they were coming fast.

Naruto looked up at him, his lip lighting twitching, "What if I need your help again?" the boy was worried about losing his friend again. He just got him back and was not about to lose him again.

Kreinjun grinned, showing the rows of his sharp teeth, "This will be a test for you. You will need to follow those new senses of yours and find me within this forest." Naruto looked up, and while the words brought comfort, there was still worry present.

Naruto gave a follow-up question, "What if I can't do it?" he said, disheartened, looking down at the dirt.

Kreinjun gently lifted Naruto's chin with the point of his claw and, with an encouraging voice, said, "I have faith in you, hatchling." Naruto nodded his head as he stepped back. Kreinjun leaped in the air as he easily left the clearing and landed far away. Naruto watched as he glided away. Awed but still in need to follow the advice of his friend started to make his way back as towards the village.

He ran as fast as he could, his legs pumped hard as he ran. He had made it about half-way out of the forest when he collided with a small pug that was in mid-leap. The pug let out a yelp of pain as he hit the boy. Naruto rubbed his chest as the pug straightened itself up. Naruto let out a grunt as he got up as he dusted himself off and spoke, "Pakkun-san, are you okay?" Naruto immediately identified the dog as one of Kakashi's as he had played with the dogs multiple times.

In his usual gruff voice, he said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, kid just…" He shook really quick before looking at the boy and inhaled his scent through his nose. The hair on the back of his scruff stood up on end as he immediately leapt away from the boy. Something was different. The scent that he followed was coming from the boy was the same as before, but now it like something was added to it. The scent was like that of a reptile, but not something he could identify. His animal instincts were telling him to get away from Naruto. He could swear he saw a monster standing behind the boy that was covered in shadows.

"Pakkun-san?" Naruto said, wondering why he leapt away like that, and his hair was standing on end.

Pakkun shook his head, and the creature had disappeared. He hadn't imagined it, but it was gone now, "Yeah, kid, sorry. Hold on a minute, I'll call Kakashi," he let out a howl that resonated through the woods. Within seconds, a group of dogs appeared in the clearing along with Kakashi.

Kakashi ran over to Naruto and began looking him over, "Naruto-kun, you okay?" he asked.

Naruto was not feeling comfortable as Kakashi kept looking him over like a prize cattle, "Kakashi-nii, can you stop?" he said while pushing the teen away.

Kakashi chuckled as he stood up and placed a hand on the child's shoulder, he was not letting the kid out of arm's reach anytime soon, "Come on let's get you home." As he turned around to leave, Kakashi picked up on the chakra of another person in the vicinity hiding in the tree. Kakashi caught a glimpse of a blank mask. While Kakashi stared out behind them, Naruto decided he wanted to try his new and improved senses. He took inhaled through his nose. He was assaulted with everything's scent at once. The birds, the bugs, Kakashi's ninken, and even Kakashi himself who smelt like his ninken. Naruto nearly keeled over and vomited from his attempt. He let out a mild groan that was caught by Kakashi. With concern, he asked, "Naruto-kun? You okay? Do you need a break?"

Naruto steadied himself as he got his bearings, "I'm okay. No, I don't need a break, let's go home." So, the first attempt did not go as smoothly, he would definitely need to practice.

The Root shinobi hid behind the tree, but he knew he had been caught. It didn't matter though he needed to see where the boy went. It took him only a few minutes to track where the boy had gone. It was an average looking clearing as he landed in the center of it. He scouted the area, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing of relevance was a shovel and a tree. The shovel was worn from use, but still usable. The Root picked it up and gave it a once over before tossing it aside. He was about to leave when he felt something weird happen within him. His chakra reacted to the tree. He took a cautionary step towards the tree, seeing if there was a trap of some sort. Finding none, he placed his hands on the tree and channeled his chakra into the tree.

He felt every cell in his body surge with energy. He felt great, and powerful. His hand started to smoke and then burn. He felt too powerful. He ripped his hand away, looking at the damage he had done to himself, 'Lord Danzō must be made aware of this,' he then leaped away to get back to the base.

Hokage Tower

Minato sat behind his desk as his sensei had finally made it to his office, and he was giving him a debrief on what had happened. He had to call upon the toads to get Jiraiya here, but it didn't matter. Jiraiya at first complained that Minato interrupted his research but was quickly silenced by Minato's stern demeanor and icy voice. Minato just hoped his son could be found in time before he hurt himself or someone else. Jiraiya nodded his head as he started towards the opened window, "Don't worry gaki, I will try to catch up with Kakashi and help get Naruto. Don't worry, he will be back in your arms before you know it." Jiraiya gave his signature grin, hoping his words would calm his student. They didn't all it did was remind Minato at the sorry state his family was. Jiraiya was about to leap away when the door to the room. Standing there was Kakashi with his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Kakashi gave a salute while saying, "Mission accomplished sensei," his mask was still on his face, but Minato knew the teen was eye smiling. Minato rushed out of his chair and immediately went over to Naruto. He stopped low into a crouch as he embraced his son. Naruto instinctively grabbed his father.

