Naruto 1. Humble Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and the characters in this story. etc etc.**

**I don't know what it is about Minato Namikaze but I'm currently infatuated with him and a certain clan-killing Uchiha prodigy. So I decided to try my hands at a multi-chapter about how he became the legend that he is today (in the anime/manga so to speak). This focuses primarily on one of my fave pairings MinatoxMikoto. For some weird reason this pairing makes sense to me so yeah go figure. Although I am taking some creative licenses I do intend to stick to the events of the anime so in many ways this is a tragic story. I plan on writing some angst along the road so I will warn you that the ratings might get higher as the story goes on. Who knows I might even try my hands at a lemon.**

**Because I don't know the names of Minato's and Mikoto's parents I just made them up. But I promise to try to keep the characters as consistent as possible. I've decided to only include characters who I feel are relevant to the story however some characters from the show (cuz I don't read the manga...yea sue me) might cameo in the story. I'm going to try to avoid creating many new characters. Oh and by the way funfact most of my Original Character's names correspond with their personalities. So sit back and enjoy. And don't forget to tell me how great of a writer I am....XD **

**Hokage Origins: Yondaime**

**Chapter One Humble Beginnings**

A pair of brilliant blue eyes followed the progress of the hands on the clock. Even though those eyes had stared at nothing else for the past one hour they never wavered from the clock's face in the slightest. A frustrated sigh escaped the blue-eyed child as he laid the mass of untidy blonde hair that was his head on the counter in front of him never taking his eyes off that clock as if staring at it would make time speed up.

Getting impatient the child got up and walked over to the wall on which the clock was hung staring accusingly at the wretched device. A sound from the storage room behind the counter caught his attention as he finally turned those sky-blue orbs away from the annoying little wall-clock. He smiled at the sight of his father nursing a bump to the back of his head as he backed away from the storage room. His father kept on forgetting that he was much too tall to pass through the storage-room's doorway without ducking first. No matter how many times he saw it it never got old.

He watched as his father, muttering curses beneath his breath, ducked into the storage room still clutching his head in pain. As he watched his father's back disappear into the clutter of the storage room a mischievous smile began to play on the blonde's lips. He returned his attention back to the wall-clock listening for any signs to signal his fathers return. When he was satisfied that his father wouldn't be resurfacing any time soon the child swept the room with his eyes looking for something.

_Now where did he put that—ah there it is_. The boy thought to himself as he spotted his query; a brown stool at the other end of the store. Glancing back towards the storage room entrance to make sure his father wouldn't return anytime soon the blonde boy walked over to get the stool. As he moved the stool from its place by the wall he couldn't help being thankful for his size; as a smaller child would have found moving the stool particularly difficult.

He positioned the stool on the wall directly beneath the wall-clock grinning from ear to ear at his ingenious plan. He carefully climbed onto the stool and reached out for the wall-clock. But just as he was about to touch the infernal device the store's door opened and a customer walked in.

"Minato see to the customer will you," came the voice of his father from within the storage room. "I'm a little occupied at the moment." At this the blonde child jumped from his place on top of the stool landing a few inches away from the two figures standing in front of the counter.

"Boo!" The child said as he fell causing the two newcomers to jump slightly. He chuckled at his little prank as he hurried to return to the counter.

"Minato you little…"the lady paused as she looked him over again. "My, my you've grown haven't you?" She said immediately forgiving the blue-eyed boy for giving her a start.

"Yep, soon I'll be as tall as dad." Minato said grinning from ear to ear. At the sight of that radiant smile Emiko Uchiha felt her heart melt with an overwhelming flow of kindness and she instinctively reached out and ruffled the boy's hair fondly.

He might have been only 5 but Emiko could already tell that he was going to be quite the ladies' man when he grew up. The young girls his age seemed to have already taken notice as he was often being followed by a crowd of giggling girls tripping over themselves to get his attention. But she knew that it would be a while before the carefree little prankster would finally notice this. When he wasn't running around at full speed he was off playing some innocent prank on random people. It didn't matter if you were the most stuck-up Hyuuga in Konoha, once Minato smiled at you you were caught in his charm. She was yet to meet anyone that could resist the little devil. Quite frankly she didn't think there was anyone alive or dead capable of resisting that innocent charm of his.

"Uh, hey I hope I didn't scare your friend off," the young boy said nervously scratching the back of his hair as he glanced around the store a questioning look on his face. "I could have sworn that I saw two of you. Where did the other one go?" He asked still looking around. At this Emiko snapped out of her musings and turned to join him in his search.

"Kami-sama where has that child gone?" She said before drawing a deep breath and calling out. "Mikoto? Mikoto where are you?"

"Oh so there was someone with you." The boy said as he helped her search for the missing child. "Thought I had imagined it or something." Just then something on the ground caught his eye. When he turned to look at it he saw a small doll beside the cluttered work table at one corner of the store. He walked over to it.

"I think she's still in here." He announced as he bent to pick the doll up. Just as he was about to pick the doll a small hand appeared from beneath the table and slapped his hand out of the way. Minato yelped in surprise as he watched the tiny hand pull the doll beneath the work table.

He turned around to tell Emiko of his discovery but apparently the woman had already taken off into the streets screaming for her daughter. In one swift move Minato was on his belly and soon found himself staring at a small crouched figure hiding within the shadows beneath the table.

"Hey little girl. Sorry if I scared you." Minato said gently as he reached out to the crouched figure. "Don't be scared come out here your mommy's looking for you." When the child didn't budge he managed a small nervous smile as he tried to think of something to say to get the girl out of hiding.

Just then he remembered the dangos he and his father had bought for lunch that afternoon. Minato never ate much so he knew there would be some leftovers in the lunchbox. He got up and went to fetch the dangos from the lunchbox on top of the counter.

He returned to the table and stretched an arm out offering the tasty treat to the crouching figure careful to not let it touch the floor. Personally he didn't mind if his food fell on the floor before he ate it, but he knew that girls were a lot more sensitive about this type of thing so he decided to do his best to not offend the cowering child.

"Hey you want some dangos?" He said shaking the treat tantalizingly. "I'll let you have them if you come out."

"Can I have them without coming out?" The girl asked. He could tell that she wanted the sweet and even though he wasn't one to tease little kids he made up his mind that she wasn't getting it until she came out.

"Why don't you want to come out?" Minato asked crouching now.

"Because I'm hiding from my mommy." The child squealed mischievously. Minato smiled a little at this. Although he still couldn't see her face he could tell that this little girl was adorable, and a little mischievous to like him.

"Ok, here you go." Minato said offering the treat to the girl but careful to make sure that he didn't stretch his hands too far towards her. He didn't want her snatching the dango and retreating back into the shadows before he could reach her.

The child watched him for a little while as if expecting something to happen when nothing happened she got on her knees and crawled out to reach for the dangos. Minato gasped in awe as the girl's face came into light. For the second time that evening he thought his eye were deceiving him and blinked twice to make sure. At the same time forgetting to grab the girl like he had planned.

After blinking several times he decided that his eyes really weren't deceiving him and the girl kneeling before him greedily munching dangos was very real. Emiko Uchiha had once been the prettiest woman in Minato's mind that was until he saw little Mikoto. Despite the fact that she was a toddler Mikoto seemed to have already surpassed her own mother's beauty.

Like her mother Mikoto had soft, pale skin large onyx orbs and the trademark dark hair of the Uchiha. Her features were soft and delicate and gave her the appearance of a beautiful china doll. But there was something about her that seemed to separate her from her mother and the rest of the Uchiha. It was her hair. The ink-black hue of her long delicate locks not only framed her face beautifully but they contrasted with her pale skin so perfectly adding to her doll-like beauty.

Minato could only watch in silent awe as the young girl finished the last of the dangos and turned to glance at him expectantly. They both remained like that for what seemed like hours, with him crouching and her kneeling down in front of him, their eyes drinking in the other's face. Until finally she spoke.

"You have very…strange eyes." The girl said leaning forward to better inspect them.

"How come my eyes are so strange?" He asked slightly taken aback. As far as he knew there was nothing wrong with his eyes.

"Well everyone in my family has dark eyes." She said politely smiling at him.

"Well, I'm not from your family." Minato said feeling a little foolish now that he realized that he had been staring at her. His mother would have been so ashamed if she had been there.

"Even though, most people have dark eyes—except the Hyuugas they have pretty eyes—but I like yours better."

"Oh well thanks I got them from my dad." Minato said smiling nervously again rubbing the back of his head.

"You took your eyes from your dad?" Mikoto said horror stricken.

"No—I mean yes…but he still has eyes though." Minato said struggling to find the words to speak. Emiko, who had been watching them for sometime now, decided to step in and save the boy the trouble. Her Mikoto could be quite a handful sometimes.

"It's rude to stare Mikoto." Emiko said stepping forward and catching the girl before the squealing toddler to dash back underneath the table. The little girl dissolved into a fit of giggles as her mother mercilessly tickled her.

"Thank you Minato." Emiko said smiling at the boy as he finally rose to his feet.

"Oh it was nothing." He said grinning again as he made his way back behind the counter his eyes never leaving the squealing toddler. It seemed as if once those sky-blue orbs found a target they never lost sight of them as Minato was having a hard time staring at anything other than Mikoto.

"So what can I do for you?" He said watching the tiny girl gasp for air as her fit of laughter finally came to an end. Eight minutes later Emiko was walking out of the store holding a parcel in one hand while trying to balance her daughter in the other hand with much difficulty. Mikoto kept on leaning dangerously out of her mother's grasp as she craned her head trying to get a better view of the boy with the intriguing eyes.

"Mommy did you see that?" Minato heard Mikoto call as her mother carried her out of the store. "That boy had really pretty eyes…I like them—hey mommy his eyes look like that what was it again?" The young girl called out as she pointed at the sky trying to figure out the name of that thing hanging above their heads.

As Emiko walked down the street she couldn't hide the smile that spread across her lips. Knowing her daughter Minato had just become her latest obsession. But then again judging by the way he had been staring at Mikoto so had she. And she couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of something. She made a mental note to pay her old Amaya a visit before the end of the week.

Back at the store Minato was staring blankly at the door through which Emiko and Mikoto had just left as if expecting to return suddenly. He wondered what it was about the little doll-faced girl that intrigued him so. So distracted was he that he soon forgot his earlier plans to trick his father into closing the store 30 minutes early. It wasn't until his father finally emerged from the storage-room covered in dust and a couple of scratches that he finally snapped out of his reverie.

"Who was that?" The man asked reaching for a nearby rag to clean the dust clinging to his clothes.

"Oh that was just mom's friend Emiko Uchiha." The blonde said turning to frown at the clock.

_Great I forgot to set the clock and now he's done with whatever he was doing so now I'll have to wait until closing time._ The young boy thought somewhat grumpily. As his father started shaking the dust out of his spiky brown hair Minato couldn't help but watch him in amusement.

"Oh ok. So everything went well I presume?" The man said continuing his chore.

"Yea." Minato said taking the rag from his father to wipe the spots he had either missed or couldn't reach. "You know if organize the storage room like mom told you to you wouldn't have to battle your way through all that junk every time you wanted to get something."

"Nah, I can manage." The man said ruffling his son's hair in appreciation as the boy cleaned the last of the dust from his shoulders. "Besides a little dust never killed anybody." His father added flashing him a playful grin which Minato returned.

The older Namikaze gave a quick glance at the time before deciding that it was time to call it a day much to his son's delight. The child was so eager to leave that he finished his chores in half the normal time and even offered to help his father with his own chores to speed things up.

Twenty minutes later Minato was jogging down the street jumping up and down in excitement his father trying to keep up. Although his son was only 5 years old he was much taller than kids his age as a result he had longer legs which only helped him run faster. Hikaru Namikaze couldn't help but smile with pride as he watched his energetic son take off towards the training ground at top speed. Even at such a young age his son possessed the makings of a shinobi; he was particularly fast and was a young genius not to mention his innate taijutsu prowess. Furthermore his kind disposition and open-mindedness meant that he would be the type of shinobi that would stand high above his peers, a legend in the making a diamond in the rough.

_Not bad for a kid from a long lineage of civilians…not bad at all. He will go far—if possible he may, no will, surpass the previous hokages. And I'm gonna help him get there._

_**You'll review right?....Right.**  
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	2. Passing the Torch

**Disclaimer: I once owned Naruto and all the other characters but then…um I woke up.**

**This is the second chapter of my Minato Namikaze biography. I must warn you I'm taking a lot of creative liberties because not very much is known about his background. Also I know that Minato was in love with Kushina, but I've decided to make this a MinatoxMikoto pairing so…deal with it. Hope you enjoy it enough to review.**

**Chapter Two- Passing the Torch**

By the time Hikaru arrived at the training ground, panting and out of breath from struggling to keep up with his son, Minato had already started practicing on one of the wooden training dummies. Hikaru smiled at the sight of the tall blonde child throwing kunias and shurikens at the dummies with complete accuracy. Not only did the flying weapons hit their marks but they seemed to disappear completely while they were in the air.

Minato wasn't just a fast runner he had extremely quick reflexes for someone so young. Most genin didn't develop speed and precision until much later—usually right before they took the Chunnin exams. And those who did often were more skilled with one of the two never both. For a 5 year old, who only started training a year ago, to have such speed and precision with weapons was unheard of. Even the children of the elite ninja clans didn't accomplish this until they were at least 7 years old.

Hikaru smiled fondly at his son. _He will go far indeed. He will prove that great ninjas do not have to come from elite ninja clans with blood line limits._

"Don't tell me that you're already tired father." Minato said looking up at his father. Hikaru blinked. When had the boy walked up to him?

"It would take a lot more than a simple jog up a hill to exhaust your old man." He said straightening up to prove his point. "Where did you think you got all that energy from?" At this Minato smiled before taking his father's hands and dragging him towards the training dummies.

"Come on then and show me that new move you told me about yesterday evening." The child said unable to control his excitement as he dragged his father away from the training dummies and onto the large clearing on the training field used for sparing.

Hikaru swept his eyes over the training field and when he was sure that they were alone he turned to his son once more. The sun was so far beneath the horizon that it only gave an orange glow as they skies adopted their new coat of dark blue.

It had become a sort of tradition for the two of them; every evening after closing up the store for the day Hikaru would take Minato to the training grounds in the woods surrounding Konoha where they would spend the next 2 or 3 hours doing all sorts of taijutsu training. This particular training field was set aside for young genin and academy students although a few Chunnin were known to frequent this field. It was a perfect place to practice taijutsu and throwing weapons as well as providing enough cover to practice stealth and other basics. However convenience had nothing to do with the reason Hikaru chose to train Minato here. The true reason they by passed the other training grounds closer to the village and opted to train in this one was because of an important discovery Hikaru made one day.

He had been returning from a trip to the Fire country capital where he had gone to make a personal delivery to one of his long-time clients. Seeing as the capital city was a 3 days journey he was understandably exhausted by the time he arrived at the woods just beyond the gates. He had decided to camp for the night and enter the village the next day. But just as he finished setting up camp he heard a pair of angry voices and the sound of a small child crying.

People often say that Hikaru Namikaze is as nosy as a Yamanaka. He just likes to think that he's merely curious. So when he heard the voices he ignored his better judgment and decided to see what all the racket was about. And so he followed the voices, careful enough to approach as quietly as possible. When he arrived at the source of the noise he nearly fainted in shock at what he saw.

Although there were several ninja clans in Konoha each with their unique abilities and bloodline limits, everybody knew that the Hyuuga and the Uchiha clans were the best of the best—the elite. Their powerful keke genkais had proved to be invaluable on numerous occasions. As a result their powers were continuously sought after by other clans and hidden villages alike. Knowing this both clans became extremely overprotective of their clans secrets and guarded them jealously.

As a result clan members of both clans usually trained within their clan's compound were they were ably to practice free from prying eyes. However, it is common knowledge that both clans often make use of training grounds hidden in the forests outside Konoha. These training grounds were very well hidden that till this day no one knows where they are. And if they do well let's just say that they're not telling. For dead men tell no tales.

So you can imagine Hikaru's excitement when he came across three pearly-eyed Hyuugas standing in a large forest clearing. There was a young child among them and he or she—Hikaru could never tell the difference until they reached puberty, was on the floor curled up in a ball crying softly to himself. The other two, Hikaru recognized them as jonins, seemed to be having a screaming contest. Hikaru was really surprised that they hadn't torn each other apart by now.

Hyuugas were known for their cool demeanor and stoic expressions, so for these two—er they sound like men—to be screaming each other to death was a huge shocker for him. Curious to know what they were arguing about Hikaru ignored the voice in his head that advised him to leave before he was discovered.

"Hey do you sense that?" One of the men said suddenly before making some hand seals. "Byakugan!" He said activating the prized bloodline limit as he began to search the forest. His partner followed suit and they both scanned the clearing.

Hikaru didn't know whether it was the stories of ninjas who had gone in search of the Hyuuga training ground and never returned, or the angry looking veins surrounding the men's eyes as they scanned the clearing. All he knows is that as soon as they began their search for the intruder he took to his heels and didn't stop running until he found himself at his front door.

Ignoring his wife's angry voice as she admonished him for nearly banging the door down and almost giving her a heart attack, Hikaru walked over to the bathroom where Minato was brushing his teeth before heading off to bed.

"Minato how would you like to begin training to become a ninja?" He asked ruffling the boy's head playfully. He would never forget the smile his son gave him that day.

And so, against his wife's wishes Hikaru began to train Minato in the ninja arts. As a young boy Hikaru developed an unhealthy obsession with the ninja clans of Konoha—particularly the Uchihas. Although he had been sourly disappointed to find out that one couldn't join the Uchiha clan except through birth, he made up his mind to become a ninja whose greatness would surpass that of any ninja clan's. And so he began his training and put his blood sweat and tears into it. His parents allowed him to enroll into the ninja academy instead of the civilian school like his older brothers.

Everyday after school he would stay behind to do his homework and train. At first he was frustrated with how the children from the ninja clans excelled with seemingly little effort. But that only pushed him to train harder and longer. And so he did. And he soon came to be on the same level as the prodigies of the elite ninja clans of Konoha and he was proud. He was hailed for his intelligence and determination by teachers and students alike. He graduated top of his class from the academy and eagerly began his ninja career.

The happiest days of his life had been those days he spent practicing and going on missions with his sensei and his two genin teammates. Despite his success he never once slacked off in his training for he knew that he would fall behind if he did. And so he was known throughout Konoha as the genius that would lead the young generation and become hokage. Then the Chunnin exams came and Hikaru was thrilled at the opportunity to test his mettle against the best of the best of the other hidden villages. And he threw himself completely into his training. His sensei was so confident in him that often left him to master extremely complicated jutsus all by himself.

His team was one of the few from Konoha that made it all the way to the 3rd stage. Once he found out whom his opponent in the 3rd stage would be he gathered as much information as he could on the Kirigakure genin and put his blood, sweat and tears into training to overcome whatever obstacles his opponent would place for him.

The day finally arrived and as he walked into the arena he could hear the crowd screaming his name. At the time Konoha and Kirigakure were involved in a heated rivalry. Furthermore majority of the Konoha genins had been taken out by Kirigakure genins in the preliminaries so the villagers wanted revenge. And he was one that was going to get it for them.

The battle was an intense struggle from start to finish. They both went toe-to-toe trading blows for blows. And the crowd followed the entire thing with great enthusiasm. Never in the history of the Chunnin exams had the arena been any louder. But the longer the battle dragged on the more tired Hikaru got. He was almost completely out of chakra and his body was screaming in agony but he dragged himself forward. He did it for Konoha. He would not disappoint the villagers; he could not let them down. How could he become hokage if he couldn't even become a Chunnin? So he kept on fighting and pushed himself well beyond his limit.

As if sensing his weakness his opponent chose that time to deal him one final blow. In his exhaustion Hikaru's reflexes had slowed down considerably. However his opponent seemed to somehow be immune to exhaustion—as if he had a never ending flow of chakra. How had some blue-skinned teen from "Blood-mist village" outlasted Hikaru Namikaze—the boy who never gets tired? Before Hikaru even knew what was happening he was caught in his opponent's water-prison jutsu.

It didn't take long before Hikaru began to trash around within the prison. He needed air but he refused to accept defeat in exchange for it. He could not lose. He had to win. So he gathered what was left of his chakra and began to fight his way through the bubble. Even within the prison he could still hear the crowd in the arena explode with cheers as the spectators egged him on. He found the strength he never knew he had and continued to fight his way out. His opponent, seeing that he was almost out of his prison decided to take desperate measures.

Hikaru would never forget the horror that greeted his eyes when he turned to see what the crowd was gasping at. Before their very eyes the tall Kirigakure genin underwent a gruesome transformation and took on the form of a shark. Hikaru was too stunned to do anything but watch as the shark created a water-clone to maintain the water-prison jutsu before jumping into the bubble to meet him. Hikaru gasped as the shark grabbed him and held him in place to prevent his escape.

Hikaru kicked and thrashed around madly disregarding the pain in his nose and lungs as water began to enter his body. Even when his nose began to bleed Hikaru refused to stop struggling. It was no longer a struggle for victory it was now a struggle for his very life and Hikaru knew it. Hikaru knew that no one was going to intervene because it was entirely up to him to end his misery. Something in his head pleaded with him to stop and give in but Hikaru's stubbornness got the better of him and he drowned that voice out. He soon began to lose consciousness and just before he passed out he heard a sickening snap and felt a searing pain in his right arm.

When Hikaru woke up he found himself in a hospital room surrounded by his family and teammates. They were all smiling down at him and offering him kind words but Hikaru was inconsolable. He had lost and by so doing he had let Konoha down. How could he ever become hokage if he couldn't even defeat a rival genin? But as it turned out that wasn't the worst of his problems. When his sensei came to see him one day he knew that something was terribly wrong. The young man looked twice his normal age as he stared down at him trying to keep his emotions in check. Hikaru tried to prepare himself for the worst but nothing he could have prepared him for those words that ruined him forever.

"I'm sorry Hikaru…" his sensei said putting a hand on his head. "You can never be a ninja again." Hikaru stared at his sensei blankly as he tried to register what he had just heard. When it finally sank in the tears began to fall and Hikaru did nothing to stop them.

His sensei took him in his arms and tried to comfort him but to no avail. Hikaru listened as his sensei explained the irreparable damage that had been done to his body at the same time trying to calm the ache in his heart.

All his hopes and dreams gone. In foolishness he had sacrificed his body for a single fight when he had so many more ahead of him. He had gone beyond his limit and even further. He had permanently damaged his chakra network and on top of that his entire right arm was broken in 5 places. He could never become a ninja with all those injuries and he knew it. Accepting it was the hard part.

When he got out of the hospital he had to spend a couple of weeks at home recuperating. His mother and brothers tried to cheer him up but nothing they could say or do would ease the pain he felt. He contemplated suicide several times but he was too physically weak to go through with it. So he was forced to move on. And so he tried to. He was enrolled into the same school with his brothers but he found the work dull and uninteresting. He often wondered how his brothers could stand being stuck in boring classes all day long, taking notes and doing sums. To alleviate boredom he became the class clown pulling pranks on students and teachers alike for his and the other students amusement. His charming personality and quick wit earned him many friends and he soon became one of the most popular boys in school.

He kept his mask on for the sake of his friends and family because he knew how much his depression affected them. But whenever he was by himself he would cry himself hoarse. His sensei and teammates never stopped coming to see him even though most of his other classmates did. His sensei would buy them lunch and they would sit down in the training fields after practice and munch on the home cooked meal of his sensei's wife. He would listen in awe as his friends recounted their exciting missions and within him he would feel his heart ache with nostalgia and longing. No matter how painful it was to see them and watch them grow Hikaru always felt thankful that they had not abandoned him. They became tighter over the years and remained in touch. They saw each other through the good and the bad. He was there to cheer them on when they both took the Chunnin exams a year later and he was there to offer words of comfort whenever they had just had an extremely difficult mission. When their sensei passed away four years later they clung desperately to each other for comfort.

When Hikaru turned 18 his father gave him a present he would cherish forever. His father had saved up over the years and bought him a small shop in the shopping district of Konoha. He then sent him to the capital city to learn the art of ninja tool making. Hikaru could never really find the right words to thank his father. But the aging man knew what was in his heart and spared him the trouble of putting it in words. And so when Hikaru returned to Konoha after 8 years of study he opened his own store selling ninja tools and supplies.

