Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other stories that I might reference slightly.

Summary: Naruto's father dies sealing the fox. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, disappears amidst mysterious circumstances. It's up to the members of Minato's team to raise Naruto in their absence. The team includes Rin, Kakashi, and an OC, who joined the team after Obito died. Under their tutelage, Naruto and some others will grow into powerful ninja. They will help Naruto to restore his clan to prominence and reach his dream of becoming Hokage.

Author's note: Thanks to one reader, I realized some flaws in the chapter. At first, I didn't get what he meant. After I thought about it for a while, I thought about several scenes I could have added in to give the story more detail and to clarify some things. I was already going to change to writing in third person, so I decided to do some rewriting to try to improve on it. I never expected any of the readers to be able to see inside my head, but I did think some things would be assumed. I guess I wasn't necessarily right. Anyway, I hope that this makes the story better than it was before. I've planned ahead, and I will write more chapters after the rewrites of the first two have been addressed.

There is a poll at the bottom. Votes will be counted by either review or private messages. If you have an opinion, please vote. I will explain my reasons for the poll at the bottom._

Through My Eyes

Ch.1 Rough Night

(Two weeks before the Kyubi attack: underground facility)

A young man stood before Danzo held from behind by two members of Root. "What do you want with me, you one-eyed asshole."

One of the Root members hit him in the head, "You will address Danzo-sama with respect."

The young man's face contorted in rage. "I'll do no such thing, you worthless piece of trash. I'll respect who I choose to respect, and I have no intentions of showing respect to some one-eyed old geezer, who orders his emotionless soldiers to kidnap me."

Danzo smiled a creepy smile at the boy, "You have a lot of fire boy. That is good. I will enjoy breaking you and turning you into a perfect weapon for my takeover of Konoha. The heir of the illustrious Hyuga Clan will be an incredible prize. We will first improve you through an experiment. Then, if you survive, you will be turned into the best member that Root has ever seen."

I snarled, "Listen to me Danzo. You better hope I don't survive, because, if I do, I swear I will kill you and every member of Root." He was silenced by a Root member, who put a needle into his neck knocking him out.

One week later: underground facility

'Oh, where am I? Oh right, that bastard, Danzo, had some of his Root kidnap me. I'm going to kill him, if I ever get out of here. How long has it been anyway?' The young man opened his eyes and looked around. 'I'm trapped in some kind of tank. This is a laboratory. What are they planning to do to me? Am I strong enough to survive it?'

Danzo walked up to the tank, "Ah, you're finally awake I see. Good. That means we can start the experiment. Very soon you will have many more bloodlines than just you're Byakugan. After I rid you of pointless emotions, you will be invincible. Even your sensei, Minato Namikaze, will be no match for you.

The young man's eyes opened in fear. 'He intends to use me to overthrow Minato-sensei. No way. I'll never let him do it.'

(Flashback: Three years ago)

The young man walked into the Hokage's office. "You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Saurutobi looked up from his paperwork, "It's good to see you Ryo. I'm glad you could come on such short notice."

Ryo smiled at the old Hokage, "No problem, Hokage-sama. What can I do for you?"

The old Hokage's smile turned into a frown, "Two days ago, we lost Obito Uchiha in a fight with Iwa." Ryo's eyes got wide as saucers.

"What about Rin? Is she okay," Ryo demanded.

The Sandaime looked at Ryo, "Yes, she's fine. However, she was captured by Iwa, during the mission. That's how Obito died. He and Kakashi went to rescue Rin. Obito died saving her from them. Right now, she's back at the Inuzuka Compound. She seems pretty shook up."

Ryo nodded, "I'm sorry to hear about Obito. He was one of the few Uchiha I liked. However, I sure am glad that Rin's okay"

"Now Ryo, the reason I called you here today is because you will be joining Minato's team, along with Rin and Kakashi. After all, you lost your teammates on that mission in rain country two months ago. Minato's team needs another member, and you need teammates. Besides, you respect Minato, as much as you do anyone, and you are already friends with Kakashi and Rin. It is a win-win situation."

Ryo smiled, "I accept the transfer Hokage-sama."

"That's good to hear, Ryo. I knew that you would." Ryo turned to see a blonde-haired man step out of the next room. "We're really going to have a great team now. You and Kakashi will make a powerful combination, and Rin is becoming quite the medic."

"You haven't changed at all have you, Minato-sensei."

"Changed? Where would the fun in that be?" The three shared a laugh.

(Flashback end)

'Danzo, I'll never forgive you for this.'

"Hahaha, you have no say in the matter my young friend. I can't wait to see the looks on Minato's and Hiashi's faces, when you are the one to destroy them." He turned to a scientist in the room, "Alright, time to begin. Commence the experiment."

"Yes sir, I will begin right away, Danzo-sama."

The researcher turned from the old warhawk and pulled a lever on a console beside the tank that has become my prison. Two mechanical arms began reaching inside the tank towards the young man's body. One of the arms held a syringe. The other carries a tray with several other syringes in them. 'That must be the genetic material that's theoretically is supposed to give me these bloodlines or whatever, but someone can't survive such a thing can they. It's coming toward me. What can I do?' The first arm stuck the needle into the young man's arm, and then there was incomparable pain. 'This hurts ten times worse than I thought it would. How am I going to survive this? I've got to survive somehow. Danzo has to pay.' The y

(Inside my mindscape)

Ryo came to in a beautiful field of flowers. 'Is this heaven? No, it can't be. I can still feel the pain, just not as much as before. Could someone have rescued me? No, that's just too good to be true. Ryo was brought out of his thoughts by a loud voice.

