Naruto 1. Chapter 1

The early morning sun peaked over the edges of the mountain brightening the valley where a village lay making it look as it were burning like a bright light with the first light. The mere idea of waking up isn't even a thought for the sleeping inhabitants except for the local ninjas who make it a habit to wake up early. The shopkeepers are not open yet and are just setting up shop for the day and hoping for customers. Already you could smell the aroma of fresh moon cakes and bread from the bakers and some smoke coming from the blacksmiths forge as he creates a variety of kunai and shurikens.

The streets are mostly empty except for these ninja as they make their way to and from the Hokage tower where they will receive missions or some cheap coffee; a luxury and strange brew from the west. Secretaries are making their way to the tower to assist the Hokage or help with mission assignments. Cranky Jounin rubbing their eyes tiredly and sleepy guards tired from making all night rounds. One man in particular is observing the first light of day from his office high up in the tower and he seems to be anticipating something.

He was wearing red and white robes of state that slightly dragged on the ground and thick white part of the robe that curled around his neck. He had a lined and pockmarked face further suggesting his age in addition to silver white hair that spiked out wildly. He hair line clearly was not what it once was and it displayed his aged scalp giving him a larger forehead. He had a goatee that would have made his son look just like him if it weren't for the silver white hair. His skin was a pale brown complexion but sagged slightly on his fingers and face making him look even older. He was wearing a content smile as he stared out into the village but his black calculating eyes seemed to be looking for something. A pipe rested in his hands unused and seemingly forgotten with a thin trail of tendrils of smoke rising off of it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk had a purple plush pillow with a great giant glass ball on it which shone in the new morning rays. The glass ball was of massive proportions being half a foot wide in all directions and completely symmetrical; its use unknown to the casual observer unless they knew the aged and wizened Hokage. Papers of trivial matters and everything from the merchant's guild to shinobi reports to orphan stipends littered his desk like the ground after a rock concert.

Despite the never ending stream of paper work that could defeat any Kage under its mass of weight they continued to lie neglected and ignored as Sarutobi looked concerned at the village and the horizon. It was October 10; the anniversary of the kyuubi attack. The sight and memory of it alone makes Sarutobi want to cry or sleep because of the emotional drain it leaves on his aged body…

(Flashback five years ago, October 10, 4:56 am; after the attack…)

_Sarutobi walks through the gore and blood filled battle feeling oddly unsettled without the raging roars and bloodlust that he had grown accustomed to hearing and the peaceful and oppressive silence was at odds with the sea of blood and horror of fallen mutilated bodies of comrades and furrowed grounds; clear signs of a one sided battle. Were he not older, wiser, in charge of his people with the need to keep up appearances as well as use to such sights from the war he would have been reduced to dry heaves by the sight of the blood bath that glistened on the ground before him splattering trees and oozing out of the dead torn up bodies. _

_Everywhere he looked there was blood and death soaking the ground, tainting the once peaceful scenery with a foul and malevolent pallor palpable in the air. The only places the blood didn't appear was the great gashes and fire foot deep furrows where smoke smoldered from in the shape of a large paw print with five claw lines the size of men in the ground, as if some great creator of evil had attacked._

_Sarutobi would have mourned the loss of these men were he not already occupied by his own goal. He knew some of these men. He had commanded them in his own time, shared bread at their tables on occasion, had congratulated them on the birth of their children and had even sent some of them on missions of great importance through the great shinobi war saving a great many. He knew by this time his successor was dead and that the kyuubi was sealed into a newborn child forcing him to temporarily take the post of Hokage back up once more._

_Sarutobi stiffens at the sounds of a high pitched wail as he walks and knows he is nearing his destination. Quickening his pace he swiftly turns towards the cries of the squalling child and hopes that no harm had befallen the babe._

_Ever since his successor had told him the news he had looked forward to meeting Minato's son and to have such a cruel fate thrust upon the boy who he hoped would call him grandfather he became even more determined to protect the boy. Sarutobi and his student Jiraiya were only second to Kushina's and Minato's happiness at having a child; a dream lost with Kushina having died a violent death at child birth and Minato being forcing to perform a sealing jutsu that stole Minato of his breath and warmth and his own son a normal life leaving little Naruto an orphan to face the wrath of the vengeful villages ire. _

_Were he not in such a depressed state and lamenting or in a gory place or armed with the knowledge of Minato's passing he would have laughed himself breathless until tears left his eyes. As it was he couldn't contain the slight dry chuckle that escaped him. Only Minato would name his firstborn son after a _ramen topping_. Thinking back Sarutobi regrets treating Minato when he was younger to his first bowl of ramen because the boy had become obsessed with eating it. Loving the food was one thing but to name your son after a fishcake filled noodle broth was downright strange. Sarutobi couldn't fathom how Minato had convinced Kushina to agree to this but Sarutobi would respect their wishes and keep the unfortunate name._

_Sarutobi Hiruzen is many things. He is a brilliant tactician, cunning politician, fearsome enemy, kindly grandfather and proud father, magnanimous leader, nicknamed the professor for learning almost ever jutsu out there. He was most certainly no fool. The village was in a state of grief and unbelievable disrepair because of the demon fox's wrath and violence and he had left no life or leaf undisturbed in his malevolent wake. The villagers will want someone to blame and take their anger out on. The kyuubi was sealed away and would not be able to be that target his people wanted to attack and enact revenge upon. _

_Naruto was now a jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and would become the focus of their hate. Sarutobi had to find a way to protect the boy from his own people's ignorance. He had read the scrolls about common misconceptions about jinchuriki being the demons themselves by even the some experienced seal masters. __**Seal masters!**__ The utterly pure ignorance and stupidity of people still incensed him to no end and was he a lesser man of lesser control prone to hateful and violent outbursts he would have screamed, tore at his hair and attacked someone by now. But no, Sarutobi was-_is_-Hokage and he must keep a composed and calm front for his people in time of trouble while guiding them towards the right path._

_Turning sharply Sarutobi's breath caught on the sight. There not twenty yards to the left lay his successor sprawled looking disheveled on the cold earth still as death. He wasn't moving. Sarutobi runs to Minato still form hoping they had been wrong about the affects of the sealing jutsu and was crushed horribly for the hundredth time that night._

_He didn't know what he had expected to see. Did he truly expect to see Minato sitting up exhausted, leaning against a tree while gently rocking Naruto after the battle bragging to Sarutobi about how he kicked that old fox's ass with a tired grin? He had known that wasn't possible. He knew that the Shiki fuujin would have robbed every last precious ounce of vibrant life that was Minato from his body. So why was seeing this such a large and devastating blow?_

_To seem him lie there cold with no moving chest giving him air or heartbeat pumping blood through his chest was a terrible sight to behold. Turning his attention to the large blue bundle of blanket emitting wails in Minato's arms Sarutobi picked up the child rocking it gently to quiet it. The child was crying as if it knew by some instinct its parents were no longer in this world. He remembered taking care of his son Asuma as a baby after his wife died and had to learn on his own; Sarutobi for the first time in his life is glad his son had run of because he was not here during the attack and that may well have saved his precious little Asuma's life. _

_Sarutobi brushes the blanket back from the cherubic face as it quiets down making gurgling noises only a baby could make to study the baby boy._

_Sarutobi grinned as he observed the bright cheese yellow tuft of chair of the child's head and his grin widened when he noticed the sky blue forget-me-not eyes he could observe when the child managed to open his eyes. His eyes and hair were perfectly tinted and shaded just like his fathers; same color and shape. Observing the tiny face further he noticed the nose was shaped slightly like his fathers as well. He was pleased because the little baby boy in his arms was clearly going to look like his father and in a few years time could give anyone a run for their money in a Minato Namikaze look-alike contest. Looking closely Sarutobi frowns when he sees the three scratch marks on the child face, almost like… whiskers? _

_Realizing these markings were a physical manifestation of the Kyuubi's presence in the diminutive body in front of him Sarutobi curses his luck. He had hoped to hide Naruto's status as a jinchuriki not only to protect him from vengeful villagers and hate filled ninja but from Danzo, a person who had not given up his ambitions for a perfect weapon. A physical manifestation of demon possession on the face made hiding someone's status as a jinchuriki nearly impossible. Contemplating his options Sarutobi cursed his luck yet again as his pesky anbu guards landed a few feet away from him. He could have tried hiding the child among the orphans but with anbu witnesses and no authority as of yet to make things s-class secrets he had doomed this child by not being quicker about his business._

_Looking over he sees the one anbu who he hoped would not see this scene. Dogs mask was poorly concealing the shock and grief radiating off of him and the steady dampening of his standard white anbu cloak showed he was crying. His silver hair seemed to slacken at the sight of his beloved teacher dead. Kakashi was finding it difficult to stay emotionally calm at the scene he was witnessing._

_The anbu couldn't blame Kakashi either as their own sorrow about their most beloved leaders passing was overwhelming but what was Sarutobi-sama holding in his arms? Looking closer they are startled to see a baby boy with blonde hair in the aged arms of the third Hokage._

"_Hokage-sama? Whose child are you holding?" eagle asks carefully._

_Debating with himself about weather or not he should let such a secret be known he decides he will have to tell the truth; unfortunately not the whole truth. Naruto would have to inherit his name when he turned 16 and he would be hounded in other ways if were known he was a Namikaze meaning his identity would be kept secret even from himself. Naruto would not know about the kyuubi, his own true last name, that he was unquestionably the richest baby in the fire country should he inherit or even his own parents. Oh how Hiruzen wished he could have lied through his teeth about Naruto until someone cut out his tongue._

_Sarutobi said calmer than he felt, observing his subordinates hoping none would attack. "Minato had to seal the Kyuubi into a newborn baby to stop the fox. This is Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuriki of the kyuubi no Kitsune." _

(October 10, 6:44 am)

_Chaos reined the meeting room and howls begging for death and blood coming from people all trying to speak louder than another to have their say. Shouts of outrage that grated against the already stretched taunt nerves of one Sarutobi Hiruzen was threatening to make his naturally kind and sunny disposition change into one of a foul demon himself. _

_Hiruzen felt slightly lost because he could not find Kohana and should things get out of control he needed her. Naruto needed his aunt and she was nowhere to be found. Hiruzen could hardly blame because she had just lost her brother and her best friend, Kushina, to the kyuubi but Naruto needed her. These villagers wanted Naruto's death and for all of his skill and jutsu he felt inadequate for the job as Naruto's protector._

_The only ones not out for blood and willing to listen were the many anbu who trust Minato's ability as a seal master, some Jounin who have knowledge on jinchuriki, a majority of the women in the room who cannot resist the sight of a baby and the clan head leaders Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akamichi and Inochi Yamanaka._

_A few others were neutral and simply contented themselves with watching the other councilmen battle this out. Hiashi being one of them surprised Sarutobi because he was certain the man could want his friend's death avenged yet he was sitting there staring at Naruto who was sleeping in the crib next to Sarutobi. Hiruzen didn't like this. Hiashi had known Kushina was pregnant and was also perceptive. Did he see the hair color and know whose child this was? Had he realized what the others had not?_

_Hiruzen had been expecting ignorance and hate from some who did not understand the nature of jinchuriki's but this? This was on a whole new scale and it made him want to retch at the gore filled demands he was hearing directed towards a innocent newborn infant. A sweet baby boy trying to sleeping in the cradle next to him over the din of blood shrieks he heard. One council member had actually suggested that instead of killing the baby boy that they torture it to death. He was quickly silenced with a look of anger from Hiruzen._

_For the life of him Hiruzen could not understand some of these men anymore. Some of them had baby boys and girls themselves and yet here they were howling for blood, for revenge, for torture, for suffering and death of this sweet little child who had not even had time to do any wrong. Could they not see whose child's blood they were screaming for? Surly even a complete and total imbecile or blind man could see a resemblance between Naruto and Minato or at least the perfectly matching hair and eye color._

_Hiruzen vaguely remembers a phrase he had been told during his tutelage on being a successful politician. He couldn't remember where he had learned it because of his old age or who had said it but it fit well with the scene in front of him: "_people are sheep; a person is smart."

_Finally feeling his temper snap when he heard someone scream demon Sarutobi did something no one in living memory have ever seen him do__**: **_**he lost his temper and screamed.**

"_SILENCE! You are all behaving like toddlers before naptime with all this screaming. This is the village council for god's sakes! We are supposed to remain calm and rational for the sake of the village and for the sake of our people. That means we also take our turns speaking to one another and listening until they are finished! I know eight year olds who are better at this than you!" he said distaste evident in his voice._

_Silence at this fell upon the group and no one spoke, too shocked to say much more. Sarutobi decided that the silence he was generating from his outburst was not only satisfying but useful and so he continued speaking._

"_You make me disgusted to be a member of Konoha. Never have I ever been ashamed to be a Konohagakure ninja. I have always felt proud of the village. Countless enemies have tried and failed over the years to demoralize me and insult my village but I have _**NEVER **_ever felt anything less than pride and love for my village." _

_The council members flinched visibly at the aged Hokage's words filled with an edged disgust and revulsion. It was made infinitely worse by the fact he wasn't even yelling anymore, as if they weren't worth yelling at any longer. _

"_And yet you have managed in five minutes to make me ashamed to even know any of your names by begging for an innocent child's life to end. An innocent newborn baby boy who is too young to even speak let alone be capable of lying and you howl for his death like bloodthirsty monsters." _

_Fugaku Uchiha, someone Hiruzen had never liked much, spoke up carefully so as not to further upset the already incensed ninja._

"_Hokage-sama, that demon is deadly and has the potential to kill us all."_

_Mustering up every ounce of self control not to attack the ignorant man he felt proud that he had manage to control himself. "Naruto Uzumaki is not a demon but a demon container. He is what is referred to as a jinchuriki or 'one who sacrifices'. This means that he has two entities in his body. The demon can neither take control of him or his body and cannot harm us. The seal prevents all attempts to influence Naruto and therefore is not threat."_

_Hiruzen could see that they all wanted to protest and insist that Naruto was a demon and that he should be killed, but his steely glare and wrath kept them quiet. Also they could not deny the logic of what he said but unfortunately for the Hokage they were going to try anyways._

"_How are we certain its mind has not been tainted by the demon? How do you know the seal is safe?" someone shouted out from the back of the room, from where he couldn't tell. _

_Sarutobi didn't miss the 'it' comment meaning Naruto was being reduced to nothing more than an animal and felt his rage peak._