Finding customers didn't take long. His former teammates gladly made use of his services and proceeded to spread the word to other ninjas in Konoha and beyond. He became quite successful and was soon able to get a bigger store. And even though it still hurt that he could not be out there with his peers fighting for Konoha it didn't hurt as much. Because this way he could help them by creating the very weapons they would wield in battle. And this time he would not fail them. He would never fail them again.

As Hikaru stared down at the innocent sky-blue orbs, so very much like his own, watching him excitedly he couldn't help but smile.

_Maybe it was never my destiny to become a ninja, or even become hokage…maybe it is my destiny to train and inspire the one who will. My father helped me find my path and now I will return the favor. Minato, my son…my light…my happiness...my pride and my joy….my destiny._

**Important note: Just to clarify Hikaru's opponent in the Chunnin exams is not Kisame. Instead I'm making it Kisame's father...why? Because it makes sense that way. Kisame's like what 35? So he honestly couldn't have faced Naruto's grandfather in battle, ever. I couldn't think of a name for him so I left him without one. *Sob sob* yes what happened to Hikaru's kinda sad and I know it sounds A LOT like what happened to Lee but I had to use something that would inspire Hikaru to push his son to surpass the other hokages before him. Hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 3's coming soon…a lot earlier than I'd expected in fact so yea. Please review and tell me what you think. **


	3. A Mother's Fear

**Disclaimer: I don't Naruto…but I wouldn't mind owning Minato and Itachi. *slaps naughty thoughts out of head* Ok now that the inner pervert within me has been temporarily banished on with the story. Don't forget to make my day by reviewing.**

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**Chapter Three. A Mother's Fear**

Mikoto fell as sleep on her mother's shoulders as she walked, much to Emiko's delight. Although she loved her little doll-faced daughter she could be a little devil sometimes. And after her little stunt at the Namikaze ninja tools store the last thing Emiko wanted was for her energetic little daughter to go running down the street again.

Mikoto mumbled softly in her sleep and Emiko smiled as she gently stroked her daughter's midnight hair out of her face. Ever since her encounter with Minato Mikoto had talked of nothing else but the "boy with the yellow hair and the 'weird' eyes." In fact she had pestered Emiko and her husband so much that she decided to take her to see the object of her obsession.

"Talk about love at first sight." Emiko chuckled to herself as she adjusted her sleeping daughter on her shoulder. Seeing as Mikoto was sleeping Emiko could easily have turned back and returned home to tuck her in bed. But she knew that once Mikoto woke up again, which would 'conveniently' be in the middle of the night, she would not rest until they took her to see Minato. Besides Emiko hadn't seen her friend Amaya in a while so she didn't mind paying the Namikazes a visit.

The streets were almost deserted save for a few late shoppers returning home. The street was illuminated by the yellow light pouring in from the windows above. The cool night breeze carried the song of the crickets as it swept through the village as if to clear any remnants of day. The stars in the velvet sky above seemed to wink down at the peaceful village and Emiko let out a content sigh. And she closed her eyes as she tried to commit the peaceful scene before her to memory.

As the most powerful of the hidden villages Konoha has often been involved in numerous skirmishes with the other hidden villages. As result the people of Konoha had come to greatly appreciate the times of peace no matter how short lived it may be. Emiko tried hard not to think of the brewing conflict with Kirigakure and Iwagakure. As powerful as Konoha was she knew that fighting a battle on two fronts would be extremely unwise. The other hidden villages would not hesitate to pounce on an opportunity to defeat Konoha. They needed an ally but who could they trust in these troubled times.

Emiko turned to look up at the great Hokage stone faces a sigh escaping her lips. Her eyes rested on the carved face of the Sandaime and she prayed that he would find a way to prevent a war. She had lost so many loved ones to war and she was not about to let her daughter, or any of her children for that matter, experience the pain that she had.

Her onyx eyes lightened up at the sight of her friend's front door in the distance. Although they had once been rivals for the same man's affection, Emiko always enjoyed her friend's company. Putting her worries aside she straightened up and prepared herself for several hours of chatting and gossiping with her good friend Amaya. After all it wouldn't do to face her rival without looking presentable.

* * *

Amaya looked up from her cooking at the sound of the knock on her door. She turned her grey eyes the wall clock and frowned slightly when she saw what time it was.

_They should have been back hours ago…what kept them?_ She thought as she wiped her hands on her apron before hurrying to answer the door._ That's it I'm going to give that good for nothing man a piece of my mind. He can't always keep me on edge like this. If this continues I'll stop him from taking Minato to the shop._

She blinked in surprise when she came face to face with a pair of dark eyes and a pale face framed by stray locks of black hair.

"Long time no see Ama." Emiko said smiling at the surprised look on her rival's face.

"Oh Miko hi," Amaya said suddenly backing away from the door to invite her friend in. She closed the door behind the raven-haired woman before turning to lead her into the living room.

"Seems you've been too busy cleaning to take care of yourself." Emiko said a smile playing at the corners of her lips as she gently set Mikoto's sleeping form on her lap.

"You should talk—you don't look too great yourself." Amaya teased reaching up tuck a stray strand of blonde hair from her face. She then turned her attention to the sleeping child on her friend's lap.

"Please what would you know about beauty?" Emiko teased back shaking the bangs out of her eyes with more gusto than was necessary.

"Another one?" Amaya asked nodding at the sleeping child.

"Oh well sorry that you're just seeing her, but she was a sickly child so we kept her at home all this time. She's only just recovered so we decided that it was best that she sees as much of Konoha as possible." Emiko said gently stroking her daughter's hair.

"She's beautiful." The blonde said as she to reached out to stroke the sleeping girl's face. She stopped herself and turned to face Emiko.

"May I?" Almost as soon as the raven nodded her daughter was off her laps an in the arms of her one time rival. Emiko smiled.

When they were girls they used to talk about everything from school to boys and even babies. They had both wanted big families with about 7 or 8 children but while Emiko fancied having sons Amaya preferred having daughters. Of course all that changed when Minato was born. Emiko had been one of the midwives that helped with the delivery and she had seen her friend's eyes light up when they presented him her. Emiko laughed as she remembered how shocked Amaya had been to find out that her precious little 'daughter' was actually a son. Even as a baby Minato looked like a girl so much that he confused a lot of people—his parents included. Even though Emiko knew that Amaya treasured Minato more than anything else in the world she also knew that deep down inside her friend still had a soft spot in her heart for little girls.

Amaya smiled down at the sleeping girl in her arms. She cuddled the child's tiny frame closer to her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. So what if the child had midnight hair so very unlike her bright blonde hair, so what if beneath those closed eyelids were dark onyx eyes? She could still pretend that the little girl was hers and not Emiko's. That her friend had come to see her and her daughter and that anytime soon her daughter's wayward father and older brother would walk in covered in dirt and grinning like fools.

"She met Minato today you know." Emiko said as if reading her friend's mind.

"Really?" Amaya said mildly surprised. "What did she think of him?"

"She's obsessed with him." Emiko said in an amused voice. "She wouldn't stop going on and on about his hair and blue eyes—oh wait till she sees where he got the hair from." Amaya smiled at this as her thoughts shifted from her the child in her arms to her young son.

Minato looked almost exactly like his mother; except of course for his brilliant blue eyes and spiky hair. Amaya's own hair was neat and kept in a stylish bob that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly. And even though he had not inherited her grey eyes she thought his blue eyes made him look more appealing. But apart from her soft facial features, her almond shaped eyes and blonde hair Minato had taken nothing else from her. He had his father's eyes and he was tall and lanky like him. In appearance he was her spitting image but in character he was his father's son.

He was smart, energetic, funny, charismatic, curious (although thankfully not to the same extent as his father), witty, cheerful, kind, playful and very outgoing. But if there was one thing that he inherited from his father that she would gladly do without it was his determination and unwavering faith in people.

Although she loved almost everything about her husband the one thing that she couldn't stand was his stubborn disposition and his ability to trust people easily. These, in her opinion, were definitely not good traits of a ninja and she was secretly glad that his career had been cut short before anything worse happened. Hikaru was a hot-head which was never a good thing for anyone to have regardless what trade they were in. Often times he teased her about being a pessimist but she saw herself as realistic. There was no place in this world for fools and idealists. Such people always met untimely deaths and it was a wonder that Hikaru wasn't dead yet—which she was very thankful for.

The only trait Minato seems to have taken from her was her patient demeanor. She never rushed things and she never rushed into things even if her life depended on it. She liked to stop and plan her next course of action. And she was very thankful that Minato had inherited this instead of his father's hotheadedness. Amaya believed in playing things safe. She knew just how short life was and wasn't willing to throw her life away in the name of 'living'. It was for this reason that she never sought a career as a kunoichi. The life of a ninja was short and hard and she wasn't willing to put her life on the line on a daily basis. Some people were more than willing to do so but she wasn't one of them. So even when Emiko and her other friends had teased her for being a scardy-cat she just ignored them and withdrew herself from the ninja academy. She had only enrolled out of curiosity but as soon as she realized the dangers of such a life she got out. And boy is she glad she did.

She's lost count how many of her class-mates' funerals she has attended. So many have died that there's just a handful of them left now. She couldn't help but notice that all the kunoichi who left early and settled down to be mothers were the only ones still alive. Who cared what adventures lay beyond Konoha? As far as she was concerned she was perfectly content remaining in Konoha for the rest of her life. If she ever sought adventure she would be more than happy to read about it in a good book.

Amaya doesn't remember what it was or when it was exactly that she promised to never fall in love with a ninja. But she did. And so when the suitors came knocking on her parents' door for her hand she turned all the shinobi away no matter how powerful or good-looking they were. She refused to bear the burden of a young widow; she refused to feel her heart crumble within her or feel her tears turn to ash in her eyes. She refused to have the father of her children taken away from her at the hands of another shinobi regardless if it was the good of Konoha or not. So when she met Hikaru that blessed spring morning by the Nakano River, she finally found the answer to her prayers. Not only was he charming and kind but he was also handsome, intelligent and most importantly a non-shinobi. The most comforting thing was the fact that he could never be a ninja again which meant that she didn't have to worry about him suddenly waking up one morning and deciding to make the world a better place by becoming a shinobi. And for that she was glad.

They got married and shortly afterwards they had Minato whom she fell in love with as soon as laid eyes on him. As a child she had once dreamed of having a big family, but that chilly January evening as she held Minato in her arms she vowed to have no other children after him. That way she could give him her undivided love and attention and he would never have to compete with another for anything. That way she would never ever be forced to put another before him. The same way there is only one sun in the sky she would only have one child. He was all she needed and so he became her everything. And she loved him more than she loved her husband.

But then as Minato got older he started to get bored with sitting around listening to her read him stories. He needed something else to keep him occupied. And then he found it in his father. Needless to say Amaya was devastated when her son began to show a preference for Hikaru over her. There were days when she hated her husband for stealing her son's love from her. But then Minato came up to her one day and hugged her tightly around the waist. When she bent down to return the hug he opened his mouth and said the three words that always reduced her to nothing.

"_I love you." _

That was how she knew that the same way he was special because he was her only child she was special to him because she was his only mother. And no matter what that would never change. If possible her love for him increased since that day and she no longer felt jealous whenever he opted to spend time with his father over her. And once again she was glad.

But one day, almost two years ago, Amaya began to notice something extremely disturbing about her precious son. He seemed to have developed the same foolish obsession with ninjas that his father had at his age. After spending many sleepless nights worrying about this she finally reassured herself that he would grow out of it. But the older he got the more obvious it became to her that this would not pass. And knowing her husband he would encourage her son to pursue this foolish obsession the same way he did when he was a boy. Amaya was a patient woman but when Minato had told her that he wanted to enroll into the ninja academy she lost control.

She remembered that night a year ago when Hikaru had returned from one of his business trips pounding on the door like a crazed man. She could tell that he had been running because he was sweating and panting. She asked him what happened but he merely ignored her and walked past her. She followed him as he walked into Minato's room and then his bathroom and asked him if he would like to become a ninja. Amaya's face had paled in shock as those words sank in. Her legs failed her and she fell to ground when she saw the excited smile on her son's face.

_This could not be happening._

They had both turned to help her off the floor in concern and although she had hard time regaining her balance she had no trouble at all finding her words.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" She roared glaring at her husband who stared at her in surprise. How could he be surprised at her reaction, was he slow in the head? He knew very well how she felt about the life of a ninja. Although she respected and admired ninjas it wasn't a trade she wanted anyone remotely close to her to get into. Especially not her son. Not her morning star…the light of her world…no not him. Anyone but him. Call her stingy and selfish she didn't care nothing was going to make her give up her only child to the cursed existence of a shinobi. And so she turned on Hikaru and let him know exactly how she felt.

They then proceeded to get into a rather heated argument with both of them screaming themselves hoarse in order to speak over the other. She accused him of living through his son and using him to fulfill his own foolish dreams. He accused her of being paranoid, over protective and extremely stingy. But she didn't care. He was right and they both knew it. But while he saw it as a bad thing she saw it as a good thing.

She had not grown up in a ninja family and she had not lost any family member to wars and conflicts so why should she want to lose one now. Just the thought of her golden child raising his hands to smite his enemy made her keel over in horror. But the thing that haunted her nightmares was the thought of her son bleeding to death on a deserted battle field—another body among the countless others on the floor. What loving mother would want that for her child? Certainly not her.

And so even when Minato had approached her later on that night and pleaded with her to let him become a ninja she refused him. For the first time in his life she refused to give him this one thing. He could become prostitute for all she cared but she was never going to let him become a shinobi. That night as she watched him fall asleep on her lap she promised herself that she would protect him from his own foolishness even if he hated her for it.

Amaya turned her attention back towards the child in her arms. The small girl had already woken up and was now blinking up at Amaya in surprise. Amaya smiled down at the child and the girl sat up and reached up to grab a handful of her blonde hair.

"What is her name?" Amaya asked turning to Emiko as she gently stroked the girl's back.

"Mikoto." Emiko said with an air of amusement as she watched the toddler staring at the blonde locks in her had with fascination.

"Mikoto." Amaya repeated turning to face the girl once again. She was even more beautiful than Emiko.

"You look like someone I met today." The young child said as she gently stroked Amaya's hair.

"Oh you've met my Minato?" She asked feigning surprise. Mikoto nodded in response before turning to scan the room.

"Where is he?" The child asked addressing Amaya again. Mikoto found the woman just as intriguing to look at as her son. Their eyes and hair were just so….different from what she was used to. And she found herself unable to take her eyes off of the woman hugging her to her bosom.

"He's out with his father but they should be back anytime now." Amaya replied as she resumed stroking the girl's hair again.

Emiko watched the exchange between them with a smile on her face. It was impossible to tell which one of them was more fascinated by the other because they both studied each other in silent awe.

"Can I have Minato when he comes back?" Mikoto asked a pleading look in her eyes. "I really want to have him. If I promise that I will take care of him will you let me keep him?" The little girl watched Amaya eagerly.

"Just promise me that you won't become a kunoichi and he's all yours." Amaya replied smiling warmly. Emiko read between the lines and saw the underlying meaning but she didn't point it out because she didn't want to ruin the moment. But she knew in her heart that Amaya meant business. And her heart ached for her friend.

_She still hasn't learned to let go… and quite frankly I don't think she ever will. _Emiko thought to herself as she watched the pair of them making a deal Mikoto would never be able to keep. For no matter what she was an Uchiha and Uchihas lived to fight.

* * *

**This chapter literally wrote itself. I'm happy with the way it turned out. Lemme know what you think by clicking that little button. **

**Come on you know you want to.**


	4. The Challenge

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei….lucky bastard.**

**The Challenge**

"Oi, Blondie wait up!" Minato turned towards the source of the noise and saw a girl with flaming red hair running towards him at top speed. He heard a groan from his side and turned to see Mikoto sulking as she watched the red-head draw closer and closer. He smiled down at her and took her small hand in his.

"Don't worry I'll just see what she wants and then…" but Mikoto cut him off.

"We both know that she wants you, they all do." The little girl said still sulking.

"It's ok, I won't leave you." He said squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"Promise?" But before Minato could open his mouth the red-head, who had now caught up to them, spoke up.

"Hey, Blondie what's the hurry?" The red-head asked giving Minato a playful slap on the back.

"Uh, I just wanted to squeeze in some practice before dinner that's all." Minato said rubbing the spot she had hit him.

"What's wrong with practicing at the Academy?" The girl asked oblivious to the blonde's pain.

"He wanted to practice with me." Mikoto said speaking up finally grabbing the red-head's attention. The older girl studied Mikoto for a few moments before a wide grin spread across her face.

"Hey, Minato who's the kid? One of your girlfriends?" She asked playfully nudging the tall blonde in the ribs once again oblivious to the pain that she had just inflicted on him.

"Uh no she's not—she's just a friend." Minato said rubbing his ribs.

"Oh, I see." The red-head said leaning close to Minato and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that still managed to carry. "She's one of your love struck fan girls isn't she?" Minato saw Mikoto blush slightly at this and felt the heat rising in his face.

"Kushina this is Mikoto Uchiha," Minato said to the red-head before turning to the young raven. "And this is Kushina Uzumaki she's my classmate."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes scrutinizing her rival. She must have been around Minato's age if they could be classmates. Unlike the other 'fan girls' Mikoto had seen pining after Minato she wasn't very pretty. Sure she had a small nose and delicate features but Mikoto knew that she could be a lot prettier if she put in a little effort. Her shoulder-length red hair was untidy and uneven. Most of the other girls' hair were well trimmed and often had girlie head ties in them. Her clothes were baggy and rumpled and Mikoto couldn't help noticing that unlike most girls her age she wasn't wearing skirts or dresses. Her arms and legs were covered in numerous bruises and bandages, but Mikoto knew that they were the results of rigorous training. To her credit she had one of the prettiest smiles Mikoto had ever seen—although Minato's would always be number one in her opinion. The way her greenish-blue orbs would give way to perfect crescents and the way her mouth would stretch into a wide, toothy grin only seemed to make her prettier than before.

It had been a year since Mikoto had met Minato and they had grown a lot closer in that time. They were almost inseparable; Mikoto followed Minato everywhere and he never seemed to mind her company. He often told her that he preferred it to that of his classmates and he often sought her out whenever he and his father were about to go training. However, ever since Minato got accepted into the ninja Academy, much to Amaya's dismay, they spent less time together. Whenever he was at school Mikoto passed the time by training by herself. Although it was not the same as training with Minato.

After school he was often too busy with homework and other after-school activities to play or train with her. However, that didn't stop her from visiting him every evening. She was perfectly content with watching him do his homework whether it was in the comfort of his room or under the shade of a tree near the training grounds. On the rare occasions that Minato didn't have homework he often took her to the training grounds to teach her some of the basic ninja skills he'd learned at the academy. Mikoto felt that he was a great teacher he was patient and calm never losing his temper and never pushing her or forcing her to over exert herself. Whenever she was practicing advanced jutsus for someone her age he was always around to give pointers and to make sure that she never got hurt. Mikoto enjoyed Minato's company but what she loved the most about training with him was the warm smile he always gave her whenever she successfully mastered a new jutsu. Those smiles never failed to light up her day. Even though she would be covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises, and even though her body would be screaming in agony it was all worth it just to see that smile on his face.

Unfortunately for Mikoto she wasn't the only one who noticed Minato's beauty. Ever since he entered the academy Mikoto noticed that he became very popular with his female classmates. At first she had thought all the stalking and grabbing had been hilarious to watch. However it seemed that as the days went by Mikoto's jealousy only seemed to grow. At first it was nothing more but anger at the giggling girls for interrupting their training sessions, then it developed into annoyance and then a strong dislike before it eventually evolved into full-blown hatred.

She wasn't jealous because the girls always ignored her completely as they tried desperately to grab her friend's attention. It wasn't even because the girls' attention seemed to make the blonde uncomfortable. No, the reason for Mikoto's jealousy was simple—insecurity. She always felt that the older, pretty girls would be able to sweep her Minato off his feet and steal him away from her. And for that reason alone she possessed a deep loathing for any girl who even so much as gave the blonde a second look. This explains why despite the fact that she had never met Kushina before now and even though she seemed a lot nicer to than most of the other girls Mikoto already found herself boiling with rage at the sight of the older girl.

"Nice to meet you squirt." Kushina said smiling at Mikoto before turning back towards Minato.

"So you do you really prefer practicing in the training grounds or are you only doing so just to impress your little girlfriend?" The red-head teased nudging the blonde playfully.

"Mikoto's not my girlfriend." Minato said in a slightly embarrassed voice as his blush darkened considerably.

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I joined you guys." Kushina said watching the pair of them with an amused glint in her eyes.

Their reactions were exactly as she had predicted: Minato gave a small shrug while the young Uchiha seemed to cling to his hand possessively as she turned to glare at Kushina. The tomboy merely smiled at the young girl before grabbing Minato's other arm and pulling him towards her. Minato, completely caught off guard, lost his balance and fell on top of Kushina knocking them both to the ground. Mikoto suppressed the urge to pounce on the red-head and maim her when she saw her blushing furiously at the awkwardness of Minato being on top of her. She let out a feral growl before stepping forward and pulling Minato off the other girl.

"Oops, sorry. Clumsy me." Kushina said laughing in embarrassment as her blush darkened.

Minato noticed the glare the raven had fixed on his classmate and couldn't help but feel more embarrassed than before. In the time that he had known her Minato discovered that whenever it came to him Mikoto always seemed fiercely possessive. At first he had dismissed it as her merely looking out for him, but as time went by he could no longer ignore how the small Uchiha seemed to exude killing intent whenever she saw one of his female classmates around him. He likened her behavior to that of a lioness; whenever she snuggled close to him it was as if she was marking her territory. Whenever the other girls came around him or even spoke to him or of him Mikoto always flared up like a lioness protecting what was hers. Needless to say Minato hated seeing her beautiful doll-like face screwed up in a menacing glower very much like it was now. Therefore he always went out of his way to avoid any situation that would bring about such a reaction on his friend.

As he stood there staring between the smiling red-head and the scowling raven Minato wished that he knew a disappearing jutsu. He hated being in the middle of two of his friends. He would never understand why girls felt the need to always fight over him.

"It's getting late." Minato said breaking the uncomfortable silence. "We should get going now if we want to get any training done before dinner." With that he turned and walked off in the direction of their regular training field. After a while both girls jogged to catch up with him.

"Why are you following us?" Mikoto asked eying the red-head distastefully. "Don't you usually train by yourself?" Minato cringed at his friend's rudeness but Kushina seemed oblivious to her scathing tone. Either that or she chose to ignore it.

"Yea I used to," Kushina said folding her hands behind her head and resting her head on her palms as she walked. "But Blondie's the best student in my year so I figured that I would accomplish a lot by training with him." Although they all knew that this was a lie they decided to let it slide in order to maintain peace.

They soon arrived at the training field and found it empty as usual—just the way they liked it. They immediately got started on some warm up exercises after which they proceeded to kunai throwing practice. Mikoto smiled when she noticed that Kushina wasn't nearly as good as she and Minato were at it. To her dismay Minato offered to help Kushina train which would only mean that they would definitely be seeing a lot more of the tomboy.

After the weapons throwing practice Minato decided to spar with Kushina in order to demonstrate a new taijutsu move they had just learned at the academy. Although Kushina had objected to Minato teaching the smaller girl advanced—for Mikoto's age—techniques she jumped at the idea of her sparing with him. As Mikoto watched them spar she realized something; Kushina, unlike other girls her age who were only interested in Minato because of his looks, was genuinely attracted to his personality. She was always teasing him and talking to him as if to elicit some sort of response from him. Not because she merely sought his attention but because she was sincerely interested in what he had to say or how he felt about certain things. And just like her Kushina wanted nothing more than to prove herself to Minato.

Mikoto frowned at the tomboy as she watched the pair of them trading blows. This wasn't any ordinary girl. She could very well be the only one that stood a real chance at stealing Minato from her. For the first time ever Mikoto felt true jealousy as she watched the tomboy lunge at Minato who easily ducked out of her reach.