"Welcome mortal." Ryo looked around, 'Where is that voice coming from?' He tried to keep himself calm and think things through, 'Am I having a nightmare?' The owner of the voice must have at least guessed what I was thinking, because he chose then to speak again.

"Relax mortal. You are not dead. You are not dreaming. Your physical body has not moved. We are inside of your mindscape."

'My mindscape,' Ryo thought. He finally found his voice and chose to speak. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"I believe it is common courtesy to give your name before asking for someone else's."

He shook his head at the statement. Of all the time to think about courtesy, now was not the time. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, so he answered him, despite his reservations. "My name is Ryo Hyuga. Now show yourself."

A huge roar split the air, and Ryo looked up to see a huge blue dragon descending from the sky with ten tails swaying behind him in the wind. The view was breathtaking and frightening at the same time, but Ryo stood his ground. The dragon looked at him with appraising eyes.

"It is nice to meet you Ryo from the noble Hyuga clan. I am Seiryu, the ten-tailed dragon. Tell me Ryo, do you have any idea what has been done to you?"

He thought about it for a moment before answering. "I have been kidnapped by Danzo's Root, and used in some horrifying experiment." The dragon chuckled at the venom in Ryo's voice, when he mentioned Danzo.

"Danzo is an evil man. His experiments go against nature. It gets worse Ryo." My face showed a look of confusion. "He is conspiring with Orochimaru as well."

"You mean that snake bastard."

Seiryu nodded, "He has given you a curse seal."

'What's does he mean curse seal?'

Seiryu realized what Ryo was thinking, "It is a black mark on your neck. It has weakened your body."

"I thought Orochimaru was gone. How did he get back into the village to help Danzo, with this?"

"I do not know how he got back inside, but I can show you that he is indeed here."

Seiryu sent a vision to Ryo's eyes. It was the laboratory that Ryo is in. Leaning against the wall was a pale-skinned man, with long black hair. 'Orochimaru is really here. He's watching his sick handiwork. If I survive this, I'll skin you alive, you cursed snake.'

"Kukuku, thisis so amusing. If he survives, he'll be the perfect tool," Orochimaru said.

"Yes, he will be perfect. Thank you for your assistance, Orochimaru," Danzo said.

The snake Sanin smiled a crooked smile, "It was no trouble at all. It gave me a chance to make another test on my curse seal, and its one more opportunity for our genetic research. If it's successful, I'll be able to replicate the process."

The two evil men laughed at their supposed acts of genius. Inside Ryo's mindscape, Ryo was seething. "I don't know when. I don't know how, but someday they will both pay."

"Between the seal and the experiment, you most likely will not survive the process my young friend, not without help anyway."

Ryo's eyes widened at the last part. "Are you offering help?"

"If you allow me to seal myself inside you, you will be able to survive. You will also have incredible power. My question for you is what will you do with all that power?" The dragon eyed Ryo carefully awaiting his answer. He didn't have to wait long.

"Seiryu, I am generally not a vengeful person, but what Danzo and Orochimaru have done to me is unforgivable. I will punish them for what they have done to me. However, my greatest wish is to protect the village and those that are important to me. I have wanted to do the right thing all my life, and to use the power any other way would be wrong."

"Very well, it seems I have chosen a good master. The process will take about ten minutes. After that, I will begin healing your wounds and making adjustments to your genetic structure, so that you can survive the experiment. Be patient. Our chance to escape will come."

I nodded before leaving my mindscape.

(Inside Ryo's Mindscape: Three days later)

"Ryo, we have much to talk about."

Ryo opened his eyes to look at Seiryu, "As long as it involved making preparations to get out of here, I'm all ears."

The great dragon smiled, "Indeed it does my young friend, but first, I have a question for you. How good are you with elemental chakra?"

Ryo smirked, "I was born with all five elemental chakras naturally in my body. It's not a bloodline or anything. I was just really blessed in that area. Why do you ask?"

The great dragon shared Ryo's smirk, "That is good news indeed. Then this should be fairly easy for you. Danzo has made the mistake of giving you access to all of the sub elements. We must make him pay for that, don't you think?"

Ryo's smirk grew even bigger, "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"I will be teaching you some jutsu for them here in your mindscape. When the time comes, we will make this place go up. I have one more thing to talk to you about though, before we start. In the process of healing you, I had to make your body age a bit to its prime. However, you won't age anymore. Now how would you like to get a little payback on Orochimaru, while we're at it? It will only be in a subtle way for now, but it will still anger him."

"What did you have in mind exactly?"

"Well, I have done something that Orochimaru himself could not do. I have perfected the seal. Furthermore, I have purified to make it safe for you to use. You will need training to use my chakra, but you should be able to use the second form of the curse seal easily enough."

Ryo smiled, and they began working on new jutsu.