Minato gripped him tightly as he asked, "Naruto, where did you go?" not letting go afraid he would disappear if he did.

Naruto hugged his father back, replying meekly, "I don't know," tell him a lie.

Minato stopped hugging Naruto but kept his hands on his shoulders, smiling softly, "You gave all of us a scare." He said, which gently held the tone of worry.

Naruto could only look down at the floor, knowing his father was upset with him, "I'm sorry," his neve meant to make everyone worry.

A hand rested on his head, affectionately. Naruto looked through the fingers as he saw his father smiling down on him, "I am just glad to have you back," Naruto felt tears well up in his eyes as he grabbed his father's leg nearly toppling him.

Minato gave a light chuckle as he pats his son in the back. Jiraiya chuckled as well. He came over to the boy and kneeled, "You almost had Jiraiya The Gallant to come find you, gaki. What story that would have been to tell," he gave a goofy grin and gave a thumbs up.

Naruto looked at him and said, "Ero-sennin," which caused Jiraiya to face fault. Kids and their lack of respect.

Minato snorted, all his children call the sage by their mother's nickname for him, "I am sorry to make you rush all the way back here sensei," Minato said as he managed to separate himself from his son.

Jiraiya had recovered and was now standing next to his student waving him off, "Its not a problem. Any excuse is a good excuse to come home. Maybe go see the Hime after seeing Akane-chan," he grinned as finished. He still wanted his date for winning a bet on the baby's gender. Suckers bet.

Minato laughed at his sensei's antics. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he listened to his father's and Ero-sennin's conversation, "Meet who?" he asked innocently.

The trio looked at each other, and then a realization hit them. Minato smiled again as he said, "There is someone I'm sure your mother will want to meet," They began to leave the office together.

As they walked down the stair leaving the tower, Kakashi leaned in to whisper so only the three of them could hear, "Sensei, I saw a Root agent in the forest. I believe he was tracking Naruto." Minato eyes slightly narrowed as they exited the tower.

Naruto was in front of the group ahead of them by a couple of feet. Minato now wanted him right in front of him within arm's reach. He started watching the roofs of buildings, he let out, "Sensei," he voiced.

Jiraiya nodded his head, "I'll look into," Minato gave an appreciative nod. Before they knew, the four of them made it to the gate of the Uzumaki-Namikaze home.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Residence

Kushina had just put the pot of food on the table and had Narumi putting the bowls on the table, along with the cutlery. Menma had been given the job of watching Akane, who was watching him make a silly face, but not really laughing, only smiling. She would fidget and try to reach with her little hands at the boy. Kushina hummed as she set the massive pot of steaming ramen, it smelt heavenly. Her two older children could smell it too, both drooling because of the aroma. Kushina went to the living room and picked up her baby, telling Menma, "Come dinner is ready, and your father should be home any minute," Menma got up from the couch. He was about to rush to the table to gorge himself when the front door opened. Kushina cradled the baby in her arms as she went to the door, muttered, "Speak of the devil." She entered the entryway she was greeted by the sight of her husband and Kakashi, "Oh? Kakashi-kun? Sorry I didn't expect you. Join us for dinner? I made ramen~" she said gleefully.

Kakashi had taken his mask at this point and bowed, "Thank you, Kushina-sama. I think I will," The teen was a part of the family after all.

"What about me? Jiraiya, The Gallant!" Jiraiya appeared over Minato's shoulder, giving Kushina a thumbs up and a goofy grin.

Kushina sighed, "I guess you can too, Ero-sennin," she said flatly. Her remarked caused Jiraiya to face fault. But it didn't last as the three older men looked at each other than parted ways revealing Naruto still only garbed in the hospital pants. Kushina went wide-eyed, and the shock almost caused her to drop Akane. She immediately cried as she rushed her oldest child and held him tightly, but not enough to crush the baby in her arms, "Naru-chan," she said weakly as she whimpered. Naruto responded back in kind. One of her babies was back home, and he was okay.

The three men looked at the scene below with smiles on their faces. Kushina deserved to finally have her family back together. The two separated from one another as Kushina kept a hand on Naruto's cheek, which she rubbed affectionately, "Kaa-chan. Sorry for making you cry," he stared at her.

She again was about to cry, but she shook her head, suppressing the urge, "I am just happy to have you back, my beautiful boy," she said while playing with his hair. She then adjusting baby. It was then Naruto noticed his mother no longer had the big belly.

His eyes then landed on the red-haired bundle in his mother's arms. Naruto spoke, "Kaa-chan is that?" he let the question hang in the air.

