Will of Chakra

by noctisxsol

Kushina and the Third Hokage are dead, but Minato lives to guide his son. Unfortunately, Naruto cannot be allowed to become a ninja, lest the Kyuubi be freed and a prophecy of destruction come to pass. Thrown aside by the ninja world, he accepts an offer and becomes the weapon of the gods, guided by the Will of Chakra.

1. Prophecy

The Will of Chakra

Chapter 1: Prophecy

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto: it is the property of Kishimoto. This story will feature blood and violence, readers easily offended are forewarned. This will be a dark story, with heavy AU and character death. But even after the darkest night, the dawn will always come.

"This means speech"

"This means thinking"

"Bijuu Talking"

"Bijuu Thinking"

'Voice of the spirits'

Jutsu

[Sound effects]

-Scene info-

We now begin our tale…

-Konohagakure, Night of Kyuubi Attack-

It was over. It was finally over. But the price was steep. It always was. The rampage of the Kyuubi had been stopped at the price of three lives close to his heart. Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage and his wife Kushina, had been made into a jinchuriki and acted as the living prison to the beast, but not everyone would treat him with the respect he deserved. Kushina had died protecting her son from the Kyuubi's final attack. The Third Hokage had died as well, taking his successor's place in the belly of the Shinigami as the price for sealing the strongest of the bijuu in a child. Many other lives were lost, but those three were vital the fate of the world. And they were vital to the blonde man holding his child as he looked back at the ruined battlefield. "I envy the dead their rest. For the living there is never an end to toil and suffering."

A familiar face appeared amidst the depressing carnage with a bright smile. "Minato! You survived! Sensei got to you in time then." The gray haired man patted him awkwardly on the back. "Don't feel bad, Sensei was the Hokage as well, and the people need you. Your son needs you. You aren't allowed to die yet. But I have news from the Great Toad Sage, there is another prophecy. When the tainted chakra from the three of the nine is released, love given will preserve, hate and pain will bring an end to the ninja world as you know it. Those are his exact words."

Minato cracked a small smile at the words in spite of his losses. "It seems you were wrong about the child of prophecy Jiraiya-Sensei. Three of nine is obviously Naruto-Chan here, the third Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed beast. The tainted chakra must be the demon chakra of the Kyuubi. The only thing we need to do is make sure he is loved and the world will be saved. It should be easy. After all, he is the only thing keeping the Kyuubi from destroying his home village!"

"I wish I could have as much faith in the people of this village as you do."

-Hokage Tower-

Every adult in Konohagakure was gathered to hear the announcement of their beloved Hokage. "People of Konoha" Minato began "This has been a terrible night, full of death, but we have endured. The Will of Fire has not been extinguished! We have survived Kyuubi's attack because of the sacrifices given. I would like to highlight the three sacrifices closest to me. The Third Hokage, my predecessor and friend gave his life to take my place. Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze" The crowd gasped at the revelation. Their beloved Hokage was married? That means there could be children! But in these sad times and the context of the list they instantly became more somber at what they knew was coming. "My wife, died holding the beast down so it could be sealed. My son Naruto" The crowd all reached for a handkerchief, knowing the only son of their beloved Hokage was surely dead "has become the newest Jinchuriki of the beast." They knew he was dead, and large groups do not like to change what they know. "I present to you, the one holding the beast!" Years later Minato would look back on this speech as where it all went wrong. Maybe if he had just put his son's state in better terms, or explained himself better… but it was too late. The people had set their expectations, and it would take a miracle to change them.

"Kill it! Avenge the Hokage's Son!"

"Burn it like it burned our homes!"

"No, kill it slow. A quick death is too good for the beast!"

The instant the people saw the young Naruto they already called for his execution. Minato tried to restore reason. "People! Calm down-"

"KILL IT!" His words were not heard amid the cries for the death of his son.

"SILENCE! LISTEN TO YOUR HOKAGE!" Jiraiya took it upon himself to try to restore calm for his student.