(Four days later: The night of the Kyubi attack)

'I've hearing some of Danzo's people talking about a Nine-tailed Fox. I hope the damage isn't too severe, but it's causing enough commotion to leave me an opening to get out of here,' Ryo thought.

(Inside Ryo's Mindscape)

"Hey Seiryu, we've waited long enough. We've got to escape,"

"I agree. It is time to get out of here."

My eyes glinted at that, and I just had to ask. "After the changes to my body and the time spent in this tank, how well will my body respond?"

"You won't have to worry about that. I have been slipping just enough of my chakra to all your limbs and the joints of your body to keep them limbered up. You should be able to move like you normally would. Also, you have shown great control over the seal. We should have no trouble getting out of here."

"Is there anything else I need to know, before we do this?"

"Yes, there is something on your forehead that I cannot identify. You should look in a mirror as soon as you're out of the tank."

(Back in the lab)

The scientist that had conducted the experiments, under Danzo's supervision, walked into the room. He was checking the consoles on the other side of the room. Ryo decided to pretend that he was still asleep. He waited for the man to walk over to the tank. He was so distracted checking the consoles in front of the tank that he didn't notice Ryo's transformation. 'That will be his final mistake,' Ryo thought. When Ryo completed the transformation, he pumped some chakra into his right arm and smashed it right through the tank grabbing the scientist by the throat. He squeezed with all his might, and the scientist's neck snapped in seconds. Ten seconds later, Ryo was out of the tank. Unfortunately, he was completely naked. His first impulse was to find some clothes, but that all left him for a moment, when he saw his reflection in the mirror. In his stage two form, his skin is jet black. His eyes are red, and he has a third eye on his forehead. Last but not least, he has wings on his back, and they look like they are made of black flames. Ryo stared at his eyes, noticing three black tomoe in each. 'Wait that means I have the Sharingan now. What does that mean for my Byakugan?' Ryo focused on his Byakugan, and his eyes took the desired form. He breathed a little easier. He finally snapped out of his examination and went back to looking for clothes. He found some clothes in some lockers in the corner. He dressed quickly and grabbed the weapons he found in one of the lockers.

He rushed out the door with a katana in his hand. Ryo saw the first Root member, before the Root member saw him. He slashed with his katana right across his throat. The Root member fell to the ground dead in seconds. 'I would think that my body would be slower from being stuck in that tank, but I'm faster than ever by far,' Ryo thought, 'It must be the mother of all adrenaline rushes. I may feel like crap, when it's over, but, if I get out of this hellhole laboratory, I won't really care.' Ryo began to rush through the compound killing everyone without a sound. He took a pack from one of the Root members and put all the research notes he could find in it. With a little effort, he finally found Danzo's office.

"Hello Danzo," Ryo said as he stepped through the door. For a moment, Danzo looked at Ryo like Ryo was his greatest creation. That left in a hurry, when Ryo spoke next. "Stop staring at me like that you old warhawk bastard." When Ryo said that, Danzo knew he was in trouble. "I killed every single member of Root, and now it's your turn." To Danzo's eyes, Ryo seemed to blur out of existence. In the next second, Ryo was behind him, with his sensei's Rasengan in his hand.

(Flashback: Two years ago: the Namikaze Compound)

Ryo Hyuga walked through the huge gates of the Namikaze Compound. He frequently came to visit his sensei, so this was not an unusual occurrence. However, today was different. Minato had called him here for some reason.

Minato walked out of the house to greet his apprentice, "Hello Ryo, how are you today?"

Ryo smiled, "I'm doing well sensei, but I am wondering why you called me here."

Minato smirked, "Well, I have come to a decision. I have decided that you are ready to learn my personal technique the Rasengan. To tell the truth, it isn't even finished yet, but it's still pretty powerful."

"I see. It took you quite a while to create this, didn't it," Ryo stated. Minato simply nodded his head. "Then we better get started. After all, it'll probably take a while."

(Flashback end)

Ryo slammed his Rasengan right into Danzo's chest. He followed it up by cutting Danzo's head off just to be sure he was dead. Then Ryo sealed Danzo's head and body inside a storage scroll, ransacked his office for anything of value, and left.

When Ryo got outside, he started doing hand seals at a very fast pace. Lava release: Volcanic Geyser. A huge geyser of magma erupted from the laboratory engulfing it in flames and magma. Ryo smiled for a moment and stopped to take a breath. He had just shut down an organization that the last two Hokages have tried to destroy. After that, he set off a destructive jutsu to make sure no one could find anything that he missed to use for evil. As he was trying to catch his breath for a moment, he heard the roar of the Nine-tailed Fox. To tell the truth, he was exhausted, but he had to try to help save his village.

He took to the air, flying as fast as he could, despite the horrible pounding in his head. He flew toward the loud roaring of the fox. 'Hey Seiryu, do you think you can slip me a little of your chakra? I'm in need of a recharge, and my head is killing me.'

'Yes, just give me a moment. I will restore your reserves and heal your pains. Just keep going. You must reach your sensei.'

'Hey, try to give me a little extra, if you can. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.'

Ryo stared off into the distance and saw the huge fox coming toward the village and the ninja trying to stop it. Then he saw the Yondaime on top of Gamabunta heading straight for the fox. He flew as fast as he could and landed beside him.