Minato smiled and squatted down next to his son, and the just put a hand on each of his shoulders, "Meet your imōto Akane-chan," Minato said proudly. The babe herself was looking around, wondering why all the attention was on her.

Naruto looked at the little babe in awe as he used the back of his finger to stroke her cheek. It caused the babe to giggle as she reached fidgeted in excitement. Naruto could only smile at his youngest sister. He did have to say something that was on his mind, "She is so small," he was awed by it.

Kushina chuckled at her son's bluntness, "You and your siblings were all that small at one point," she watched as Akane got her eldest brother's finger and stuck it in her mouth.

Jiraiya looked at the family below with pride and love. While he never started a family of his own, he was blessed with this one, and right now, they were back together again. In a deep voice, he called out, "Menma-kun! Narumi-chan! Come out here!" hearing chairs scraped against the floor, and the pitter-patter of feet on the wooden floors signaled that had heard the old sage.

"Ero-Sennin! / Ero-Sennin!" the two cried out in excitement as they reached their entryway of the house. When spotted Jiraiya, they went to hug their godfather, but he stepped aside and revealed Naruto with their mother, father, and baby sister.

Narumi's breath hitched in her throat as she put her hands up to her mouth. Menma, however, just ran towards his brother and hugged him, "You back. You really back," Naruto smiled and hugged back.

Narumi then followed suit as she crashed into her brothers as Naruto and Menma through an arm around her. She buried her head into her brothers as they were finally back together. She let out a whimper as she said, "I am so sorry for what I said to you before. I am so sorry," the last sentence came out as a whimper.

Naruto looked at her with a grin and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "It's okay, I won't leave you two again." He said sincerely.

Menma said joyously, "I won't leave either!" His declaration got a chuckle from the adults.

Narumi asked in an innocent, vulnerable voice, "You promise?" She looked at the teary-eyed.

Naruto put a hand on her head as he told her, "Promise," his sister looked up to her brothers, and if they promised something to her, they usually kept it. She saw her brother's eyes held no lies or deceit; she smiled.

Kushina put her children all in a hug as she found the display adorable. She rubbed their faces affectionately with her own, "You three are absolutely adorable!" she cooed as she was slightly choking the triplets.

Minato laughed as he pats her on her back, "Okay, Kushina-chan let them go. Come on, let's go eat," he saved his children from their mother's overzealous affections.

Kushina, Narumi, and Menma all shouted in unison, "Ramen time~!" and the three went to the kitchen followed by the older men.

Naruto, in a strained smile, said, "Great ramen," he couldn't understand why or how his family ate that stuff all the time. He followed them into the kitchen for dinner

Narumi's Seal

The seal that held the yang half of the Kyūbi could be described as a wonderland for a little girl. The room's walls were bright red in color. In fact, there was a small playpen. Inside it was a small chibi Kyūbi trying to balance itself on a ball he had just tried to pounce on. His concentration was broken when he felt an unknown power near the seal. He fell off the ball, but it didn't matter. The energy he felt from the outside was unlike anything he felt, even that of his beloved father. He let out a single word that sounded more of a yip, "Nii-sama?" and he went back to playing as the ball rolled by him. The predator instincts taking over, but it was more adorable if anything.

Menma's Seal

Inside Menma's seal held back the yin half of the Kyūbi no Yoko sat behind thick iron bars while looking out on an open plane. Lush grass and tall trees littered the landscape. The only anomaly was the cage in the center. Deep in the cage was utter darkness, not even the light from the plane could pierce it. Suddenly giant red eyes opened, and giant tails swooshed around in the darkness of the cell. The Yin Kyūbi had become aware of what was going on outside, and in the brief contact Menma had with Naruto, it felt something, "What is this?" The power it felt within the oldest was something new. Never had he felt anything so pure and full of energy. The scent of the boy changed as well, he smelt like something had added its scent to his. It frightened him, "This power, this scent. It's dangerous." He then receded back into the darkness of the cage. The boy was now a threat. A threat to his freedom.

Waterfall Cave

Deep inside the forest outside of the village, far from the clearing, was a waterfall that ran into a crystal-clear river that had fish of all kinds. Hidden behind the waterfall was a cave that was big enough to fit a large clan house. Stalactites covered the ceiling of the cave, and water dripped from them, making small dripping noises that sound like a harmony of rain hitting a puddle. Inside was Kreinjun, who sat balled up in the farthest part of the cave. He hummed when he felt the presence of Naruto, leaving with another person. Kreinjun felt awful seeing the small boy in such a desperate need for relief. However, he would be there for the boy in any matter he needed. If he needed a friend, he would be a friend. If he needed a shoulder to cry on, he would let the boy weep with no judgment. If Naruto wanted to be a warrior, he would be a master that would help the boy refine into a weapon. If he wanted to be a Dragon King, he would make him the greatest King there ever was in this world or in his world. With a gleam of determination in his eye, he swore to uphold the vow he made the night he saved the boy. Not going unnoticed by him, small golden particles floated off him and disappearing into the air.