Said student most assuredly needed the help. "This isn't the way it's supposed to happen." His dreams of a happy future with Naruto were shattering into thousands of pieces. He began trying to grab up the pieces. "Surely this is just an emotional response, and after some time to think they will calm down and realize that Naruto is a hero for holding the beast that killed their families. Surely they can tell the difference between a prisoner and the warden. They should know enough Fuuinjutsu from my talks or their ninja friends to be able to tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll in which it's sealed. I just need to give them time to calm down." "This is my order: No one is to talk about Naruto's status as Jinchuriki. You are not even allowed to imply it when speaking to your children. And no one is to lay one finger on him. Know that if he dies the beast will reform and continue his rampage. For now, go home and tend to your families.

The people went home, each of them plotting their own way to get even with the demon that cost them so much.

-That Night-

Minato collapsed into his bed. It had been a very long day of doing paperwork, while his clones helped with reconstruction. Naruto was sleeping soundly in the next room. "I'm going to need a babysitter for the little guy. I'm going to need to take some missions, and I won't be able to take him with me. If only Kushina had survived, she would know who we could trust." His son's cry brought Minato to full wakefulness in an instant, and the Kage flashed to the Hiraishin kunai with his weapon drawn and a bad feeling in his gut. A young man with white hair and a green bandana was holding a knife over Naruto and muttering darkly. Before the boy had a chance to do anything else Minato drove a kunai through the back of his head, and the boy dropped the knife before falling down dead. Minato picked up his child and brought him into the master bedroom. He set up an array of seals to keep his son safe, before collapsing into bed again. "For now, I can't trust anyone but myself, Jiraiya, and Kakashi."

-3Y AKA (3 Years After Kyuubi Attack)-

Naruto had developed into a little ball of energy and sunshine. Even though he looked like a carbon-copy of his father, the boy acted like Kushina in her youth. Minato would usually leave the boy to Kakashi and spend the day doing paperwork, or going on a short, one day mission. "Naruto acts like the reincarnation of his mother. It makes me miss her so much, but it makes me so happy at the same time. Sometimes I still expect her to greet me at the door when I get home even though it's been three years. Yes, three years. It seems neither I nor the people can let of the past. It seems to infect everything. Perhaps I was wrong when I said the Will of Fire remained strong, if the people show no hesitation to socially isolate an innocent child like this. It seems I may have to give up hope that the people will give up their hate."

Throughout the years, the young Naruto had been the subject of no less than ten direct assassination attempts before people learned that it wouldn't work. After that they tried subtler means. Kakashi always had to test the formula he bought for poisons after a stray cat refused to drink the milk. Every few times the merchant's hand seems to have slipped some dangerous chemical into the formula. A few times older kids had tried to hit the young child when he got lost from his father on a grocery run. Kakashi had taught the children a lesson they wouldn't forget. Not even thrown rocks or garbage were allowed to strike the Sharingan ninja's little brother. But the lack of physical pain did not mean happiness. Any time the boy was see, civilian and ninja alike would turn away from him and pretend he wasn't there as they told each other about the monstrosities the child had undoubtedly committed.

The only truly happy times Naruto had was the little training his onii-san let him do, and the bedtime story his father would always read to him before bed. He especially liked the stories that ended with the hero marrying the princess he saved and living happily ever after. He always declared that he was going to be the best Hokage ever, and save princesses every day, and marry the most beautiful of them all, and live happily ever after. Minato and Kakashi always smiled at the unhindered enthusiasm of the boy. If only they could be as sure…

-4Y AKA-

Minato sat in his office facing a person crisis about the future of his son. "It's been four years, and if anything, the hatred has increased, and their children won't even talk to him. The people of the village will only give him hate, and I can't insulate him from that. As he gets older, he'll only get out more, and be exposed to more hate. Too many close calls have resulted from trusting people who seemed to like him, I can't trust them. And if he tries to become a ninja, he'll have to go through the academy. The kids will smother him in hate if their parents haven't done it already. I can't let him go anywhere else; he'll be an open target to anyone who wants to hurt me, and I won't be able to protect him. Even if I or Kakashi train him as an apprentice he'll have to interact with the civilians for mission and no other team would work with him. I have no choice then. This world has damned itself, but as Hokage, it is my job to preserve this village, and this world as long as possible. I'm sorry Naruto, your dream won't come true. I can't let you become a ninja. Even if you don't run into a situation where you need to use your tenant's Chakra, your life expectancy will drop to twenty years or less. I'm sorry my son; I'm a terrible father."

