After having not done a damn thing to this little story for such a long time, I decided to kinda' start it all over. Let's be honest, the story was all over the place and I never really had much of a focus for it. Too many characters that barely existed and it wasn't something I was really happy with. So, I'm going to be pretty much changing the story completely. If there was anything you enjoyed from the previous version then please let me know so that I could possibly find a way to include it in some shape or form.

With that, let us begin.

Black Leaves

Chapter 1

Joy.

Happiness.

Elation.

Those three words were the closest that mankind had ever created that could come even the smallest bit close to how Namikaze Minato felt. He was practically radiating pure euphoria from his seat in the office of the Hokage.

Now, one may ask; what could possibly cause the strongest shinobi in the Village Hidden within the Leaves to be so pleased?

Was it the fact that he had achieved his own dream of becoming the leader of said village and having helped a great deal it strengthen it's economy and military? Was it that he had helped form positive relations with most of the surrounding nations and was beginning to foster strong bonds between those with drastically different view points in politics and society?

Or was it a combination of all of those plus the fact that he had married the love of his life and had just been told not five minutes ago that she was confirmed to be pregnant with their first child?

Yeah, probably that.

Having just heard the news, Minato tried his best to focus completely on his Hokage duties and not on the thought of running home and embracing his wife. His leg just would not stop bouncing in excitement.

He had worked so hard to get where he was and it was finally paying off in so many ways it almost made his head spin. He could barely even focus on the documents sitting in front of him.

A knock to the office door finally forced the man to pay attention to at least something other than he own happiness.

Minato cleared his throat before speaking, making sure that he could still speak with at least some level of authority. No matter the amount of joy in his heart, he was still the Hokage and needed to act as such.

"Enter." His voice was strong. A kind of strength that could bring even the most morally destroyed army up to rally with just a few choice words. Something he had done at least a time or two.

The door opened to reveal the wrinkled old form of the previous Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Age had not slowed the man in the slightest as he walked with the same poise and speed as shinobi less than half his age. As always, in his hand he held his favorite pipe. Always lit and ready to help the old man relax at a moment's notice.

Said pipe was already in his mouth as he entered what was once his own office. As it was the office for all Hokage before him, and hopefully for the many that will follow. The older man looked at his much younger replacement and could not help but smile. The blond-haired leader's excitement was impossible for him to hide and it warmed Sarutobi's aged heart that despite all the young man had witnessed and done, he still could act like the child he once knew.

Of course, the old man was going to have a little fun at the expense of the new father.

"Ah, Sensei." Minato announced with joy while still trying to remain as professional as possible. "It was been a while. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well." Sarutobi returned with a kind voice. "I just wanted to stop by and see how my successor was doing." He glance around the room. "Not too bad it would appear since you haven't leveled the entire village just yet."

Minato chuckled. "Come on old man." He instantly dropped that stuffy way of talking. "I've been at this for a while and you still think I'm gonna' break something?"

Sarutobi struck a thinking pose. "Maybe not so much with you. If it was your wife in that chair I would a whole lot more concerned."

"Better not let her hear you say that." Minato warned playfully. It was no secret that he beloved wife had a short temper and would very likely have razed a good portion of the world and ruled with a wicked iron fist if she had been sitting in place of Minato. Or at least, that was what he thought.

He loved his wife dearly, but Uzumaki Kushina was an absolute horror when provoked. And it was not hard to get her blood boiling.

"So, I take it your not here just to judge my exceptional leadership skills, are you?" Minato asked with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk. He desperately wanted an excuse to proclaim his new found fatherhood. It was impossible for him to completely hide his excitement.

"Well, what else is there to talk about?" Sarutobi feigned ignorance. He could see the excitement building inside his old student and knew that it was taking all he had not to dance about in joy like a complete fool.

Minato just stared at the old man. Unblinking. Unwavering.

Sarutobi could not hold in his own smile any longer. "I heard."

Without warning, Minato leapt out of his arm chair, over the desk and gripped the old man's shoulders tightly. Sarutobi was not surprised by the man's actions. He could recall how he acted upon hearing of his own wife's pregnancy years ago. Rest her soul.

He really needed to visit her again soon.

"I'm going to be a dad!" Minato shouted loudly in the man's face. "I'm going! To be! A dad!" The man was practically bouncing on his feet.

"Congratulations." The retired Hokage responded with a soft smile.

Minato could only smile that famous wide grin that nearly everyone the world over knew of. A smile that held nothing but a joy that could never remain contained and was infectious to all around.