"_UZUMAKI NARUTO IS NOT AN "IT'! HE IS A HUMAN BEING! HE IS NOT A DEMON!" he roared in frustration making everyone in the vicinity cringe and creep away as much as the crowed space possible. Sarutobi Hiruzen is normally the kindly grandfather to the village with a good natured disposition making this wrathful fearsome man in front of them all the more frightening and imposing._

"_Uzumaki Naruto will not be harmed, attacked or threatened in anyway." Sarutobi's gazed turned even frostier as if to challenge anyone who would argue. "I am now making a village decree that anyone who dares talk about Naruto being the prison for the Kyuubi will be sentenced to death. No one of the younger generation is to know of it. This is an S-class secret and it will be obeyed without question. Do I make myself clear?"_

_Few people would meet his glacial gaze that made many shiver with fright but their defiance was clear as they would not speak or acknowledge it._

"_DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" Hiruzen roared enraged at his people's defiance._

_A chorus of 'Hai Hokage-sama' echoed through the room and Hiruzen calmed somewhat much to the relief of the room. A few anbu left to go make the decree official and spread the news about Naruto throughout the village leaving a, unhappy council, and a tired Hokage to wonder if he was doing the right thing._

(October 10, 8:02 pm; the hospital…)

_Akai had always loved her job taking care of others and seeing happy parents but now she hated her job in the nursery. Before she had been handling twenty sweet little balls of cuteness and while they were a handful they were worth it; now she was being told she was going to care for _**it **_until the orphanage was repaired. __**That could take weeks!**_

_She wasn't even allowed to hurt _**it**_ like she had wanted to. It was like god himself was cruelly dangling something she wanted in her face. The words 'so close yet so far' had never been truer for Akai._

_She was in a nursery quiet room usually reserved for mothers and fathers who can't yet leave the hospital but want a quiet space. She was with two anbu in the room as she sat ignoring the crib and _**it**_. She couldn't see the anbu; she only knew they were there because she had been told. Akai had no ninja training other than medical ninjutsu she had been taught during the war by Tsunade-hime so she couldn't sense much or be useful in battle. The anbu were there to make sure she didn't hurt _**it**_ as well as make she was not hurt by any villagers for merely being near _**it **_if they tried to take revenge on __**it**__._

_Akai stiffened as she heard a soft muted thumping noise, two of them. Fearing what she was going to see Akai turned slowly and 'eep'ed at the sight before her. There on the floor were the two anbu guards out cold with the cause of their unconsciousness no where to be seen. Akai was hyperventilating at this point. The anbu are the elite of the village and capable of carrying out even the most difficult of missions even in the harshest terrains; yet they were just ghosted without even realizing someone was there._

_Akai was scared. She had no means of fighting back and if someone meant her harm they could do it quite effortlessly. Her eyes darted the room frantically and before she could even remember to scream she felt a sharp pain to the back of her head before her vision faded to black and she lost her grip on the waking world._

_A figure wearing a silk purple hooded cloak caught the falling girl and gently laid her down on the floor making no sounds. Although what she really wanted to do was slice the nurse's throat for the way she had been hatefully glancing at her target. She quickly disarmed the anbu and tied them up before drugging them with a powerful drug that would leave them out could for two days and even then they would be facing some nasty side affects like slurred speech and blurred vision. They would not be catching her anytime soon or telling anyone._

_Strands of yellow wavy locks threatened to spill over her face and out of her hood as the woman surveyed the people at her feet. Her small beautiful mouth that men would sell their souls to touch curved into a tight frown. The woman's dark blue eyes were cold and calculating as she then took stock of her environment and judging the safety of her surroundings that is until her eyes landed on the crib. The woman's eyes melted and a tender expression came over those features as her small pink lips turned up into a small smile. She walked over to the crib and picked up Naruto gently cradling him in the blankets._

"_Hello Naruto, I'm not your real mommy but I'll try my best." She said delighting in finally holding the small body and happily noticing the similarities between big brother Minato and the baby in her arms. A small pang hit her as she remembered Minato would-should- be the one holding him but no longer could._

_The baby gave a toothless smile at her from the blankets and gave a gurgle. Kohana smiled and she felt so much love for this tiny creature and marveled that it had already taken her heart and wrapped her around its little finger so quickly though they had just met. Looking around Kohana saw a baby bottle and some baby formula. She already had some baby food and goats milk back in the wagon but it didn't hurt to have more. Quickly she grabbed the baby milk bottle and formula and put in her pouch before gently putting Naruto back into his cradle._

_Taking out a ink pot and a scroll she painstakingly wrote out the proper formula for the sealing scroll. Kohana finished and obsessively checked the scroll over again and again until she was satisfied there were no mistakes. The consequences if there were mistakes were too dreadful to contemplate and Naruto's tiny frail body would pay the price._

_Carefully picking Naruto up she kissed his forehead and set him down on the sealing scroll praying she got it right. Channeling chakra she sealed her nephew in into the scroll and carefully slipped it into her purple cloak. There was no alternative, the villagers would raise questions if they saw her carrying a baby boy outside the hospital and they would give chase when they discovered their loss and the alarm were raised._

_Few knew she was Minato's sister something they did not tell others, and despite being his brother the existence of Kohana Namikaze was a non entity outside of Konoha. She usually had a multitude of aliases she hid behind which were only famous in the shinobi word and were spoken with reverence and fear. Her favorite alias being 'Murasaki majo' or 'purple witch' a name she had received from her enemies for her seemingly impossible ability to pop out of no where undetected and to sneak up on people in a spooky manner like a witch, her medical brews and the amethyst hooded floor length cloak she wore._

_It wasn't that she wasn't a good ninja that she was unknown; it was because she had alias's and purposefully kept her relation secret. She was almost as strong as big brother in everything he did, was almost as good a seal master and even knew the Hiraishin; if she wanted to come out into the open she could be as famous as her brother was but she didn't want the attention. She wanted a quiet peaceful life and she would gain none of that by waving banners and screaming '_**OVER HERE**'_ to her brother's enemies from the war. _

_Besides she was like Tsunade and Jiraiya that way, she drifted from town to town like a tumble weed never staying long in one place or in people's memories and sleeping in her trusty wheel house. She wasn't an active Konoha Nin. She helped occasionally on A and S-rank missions while her friend Kushina was pregnant but with her brother dead, Kushina gone and the village out to get her precious little nephew there was no reason to stay. She would go and raise Naruto like her own and would not return with him for a few years until the danger was gone so that he could return to be a proud leaf ninja like his father. _

_No, Kohana Namikaze would not stay and was not leaving with out Naruto Namikaze._

_Making sure the precious scroll was securely under the cloaks protective fabric did she straighten from her protective crouch. Making a few hand signs she was gone from the room in a flash of amethyst and appeared in front of a large wooden wagon._

_The wagon was taller than she reaching about ten feet into the air. The wheels were four feet tall and the roofed wagon complete with doors were six feet high. The wagon being six and a half feet long, the walls of the wagon were a deep purple with sleek silver stars a millimeter long giving it the appearance of the night sky. It had a booth up front where the driver would sit with an overhanging bit of board to keep out rain. The reigns tied to a knob on the wagon with four large black horses that seemed to stay there with no encouragement or wandering. To the naked eye the wagon seemed unremarkable but to the trained ninja eye there were protective seals covering almost every inch of the wagon that lay parked in the alleyway._

_Going round to the back and taking out a key Kohana unlocked the wagon. Opening up they was a small bedroom area and a small corner looked like a hastily put together play room was set up complete with a crib and a mobile with an orange baby blanket. Taking out the scroll that held Naruto she unraveled it and released the jutsu._

_Naruto appeared out of the scroll alive and unharmed, kicking and jerking his arms like all babies do. She placed him in the crib thanking all the gods that she did not mess up with the sealing scroll before standing and backing up several feet into the alley and bit her thumb making it bleed. She did a summoning jutsu and her personal summons puffed into existence before her._

_The summoned creatures yellow eyes that blaze golden from behind a scaled membrane of an eyelid displaying an intelligence higher than her own, its golden horned head cocked slightly and a grin displaying a row of sharp of jagged fangs dripping with a green tinge of poison from its red forked tongue complete with two crimson nose whiskers whipping wildly about with out wind to support them. Its skinny angular body, supported by four fearsome haunches with five claws that etched furrows into the ground, was undulating in mesmerizing patterns as it stood there. Its serpentine body a fantastical array of gold and burnished red cooper scales as hard as diamond. _

_The creature before her was quite little for their race being only four feet long snout to tail and two feet high from the ground to its back. Its fiery tail lashed wildly with its crimson fir that strangely did not set ablaze to anything that got to close. All around its thin but muscular and sinewy frame spots of fire covered fur that did not burn to ash but stayed burning bright adorned its head and legs making it look like a glowing coal; bright and as beautiful as the sunset. The air all around seemed to warm with its mere presence and a slight breeze picked up._

_The creature observed its surrounding before turning to the summoner. It spoke into the summoner mind making its intelligence quite clear to anyone who would hear it; the voice was female._

"**Mistress Kohana, why have you called for my services?"** _the voice echoed through her mind. It could have just shifted through her memories and found out for itself, as Kohana knew it could but it seemed to take the more polite route._

"_Ka-Tsume I am fleeing Konoha and I need your help. The time is short and we must leave immediately. I need you to get into my wagon to guard and take care of the baby in there." Kohana said._

"**You are abandoning Konoha? Why? May I look through your eyes so that I may understand from your view?"** _Ka-Tsume asked her forked tongue flicking out._

"_Certainly you may." Kohana said pleased, this would save time and it would further help the creature see things from her view. _

_She could already feel the creature shifting through her mind from one image to another. The intelligent creature saw it all: Minato's body as she found it and her grief, the kyuubi now sealed in Naruto, the council meeting she secretly attended and the rage she felt as they callously screamed for her little boys death and finally the love and amazement she felt as she held that tiny little baby boy._

_The creature withdrew its mind from Kohana's memories disbelieving at the events that took place. Ka-Tsume hissed her whiskers whirling with rage and its tail lashed out with the fire fir burning hotter from the rage creating a hole in the wall, finally burning something. It growled menacing with rage displaying razor sharp teeth and curled up its lips dripping even more jade colored deadly poison while its slender body crouched and dug its claws further into the ground. Smoke and the smell of brimstone leaked from its nose._

"**The slaughter of hatchlings and innocents is a grave and unforgivable sin!"** _It hissed venomously barley able to keep its down to a level that would keep them from being detected._ _It was obviously very pissed and Kohana had never been gladder that she had signed this particular summoning contract._ **"Very well I shall aid you in your cause though I would much rather bite and kill the pathetic creatures that would dare harm another's hatchling!"**

_With that said it turned around and climbed into the wagon to curl up onto the floor next to the crib, making Kohana wince as its pointy claws scratched the floor and walls of the wagon during the climb in. Nodding her gratefulness Kohana closed the wagon doors and locked it once more. The seals made the wagon walls unbreakable and unburnable so she had nothing to fear from bandits and attackers but to be caught by ninja while posing no problem as they still could not get in would be upsetting. They wagon could not open by any means other than the key that only she could use and no one else could touch it with out being hurt unless she willingly gave permission. Kohana wanted every means of protection for her nephew and she was not going to pull her punches, thus the summons._

_Looking up that the four faces of the Hokage She stared at Minato's stone visage before wordlessly getting into the wagon and urging the horses forward. Looking around no one was at the gate because the walls had crumbled and there wasn't much of a gate to guard. Thankfully the walls were still in good condition. She took one last look a Minato's stone face._

"_I'm so sorry my brother hat I won't be able to go to your funeral but go in peace because I swear I will protect Naruto and love him with every fiber of my being. I swear it on my life I will care for him and that he will know of you." She whispered, bitter tears welling in her eyes at the thought that she would no longer see her brothers smiling face or hear his laugh._

_And with that she was gone…_

(Present day)

It had been exactly five years since the attack on the village by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Five years since Sarutobi Hiruzen had come out of retirement and continued leading the village. Five years since the Yondaime had sealed the great demon fox into the belly of a newborn baby and thus died. Five years that Naruto was 'kidnapped'. It was also five years ago that he made a deal he now little to late wonders if he should have regretted making.

Thinking back he wonders if he should have allowed Kohana take Naruto away from Konoha or if she will honor her part of the bargain…

0o0o0o0o

I'm so happy with my work. This was by far the best chapter I've written.

Can any of you guess what Kohana's summons is?

And what deal did Sarutobi make with Kohana?

Will I get any fans of this story?

Stayed tuned to find out. Please review. *puppy dog eyes" pleeeassse review?

-He will knock four times


	2. Chapter 2

(Octobor 11, 7:27 am, the day after the kyuubi attack.)