-Later-

"Tou-san? What do you mean I'm not allowed to become a ninja? You're the Hokage, you can do whatever you want, can't you? Can't you let me be a ninja?"

"No, Naruto. I may be the Hokage, but there are things I cannot do. I cannot command people's hearts. You're a smart kid, you've seen the way people treat you. No one will be able to work on a team with you, and as my son, you are far too tempting of a target to allow to leave alone. You will never be able to do any missions, and will have wasted your life and faced danger for nothing. It's best that you find a civilian job out of the public eye, and live your life out in peace."

"But Tou-san, being a ninja is the only thing I want to do. "

"And it won't work! I'm sorry, Naruto." "And I'm sorry Kushina."

-6Y 2M AKA-

After Minato told Naruto that he was not allowed to become a ninja, both of them quickly became depressed and quiet. Minato commanded all active ninjas, academy students, and clan heirs to avoid direct contact with Naruto, lest the boy become more encouraged or find a way around the ban. The law was ill-planned, as Minato himself was included, and Danzo was looking for any excuse to depose the Hokage after he shut down ROOT. So the boy was left with no friends, and barely any family. He turned to books after he found a way into his father's study. From dawn till dusk every day he would study theory. This went on for a year and a half, until his father discovered him when he had to get something from his library. After that Naruto was always escorted to the park every day, with only two sealing scrolls filled with food and 50 ryo, and watched by Kakashi as every child ignored and every adult scorned the "demon child." And so, every day from dawn till dusk, he trained his body to the limit. He even managed to unlock his chakra from the information in the books. This self-destructive schedule lasted for three months, until he met his first friend.

-Flashback, 5Y 9M AKA-

Naruto was training with kunai and shuriken he found in an unused training field. He had carved crude targets into the trees and was trying and failing to get the weapons to hit home when he heard a bossy voice from behind him. "You'll never hit the target if you don't throw it right."

The boy finished throwing his brace of kunai and turned around to show the girl his face so she would recognize him and leave, just like everyone else. He stood facing her with his eyes closed so he didn't have to see her leave. When she didn't leave after ten seconds he opened his eyes. He saw a girl with her hair done in buns, wearing Chinese style clothes with a perpetual blush on her cheeks standing facing him tapping her foot. "Aren't you going to run away?" The blonde stammered hopefully, "Don't you know who I am?" He was rattled by the unexpected social contact.

"All I see is a little kid who doesn't know how to throw weapons. Why would I need to know more than that? Why would I run from a kid like you?"

"I'm tainted. None of the other kids will play with me, no one is allowed to touch me, and even my otou-sama and onii-san can't be in my presence and they're the best ninja in the village." Naruto was in tears by this point "I'm not allowed to be a ninja, and I'm not even allowed to be around books because I'll ruin them."

The girl gave a heavy sigh and wrapped the crying boy a hug. "You're such a cry-baby. See, I'm touching you and I'm okay. I'm sure once you show your tou-san how much you've improved he'll let you become a ninja."

While the girl was saying this Naruto had gone dead still. No one except for otou-sama and Kakashi-onii had ever touched him, and even they had never given him a hug. He started screaming and trying to get away. "ahhhhHHHH. Let me go! It feels weird! I don't know how to deal with this!"

In shock the bun-headed girl let the writhing boy go. "What's wrong? Have you never been hugged before? Hasn't your kaa-san ever given you a hug?"

Naruto had gone back to crying "Otou-sama told me okaa-sama died when I was born to protect me. I don't think she would be allowed to touch me either."

The girl put her hand on his shoulder, looking for a reaction. The boy was too absorbed in his misery and memories to notice. "See, I'm touching you and I'm perfectly fine. I'm Tenten, I'm an orphan so I don't have a kaa-san either. Why don't you tell me about your tou-san, and I'll show you how to throw kunai and we can be friends!"