After several minutes of trading blows the fight was over and Minato had Kushina pinned to the floor with her face planted in the grass while he held her hand behind her back. Mikoto clapped enthusiastically at the blonde's victory as she moved over to join him.

"That was awesome Minato." She said smiling up at him in awe. It was all she could do to keep from smirking at the red-head.

"Ha! I've seen better." The tomboy called from where she lay on the floor completely unfazed by her current predicament. "Blondie just got lucky that's all."

"Didn't look that way to me." Mikoto retorted turning to glare at the older girl as Minato released her and she rose to her feet.

"Please, I went easy on him." The red-head continued stubbornly causing Mikoto to glare at her in annoyance. She felt Minato touch her and she turned to face him.

"I think we should get started if we want to get finished on time." He said smiling down at her. Mikoto could only grin back at him as she stared into those gorgeous blue orbs she loved so much. She allowed him to lead her by the hand onto the sparing field and watched sadly as he walked away to stand opposite her. When Mikoto was finally ready they began her training.

Minato insisted that she should take it one step at a time but the feisty little raven was eager to prove herself to him and so she ignored him and charged on ahead. They continued like this with Minato teaching Mikoto to imitate his fluid motions as he performed the kicks and punches in quick succession. Although he was only 2 years older than her Mikoto found it very hard to keep up with him. His sheer speed and talent overwhelmed her and she soon found herself pinned to the ground as well. However, unlike Kushina she was pinned face up so that she was eye to eye with the tall boy.

"You. Learn. Fast." He said between pants as he helped her to her feet. Although he was clearly exhausted and Mikoto could tell that his body ached all over he managed to give her one of those golden smiles she cherished so much. They both stood there facing each other for a several moments unable to take their eyes off each other. Although they would have both loved for the moment to drag on indefinitely it was ruined by the sound of approaching voices.

They all froze and turned towards the source of the voices listening carefully as they tried to figure out their next course of action. Two boys emerged from the woods conversing among themselves as they approached the sweating trio. Both boys looked older than all three of them, although one of them looked to be a little older than other. They both looked alike however one could tell that they were not twins only brothers. They both wore dark clothes and the standard shinobi open-toed sandals however only the older one was sporting a Konoha headband. Judging by their dark hair and eyes they were Uchihas and upon closer inspection Mikoto recognized both of them. She gulped when she realized who they were and took an unconscious step back.

Minato noticed his friend's reaction and turned to her questioningly. But her eyes were fixed on the approaching duo so she didn't notice his piercing gaze on her. He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Do you know them?" He asked watching her. She only nodded in response and continued watching them the panic in her chest rapidly increasing with each step the pair took.

"They're here for you aren't they?" The blonde asked. Mikoto finally tore her eyes away from the approaching duo and turned to face him. She gave a slight nod before returning her gaze to the approaching figures.

"Told you we'd find her here." The younger boy said looking up. The older boy merely gave a noncommittal grunt and continued walking with his hands in his pockets.

"Why are they looking for you?" The blonde asked his eyes fixed on the two boys who now stood opposite them.

"She didn't tell you she was grounded did she?" The younger boy said with a sneer. Minato was already beginning to dislike this boy.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?" The older boy said addressing Mikoto who stared at her feet timidly. There was something about the boy—an aura if you will—that he exuded that made those around him instantly respect him. A born leader. Unlike his younger companion he didn't speak in a loud voice, however his voice seemed to carry somehow.

He looked to be about 11 yet he already had an air of composure and authority lacking in most teens. He had a stern face with two faint yet distinguishing creases beneath his eyes. His hair was a dark brown which set him apart from most Uchiha's who had black hair. Like Minato he was tall for his age, however in his case that only seemed to help make him look older than he really was. Everything about this guy intrigued Minato and he didn't realize that he was staring at him until the boy turned to fix him with a calculating stare.

"I'm sorry Fugaku-sama," Mikoto began in a quiet voice her eyes still fixed firmly on her feet. Minato didn't blame her for being intimidated by the boy. He had an unfriendly look about him.

"I didn't think my mother would send you to find me. If I had known…"

"Spare us." The younger Uchiha said rudely interrupting the small girl who shrunk back at his voice. Minato felt something boil inside him.

"It's common courtesy to listen when a lady is talking." Minato said coming to his friend's defense. He had been right about the boy after all.

"And who the hell are you?" The boy sneered at Minato. Before Minato could say anything Kushina, who had been surprisingly quiet, chose that moment to open her mouth.

"He's Minato Namikaze—no.1 prodigy of the decade. Believe it!" The red-head said in a loud voice pumping the air with her fist to emphasize her point. Minato cringed when she used her idiotic catchphrase and he didn't fault the young Uchiha for bursting into a fit of mocking laughter.

"I don't believe it you're even dumber in person Uzumaki!" The boy mocked when he finally regained his composure. Kushina let out a feral growl as she charged at the boy her hands balled into fists.

Knowing that nothing good could come out of a fight between Kushina and this boy Minato moved between them. His hands outstretched protectively with his back to Kushina as he fixed the boy with a cold stare. He wasn't surprised to see that he was already in a defensive stance. This only added to his growing dislike for the boy.

Unlike his older companion, Fugaku, who was generally well-groomed the boy's hair and clothes had a somewhat messy appearance. His messy jet black hair was pulled back into a ponytail carelessly. The bandages on his left arm and foot told Minato two things; he was left-handed and he loved to fight. His dark shirt clung to him haphazardly giving him the appearance of someone who had recently come out of a tornado. Although he had the signature dark eyes of the Uchihas his eyes seemed to have a fiery spark to them very much unlike his companion's dull but sharp eyes. His handsome face held a seemingly perpetual smug look that told Minato that he was used to getting his way.

"Very brave picking a fight with a girl almost half your size." Minato addressed the boy coldly as he straightened up. Although the boy was taller than Minato he wasn't intimidated by him in the slightest.

"Hey I'm not one to back down from a fight regardless of what gender the other person is." The boy said shrugging a smirk spreading across his face again. "If she's stupid enough to challenge me then she deserves whatever she gets."

"Denji, enough." The older boy said addressing the smug faced Uchiha beside him. "Mikoto you're coming with us." The older boy turned to leave and Mikoto hurried to follow him his companion however stood his ground.

"Hold on nii-san. I just wanna teach these brats a lesson." The younger boy said eyeing Minato mischievously.

"I don't have time for your rubbish today Denjiro." The older boy said impatiently. "Let's go." But his younger brother simply ignored him.

"I've heard about you Namikaze." The boy called Denjiro said a sneer forming at the side of his lips.

"You're supposed to be some kind of hot shot. 'A prodigy fit to rival those of the elite ninja clans'."The boy said adopting a mocking tone.

"Ha! As if anyone could rival an Uchiha…a Hyuga maybe but _definitely _not an Uchiha."

"This won't end well." Fugaku muttered to himself as he watched the two boys leveling each other with their eyes. There was something about this Namikaze kid that made Fugaku uneasy. He had the calculating eyes of a hawk. On top of that he had heard of the boy's speed but it was nothing compared to actually seeing it in person. He had gotten a glimpse of it when the boy had jumped between his brother and the red-head. Denjiro was an extremely skilled ninja—even more skilled than himself—however he was arrogant and careless and Fugaku knew that it was only a matter of time before he would meet his match. Fugaku had tried to pull his brother away in order to prevent things from getting nasty but it seems that today would be the beginning of Denji's downfall. That is if he continued pushing the kid.

"You're a pompous one aren't you?" Minato said watching the boy closely. He knew exactly what the boy wanted; he had known almost as soon as he discovered the boy's nature.

"Not pompous, proud." Denji shot back. "And who wouldn't be if they were fortunate to be born an Uchiha."

"Well you know what they say," Minato paused and narrowed his eyes. "Pride goes before a fall. And the bigger they are the harder they fall."

"Is that a challenge?" The Uchiha asked smirking.

"No, just a word of advice."

"I see so you already think yourself superior to me to be giving me advice, eh?" Denji asked a challenging look gracing his features.

"Now that you mention it I do." The blonde said boldly. Despite his front Fugaku could see that he really didn't want to fight. Too bad the feeling wasn't mutual.

"Why don't you go ahead and prove it then?" Denji said with his signature sneer.

"I will." Minato shot back. Fugaku decided that he had let things go far enough and decided to step in. He let out a frustrated sigh before walking up to his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Some other time, ok?" He said somewhat hopefully. But his brother's stubbornness clouded his judgment and he refused to heed his warning.

"No, I'm gonna teach this brat a lesson." Denji said pointing at the blonde.

"Who are you calling a brat?" Kushina shouted taking offense at the Uchiha's blatant disrespect for her friend. But Minato didn't mind it at all, he had even expected it.

"Maybe you should listen to your brother for a change."

"Are you advising me again?" The raven sneered.

"Yes."

"And you should really listen to him." Fugaku said sternly frowning at his younger brother. The younger Uchiha felt his brother's anger and turned to face him with a puzzled look on his face.

"But…"

"It's late and you're not at your full strength. If you fight him now you will surely lose." Fugaku reasoned.

"Fine then. In order to ensure that we are both at our full strengths I challenge you to meet me here in two weeks for a duel." Denji said grinning maliciously at the younger boy.

"I accept." Came the blonde's reply much to Mikoto's surprise and Fugaku's dismay.

"In that case," Fugaku said speaking up again. "I shall be the referee." It was the least he could do to make sure that things didn't turn sour for either boy.

"Fine by me." Minato said although he felt uncomfortable at the thought of the older boy overseeing his brother's fight.

"In that case see you in two weeks loser!" Denji called as he turned and followed his brother.

"Bye Minato." Mikoto said in a small voice before running to catch up with her cousins.

As soon as the three Uchihas were out of earshot Kushina let out a loud scream in excitement before pouncing on the blonde.

"Yay! I always knew you had it in you to be a tough guy." The red-head said ruffling his shock of blonde hair. "Men I can't wait for you to wipe the floor with that jerk. Who the heck does he think he is challenging the great Minato Namikaze?"

Minato listened to the red head go on and on singing his praises all the way home. However, the more he listened to her the more he wished he shared her confidence in him.

_What did I just get myself into?_

**Wow I loved writing this chapter. It's funny because while I was writing this chapter I had some difficulty with it. But when that passed I was able to get started on the next chapter…haha can you believe it I've lost track of what chapter I'm on. Anyways I woke up this morning and returned to finish this chapter and the story seemed to just write itself.**

**I hope this lived up to the standards of the other chapters. Can't wait to finish the next chapter. I decided to bring Fugaku into the story early on in order to better interprete his character. Hope he wasn't OOC. At first I wanted to make him Minato's rival but then Denjiro just strolled into my head like he owned the place and I just **_**had**_** to write him in. When I think of Denjiro I think of a young Sasuke only with a loud mouth and twice the attitude. Expect more of these two in the future. Oh and incase you haven't noticed Kushina's meant to be comic relief sorry if she's not so funny. Oh well hope you enjoyed it and I hope that you'll be eagerly anticipating the next chapter—whenever I upload it—after reading this one. Review please and make my day. **


	5. Training Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Five-Training Days**

It was safe to say that Jiraiya had developed an unhealthy obsession. He didn't like to think of it like that because he wasn't sure if you could call something that had only started two weeks ago an obsession. Furthermore, the object of his obs—fascination was a blonde boy who was no older than 6. Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin was very much straight, if he was ever caught spying on someone it was usually some voluptuous beauty bathing. Spying on young boys was _definitely_ not his style—come to think of it it seemed like something his fellow Sannin Orochimaru would do. Definitely not him the perverted Summoner of Toads.

But there he was again crouching behind the thick vegetation of the trees surrounding the training grounds watching and waiting for his target to finally appear. When he did Jiraiya found himself unconsciously leaning towards the young child as if drawn to him. As he watched the young boy begin his warm-up exercises, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a little impatient at the boy's dawdling. Although he already knew what was to come, which some would argue made things a lot more boring, it never stopped Jiraiya from returning to that same training field everyday to watch the child train.

After his warm up exercises the boy always started his practice by throwing weapons at the wooden dummies around the training field. Then he would take to the trees and try hitting the targets while he ran at full speed. Saying the boy was fast was more like of an insult than an understatement. The boy's speed matched that of a violent gale a feat that should have been impossible for someone so young seeing as many skilled shinobi were still yet to match such a speed. Whenever the boy ran he became nothing more than a yellow blur among the greenery of the trees' vegetation. Whenever his female friends, who usually accompanied him, arrived he would get them to fix the targets on themselves and run around the field sporadically. At first neither girl seemed enthusiastic to do this. However, when they eventually agreed to do so they were understandably weary and tentative. They needn't have been because despite his immense speed the boy was still able to hit all moving targets even when he upped the ante by running around himself. After his target practice the blonde either sparred with the older girl or practiced his taijutsu moves on one of the stronger dummies at the edge of the field.

Although the boy's speed, stamina and taijutsu moves were very impressive the thing that really impressed Jiraiya was the boy's fierce determination as well as his hardworking disposition.

Everyday without fail for the past two weeks the boy had always shown up at the training field around the same time. Given his age Jiraiya could tell that the boy went to the academy which explained why he wasn't there earlier than his usual time. Jiraiya hadn't expected the boy to return to the training field when he first stumbled upon him practicing. After all what was the point of practicing when you were as good as he was. But the boy had surprised him by returning the next day and everyday after that. He would spend several hours on the training field and he wouldn't stop training not even when his female friends begged him to stop and follow them back to the village. Not even when his sweat came out in bucket loads. Not even when from his vantage point Jiraiya could see the child's body shaking in exhaustion. No that blonde kid pushed himself to his limit and beyond often times resulting in him collapsing as a result of chakra exhaustion. Whenever that happened Jiraiya would watch the boy from where he sat until the boy woke up usually after an hour or two. When the boy would finally get up to return home Jiraiya always followed him. At first he hadn't known why he did this. But on the third day of following the child he realized why. He wanted to protect the boy; just like a guardian angel. He wanted to personally see to it that no harm came to the boy.

And so he would follow the boy from the rooftops of Konoha watching him take familiar turns and twists that served as his quickest route home. Jiraiya only left the boy when he saw the boy reach home and enter the safety of the dwelling. Then Jiraiya would turn and head for his own home on the other side of the village.

As Jiraiya watched the boy begin his target practice a conversation he had had with his sensei a few months ago began to play in his head.

"_You know Konoha could really use your help in these troubled times." The older man had said watching his silver-haired former student slurp his tea down noisily._

"_Nah, you've got Tsunade and Orochimaru you'll be fine." The younger man replied nonchalantly as he set his now empty teacup down on the table. _

_The two men were seated in a large room somewhere in the Hokage manor drinking tea and eating dangos as they watched the sun set through the large glass doors of the balcony._

"_I don't understand why you feel the urge to travel the world in search of something that is right under your nose." The older man said letting out a tired sigh._

"_What do you mean something that's right under my nose?" The silver-haired man asked watching the older man carefully._

"_I know why you spend most of time travelling—you're searching for that child the prophecy spoke of." The old man said shrewdly._

"_Right on the money as usual sensei."The younger man said turning to look at the orange sky outside._

"_Jiraiya, sometimes the things we seek dearly are right under our noses." The man paused as he waited for the younger man to speak. When he didn't he took it as a cue to carry on. "I know that you blame yourself for what happened to those poor Ame orphans, but you should just accept it and learn to move on. Maybe that child with the Rinnengan was not the one the prophecy spoke of."_

_The Toad Summoner turned to face his sensei at this. _

"_Did I just hear you right? Did you just say that Nagato was not the child of prophecy?" The old man continued to watch his former student in silence._

"_No sensei, I'm very convinced that Nagato was the child of prophecy…who else could the prophecy have meant? Surely there isn't anything stronger than the Rinnengan." The younger man said adamantly._

"_It's a funny world we live in Jiraiya." The old man said allowing a small smile to grace his lips. "Just when we think we have everything all figured out something comes out of the blue and turns everything upside down so that we're back to square one. You know this better than anyone else that a ninja's true strength lies not in his ocular powers or ninjutsu but lies in his spirit and determination to never fail and never give up…to keep on going on even when others quit. This child that you speak of…I believe that if you look closer and if you try harder you will find another student even greater than him."_

"_And you think that I'll find the child of prophecy here in Konoha?" The younger man asked amusement creeping into his voice. When the older man nodded he threw his head back and burst into laughter._

"_Ah, sensei you always crack me up." The man said patting the older man on the back. The older man gave him a fond smile and said nothing in response. "All this talk just 'cause you want me to teach a bunch of snot nosed brats! I've seen the children of this village they're spoiled, selfish, obsessed with their lineage and they lack the courage and determination one finds in a true shinobi. I refuse to be laden with such pests when I could be elsewhere training the child of prophecy. Nagato was different…a diamond in the rough—one in a million I tell you. There will never be another like him…At least not from Konoha."_

"_You never know until you try Jiraiya." The old man said as he let the issue rest. Since then they never spoke about the issue again; something Jiraiya was grateful for._

As he watched the tall, blonde boy practicing taijutsu moves on a wooden dummy he couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to his sensei's words. There was something about the kid that drew Jiraiya to him. Maybe it was the way the boy always put his all into training or maybe it was because the boy always came to the training field every evening after school without fail. He was a hard worker just like Jiraiya who had defied all odds and pulled himself up by the straps of his sandals and become one of the most powerful shinobi of his generation. Jiraiya saw great things from this boy and he found himself unable to quell the strong desire to take the boy under his wing and teach him everything he knew.

Jiraiya would have marched to the Hokage manor and asked his sensei allow him to train the boy if not for one thing; he didn't trust himself to take on another pupil. Especially after what happened to Nagato and the other two Ame orphans. Although most of his fellow shinobi regarded him with awe, only Jiraiya himself and those very close to him knew that he was anything but great. In his eyes he was the weakest of the Legendary Sannin. The clumsy, perverted buffoon that went around touting the title 'Sannin' and all the responsibilities that came with it. It was because of his own insecurities that he refused to remain in a place for too long lest people discover how inadequate he really was. Such a person should never be left in charge of the education of someone as gifted as the young child before him.

He felt that it had been a testament of his lack of teaching skills that he had somehow managed to get the possessor of the Legendary Rinnengan killed after his tutelage. The art of education was better suited for Tsunade and Orochimaru who he felt were better skilled than him. Not some bumbling fool obsessed with the other gender.

No, the least he could do was help the boy find a good teacher. He had sworn to himself after the three Ame orphans' deaths that he would never take on another student. However, as he watched this boy he felt himself closer to breaking that promise than he had ever been before.

Jiraiya heard approaching footsteps and turned in time to see the boy's two female companions walking towards the training area. By the looks of it the older girl was getting chewed out by her younger counterpart which didn't surprise Jiraiya in the slightest. During his 'observations' of the boy he had discovered that the red-head tomboy could be a bit of an annoying airhead. On top of that she was loud, playful and extremely hyperactive. Jiraiya had seen the younger girl lose her temper with her on more than one occasion. So seeing her getting chewed out was already a norm for the silver-haired Sannin.

Minato turned his attention towards the approaching girls and let out a frustrated sigh at the sight of them bickering. The look on the boy's face was the classic _Oh no not again._

"What happened?" The blonde asked as soon as the girls reached earshot.

"Can you believe it Minato," the tiny raven said speaking up before the red-head could say anything. "After telling this airhead to keep quiet about the fight she goes and tells the entire village."

The blonde sighed at this while the red-head began to chuckle nervously as she rubbed her hand on the back of her head.

"Er sorry bout that—but I promise you she's exaggerating. I didn't tell the entire village."

"It's only a matter of time before the whole village finds out." The younger girl said rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I saw a couple of Chunnin placing bets at the dango shop when I went there with my mom this morning. That was how I found out about her yammering."

"Hey, I don't yammer I talk." The red-head said defensively.

"I beg to differ." The raven scoffed. "When people talk they usually speak about important things—something you obviously never do."

"Nani…" The red-head said balling her hands into fists.

From where Jiraiya sat he could feel the blonde's confusion and desperation. He watched with interest as said blonde stepped between the two girls.

"There's no need to fight over this." The kid said stretching his hands to keep the fuming girls away from each other. "What's done is done. We'll just have to change the venue for the fight." Jiraiya was impressed by the boy's maturity. Most children his age would have joined the younger girl in playing the blame game. But he had decided to deal with the problem at hand whilst refusing to let what had happened get to him. The ability to drop his emotions aside and deal with the present predicament was a mark of a great shinobi.

When Jiraiya found out that the reason for the boy's rigorous training was in preparation for a fight he was giddy with anticipation. He was really looking forward to seeing the boy in combat.

"Do you think you could tell your cousin about the change in venue for the fight?" The blonde asked turning to the doll-faced raven who only gave a small nod in response.

"Thanks."

"What time will it be?" The raven asked. Jiraiya thought he heard an underlying tone of dread in the young girl's voice.

"Around sunset—we don't want any adults interfering."

"I have a question," the hyperactive red-head said in a loud voice. "Why don't you want anyone watching the fight Blondie?" Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle at her fitting nickname for the boy.

"Because I really don't want anyone to make a big deal about it." The boy replied.

"But…how can anyone make a big deal about a little fight between two boys?" This time it was the raven that spoke.

"Although it might not seem like a big deal to us, and in my opinion it really isn't, the adults might think otherwise. And I'm not going to risk that." The boy replied.

"Oh, so you don't want the Uchihas on your case for beating up that smug jerk." The red-head said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The raven rolled her eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day.

Jiraiya's interest was now at its peak. _So the boy wasn't just fighting some random kid…he was facing a kid of the elite Uchiha clan. No wonder he wants this fight to be under the radar._

"This is one fight I have absolutely _no _intention of missing." The Toad Sage said to himself a small smile on his face as he watched the three children on the field.

**

* * *

**

Minato was sitting in his bed frozen in place by an invisible force. He had been like that since he awoke nearly two hours ago. There were dark circles beneath his eye a testament of his lack of sleep the night before. But that was far from his mind as he sat staring down at his open palms on his lap.

_This is it….it's finally here._

He heard the soft sound of shuffling feet and knew that his mom was already up making breakfast. He had woken up a lot earlier than usual and it would be two hours before he would have to get up and get ready for school. Minato had every intention of remaining in bed until then; not quite trusting his feet to support his weight should he get out of bed.

To say that he was nervous was a huge understatement. Although all might have looked calm on the surface his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that overwhelmed him with every passing second. He felt anxiety as well as determination, confidence as well as uncertainty, dread as well as excitement. Throw in a little fear and that pretty much summed up his emotional state.

The dark room began to brighten as the sun's rays peeked over the horizon. He had always enjoyed watching the sunrise. It was the reason why he loved his room so much; it gave him an almost perfect view of the glorious scene. However, today he didn't rush to his window to watch the sky brighten like he always did. He remained where he sat in his bed allowing the sun's warmth to wash over him.

The clattering in the kitchen began to increase in volume and he knew that his father had woken up now. Only he could make that much noise.

_How long have I been sitting here?_

Minato turned to glance at the small clock on his bedside table. _6:17 Am. _He sighed and returned his gaze back towards his heavily bruised and calloused hands. The results of ceaseless training over the past few days.

Sure he had pushed himself to his limits and beyond, but was it good enough? Was it even enough to face that boy? He was up against a fierce opponent and for the first time in two weeks he became painfully aware that the odds were stacked against him. His opponent may be arrogant and careless in battle but was he really skilled enough to take advantage of that? The boy was older than him by at least two years. That meant he had two years over him in battle experience and jutsu knowledge. Secondly he was of the elite Uchiha clan, and even though Minato was sure he was yet to awaken his Sharingan he knew that didn't improve his odds by much. Seeing as the Uchihas were a fearsome warrior clan it was safe to assume that they trained their children in the art of combat even when they were on break from school. Meaning that Denjiro had probably trained under constant the guidance and supervision of the best shinobis in the Fire country. On the other hand he had trained mostly by himself with occasional assistance from his father and friends.

Minato felt something sink into his stomach and he suddenly began to feel nauseous. Had he been wasting his time? How could he think that he could compete with an Uchiha? They were the best of the best—the elite. Unlike the other clans in the village the Uchihas were yet to produce a mediocre shinobi. Each and every one of them always stood out among their peers. There was a reason they were well-known and respected throughout the five great nations.