_All was quiet and still in the village…_

_ It was early morning, the sun was shining not a cloud of the sky and unseasonable warm weather for October tempted the inhabitants of Konoha. A perfect day; Or it would have been if the streets were not filled with mourners wearing black clothing and many buildings toppled laying broken as if an earthquake had occurred. A massive jagged fissure about two meters deep ran through the middle of the street like the gates of hell themselves had tried to open up. People who dared to brave close could not observe the bottom and it looked like it went hundreds of feet down with the view of the bottom of the fissure swallowed by the darkness. Wooden Two by sixes lay covering the massive gash in the street, an unnecessary caution because people were giving the small chasm in the ground a wide berth._

_People were running frantically back and forth looking for someone and hoping to all gods above that their beloved ones were not among the causalities. They looked for mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, grandfather, grandmother, friend, comrade, lover, wife, husband but most of all they looked for someone to tell them what to do. They were lost and confused. _

_Their leader was dead increasing their grief and now no one was giving them direction, something they desperately hoped would change._

_An eerie silence was upon the street that was stifling and should have crushed someone by now ran unbroken except for the occasional calls of peoples names as their loved ones looked for them.. Grief and sorrow from the loss of loved ones and the devastation of their home was thick permeating the air like some sort of blanket. In he town square a line of bodies were being neatly lined up and covered with sheets to hide their ravaged and bloodied bodies and the blood. _

_The cries of anguish like something from the tale of the damned could be heard as grief and sorrow and shock emanated from the people and looking lost as they identified someone they knew among the dead. A heavily bandaged Chunin carrying a clip bored, a pen and a heavy heart went from body to body identifying and recording the dead to count up losses they suffered from the attack. Things were not looking good. From the numbers he was recording they had already lost over four hundred and fifty-six civilians and way over three hundred shinobi. It was sad that they had lost so many civilians but it was much worse that they had lost so many shinobi. To lose more than twenty shinobi was a horrible loss, to lose more than fifty was terrible but to loose three hundred…_

_ Konohagakure had lost two thirds of their military forces leaving them weak and vulnerable to attack from rival villages and enemies who have vendettas. Konoha only had forty-three Genin, fifty-nine Chunin, sixty Jounin and special Jounin and thirty-two anbu. They had lost a majority of anbu and Jounin: the cream of the crop and the strength of the village. _

_ Even most of the anbu and Jounin that survived were heavily injured and it questionable as to whether they could continue being a ninja. The only reason the Genin survived is because most of them were evacuating civilians to the shelters located below the stone faces. Such a devastating loss of military power would take a decade to completely rebuild and even then things wouldn't be the same. Things would never be the same. Loves lost and family torn apart cruelly to a place they could not follow yet, barred by a threshold they could not cross called death._

_ One man in particular was walking among his people surveying the scene in front of him giving consolation and making decisions about things that would need to be done. The skin around his eyes rimmed nearly charcoal black from a lack of sleep and his white and red Hokage robes that had not been worn for a while, normally immaculate, disheveled. Sarutobi had clearly not slept much or tried to sleep judging from the looks of his haggard and slow movements. Things were bad now but Sarutobi was certain they would get better._

_Of course, this about the time something happens to cancel out such hopeful statements..._

_ Sarutobi became alarmed when two anbu guards' ox and horse alone with Ibiki, the new anbu captain, landed behind him and judging from the body postures he could observe from behind the white cloaks they were tense and did not bring good news. It was a further testament to the fact that they were frantic when they did not even stop to consider that they were in a public place filled with villagers before the normally intelligent anbu guards delivered news that should have remained secret._

_"Hokage-sama the jinchuriki Uzumaki Naruto is gone and we cannot locate him at the hospital. The anbu guards I had stationed to protect him are have been knocked out from some sort of drug I do not recognize. My men are searching the villager and villagers for him as we speak but it is unlikely we will find him. No one was witnessed carrying a baby last night or this morning so no description of the culprit can be made or any clues as to which direction Uzumaki was taken in." He said reported tersely looking wild eyed and without his normal take-anything-in-stride composure._

_Sarutobi Hiruzen now felt he knew what they were talking about when they coined the phrase 'from one hell to another'. Who ever had done this was clearly skilled to have gotten in with out alarming the guards or alerting them to their presence so the civilians were out. They had some expertise with exotic drugs and then to have kidnapped Naruto without having been spotted by anyone in the village required severe stealth abilities. _

_Hiruzen swore inwardly as he realized what this meant and for good measure swore again. Only a prodigious stealth master could achieve that and someone who was that proficient with exotic toxins and concoctions that even a seasoned Jounin like Ibiki or other anbu could not recognize was rare. He could only think of one person who filled that profile._

_"Ibiki! I want you and every single one of you anbu men to search the village for Murasaki Majo!" Sarutobi ordered in a commanding tone that would tolerate no objections._

_ Ibiki's eyes widened but turned and did as he was told. Messenger hawks were being sent out ever available Jounin was looking high and low for signs of the witch or Naruto. Eventually it was confirmed that majo was no longer in the village and that a wagon was seen leaving the eastern village gates last night around 8:45 that matched the description of the infamous kunochi's mobile house that Sarutobi gave._

_Hiruzen was mashing his teeth in frustration and worry._

_ Her medical ninjutsu her superb and rivaled Tsunade's own skill, something his student is not willing to admit. It grated on Tsunade and her ego that some one else had skills to rival her and Chiyo of the red sands, a medic that was well known for her poisons during the shinobi wars. Once Tsunade had asked to examine a poison of Kohana's to see if she could neutralize it or find an antidote. Kohana already said she had an antidote but gave Tsunade a sample of the requested poison anyway. _

_ Tsunade spent three weeks tearing at her hair trying to find a antidote. Then mysteriously 'lost' the sample before she could finish creating an antidote and had a dour disposition for a couple of weeks due to a severely bruised ego. She had vehemently denied being unable to find an antidote and said that she had been close and would have finished had she not lost it. It didn't help that Kohana had taken pity on his student and given her a sample of the antidote to the poison._

_ Kohana had the ability to disappear and leave no trails nearly instantaneously. She was a master stealth's-woman bringing it to nearly an art form and given a few minutes she could hide any thing or anyone. It was why she was a favored assassin because she could pull a cloak and dagger operation and always succeeded without leaving a trace. What's more is that she managed somehow to keep rumors of her prowess nearly non-existent from the civilian public further illustrating her abilities to stay hidden. _

_ Hiruzen once asked for a demonstration of her abilities to disappear and hide while he was still Hokage in his office making the rule that she could not leave the room. She agreed and made him cover his eyes for only ten seconds. He had counted down and looked up, down, left, right. His office did not have any closets or things to hide under. There was only the simple desk, plush office chair and the two chairs reserved for visitors. He had cast his keen and advanced senses around searching for a chakra signature, a scent, an irregularity or a sound. Sarutobi even checked for gengetsu and found there was none._

_He had found… nothing. Kohana had managed to fool even a Hokage's keen senses and could surprise attack him at her leisure. When Sarutobi had admitted defeat during this demonstration Kohana materialized in his cushy plush office chair that he had been certain was empty. When he asked if she was in his chair the whole time Kohana had said "_yes I was, and had you sat on the chair and I had been hired to kill you, you would have not even have felt me or known I was in the chair until it was too late_."_

_Kohana had had hours to complete her disappearing act. If he did not catch up to Kohana NOW she would take Naruto with her and vanish without a trace and could stay that way. Indefinitely. What was worse is that Hiruzen had no idea if she intended to ever return to Konoha. If she did decide to return when and would Naruto be with her?_

_Deciding that he would go after the wagon himself he marshaled all available anbu sending half with orders to guard the village and give out his instructions and the other half to come with him to track down "Murasaki majo". _

_"But Hokage-sama you cannot leave! You are the Hokage and we are under marshal law." Cat protested her feminine voice betraying her hidden gender. "We are certain we can recover the jinchuriki."_

_It bothered Sarutobi that they were referring Naruto as a jinchuriki and not because it was true but because it was as if the jinchuriki was being reduced to an object and not a person. He knew cat was right and that he should not leave but Kohana had told him the secret on how to track and find her wagon, something that he was sure she now regretted and would come in useful for Hiruzen_

_"We are going and I will hear no objections. We have to move fast and we will follow my and cats lead as I am the only one that can track that wagon." He said firmly and without further word raced to the east gate forcing the anbu to follow._

_ The secret to the wagon was simple. The wagon has several chakra conversion seals of Kohana's own design that taps into the natural energy of the area and it uses that energy to wipe the dirt free of any trails left there. This meant it did not require active participation from the driver or any chakra leaving the driver or anyone on the wagon completely energized. There was a slight drawback to this. It leaves a trail of chakra signature that only a Byakugan or Sharingan can see and eventually dissipates after twelve hours, a time limit they were fast approaching and would need to move quick before the trail disappears altogether._

_ Cat was a Hyuuga and Sarutobi himself has some chakra sensing abilities and between the two of them they could easily track the wagons chakra. They were already twenty-five miles from the village when Cats Byakugan said she spotted the wagon. It was traveling and according to her an adult woman was driving but she could not see within the wagon. Sarutobi told them to get thirty feet with in the wagon on all sides and surround it but not approach because he would be doing the talking. It would not do to upset Kohana and make her attack when the goal was to get Naruto to return to Konoha with or without her._

_Sarutobi got in front of the wagon and looked into Kohana's beautiful blue eyes. She had already stopped the wagon and was now calmly surveying the barley concealed anbu before laying her eyes on Hiruzen. Her horses shifted uncomfortably and they nickered. The breeze slightly billowing up her purple cloak and her hood fell back to reveal a long length of lustrous wavy gold colored hair that cascaded down her back. Then she spoke._

_"Hello Hiruzen. How may I help you today? If you have brought your friends to accompany you for tea I'm afraid I have none." She said completely in a calm and detached manner. _

_ No one could break into that wagon. Kohana had the upper hand in this situation. She knew it, Sarutobi knew and even the anbu knew it though they could not hear what was being said which was she was not worried. It _was_ however irritating that she was acting as if nothing was wrong and wasn't making the situation any easier._

_"Kohana, Naruto Uzumaki went missing from the village hospital last night. Kidnapped in fact, his guards were knocked out by a rare form of non-lethal toxins. In fact they were strikingly similar to the ones _you_ use." He began hoping she would speak up and confess already._

_Kohana raised an eyebrow. _He isn't going to openly accuse me?

_"Lost him already have you? That is most unfortunate. You say he was kidnapped? Terrible thing to do, kidnapping a child. You should hurry up and find the culprit." she said completely unaffected by his words. Inwardly she found her taunting of the aged Hokage rather amusing. If he didn't have the guts to come out and accuse her of taking what's hers then she wasn't going to make this easy on him by admitting she knew anything._

_"Kohana, I know you have Naruto and you must bring him back to Konoha." He said trying to keep an even tone. _

Ah, there we are_. "Do I now? And if I were to have en-acted my right as his legal guardian as I am his aunt, why do you seek me out and say he must be return to Konoha?_

**_'_**_I must bring him back to Konoha?**'** I was not aware that he belonged to you. Tell me Hiruzen, what family claim do you have over him that makes you more in charge of his well being than I?" __She waited patiently for a minute and when Sarutobi remained silent she spoke again continuing in the same detached manner, "none. You have no right to say where he does and does not go."_

_"Kohana please be reasonable. Naruto belongs in the village Minato grew up in. he should learn to love the village and grow up happy like his father." He said pleading. It was a dirty tactic to bring Minato's wishes into this and everyone knew it. A tactic he was going to regret using. _

_Kohana's eyes narrowed and faced darkened with rage before spitting out in a voice far darker and terrible than he had ever heard from the woman "and what? Go back to that vile traitorous village filled with blood-thirsty newborn killers?" _

_Sarutobi's eyes grew wide and Kohana angrily continued her rant, _

_"Oh yes Sarutobi Hiruzen. **I was there**. I heard them howling for the death of my own flesh and blood. I heard the sick requests that he be tortured to death or be thrown into a pot of fire. I heard insults, hate, rage and killing intent all directed at my little boy." __She continued hysterically growing in volume clearly loosing a grip on her emotions. _

_"Grow up happy? Are you fucking kidding me Hiruzen? Happy means he will have friends his own age that he can play with and hangout with. Happy means he can walk through the village every morning without some asshole attacking him with a broken bottle or baseball bat. They want to KILL him. Are you naïve enough to think that they will let him play with their children?_

_Belong to the village? Don't you pull that bullshit with me Hiruzen! Minato was a hero and a savior of that god-forsaken place and they don't deserve the sacrifice my brother made and now they want to kill his son. He shouldn't of have to save that murder house. Minato's slaved night after night doing his work to keep the village happy and he did it with a smile on his face. Now he is dead and my little nephew has a demon sealed within him. _

_ My brothers wish? His wish was for his son to be viewed as a hero and they want to kill Minato's son, my nephew. They aren't fit to lick the mud of my sandals for that. You say he should learn to love people who would happily kill him while he slept in his crib only _days _old?"_

_She finished her rant slightly purple in her face nearing the color of her cloak, her face the most beautiful image of anger anyone had ever seen. She was slightly breathless and looked quite frightening. The reigns in her hand clenched tight and the anbu shied away from her nervously amazed that their Hokage was not afraid._

_"Ill have anbu guards set up to make sure he is not harmed and you'll be there with him. I have a decree in place that no one of the younger generation will know of the kyuubi so that means he can live a normal life growing up. Please Kohana what were you intending to do by taking Naruto away from the village? Do you think I would let any harm befall Naruto, let alone Minato's child?"_

_That question forced all of the anger from Kohana's face like a popped balloon._

_"I do not doubt that you are a kind man Hiruzen and that you would do all you can for Naruto even if his parents were simple bakers or delivery boys. I want Naruto to grow up happy and the village is simply to angry now. I must take Naruto away. I never said I didn't intend to come back. I wish to train him so that he can protect himself when we return to the village. Also leaving serves another purpose; no one will know what he looks like when we return so he will at least receive fair treatment from the civilians for a while. They fear him Hiruzen and 'first cometh the fear and then cometh the hate'. He will be ostracized if we stay." She said softly._

_Sarutobi didn't know what to say. He had no illusions about how Naruto would be treated. He could try to convince Kohana to stop doing something wrong but how could he try and convince her to stop doing what is right? Sarutobi didn't want to admit it but Naruto leaving for a time until the village simmers was the best thing. Not only for his state of mind and well being but for the village as well. Except there were problems concerning the safety of Naruto outside the village…_

_"Kohana there are people would love to get their hands on a jinchuriki because they would view it as an opportunity to be the perfect weapon. The jinchuriki of the kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful of the nine Bijuu would be especially tempting. I do not think it would be safe for Naruto outside the village." He said trying to remain calm._

_A wry smile appeared on Kohana's face that Hiruzen did not like. It suggested that she knew something he didn't. "Oh yes. I know all too well the draw a jinchuriki has on the power hungry which is why Naruto would not be safe in that village." She said flatly._

_"What do you mean?" he asked apprehensively not liking what she was suggesting. Kohana's eyes narrowed a she stared at Hiruzen for a moment._

_"You mean Danzo has not yet approached you saying he should take Naruto in and care for him so that he can be trained as a soldier out of the kindness of his cold blackened heart?" she said laughing mirthlessly at the idea of Danzo having a heart or a conscious. Her laugh, normally as bright and cheery as the sun or Minato's laugh was dead and a chilling, piercing, humorless sound filled with sarcasm and mocking amusement._

_"He suggested that Naruto would be a good weapon but I rejected the idea and told him that it would not be allowed to be brought up anymore. Naruto will grow up like a normal child." He knew Naruto would be better off with his family but Sarutobi was being selfish. He loved Minato like Jiraiya did: like a son. Hiruzen wanted to get to know Minato's child, so further proof that Naruto should leave the village while they could was unwelcome._