"Minato sensei, are you alright?"

The Hokage turned and looked at him. "Ryo, is that really you?"

Ryo realized he was still in his transformed state and changed back to normal allowing the chakra of the seal to fade back inside. The Hokage smiled at him and said, "Ryo, you still got a third eye on your forehead, but it's still good to see you."

Ryo looked stunned, "You think it's funny, sensei. Everyone's going to look at me like I'm weird." Ryo was a little mad.

Minato laughed, "Some people thought you had died on a mission. Others thought you had gone rogue."

Ryo visibly paled for a few seconds at Minato's statement. "It was Danzo. He kidnapped me and used me as a guinea pig in his experiments. That's why I look like this, but I killed him. He'll never do it to anyone else."

Minato nodded his head in understanding. "I knew something must have happened to you. I didn't let them put you in the bingo book." Ryo breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned to face the oncoming fox.

"What's your plan Minato-sensei?"

Minato faced Ryo, with the saddest expression he'd ever seen. Minato held up a newborn baby. "Sensei is that-"He answered before the thought could even be finished.

"Yes, this is my son, Naruto." Ryo smiled at the child. 'Sensei and Kushina-chan finally had a child.' However, Ryo's face lost all its color, after what he said next. "I'm going to use the Reaper Death Seal to seal the fox inside my son."

"Sensei, isn't there some other way? You will die from using that jutsu. Why does it have to be your son?" Ryo screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Ryo, think about it. How can I ask some other parent to make a sacrifice that I, the Hokage, am not willing to make?" The truth of his words dawned on Ryo's face. "Ryo, I have something to tell you. You have been like a son to me. You, Kakashi, and Rin were wonderful students. I am so proud of everything you have accomplished in your young lives. Now, I have something great to ask of you. I need the three of you to look after Naruto and Kushina. My hope is that my son will be seen as a hero, but there will likely be some fools, who will not see reason. Protect my wife and son from them, please."

Ryo looked at the man that he respected the most, the man he saw as a second father, and saw how difficult it was for him to ask this. "Minato-sensei, I am proud to be your apprentice. I will take everything you taught me and make you proud. I swear Kakashi, Rin, and I will do everything in our power to protect your wife and child."

"Thank you, Ryo. As soon as it's over, get Naruto to Saurutobi as soon as possible. I have called him out of retirement, because I have no other successor I can trust." Ryo simply nodded, since he couldn't trust his voice at the moment. The Yondaime went into a complex series of hand seals and triggered the jutsu. The fox started to glow, and it was slowly drawn into the baby. When the sealing was completed, Minato's body started to fall, but Ryo caught him and his son. "Gamabunta, help me get them back to the village gate before the other ninja get here."

"Of course, we will be there shortly." The chief toad took two huge leaps, and we were at the village. "Thank you, Bunta." The chief toad bowed and returned to the summon realm. When he entered the gates carrying the child, with a clone carrying Minato's body, Hiruzen Saurutobi, along with my teammates Kakashi and Rin, were waiting for him. Ryo held one hand over the third eye and held little Naruto in the other. He gave the baby to Rin. "Rin, go with Saurutobi-sensei to the Hokage's office. Kakashi and I will take Minato-sensei's body to the hospital, so it can be prepared for burial. Then we will meet you there." They all nodded and went their separate ways.

An hour later, Kakashi, Rin, and Ryo stood in the office of the newly reinstated Sandaime Hokage. Ryo had gone home to find a headband to cover the third eye, and he stood in front of the Sandaime in a black muscle shirt, black jeans, black combat boots, and a long black leather coat. He had his leaf headband around his waist like a belt and wore a plain black headband around his forehead. He also wore a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, not wanting to discuss with the counsel what had happened to me yet. Saurutobi-sensei sat there taking a few puffs from his pipe trying to get himself in the mindset to deal with business.

"First of all, it's good to have you back Ryo, although you look older than you should." he stated.

"I will explain later, but can we overlook it for now?" Ryo responded. The old Hokage gave him a look of understanding and let it drop for the moment. Saurutobi's face turned grim as he looked at the child in Rin's arms. Ryo's anger started to flare as he thought about what some of those fools on the counsel would say.

"We are going to have to face the counsel about this." He was clearly dreading it as much as they were.

Ryo took a deep breath before speaking. "Saurutobi-sensei, I'm not going to lie to you. That child may contain the Nine-tailed Fox, but he is still sensei's son first and foremost. If any of them threaten him, I will kill them. I was there with Minato-sensei in his final moments. It will stand as my everlasting shame that I could not save Minato-sensei. I know you'll think I'm crazy for saying this, but I could have at least driven the thing off, if I was fresh. But I had to fight my way through the Root members and Danzo and fly all the way there. By the time I reached him, I was feeling pretty fatigued. Since I could not save his life, I will honor his final request."

The old Hokage smiled and Ryo continued, "Oh, before I forget, here's all the evidence I gathered from Danzo's hideout." He pulled a scroll out of his pocket and handed it to the Hokage. "I don't know what all's in there. I just grabbed everything that looked valuable. Honestly, I suspect the civilian council and advisors are involved, but I can't prove it."