Judging from his personality Denjiro would be ruthless in battle. He would want to savor every moment of it. He would probably toy with him a little before finishing him off. He wouldn't go easy on him and he would take his time. Minato was certain of that.

_Every advantage comes with a disadvantage…every good shinobi knows this. However only exceptional shinobi are able to accurately analyze their opponent's nature and discover whatever flaws they may have….a shinobi's true ability lies in his ability to turn any disadvantage into an advantage._

As Minato remembered the words of his sensei he clenched his fists in determination. His sensei's words had filled him with courage and determination. No matter what challenges this fight would throw at him he wasn't going to back down. How could he ever hope of becoming Hokage if he couldn't overcome this obstacle? As hard as it was to imagine Minato was sure that there were other shinobi out there who were far more fearsome in battle than the Uchiha. If he was ever going to become a great hokage and defend Konoha he had to become the strongest shinobi in the five great nations. To do that he needed to challenge and push himself relentlessly. Never resting until he became the best.

It didn't matter that this was his first real fight as a young shinobi, or that his opponent was probably more skilled and experienced than him. He was determined to win. And it was that determination that was going to help him win.

Minato kicked off his blanket and got out of bed with his newfound determination and began his morning routine of getting ready for school. When he was dressed in his usual t-shirt and pants he picked up his backpack and left the room after one last glance at his untidy bed. He knew that when next he returned to his room he would either be victorious or defeated.

He ate breakfast merely to appease his mom who often threatened to pull him out of the ninja academy should he ever skip a meal. Although he felt too nauseous to be hungry he ate his meal in silence aware of his mother's hawkish gaze on him. Besides he was going to need his strength for the fight that evening.

His father entered the kitchen just as he finished his breakfast. He greeted his father who smiled down at him fondly in response. Ever since he had found out about Minato's upcoming fight Hikaru had taken to pestering his son to allow him to watch the match. But Minato had inherited the man's stubbornness and so getting the boy to agree with him was proving impossible.

_Today's the big day…I can't believe he won't let me come and watch his first fight…Maybe today will be the day…I'll try my luck again._

But just as the elder Namikaze was about to open his mouth to address his son the boy was on his feet in a heartbeat and out of the house in less that time. Hikaru couldn't help but chuckle at this.

_He really is something else._

**Eeep! It's D-day can you feel the anticipation in the air. The next chapter will deal with the battle exclusively. I must warn you I'm still new to this fanfiction stuff so I'm just scratching the surface at writing battle scenes. Hope this chapter succeeded in getting you on the edge of your seat. And I hope that the next chapter lives up to whatever expectations you have of the fight. Oh well hope you enjoyed it R&R people.**


	6. Awakening

**Disclaimer: *heavy sigh* I'm just gonna let someone else do it this time.**

**Minato: Can I do it?**

**Me: Sure go ahead.**

**Minato: Yay! Although she might wish with all her heart the author of this fic doesn't own Naruto or any of the characters from the show and manga mentioned in this story.**

**Denjiro: What's up with calling her **_**the author**_**? Just stick to the flashcards Namikaze. Call her Shael the wannabe Uchiha that's what I call her.**

**Me: *angrily* Are you in the mood for an ass whooping Uchiha?**

**Denjiro: You can't touch me you don't even own me.**

**Minato: Ha! Oh yes she does. She created you remember?**

**Me: Ok, on with the story…oh and by the way Denjiro get ready to enter a world of pain.**

**Denjiro: hit me with your best shot wannabe.**

**Chapter Six- Awakening**

"You really don't have to do this you know." Mikoto said for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. It was early evening and Minato, accompanied by Kushina and Mikoto, was making his way to the agreed venue of the duel.

The day seemed to have dragged on for what seemed like forever and he was just happy that school was finally over. Word had spread like wild fire around the village and Minato had been hounded by his classmates and several villagers all intent on finding out the location for the fight.

It was bad enough that he was already feeling nauseous with anxiety without being constantly reminded of the impending fight. So he spent most of the day ducking and looking over his shoulder for his classmates. Luckily Kushina knew the academy building very well so she helped him avoid the annoying crowd of would-be spectators.

After school he hurried to Kushina's place where he took a quick nap in order to rest up before the fight. Mikoto arrived two hours later to wake them up so they could all head for the rendezvous point. While they walked Minato couldn't help but pick up on Mikoto's fear and anxiety; she was practically radiating it from ever pore in her body. She often looked up at him imploringly pleading for him to not see this fight through. But the dice was already cast and his mind was made up. He could not back down…he wouldn't not now…and not ever.

"Mikoto relax," Minato said placing a hand on the small girl's shoulder soothingly. "I'll be ok."

"Yea doll-face," Kushina said smiling down at the female Uchiha kindly. "Blondie can take care of himself. He can't lose to that pompous brat."

"But…" Mikoto trailed off and Minato heard her mutter something underneath her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I hope you're right."

Minato smiled nervously to himself as the rendezvous point came into view. The Uchiha brothers weren't there yet which would mean that they would have to do some waiting. This wasn't good for his nerves and he knew it.

"Ha the losers aren't here yet." Kushina said as she ran towards a tree and began climbing it with the ease of a monkey.

"They're just running late, that's all." Minato said more to himself than the two girls as he settled down by the tree Kushina was climbing. "They'll be here."

Mikoto, sensing his nervousness, walked over to sit beside him. After watching him pull blades of grass around him absentmindedly she finally spoke up.

"You know I wouldn't think any less of you if you decided to just walk away right now."

Minato looked down at her for several moments trying to read the emotions in her face. And she let him hoping that if he saw what was in her heart maybe just maybe he would end this foolishness.

"My dream is to become Hokage," He paused turning to stare at the great Hokage stone faces in the distance. Mikoto followed his lead waiting for him to go on.

"If I run away from this fight I wouldn't be worthy of calling myself a shinobi let alone Hokage." When he turned to face her again she noticed that there wasn't a single trace of a smile on his features. Just pure determination. "My ninja way is to never back down and to never go back on my word. I promised Denji a fight and that's exactly what I'm going to give him. Never run away Mikoto. I know it might seem like the smartest thing to do but a shinobi must never flee his responsibilities. If you make a promise honor it otherwise your word becomes worthless to those around you."

Mikoto only stared up at him in openmouthed awe. Who was this young boy sitting beside her pulling at the blades of grass at his side? He couldn't have been the playful, blonde boy she met at his family's shop a year ago. No he was someone entirely different. He was a man…a true ninja—a legend in the making. His words had been short and straight to the point however they contained a lot more meaning and wisdom than those of the elder Uchihas she often heard conversing. How could anyone be this determined at this age? He was only two years older than her and yet he spoke like a wise, battle-hardened shinobi. Although Mikoto wasn't sure who would win this fight she was very sure of one thing; Minato Namikaze would go on to become the greatest shinobi of their time. The thought of that cheered her up immensely and she turned to smile up at him.

Minato felt his heart stop at the sight of the young raven's smile. It was as if the breath had been knocked out of his lungs as he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her. He was glad that he wasn't standing because he was pretty sure that if he was his legs would give out beneath him. Somehow the dark-haired beauty before him managed to seem even more beautiful whenever she smiled. Her eyes were closed in perfect crescents and her pale, delicate face seemed to radiate an unearthly glow that fiercely rivaled the sinking sun's rays. Her small, soft lips were turned into a small happy crescent of a smile. He wondered if she had any idea just how much her smile had affected him.

"Finally!" Kushina half shouted jumping down from the tree and landing heavily beside Minato. He finally tore his eyes away from the raven and turned to see the red-head marching angrily towards two approaching figures glaring daggers at the latecomers.

He quickly rose up and followed her dusting his backside as he did so.

"DO YOU LOSERS HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU?" Kushina bellowed pointing accusingly at the two boys.

"Kami, she's as annoying as she is ugly." Denjiro said in disgust.

"What kept you?" Minato asked restraining Kushina from pouncing on the Uchiha. Despite his lax appearance Minato was sure that he was as alert as a hawk.

"Lost track of the time I guess." Denjiro said nonchalantly examining his fingernails.

"Well then," Fugaku spoke as he walked towards the middle of the clearing. "Shall we begin?" Both boys nodded and followed him.

The venue of the fight was a large clearing in the woods outside Konoha beside a large stream. As the boys took their places opposite each other in the clearing, with Fugaku standing in between them, the girls turned and climbed onto the nearest tree in order to watch the fight without getting in the way.

The sun's orange glow was getting fainter and fainter in the horizon. There were no birds or animal noises in the clearing resulting in an almost eerie silence only broken by the occasional gusts of wind. Minato almost didn't hear Fugaku speak over the loud, sporadic beating of his heart.

"The rules are simple; in order to avoid any death or serious injury the use of forbidden jutsu is strictly prohibited."

"Oh come of it. What makes you think we've been taught any forbidden jutsu at the academy?" Denjiro asked rolling his eyes. Minato would have agreed with him if he wasn't too busy trying to quell the crazy butterflies in his stomach.

After reciting the standard rules of combative fighting Fugaku finally stopped talking and turned to make sure both boys were ready. With a wave of his hand the signal was given and the fight began.

Minato remained in place watching Denjiro. The Uchiha sneered at him.

"Afraid to make the first move Namikaze?" He hollered. "Big mistake!" He charged at the blonde and rose his left hand ready to strike.

He was fast but Minato was faster. Besides he had anticipated an attack from his right which happened to be his opponent's left. He easily moved out of the way and avoided the second and third strikes from the ruthless Uchiha as he put some distance between them.

His mind was working furiously as his blue eyes followed the raven around the clearing.

_This very bad for both of us. He's left-handed and I'm right-handed meaning that his strongest attacks will be from his left side—my right. I'll have to dodge or counter all of them with my right side which also happens to be my strong side. Making me permanently on the defensive which isn't good. However, the same thing goes for him to. If I ever gain the upper hand I'll force him to defend with his strong side and attack with his weaker side also putting him on the defensive for as long as I can maintain the upper hand. Engaging in close range taijutsu combat won't get us anywhere. Sooner or later we'll have to take it to the next level—ninjutsu combat._

_However he will definitely have the upper hand there. He's an Uchiha therefore he must have an innate affinity with fire style jutsus. My water style is crude and mediocre at best. Even though water naturally beats fire it won't be enough to defeat him. I must assume that he knows other jutsus apart from fire style jutsus. And seeing as he's older and more advanced at the academy it is safe to say that he would easily dominate a ninjutsu fight…..think…think…what do I have that he lacks….speed!_

_My speed can help me stay two steps ahead but I mustn't get careless and overexert myself. If I can keep dodging and evading his jutsus while making use of little chakra I could easily outlast him. And when he's exhausted I can use that to my advantage and defeat him._

_Great I've got a plan now to put it into action….hmmm this taijutsu battle has raged on long enough…I wonder if he knows this will get us both nowhere. Hmmm how do I draw him into a ninjutsu fight?_

Minato decided to wait for a break in Denjiro's attacks to put the first phase of his plan in motion. The Uchiha finally relented for a few seconds but that was all the time he needed to quickly form the hand signs needed for the jutsu.

"Water style; water jet jutsu!" He hollered concentrating chakra in both hands. A violent jet of water burst out of both hands and he quickly turned both of them towards the Uchiha who was caught off guard. The water jet hit the raven squarely in the gut and he was pushed back by the sheer force of the jutsu. He was knocked violently into a tree and tried to keep the merciless water jet at bay. But Minato did not relent. He wasn't going to let the Uchiha anywhere near him.

Minato saw something move from the corner of his eye. When he turned he saw the Uchiha, soaked to the bone, weaving several hand signs in quick succession. He stopped the water jet in time to dodge the large fireball aimed at him.

_How did he escape the water jet…he was firmly pinned to the tree._

Minato chanced a glance at the tree on which he had pinned the Uchiha earlier and saw a small log of wood where the Uchiha had been pinned.

_Impressive, a substitution jutsu…judging by the size of that fireball he's done playing around. Good…it's about time to. Now I just need to drain his chakra and I can win this._

Minato straightened up after hurling himself out of the way of another of the Uchiha's fire style jutsus. He could hear Kushina and Mikoto whooping loudly cheering him on.

"Your little fan club's gonna be disappointed when I beat you into the ground." The Uchiha sneered simultaneously performing the hand signs for a shadow clone jutsu.

Minato ignored him as he began performing hand signs of his own. He knew that his opponent was trying to distract him and he knew that he must maintain his focus no matter what. The Uchiha finished his hand signs first and released a large steady burst of fire from his mouth. Minato resisted the urge to gaze at the fireball in awe as he performed several back flips to escape the fireball's path.

The Uchiha sent several other fireballs at him and Minato had no trouble dodging all of them. Whenever he got the chance he shot jets of water at the Uchiha before ducking out of sight. This went on for several minutes before Minato decided to finally take things up a notch.

When Denjiro let out another fireball jutsu Minato easily quenched it with a quick burst of water from his palms. Taking advantage of the steam rising from the now quenched flames Minato approached the Uchiha and when he felt the boy was within range he pulled his fist back and swung. His felt his fist collide with its mark and heard the surprised grunt of the Uchiha who took several steps back putting some distance between them. But the blonde had anticipated this—in fact he had planned for this to happen. He quickly dug his hands into his weapons pouch and drew out several kunais and shurikens which he carefully aimed at his retreating rival.

Denjiro, eyes wide in shock, barely managed to get his hands up in time to protect his vital organs. This merely diverted the weapons' trajectories and nothing more. He felt sharp pain from where the blades of the weapons pierced his skin and he stifled a cry of pain with his lips. He paused and performed a shadow clone jutsu before taking off to hide in a nearby bush.

He was almost out of chakra and he knew it. Somehow he had a feeling that the little, blonde brat knew it as well. So far he had dodged all of his attacks and apart from the occasional burst of water jets the brat hadn't expended nearly as much chakra as he had.

His shadow clone formed the hand signs to perform another fire style jutsu while he gingerly pulled the kunais and shurikens lodged in his skin. Things were getting nasty pretty fast. With just a few moves the little squirt had somehow managed to turn the tide of the battle and gain the upper hand. Now he understood why his aniki had cautioned him numerous times during his training about underestimating the brat.

He heard the roar of flames coming to life in the clearing and he knew that his shadow clone had successfully completed the jutsu. However, it was merely a diversion for the second phase of his plan. He was desperate to end the fight as soon as possible however he knew that in order to do that he would have to play the brat's little game until he could think of a counter attack. But how long could he really last? Even now the blonde wasn't using any chakra consuming jutsus to evade his clone's fireballs. However, maintaining his shadow clone alone was already considerably depleting what little chakra he had left.

Denjiro, taking advantage of the fireball's wide berth, hid behind his clone before launching several shuriken and kunais at his opponent before ducking out of sight again. As expected the blonde evaded the projectiles by jumping out of the way. Taking advantage of his opponent's vulnerability while airborne the Uchiha jumped out from his hiding place and threw a horde of weapons at him. He smiled when he saw the blonde's eyes widen in surprise as he twisted out of the way in time barely missing several of the flying weapons. However, the Uchiha was pleased to note that some of the shurikens managed to either scratch or embed themselves in the brat's skin. He smiled at this as he mentally prepared himself for the next phase of his plan.

Minato had known that defeating the Uchiha would not be an easy task however, he had not expected the fight to last this long. He mentally kicked himself for underestimating his opponent's tactical abilities as he launched himself into the air to avoid the weapons hidden by the Uchiha's fireball jutsu. While he was airborne he turned realized that he had taken his eyes off the raven and twisted in order to rectify this. Nothing prepared him for the shock he received when he turned to glance at the Uchiha spewing fire from below. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of a clone of the Uchiha emerging from the bushes to throw several weapons at him taking advantage of his vulnerability. Minato twisted away to avoid the projectiles aimed at his vital organs. However, he couldn't suppress the cry of pain that escaped his lips when he felt the shuriken tear and dig into his skin. But the worse was still yet to come. Minato managed to land on his left foot but he barely had enough time to regain his bearings when he saw an angry flash of red flames from the corner of his eye. Before he could duck out of the way his left side was engulfed in flames and he let out an earsplitting shriek at the raw pain tearing at his flesh.

Ignoring the agonizing pain from his side, Minato placed his hands together and quickly formed the hand signs for a substitution jutsu. He managed to escape the fireball's range only to be met with a heavy punch when he appeared at the other side of the clearing. The force of the punch threw him off his feet and left him slightly dazed and breathless. Cradling his left cheek as he sat up he turned to glance at his attacker and blinked in disbelief when he saw Denjiro smirking down at him. He noticed some movement from the corner of his eye and barely managed to escape in time to avoid a heavy blow that left a crack on the ground he had been standing on only seconds ago.

He noticed a lot of movement around him and made a quick 360 degree turn in place to examine his surroundings. What he saw completely took his breath away. Surrounding him were about 20 shadow clones of the Uchiha each with the exact sneer on its face. He hadn't yet learned how to tell the original from a shadow clone and he immediately knew that the Uchiha had once again turned the tide in his favor. He wasn't surprised because the Uchiha had created shadow clones—he had done that several times already in battle—what really shocked him was the sheer number of the clones. Such a number required a great deal of chakra, chakra he had thought the Uchiha was running out of.

_Where is he getting his strength from? He should be out of chakra by now…those fire style jutsus as well as the shadow clones must have consumed a chunk of his chakra…so how come I'm the one panting like an exhausted dog? He really catches on quickly—he's already figured out my strength and he's intent on neutralizing it. I'm pretty sure he didn't create this many shadow clones for nothing. He's going to compensate for his lack of speed by increasing his attack range. By utilizing several clones he can steer me anywhere he wants to in the clearing._

_He's obviously preparing for something a lot bigger which explains why he needs these many clones to occupy me. If I avoid every strike he and his clones aim at me I should be fine. That way when he launches his final attack not only will I be able to dodge it but I'll also be able to counter it as well. My chakra is still enough to last me for the remainder of the fight on the other hand his chakra must be reaching its limit. He's taking a calculated risk by using this much chakra which means that whatever he's got planned next must be worth the risk to him. I must keep on my toes and stay alert. I can't afford to suffer any more damage. If I'm injured my speed will suffer considerably and my vulnerability to attacks will be almost double. Evasion and chakra management are crucial from this point on. In the meantime I'll play his little game until he reveals his trump card…then I'll end it with one devastating blow. _

From where he hid Denjiro smirked as he watched the calculating look on the blonde's face as he ducked and jumped to avoid his clones' attacks.

_Nii-san was right—he is very smart. He's watching my clones' every move like a hawk. Thank Kami I'm out of sight otherwise he would probably see what I have in store for him and find a way to counter it. Ha, however, I doubt he's figured out the clones' true purpose. I'll just watch and see what happens and strike at an opportune moment. By the time he sees what's coming it will be too late._

After nearly ten minutes of ducking and reversing the clones' attacks Minato found himself exhausted and almost out of breath.

_If not for all that endurance training I would have been done for._

He gazed wearily at the remaining eight clones watching him with identical smirks on their faces. Things weren't looking good at all. Although he had managed to get rid of the bulk of the clones it hadn't been an easy task. It seemed that the accuracy of the clones' strikes and their teamwork greatly improved with the more clones he dispelled. The cuts and bruises all over his body bore testament of this. At this rate he wouldn't be able to avoid the Uchiha's final attack let alone counter it.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Like the Uchiha he was now willing to make a calculated gamble that could very well cost him the fight. If he kept going like this he would eventually be finished off by one of the shadow clones. He needed to take them all out with one blow and reveal the original. But in order to accomplish that he was going to have to use a lot of chakra. Missing was not an option; if he misfired or if even one of the clones escaped his jutsu he would be finished.

_But if I perform that jutsu will I be able to pull out my trump card? It's worth the risk. I can't go on like this…Losing is NOT an option. I'll do it and just wing it from there._

Two of the remaining shadow clones sent weapons flying in his direction. He easily jumped out of the way concentrating on the hand signs he was already forming. When he landed he was ambushed by two more clones and kicked one away from him just in time to avoid the other's well timed roundhouse kick. He felt two approaching figures from behind and turned to frown down at his hands that were already nothing but a blur of hand signs.

"Water Style; water shuriken jutsu!" He cried launching himself into the air once again as he felt a surge of chakra-created water take the form of a giant shuriken before launching itself at the charging clones. He smiled when he heard the shadow clones poof out of existence in the wake of the flying water shuriken. However, his smile quickly gave way to a look of shock when the smoke of the dispelled shadow clones finally cleared. He was standing alone in the clearing. This was not good at all. For some reason he had thought the Uchiha was hidden amongst his shadow clones. However, it made sense now that he would leave his clones to distract his enemy while he hid in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to strike. Aware that an attack could come from anywhere Minato immediately assumed a battle ready stance slowly turning on his heels as he scanned the clearing.

The blonde's raged breaths and heaving chest told Denjiro that his clones had done their job flawlessly. He smiled at the knowledge that the blonde had exhausted himself with his last jutsu.

_He's as vulnerable as he'll ever be. The clones completely exhausted him and now his movements, as well as his reflexes, have slowed down significantly. Good thing to…I was beginning to get tired of missing. I've got him right where I want him. It is time!_

"Fire Style; Great Fireball jutsu!"

Minato saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned just in time to see a large fireball burst out from behind a bush. The range of this fireball was by far greater than any of the other ones the Uchiha had created so far and he was once again unable to completely avoid it.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" The blonde screamed in pain as the flames engulfed most of his back. He fell on the floor in an attempt to quell the flames but immediately regretted this. The Uchiha had chosen that moment to burst out from within the great fireball armed with a kunai. Propelled through the air by the explosive force of the giant fireball, Denjiro landed on top of his younger opponent catching the blonde by surprise and knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"Ooof!" Minato said as he landed hard on his back with the Uchiha on top of him. The raven smiled triumphantly down at the stunned boy as he drove the kunai in his hand into his opponent's small palm pinning him to the ground. Minato's screams echoed throughout the clearing as his flesh was pierced through unforgivably.

From where they sat watching Kushina and Mikoto cringed at the shrill screams of their friend. Before the younger girl could do anything the tomboy jumped down from the tree and made to run towards the screaming blonde. Her path was blocked by Fugaku who had his arms outstretched with his back to the battle.

"Out of my way!" The red head snarled angrily moving to shove the bigger boy out of her way. However he stood his ground.

"I will do no such thing." He replied in a calm voice that only seemed to infuriate the hotheaded girl to no end.

"I don't care if I interrupt the stupid battle—he's getting killed out there." She shrieked pointing towards the prone figure of her classmate.

"Well I care—a lesson has to be learned here." The older Uchiha said coolly as the younger girl landed beside the fuming red-head.

"And what lesson would that be?" The tiny raven asked indignantly crossing her small hands across her chest. Fugaku turned towards her fixing her with a cold, penetrating stare.

"Every shinobi will experience pain at one time or the other no matter how skilled they may be. It is inevitable. The sooner your friend gets used to pain the easier he'll be able to cope with it in the future. By intervening now you will hinder his progress significantly because I can assure you that what he's going through pales in comparison to what lies ahead."

As much as they hated to admit it the boy had a point. Besides the entire purpose of this fight was to get stronger and that would never happen if they stepped in now. Furthermore, neither of them could bare the thought of getting Minato disqualified from the fight by interfering. And so they both reached a sort of unspoken agreement and decided that whatever happened they would not interfere and remained where they stood.

Denjiro, relishing in the smaller boy's agony, took out another kunai from his pouch and proceeded to pin his other palm to the ground. The cry of agony that accompanied this spread a sadistic smile across the Uchiha's face. He smiled down at the boy one last time before jumping off him and proceeding to weave several complex looking hand signs. He took his time knowing that his prey couldn't escape. When the hand signs were finished the raven took in a deep breath gathering chakra into his lungs in preparation for his final jutsu. It was now or never and Minato knew it.