_An ugly look came over Kohana's face, one filled with distaste and disgust._

_"Do not think I foolishly left Konoha and took Naruto with me for thoughtless reasons Hiruzen. During the _**council**_ meeting," she spat the word 'council' as if it were a vile curse word sneering, "I observed Danzo staring at Naruto as he was a piece of meat. I decided to follow him when he left for his thrice accursed ROOT organization. Do you know what I observed him doing with my own eyes?" she asked the last sentence with a sickly sweet tone of voice reserved for babies and naïve toddlers._

_"He wouldn't… I told him 'no'." Hiruzen breathed. _

_Hiruzen had known that Danzo was trying overthrow him but had no evidence. Everyone knew he was corrupt but there was no evidence. It was a politics game that everyone played where you danced from side-to-side dodging bullets and picking up dirt on the other. ROOT was supposed to be disbanded but it was technically still alive and in control of Danzo but no one had proof. He had thought the man would not attempt anything once his request to acquire Naruto was rejected._

_ Her face grew cold and her eyes red and puffy from crying hardened at the fact that Hiruzen would not believe her. A ugly look unsuited to her usually beautiful face with her perfect lips curled in distaste before she turned her head to the side and spat in the most decidedly un-lady like fashion over the side of the wagon as if a sour taste was in her mouth. _

_"**Oh yes he would**. I saw him making plans to have me killed and silenced and then to have my precious little Naruto kidnapped to be trained in ROOT so he can be raised as a cold emotionless tin can of a soul that is a ROOT anbu. He wanted emotional training that would kill the emotions of Naruto and then to raise him as a weapon and not a human being. He would be a robot with no purpose, no laughter, no happiness and no childhood. I will not let that happen. Naruto will never come near Danzo." He said a viscous harsh tone and edge entering her words that would have cut lesser men in half._

_Now Sarutobi was certain that he should let Kohana go but he didn't want to let Naruto go so easily. He was going to suggest a trade, one that would solve a great deal of trouble. The trade however had some dire consequences if done wrong._

_"Very well. I will let you go on two conditions. The first is that you have to return within five years today with Naruto."_

_"I can adhere to that particular condition but what would the second be?" she asked genuinely curious as to what she could offer the aged village leader._

_Sarutobi walked up closer to Kohana until he was right next to her on the wagon. Kohana looked a little apprehensive but was reassured when Sarutobi did nothing threatening. Kohana leaned down towards Hiruzen to lend her ear._

_ The anbu were mystified about what was going on. They could barley hear the conversation being said. They had heard some yelling and were shocked that the usually stoic and kind Murasaki Majo lost her temper and screamed like that. Not only that but from they could hear she was screaming about her brother and the context clues from the conversation suggested that Majo- Sama was Yondaime-sama's sister and that Naruto Uzumaki is Yondaime-sama's son making Majo-sama Naruto's aunt! They were upset to realize that they had hated their favorite leader's son and even more upset that they never knew. Now Hokage-sama was whispering into her ear and they did not know what was being said but if the expression on Majo-sama's face was any indicator it was something shocking. Suddenly Hokage-sama pulls away from Majo-sama and Majo-sama stares at Hokage-sama with an impassive face before she gives a chilling smile and nods happily. What had passed between the elderly man and the young woman before them?_

_Hokage-sama raises his right fist to summon them and all sixteen anbu appear behind him like they should. _

_"Do we have a deal Kohana?" he asked searching her face for any deceits._

_"Oh Hiruzen we most certainly have a deal. I will look forward to upholding _that _particular part very much; very much indeed." She said the cold happy and satisfied smile that made men run in fear and enemies fear for their very souls still on her face._

_Hiruzen looked for a moment longer and was certain she would uphold her end of the deal. He was certain that she would and that she had every reason to but still… Hiruzen turns to his sixteen anbu subordinates and cleared his throat. What he was about to do and say was not unusual. In fact it was normal for the ninja world and secrets were kept as a day to day basis._

_"Listen to me anbu. This is what happened: Murasaki Majo successfully escaped the __village__ of __Konohagakure__ with the jinchuriki Uzumaki Naruto. A recon and rescue mission was put into effect. The recon team searched for Murasaki Majo and her wagon until they found a trail. The recon team followed the trail for many miles before it went cold and no leads were found and we never found them or their trail. We never saw them and no one else saw them. I never talked with her and she never spoke with me. It was too late to catch up with her and regrettably we could not find and recover Uzumaki Naruto." He said seriously with a fierce look that dared any objections and would not tolerate any insubordination._

_All anbu realized what was going on and the intent of the third Hokage's words so the chorused 'Hai Hokage-sama." They had heard enough of the conversation to be told that the jinchuriki was also the Yondaime's son and that Murasaki Majo Sama was Minato Arashi Namikaze's sister. They were severely loyal to Minato, the fourth, and Hiruzen the third. If they desired it, it would be so. Also they knew that the son of their dearly loved fourth would not be safe in the village and so they would do anything to protect him even lying about what happened._

_"The fact that I talked with her is an S-class secret and you will tell no one. Am I clear?" he said completely serious._

_"Hai-Hokage-sama." All spoke again._

_The cat stepped forward but remained silent because she had no permission to speak yet. _

_"Yes cat? You may speak."_

_"Hokage-sama, is Uzumaki Naruto really Minato-sama's son? And Murasaki-sama is Minato's sister?" she said sounding happy and joyful an emotion that is unusual for a Hyuuga. _

_ They had heard Kushina-sama was pregnant and some of them had been ordered to follow her to make she was safe by Minato-sama. Cat herself remembers being happy that Hokage-sama was going to have a child and looked forward to caring and guarding the newborn young master. Then the kyuubi attack and they received word that Kushina-sama died and soon after Hokage-sama died after. Cat and all the others had thought that young master had died along with Kushina-sama while still in the womb, having never been born in the attack of the Kyuubi. _

(Authors note: in ancient Japan the children of leaders were called 'young master' (bocchan) or 'young mistress' (ojou-san). These mean something like 'the son/daughter of others' and are used to refer to the son or daughter of the owners house.)

_ So the idea that Minato-sama's son was alive was shocking and a happy one but what really blew their minds was that Minato-sama had a sister that they didn't know about and that it was _Majo-sama_ of all people. _

_Now that they look closely they realize it must be true. She had the same hair color and her hair was as unruly as Minato-sama's was and nearly identical cerulean eyes. Her tanned skin the same tone and color of Minato-sama's. Her face was the same but shaped slightly rounder than Minato-sama's giving her a perfect heart shaped face. Her nose was shaped slightly smaller making her more feminine and her smile was the same as Minato-sama's. Just the way she tilted her head and set her shoulders screamed Minato Namikaze. They would have realized it before but Majo-sama always had on her purple cloaks hood. Now that they knew she was a Namikaze that desperately wanted to know her first name and to protect her._

_"Yes it's true but that is also to be named an s-rank secret. Minato made many enemies during the war and Naruto would not live to see his first birthday if Iwa or Grass knew that his father was the famous Yellow flash. Murasaki Majo being a Namikaze and Minato's sister is also an s-rank secret you cannot tell anyone unless Kohana says you can. Is that clear?"_

_"Hai Hokage-sama." Kohana Namikaze. Why had they not heard of her? It was something on all their minds but for Minato-sama's sake and in honor of his memory they would carry this secret to the grave in order to protect his last living two relatives._

_"May I go Hokage-sama?" Kohana asked sounding sarcastic as if she had to ask permission in the first place._

_"Good bye Kohana. Remember you have five years." Hiruzen said quietly, wishing that she and Naruto would not go._

_Kohana inclined her head in acknowledgment before turning her head eastward and clicked her teeth urging the horses forward leaving Hiruzen once again to wonder if this was the right thing to do._

(Present day)

Hiruzen still looking out at the village spots something and squints. Getting up out of his chair he peers through the glass fogging it up slightly with his breath. There in the middle of the road making its way to the tower was a massive… wagon. It had the appearance of the night sky being covered with paintings of stars and moons of all sized and it was so massive that it was parting the crowd. Hiruzen smiles and gives a sigh of relief. Finally she is here.

Composing himself and sitting down in his chair he calls Genma in and instructs him to cancel all appointments he had scheduled before lunchtime. Hiruzen put his tobacco in his pipe and lit it placing it in his mouth smiling slightly. His son Asuma had come back yesterday from the monastery he had run off to, he was about to meet Naruto, and a very big favor was going to be done for him by Kohana as her end of the deal they had made so many years ago. Today was a great day.

_Knock Knock_

Sarutobi just smiled even wider and said "enter". The door swung open to reveal…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Dear readers:

Hello again! I promise after this chapter there won't be so many long flashbacks. This was mostly just to explain how this started out. From now on its mostly present day stuff and a lot of action. So here is a little of what to expect:

What deal did Kohana make with the Hokage to get him to agree to let her take Naruto with her?

How will Naruto be treated by the villagers?

Will Naruto have more respect for his elders?

What will he be like?

What trouble did he stir up during his travels as a terrible two?

What friends will he make and how will he meet Konoha's shyest kunochi?

Stay reading and reviewing and you will soon find out. Please review! I love reviews.

-He will knock four times.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sarutobi just smiled even wider and said "enter". The door swung open to reveal…_ someone Sarutobi had not seen for a great deal of years and had been apprehensive that h would never see again.

Kohana was wearing her customary purple cloak but surprisingly enough had the hood down and the cloak open revealing the clothing she had on underneath the cloak. Kohana had on a beautiful midnight black dress that reached her sandals was modestly covering her cleavage. It was as functional as it was beautiful if the unnecessary ruffles and flower print that decorated the dress was an indicator. It was loose enough to allow movement and flexibility but tight fitting enough that it showed off her form nicely.

Her long waste length bright yellow wavy hair that normally cascaded down her back like a still-motion waterfall was done up in a tight bun with two disobedient strands of hair framing the sides of her face. Her soft light colored skin had a healthy look to it and her smiled showed that she was in a genial mood. Kohana's periwinkle blue sky eyes betrayed that she was anticipating something with the calculating look that could be observed within them. She was just as beautiful today as she was five years ago when she took Naruto and left Konoha far behind her.

Sarutobi eyes raked her person and looked behind her for a second figure her expected to see. He let out a relived sigh when he noticed a tiny pair of arms around Kohana's neck and a small blond head of hair peaking out from behind Kohana. It was a cute scene. Naruto was asleep on Kohana's back and they truly looked like mother and child with the hair color and facial features displayed side-by-side like that. His tiny head lay on her shoulder with one cheek exposing three whisker marks with his eyes closed and his childish fingers clasped. Hiruzen had not even had a proper look at Naruto yet but he was absolutely certain that Naruto was the spitting image of his father sans the whiskers.

Kohana and Sarutobi just studied each other in silence waiting for the other to speak first. They had not been on very good terms when they last spoke and each had been under large amounts of stress making them speak and say things they would not normally say. This meant that the both of them still weren't sure if they were still on good terms. Kohana showed she had less patience by speaking first.

"It has been five long years and I brought him back to stay as promised." She said quietly, looking unsure of the situation. Kohana looking unsure of her own self was the strangest phenomenon that Sarutobi Hiruzen had ever seen in his long ninja career and even longer life.

"Good. Thank you Kohana I admit I was getting worried if you were going to honor our agreement. You do realize that the other half of the deal still stands? I will give you a month to achieve your goal and then we need to discuss a third requirement." He said calmly waiting for the inevitable anger.

"Of course I would honor our bargain!" she said angrily and then caught herself glancing nervously at Naruto and lowered her voice so as not to wake little Naruto. "I assume by the fact that you mentioned our deal that it is safe to speak?" she said glancing anxiously at the windows and then her eyes flickered to the door.

"Naturally the walls and doors have seals to prevent eaves droppers and the walls are soundproof." He said taking a puff on his pipe causing smoke to rise in lazy spirals.

Kohana stood there eyeing the pipe with distaste. It was simply not healthy for an elderly man and most certainly not for a young boy to be exposed to the smoke and if he didn't understand that she was going to say something. Sarutobi sensed her glaring at his pipe and sighed reluctantly putting the pipe away for another time. Hiruzen signaled to Kohana that it was her turn to speak and that she had his full attention. Kohana instead of speaking walked over to an arm chair and carefully took Naruto off her back and laid the sleeping child in the chair who immediately curled up trying to stay warm. Kohana stood there for a moment with a tender smile directed at the small form before turning around to go sit in front of the Hokage and his writing desk to speak.

"What would be the third condition Hiruzen? I agreed to it and you didn't even tell me what it was. I agreed to the second condition because it would be something that would have to be done anyway but I would want it done before any damage happened." She said looking exceptionally weary and utterly travel worn.

"You look tired and so does Naruto." He observed dodging the question because he was not sure how to make his request and he also wanted to learn more about Naruto and his upbringing.

Kohana gave a tired weak smile. "Well I've told Naruto stories about Konoha and how it's his home and that we would one day see it. I think it was mostly the idea of living in one place permanently that got him excited and that he would become a ninja if we lived there. I never did stay in one place for more than two months which unfortunately did not let him make many friends. Then last night I told him that we would be returning to Konoha to stay permanently and he was so excited at the idea of going to see a ninja village that he ran around constantly yelling about how awesome he thought it was. I couldn't get him to go to sleep until twelve o'clock which is three hours past his bedtime and he is only five so it's no surprise he is so tired."

Sarutobi chuckled with mirth at the news. Apart from looks it sounded like Naruto was just like Kushina in personality by being loud, excitable and happy child. Sarutobi is certain that it would be a delight to know this young child he wanted to treat as his own grandchild and watch him grow up to look and act just like his parents. From the sound of it Kohana managed to give Naruto as relatively happy normal childhood one could give a child while on the road.

Hiruzen was glad that Naruto had some happiness while living with his aunt and it also gave him the advantage of seeing places and people before he even entered the academy. By the looks of it and what he had heard from Kohana, Naruto was also a energetic, bubbly and hyper child that could be a handful, something that made Sarutobi grin big because both Minato and Kushina had been like that as a child.

"I see. It looks like I made the right decision letting you take him away. The village has been repaired and the people's anger has subsided some and Naruto grew up well. I said the villages anger has abated a little in Naruto's absence but I highly doubt that will last if they learn about Naruto being back so for the time being I ask that you and Naruto be accompanied by an anbu guard." Hiruzen said solemnly, vividly remembering the bloody calls of death and how some villagers had tried to attack Naruto at the council meeting all those years ago.

Kohana pursed her lips in response to this; clearly she was not happy with the news. "Hiruzen I know you mean well but you don't hide something by flashing lights and putting sirens over the thing you wish to hide. An anbu escorting us wherever we go is bound to draw attention and raise eyebrows. It would be best if he tailed us instead staying out of sight all the while."