As Ryo watched the Sandaime look through it quickly, he had a thought. "Saurutobi-sensei, we have to tell the council that Naruto is Minato-sensei's son. I know you're worried about his enemies, like Iwa, but I'll tell you right now. Kakashi, Rin, and I will protect him with our lives. In fact, I'll wipe Iwa off the map, if I have to. He will be raised as Naruto Namikaze." The Hokage looked at the determination on Ryo's face and nodded his head in agreement.

(Ten minutes later: inside the council room)

Kakashi, Rin, and Ryo followed Saurutobi into the counsel chambers. Saurutobi sat in the Hokage's chair. Rin stood behind him holding Naruto. Kakashi and Ryo stood on each side of him waiting anxiously. 'I hope this goes well. I know I can kill those stupid civilians and those old geezers, if it comes to that, but I can't fight all of the clan heads,' Ryo thought.

The Sandaime spoke first. "The first order of business is to announce that the Yondaime is dead. He has chosen me to retake the position of Hokage. For now, there is no other, so I accept."

Most of the counsel members merely shook their heads in acceptance. One civilian member spoke up. "Hokage-sama, what is that child doing here, and where is Danzo?"

"The question of the child will be addressed in a little while. There is one more issue to deal with first. It is the answer to your second question. To answer it, Danzo is dead." Everyone in the room wore looks of shock on their faces.

"Was he killed by the Kyubi?" someone shouted.

"No, he was not." Ryo shouted at the top of his lungs in a slightly demonic voice that got everyone's attention. He stared at the council member, wishing he could bore a hole in his head.

Once everyone got quiet, the Hokage continued speaking. "He is right. Danzo was not killed by the Kyubi. He was guilty of treason. His victim killed him during his escape."

"Where is this man? We must execute him for killing Danzo." One of the civilian members stated.

The killing intent leaking off the Hokage made the man fall to the ground in fear. "We will do no such thing. Let me repeat it. Danzo was guilty of treason. He would be executed, if he was still alive."

"Hokage-sama, what exactly was he guilty of, if you don't mind me asking?" said the female advisor, Koharu.

"He was guilty of kidnapping a clan heir, human experimentation, conspiring with Orochimaru, among other things." Most of the council members just nodded.

The Hokage took a deep breath before continuing. "The child behind me in Rin's hands has the Kyubi sealed inside of him."

Ryo saw the shock on their faces, as well as hatred on some and decided to speak up before it got out of hand. "More importantly, that baby is Minato-sensei's son. His name is Naruto Namikaze. Before any of you ask it or even think it, the boy is the Kyubi's prison, not the Kyubi itself. Before you ask, Minato-sensei was a seal master. He would make a seal, where Naruto could access the Kyubi's chakra, but I know he would never make a seal, where the Kyubi could take over the boy. As his apprentice, he taught me too well to doubt him now." The clan heads seemed to breathe collective sighs of relief, but the civilian council only scowled.

"We should kill that demon now." one of the council members said.

Ryo turned to the council member, and started walking toward him slowly but surely. He kept going until he was right in the man's face. Ryo glared at him and said, "Now you listen here you piece of trash. I do not answer to you, and I will kill anyone, who tries to harm sensei's son."

'I hope that was enough to scare them, because I'm actually quite tired.'

"Well, what proof do you have that it really is Minato's son?" Another member said.

The Hokage chose to answer this time. "That's a reasonable question. I have a copy of his birth certificate right here signed by Minato himself." He passed it around the clan heads, who nodded that it was real. "You'll forgive me, but I don't trust the rest of you. Ryo here will bring it around."

Ryo smiled, "You can look, but don't touch." Ryo took the certificate around, so everyone could see it.

"As you can see, it is all quite legitimate. There will be No killing this child. Thank you Ryo," the Hokage said. Ryo simply nodded in response. Despite his fatigue, Ryo knew that he had to hold it together, because there would be one more meeting tonight. "Rin, would you and Kakashi take Naruto to his mother please?" They just nodded and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"All right everyone. You are not to tell anyone about the Kyubi. As of now, it is a law carrying the death penalty. Now go see to your families, except for you Hiashi. Could you please come to my office for a few moments?" Hiashi simply nodded and followed the Hokage and me out.

(Five minutes later in the Hokage's office)

The Hokage put up a privacy seal before beginning. Hiashi looked at Ryo with a look of confusion and shock. He was the first to break the silence. "Is that really you, Ryo?"

"Yes, it is. I know I've been gone for a couple of weeks, and I know I look different, but it really is me." Ryo's stomach was churning, as he spoke. "I know this is going to be a lot to take in, but I need you to know. I was kidnapped by Danzo's Root. I was imprisoned in a tank and used for his experiments. I would have died, if not for Seiryu."

This caught their attention. "Who is Seiryu?" Ryo feared what his father's reaction would be, but he knew he had to tell him.

"Seiryu is the ten-tailed blue dragon. He is now sealed in me. That's what I meant, when I said I could have driven off the Kyubi, if I had been fresh. Anyway, the experiments included introducing foreign DNA from famous ninjas into my bloodstream."

Hiashi's face contorted in rage. The truth is he's nothing like the mask he puts on. "What sort of DNA? Do you even know?"