Without a second's hesitation or any thought for his wellbeing Minato mustered as much strength as he could and pulled his right palm free. Knowing he only had seconds the blonde child ignored the pain in his hand as he used it to release his other hand. By the time the Uchiha finally spewed the flames for the largest fireball he had ever seen, Minato was already jumping out of reach performing his own hand signs rapidly. For the third time that evening he failed to avoid the fireball's range. However, for the first time that evening he didn't cry or even gasp in pain when he felt the heat of the fireball burn the flesh of his forearms. He had been expecting it therefore it didn't hurt as much as the previous times. He focused his attention on concentrating what was left of his chakra for his final jutsu.

When the hand signs were finally complete he opened his eyes and pointed his hands at the angry, red flames before him.

"Water Style; Water wave jutsu!" A giant wave of water spewed out from both of his arms, putting the red flames out almost instantaneously. Minato smirked at the shocked look on the Uchiha's face when his flames were extinguished. They were both exhausted and out of breath and chakra. Judging from the look on the Uchiha's face he was already getting frustrated with the fight.

_Perfect it will be his downfall. _

Concentrating his chakra again Minato began forming hand signs again and glanced up in time to see the Uchiha looking at him in shock. He smiled as he completed his jutsu and once again aimed his palms at the Uchiha who was frantically forming hand signs.

_Too late!_

"Water style; water jet jutsu!" He screamed as once again a violent jet of water burst out of his palm knocking the Uchiha right in the gut. He heard the faint sound of the Uchiha's grunt as he was repelled by the sheer force of the jutsu. The raven collided with a tree that refused to give way thus effectively pinning him between the tree and the water jet.

Minato stopped the jutsu when he saw the Uchiha slump over apparently unconscious. To make sure that he wasn't playing possum Minato gathered the rest of his strength and pushed off from where he stood at breakneck speed into a sprint. The Uchiha raised his jet black head just in time to see the blonde child charging at him with his right fist raised ready to strike. He tried to avoid the punch but he was just too slow in his weakened state. He felt blood rise to his mouth from the point of impact in his gut.

Another punch crushed into his face accompanied by a series of devastating punches and kicks to various parts of his body. Although he knew that he should move in order to avoid serious injury, Denjiro found himself unable to break free from the violent onslaught. Over and over again the Uchiha was beaten further into the tree by the enraged blonde child screaming at him in blind rage. His lip was already swollen and bleeding and he could taste the metallic tinge of blood on his tongue as more and more of it spewed out from his stomach.

His head was spinning and his ears were ringing and he found himself silently pleading for the pain to stop.

_Please no more…he's won…I c-cant g-g-go on…I've reached my limit…you've won. I'm sorry aniki…I really underestimated him…but he's just so….young. How can hands as small as his be capable of causing this much pain? Where does he get all his energy from? He was completely exhausted only a minute ago…I…m-m body's going numb…I can feel myself slipping away. Is this the end? Am I dying?_

_No, I cannot die! Not now and not like this! Never! How shall I face my ancestors in the afterlife and tell them that I was done in by some blonde brat two years my junior…Impossible! Not I the son of the clan leader of the great Uchiha clan…I a direct descendant of Madara Uchiha! I who swore to one day defeat my aniki and become the first Uchiha to ever become hokage. No, no no! Certainly not I! Not like this not right now. If I am to die it will be at the hands of a great shinobi; a worthy opponent. Not some stupid brat from a family of insignificant civilians! No way no how….I CAN—NO, I WILLNOT LOSE!_

Denjiro found the strength within him and finally snapped his eyes opening turning his dark pupils to glare at the blonde angrily.

Minato was growing weary however he never relented in his strikes. He wouldn't stop until the Uchiha passed out or surrendered. Knowing how proud he was Minato knew that it would have to be the former. However, as he continued to mercilessly pound the raven-haired boy repeatedly he began to sense something off in the boy. The boy's eyes seemed to be moving rapidly beneath his closed eyelids. At first Minato thought that he was having a seizure but that didn't make sense. So he slowed his attacks in order to quickly assess the situation incase if it was life threatening.

The Uchiha's eyes flew open and Minato felt his heart freeze in horror. He could only gasp in shock as he was lifted off his feet by the neck high above the raven's head. He heard the others gasp in shock in the distance and knew that they had seen it to. It couldn't be a figment of his imagination if they had seen it to.

He could only stare down in wide-eyed shock at a pair of blood-red eyes glaring up at him a single black tomoe spinning furiously.

_Oh no, the Shari—he's awakened his Sharingan…_

**I'm gonna end this chapter here simply for dramatic effect. Pwease don't hate me. I apologize if the fight scene sucked but I'm new to this fanfiction writing stuff so…yeah. Lemme know what you think about the story thus far by clicking on that little 'review button' and dropping me a few lines. Whether it's your opinion about the story or just some general tips and pointer for writing fiction it doesn't matter. I'd be THRILLED to receive any sort of response for this fic. Oh and btw I'm not sur—scratch that—I don't know Minato's elemental affinity so I decided to go with water style. Seeing as Naruto inherited Kushina's fighting style I think it's safe to take some creative licenses in that aspect. So I'm gonna leave Minato as a water style user although he mostly relies on his speed and agility. Next chapter should be up sometime this week…preferably before Friday. Toodles.**


	7. A Lesson Well Learned

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. (Hope I didn't butcher his name). Enjoy! XD**

**Chapter Seven- A Lesson Well Learned.**

From his hiding place Jiraiya could see the look of shock on the blonde's face. The child had gone completely still in his opponent's clutches; something Jiraiya knew he would soon regret.

_Come on kid snap out of it._

But he knew that it was no use. The boy was still in shock and probably would be for the next couple of minutes. And Jiraiya really couldn't blame the boy. This was probably the first time he had ever seen the famous Uchiha bloodline limit up close, if not ever. Most experienced shinobi often froze up as soon as they saw those blood-red eyes regardless of how many times they might have seen it in their lifetime.

Jiraiya felt something sink inside him when he saw the Uchiha draw his free hand back to punch the stunned blonde. He cringed when the raven's fist collided hard into the blonde's face sending the child flying. Thankfully that seemed to rouse the kid from his stupor. Jiraiya smiled internally when he saw the determination return to the blonde's features as he quickly rose to his feet wiping the blood off his chin.

"The tide of the battle has changed once again." A voice said startling Jiraiya. He turned towards it and saw his pale friend and fellow Sannin Orochimaru regarding the two boys with mild interest.

He had almost forgotten that he had invited his friend to watch the fight with him. They hadn't spoken much since the fight began as they were both too occupied with the fight to make idle talk. Jiraiya smiled at the slight show of interest by his usually emotionless friend. Unlike him Orochimaru had very high standards and as a result was a lot harder to impress. It was a trait common in the most skilled and most exceptional of shinobis who have seen far too much to be easily interested or surprised by almost anything.

"Impressive isn't he?" Jiraiya asked smirking at the Snake Summoner.

"Your words did little justice in describing the boy's talent." The pale-faced Sannin replied without turning to face his companion. Orochimaru was a man of very few words; and even fewer of those words were used as compliments. He rarely ever complimented or acknowledged children no matter how gifted they might have been. His students had grown so used to this that they had come to think of compliments as nothing more than foolish flattery. So this coming from the man he one day hoped to surpass made Jiraiya's chest swell with pride. Even though he had had no hand in the boy's training he couldn't help but feel a sense of acknowledgement. He saw himself in the boy, therefore the fact that Orochimaru had acknowledged the boy's potential was as good as being directly acknowledged even though the chances of that happening were virtually non-existent.

"The Sharingan is useless in this fight." Orochimaru said rousing Jiraiya from his musings. Jiraiya regarded the pale man in pure shock at this comment. For as long as he had known him Orochimaru had always held the Uchiha clan in the highest regard. The main reason for this being their treasured keke genkai—the Sharingan—which he once said could never be surpassed by any other ocular dojutsu.

"Why do you think that?" The silver haired man asked somewhat puzzled.

"A weapon is only as strong as the one who wields it." The Snake Summoner said matter-of-factly. "Throughout this fight the Uchiha boy was bested in almost every way by the blonde child. He is the faster of the two, more attentive to detail, the better strategist, and has better control of his chakra than most children twice his age. Nothing, not even the most powerful ocular dojutsu known to man, can defeat that."

Jiraiya gaped at his friend for several minutes before opening his mouth to speak again.

"Do you think…would it be too much to ask for you to train the boy?" The Toad Summoner asked uncertainly. At this Orochimaru removed his hazel eyes from the clearing fixing them on his fellow Sannin.

"I already have students of my own." He replied shortly arching a questioning eyebrow. When the silver-haired man remained silent he spoke again. "The boy has potential unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. I can understand why you became interested in him in the first place. However, that child and I are nothing alike. If you ask me he is a lot like you. Maybe you should consider training him—after all only people of a similar nature can understand one another."

Jiraiya pondered on this for several moments as he watched the fight resume.

_He's right…as usual. But I don't trust myself. Who knows I might probably hinder his progress rather than further it. I'll just have to wait and see..._

**

* * *

**

Denjiro felt different, a lot different than he had ever felt in his entire life. He could feel a great power flowing and coursing through every inch of his body. The pain from before now felt numb and insignificant like a tiny scratch and his bones no longer ached with fatigue. His dwindling chakra seemed to have been ignited by an invisible force. It felt foreign and unnatural at the same time. However, instead of feeling alarmed by this sudden change he embraced it. His chakra wasn't the only thing that had changed in him. His eyes seemed to be working a lot differently than they had ever worked before.

Images appeared sharper and better focused than before. He seemed to become aware of even the minutest changes in his surroundings. He saw something move from the corner of his left eye and turned his head ever so slightly towards it. What he saw caught him completely off guard.

His brother's usually stoic countenance had adopted a look of shock and bewilderment that was so unlike him that Denjiro blinked twice to make sure he hadn't imagined it. Beside his brother the blonde brat's 'fan club' stood watching him with similar looks of shock on their faces. Finally he saw his brother open his mouth and turned to face him completely.

"D-D-Denji, y-y-your e—the Sharingan." The older boy stuttered. Another behavior that was very unlike him. Denjiro glared at the boy gaping at him deciding that he was an imposter no this brother.

"Who are you and what have you done with my ani…?" But Denjiro never finished his question. He was distracted by his reflection in the steady waters of the stream.

Although he was arrogant Denjiro was anything but vain. Unlike most of his cousins he wasn't in the habit of looking at his reflection which explained his haphazard appearance. What he saw in his reflection took his breath away quite literally. Staring back at him was a face identical to his in everyway except for a pair of blood-red pupils with a spinning tomoe. The last time he had looked in the mirror he was pretty sure that he had obsidian pupils not scarlet ones. He backed away from the water in shock and turned to stare at his brother instead.

It all made sense now. At first he had mistaken the blonde's shock as him being surprised by his sudden show of strength. Now he understood why he had seen fear in those sky-blue orbs. And now that he understood why he hungered to see more of it. Smirking he turned back to the blonde who had now risen to his feet and was in the middle of forming hand signs for a water style jutsu.

"I WON'T LET YOU USE THAT!" He bellowed charging at the stunned blonde. As he ran he saw something move and focused his attention on it. It was a blurry clone of the blonde in the process of jumping back to avoid his attack. It took Denjiro a few seconds to realize that his Sharingan was showing him the blonde's actions in the immediate future. He smirked at the realization and began to mentally prepare a counter attack.

Sure enough when he swung at the blonde the brat jumped back to avoid his hand. He smiled as he immediately swung his leg which slammed into the blonde with enough force to repel him several feet away.

Minato was still reeling from the kick to his ribs when he back flipped to escape another heavy blow from the Uchiha. He was still too shock from seeing the Sharingan awaken earlier for his brain to function well. The Uchiha's onyx pupils had been engulfed in an instant by the blood-red of the Sharingan. The lone tomoes in each eye spun madly as soon as the pupils had taken on their new hue. In that moment the Uchiha suddenly emitted a dark aura that mingled with his chakra giving it a menacing feel.

Ever since then the Uchiha had no trouble keeping up with him; no doubt his Sharingan was accurately analyzing and predicting his every move making his efforts useless. Attacking him head on would be unwise. He had to distract him somehow and then take him by surprise as soon as he got the chance. To do that he was going to borrow another leaf from the raven's book. He placed his hands together and formed the hand sign for a water clone jutsu.

His chakra only allowed him to create five. Although they were almost exact replicas of him they weren't quite as good as the Uchiha's had been. He only hoped that the raven wouldn't notice the slight difference between him and his clones. He mentally commanded them to charge at the Uchiha and followed them in order to avert any suspicion. To his horror the Uchiha easily sidestepped the charging clones and made a beeline for him instead. He instinctively moved out of the way but the Uchiha, who had anticipated that, swung at him again this time catching him in the jaw. He was thrown several feet into the air and landed a few feet from where he had started.

The Uchiha sneered down at him as his water clones disappeared in a puff of smoke in the background.

"Did you honestly think you could fool these eyes?" The sneer broadened when the blonde said nothing in response. "Now I'll show you why the Uchiha clan is known and feared by all." His hands began to move at rapid speed forming several complicated hand signs as they did so. When Minato caught sight of the hand sign for dragon he instantly knew that it was a fire jutsu and jumped to his feet to escape. He heard the flames of the jutsu roar into existence and chanced a glance over his shoulder to see how far they had progressed. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock. Unlike the other fire jutsus the Uchiha had created this one was eye catching without being too flamboyant. It came out in a single, steady burst that seemed to fall into a straight line stretching forward in a fashion reminiscent of a flamethrower. The flames themselves were a lot redder and more concentrated than those of the previous fire jutsus. Minato could tell that the jutsu consumed significantly less chakra now and was a lot more efficient in the sense that all the Uchiha had to do was turn his head in whatever direction he wanted the flames to travel.

The flames caught onto his pants and he had to roll on the floor in order to extinguish them. He saw the Uchiha walk up to him slowly and tried to move away. But his body refused to move. His muscles were strained and exhausted and his bones were weak and heavily fatigued. His strength was completely drained and so was his chakra. He had finally reached his limit and could only stare helplessly as the raven finally reached him smiling triumphantly.

He couldn't even lift a finger to do anything as he watched the Uchiha leap into the air for his next attack. He closed his eyes and felt two fat tears trickle down from his eyes to his ears. He felt the raven's knee come down hard on his stomach and tasted blood. His mouth opened involuntarily allowing the red liquid to violently gush out. The last thing he saw was the smug Uchiha smirking down at him triumphantly.

"It's over—you're finished." He heard him say as he felt the weight of the older boy's foot on his chest. Even though Minato hated hearing those words he couldn't help but agree. He heard someone holler his name from a distance but before he could open his mouth to call back he was consumed by the darkness.

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Minato felt someone hugging him but when he tried to open his eyes to see who it was he discovered that he was completely paralyzed. He heard a familiar voice speaking and strained to listen hoping he would get a clue as to where exactly he was.

"You must be insane if you think I will let you have my child after what you bastards did to him." The voice, which he recognized as that of his over-protective mother, said in a dangerously low tone. It sounded so unlike her usually calm and polite tone that he wasn't sure that it belonged to her at first. Her usually calm tone was dangerous and threatening as if punishing a painful death to the one she was addressing. Her usual politeness was replaced by an unrecognizable tone of venom and menace.

Minato heard a faint and continuous sound in the background in the silence that followed and tried to figure out what it was.

"Amaya calm down, that's the Hokage you're talking to." He heard his father caution from somewhere around his feet. He was lying down in a soft, yet unfamiliar bed and he could tell by the direction of his parents' voices that his mother was seated beside him hugging his torso possessively leaving his father to apologize for her rudeness from his place of vigil at the foot of his bed.

He felt his heart rate increase significantly when he heard that the Hokage was present and he mentally chastised his mother for her insolence.

"I don't care if he's the Feudal Lord," he heard his mother spit out her temper not improving in the slightest. "He stole my son away from me and taught him foul tricks that almost got him killed."

"Calm down Amaya you're being unreasonable," his father said sternly. "Minato chose to attend the academy of his own free will."

"You bastard!" His mother hissed pulling away slightly. Minato could picture her glaring at his father from where she sat and he felt his heart sink. They were arguing again, and in front of the Hokage of all people. It was bad enough that his mother had insulted the very person he looked up to other than his father without her picking a fight with him in front of others.

"How dare you claim that my son willingly chose a life of suffering over a normal life?" She demanded seething with rage. Minato hated it whenever his parents fought and he hated it even more whenever they fought over him. It was embarrassing not to talk of depressing and he always tried to make them see reason and find a common ground. However, while he was usually willing to compromise, neither of his parents shared his submissiveness. They were both extremists and would stubbornly cling to their ideals and beliefs until the other gave in—which occurred very rarely. Minato hated the people they became whenever they fought: His kind, loving, generous and quite-natured mother would be replaced by a ruthless, cold-hearted witch of a woman, while his kind, cheerful and extremely playful father would disappear leaving a scathing, insensitive bastard in his place. It was for this reason that he rarely stuck around whenever they argued. He hated the shrill tones of their voices, the insults they hurled at each other and the jabs they took at each other's shortcomings.

He would often retreat to his room before escaping into the night through his window. His feet would unconsciously take him to Mikoto's bedroom window which the raven would always open for him giving him sanctuary for the night. They would both fall asleep snuggled together under the blankets relishing the warmth the other provided. In the morning he would apologize for his intrusion before thanking her for her hospitality and then returning home. He usually returned to apologetic parents exclaiming their worry at his disappearance and promising never to fight again. But they never kept that promise. He knew better than to believe them whenever they promised him that but that didn't stop him from harboring some kind of false hope that maybe this time they would mean it.

An elderly and extremely unfamiliar voice roused Minato from his musings and he felt his heart rate increase even more. The faint continuous sound in the background quickened in time with his heart as if they were connected. Ignoring it he focused all his attention on the man talking.

"To someone from a civilian family I can understand why you understand so little about the life of a shinobi. As a result of your confusion you have come to fear it, because of your son's decision to pursue such a life you have come to despise it and everyone associated with it." The man paused as if expecting to be interrupted but when no one spoke he let out a soft sigh and continued. "Although I have children of my own I would be lying if I told you that I understood how strongly you feel for your son. I have come to realize that a mother's love for her child is the strongest kind of love in the world. Therefore I will not argue with your decision to keep him to yourself nor will I fault you for your words earlier—you are angry and upset which is understandable of a mother. However, you have gravely misunderstood my presence here and I feel obliged to rectify this. I am not here to steal your son or anything of the sort, I am merely here to ensure his well being. I received word from a reliable source that he was involved in a grueling battle with another academy student…"

"That bastard Uchiha nearly killed my son." His mother barked her temper rising again.

"And I assure you that he is being punished duly right now as we speak." The Hokage said in a gentle tone before adding. "However, he is not the only one at fault here." The room remained silent for several minutes as everyone tried to determine the meaning behind his words. After a while Minato heard his father speak up concern dripping from every syllable of his sentence.

"Surely you don't mean to punish Minato as well Hokage-sama."

"All parties involved in the matter have been punished for their involvement I see no reason why he should be exempt." Came the Hokage's calm reply. This time it was his father who lost his temper at the village leader.

"How can you punish him? He hasn't even fully recovered yet…at least wait until he gets out of the hospital first!"

"I have no sympathy for those who disregard the rules of this village." The Sandaime said sternly effectively quieting the indignant man who Minato could feel shrinking where he stood.

"Your son, as well as Denjiro Uchiha, his older brother Fugaku, his cousin Mikoto and one Kushina Uzumaki all blatantly disregarded academy rules which state that under no circumstances are students to engage each other in combat outside lessons. By doing so they recklessly endangered the lives of both boys and they will all be punished accordingly. Konoha shinobi are never to attack or engage their brethren in combat unless during supervised events or if they receive direct orders to do so. By fighting each other they broke both academy rules as well as those of the village…" Minato heard his father interrupt the Hokage at this.

"But Hokage-sama this is not fair," his father said indignantly. "It is common knowledge that these things do occur between other students and shinobi alike…."

"Which is precisely why I will make a scapegoat out of anyone stupid enough to get caught doing this. Hopefully this will discourage further stupidity from the other shinobi and academy students." Minato heard his father sputtering helplessly as he tried to come up with another defense. He silently willed his father to remain quiet like his mother but he knew that his father would carry on anyways. In his mind he accepted responsibility for his actions and waited in bathed breath to hear his punishment.

"Effective immediately Namikaze Minato is hereby expelled from the Konohagakure ninja academy." Minato felt something heavy in his chest in place of his heart and decided that it was time to say something in his defense.

He couldn't imagine life as a civilian. Like his father he had gotten a taste of the life of a shinobi and he wanted more…all of it. He hungered for it, craved it even. No one could deny him of it…and his dream—to become the greatest Hokage the village had ever had. All that went down the drain if he couldn't further his training as a shinobi. By expelling him the Hokage had basically banished him from that life, that world he so desperately wanted to be a part of. Although he felt remorseful for his actions, and for getting his friends in trouble, he didn't think it was fair that he was to be expelled from the academy for his actions. He was ready to do any punishment, pay any penance suffer any inconvenience other than expulsion. But when he tried to move in protest his body shuddered violently with spasms of pain and he screamed in agony.

The room was silent for a few moments before he heard both his parents scurrying to hold him.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" He heard his mother sob as she clutched him to her bosom.

"I don't know," his father said puzzled. "I'll go get the doctor." He felt a hand touch his forehead softly followed by the sound of hurried footsteps signaling his father's departure. They waited in silence for several moments with his mother rocking him back and forth cooing soothing words into his ear while he tried his best to control the pain.

As he sat there limp in his mother's arms unable to return her embrace he realized that the continuous sound in the background was actually the beeping of one of the many computers he was sure he was hooked up to. He strained his ears listening for any sounds that would tell him whether or not the Hokage was still present. To his disappointment he heard none, although that really didn't mean much since as Hokage he could easily hide all sounds alerting of his presence. He could be in the room for all he knew watching the scene playing before him with an ever present expressionless look on his face. Minato couldn't talk, but seeing as this would probably be his only chance to appeal to the Sandaime he decided that he wouldn't let his paralysis hinder him.

Focusing all his strength to his neck Minato flexed the muscles there causing his head to turn ever so slightly towards the place he had heard the Hokage's voice earlier. He felt his neck cringe painfully from the strain he was placing on it but he simply ignored it. When he had finally turned his head in the Hokage's direction he weakly pulled his eyelids open and fixed watery blue eyes at the older man. They spent several moments like this holding eye contact; his blue eyes conveying the silent plea for leniency that his lips were too heavy to utter, while the Sandaime's eyes gleamed with mild surprise the rest of his expressionless mask perfectly intact.

The silence was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. When Amaya rose her eyes to watch the doctor she caught sight of her son's open eyes and let out a tiny gasp of surprise. At the sound of the gasp Minato finally tore his eyes away from the Hokage and turned to look at his mother. Her beautiful face was smeared with tear streaks and there were lines on her face. She had dark circles around her eyes which made her seem twice her age.

Minato felt something crumble inside him as he lay in his mother's arms studying her face. He and no one else had brought misery upon her and his father. Unlike his father she had been completely unaware of the fight with the Uchiha until she had been summoned to the hospital. He could imagine the deep emotional trauma the sight of his broken body on a hospital bed had caused her. Now he understood her insolence from earlier before and her anger at the world. As he stared into her now dull grey eyes Minato promised himself that never again would he cause his mother any type of anguish.

His mother relinquished her grip on him in order to let the doctor examine him. Although Minato had a deep, inexplicable phobia of hospitals and doctors alike he allowed the doctor to examine him without any sort of resistance. While the doctor examined him and the machines he was hooked up to, Minato turned to fix his gaze on his father. His father managed a small smile at him that was a mere shadow of the bright smiles of encouragement he was so used to. Like his mother he too had circles around his eyes and several lines on his face, however, he didn't look nearly as bad as his mother did. Unable to bring himself to look at his mother again, Minato turned blue eyes towards the Hokage and saw the man's retreating back as he left giving them privacy.

As he watched the Hokage leave he accepted his expulsion without any further hesitation. He had no one to blame for his expulsion but himself. Like Denjiro he had let his pride lead him on to disobey the very laws put in place to ensure their safety. He had disregarded Mikoto's pleas and allowed Kushina to rile him up all to prove something to himself. He had become the very person he thought he was fighting against—an egoistical jerk with no regard for anyone but himself. He had gotten his friends into trouble for their involvement and caused his parents a great deal of pain in the process. What he had done was unforgivable and in his eyes no punishment was too harsh. Therefore he accepted his fate with all the grace a shamed child could accept it.