Sarutobi agreed but that wouldn't fit with what the anbu he had in mind would want. Sarutobi had not told Kakashi about who Naruto's parents are because he was grieving and would regret even more not even being able to take care of his sensei's son. Sarutobi planned to tell Kakashi when Kohana came back and he was certain Kakashi would want to be part of Naruto's life once he knew about who Naruto was. Truthfully Sarutobi thought it was best because being in the anbu for so long was starting to affect Kakashi's mental state and it had gotten even worse after Rin died two years ago. Kakashi would need something to fixate on that could give him a piece of normality in his life and protecting his sensei's son would be perfect.

"I will think about this later. Tell me what have you taught Naruto and how has he progressed?" Hiruzen leaned forward eagerly. He wanted to know what the young child had learned and how talented he was. If he was anything like his mother he would be intelligent and strong and he would be a genius if he was like his father.

"I have been teaching him Taijutsu and how to use a katana, something he has taken to exceptionally well. When he is old enough I plan to give him his father's katana so that he can use it. He has mastered the first of five katana dances and is currently working on the second dance set. He is doing well in taijutsu but I'm afraid I'm a poor teacher for him in that area because I am not a very strong taijutsu user. He is doing well with the kunai training and knows how to use them responsibly. He is a good student and loves to try the exercises I give him and no matter what or how hard he keeps trying. He says it's because he is doing them with me."

Kohana was beaming with pride at her little babies accomplishments and that he was so smart. It never mattered to her little Naruto that he could never manage to get a hit with his wooden katana or a punch; he always got up happily and kept attacking without seeming tired. It still amazed Kohana how energetic the young were and when they could run around like that for hours it made her feel old; something she dreaded becoming. Then Kohana remembered something about her Naruto's training that made her laugh.

"Naruto really is Kushina's son through and through. I have been making him learn history, etiquette, math, writing, calligraphy, coding and decoding, plants and poisons, the chakra systems and the ninja emergency situation procedure. He hates it thoroughly and I have to force him to do it or offer to get him a toy to make him cooperate. He says he hates homework and would rather learn to use a sword than sit behind a desk with 'boring old paper'. But he is so smart and manages to get them right despite the fact he dislikes them. I still have more to teach him but I believe those gaps can be filled at the academy."

Sarutobi smiled with delight and was extremely content with the amount of training Naruto had managed to excel at during such a young age. Children become aware of the world around them at the age of four and start learning their letters before progressing to learning reading and writing around that age. Naruto was five and he had to be an extremely intelligent and bright child if he could already read and was understanding math, history, codes and the chakra circulation systems and other such brain work at the very young age of five.

Naruto also seemed to be a talented close combat type and would indeed do well with his father's collection of special wakizashi's, kodachi's and katana's. These swords were able to channel chakra or elemental chakra and had various special properties that enhanced the user's abilities. Minato loved these swords and took care of them regularly. Sarutobi was certain that Minato would want his son to have them. Granted Naruto would need a lot of work before he could be deemed even 'proficient'. Naruto would need to be introduced to a taijutsu teacher other than Kohana because Kohana specialized in quick defeats and one hit KO's by using her stealth skills meaning that she was not as good in taijutsu as others and extended fights without her sword were deadly for her.

"You have done well in your training of him. Kohana I forgot to ask but have you told him who his parents are?" he asked, his gaze turning steely and piercing while hoping that she had not.

"Yes, I have." Kohana said innocently and completely unrepentant while knowing full well that Sarutobi didn't want her to tell Naruto who his father and mother were.

"Kohana! What have you done? If it becomes known to the village people will try to curry his favor and set up political marriages before you can turn around twice. I can't even imagine the nightmares we will face from outside the village. Minato made many enemies and Iwa would be sending assassin after assassin after the boy." He asked shocked that she would be so thoughtless.

"Because Naruto will grow up knowing his father and his mother, he will grow up knowing about the village his father led and saved, he will become a strong Konohagakure shinobi with honor and dignity like his mother and father. I will see him treated like a hero and with the respect he should have received. I will not have Naruto grow up questioning whether or not his father and mother loved him because they were not around." She said firmly.

The people of Konoha had lost her respect. She still did not believe that the village deserved any of Naruto's love or the sacrifice Minato made because they wanted to kill her precious little baby but she was willing to allow them to redeem themselves. Kohana did not believe that everyone was inherently evil or that there was no hope. Just **lost**. Like her brother she always had optimism and complete unwavering faith in people and that no one was permanently gone on a dark path; all they need was someone to guide them back.

Sarutobi sighed in defeat. When she put it like that he agreed it was for the best that Naruto knew of his parents. Minato himself had once told Sarutobi that both he and Kohana had wondered several times before going to sleep in the orphanage if their own parents had ever loved them. Minato had a sad face when he spoke the following words that Hiruzen would _**never **_forget: "_It's a terrible feeling, to not feel as if you were loved or wanted and to constantly wonder if you're or if you were ever worth anything to anyone. The only reason I'm as happy as I am today is because I had Kohana and knew she was my sister, she is family and I matter to her just as much as she matters to me_."

"All right. You win but Naruto and you can't tell ANYONE about his parents." He said glaring and every bit of Sarutobi Hiruzen from his hardened steel visage to the stiff, fierce posture of his body to the firmness of his voice spoke volumes that he would hear no objections. The kind and elderly grandfather that Kohana was so use to, was replaced by a fierce and wise leader that would hear no objections and tolerate no insubordination and it was clear now why Sarutobi was called "the god among shinobi" as well as "The professor".

"Hiruzen you wound me. I am no fool. I know he would not be safe if anyone knew. I told Naruto of his father and mother but made him promise to not tell others. I made him promise and threatened to not teach him or let him become a shinobi if he told anyone." She said, solemnly at first but then her eyes twinkled with mirth and she tried to resist the grin that was threatening to form on her face from the memory of Naruto's horrified look and then the profuse string of vows of silence that followed from her child.

Hiruzen visibly relaxed and he was the kind grandfather once more. "Good. I presume that you had the good sense to not tell him of the seal or why he has whisker marks?" he questioned his eyes narrowing hoping that she at least didn't tell him that particular part of his story.

All humor and mirth immediately vanished from Kohana's face like some invisible force had harshly slapped it off at the mention of Naruto's condition and prisoner leaving her with a unhappy look. "No. I did not tell him that part. I will wait until he is older. Much, much older."

Sarutobi let out a breath he did not know he was holding and visibly relaxed, sagging in his chair with relief. Telling Naruto about his parents at such a young age was a decision he had mixed feelings about but telling him of the fox? Oh no, that was something that would be unquestionably wrong to tell him right now and would be best at a later time. Sarutobi's thoughts were interrupted by a yawn and both looked over to see little Naruto sitting up rubbing his eyes sleepily. Naruto looked around slightly confused at the change of scenery until he spotted Kohana and his face brightened somewhat.

"Mommy? Where are we? Did we get to the ninja village? Can I see a ninja? Please mommy?" his tiny voice squeaked pleadingly, rising in volume as he got excited. His Blue forget-me-not eyes widening with excitement and all his sleepiness seemed forgotten.

Sarutobi smiled with interest as he looked at Naruto taking in the diminutive facial features and was amused at how he was all ready to start bouncing off the walls despite having just woken up. When Naruto came in asleep on Kohana's back he had not gotten a very good look and he still did not get a good look at Naruto when he curled up in the chair with his small fists in front of his face. Now that he looked he realized that his initial assessment all those years ago was right: Naruto would look just like his father when he got older.

The golden yellow hair was the exact same color and shade as his fathers spiking out wildly and all directions falling over his ears and forehead just like Minato had when he was young. His big blue eyes were the same shape and color as Minato's and they had a innocence to them that only children could achieve, something Hiruzen knew with a panged heart would fade with time. His face was the right shape but slightly rounder due to baby fat and his skin tone was taking on a healthy light brown honey color. With his smile set one his face like that it felt to Hiruzen like he had stepped through time and was talking to Minato when Jiraiya had asked to have him as an apprentice. He was so young, trusting and innocent you could hardly believe that he one of the most powerful, murderous, evil and _malevolent_ demons in existence sealed with in his body.

Kohana not for the first time experienced a pang of guilt at Naruto calling her 'mommy'; it was a guilty pleasure of hers. Kohana had made sure to tell Naruto who his real mother was and stories about her but he still called her 'mommy'. Kohana had made sure to raise him as her own because she knew that Kushina and Minato would want that. She still felt as guilty as sin regardless almost every time he called her that though, for taking Kushina's place in the golden pedestal position that was 'mother'.

For the life of her she could not understand why Naruto wanted her as a mother because she had lost her temper before with Naruto more times than she could count because of his hyper attitude and loud demeanor, a part of Naruto that reminded her of Kushina that she sorely wished at times he had not inherited from his Mother. But then Kohana would remember a saying she had heard growing up about young children. The saying meant that to a child mother could do no wrong and she had realized it was oh so very true by caring for and raising Naruto: "_Mother is god in the eyes of a child._"

Naruto jumped off the chair like it was something high up and ran as fast as his toddler body could go to Kohana trying to climb up on her lap, a delight he seemed accustomed to. "Yes Naruto we are in Konoha. I'd like you to meet the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen." She said warmly. To this day she was still marveling over how much she loved the little boy sitting in her lap, that he had such a hold on her.

Naruto's eyes widened with excitement and curiosity and he looked amazed at Sarutobi. Mommy had told him that they were going to a ninja village to live and he had been looking forward to it. Then mommy had told him that the Hokage was the strongest ninja in the entire village and now that he looked it was an old man?

Sarutobi smiled when he noticed the disbelief on Naruto's face. It was a reaction he was use to from the younger generation because even Sarutobi admits that he does not look like much more than a frail old man at first glance. Thinking back he had been like that as well when he was young, he had been skeptical of Hashirama-sensei and Tobirama-sensei because they didn't look like much to his young and inexperience eyes. Naturally he had been proved spectacularly wrong because both senseis Hashirama and Tobirama sensei went on to be the first and second Hokage's of Konohagakure of fire country. Perhaps Naruto thought he would be some young, cool looking warrior or something his young mind dreamed up.

"Hello Naruto-kun, it has been a while since I have seen you and I have been looking forward to meeting you." He was telling the truth. He had been looking forward to getting to know the child and seeing him again.

"You're Hokage, old man?" he said looking confused and doubtful and Sarutobi just chuckled good-naturedly while Kohana looked shocked.

"Naruto, what is the third ninja rule?" she asked sharply. She could not believe how rude her little baby was behaving and decided some discipline was in order.

"Never underestimate an opponent because of appearance!" he said in a sing-song voice that spoke of hours spent drilling well-memorized facts into the youth before him. Then his eyes widened as if he had realized something and he looked at Sarutobi, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama for being rude."

Hiruzen intended to say that it was alright by was interrupted by Kohana, "good boy Naruto." She said warmly and Naruto beamed with pride at the praise.

"That is quite all right. Tell me, Naruto, would you like to enter the ninja academy?" the effect was immediate, one moment Naruto was sitting still and happily on his mothers lap and the next he was instantly gone and an overeager, hyper five year old child was excitedly jumping up and down and grabbing onto the aged Hokage's leg with a death grip shouting 'please' at him.

"I'll take that as a resounding 'yes'." Sarutobi said chuckling with amusement. How children got all this energy was a puzzling mystery that was far beyond him.

Sarutobi reached into his desk and pulled out the appropriate paperwork to sign, amusement still tugging at the corner of his lips because the blond child was still tugging at his Hokage robes with pleading eyes as if Hiruzen would change his mind.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was no stranger to the puppy dog eyes look that children gave. Indeed, his own son Asuma had given him the look when he had wanted something many times before running off to join a monastery at age thirteen and Hiruzen had been subjected to it dozens of times again and again by new genins fresh from the academy wanting more difficult missions. He had gained immunity to it will crushing effects and no longer caved to its strangely hypnotic powers that the younger generation of children could achieve, but Naruto seemed to be a special case because he actually found himself in a hurry to get the papers out with the blonde child staring at him in a especially adorable dreaded puppy dog eyes attack.

Handing it over wordless to Kohana to fill out Sarutobi took his eyes of her and moved them over to the blonde child who was still gripping his legs looking excited as if this was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. Sarutobi started asking Naruto about how he liked traveling and Naruto asked speaking a mile and hour about all sorts of things bouncing with energy that never seemed to run out.

Kohana was not happy…

Actually that was the understatement of the year. She wanted Naruto to enter the academy but she was quite certain that other people would find out that Naruto was back if she used the name 'Naruto Uzumaki'. It was an unpleasant conundrum, filled with options and none of them favorable or good.

Kohana could tell Naruto to take on a completely new name but he was young and his name was something he would answer automatically without thinking as well as the fact he would expect her to tell him _why _she wanted to change his name. She didn't like that option much because Minato and Kushina loved that name and wanted their son raised with it which meant that option was out.

She could give him a new last name and keep the first name but Naruto was an uncommon name and she was certain the villagers would know it well. This was a ninja village and even the civilians without proper training had picked up a thing or two living in it, especially with some civilians being retired ninja who had training as a kid but gave up or went on to have great careers but became crippled and could no longer serve.

Then there was the option of just writing down 'Naruto Uzumaki' and not hiding who Naruto was. Ultimately this was surprisingly the best option in Kohana's point of view. Naruto should not hide in the village and he should be seen as a hero but then there was the drawback of the villagers. Kohana had faith in people but there was no way in hell she would believe they would pull a one eighty just like that. People were quite capable of acts of cruelty and never ceased to amaze Kohana with how far they could sink. They had called for her precious baby boy's death before but would they do it again?

Kohana had already filled out the whole form with the exception of the parts that required names. Kohana idly glanced over at Naruto who was talking fast about a trip to the fair she had taken him to and he was talking about the lions he saw and how they could eat him whole. Sarutobi was clearly trying his hardest to not laugh at the description and funny things coming out of the five year olds mouth and Kohana could not blame him one single bit for it. Kohana knew children could be very funny even when they did not mean to. The ideas and things they say or could dream and think up were quite novel and more often than not hilarious if they were willing to share. Once Kohana had given Naruto a cookie when he was three that was shaped like a bunny rabbit; Naruto then took a bite out of the cookies tail and looked up with a grin and exclaimed loudly 'I eated bunny butt!' giggling all the while.