Ryo thought for a moment. "I know it included all four Hokages and the founder of the Uchiha Clan, Madara Uchiha. I have no idea how he could have acquired all the rare DNA samples. All I know is that the results are obvious, at least in the case of Madara Uchiha's DNA."

Hiashi looked on in shock as Ryo removed his sunglasses revealing his fully developed Sharingan. For a moment, he wasn't sure how his father would take it. After a few moments, Hiashi seemed to collect himself enough to ask, "What about your-"Ryo cut him off realizing what he wanted to know. "You want to know if my Byakugan is intact." Ryo sent his chakra to his eyes causing them to turn white and the veins under his eyes to bulge. Hiashi's face held a look of relief but also some weariness.

"Thank God. I am glad the family bloodline is still with you." He paused contemplating for a moment. "Ryo, I'm going to have to do something that I don't want to do." Ryo looked at Hiashi's face trying to read him, but he couldn't. After composing himself, Ryo nodded for him to go on. "I want you to know that I am proud of you my son. You have accomplished much in your young life, although you look like you have aged a bit."

"That's because I am approximately twenty-five years old physically. Seiryu had to age my body to handle the strain all of my new abilities place on my body. I can't use all of them yet, but he did teach me enough to escape that hellhole laboratory. Anyway, I won't age anymore." Ryo didn't want to tell them that, but he knew that he had to.

"Even more reason to go through with my plan. Ryo, I'm going to be straight with you. I fear what the Hyuga elders would try to do to you, if they find out. They might try to kill you. The only thing I can think of to do for you is to fake your death, son. By doing so, it puts you out of the clan's control and gives you your freedom. It also gives you the right to defend yourself, if need be. I also know that you want to help Kushina protect Naruto. This will make it easier. To be blunt, I will not allow the elders to put the Caged Bird Seal on my own son."

"I understand. I'll go along with it." Hiashi nodded.

"I also want you to hold onto this." Hiashi handed him a small scroll.

"What is it?" Ryo pondered.

"It is a betrothal contract, for Naruto Namikaze and your new little sister, Hinata. It is something agreed upon by your mother and me, along with Minato and Kushina. I am entrusting her to the Namikaze Clan."

"You do realize that Naruto is the last Namikaze. He will fall under the CRA. Will that effect your decision?" Ryo was trying to figure his father out. Ryo knew his father was trying to correct the Hyuga Clan, but he was very afraid of what the elders would try to do to his children.

"I am aware of all of that, and I understand. I need you to protect that scroll, because it is the only record of that agreement." Ryo thought it over for a few minutes and decided that there is no one he would rather trust his little sister to than his sensei's son. Ryo nodded in response and remained silent. He knew that this is part of a proverbial chess game, with the village as the board. "I must go now and make all the arrangements. I will be back shortly." Hiashi left the room and silence fell for a few moments as the stressfulness of the night's events started to take its toll on us. The Hokage sat quietly in his chair, while Ryo slumped on the couch at the side of the room, finally starting to give in to the physical and mental fatigue that he felt. He knew that his father is right. The Hyuga elders hate the Uchiha Clan. If they find out that he has the Sharingan, he knew they would try to have him killed. He was depressed that he has to leave his family at a time like this, but, at least, his father gave him the means to get his baby sister out of that place, if things turned bad.

The Hokage decided the silence had lasted long enough. "Ryo, are you alright?" 'How touching, after everything that has happened on this October 10th, he's still finding time to worry about me. It's no wonder that he's a great leader,' Ryo thought.

"No, I'm not okay, but I will be. In fact, I swear two oaths this night. I swear that I will protect sensei's family. I also swear that I will not allow anyone to use the CRA to gain power for themselves, by marrying into the Namikaze Clan. Everyone that Naruto marries will be someone he loves." Ryo's face showed his determination, and he steeled himself for what would happen.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that this has happened to you. If we had watched Danzo more carefully, it could have been prevented."

Ryo was stunned. Did the Hokage really think he was to blame? "Listen Saurutobi-sensei. This is in no way your fault. Was it unfortunate? Yes, it was, but it still happened. I want to make something valuable out of it and not just think on the pain. It was a painful experience, and I still feel like I'm rushing to catch up with both the changes in my body and mind. But I know one thing. I'm much stronger now. I now have the ability to protect Kushina and Naruto. So that's what I'm going to focus on. If I don't, then it's like Danzo won, and I refuse to allow him that satisfaction."

The old Hokage smiled at him. "I'm proud of you Ryo. You've have found treasure, where others would have found only hatred and pain. You're becoming a man, and you will be an even greater asset to the village." The two sat in comfortable silence until Hiashi, Hitomi, and Hizashi walked in. "Hiashi, welcome back. Welcome Hizashi." The Hokage turned to Hitomi. "It's good to see you Hitomi. I only wish that it were under more pleasant circumstances."

She turned to look at Ryo. Ryo froze under her gaze of sadness and despair. He could tell that she'd been crying. "Hey Mother, it's good to see you again. I really wish the circumstances were better." She rushed over to him and hugged her son, sobbing into his chest. He held his mother until she stopped crying. She looked up at him, examining his face.

"Can you take off your shades, please?" Ryo sighed and complied with her simple request. She smiled at him. "You've grown so handsome my son. The girls aren't going to leave you alone."