_Besides, _He thought to himself later on that night as he lay awake staring blankly at the ceiling above listening to the steady beeping of the machines and his mother's soft snores. _What kind of ninja would I be if I can't even follow simple rules and regulations?_

As he tossed around in bed for the next few hours trying to tempt sleep, Minato pretended that his heart hadn't sunk into the very core of his stomach, and that the tears spilling down from his face every now and then weren't tears of anguish.

**Ok, it's finally done. Sorry for the late update…it's summer and I'm officially in 'lazy mode'. This story has become something very dear to me and I have promised myself to end my LONG streak of unfinished stories by finishing this one. Wanna help me keep my promise? Review, add this story to your alerts or even favorite it I don't care just do something that tells me that hey someone's reading this and actually loving it. Till next time. XD**


	8. Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: If I had 3 wishes I'd wish for an infinite amount of wishes, an end to all pain and suffering in the world and I would wish to own Naruto….so if you see a genie around would you be so kind as to let me know. Enjoy!**

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Ultimatum

On a normal day Tsunade would have stepped in between her sensei and her outspoken former teammate whenever they got into one of their usual arguments. However, this wasn't anything remotely like their usual arguments—it was a lot more heated without them even raising their voices and the tension in the air was so thick she could literally feel it squeezing the air out of her lungs. So she followed Orochimaru's example and held her tongue eyeing the two men as they continued their glaring contest seemingly unaware of their presence.

"You're probably wondering what caused this." Orochimaru stated quietly as he walked over to join her by the wall. Arms crossed in front of him out of habit as his hazel eyes eagerly studied his silver-haired former teammate and former sensei's facial expressions. He hadn't looked at Tsunade when he had spoken up and he finally tore his eyes away from the pair of angry men across from them to study her own expression. What he saw surprised and intrigued him.

Tsunade, the strongest kunoichi he had ever known and one of the most powerful shinobis in the world, was visibly shaken by the unusual scene playing out before her. The Snake Summoner let a smile curl his lips at his female teammate's brief show of weakness. He had only ever seen through her thick armor twice in the past; first when her little brother had been killed and then when she had been unable to save her lover Dan from the cold clutches of death as well. Both times she had openly shed tears and broken down completely in front of he and Jiraiya. And even though her show of weakness had greatly disturbed him, Orochimaru had had no experience with comforting women or people in general. So he just let Jiraiya stroke her hair and whisper soothing words to her as she wept into his chest.

He watched as she too tore her eyes from the Toad Summoner and their former sensei and turned to regard him with mild curiosity. Orochimaru smiled again. Women were so easy to read no matter how hard they tried to hide it. And even though Tsunade was an exceptional ninja, she was a woman first and foremost. And so therefore she, like all women, wore her heart on her sleeves. Orochimaru had always wondered if this weakness in the female species was deliberate or involuntary. Staring into the slightly wide honey-colored eyes before him, he decided that it was involuntary. What else could explain his teammate's show of weakness in the past?

The expression on her face was of mild surprise and curiosity. Surprise because although they had been partners since their early childhood, Orochimaru hardly ever addressed Tsunade directly on the rare occasions that he spoke. She had the same look in her eyes which she always had whenever he spoke to her. Curiosity because for obvious reasons she was wondering why the otherwise reserved Sannin had chosen to speak to her of all people.

Orochimaru let another smug smile grace his features and he saw blonde's expression harden into something akin to indignation. She stood at akimbo and eyed him with annoyance, much to his amusement, as her infamously short temper spilled out.

"Well are you gonna tell me or not?" She asked anger leaking into her voice. Orochimaru would have frowned if a lifetime of maintaining an expressionless countenance didn't hinder him from doing go.

"Since you asked so nicely." He said deliberately letting a hint of annoyance slip into his otherwise monotonous voice. "You know as well as I that sensei's been trying to get Jiraiya to take on some students of his own." He paused allowing Tsunade to mull over this for a few seconds. They both knew the reason behind Jiraiya's incessant refusal to take on new students since his visit to Amegakure. Tsunade felt a part of her ache with the memory of the three frail orphans they encountered in the impoverished war-torn region. She still couldn't believe that they were dead. The day Jiraiya had received the news of their deaths was the first time she had ever seen him cry. Although she had done her best to comfort him, she knew that her efforts, although noble, had been futile. She shook her head slightly in an attempt to banish those thoughts from her head and focus on the situation at hand. She saw Orochimaru watching her almost intently as if feeding off of her distress. She repressed the shudder that threatened to rack her body and pressed him on.

"Well, Jiraiya recently discovered a young….diamond in the rough if you will." The pale-faced Sannin continued. He was once again rewarded for his efforts with another glimpse past the blonde's almost impenetrable armor. He enjoyed being one of the few people alive, the others being his old sensei and former teammate, who could stir emotions in the strong-willed kunoichi.

"Is it someone I know?" She asked uncertainly as she turned to watch the silver-haired man before her, her expressionless mask back in place.

"I doubt it…he's still somewhat unknown outside the academy." Orochimaru almost shrieked with laughter when he saw the surprise in his old teammate's face.

"He's still in the academy?" She asked incredulously. She had never thought someone that young would have caught the attention of her former teammate.

"Not anymore." Orochimaru replied slyly his thin lips curving upwards once again. "You see that's the reason for all this," at this he nodded his head towards the two arguing men.

"Sarutobi-sensei expelled the child for getting into a fight with another academy student and Jiraiya has been trying to get him to revoke the boy's expulsion and punish him some other way…." Orochimaru let his words trail off leaving Tsunade to fill in the rest of the gaps by herself.

She turned to stare at the two men across from her with a slightly different expression on her face. Orochimaru watched her silently for a while before returning his gaze back to the pair in front of him.

Tsunade watched Jiraiya closely trying to understand how he could suddenly feel so strongly about breaking the promise he made to himself. He had broken down completely and promised himself out loud that he would never teach again. Now here he was arguing with her sensei to be lenient to a child he had only just met recently.

_What is it about this child that makes Jiraiya feel so strongly about him? Whoever he is I just have to see him…even Orochimaru thinks highly of him if he could classify him as a 'diamond in the rough'. Hmmm, but Sarutobi-sensei will never allow it—he never was one for preferential treatment. Then again Jiraiya's stubbornness has to be his strongest trait. This should be interesting to watch._

After several moments of pointless arguing back and forth the aging Hokage sighed in frustration before turning to the silver-haired man in front of him. Experience had taught him that whenever his former student set his mind on something he never strayed from it until he had seen it through all the way. This was obviously something Jiraiya felt very strongly about. Normally Hiruzen Sarutobi would have gladly continued to trade words with his hot-headed student, however, he was getting too old for that sort of thing and he knew it. It had been nothing short of divine intervention that had spared him from death at a young age at the hands of his knuckle-headed student.

Although Sarutobi would have loved to pardon the young child for his wrongdoings, he knew that consequences for doing so would be great. First of all the council would criticize him for sparing the boy and accuse him of favoritism and preferential treatment. As it was he had had enough of the council and its problems to last him two lifetimes. Even though he somehow managed to appease the council, he would have to face the Uchiha clan. They had been understandably furious when he had expelled their clan lord's second son and the only reason they had not given him a lot more grief over the issue was because they had found out that Minato had gotten the same punishment as well. He knew that their satisfaction was merely temporary and was also extremely unstable: Showing leniency to Minato would spark outrage amongst the Uchiha who would undoubtedly raise hell in the village unless Denjiro Uchiha got the same leniency. However, if he ended up showing both boys leniency that would completely defeat the purpose of punishing them in the first place; the other students and shinobis would go on ignoring the rule and in the event that they were caught and were to be duly punished, they would demand the same leniency he had shown to the Uchiha and Namikaze kids. In that case they might as well do away with the law altogether. And that was something he was unwilling to do.

He let out another weary sigh of frustration as he turned away from his student to face the opened balcony doors. He watched the clear blue afternoon sky outside and tried hard to forget the pleading look in the Namikaze kid's blue eyes which were very much like the color of the sky. He let out another sigh as he moved his hands behind his back and held them. He was seriously trying to figure out a way out of his current predicament, a loophole he could take advantage of, anything that would help him revoke the two boys' expulsion while managing to preserve the rule and its effectiveness at the same time. And he found none, only a compromise.

Sarutobi turned his dark brown eyes down to watch the activity of the village below. It was mid-afternoon and the streets of Konoha were at their busiest. He could see people walking around here and there entering and leaving shops and other business venues. Mothers held onto their shopping bags while struggling to maintain a grip on the hands of their hyperactive children eager on breaking free. He watched the progress of a group of young teen boys running up and down the street trying to escape the wrath of an enraged female bathhouse attendant. At the sight of one of the boys getting strangled by the furious attendant Hiruzen let a smile grace his lips. He could remember all too well when he had been in that boy's shoes; suffering for his newfound curiosity in the opposite sex. His student Jiraiya, the man currently standing behind him waiting for his next words, had unconsciously followed in his footsteps. However, instead if an angry bathhouse attendant it had been his other student Tsunade that had taken it upon herself to punish him for his perverse tendencies.

"Jiraiya," he began without turning to face the silver-haired man he was currently addressing. Although Jiraiya didn't make any verbal sign of acknowledgement Sarutobi knew that he had his former student's undivided attention.

"I will only agree to revoke the boy's expulsion on one condition." He stated plainly. He could clearly feel the young man's anticipation at his words. He sighed and closed his eyes as he said his next words.

"If you agree to take him and two others as students."

"But I specifically…"

"Beggars aren't choosers Jiraiya." Hiruzen said cutting him off. "And I refuse to move on this decision; if you want the boy you'll get two others as well."

"But sensei I'm not sure I'm responsible enough to train a three-man squad by myself." Jiraiya said in an almost pleading voice. But his former sensei was having none of it.

"Then I'm not sure I'm willing to revoke either boy's punishment."

Several moments were spent in silence with Jiraiya weighing his options and trying to see if there was a loophole he could exploit while his former sensei waited patiently for his answer. After a while, the Sandaime heard the Toad Summoner let out a long, drawn out sigh showing his reluctance, and he knew he had won.

"Fine. After all these years you've finally found a way to get me to teach again." Jiraiya said with an air of amusement. "They'd better be good students or else…"

But the aging hokage turned towards him with a shrewd smile on his face. "Again, beggars aren't choosers."

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Minato was running at a dangerous speed through the crowded streets of the Konoha marketplace. He had already fallen down twice scraping his right knee and left elbow in the process yet that didn't slow him down at all. In fact it seemed to further inspire him to increase his speed as he carefully maneuvered around the pedestrians on the street.

When he finally reached his destination, he almost crashed to the floor when he tried to come to an abrupt halt. The two elderly men playing a game of shogi by the front gates regarded him curiously as he put his hands on his knees desperately trying to gulp some much needed oxygen.

"Can I help you young man?" One of them asked with an underlying tone of concern. Minato straightened up at this sheepishly rubbing his hand on the back of his head flashing him an equally sheepish grin.

"Er, I was just wondering if Mikoto was in." He said politely bowing towards the two elders regarding him with identical looks of concern.

"Kami-sama my child you gave us quite a start what with you running like the devil himself was in pursuit." The other elder said placing a hand on his chest.

"Er, sorry. It's just that I really need to see her right away—it's very urgent." Minato said almost pleadingly.

"Hmm, I believe she and her mother went out shopping a while ago." The first elder said thoughtfully. "Although they should be back pretty soon. You're welcome to wait for them until then." Minato thanked him for his invitation as he settled down on a stone beside them.

He decided to pass the time by watching their little game however, his mind wasn't really in it. More than once he found himself fidgeting and turning to stare at anyone who approached the front gates of the Uchiha compound. When he caught sight of two familiar figures approaching the front gates in the distance, he jumped up and ran to join them.

He nearly knocked Mikoto over in his haste and ended up apologizing repeatedly as he took majority of the shopping bags from her.

"Wow Minato, you're positively radiating excitement today. What's the occasion?" Emiko asked amusement creeping into her voice at the blonde child's excitement.

"Oh it's just that…" he paused and turned to face Mikoto who was watching him with curiosity. "Father and I were summoned to the Hokage's office today and, well…I got, my…I'm no longer expelled from the academy." He said grinning from ear to ear. Mikoto dropped the remaining packages in her hand and gaped at him in shock. Emiko regarded the pair of them with amusement. She had expected as much; Denjiro had also been pardoned and accepted back into the academy earlier on that week.

When the realization of Minato's words finally sunk in Mikoto let out a squeal of excitement and threw herself into the blonde boy's waiting arms. They remained like that for several minutes; the pair of them screaming excitedly as they spun around in circles at dizzying speeds. Emiko couldn't hold back her laughter when they both finally separated only for them to lose their balance and fall onto the ground in a graceless heap. She bent down and helped them get untangled and they all set off towards the Uchiha compound with Minato chatting cheerfully about how excited he had been about the news.

As Emiko listened to the boy's cheerful chatter, something hit her and she frowned to herself. She knew all too well what her friend thought about the life of a shinobi. Amaya had been the only one who saw Minato's expulsion as a blessing and for obvious reasons. Emiko knew that the Hokage's decision to repeal Minato's expulsion had earned him another enemy in the form of a blonde, over-protective, housewife. After putting the shopping away, with Minato's help, Mikoto asked her mother for permission to leave the house with her friend to which she readily agreed. As she watched the pair of them jogging happily down the street talking and laughing excitedly, Emiko wondered just how badly her old friend had taken her son's reentrance into a life she deemed unfit for sane people. She mentally promised to pay her friend a visit when next she got the chance, just to check up on her and see how she was doing.

_That's one woman who really needs to learn how to let go._

**

* * *

**

"Now you can fulfill your dream and become the next Hokage." Mikoto said in a soft voice as she leaned back unto her arms. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the warmth of the fading rays of sunlight on her pale skin. She had a content smile on her lips that somehow made her seem even more beautiful than before—at least in Minato's eyes. They were both sitting in the middle of a small clearing near one of the many training grounds surrounding the village enjoying the peacefulness of the deserted forests as well as the view of the setting sun in the horizon overlooking Konoha.

Minato watched Mikoto from where he lay on the grass with both hands tucked behind his head providing a makeshift pillow against the hard ground. He was watching the raven as her usually pale skin was bathed by the orange glow of the sinking sun. A small smile crossed his lips at the sight and he inhaled the rich scent of dew and grass that permeated the air around them. It was moments like this that he cherished. He loved it whenever they found a secluded spot to sit down by themselves enjoying each other's presence as they took in the scenery around them. The content silence between them, the peaceful aura the raven exuded, the comfort of her company and the breathtaking beauty of their surroundings, never ceased to draw out a sigh of contentment from him. He heard the grass around him rustle slightly and opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized he had been closing all this while, to fix them on his friend.

"Minato," the raven said a small frown visible on her face. Minato sat up giving her his full attention. He wondered what could be on her mind at a time like this. The small girl continued frowning at the grass between them determined not to meet his eyes.

"What is it?" He asked gently coaxing her chin up so that her eyes met his.

"Your mother…she—is she ok with you going back to the academy?" The raven asked in a small voice. Minato watched her absentmindedly as his thoughts drifted away from the girl before him and towards a blonde lady with a face too much like his own.

However, when he remembered his mother's face from earlier that morning all the familiar traces of happiness were completely absent. Instead a sorrowful expression that spoke of the deep internal pain were all too visible to his keen sky-blue eyes. She had held his chin very much like how he was holding his friend's right now. And when she spoke her voice sounded low and hoarse from crying. He felt something inside him ache and he unconsciously placed a hand on his chest. To his surprise his mother followed his example and placed her larger hands over his small ones.

But when she looked up at him then the fire was back in her grey eyes and her lips were drawn into a small thin line of determination.

"Let me remind you that before you decided to become a ninja you were my son," she said with an edge of possessiveness. "My flesh and blood, my morning star, my everything." She paused then to pull him onto her lap. Normally he would have shown some sort of reluctance at being treated like a baby, however, he knew that this was different from all those other times and he let her cling onto him without so much as a groan. She was claiming what was hers and he knew it—he had seen it one too many times before to not know what it was. However, there was something about this incident that alarmed him a little. He tried to figure out what it was as he felt her eyes on him.

"I will not stand between you and your dreams any longer for I know it would only cause you pain. And I have no intention of doing such a thing. However, I shall allow myself one more selfish indulgement by asking this of you." Minato felt his heart beat quicken when she paused and he watched her intently his curiosity burning bright in those sapphire eyes.

"Promise me that no matter what you will never leave me—Minato promise me that I will never live to see your death. Promise that you will bury me and not the other way around." Minato watched her in alarm for several moments until she shook him roughly by the shoulders. Although he knew exactly why she was saying all this, that didn't make him feel any more prepared or comfortable at the moment.

"Promise me!" She shrieked.

"I promise." He squeaked.

"No, I _want _to hear those exact words." She said shaking her head vigorously. The young child in her arms took several moments to calm his thoughts and sort through them. His breathing slowed down to its normal pace and his heart soon followed suite. When he was sure that he had full control of his thoughts and emotions he turned to face the woman clutching him possessively.

"Mother, I promise to never leave you, no matter what. I will not allow you to live to see my death. I promise to bury you and not burden you with my own burial. This I promise you because I love you." The room was silent for several minutes as both mother and child remained stock still unable to remove their gazes from the other. Grey eyes held blue ones as they both studied each other's faces for any signs of insincerity, in his case, or disbelief, in her case.

"Oh, Minato." His mother gasped finally breaking the silence drawing him into a tight embrace. He spread his arms around her back and returned the embrace wholeheartedly. They remained like that for a long time refusing to break the embrace.

Minato couldn't remember who it was exactly that pulled away first. However, he remembered getting off his mother's lap and watching her retreat deep into the house to her room. When he was sure that she was safely curled up in her bed he turned and left the house, remembering to lock the door, to find and tell his friend the wonderful news.

"Minato?" A soft voice called from somewhere in front of him. He blinked at the sight of the girl before him before remembering where they were and how they had gotten there.

"Yes?" He said finally releasing Mikoto's chin.

"How did she take it?"

"A lot better than I had expected." He refused to elaborate and Mikoto allowed him to sink back into his thoughts as they continued watching the sun set behind the hills in the distance.

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**I just love this couple so much! Hope you enjoyed it. This chapter almost didn't get finished what with all the sidetracking and distractions most of which it may shock you to know were self-inflicted. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter done before the end of this week. My goal is to finish this story before the end of summer. Help me reach it by reviewing, favoriting and adding to your alerts. Bye for now. **


	9. To Each Their Own

**Disclaimer: Naruto characters from the anime and show do not belong to me…Believe it!**

To Each His Own

Shinobi rule number 25 was arguably the most important rule of the bunch. It was also the most famous—or in Kushina's opinion the most infamous. Infamous because as someone with a very expressive personality, she couldn't imagine having to hide her emotions from others. What was the point of having emotions if you couldn't show them? She always reasoned. Surely her academy senseis had been exaggerating when they had repeatedly drilled—or rather, tried to—the importance of shelving one's emotions on a mission. In her opinion people who refused to show any emotion were living in a self-imposed prison. And Kushina Uzumaki was someone who liked her freedom.

Had today been any other day Kushina would have had no problem shedding the tears she was so desperately holding back. Pride be damned; she always saw pride as the necessary price for showing emotions. But she wouldn't—she dared not. Not for the sake of her or her pride but for _him_. After all it was his special day and she wasn't about to ruin it for him. So she blinked back tears as she watched him receive his shinobi headband from the academy headmaster himself before the entire school, fighting down the lump building up in her throat. When the rest of her classmates ran over to congratulate him and gawk at the shiny new forehead protector he had just received, Kushina joined them, making a point of being the loudest person in the room. Their academy sensei walked up to him visibly beaming and patting him on the shoulder proudly.

"I want you all to learn from Minato," the young man said pushing the boy to face his classmates. Kushina noticed the faint blush playing on the blonde's features and she smiled internally at the thought of her friend being embarrassed about being commended in public.

_Typical Minato reaction. When any normal person would be radiating with pride, he blushes with embarrassment. _

Despite the torment raging within her, Kushina managed to playfully—painfully in Minato's opinion—nudge her best friend in the side.

"So Namikaze," she said taking advantage of the blonde, who was doubled over in pain, and engaging him in a headlock. "How does it feel to be one step closer to becoming Hokage?"

Kushina couldn't help the mischievous grin slowly spreading across her face when she saw the blonde blush even more.

_Minato looks soooo adorable whenever he blushes! _She thought distractedly as she watched him try desperately to avoid her eyes. When she had finally had enough she put her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face her.

"You ok Minato?" She asked already knowing the answer. She felt proud and elated to know that she could bring about such changes in the prodigy's otherwise calm demeanor. Although she was very welcoming and friendly to all types of people, she particularly loved expressive people. In her opinion, Minato might have been a genius and all but he was still retarded in most social matters, especially those involving girls. The look on his face whenever one of his classmates called him cute or whenever he was fleeing from his crazed fan club was always priceless. However, what Kushina loved the most about those situations was the fact that he always came to her for assistance. And she was always willing to help him no matter what she was doing. She was unable to turn him away after he had come to her first of all people. Besides, how else would she be able to drill into those Minato-crazed stalkers' heads that he was hers and hers only if she didn't knock any one of them who dared come too close to him?

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." She instantly saw through the lie and smiled sympathetically up at him. The growing pain in her chest chose that exact moment to make its presence known once again and Kushina instinctively clutched her chest.

To put things lightly she was a mess of contradictions. Minato had just taken an early graduation exam and passed, with flying colors, meaning that not only was he now a Konoha genin but he was also officially a shinobi. As someone who shared his dreams and aspirations Kushina couldn't help but feel a little envious that he was now one step closer to fulfilling his dreams. And she was jealous of and happy for him at the same time. She had no doubt in her mind that he would rise to become Hokage eventually; however, the thought saddened her beyond reason. Like now, he would be out of her reach forever. Always a canyon ahead and a lifetime away. Never by her side, always in front. Never facing her but always backing her. Never on the same level, always several higher than her. Never following her but always leading her. _Always_…_and….never._

A gentle hand on her shoulder roused her from her thoughts and Kushina blinked at the pair of brilliant blue eyes watching her with unhidden concern.

"Are you ok?" Kushina couldn't help but smile at the irony of their reversed roles. She watched as the blonde relinquished his hold on her shoulder and pulled away silently wishing that he wouldn't.

_Stupid blondie, why'd he have to be so smart and pass the exam? Why couldn't he just stay here and wait for me? It's gonna be a good 2 years before I graduate and knowing him I still won't ever be able to catch up. Why does he always leave me chasing after him? Is it intentional?_

"So when do you meet your new sensei and the rest of your squad?" Kushina asked in an attempt to distract her brain from its lamenting.

"Tomorrow." Came the blonde's reply as he walked over to sit down on one of the tables in the classroom. Kushina instinctively glanced over the blonde's shoulder at the tall youth that was their sensei. Anyone who had ever met the young Chunnin could easily testify that Sanosuke Inuzuka had an unhealthy obsession with order. Something Kushina thought was _very _unusual for an Inuzuka, who were the most care-free and fun loving people she knew. She and her classmates often found themselves being held back after school in detention for simple things such as leaving their books out on the table, dumping trash on the classroom floor and forgetting to clean their weapons after use. She couldn't count the amount of times Minato, who was easily their sensei's favorite, had been on the receiving end of a severe tongue-lashing for absentmindedly sitting down on the table instead of the chair.

Although the Chunnin was doing a good job of hiding it, Kushina could tell by the way he flinched that he was well aware of the blonde's wrongdoing, but for some reason he chose to ignore it.

_Probably because he just graduated…sheese you would think it was his birthday or something. _

"Are you nervous?" The red-head asked silently debating whether or not she should try her sensei's patience by joining her friend on the table.