(The bunny story happened in real life with this three year old toddler named Emma that I babysat. I took her to the baker with me and gave her a Rodger rabbit cookie and she really did say bite the butt end and say 'I eated bunny butt'. I just thought that was too funny and cute to not be used.)

Kohana dreaded the dire consequences if she was making the wrong decision and hesitantly wrote down in all the slots where the applicants name was expected to go: _Naruto Uzumaki._

XxXxXx

A man sat observing a sight that made him giggle with delight. People when they saw him and what he was doing were naturally offended or disgusted; some joined him on rare occasions. More often than not he was sent running from a horde of enrage females still wrapped up in towels if he was caught. Sometime he let himself be caught just so that when they were chasing him he could catch sight of when those towels would slip. The women's bath was a treasure trove to the pervert and his books.

The man had a long white haired pony tail that spiked out in an uncontrollable mess and spoke of old age. He had black eyes and two red lines that ran from his eyelids down to his chin on either side of his face. He had one wart by his nose and his skin was slightly tanned which spoke of years under the sun. He was wearing a navy green haiori and a red vest over top of it. The haiori parted enough to display his chest with showed a fishnet armor that was covered up by the long green sleeps to display that the fishnet went to his hands. He had geta platform sandals and the same navy colored pants as the haiori that stretched down to his ankle and the rest of his leg was covered by the fishnet armor.

Lying at his side is a massive three foot long red scroll which appeared a half foot thick and it had a strap on both sides for the owner to put on his back. He had calloused hands which marked him as a person used to labor and his slightly dusty clothes spoke of long travels. Perhaps the most curious and notable feature to his person was the large, horned forehead protector that covered his entire forehead and instead of a village symbol there was the kanji for 'oil' which marked him as a ninja.

Jiraiya was disrupted by a distinct poof from behind him. Looking over he sees a red and green two foot tall toad he had stationed to watch the village gates for him for the past month.

"Yo boss! That wagon that you said looked like the night sky showed up! If was huge." Gamatesu voice said, "Can I have my chips now? I watched over the gates for a month now. Hey- where are you going?" Gamatesu glared as well as a toad can glare after the toad summoner balefully. The man was running like at bat out of hell swinging their families summoning scroll over his shoulder.

Jiraiya was excited.

To say he had been pissed when he found out his old teacher had just _let_ Kohana take his godson and leave to kami knows where when there were people who would want to kill him, or kidnap him and turn him in to a weapon was the understatement to end all understatements. He was livid when Sensei had sworn him to secrecy saying that he was not to inform anyone that he had just_ let them go_ after getting a promise that they would be back in five years. A promise! Kohana might decide not to honor that promise and then they would never find them. Jiraiya had tried going after them and even disobeyed his sensei when told to stay but could not find the trail. There was no way he was going to let his godson disappear with no way to contact him even if he was with his aunt.

His spy networks had been getting news of a powerful organization that covertly formed six years ago and from the looks of it they were more interested in jinchuriki than Jiraiya was comfortable with. Not only he had that reason but Jiraiya wanted to get to know his godson. From the descriptions he had heard about baby Naruto from Sarutobi sensei, Minato's brat was adorable and going to look just like him when he grew up. It had been five years and Jiraiya had been damn frustrated and was still tearing at his hair in aggravation to the point where he should have been bald by now. There was not one peep or rumor of Majo Murasaki, Kanata Ai, Hana Satsuki, Tsubaki Arashi, Kohana Namikaze or ANY of her various and multitude of aliases or names from his spy network or any bars where gossip was common.

He had to admit that Kohana was one hell of a stealth artist to be able to hide the ostentatious and massive stars and moons wagon, the horses, herself and one small child from view. Certainly he had heard rumors in various places and packed up and left immediately only to find out that they were either false trails she left for enemies or that he had arrived too late and had missed them. When ever he found out that he had arrived too late he would ask around and people would confirm that there had been a cute hyperactive blonde boy with bright blue eyes who called himself Naruto that ran around with a woman with blond hair and blue eyes as well. It didn't escape Jiraiya's attention that these people seemed very fond of Naruto when they recount the vibrant child to him and Jiraiya realized that Naruto had perhaps inherited his Fathers gift for drawing people to him like moths to flame.

Jiraiya had set a frog to watch the gates for the last month in case Kohana actually decided to honor her promise bring Naruto back after the five promised years were up. It looks like she was going to honor her promise and not Jiraiya was going back to Konoha to get to now his godson and be damned the person who got in his way.

Jiraiya was also a very observant person.

That pathetic excuse for a council meeting five years ago he had actually sense Kohana at the meeting and the suppressed rage that came off her in waves. It went unnoticed at the time to everyone else because **EVERYONE** was displaying rage and hate and the only difference was that hers was directed at the general room at large rather than her nephew. He had seen her glaring at the old war monger Danzo the most, who had been staring at Naruto with a hungry look.

Jiraiya knew Danzo still wanted to be Hokage and that he also was a militaristic man who wanted weapons. Kohana knew this too which was why Jiraiya understood her anger and hate being directed at the man. Danzo would most likely try to acquire Naruto and add him as he grand prize to his collection of ROOT agents, an organization that was supposed to have been disbanded years ago already but he continues to control under the table.

Jiraiya didn't like that Danzo wanted Naruto. Danzo's men were often kidnapped at birth or stolen from the orphanage to be trained to be emotionless weapons. Jiraiya couldn't hope that Danzo's spy network had failed and didn't know about Naruto return already and he especially wouldn't hope that Danzo would not try something. He was running like a bat out of hell back to Konoha as fast as he could haul ass not only to protect Minato's sister but Minato's only son and Jiraiya's only godson. If something happened to Naruto and he even got one scratch on his blond head from Danzo, Jiraiya was going to go on a murderous rampage.

He only hoped he could make it in time before that old bastard tried something…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o

How'd I do with the chapter? Answer some questions huh?

So what to expect:

Will Danzo try something?

What's going to happen with Jiraiya?

Will the female population be safe from Jiraiya's peeping?

How will the village receive Naruto?

When do we get Hinata in the story? (*giggles*)

What friends will Naruto make?

Will Gamatesu get his beloved chips?

Will I get any reviews?

Stay tuned and find out!

-He will knock four times


	4. Chapter 4

In the eerie silent darkened gloom of the underground office a man sat pensively thinking of his options stare at the room at large but not really seeing any of it.

The room was rather of a Spartan nature with a very big, simple, dark chocolate colored glossy mahogany desk, some black straight back chairs, a book shelf filled with cream colored scrolls and no trinkets to amuse the offices owner. The walls rock surfaces were perfectly flat and smooth and were painted completely hospital white. The floors were also of stone but were left unpainted to contrast with the white of the walls with the book shelf's reach of seven feet into the air just barley skimming the low ceiling and while they were unremarkable looking at first glance a closer look with give way to observation of several complex security seals that were visible to the naked eye. The chairs themselves were steel and black in color with straight backs with the guarantee that anyone who occupied it would not sit comfortably and placed resolutely in perfect precision in front of the writing desk where the offices owner could stare you down with ease.

A lone torch was mounted on the wall directly behind the man making him silhouetted and eerie and served to make the room dark, dreary and gloomy giving no comfort to anyone or its occupants and served to depress those wretched occupants that found themselves unfortunate enough to have been put in this room and in front of its stern fearsome owner. A silence hung in the room like an oppressive blanket or some sort of haunted castle that robbed you of your voice while filling you with fear. The way the room made the man behind the desk seem larger than he was gave him the appearance of a monster and the way his piercing eyes could glare holes on any surface filled you with hopelessness and dread of the evils to come.

The man behind the desk himself was rather unremarkable save for the entire upper right side of his body was bandaged, clearly a rather unwelcome souvenir from some horrid and crippling accident that appears to have happened long ago. He was an imposing six feet tall but that was hindered but a slouch and a limp that was in his walk were you to observe it. His face was like a hound dog filled with wrinkles and a droopy sort of chin and an 'X' shaped scar on his chin below his tightly eternally frowning face. His arm was in a bandage sling hanging uselessly that looked to have been there some time and his right side of his torso was bandaged in a diagonal fashion hooking the bandages over and around his left shoulder to secure the sling. The mans one and only visible eye on the left side colored black like unlit coals and his cheek was bandaged and wrapped around his forehead and balding black wispy hair, just barley covering the scarring that could be seen from the edges of the bandages. The man's neck may have been free of bandages but could not be seen from the naked eye because of the darkened gloom of the room. He had on a loose fitting black one shouldered robe which displayed the crisp white bandages on his right side but covered his shoulders on the left side.

Danzo silently observed his surroundings absently waiting for the report from his agent with a hungry look like some wraith looking for souls. It had been three agonizingly long days since his spy network picked up news that the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko had returned to Konoha with that damned woman. Danzo had always hated that dammed whore Murasaki Majo because she was an extraordinarily talented kunochi and had not only always refused to work under him not matter what he offered or how he threatened he but she did not even work for the good of the village until her friend got pregnant at the hands of the yellow flash. No instead that doddering old peace loving fool Sarutobi and the fucking fourth had allowed her freedom to drift from town to town like a lazy bum as she pleased while everyone else worked. Danzo would have done otherwise if he was Hokage. If he was Hokage every single shinobi that _could _work _would_ work and be going on missions. He would recall all the traitorous lazy filth that wasn't doing their duty to their village back and make them swear oaths of loyalty and the very tippy top firsts of the recall list would have been Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Densetsu no _Sannin_.

Danzo had been extraordinarily enraged five years ago when he learned that incompetent fool Sarutobi did not even have sufficient guard service for the jinchuriki and had allowed Murasaki to take the boy, and then if that wasn't bad enough he couldn't even find the trail when he himself personally went on the retrieval mission. The dotty, emotional, senile bastard had rejected Danzo's demands that the jinchuriki be handed over to him and Hiruzen had even countered Danzo's reasoning with illogical weak, _**emotional**_ sentiments that a jinchuriki should have a normal childhood and that he should be treated human and not as a weapon. Danzo could not, did not, believe what he was hearing in Hiruzen's office all those years ago and that the Hokage would not see the potential in having a weapon of such magnitude in Konoha's hands. With this weapon they could wipe out any of the rival villages with ease and quickly make their village the only supreme hidden village. With the demon in Danzo's hand he could overthrow Sarutobi Hiruzen and wipe that content tranquil smile of his old face and make him acknowledge that war was better than peace and most importantly that Danzo was better than Hiruzen. The jinchuriki was most certainly not human and if they did not have him trained he could kill them all.

Danzo had wanted the boy himself very badly and after his demands were rejected by that damn stupid man who plays at being Hokage, when _he_ should be Hokage, he had started making carefully constructed plans to get the boy when he disappeared with the famous Purple witch of Konoha. In fact that very night Kohana had snatched his prize and then cowardly left Konoha, he had sent over a ROOT anbu to make the boy 'disappear' and it wasn't until later that Danzo had learned to his fury and chagrin that the elite anbu agent he had sent out to do the job that night had been found dead right outside of the door of his own ROOT center of operations with a stab wound to the heart and in a pool of his own blood never having reached his destination to do the job. What irked Danzo more was that he knew for certain it must have been Majo who must have somehow found out what the anbu had been sent to do and stopped him. His sheer irritation at the whole situation rose to massive proportions when it occurred to the old war monger that he could not even take the body to Hiruzen and demand Majo be sent to jail or be forced to work under him in place of the person she killed, because it would also mean explanations of things he could not admit lest he be sent to jail.

Danzo had sent every single one of his best and most prized trackers and not a single one of them had found anything. The last and final time he had sent out one was one he regretted dearly because it had been when he had sent out one of the last of the Narwaki clan. The Narwaki clan is- were- famous trackers with a special bloodline that allowed them to find anything or anyone no matter what. No one knew exactly how the bloodline work-worked- because they had never shared the knowledge and it was theorized by people that they themselves did not know. Two years ago Danzo had charged sparrow with the task of finding Uzumaki Naruto and the infamous Majo Murasaki and that he was not to return until he had information on them and had even giving him a platoon of his best and most talented ROOT including a stolen Uchiha and Hyuuga.

They did not return and were never heard from again…

Danzo had sent out another search and tracking unit this time to not hunt down the jinchuriki and the elusive Murasaki Majo, but his lost Narwaki. Danzo had some misgivings about sending out a second team in case these ones as well did not return but his fears were groundless and they returned unharmed. Unfortunately they reported that they could not find anything, not even any bodies. This meant they were assumed dead at the hands of Majo including his prized Narwaki and was a terrible loss of talent on Danzo's part. The last loss effectively put an end to any attempts to kidnap the Jinchuriki for the time being and Danzo now only sent his Root to monitor Kohana's movements in hopes that they could discover a weakness or any plans the stupid woman had. Of course his spies had proven useless time and again. They could not get much useful information out of anyone that boy interacted with except emotional displays about how well liked the child was and how he is excitable, full of life and _cute_. Danzo did not need that. Weapons should not be cute, they should serve their functions without thought and the weapon that by all rights should be his was being poisoned with feelings, notions of free thought and being raised as a normal child.

The only useful piece of information they could gather was that the boy was bragging about how his 'mommy' was training him and that he was going to be a 'super ninja in no time'. Danzo snorted in disgust at that quote one of his spies had gathered from an elderly man who had talked with the jinchuriki. But it also made Danzo want the boy more because he was being trained by the Majo Murasaki. Danzo could not believe his ears when his agent had reported back to him and informed him that the jinchuriki was being raised as a normal little boy and not as a weapon loyal to Murasaki like Danzo had assumed she would be doing. Even more disgusting was the thought that a talented ninja like Murasaki was getting emotionally attached to a demon and raising it as a normal little boy and letting it caller her 'mommy'. The strong, stoic ice queen Majo Murasaki of the village hidden in the leaves, had kidnapped a child and even claimed said child as her own adopted son and it was the Jinchuriki of the kyuubi no Kitsune at that.