Ryo laughed, "Mother, this is hardly the time to be discussing something like that. Under normal circumstances, it should have been several more years down the road."

She smirked at him, "Nonsense, you are already an established jonin, with a great service record. It's okay to at least start thinking about it." He just shook his head at her and let it drop.

He turned to his uncle, Hizashi, "How are you doing Uncle? It's good to see you."

He smiled at him, "I'm glad that you're alright Ryo. We were worried about you. However, I guess it's not all good is it."

Ryo smiled back, "Its okay. Things have happened, and we can't go back and change them. We just have to roll with the punches. It's going to take some getting used to, but things will get better. I'll learn to adjust to my new self. I have new responsibilities, too. There's no time for moping around."

"You've grown up I see. I have every faith in you my nephew. Take care of yourself." Ryo nodded as both his mother and uncle exited the room.

"What name will you take now? You can't keep Hyuga, unfortunately."

Ryo turned to Hiashi, "From today on, I will be known as Ryo Yagami." Ryo smiled and turned toward the Hokage.

The Hokage took a puff from his pipe, then spoke, "Hiashi, have you taken care of everything?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. Every document speaking about Ryo Hyuga now says deceased. The death certificate states that Ryo Hyuga died in a mysterious explosion. His body was accounted for and properly cremated. I have even arranged for a marker to be placed in the cemetery, just to be safe." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealing scroll. "Here are all your belongings, Ryo. Take care of yourself."

"I will, and thank you."

"Well done Hiashi. You are dismissed." Hiashi smiled at his son one more time and left.

"Well Hokage-sama, it's been a long night. I'm actually pretty tired, and I know you are too. I guess I'll go rent a room for the night and find me a place in the morning."

"Yes, you are dismissed."

Ryo turned to leave and barely missed running into Kakashi and Rin, as they rushed into the office. Rin was still holding Naruto. "Is something wrong, Kakashi?"

They took a moment to catch there breath before answering. "Both of you have to get to the hospital right away. Kushina's gone."

Ryo quickly snapped out of his stupor. "What do you mean Kushina's gone? The two of you were with her right?"

Rin was the one to respond this time. "Well you see. Kushina was kind of out of it, and little Naruto was hungry. We left to get something for him. When we came back 15 minutes later, she was gone. There was a little blood in the room, and her sword was still there."

Ryo rushed out of the room and started heading toward the hospital. He started to get his second wind, upon hearing of his sensei's wife's disappearance.

(Five minutes later: at the hospital)

Ryo burst into Kushina's hospital room followed closely by Kakashi, Rin and the Hokage. He looked around the room taking in the ransacked look. Just like Rin said, there was a little bit of blood by the window, which was busted out. Ryo could smell it just as soon as he entered the room. 'Hmm, my sense of smell has improved. I wonder why.' He turned to Kakashi, "Was it just like this when the two of you found it?"

Kakashi and Rin took a quick glance around the room and nodded.

Ryo turned his attention to Kushina's sword, which was still lying on the bed. 'Why would she leave her sword behind? I've never seen her without it. Something is wrong with this picture. Now, what is it? Oh, I know. It's the blood.' He turned to the Hokage, "Hokage-sama, we should get one of the medic's to test this blood. It might not even be Kushina's. In fact, it probably isn't. See, there's way too little blood to indicate a struggle. In fact, the only blood is right here by the window. There is no more in the room and none outside. Furthermore, Kushina was probably too weak to struggle, at the moment anyway. Someone wants it to look like one, though. That leaves only two options. Either someone took advantage of her weakness to kidnap her for some reason, or someone woke her, while you both were out, and tricked her into leaving. However, if it's the second option, she would have had to have help. Do you agree, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage looked around the room for a moment. "Yes my boy, your hypothesis seems to be correct based on the evidence." The Hokage snapped his fingers and two of his most trusted ANBU appeared. "Both of you see if you can find Kushina." They nodded to the Hokage and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "Now then, we have two issues to be addressed. The first is Kushina's sword. It can't stay in this hospital room."

"But Hokage-sama, Kushina's sword is special. It won't allow anyone to touch it except its chosen wielder. It kills anyone else, and Kushina's gone."

The Hokage stared hard at me for a moment and then spoke, "Then we will have to find a new master that the sword will accept. I think it should be you, Ryo. Now listen, I know I'm asking a big thing of you, but think about this. You were Kushina's student, as well as Minato's. If the sword would accept anyone in the village, it would be you."

I stared at the Hokage. He was absolutely serious. I took a deep breathe and walked over to the sword.

(Flashback: Two and half years ago: Namikaze Compound)

Ryo had come to the compound, along with Kakashi and Rin, for their daily training session. "Ryo, you have shown yourself to a true prodigy. Furthermore, you are the right kind of prodigy. You do not rely on your natural gifts to always make you come out the winner. Instead, you build on those gifts by working hard. I'm very proud of you."

Ryo smiled, "I thank you, Minato-sensei. I'm really glad that you recognize that."

Minato smiled, "I have decided that you could get even better, if you learn some kenjutsu, and I have the perfect teacher."

At this, a woman with long red-hair walked out of the house. "Ryo, this is Kushina Uzumaki. She's my fiancé and one of the foremost experts on swordsmanship in the village."