Naruto had only ever heard about friends from his father's stories where they helped the hero to rescue the princess. "I'm Naruto-chan! I'll gladly help you rescue your princess Tenten-san! I'll help you whatever it takes! That's what friends do, right?"

Tenten laughed at the gaps in the boy's learning. "Silly boy. Naruto is your name, every calls you Naruto-chan because you're so small. And I'm a girl, so I won't be rescuing any princesses; I am a princess and I'm going to be rescuing helpless little princes, like you Naruto -chan!"

Naruto had finally stopped crying. "Well you're barely bigger than me, so you're Ten-chan! And I'm not helpless! I unlocked my chakra all on my own, and can do Taijutsu, and everything! There just weren't any scrolls about how to throw weapons in Otou-sama's scrolls!"

Tenten put on a teasing smile. "If you say so Naru-kun, but you're going to have to show me."

That was the start of a long and training filled friendship.

-Present, 6Y 2M AKA-

For the next five months Naruto and Tenten had met every day in what quickly became their clearing. Tenten had shown Naruto how to properly use thrown weapons, and Naruto had shown her the ninjutsu and Taijutsu he had learned. They had told each other about their lives and spent almost every waking minute with each other. Today was the first the first change from that schedule. Tenten had gone to the parade for the signing of the peace treaty with Kumo to see the types of weapons they had and get any candy they threw so the two of them could share it. Naruto knew he wouldn't be welcome at the public event, so he went to their clearing alone. "It's strange. I used to practice every day on my own, but now that I have Ten-Chan it just doesn't seem the same without her. I guess I should train the dangerous techniques that she doesn't want me to do. I might need those, but I don't want her to worry." He half-heartedly started perfecting Futon: Daitoppa. The noise attracted an unlikely guest. Hinata Hyuuga had wandered away from her caretaker. The shy girl peeked around a tree to find a blonde training himself to exhaustion. She stared for what felt like hours, until she tried to withdraw and cracked a twig, alerting the blonde. "Ten-chan, is that you? Did the Kumo group not have enough weapons to hold your interest?" He turned to face his friend only to find a girl with blue hair in a hime cut bowing to him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your training."

"That's fine hime-san. You don't need to bow to me; I haven't had to rescue you yet." Naruto let loose a laugh that seemed to brighten the sun and raise the temperature.

Hinata blushed at being called a princess. In a way she was though… "My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I am the heiress of the noble Hyuuga." This was the one time she was willing to play the noble family card, if it let her get closer to the sunny blonde.

"You actually are a princess!? I just called you princess because of your haircut. You look pretty with your hair like that. If only it was longer in the back…"

Hinata blushed even harder. She quickly diverted the conversation before the cute boy gave her more complements and made her faint. "You thought I was someone else when you heard me, a Ten-san?"

"Tenten-chan is my best friend! She taught me how to throw a kunai properly! She wants to find helpless princes and save them, but I told her I'm not helpless, and I taught her ninjutsu! You're a girl too, right? Do you want to save princes too?"

"N-no, I think I already found the prince I want to save me."

"Aww, I wanted to be the save to save you. Just make sure your prince is worth being the savior of a pretty girl like you."

"Y-y-you can be my prince i-i-if you want." She pulled out a handkerchief that her father gave her and handed it to the little prince.

He held it in his hand and smelled it. "It smells like lilacs! I forgot to give you flowers! You always have to give pretty princesses flowers! Come with me, I know just the place to get you your flowers hime-chan!" Hinata barely held onto consciousness as he grabbed her hand and led her to a field of flowers. Within minutes he had a small bouquet of purple and white lilacs that he handed to her. "There you go, Hime-chan! Pretty flowers for a pretty girl!"

Hinata had just enough time to accept the bouquet before her caretaker finally found her and dragged her back to the Hyuuga compound despite her protests.

-That Night-

Since both Minato and Kakashi were busy all through the night Naruto was allowed to stay out as late as he wanted. Tenten was merely one more orphan that the matrons couldn't be expected to control as she slipped out to meet her friend at their clearing. "Were the weapons worth going to the parade Ten-chan? Were they better than the ones at Higurashi's store?"