Underground Root Base

Hidden away in an underground base that was impossible to find unless you knew exactly where to look was Danzō. He stood on a catwalk, watching the breaking in of his newest "recruits." The room itself was massive, it was easily the size of the arena of the village. Down below, the "recruits" were trying to kill one of his Root shinobi. This was a test to see if any of the new "recruits" had any promise. The "recruits" were street urchins, orphans, or civilian children that were snatched off the street by his Root shinobi. As he watched another "recruit" be killed by his Root shinobi 'This batch is disappointing,' he then felt the presence of one of his top Root shinobi land next to him. "Report," he said, not looking at his subordinate.

The Root were Danzō's perfect tools, he thought all shinobi should be like the Root. They were emotionless, fearless, cold, and never questioned orders. They were the ideal expendable tools to destroy the enemies of Konoha and make sure it continued to be the strongest among the Five Nations. Danzō would bring in multiple children from different clans and backgrounds that no one would miss. Even if they were missed, any shinobi that was the tiniest bit unique he would abduct by them and turn them into loyal subordinates. That was where they belonged, under his control to be used as he saw fit, for the betterment of Konoha as he always says.

The agent that appeared wore a standard Anbu outfit, the only difference was the mask was not that of an animal, but blank. The other distinguishing feature about the young man had was a mop of brown hair "Sir, I tracked the boy to the clearing. We found nothing of substance only a mighty tree," he said.

Danzō just continued to stare at the conflict below. He would need to do more "recruitment" if this was the best this batch could muster. He then recounted what his agent said, "Why bring up a simple tree? What has happened?" his voice stern telling the boy to hurry with his reason.

The Root Shinobi continued to advert his eyes to the ground as he spoke, "I felt my Mokuton react to it. It was as if the tree itself was alive with charka," the boy spoke. Seeing that Danzō didn't speak, he continued, "I tried to siphon into the energy, but…" he lifted his hand to show his master. The latter only glanced at it before returning his gaze down below.

Danzō let out a hum as he stroked his chin, plotting. While not the most interesting bit of news, it was still an unknown he needed to know, "Take a sample and bring it back to me. I will see if this could be useful later," he tapped his cane, he had spoken.

The Root agent let out a "Hai! What about the boy?" he wanted to know what his mater required from him.

Danzō watched a pair of boys that seemed to be crème of the crop in this batch. One boy was pale white with black hair, and the other was pale with grey-haired. Both boys working together in unison as they continued to keep the Root member on his toes 'Some promise after all,' Danzō thought. He then finally looked towards the kneeling subordinate and gave an order "For now, leave the boy be. If we cannot get the Jinchūriki duo, maybe we can use the eldest child as a tool," Danzō said as he tapped his cane to give emphasis on his order. The Namikaze-Uzumaki bloodline was one filled great potential, potential that he needed in his Root.

The Root member bowed deeper and with gave a sharp, "Hai!" as his response. The shinobi disappeared from Danzō's sight as he watched the recruits continue to fight. He eyed the two boys, finally bring his weakest agent and go in for the kill. A sickly smiled spread across his lips, 'Minato, you fool. Your petty honor will be the downfall. You will fall, but the root will stand strong,' The two boys ended the fight down below, killing the weakest Root member. Danzō's day just became a tiny bit more satisfying.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Residence

Naruto sat in his bed as he tries to adapt to his new senses. He took a moderate inhale into his nose. He was hit with six smells. The first was ink, the second was a perfume, the third was flowers, the fourth was the least pleasing as it caused Naruto to gag, it was pee. The fifth was a smell of animal he couldn't identify. Finally, an aroma he couldn't possibly mistake for anything else. Ramen. It was the strongest of all the odors. In fact, the scent was coming from the whole house like it was ingrained into the walls. That was the one he was focusing on at the moment. He was able to discard the weaker smells easily, such as the ink and flowers. However, the animal scent, the perfume, and the pee were not leaving. He sighed as he gave up on it for tonight. He did reward himself with raised fist cheering internally for his accomplishment, 'At least it's a start.' He then shut his eyes to sleep as he had some more training to do. Until he heard the cry of Akane letting everyone in the house, she was in need of a change.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

An: Alright, everyone, another big chapter, sorry for the little action, but next chapter will have some, and the journey of team seven will start soon. I will also be jumping back to future in the next chapter. I am thinking maybe another chapter till the team selection and test arc. Thank you all for reading and for all the positive feedback. I want to thank the reviewers that keep coming back reading chapters and reviewing all this time. Thank you all! I hope you all are well, and finally, I hope you all are healthy and not dealing with the virus anymore.

Knox