'Did he just say that she's his fiancée,' Ryo thought. Getting over his shock, Ryo extended his hand to the woman and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kushina-sensei. I promise I'll train hard."

She smiled, "You're just as well mannered, as Minato-kun told me you were. I've watched some of your spars, with him too. I'm going to enjoy this."

(Flashback end)

"Alright, I don't really know how to do this, so I'm just going to go for it. I know you belong to Kushina, but she's gone. I'm going to need your help to protect her son, until I can find her. When I do, if you want to go back to her or if she wants you back, I will give you back to her without a thought." Ryo reached out for the handle of the sword. It started to flash, and he just stared unflinching. Then his body started to glow red for a few moments, and then it was over.

The Hokage chuckled quietly. "It seems you have been accepted by the sword. Well done. Now, we must move on to other matters. With Kushina gone, there's no one to look after Naruto. I guess I'll have to take him to the orphanage."

Ryo turned to him, "No Hokage-sama, the three of us will take care of Naruto, at least until Kushina is found."

Kakashi turned to me and spoke, "What are you talking about, Ryo? We can't do that."

"SILENCE," Ryo shouted in a demonic voice. "Now listen, it's not about what we can or can't do Kakashi. It's about what we have to do. The three of us and the Hokage are all that that child has right now. Now, I know that the three of us are technically only fourteen. But, I've got three things to point out to you. Number one: when we first put on our headbands, we became adults in the eyes of the law. Furthermore, we're not some fresh out of the academy genin. We are all three jonin, so we have to act like it. Number Two: regardless of what my age is on paper, I'm physically twenty-five, and Seiryu is helping me reach the maturity and knowledge to match, by teaching me things that I need to know. When people look at the new me, all they will see is a man. Number three: despite the Hokage's law that says we can't talk about the Kyubi, those stupid civilian council members and those corrupt advisors will find a way to leak the information quietly. Hopefully, some will not care, but some will be hard-headed about this and refuse to listen. They will make attempts on the boy's life. That's why we have to do this. We are this child's only lifeline. Let me make one more point. The reason that we all take care of him together is because then we can all continue our ninja careers, and Naruto will have at least one of us at all times. On the rare chance that all three of us are out of the village at once, then the Hokage could watch him for a day or two. Is this acceptable to you, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage looked at Ryo with new eyes. The Hokage understood that things had changed and that Ryo had rolled with it, instead of giving in to despair. "Very well Ryo, you may do as you wish. To be honest, I was hoping you would say that, but I had to test you to be sure."

"So where are we going to live," Rin asked.

The Hokage had the answer for them this time, "You will all move into the Namikaze estate, of course. After all, Minato made arrangements that stated if anything happened to Kushina and himself, that the three of you would be the caretakers of his estate, until Naruto came of age. Does that satisfy everyone?"

The three of young ninja looked at each other for a moment. "Yes Hokage-sama," they said together.

"Ryo, could you do one more thing for me?" He nodded for the Hokage to go on. "Could you allow one of the nurses to take a blood sample, before you go?"

"Yeah sure," He was too tired to argue anyway. A nurse came in and took the samples to test, and then all three left with Naruto.

They headed to the Namikaze estate. Knowing that his blood would match after the experiment, Ryo put a little blood on the seal, and the gate opened wide. Kakashi and Rin said they would watch the kid and let Ryo sleep, since he had had an even harder day than they had. He chose a room for himself, and he was asleep in seconds.

Author's Note

First, I want to thank the individuals, who have reviewed this story. I believe that this version of chapter one is much better. Once again I ask for no flames, but I welcome constructive criticism.

After the rewrites of chapters one and two, there will be a lot more of Naruto in chapter three. He'll be a little older then, and Ryo, Kakashi, and Rin will be preparing him for the academy and such.

This will be a Naruto/Harem story, but I'm still tweaking the members. If you have an opinion, let me know. If enough people call for the same person, I will try to make it count. Several are locks already, but some are not entirely decided and could be filled with other characters, upon demand.

If you are a Sasuke fan, this is not the story for you. I like the Sharingan and the Chidori, but I hate Sasuke, no offense to those of you who do like him. He will be bashed heavily here.

Please no messages saying that I'm overpowering my OC or Naruto or anyone else.

Also, I want to point out that this will not be a crossover, with Yu Yu Hakkusho or anything else. Hiei is one of my all time favorite characters, so my OC having Hiei's Jagan is a tribute to him. Hiei will make a guest appearance at some point, maybe.

Now, it time for the poll. I'm unsure what to do with Sakura. I know that some people really like her, and some people really hate her. I'm kind of on the fence in between. On the one hand, I didn't like how she treated him, when they were young at all. There was no reason whatsoever to hit just because he asked her out. She could have done the honorable thing and just said no. On the other hand, she did make improvements in Shippuden. Like one guy said, he thought she should be in, if she was like she was in Shippuden. Anyway, I can't decide what to do with her. So I'm leaving her part in my story up to you the readers. Should she be in the harem, or just be his friend or surrogate sister? I don't really hate her enough to bash her all the way, unless the amount of readers calling for it was overwhelming. So, let me know what you think.