"They didn't even draw their swords! I followed them the whole way and they didn't draw their swords once! It's like they didn't think anyone would be interested in them!"

"How absurd! Children not being interested in weapons. Who would have though?"

"You sound awfully pleased with yourself. Did you make a friend? A pretty girl from Kumo catch your eye? Does Naru-kun like his girls tan?"

"Even better! I found my princess! She gave me a handkerchief and I gave her flowers"

Tenten felt a surge of anger she didn't understand. "After all, I knew I couldn't stay with him forever once I realized his father forbid anyone who wanted to become a ninja to associate with him." "That's great! I'm guessing you'll need my help when it comes time to rescue her and live happily ever after, so you'd better tell me all about her." "She had better be good enough for him. He is my friend."

"She's the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan! She's really pretty. Her eyes are prettier than yours, but your hair is better."

"This isn't good. The heiress of the Hyuuga clan is just the type of person the Hokage's son would marry. Why do I care so much? Why should I be mad another girl is my Naru-Kun's princess?"

"I'm gunna go visit her house, do you want to come?

"uhh, sure!"

-On a Side Road-

As the two children were taking the back roads to the Hyuuga Compound as Naruto was telling the tale of how he met his princess. He had just reached the point when he gave the bouquet to Hinata when he noticed a white lavender petal floating down. He looked up just in time to see the Kumo head nin carrying Hinata, going low and relatively slow to avoid detection. The two young ninjas jumped onto the roofs and sprinted after the man. They both threw a kunai in an attempt to cripple the man, but only managed to get his attention. The three of them landed and the kidnapped drew his ninjato and dashed at Tenten. Naruto used Kawarimi to take the hit in his thigh for his friend. He thrust the kunai in his right hand into the extended forearm, and quickly threw the kunai in his left hand into his attacker's right to make him drop Hinata.

Both of the injured ninja went through hand signs. Naruto finished before the rage-muddled Kumo nin and released a Futon: Daitoppa, pushing the nin into a nearby wall. After a few tense second the ninja stood and shook himself from his daze and forced Naruto and the nearby Hinata to their knees with his killing intent. "You just made a huge mistake child! Both of you will die!" The ninja drew the second sword from his side and slowly approached the paralyzed children. A three pointed dagger sprouted from the distracted man's shoulder, courtesy of Tenten. She paid for her bravery when the ninja flashed over and knocker her out with a vicious backhand. "Wait there, you'll get your punishment in time, bitch!" He once again made a menacing show of turning to the children and walking slowly towards them. When he looked he found that his arrogance and distracted state had been his undoing. The weak Hyuuga girl had thrown the ninjato which he had left in the boy's side and the boy had speed the attack with another Daitoppa. The man had only the time to register his sword piercing his brain before his spirit left his body.

Naruto turned to his princess and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, just like the heroes in the stories. "I told you I would save you Hime-chan!" He took the last two flowers from the bouquet he had given her and placed them in her hair. "There, now your hair looks even better than Ten-chan's!"

Tenten awoke from the spray of blood landing on her just in time to hear the exchange with a heavy heart that she couldn't understand. "It hurts so much to see him with that girl. But he seems so happy. What should I do? Could I give up being a kunoichi for him?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by her friend's call. "Ten-chan, come over here! I haave a present for yoouu." When she approached he handed her the two swords that the Ninja had used. "You saved me, and you'll get more use out of these than I will, take them!" Her heart thundered for her to do something more as she took the two swords, but was prevented from any further action by the unwanted appearance of the Hokage who drove an open hand with glowing fingertips into her friend's chest. Both girls were stunned as they watched the Hokage viciously seal his son's chakra.