"Kind of." Minato replied watching his legs which were idly swinging of the table. It was a testament of how tall he was that his feet almost touched the ground even though he was fully seated on the table's surface. Apart from his kind disposition and his exotic features, the feature Kushina admired the most about him was his height. He always managed to tower over his peers. He was easily one of the tallest students in the academy competing with only a few of the newly graduated genins. She on the other hand was tiny and insignificant in the crowd. She loved the fact that the only people that ever towered over him were people that surpassed him in abilities, most of which were people he respected and admired. He was never dwarfed by the other children, and even when he was it was only by a few insignificant inches which he seemed to fill up with his larger than life aura.

She fondly referred to him as "a gentle giant" a name he and Mikoto found idiotic seeing as he was no giant. In her eyes it was only a matter of time before he would easily tower over every single person in the village. And when he did she knew that he would never, despite his height, look down on those beneath him. Never looking down, always looking at. The thought comforted her for she knew that no matter how high he would rise or how far he would go Minato Namikaze would never forget those he left behind.

Kushina turned towards him and this time the smile was genuine.

"I'd be nervous too, what with all my teammates being two years older and all." She said leaning on the table he was sitting on and using her arms for support. The blonde was silent for a while watching his feet before they came to a stop and he turned to fix her with a questioning gaze. It was almost as if he was debating whether or not he should voice something that was obviously on his mind.

"Are you ok with this?" He asked in a small voice. His blue eyes searching desperately for something she wasn't sure of. Whatever it was she only hoped that he would find it because the longing in his eyes was too much for her to bear.

"What do you mean am I ok with this?" Kushina asked laughing in what she hoped was an offhand manner. "Of course I'm ok with this…more than ok with this as a matter of fact."

"Oh, it's just that….I could wait for you…if you wanted me to." He said timidly turning to stare at his hands. Kushina felt her eyes widen slightly, completely taken aback by the blonde's great insight. Although she had done a good job in appearing proud and cheerful he had immediately seen through her façade. No wonder he seemed so quiet and timid all of a sudden; he was afraid that she was probably not very happy for him. Strangely enough now that she realized that he knew how she felt Kushina was beginning to have a change of heart. Sure she was going to miss his company and sure she resented him for leaving her behind like this, however, she just couldn't be jealous of him. It was too much work, and she would rather devote her time and energy into being there for him just like old times. Besides she had said it herself; Minato would always stay exactly the way he was and no matter what happened he would always be there for her. Why should she be any different?

She looked up at him and took his hands into hers causing him to raise his eyes to meet hers. She saw the pleading look in them as if he was begging for her forgiveness and support. Seeing the plea in his eyes made it a lot more impossible to refuse than if he had actually mouthed the words. It was amazing just how much of an effect he had on her.

"No Blondie, go ahead and be all you can be. I'll be right here when you're all famous and powerful and cool."

It was only because she was too busy committing the gorgeous smile the blonde gave her to memory that Kushina didn't return it back. She felt something flutter in the pit of her stomach and she knew then why she felt so strongly about him. Feeling giddy with excitement Kushina jumped up and settled down beside him on the table nudging him playfully to the side.

"You'd better come see us tomorrow after meeting your new team and all, I wanna hear all 'bout it!" The red-head said in her characteristically loud voice. Minato smiled to himself when he noticed the barely contained excitement in the red-head's greenish-blue eyes.

At the sound of approaching footsteps behind them they both turned around and came face to face with Sanosuke-sensei. Although he had a smile on his face experience told them that it was as fake as Tsundere Yamanaka's nails. His hands were held behind his back in what they knew was an attempt to restrain them from grabbing their necks and choking them to death.

"I think you've both pushed your luck far enough for today." He said pointedly through gritted teeth.

**XX**

Mikoto was seated at the dining table picking at the leftovers on her plate idly her mind obviously elsewhere. She let out another sad sigh as she rested her head on her palm. It was just another idle evening at the Uchiha complex and like the evenings before it Mikoto found herself alone in the kitchen with her mother who was washing up the diner plates while her brothers and cousins were outside practicing taijutsu moves. On a normal day she would have finished her diner at an unhealthy pace in order to join the other female Uchiha outside on the porch silently observing the proceedings of the training session. However, today was anything but normal and although Mikoto pretended otherwise she knew it wasn't.

She had marked today on her calendar long ago when he had first told her of his intentions to take the early graduation exam from the academy. She had remembered this day like the rest of her clan because it marked Denjiro's official entrance into the life of a shinobi. She had been a nervous wreck all day as she waited with bathed breath for news of his performance. When she had asked a cousin at the academy about Minato's performance in the exam, she had done so under the guise of inquiring about the clan leader's son. She had expected to feel happy and relieved at the news of Minato's graduation but she felt sad and drained emotionally.

She had always known this day would come; Minato leaving her behind in the academy. Their age difference made it inevitable. However, no amount of preparation could have prepared her for this day. The day Minato would no longer be in her life as much as she would like. From now on he would always be out of reach; too busy to hang out with her, too important to have her around, and too skilled to want to waste any time on her and her training. Next to him she would feel worthless and insignificant and she knew all too well what happened to people who hung around others greater than them. They were often left behind, maybe not intentionally but eventually Minato would begin drifting away from her until he was completely gone and no one would be able to guess that they had ever been anything other than strangers.

"Aren't you going out to watch the training today 'Koto?" Emiko asked wiping her hands on her apron as she turned around to face her daughter.

"No, I don't feel like it today." The younger raven said finally rising from her seat to clear out the crumbs on her plate.

"Why not?" Emiko asked her curiosity very obvious. She silently wondered if Mikoto was feeling ill.

"I just don't feel like doing so." The silence that settled between both of them was only broken by the sound of the running tap water as Mikoto set about washing her dishes. Emiko sat on one of the chairs by the dining table studying the faint frown creasing Mikoto's forehead.

She knew her daughter too well to believe her so blindly, however, she also knew her too well to push her further. Mikoto would eventually open up when she felt like it, pressing her right now would only push her further into herself and Emiko certainly didn't want that.

Unlike her fellow Uchiha women, Emiko dreaded the day her last born would graduate the academy. She had noticed a disturbing trend in the Uchiha. She remembered the alarming change in her younger brothers when they graduated from the academy. However, she wasn't as immune to the change as she would have liked to think; on several occasions her closest friends had commented about how much she had changed over the years. They said that she became very distant towards those closest to her and ruthless in battle. At the time she hadn't cared about how people saw her—serving the village's purposes as well as that of the clan took precedence over what others thought about her. However, all that changed after she married her husband.

Ryu Uchiha hadn't been her parents' first choice for her husband, but when her fiancé died suddenly in a violent skirmish with Iwagakure he became the logical choice. She had seen him around the complex a couple of times but she never really paid attention to him until she learned of his candidacy for her hand. She decided to study him closely; however she didn't like what she saw. In those days calling her shallow and self-centered would have been an enormous understatement. She lost many old friends then to petty arguments than she did to violent clashes and dangerous missions. She privately wondered how she and Amaya had managed to remain friends this long.

Her father was the one who had named her claiming that he had been so enthralled by her beauty that he didn't mind, as most men did back then, that his first born was female. Growing up she was treated as something akin to a princess despite the fact that her family was directly descended from Izuna Uchiha thus making them a branch family. Her mother claimed to have been envious of her beauty for many years until she finally wore herself out and could feel nothing but pride at her daughter's beauty. It was for that reason that the clan leader chose her over her much older and better suited cousins for his son's bride. But when his son died he lost the pride of choosing a beautiful daughter-in-law.

When she had first seen Ryu she remembered thinking that he was not nearly as attractive as her fiancé was. Then she saw his total lack of composure typical of Uchiha men; he hung out at bars with his friends, told dirty jokes, openly chased pretty women, and didn't hide his emotions. Emiko didn't know if he did this to prove a point to the world or if it was involuntary. Whatever his reasons were she didn't care, rather she felt disgusted by his behavior and never bothered to get properly acquainted with him. It wasn't until he personally approached her a month before their arranged marriage that she even spoke more than two sentences to him. They had gotten off to a rocky start and by her wedding night she hated him more than anything else in the world. However, all that changed during the first few months of their marriage. A touching gesture of kindness on his part destroyed all her prejudices about him. They became more than husband and wife—companions he liked to call them—and those had been the happiest years of her life. Until the day when death took him in the most violent way ever. She believed that someone like him didn't deserve a death like that; alone and broken on foreign soil, forsaken by his own brethren who only returned for his corpse in order to prevent outsiders from obtaining his Sharingan. She had cursed them all for denying him a life he so rightly deserved. She resented them for not doing for him what he would have willingly done for them. She still had some resentment towards the other women and their children because while their own husbands returned to them every night after returning from work at the station or a grueling mission, she and her children were left to soak up as much of each other's company reminiscing about the kind, loving father—companion in her case—that had been taken from them too soon. It was for that reason that after Mikoto was born she withdrew from the world to nurse her wounds and mourn her daughter's misfortune of never meeting the wonderful man that created her. At night while she snuggled close with her children she would absentmindedly reach out and pull Mikoto to her and stroke her midnight-blue hair so very much like her late husband's.

"Good evening, Emiko-san." A polite voice greeted unknowingly interrupting her thoughts. Emiko almost jumped out of her seat and was pleased to notice that she hadn't been the only one the voice had startled; Mikoto, who had her back to the door, nearly dropped the dishes in her hands at the sound of the voice.

"Sorry for startling you both. Thought you heard me come in." Although the voice sounded apologetic Emiko didn't miss the hint of amusement. She looked up to fix a playful glare at the tall, blonde standing at the doorway.

"You naughty knave, come over here and greet your aunt Emiko properly." She turned in her seat a little to face him and was pleased to see the bright smile plastered on the child's face. Without a second's hesitation Minato walked up to meet Emiko's outstretched hands and returned her embrace wholeheartedly.

Emiko had been beside herself with joy when the news of Minato's early graduation had caught her ear while she was out shopping that afternoon. Right now Minato Namikaze was the most popular genin in the village largely due to the fact that he is the first student in the history of the academy to ever graduate at such a young age. At ten years old he had broken Fugaku's record which had been 11. Usually, the children of the most prestigious clans were the most popular and sought after graduates from the academy. However, this year's graduates, which contained the offspring of the most prestigious clan leaders, had found themselves upstaged by a child two years their junior born to mere civilians.

Emiko had almost burst out with laughter when she heard about the temper tantrum Denjiro's mother had thrown later on that afternoon which had inspired her husband to seek out the council of the Uchiha elders he usually ignored.

As they finally pulled apart she wondered whether the blonde knew that he was responsible for the clan leader's involvement in tonight's training session. She highly doubted it; as smart as Minato was he had inherited his father's obliviousness which left him naïve and vulnerable.

"I'm so proud of you." She said ruffling his hair fondly. She saw the beginnings of tears in those brilliant blue orbs and instantly knew why, Amaya. Without a doubt her overprotective friend had failed to congratulate her son for his accomplishments, and despite the fact that his father had undoubtedly showered him with praises and attention all day it was quite clear that it fell short in making up for his mother's approval. Over the years Emiko had become a surrogate mother to him and she knew that her acknowledgment was almost as important as that of his parents.

"Thank you, Emiko-san." He said gratefully wiping the edges of his eyes with his sleeve. They both remembered the third person in the room and turned around to face her. The tiny form of Mikoto was still standing in front of the sink watching them with distant eyes. She took in the scene before her without really seeing it as her mind was obviously elsewhere. Minato approached her gently in a way that was vaguely reminiscent of the first time he had met her hiding under a table in his father's shop.

He laid a gentle hand on the small raven's shoulders effectively rousing her from her thoughts. When she looked up at him in surprise, Minato smiled down at her kindly before taking her small hand in his and turning to face Emiko.

From where she sat Emiko hoped neither of them could detect the teary look in her eyes as she watched them almost wistfully. They reminded her so very much of her and Ryu. The comforting way the blonde was holding her daughter's shoulder reminded her of how Ryu held hers so many years ago when she had received news of two of her brothers' deaths on the battlefield. The way Minato led Mikoto without really being in front of her, neither leading nor pulling—merely guiding, made the tears she had been fighting back threaten to fall.

"I'll bring her back before eight." The blonde called over his shoulder as they crossed the threshold of the house. Emiko could only nod in response as she watched them go.

It wasn't until about an hour after they had gone that Emiko realized the cause of Mikoto's sadness and she couldn't help the small smile that curved at the side of her mouth. As she moved around getting dinner ready she remembered something her mother told her long ago when she had lamented her then-crush Hikaru's career-ending injury.

"_To each their own path…"_

Mother always had a great way with words. As she heard the voices of her sons returning from their training some time later, she realized that it wasn't just Uchihas who changed after becoming genin; other genins always changed no matter how little or how much. Change was inevitable so Mikoto would have to learn how to embrace it. She just hoped that Mikoto wouldn't be forced to embrace a negative kind of change. For the first time ever she truly understood her friend's over protectiveness of her son. The grueling life of a shinobi was no place for someone that kind.

_I give him a year for all that kindness to be stripped away completely_, a cynical part of her said almost matter-of-factly. Although she knew wishful thinking when she saw it, she couldn't help hoping that somehow Minato would retain all that was dear about him.

**[In my best impersonation of Rock Lee] "A THOUSAND APOLOGIES DEAR READERS FOR THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG BREAK BETWEEN UPDATES". Turned 18 on the 15****th**** of June and I was just too full of Birthday cake and too lazy lounging back and watching movies on cable (yeah I know pathetic way to spend summer huh?) to get off my bum and get anything done. I was afraid that all the inspiration would have left me by now but I'm very glad that it hasn't. To all those who were considerate enough to leave a review, no matter how short, thank you. You readers complete me. It pleases me immensely that this story has the highest amount of hits of all my stories and I feel more encouraged now to keep it up with that knowledge in mind. Please help me accomplish my mission of finishing a story I've ever started in years. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next update. TTFN. **


	10. Team 7

**Disclaimer: News Flash: I don't own Naruto and its characters, so stop sending me hate-mail for killing off Itachi. Hehe.**

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Chapter Ten. Team 7

"He's late." The red-haired boy huffed in annoyance as he rose to his feet to begin pacing again.

"I'm sure something important is keeping him." The girl Minato knew as Chihiro—as she had made a beeline for him upon seeing him to introduce herself—said in a hushed tone.

"For over two hours?" Although Minato would have preferred the boy to not raise his voice, he couldn't help but agree with him.

He was sure that like him they had both risen up particularly early in order to make it to the academy in time to meet their new sensei. After being assigned their teams all twenty-seven graduates waited in the room as one by one senseis had entered the room to take their teams. The last team had left nearly an hour ago while they were still yet to hear word on their sensei. It was infuriating when someone showed absolute disregard for one's efforts at punctuality by being inexplicably late.

"Do we even know if he's coming?" The red-head barked at the room in general.

_His temper could be troublesome in the future._ Minato thought to himself taking note of the almost feral look in his eyes and the snarl in his voice.

"I'm sure if he wasn't they would have let us know." Minato said finally speaking up. He heard the red-head make an impatient noise in the back of his throat as he turned around to face him.

"Yea as opposed to leaving us here looking like fools while we wait for someone who's never gonna show up." The sarcasm in his voice contained an underlying note of venom Minato was sure had nothing to do with their sensei's tardiness.

_Even on the first day._

"It won't do you any good taking your anger out on us." Minato had carefully used the word 'us' as opposed to 'me' to bait the older boy. He physically bit back the smirk that threatened to form when the red-head took the proffered bait.

"What makes you think I'm taking it out on her?" He asked scathingly. "What do you know bout anything half-pint? What are you even doing here anyways?"

"Obviously I know as much as you do if we're on the same level. And I thought it would be obvious that I am here to meet our new sensei just like you."

"Oh, a smart mouth huh?" The red-head growled advancing at Minato.

"Oh, just cut it out you two." Chihiro said getting impatient.

"He started it." The red-head snapped over his shoulder. Minato remained where he sat on the table arms behind his back as supports for his weight. If the red-head thought he was going to let himself be pushed around because of their age difference, he was in for a rude surprise.

Minato angled his head to the side and fixed the older boy with the most infuriatingly innocent look he knew a smile playing on his lips.

_Might as well have some fun while we wait._

**

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**

Jiraiya could easily say without any qualms that he hadn't felt this nervous in his entire life. He had woken up that morning after a fitful 2 hour sleep and refused to tempt sleep any further. Sitting alone in the darkness of his living room, as he had fallen asleep on the couch yet again, he could still see the scenes from his nightmare with his eyes open as clearly as when they had been closed. He had thrown-up twice and had to wash his face for several minutes before deciding to take a bath altogether. However, the bath did nothing to numb the butterflies in his stomach or quell the dread eating him up on the inside. So he ended his shower a lot earlier than he usually preferred and after a quick change of clothes he left the house to take a stroll.

Even with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head turned up at the sky he couldn't block out the screams of the three young children from his dream. So he closed his eyes and found that that only seemed to make the images clearer to his mind's eye so he opened them again and tried to find something else to distract him. While his nightmare replayed itself over and over again at a torturously slow pace, his feet took him down a familiar path to one of his favorite haunts, the adult entertainment shop on the outskirts of the shopping district in Konoha. Luckily for him the door gave way when he turned the knob and pushed.

He absentmindedly returned the cheerful greeting of the shopkeeper who recognized him as a regular. As he slipped into the 'magazines' section he reached up and grabbed his head in an attempt to stop the unpleasant mantra of names. But his subconscious refused to be denied and so he was stuck unconsciously memorizing the order of the names while he tried to distract himself in vain with pictures of very well-endowed women in the nude.

_Konan…Yahiko…Nagato…Minato…Konan…Yahiko…Nagato…Minato._

Those names triggered unpleasant memories which threatened to direct his thoughts to a place he had refrained from visiting all these years.

_What am I doing? I have no business being a sensei again…I am a wanderer…a traveler on the road to destiny. I shouldn't be here teaching genins and going out on stupid D-rank missions. I should be out there looking for the child of prophecy. _

_**Coward!**_ Jiraiya nearly jumped at the force of the voice in his head. He dropped the magazine in his hand convincing himself that looking at another magazine would calm his nerves enough to distract him from his thoughts. But the voices in his head had other plans. They had something to say and they refused to leave until they had had their say.

_**What makes you think he's not the child of prophecy you've been searching for?**_

_Because he isn't…Nagato was._

_**Nagato is dead.**_

_There's no proof of that. I could go back to Amegakure and confirm it for myself._

_**Then why don't you?**_

_Because….'cause…I'm afraid of what I might find._

_**LIAR! You're afraid of that man…you're a pathetic excuse for a ninja.**_

_No I am not._

_**Without Orochimaru and Tsunade you would be nothing…Legendary Sannin, Feh, more like legendary chicken!**_

_No, I am not!_

_**Failure of Failures**_

_Stop it!_

_**King of Morons**_

_SILENCE!_

_**Emperor of Fools! **_

"_ENOUGH!"_ It took Jiraiya several minutes to realize that he had shouted out loud. The other two customers in the shop that had been rummaging through the shelves were staring at him in alarm. Without sparing anyone of the inquisitive eyes an apologetic look Jiraiya dropped the magazine in his hands and fled from the shop. His feet were on auto-pilot again while the internal war in his brain raged on. So far he was losing badly.

_I've had enough of you._

_**Weakling!**_

_I AM NOT!_

_**Prove it.**_

_How?_

_**If you don't already know how then I can see how you fail at everything in life.**_

Jiraiya didn't stop his running until he was safely hidden within the thick forests on the outskirts of the village. By now the sun had come up and the birds in the trees had already started making their morning ruckus. He stared at his reflection on the surface of the pond beneath him and frowned down at it. From an outsider's point of view he was Jiraiya; one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage and the student of the Third Hokage. He was the epitome of success to many, but to himself he was the paragon of failure.

To say that he was scared was a severe understatement; he was terrified. He couldn't fail again…not this time…not _this_ child. He saw too much of himself in the boy to handle the thought of him somehow failing him in the future. It was inevitable. The same way success was guaranteed for almost all of his former teammates' endeavors, failure was an ever present outcome for his own.

Tsunade's careless comments about how her students were becoming more like her each day scared the living daylight out of him. What if this boy, this gem, took after him and another overrated failure was born? He would never forgive himself for producing another person like himself who would wallow in self-doubt, overshadowed by his peers in skills and deeds, who would only say big words and would forever lack the ability to back them up. No, such a ninja must never exist again. His death would be the extinction of failures like himself; willing but unable.

As he lay there underneath the shade of his favorite tree his arms crossed behind his back, he convinced himself that training the boy would only end in failure. He would ask Sarutobi-sensei to assign another to replace him and leave the village to resume his travels once again. But for now he was content with just lying there on the ground chewing idly on the long stemmed grass between his teeth.

_**So we're running away again, coward?**_

_Yes, we are._

**

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**

Once again the red-head took the bait Minato offered and charged at the blonde seated on the table looking at him in the most infuriating manner he had ever seen. He felt the furious pounding of blood in his ears and it drowned everything else in the room. He saw Chihiro scream at him to stop but he refused to. He was going to teach the little brat a lesson.

_But…why?_

_**Just because. **_He smirked at that and rose his hand poised to strike.

_So this is the kid that gave Uchiha a run for his money four years ago._

The fight between Minato Namikaze and Denjiro Uchiha had been the talk of the town for months. When it was first announced people dismissed it as a baseless rumor brought on by chronic boredom and heat-induced hallucinations. However, when it became clear that it was more than baseless gossip, people's first reactions had been to inquire about this Namikaze kid that was stupid enough to challenge an Uchiha. Some Yamanakas went even further and researched the kid's background and when they did they found out about his father's defeat at the hands of a Kirigakure genin at the Chunnin exams. This caused quite a stir in the gossip circles and seemed to add more hype to the already well-publicized match.

Then the bets started rolling in favor of the Uchiha and even he had to agree with the majority, despite his dislike for that clan, that the smug clan leader's son would emerge victorious. He hadn't been surprised when Denjiro was declared victorious. However, when he found out that the kid had pushed the Uchiha so far that he awoke his Sharingan, he was slightly perturbed by the news because that meant that a child two years his junior was capable of pushing the best student in his year beyond his limits. Had it not been for his Sharingan, Denjiro knew that the little brat would have won the match hands down and that was a very disturbing fact.

He, the red-head, had been one of the people who had mercilessly teased the Uchiha about almost losing to a civilian brat that was until said Uchiha knocked him and his accomplices senseless. The topic of the Uchiha and Namikaze kids' fight became taboo after both boys were expelled. Even speaking about it could land someone in trouble as it was assumed that that person was an accomplice in setting up the fight. When the Hokage pardoned both boys and permitted them to return back to school, the red-head knew that he would have to double his efforts if he was ever going to keep up with the Uchiha. It had never occurred to him for a second that the Namikaze bastard would go ahead and take the graduation exam early. To make matters worse the brat scored higher than he had on the graduation exam something his siblings never let him forget.

Who the hell did this kid think he was to refer to them as equals? They were anything but equals; he was far more superior to the blonde. Unlike the brat he had spent the necessary six years at the academy which he liked to think gave him an advantage in years of experience. So if this blonde thought that he was some pansy Uchiha that was gonna get beat up and then rely on his keke genkai to win a match he was sourly mistaken.

He had heard of the boy's speed from teachers and students alike but he couldn't help being blown away by it when he witnessed the boy flicker out of sight as he swung his fist. He tried to recover and turn around however he felt the cold metal of a kunai pressed threateningly to his neck and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Yield." The voice behind him was foreign and as cold as the knife being held to his throat. He heard a sharp gasp from somewhere by his left and knew that Chihiro had only just realized what had happened.

_I've seen jonin level nins move that fast but never a genin—especially not one who just graduated from the academy. No wonder Uchiha almost lost._

Without any argument the red-head let his hands fall to his side and felt the kunai leave his throat, however, the person wielding it remained in place.

"I'm Minato Namikaze, and you are?" The blonde said politely completely catching the older boy off guard. He recovered and growled in annoyance biting his lower lip to keep from saying anything.

"Seeing as you are older I would have thought that such acts of immaturity were beneath you," the blonde said thoughtfully. "Apparently I was wrong." The red-head felt a blinding flash of anger and spun around to face the brat.