The woman had always been soft, just like every other woman, but now she was taking her feelings and letting them turn her weak. It was disgusting. If, no- _When_ he overthrows that ball-less sentimental, dim-witted, senile, pathetic foolish Sarutobi using the demon, he himself made decrees to spare, to kill him and he becomes Hokage he will devise a seal to rob his ninja of emotions and make them all work. There will no longer be any of this weak sentimental notions like the 'will of fire' or coddling the young from the harsh truths of life. They will be raised a merciless killers and they will have children when ordered to make a new generation, they will not speak unless spoken to, they will show him reverence as they should, they will do as they are told weld told without question, they will-

Danzo's musings were cut to an abrupt stop when his agent reported in and Danzo darkly thought in a threatening way many that he better have information. The agent knelt in front of Danzo will his head down and humbly looking at the floor in silence waiting for permission to speak or move. Danzo noted the rather large and detailed file on the floor in front of his spy and was very pleased before he turned his attention back to the still ROOT spy. ROOT agents are trained to not move or so much as quiver even in the most uncomfortable of positions for hours at a time or they will be punished in a very painful way. They knew that they could be at this for hours or seconds depending on Danzo's wishes and would not be moving otherwise. Sometimes Danzo had even kept silent just to see if a ROOT agent's training is going well. But Danzo has no patience for this right now because this was news he has been waiting quite a while for now.

"Rise sub-commander Panda and speak. What is the status of the jinchuriki?"

The anbu raised its head revealing a Panda mask to peer at Danzo's impassive face before smoothly rising out of its crouch to stand at attention in front of the ROOT anbu leader. The voice that spoke yet was a male that sounded quite young and his voice was strangely mechanical the way it shot off the facts tonelessly. "Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, age five. Born on October 10, 12: 02 am in the morning on the day of the Kyuubi attack. Real birth mother is Kushina Uzumaki from whirlpool, deceased. Father is unknown, assumed deceased. Targets adoptive mother figure and caretaker real name is unknown, alias Murasaki Majo, alive. Targets current knowledge and skill level is unknown. Targets possible bloodlines, unknown. Targets special abilities from the demon inside of him, unknown. Distinctive features include: bright yellow blonde hair, blue eyes and three lines on each cheek like whisker marks that are a physical manifestation of demonic possession. The jinchuriki is 4 feet 2' inches tall. Targets current status: Alive, currently healthy and unharmed to this day."

Danzo nodded impatiently. These were the things he already knew from years of research and he desperately wanted new more useful information that he could use to get his hands on his weapon. Getting a hold on his emotions he rephrased his question. "What new information do you have on the jinchuriki that I don't know?"

"Three days ago at 12:55 pm, Murasaki Majo along with the kidnapped jinchuriki gained access to Konoha in a wagon that Murasaki is known for using in her nomadic travels. The two targets I was assigned to watch made their way through town towards the Hokage tower and Murasaki Majo took the jinchuriki inside the tower where she and the Hokage had a meeting for three hours and forty-four minutes. What took place in the meeting room is unknown. Afterwards Murasaki took the jinchuriki and her wagon to a hotel nearby where I overheard target two telling the jinchuriki that they would be getting a residence to live in soon. They went indoors and got a hotel room and upon further inquiry I know for a fact they are staying in room 344. Security on said hotel room is low due to the fact it is a civilian hotel and it would be easy for a standard ninja to break into the hotel room and acquire the jinchuriki. Both Murasaki and the jinchuriki did not leave their hotel room that day and slept overnight in the hotel room."

Her he paused for a moment to breathe and allow Danzo to process the information. Danzo held up his hand to stop the torrent of speech that had flowed form the spies mouth. So mommy dearest was getting a house to live for the itty biddy demon baby? Danzo were he alone would have been breathless with laughter at that one but he _wasn't _alone so he stilled his amusement. Danzo lowered his hand gesturing for the spy to continue.

"I attempted to break into and enter Murasaki's wagon to gather further information. My attempt failed and I now have third degree burns covering both sides of my left hand and a severe severing of my adductor pollicis resulting in a handicap of free movement and ability to fight for several weeks. Further attempts to break into the wagon are inadvisable because they will result in additional injury. Upon further investigation of the wagon I discovered several hundred seals of all types that could not be broken and prevented unwanted intruders. The next day I followed Murasaki and the jinchuriki while they went looking for a house to buy on foot, they left their wagon at the hotel. I trailed the targets for several hours that day and observed their conversations between themselves and other people the met up with. They finally found a house located near the business district and have already bought it. The exact location is in the file that is being written by crane. The anbu that was assigned to switch off with me reports that the jinchuriki has been registered into the ninja academy and will enter when he turns seven, the minimum age for academy entrance. Both the jinchuriki and Murasaki went back to their hotel rooms and did not come out until dinner where they ate at the cafeteria located on the first floor of the inn. After that they returned to their hotel room and slept the night until morning and did not leave during that time."

Now Danzo was really unhappy. He was certain he could take down that damn witch with enough anbu and it would be simple enough to kidnap a five year old who couldn't fight of a Genin but now that they were in the village all possibilities of stealthily silencing Murasaki and gaining ownership of the demon were non-existent now. Old Sarutobi had already met with Murasaki and the demon so having them just disappear wasn't the best option. It was still an option just not the best. But the more time he took the more the demon spent with the woman and continued to call her mother and it would continue to have feelings. It was rather neat really, a ploy he himself would have used to get the jinchuriki loyal to him but now that there was a _Mommy_ involved things had gotten complicated. If only that damned Hiruzen had just handed over the demon he would be having this headache now. The anbu continued speaking. He would half to think on this more.

"Finally today both the jinchuriki and Murasaki were woken from the inn by the innkeeper's wife due to complaints about the sheer size of their wagon. An argument ensued and it is unknown how this was solved. Once again they had food in the cafeteria before leaving the inn. The jinchuriki was taken around by Murasaki to see the villages known local tourist attractions and several restaurant establishments. They stopped for a short while at the local park on the south side of town where the jinchuriki met several children of its own age. Several of these children I believe the jinchuriki will be attending the academy with including the sons from two prominent clans such as Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Choji. Throughout the three day time period no person or persons seemed aware that the target named Uzumaki Naruto is the jinchuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune has returned to Konoha and therefore there have been no hostilities or incidents. Finally both Murasaki and the jinchuriki found out that the paperwork went through on the newly bought house and both the targets and the wagon were driven over to the house. More information on the house layout and where the jinchuriki and Murasaki Majo sleep are available in the report. Further eavesdropping on conversations revealed that Murasaki has plans to take the jinchuriki shopping for clothing and furniture tomorrow morning for their newly acquired house. I observed Murasaki putting seals on the house while the jinchuriki played next to her though I do not know which ones she used or what their purpose is. It is more than likely the seals will prevent intruders from entering the perimeter. After this I did as I was instructed and reported back to you. What are my orders?"

What worried Danzo was the fact that Murasaki did not allow his prize out of her sight for even a moment. This news did not bode well because it meant a fight was inevitable if he wanted to kidnap the child. In the ninja world a lack of secrets could either be a blessing; or a hidden curse because you would never know if they had more secrets they were hiding. A worse thing though was no information, a total and utter complete lack of knowledge before entering the battle field. Ever since Danzo had seen Murasaki Majo appear fifteen was to be put into office years ago, a few months before the fourth Hokage, he had wanted her on his side and had tried to find her name. He never succeeded something he would sooner die than reveal. If it was one thing he prided himself in most it was his ability to get information and his spy networks ability to discover any piece of information he wanted. Oh sure he had found a few other aliases she had and sections of her life like travels to a gambling town where she met a blonde woman and a young brunet girl who oddly enough was carrying a pig. Danzo remembers sending countless men to tail her and while they would find the trail for a while he would always loose her in the end.

To Danzo the idea of have Murasaki Majo on his side working for him was almost more appealing than getting the demon working for him. Danzo had a whole wing of files on Murasaki that traced where she was, any and all confirmed and unconfirmed aliases, her strengths and weakness, battle techniques, reports on missions where they failed to discover her name, the death records on root anbu he sent after her and names and files on people she had spoken with. The largest number of times she got into contact with someone was Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. She had even taken down the hood of her cloak around them and had been on first name basis with them. How or what relation she had with them Danzo never found out. Danzo was certain that the fourth Hokage and his lover, Kushina, both knew Murasaki's real name but both were dead now.

_And dead men tell no tales..._

Looking at his sub-commanders still form, anbu cloak and black and white Panda mask he peered intently with an impassive face while still deciding on what he would do. He needed to kidnap that demon child while it is still young and make it his. The younger they are the easier it is to strike fear of him into their very souls and they will follow him without question and the demon child would be no different. There were a variety of ways. He could put the demon child under a mind control jutsu or maybe the Hyuuga branch clan bird seal technique he stole. He could even steal the demon child's memories of Murasaki and make them of Danzo teaching him instead. Regardless of how he did it, it was five years too long past when he should have gotten it and he always got what he wanted. Well almost. Those damn Uchiha were rejecting every request, offer and demand for one of their men to be put into his service for years now and the Hyuuga had flat out refused. Danzo wanted the Sharingan badly and would have focused on that more and had it within his grasps by now had the Kyuubi no Kitsune not attacked and diverted his attention to the sealed demon fox child.

Danzo reprimanded himself for a lack of mental focus and quickly decided on what he would do. Clearing his throat and straitening up he began to speak.

"Panda, I want you to form a team to observe, and only observe, for the next two weeks the habits of both the jinchuriki and Murasaki Majo. You will have command of this team. You and the team are to use any of the observations you make to form a plan to kidnap the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Should you be discovered while attempting to kidnap the jinchuriki do not engage Murasaki Majo in battle and only try to kidnap the jinchuriki. Since we are in the village and you are intelligent I do not need to tell you that stealth and covert operations is an important key element. I leave the details of how you kidnap the jinchuriki to you but at all costs it must be alive and unharmed. The person who harms the Demon container will die. Most importantly you must not be caught. Are your orders clear?" he asked sternly daring the man to question his orders.

"Hai Danzo-sama." He said before standing, bowing and leaving through the door in a rush.

Danzo smiled widely. Soon he would have the power to take down that damn, peace loving, will of fire sanctimonious speech giving, fool of a rival. Then Danzo would be Hokage getting all the respect of the village and cleaning up the filth that Hiruzen had generated in the older and now younger generation with all this soft peace loving notions and love of emotions. He would be Hokage and he could do what ever he wanted then. He could even get his Uchiha. Oh yes, very soon. But first he had a demon to catch, collar and train.

XxXxXxXxX

Kohana kept her face impassive while inwardly she was grimacing like a stone lion. She had noticed those anbu following her and she was sure it was Danzo's ROOT. They left for a while and Kohana thought that her openly showing she had protective seals on every inch of the place would be enough. She was wrong and there were seven more following like some sort of sinister predator. These bastards were after her baby and she would kill every one of them the moment they tried and leave them out as crow feed. But right now she was watching her baby make a sand castle in a public park and that wasn't the sort of sight she wanted her baby's innocent eyes to see. For now she had bigger problems to contemplate.

She would have to carry out her promise to Sarutobi and kill Danzo sooner than she thought. According to Sarutobi the Uchiha's were considering a coup d'état because of rumors that they were the reason the Kyuubi attacked in the first place. Rumors that bastard _Danzo_ started in the first place. There would be no getting rid of the rumors but the worst would die down if she went straight for the source. The damn Uchihas had stayed loyal for this long because of sarutobi's efforts to queell the rumors but it looks like its no longer enough for those stick-up-their-asses bastards. Kohana like many other shinobi of leaf had never liked the Uchihas. Their insufferable prideful attitudes were bad enough and would anyone want to shove bamboo shoot in their ears with the way they carry on about how their clan is elite or kill herself with the way they demanded reverence. No the reason Kohana and a majority of kohona ninja hated them was for the fact that they stole jutsu with a glance and could perform it just fine on their fisrt try while she had to spend days and sometimes weeks spitting blood to learn techniques, some of these techniques were ones she invented and would teach no one else. What was worse was that even then the Uchihas did not work for their excellence and instead fell back on having a sharingan and assuming that it was all they needed. Very few Uchiha rose to their full potential with the sharinga and absolutly no Uchiha rose to their full potiental without it yet they acted like everyone should kiss the ground they walked on and thank their lucky stars if a Uchiha would deign speak with them. That asshole Fugaku was the worst. He was an absolute pig and sexist to boot, believing women shouldn't become ninjas even though an angry short civialian woman can cow the toughest, biggest battle hardened male ninja anyday.

Yes, Kohana would have to move sooner than she thought. She had been given a month to accomplish her task but the obvious interest in their activities changed everything.

Kohana considered her plan. It was a rather simple one too. She would go and find Danzo at night, preferably when he is in his ROOT base. Dispose of anyone who gets in her way using lethal force. Avoid fights at ALL costs or the stealth mission will turn into a guantlet. When she reached Danzo spend a short while observing surroundings and formulate a more detailed plan using that information. Then Kill Danzo and burn his remains to ash to remove all evidence.. lastly, escape as quickly as possible while avoiding any and all fights and eyewitnesses possible in both the ROOT anbu headquarters and the streets till she got home. Naturally there would be a few steps after this such as clensing her person of evidence and finding an alibi. If caught she is to claim she acted on her own. If not caught she is to preceed about her daily lives as if nothings wrong.

Kohana had wanted to carry this plan out two weeks from now because the circumstances made such a plan awkward. It would certainly seem supicious if a few days after she got into town Danzo ended up dead. Also, it would become known to the public that naruto and she was back and that Naruto calls her 'mommy' giving kohana a motive when you take into consideration Danzo's constant requests over the past five years to have the jinchurriki to himself. She was playing a game of juggling knives if she moved the date forward to so soon and she would have to be careful. Not for the first time did kohana feel envious of her big brother.

Minato oniisan had always had these ungodly massive chakra reserves he had inheirited from their parents and she didn't. Her brother was able to use the Hirashin dozens of times in the span of an hour where as she was able to use it twice without feeling tired and anymore would leave her incapable of standing. As a consequence for moderatly sized chakra reserves is finer chakra control. It had always irritated Kohana to no end that while she did have great chakra control her brthers control was better despite the fact he had massive reserves which should have made such a feat impossible. Now he was gone. He would never get to hold his beautiful baby boy who was already getting so big. Kohana would never get to get him back for her having a stupid school girl crush on-

"Hey Mommy! Look! I made a sand wagon! It looks just like ours!" kohana was abrubtly cut out of her musings by her sons voice and was grateful. It wasn't good to brood. Her thoughts had taken of a darker and more depressing tune and Naruto would need someone better than that to care for him. Plastering on a smile despite her happy mood she got up and walked over to look at what naruto created. Kohana sat down in the sand box and pick up her little boy, pulled him over and placed him in her lap before turning her attention to what it was he wanted to show her.