-Minato-

Minato felt a beacon from one of his kunai, and had to spend several minutes with political maneuvering bullshit before he could go and do whatever needed to be done. By the gods, someone could have died in the time it took for him to leave! When he arrived what he found was much worse. Yes, by all appearances the Hyuuga heiress had been kidnapped, and there was a dead ninja with a hole in his headband and blood everywhere, but the most alarming thing of all was that his son was at a scene where this had happened. Then he looked closer. He wasn't here looting a corpse. This kill was too fresh for the killer to have gotten far, and the only chakra signatures here were the three children. Which means… "My son still hasn't given up his dream of being a ninja, he's gotten himself hurt, and by the looks of things he even unlocked his chakra somehow. I'm sorry Naruto, you leave me no other choice." Minato formed a Five Points Seal on his hand and drove it into his son's chest, tearing apart the shirt in the process. Then he quickly followed by placing a myriad of other seals to lock the Kyuubi tighter than was safe for a jinchuriki. Minato finished the pacification of his son with senbon in strategic pressure points, and he quickly proceeded to flash away after flaring his chakra to call ANBU to clean up the mess.

Hinata and Tenten both stared at the spot their Naruto-Kun had been and at each other. Hinata timidly approached the older girl and wrapped her in a hug. Both girls broke down crying at the loss of such a monumental figure in their life.

-Unknown Place, Unknown Time-

Naruto quickly returned to consciousness once the senbon were removed and found himself in an artificially lit underground bunker with his chakra sealed and his arms and legs bound. His father sat tiredly in front of him. "Otou-Sama, I'm sorry. There was never a chance for me to be a civilian. If I made anything, no one would buy it. If I sold anything, no one would buy it. If I tried to be an employee no one would hire me. My only choice to live was only ever to be a shinobi! That is why I could never obey your rule."

Minato started to speak without moving or opening his eyes. "There was a prophecy on the day of your birth. The Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya that the three of Nine, that's you, the third container of the Nine tailed Fox, would either preserve the world or end it. The defining factor was love, it always is, isn't it." Minato opened his eyes to reveal a crazed look, the pupils dilated so wide that the entire eye seemed black rimmed with a thin line of blue. "The problem was the fucking civilians, ya know. The entire plan hinged on them accepting you. But the idiotic bastards couldn't get over their hate, ya know! Every time I see one of them I think, Kushina died for you, appreciate it bastard! I just want to grab every one of them by the neck and tell them My wife fucking died, ya know! And you! Are fucking! Ignoring! Her only fucking son! And now we come to you my beloved Naruto. So much like your mother, but not the same. She died protecting you, ya know! You carry the same beast she does, it's like she gave you a birthday present! But if you ever use that gift the entire fucking world will be doomed! Isn't that Fucking Great! But now I have to tie you up, Ya know. As much as I want to kill every back-stabbing man woman and child in this village it happens to be my job to prevent that. And So, here I am, chaining my own son to the wall like a criminal for their crime. I'm sorry, my son" his eyes returned to normal for just one second "This is going to hurt."

Minato proceeded to loose Naruto's arms, only for them to be clapped in spiked handcuffs that pierced his bones. The handcuffs were secured to the walls with chains that were tightened until his shoulders dislocated. The same was done with his legs. Then the pain started. Kunai inscribed with chakra absorbing seals were driven into every nerve cluster. Chains were fused into his bones as one last tribute to Kushina. The only place left untouched was his stomach where the seal of the Kyuubi was burned by the force of the chakra.

After multiple hours of the frantic torture Minato fell back his depressed stupor. Before he left he hugged his son for the first time. "Don't worry Naruto, it's over. It's finally over. The price was high, it always is, but your safe now." Minato left one final message before the door closed "I'm sorry Naruto. I really am."

A/N: I do not plan for this to be a one-shot, but it will be a while before the next chapter comes up. I wanted to get the first chapter posted to get the ideas on paper, so to speak. This first chapter ended especially dark because I felt like I was getting too light and whimsical with New Game Plus. The rest of the story will be dark, but mostly only in the undertone of inevitability.

Originally this was going to be a much more generic Naruto-neglect story, then I realized that those were done to death. So I made changes and made my own variation off of a scene I saw in a dream of a mentally unstable Minato going ape-shit in sealing Naruto's chakra and the Kyuubi. From there I wanted to make Naruto the greatest contrast I could to that, but keep him close to canon, and I came up with the story-book prince idea. The official pairing is none right now, but that is liable to change based on if I start feeling like cutting myself while writing this or not.

Leave a review and tell me what you think.