"Who the hell do you think you are to call me immature?" He snarled.

"If we're going to be a team we should learn to get along."

"I don't get along well with babies." The red-head barked.

"Funny cause I'm pretty sure babies aren't quite fond of judgmental brats." The blonde returned his blue eyes narrowing. They remained like that standing almost nose to nose glaring daggers at each other as if it would make the other person spontaneously combust.

The silence was broken by the sound of the door sliding open and they all turned their attention towards it. A blonde lady sporting a green jonin vest poked her head into the room and glanced around for a few moments before her honey-colored eyes came to rest on the three students in the room. She regarded each of the genin in turn with assertive eyes as she moved from one face to another. When her eyes came to rest on the blonde boy, she stared at him for a fraction of a second longer than she had done to the others. Her eyes swept the room again as if trying to spot something she had missed before. When she finally stopped scanning the room she bit her lower lip in what Minato recognized was an unconscious manner brought on by frustration.

"Are you the new genin graduates?" The lady asked in a brisk voice causing the children to unconsciously straighten their shoulders before nodding in response. Apparently, their answer didn't please her and they noticed a small frown etched on her beautiful features.

"This is team seven am I right?" The lady continued. They nodded once again and heard her mutter something beneath her breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse.

"Excuse me ma'am," Minato said speaking up. His bravery earned him a surprised look from his two new teammates as well as the blonde kunoichi by the door.

"Yes?" The lady asked. Minato noted the way her voice exuded professionalism, efficiency, and power and he found himself being drawn to the woman even more.

"Are you our new sensei?" He asked keeping his voice calm and even in an effort to hide his anticipation. Tsunade silently regarded the boy obviously impressed by his courage. Most genin older than him never managed to address her without stuttering or even stumbling over their words. The fact that he was younger than the average genin impressed her even more and when she turned to look at him she indulged him with a look of approval.

"No I am not." She said in her trademark crispness entering the room fully now while sliding the door shut behind her.

"As a matter of fact I came here to see your sensei." She said directing an annoyed glance at the open window opposite her. The children watched her for a few moments wondering exactly what was going through her mind. Something about this woman told them that she was not someone to be trifled with. Even though they were still yet to meet him, they couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic towards their sensei who had the misfortune of annoying the blonde kunoichi.

"So I take it that you are yet to meet your sensei." Although it sounded more like a statement than a question, the three of them couldn't help nodding in response.

"I've always suspected that your new sensei was part Nara," the kunoichi said as she finally tore her eyes from the window. "And I intend on finding out for myself once and for all."

She turned to leave and had already slid the door halfway open when she stopped and looked over her shoulder at the young genin squad in the room.

"You should all probably return home as I doubt your sensei will be arriving today." She said with a half-smile on her face. "But report at training ground C tomorrow at exactly o-800 hours." And with that she was gone.

Minato closed his eyes in an attempt to hide his annoyance and heard his teammates make sounds of annoyance themselves. Chihiro practically stomped out of the classroom muttering about irresponsible adults inconsiderate enough to stand up their own students on their first day. Minato was just about to follow her out of the room when a hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned to glance over it at its owner.

The red head had a weird look on his face that seemed like a cross between a smile and a frown that ended up looking like a grimace of pain.

"Yes?" Minato asked lifting a blonde brow in curiosity.

"Daisuke," he said not looking at Minato as if it was too embarrassing to meet the younger boy's eyes. "You wanted to know what my name was, it's Daisuke."

The blonde blinked at him for several painful moments in confusion wondering what had brought the abrupt change of heart. One minute the red-head had been intent on making him spontaneously combust, the next he was exchanging names. Something was up but for the life of him he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He narrowed his eyes at the older boy trying to determine any foul play. When he didn't he held out his hand to other boy and instantly regretted it.

Daisuke threw his head back at his gesture of friendship and burst into an uncontrollable fit of hysterical laughter. Despite the hurt and embarrassment he was now feeling, Minato refused to withdraw his hand as he fixed the older boy with a condescending look.

"As immature as ever I see." He was pleased when the red-head stopped laughing abruptly and turned to fix him with a glare.

"Why because I don't wanna shake your hand?" Daisuke jeered.

"Not entirely." Minato replied coolly.

"Then why?"

The blonde was silent for a few moments as he considered his words carefully. When he finally spoke up he kept his voice even and emotionless.

"You have a bad habit of setting yourself back. Whatever failures you face in the future will be entirely of your own creation." With that he turned and left the room leaving the older boy to ponder the meaning of his words. With any luck they would bring about a change in the boy by tomorrow. But Minato knew that that was just wishful thinking. Change is always very difficult to bring about in people especially if it is for the better.

**

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**

Jiraiya was fuming, something he wasn't prone to doing. He always made a point of being cheerful, easy-going, playful and carefree. In his opinion the world was already filled with too much hatred and wickedness for him to contribute any more to it. He always had a witty comeback for anything; it was the way he got even without wasting the energy to get angry. Whenever he was in danger of losing his temper, which was a very rare occurrence, he always went out of his way to seek seclusion immediately. However, today he had been spared the effort of trying by his blonde, former teammate.

They had gotten into a heated argument and he had gotten mad. One tactless insult earned him a free tour of the skies courtesy of the hot-tempered, buxom beauty he had devoted most of his life pursuing romantically. He landed a good 10 acres from where he started with every bone in his body aching. However, the pain went ignored as he remained lying on his back glaring at the sky for several long hours his mind a jumble of thoughts.

_She doesn't understand—no one does. How can she ask that of me? I can't…no I won't taint the boy. Why can't they understand that? I thought she knew how overrated I am. I'll always be the pathetic excuse of a legend I am, nothing can change that. I'm not even sure the prophecy got it right. I mean how can I be the teacher of the child of prophecy? Why fail another student after failing the first?_

He continued on like this for several hours until he noticed the orange glow of the sunset in the clearing around him. If he was going to fix this little problem he had to do it soon. Ignoring the pain in his back Jiraiya rose slowly but steadily from the ground. Without dusting off the filth covering his hair and clothes he set off down the forest in search of a path that would lead him back towards the village. When he found it his feet switched to auto-pilot as he continued his internal argument.

As he neared the village, the sound of weapons clashing and hurried footsteps attracted his attention. He masked his chakra and followed the noise. When Jiraiya realized that the noise was coming from a familiar location in the forest, he quickened his pace while his mind tried to decide what jutsu would best neutralize the threat.

When he finally reached his destination, Jiraiya peeped at the clearing and was greeted by an all too familiar sight. Minato Namikaze was running around the clearing, only a blur of yellow to the naked eye, throwing weapons at various targets scattered around the training ground. The blonde only stopped when he ran out of weapons and walked over to dislodge them from where they were embedded deep inside the wall.

"So did they ever tell you why your sensei stood you guys up?" The red-haired girl asked from where she hung swinging from a nearby tree branch. The blonde shook his head as he placed the weapons back into his weapons pouch.

"But they did tell us to come to training ground C at 8 o'clock tomorrow so I'm assuming our sensei will be there."

"Bastard, who the hell does he think he is standing you guys up on your first day?" Jiraiya didn't stay to hear the rest of the red-head's tirade as he performed the necessary seals for a transportation jutsu.

He appeared in his apartment and collapsed on the couch resting his hands on his chin a smile etched onto his face. Without realizing it the blonde had inspired him to shelve his second-guessing and take a chance at being a sensei again.

_**You sure we're not gonna turn around and run again?**_

_Yep. No more running away…ever._

_**Good. It's about time.**_

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**_

**Yay! I got it done. I got it done! Next chapter should be up pretty soon. The next couple of chapters will look at the growth of team 7 leading up to the Chunnin exams. Needless to say the Chunnin exams will be something to look forward to and I apologize in advance if the next few chapters seem like fillers. I wouldn't include them in the story if they didn't contain anything relevant. Until then enjoy. **


	11. Teacher's Pet

**Disclaimer: This chapter is dedicated to Masashi Kishimoto…without whom I would have no story.**

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Chapter Eleven Teacher's Pet

Daisuke turned his face away in humiliation as he felt the tears he had long been holding back threaten to fall. Although he knew he deserved what he was getting, he couldn't help but feel that he had been cheated out of something that was rightfully his. His hands were restrained to his sides by the thick, chakra-reinforced ropes; something he regretted as the steady jingle of a tiny, silver bell reached his ears. He shut his eyes in a futile attempt to block out the offending noise. But the noise persisted and he snapped his eyes open before turning to narrow them at his female teammate. The smile on her face vanished when her eyes met his and he was pleased to note that soon after the annoying jingle of the bell ceased as well.

He gave a low grunt of satisfaction and tried as much as he could to turn his face as far away as it would go from his teammates and sensei. He was pleased to note that the sound of lightly conversing voices sounded distant and garbled. He had no interest in anything his teammates or sensei had to say. He would have liked nothing more than for the ground to open up at that very moment and swallow all three of them whole.

_ It's not their fault you know. _

Daisuke shut his eyes as he drowned out the shrewd voice of his conscience. For some reason the voice refused to shut up for even one minute. So he decided to finally stop tuning out the three people before him in an attempt to distract himself from that infuriating voice. The first thing he heard was his name and he couldn't repress the shudder that shook his body at the sound of it. He turned his head slowly in the direction his name had been mentioned and wasn't surprised to see vivid blue eyes staring back.

They stared at each other like that for several moments, green glaring at blue almost accusingly, until the younger boy finally backed down. Too distracted to properly savor his victory, the older boy felt a flash of anger as his glare intensified. He felt insulted, as if the blonde had just spit in his face. He didn't want a borrowed victory like _the_ Uchiha had been more than happy to take. He wanted an earned victory, undisputed, glorious, and well-deserved not one rewarded by chance and circumstance.

"Why did you back down?" The red-head inquired through gritted teeth. When he saw the look of confusion in the blonde's eyes he rolled his own and decided to elaborate.

"Yesterday, during our faceoff, you more than held your own and wasn't intimidated by me even when I tried to squash you down with my glare. You saw it as a challenge you were more than happy to accept and you gave it your all and didn't back down. So why did you gaze away just now? Was it to annoy me?" He saw the realization dawn on the blonde as his features changed and he waited patiently for an answer.

The blonde closed his eyes and let out a sigh Daisuke knew all too well and hated with a passion—or in his opinion not enough passion. It was a sigh his mother gave him whenever he was being stubborn and immature and she was unwilling to deal with him and let him have his way. It was a sigh his brothers never hesitated to use whenever he was bothering them about something and they just wanted him to leave them be. It was a sound of quitting, the soundtrack to backing down, seceding control to someone not worthy of attention, not caring enough to fight something that bored or annoyed you. To him it was a blatant slap in the face and as he glared at the blonde before him, he realized that he had been slapped in the face more than enough times and refused to take any more.

Without knowing it, the blonde had helped him decide whether he liked him or not. And Daisuke had made up his mind that not only did he not like the blonde, but he hated him on level almost equal to that of his hatred of Denjiro Uchiha. The only downside was that now he felt his anger spike to an extent he once deemed humanly impossible. Defeat stung a lot more when it was at the hands of one's most hated nemesis.

"Yesterday I was—I had time on my hands. Today I have too much on my mind for this to interest me like it normally would."

That was the final straw. Before anyone, including Daisuke, could realize what was going on, the red-head ripped his right arm free from its restraints and aimed a punch at the boy before him. The move had been purely on instinct; the first thought his enraged mind had thrown at him. Had he had time to think about it, he probably wouldn't have done it period. But he hadn't, so he had done it before his mind could catch up with his hand to stop it. So it came as a surprise to both boys when the fist connected with its target, hard.

The blonde was sent flying from the older boy and crashed into a tree behind him. Even before the blonde crashed, the impact of the punch was enough to alarm their sensei and female teammate. So when the blonde crashed into the tree all eyes were not him, but on the seething red-head across from him with his hand outstretched as his eyes glinted with a fury only the Sharingan could rival.

After several long minutes the red-head finally calmed down somewhat and lowered his hand, a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth. He had hit the blonde, knocked him out cold as a matter of fact, and it had felt so good. It had done wonders for his temper that no amount of anger-relieving exercise could achieve in a million years. He wished he could continue bashing the blonde's prone form until it became indistinguishable from the ground. However, he wasn't an opportunist so he wouldn't receive the same thrill of doing it as when the younger boy was awake and aware.

He heard his female teammate gasp and heard movement from somewhere beyond his line of sight and knew that she was rushing over to her fallen hero's side. He let out a small, scathing laugh. Unable to resist, the older boy tilted his head to the side and called out to her.

"You hurry up and check if he needs a diaper change, wouldn't want him stinking up the place." He barked his laughter at his own joke and didn't stop laughing until he felt tears leaking from his eyes.

His sensei however, recognized the laughter for what it was and moved towards the red-head cautiously.

"What was your name again?"

"If you didn't get it the first time then there's no point in me wasting my time telling you a second time." Jiraiya didn't miss the vehemence in the boy's voice and felt a pang of guilt.

The child was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for; either that or Jiraiya wasn't at good at hiding his emotions as well as he thought he was. Personally, Jiraiya was leaning towards the former.

When he had introduced himself to his new team, after apologizing for standing them up the day before, the red-head must have noticed the way his eyes shifted ever so often towards the blonde. When they had introduced themselves and talked about their dreams and ambitions, the older boy must have noticed the way Jiraiya had only commented on the blonde's dream of becoming Hokage and how he had tuned both he and the girl out when it was their turn to speak.

Some years ago, before leaving the village on his first travelling trip, Jiraiya had gotten into a heated argument with his former sensei. During which he had accused the man of favoring Orochimaru over he and Tsunade. Even though they had long resolved their differences, Jiraiya still stood by his accusation of preferential treatment. Therefore it had come as no surprise to him when he found out that the old man was officially training Orochimaru to become his successor.

Knowing personally how his sensei's favoritism had affected him emotionally, he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by his guilt. He saw himself in the red-head. Orochimaru, like Minato, had been labeled a prodigy upon his graduation from the academy and had been highly sought after by all the jonin senseis. It was only because of his sensei's superior skill and intellect that Orochimaru had fallen under his charge. As the granddaughter and only direct descendant of the Shodai Hokage, Tsunade had been the second most sought after student. However, her popularity like Orochimaru's was well deserved as she had been the second highest genin graduate of their year. He on the other hand was just a third wheel; a random person to raise the team's number to the required 3 genin. The weakest link, the class clown, a pathetic excuse for a ninja. Here Minato was the exalted prodigy, Chihiro the talented kunoichi who had earned her spot on the team by ranking third (Denjiro Uchiha was first and Minato a close second) in their year. And he, whose name he was still yet to remember, was the unfortunate third wheel; a genin of passable talent, overlooked by everyone in favor of more talented students. Written off without a second glance, underestimated, easily overshadowed, often dwarfed, always overlooked, transparent, expendable, and unimportant. The words just kept coming the more he regarded the glaring boy before him. And as he watched the boy look away in disgust he finally remembered his name.

"Daisuke." The silver-haired Sannin called gently. He didn't miss the way the boy's head snapped up slightly in obvious surprise at being addressed directly for the first time that day. It made something within him ache to feel the boy's desperation for attention and acknowledgement very much like his own so many years ago. As he watched the boy turn slowly towards him as if to verify that his ears had not been deceiving him after all, he realized something he had not thought possible before. This child was his mirror image not Minato: after all it had been he, not Tsunade or Orochimaru, who ended up tied to the wooden pole at the end of the bell test. Not necessarily because he was lacking in skill in comparison to his other teammates, but because he, unlike them, had a heavy burden on his shoulders he desperately wanted to be relieved of. Daisuke, like him, had ignored the prodigy's call for teamwork and cooperation and ventured forth on his own hell-bent on securing a bell solo. Jiraiya realized that the boy's actions had been driven by a desire to prove himself to not only his teammates and sensei, but also to himself.

Recognizing his sensei's favoritism of Orochimaru, Jiraiya decided to make it on his own by pushing himself further than most people dared go. He had honed his skills without much help from his sensei, who had been too busy with his precious prodigy, or any outside influence. If he could have risen to achieve all this success and recognition by his own merit and hard work, what would someone exactly like him be able to achieve with the help and guidance of a powerful shinobi like him?

_ The boy would easily surpass Minato and even go on to best that man Hanzo. _

The mere thought was enough to make his head spin with the endless possibilities and when Jiraiya turned to regard the boy again, he felt something he hadn't felt before; confidence. Not in the boy alone but in his own skill as a sensei. If he could put aside his favoritism and train all his students like a real sensei should; without bias or preference, then he would undoubtedly help them reach their full potential and even go on to surpass him and his fellow Sannin. Confidence soon gave way to determination and he found himself looking forward to tomorrow's training. He heard the red-head say something and turned to look at him.

"What was that?"

"Are we done for today?" The red-head repeated irritably. "No offence but I didn't exactly picture spending my day starving and tied to a wooden post in the middle of a training ground." As if on cue the red-head's stomach growled startling Jiraiya and embarrassing the boy who did an excellent job of hiding it with a scowl.

Jiraiya had originally been planning to lecture the boy on the importance of teamwork and getting along in a squad, however, he found himself mute as he quickly freed the red-head from his restraints. The boy gave him a curt nod and Jiraiya noticed the way his eyes immediately darted across the clearing to where Chihiro was still trying desperately to rouse the unconscious blonde. Jiraiya could have sworn he saw a brief flicker of shame in those much too vivid green eyes before it was replaced by a look of pure nonchalance and indifference.

Daisuke turned on his heel to leave without a second glance at his teammates and sensei. Jiraiya, still struggling to find words to form some sort of apology, saw his chance slipping by and leapt in desperation. Children could only take so much before they would eventually stop caring about those who showed no interest in them. Such children were ticking time bombs. He had been one of the fortunate few who valued attention and recognition too much to desert his village or its ideals. This boy on the other hand, as far as Jiraiya could see, was a textbook example of a rogue ninja in the making. In time he would stop caring about the opinions of his peers and superiors alike. Such detachment would lead to only one thing; hatred towards the village that turned its back on him. His missions would begin to seem like unnecessary burdens he would rather do without and he would inevitably leave the village in pursuit of a means to fulfill his own ambitions. Jiraiya knew that he was yet to pass the point of no return and was thankful for it. For now he knew that the boy still had hope for redemption.

"I'm sorry." Was all the silver-haired man could manage and although his shoulders shagged in preparation for defeat, he silently hoped the boy would see the sincerity in his eyes. If the boy knew his intentions or not, he gave no indication. The only indication that the boy had heard him was his brief pause after his sensei had spoken before turning around slightly so that his right eye met Jiraiya's. After giving the Sannin a quick look over, he turned around and was gone in a flash, leaving no hints of what was going through his mind.

As Jiraiya walked back towards the village with the blonde's limp form in his hands and Chihiro in tow, he couldn't help the small smile playing on his lips.

"What's so funny sensei?" Chihiro asked noticing the man's smile and mistaking it for amusement.

"There's always hope." The girl said nothing further on the subject and they continued walking in pleasurable silence.

**

* * *

**

Minato's hand reached up to rub his bruised cheek and winced slightly at how much it hurt. He felt two pairs of eyes on him and shoved his hands into his pockets self-consciously. From the corner of his eye he saw Chihiro watching him warily as if expecting him to collapse at any moment. Although he couldn't fault her for her concern, Minato wished she had a little more faith in him; he had been caught off guard after all. Something he promised to never let happen again. He heard a faint chuckle from somewhere to his right and turned his head slightly so his right eye could peer around the thick mane of unruly blonde bangs at the figure travelling beside him. His eyes narrowed in a scowl when he saw the smug smile on the red-head's face and he turned to put more distance between them.

He had been livid when he had woken up sometime yesterday evening in his room with a large, purple bruise on his cheek. Naturally his mother freaked out and threatened to end his short-lived career as a shinobi; claiming that only bad mothers would let their child continue after seeing such a bruise. His father had had to call his sensei over to talk sense into her. Interestingly enough, his sensei seemed more capable of calming his mother down than his father was.

"Hey Minato not so fast, slow down." He heard his sensei call from somewhere behind him. The blonde turned to retort that he wasn't even travelling that fast but swallowed his words when he saw just how far behind his team had fallen. Two figures he recognized as Chihiro and his sensei were waving him over. He was pleased to note that the third figure had his arms crossed tightly in front of him. It was only to see the dark scowl he knew would be plastered on the red-head's features that Minato turned and ran back towards his team.

"Minato we're a team, we should travel together so you shouldn't run ahead." His sensei said in a somewhat amused tone. Turning so that he was now facing Daisuke, Minato held a hand out towards the red-head. He smiled internally at the look of bewilderment on the older boy's features. Surprise gave way to suspicion and pretty soon the red-head was narrowing his eyes at the smiling blonde before him.

Jiraiya stood watching both boys wearily from the sidelines ready to intervene should the need arise. Finally, the red-head shoved the blonde's hand away in annoyance and let out a low growl to discourage any further attempts to rile him up. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the unnaturally wide smile on the blonde's face. Something was up and whatever it was it wouldn't end well.

"I don't need your help." Daisuke barked walking past the blonde in a huff. But the blonde wasn't done with him yet. Minato chased after his short-tempered teammate and when he caught up with him he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to the red-head.

"Try to keep up, ok?" With that he picked up speed and forged ahead leaving the red-head behind in an unnecessary cloud of smoke.

"I. Hate. That. Brat!" The red-head muttered in between coughing fits and Jiraiya couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight. Doubled over, covered in dust, and glaring at nothing in particular, the red head…let's just say he didn't look his best.

_ Revenge is sweet._ Jiraiya felt someone tugging lightly at his sleeves and turned his attention towards the only sane member of his squad.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Jiraiya realized that in his genin squad it was only Chihiro who called him by his name; the boys usually referred to him as sensei—something he hadn't noticed until now.

"Yes Chihiro?" He said giving the tiny girl an encouraging smile.

"Why are we coming all the way over here to these training grounds when we can easily use the ones closer to the village?"

Jiraiya smiled down at the girl before responding. "Because it is the only training ground that is best suited for today's lesson."

"If today's training's going to be anything like yesterday's training then I'll pass." The red-head said. Jiraiya chose to ignore the child's rudeness and continued walking in his nonchalant manner.

No one spoke much after that until they reached their destination. Of all the training grounds in the village, training ground D was probably the most famous and highly regarded. It was rumored at the academy that the trees surrounding the training ground were created by the Shodai Hokage himself when he first founded the village. Although it was accessible to ninjas of all ranks, its distance from the village as well as its seclusion, made it an easy favorite among the older and higher ranked shinobi.

Jiraiya took his time studying his students' individual reactions. Chihiro had a weird look on her face that was a cross between extreme boredom and paranoia. Daisuke on the other hand had a flawless emotionless mask on which betrayed nothing. Jiraiya finally gave up on the red-head and turned to fix his eyes on the blonde. He was rewarded with a look of pure adoration and anticipation on the blonde's face. Those brilliant blue eyes were ablaze with an insatiable thirst for knowledge as he turned trying to take it all in. His mouth hung open in an expression of pure wonder and Jiraiya was unable to suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips.

He unconsciously moved to join the blonde and rested a hand on his shoulder when he reached the boy. The child finally tore his eyes away from the clearing and fixed them instead on the man smiling kindly down at him.

"Something tells me you're going to enjoy today's lesson." The silver-haired jonin said; the amusement clear in his voice. The blonde only nodded in response as he turned to stare at the clearing all over again as if to confirm that what he was seeing was real.

"Do you like it?" Jiraiya asked an idle smile playing on his lips as a wave of nostalgia hit him.

"I love it." Came the blonde's excited reply.

"That makes two of us kid."

**Again sorry for allowing myself to be sidetracked unnecessarily and not updating until now. But I really can't help it; summertime has a way of turning me into a lazy, good-for-nothing, couch potato. You'd think all the eating and sleeping would help me put on a few pounds but nooo my body refuses to let me go over my pathetic almost-anorexic state. Sorry, I'm rambling so I'll shut up now and get started on the next chapter. Thanks for bearing with me and once again sorry for the long wait. I wish I could promise you that the next chapter will be up soon but….yeah. Ok bye and thanks for the reviews so far. **


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