What kohana saw made her wish she had a camera. Narutos attempts at a carrige looked like a 3D rectangle with a round top. There were four little mounds of sand mashed againsted the 'carrige' on each side which Kohana assumed were the wheels. All over the wagon these were some weird gouges like an X with a third or fourth line through them and kohana realized those must be the stars on her wagon. In front of the carriage were four lumps of sand piled high and Kohana figured those must be the horses.

All of the sudden kohana became aware of eyes on her and looked down to see Naruto's tiny face waiting for her response. Kohana squeezed her son into a crushing hug and praised his wagon.

"Its wonderful Naruto-kun. Your such a good boy." She said warmly and she could feel the earlier depressing mood disapper as she held her son. it had always worked wonders on her. Whenever Kohana was down she could hold her little boy and in knowing he is alive and breathing and happy would lift her spirits.

"Mommy can we get some ice cream?" Naruto turned to look at her and he unleased the most powerful attack in his arsenal only his young cute face was capable of. _Oh dear god hes adorable_. She couldn't help it. Naruto had two wide blure eys and the small round face and he was a master at the puppy dog eyes look. Kohana had crumbled so many times before with that paticular bit.

"Only if you can tell me whats the rule for facing multible enemies." Kohana grinned as she watched her little babies face scrunch up in thought.

"Oh I remember! 'If it's two on one fight and stay. If it's more on one run away and live to fight another day.'"

"Good boy!" Kohana ruffled his hair and resigned herself to dealing with a suger-highed Naruto who already was a hyper and energetic child. Kohana still has nightmares about the last time she gave Naruto sugar and to this day she still doesn't know how Naruto managed to get a fork in the ceiling and a massive python into the cabin, among other things. Kohana briefly wondered if she'd prefer fight a whole squad of assassins or dealing with a sugared up Naruto who was quite the handful on a regular basis. Pondering a moment Kohana choose the only sane choice: the assassins.

Hi alls! So this chapter was to not only give us insights into Danzo's head (gross right?) but to also let you guys know what's coming up and what could be happening. It also serves the purpose of informing you guys how they got settled in and I don't have to write the boring crap like them going to a real estate agent and write about filling out paperwork.

I know what you're thinking: "Lazy bitch! I wanted to her to write about going shopping where nothing happens." Sorry folks. If you wanted a mediocre story with crappy dialogue and nothing happens you are going to have to go watch the TV show "Lost". That show tanked like no other.

Anyways, I have never wrote a murder mystery but have read quite a few and watch ncis so hopefully I am writing Kohana's plan to get away with murder right. I love abby from that show, she is my favorite character.

*audience boo's and starts throwing half empty soda cans with large complaints from the audience and characters attending*

"no body cares what TV shows you like!"

"Get on with the previews!"

"Where's my purse?"

"I don't sound like that!" "**Shut up Danzo**"

"Hey! I liked lost"

"I could be reading **The lord of the land of fire's** excellent work instead of this!" "Naruto! Sweetie! Get down from there!" "But its fun mommy!"

"Hey why am I not in the show yet? I'm a good boy." "**Shut up Tobi**."

"don't keep me waiting. I hate waiting." "**Shut up Sasori**"

*sigh* fine. Previews it is:

Will Danzo live?

Will I put in a timeskip? (haven't decided)

When will Hinata come into the picture? (unfortunately have decided this either.)

Will the Uchiha clan get massacred like in the canon?

Will Kohana's actions stop the coup coup d'état and save the clan from themselves?

If so, how will this afect the story?

What will Jiraiya do when he gets to Konoha?

Find out in the next couple of chapters.

-He will knock four times


	5. response page

Okay I am going to have a response page for all readers who have questions and such. It's going to be like a blog all on one page. I'm doing this on purpose so that I won't have any excuses to have less than 5,000 words a chapter. Feel free to ask and review and I shall respond on this page.

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**5-04-10: chapter 1**

Dear readers:

Most of the last chapter was flashbacks and some of this chapter will be flashbacks plus some other things. I would have added the flash back that describes what happens leading up to the deal between Hiruzen and Kohana but the thing is that I'm setting standards for myself. I'm making a 5,000 or more a chapter deal and I would feel two pressured if I ended up adding something that would make a single chapter 10,000 words.

**Allconspirer**: thank you! I'm glad you review and told me why you like something. I feel my best work is with describing a scene and actions that take place. Dialogue isn't exactly my best but I try.

Umm… what's the error? I want this to be my best and biggest work so I want to know if there's an error.

As for Naruto's return…. Heh. You're gonna have to wait.

**notgonnasay09**: you serious? I love that fanfic! You think I could compare? HOLY SHIT! DID YOU HEAR THAT GUYS? Thank you.

**Tenshi Namikaze**: well there are going to be some significant changes to his personality due to the fact that he has a mother figure as well as a ninja teacher, he isn't abused since day 1, and he sees a lot of the world. My version of Naruto is going to have a hell of a lot less emotional baggage

**Chewie Cookies**: Congratulations! You guess right! Ten points for you! I've always loved Chinese dragons and since the manga series seems to have demons, Bijuu, shinigami, talking frogs dogs and cats… why the hell not dragons?

But, I have to ask… how'd you know its was a dragon? What gave it away?

Also my penname is based of an episode of doctor who called "the planet of the dead".

Or you could be referring to someone else who had the same idea except his exact pen name is "**he will knock 4 time**".

**Schnookums**: I have never read a fanfic where Minato never had family either. That's what makes it so unique to me. Plus, I don't think it's a stretch.

I originally based Kohana as a female Itachi and a sister to Minato; only less evil and not psychotic. She was going to have black hair and black eyes with a stoic personality to go with the whole witch abilities. (Ill go into her abilities later) she was going to be a famous prodigy and slightly mysterious but I decided I didn't want that. I decided instead ill make her a good person with love and happiness and (blah-blah-blah-five minutes later-blah) a sort of unknown to the public.

**wisdom-jewel**: *evil smirk* you don't even know what the deal is. _"The mouth is the root of all problems"_.

-He will knock four times

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**5-05-10: chapter 2**

Hello again! I've got more news, responses to people's comments and a new chapter. (Naturally)

**Dragon Man 180**: It's a _**Chinese**_ dragon! Chinese I tell you! I've always loved Chinese dragons better and considering this is the Japan/china setting what person in their right mind would use a European dragon?

Also with the name I chose: again Chinese Japan setting with Chinese Japan names. They do this in the canon with the Inuzuka and the toad summons.

Akamaru meaning red-bull _(no not the type that gives you wings)_. 'Aka' for red 'maru' for bull.

Kiba means fang referring to a part of a dog dogs.

Tsume (Kiba's mother) means claws also referring to a part of a dog.

Gamabunta, Gamakichi, Gamatatsu (Gamakichi's looser brother), Gama-Chan (Naruto's frog shaped wallet) etc… Gama means 'toad' in Japanese.

So the choice to call the dragon summons 'Ka-Tsume' (fire-claw) isn't that much of a stretch or really all that complicated. Tough on the tounge huh? You mean you cant pronounce c-a-t-soo-meh ?

**Itchaitchacritic**:_NO WAY IN HELL_ would I have a wimpy ugly komodo dragon when I can have a beautiful, badass, mythical creature of legend as a summons for Kohana. I just won't do it. It's like going to see Mickey Mouse and getting chucky cheese instead.

Okay, there seems to be confusion as to Kohana's summons so let me give you guys a picture: go to Google images, type in 'Chinese dragon' and pick which dragon there you think fits my description best.

Or how about these dragons only decked out in red and gold: .org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Chinese_

.com/dragons/Images/Chinese%

As for my grammar mistakes in the last chapter I've painstakingly read ad re-read it for mistakes and have hopefully fixed them. I actually didn't realize I had mistakes so thank you **allconspirer**.

Enjoy the chapter!

-He will knock four times

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**5-13-10: chapter 3**

Hello readers! I have another update! Go updates!

I would have had one sooner but I was visiting my 76 year old grandmother in hornbook California for mother's day. Marginally boring but it certainly made her happy. Don't get me wrong, I like my grandmother nice enough and I like making the lady happy but the town she lives in is in the $#!er. The population is 80-100 people. There are only two main streets and the post office doubles as the sheriff's office while the town's only diner is also a hair care and tire repair center. All it needs is some guy with a banjo playing the boondocks theme song and the image is complete. The town-no, village- is in the middle of no where and the most advanced equipment they have is a cash register or an i-mac computer; but enough about that, its time to talk about reviews.

**Response time:**

**Allicat**: glad you agree. I'm on a one-woman mission to bring the classics back. Care to join me on bringing scrunchies and the phrase 'eed-gads' back into style? No? Oh well.

**Hee-Ho Master**: I appreciate the review and your opinions in the review but I must introduce to you this new thing they invented called 'grammar'. It's this wonderful invention where you use periods and commas and I would love it if you reviewed using it. P.s Who's Rodney Carrington?

**Schnookums**: if I told you I'd have to kill you. *evil grin*

**Wyrtha**: I think your comment is premature. I haven't even showed Naruto in the story yet and you're making assumptions. You are right however and while id rather not I will share some information about Naruto's character that I wasn't planning on sharing yet; ill share it to dispel your fears.

***spoilers don't read if you want a surprise***

Naruto at the most has learned some taijutsu and is learning to sense (no abilities to use yet) chakra. He is also being taught basic sword and katana forms and much to his dismay history, codes and math along with reading and writing.

*** spoilers don't read if you want a surprise ***

The reason I agree is because I'm _**not**_ going to have this ridiculous story where 6 year olds are taking down experienced 25 year old Jounin's. At the most Naruto and the others his age are training to be ninjas but still are learning about the world and deciding what their purpose is in it.

**notgonnasay09**: I understand your concern but we haven't toughly explored Kohana or seen her in a battle. Remember that she isn't some Chunin that can defeat anbu but an extraordinarily talented special Jounin that could become an anbu if she wanted. Her character I at first based of off Itachi and while some things have changed she is still just as talented and strong in her own ways.

I do have some weaknesses planned for her because I do not believe in the one-man-army crap. I strongly believe for every apparently invincible Hercules or Hancock(love that movie with will smith) has a weakness.

About the cat anbu… this is embarrassing… _who is Yugao Uzuki_? *major sweat drop* I don't know any characters named Yugao Uzuki. I'm sorry guys. I don't watch the anime anymore. It's all been manga reading for me for about a year and a half now. I read and that's it. I may have watched the movies but that's the extent of Naruto anime I've seen. If she appeared in the anime but not the manga this would explain why I have never heard of her.

Folks, I apologize for this MASSIVE error. I researched things like Sarutobi Hiruzen, the first second and forth Hokage's, seals, clans, summons, Japanese words and names, story arcs, ninja gear names and even the Bijuu so I could write this story accurately and make it good. Looks like I forgot to research anbu I'm not familiar with. I know Sai, Kakashi, Tenzo (Yamato) and few other anbu members. For the sake of the story we will just pretend the cat mask got handed down to Uzuki after the nameless Hyuuga retires or something.

As for Kakashi his sensei and surrogate father figure just died and the village is in ruins. He is in mourning and helping the village, also he doesn't yet know who Naruto's father is yet so he would have no reason to chase after Naruto.

*response time over.*

That was a rather productive and long response time and I hope to do it again. Okay I went back to chapter 2 and fixed errors and added some stuff. Remember to review and inform me if I made a mistake in my chapters. I love reviews so please review. I am to reviews what an alcoholic is to beer. I can't get enough reviews and I love hearing what you guys think.

With that said keep reading and may the drama commence.

-H will knock four times

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**5-31-10: Chapter 4**

So I have a new chapter up and running! Soon. I am sorry it took so long but the fact of the matter is: I got grounded. I am 16 (17 on July 22) and am still living at my moms house. Apparently I got too far behind in ONLINE school for her tastes so she grounded me. I don't get it. I wasn't that far behind. Its online school anyways. Its easy to catch up. But fear not, I'm not grounded anymore! Yay! Ok peoples, response time:

**KCWolfman**: thank you for the recommendation, and your right I DO like it but as a rule from now on, no more advertising fanfics you like in the comments section because I will consider it spam and remove it accordingly. Mail your recommendations to me from now on. Ok?

**Chewie Cookies**: oh please. Hold it together man. Hinata is coming into the story soon. You're a big boy/girl aren't you?

**Dragon Man 180**: Damn. You've caught onto a plot bunny I'm going to use. But unlike what you assume, Naruto's five. He doesn't understand carnal pleasures, or what perverseness is. Also the fact is that Naruto has only mastered basic ninja knowledge and some fighting. Against any one with ninja training he is weak. Besides, "_Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman_".

**notgonnasay09**: really? *phew* don't scare me like that. As a writer I want to be consistent and do good work. Plot errors as large as whom is who, is nothing to laugh at. When you try to place such high standards on yourself you can't afford mistakes like that.

**Hee-Ho Master**: No sweat.

I'm now going to make a second review rule: your review will have to be on topic from now on. It has to mention something about the story. Nothing specific. It can be as vague as 'good story' or as specific as 'I liked…"

You guys can say anything you want in the review forums. I don't care what you say. You can even comment on what crazy thing Britney is doing these days but you have to make at least 1(one) comment on the story or something you dis/liked about it.

*response time over*

Ok I'm going to write down a few rules for reviewing:

It has to be on topic somewhere in the post. I don't care what you write and I encourage critics.

You can say anything. EXCEPT curse words. No cursing. It doesn't matter that I curse in my story, no curse words in the reviews.

Grammar and spelling is important. I don't need perfect dictation. You can misspell. I just need to be able to understand what your writing but I don't want to see "Hee surd goo du tis." None of that. I want English, not retardish.

No advertising. I know you guys get excited and want to share the good news that you have found a super cool story but don't put in my comments page. It makes me feel like chopped liver. _**Mail**_** it to me**. If you're so excited I will advertise it on this blog page and the masses will know of your story.

No arguments between readers in the reviews box. This isn't youtube. You can't have an argument using my review box. Hash it out in an email. You can, however, argue with me all you want about the story.

Naturally, no stealing my story.

If I think of anymore rules I will put them up here.

Guys remember- it helps me to know what you think about my story. What you liked or disliked. What I could have done or could have done better. We authors love hearing from the audience. You know those signs you see at the zoo about how you can't feed the authors? Ignore 'em.

-He will knock four times

P.s I don't own Naruto, though Hinata will sometime in the distant future. ^_^

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