"I just can't believe it's true." The blond-haired man said while letting go of the old man. "I'm finally going to have a child of my own." He walked back over and sat down at his desk, still piled up with important papers and documents. He picked up his previously ignored pen and began scribbling signature after signature.

"You worked hard for this." The old man stated kindly. "You worked hard for the life you have and for the life that you will be helping make." He risked a glance at the door before looking hard outside of the window. The setting sun telling him all he needed to know.

He walked over to the window and took the pipe out of his mouth. "You've been doing well." He reached into has back pocket and pulled out a small amount of the specially imported tobacco he reserved just for this one specific pipe.

"In just a short amount of time, you have brought bitter rivals together in harmony; brought peace between the most hated of enemies, and have even brought a smile to an old man." He turned to glance down at the working man; who had stopped his pen scratching to hear what was being said. Sarutobi tapped down the newly added tobacco and added it to the already lit pipe.

"You have done so much for this village. Both, before taking the seat of it's leader, and now." Sarutobi walked over to the sitting man and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"And so, as the previous Hokage, I would like to make one final suggestion to you. A final note of wisdom from a tired old man." He leaned in close to the younger man's ear.

"No matter how important your job may be. No matter how much work has piled up before you or how much the council nags. You need to take a break every now and then for your family." The old man winked. "So why not take the rest of the day off and go be with your wife? I feel she may want to celebrate this joyous occasion as soon as possible."

Minato sat still for a moment, actually contemplating finishing the next few hours of work or going home to his beloved wife.

"Or." The old man decided to continue. "You can stay here and work, then go home to your probably really really angry wife and deal with her like that for the next nine months; progressively getting angrier and angrier until eventually she blames you for everything and threatens you with untold pain...or exile to the couch."

Minato's entire body paled at the mere thought of upsetting Kushina. He slowly set his pen down, stacked his paper's neatly and stood from his seat once again. He stretched before walking over to the window behind him that looked over a vast majority of the village.

"You know." His voice was slightly shaky; whether it was due to his excitement, or new fear, Sarutobi was not sure. "I have been working hard lately and haven't really had much of a chance to relax and spent time with my lovely and sweet wife." He spoke as if said woman would suddenly appear at any moment. "So, for the betterment of my own well being as well as to insure that I am at my peak when I sit in that chair, I think I will take the rest of the day off."

He stood still for a moment before leaping over his desk and dashing out of his office, leaving a terribly amused Sarutobi to chuckle at his protege's antics.

The retired Hokage took another long drag of his pipe before decided that there was no reason for him to remain in his old office. Right before he left, his aged eyes glanced over a document that Minato had left out on his desk.

The wording was not urgent nor did it have anything written on it that anyone would deem important. In fact, all that was on the form was a request that there be an addition to the Ninja Academy. The form requested that a third floor be built as well as a flat surfaced roof.

The need for more rooms to handle the inevitable increase in the student population was something that really did needed to be taken care of now before it could become a serious problem.

Reading the finer details, Sarutobi saw that the requested flat roof was most likely made by the teachers and nearby home owners getting tired of the kids hanging around the halls and streets during breaks. It really would not do to have a bunch of new shinobi-to-be causing a mess in the village using techniques that could harm the surrounding civilians. Like most all legal documents, the wording was as confusing as can be so that nobody really knew what they were actually signing.

One of the many things Sarutobi did not miss about having the prestigious title of Hokage. He ignored the paper and turned off the lights before leaving the office and heading home himself.

"I'm home!" Minato announced upon finally reaching his modest home. Just because he was the village leader did not mean he had a mansion or some ritzy junk like that.

Kushina poked her red head out from the kitchen with a knife in hand. She had clearly been hard at work preparing dinner for the pair. "Welcome back." She responded cheerfully.

Without another word, Minato suddenly appeared behind her and had picked her up into his arms. Before she could even utter a sound, Kushina found herself suddenly in their modest living room and being placed as gently as humanly possible on the couch.

"Just what do you think you are you doing?" Minato asked in a serious tone. He stood over his sitting wife with his arms crossed and a displeased expression.

Kushina was both confused and deeply concerned. She had just found out she was pregnant just a few hours ago. Obviously her husband, the village Hokage, knew about it that point.

The pair had been trying for a baby for...a while...and now they were finally going to have one. So why was her husband suddenly towering over her like her own disapproving father.

Before she could utter a word, Minato spoke up.

"You are pregnant with our very first child and I will not have you doing anything that might endanger you or the baby." His face was hard and serious.

Minato's expression, plus his tone of voice, instantly started the famous short fuse that Kushina was famous for. She leaned back into the couch and crossed both her arms and her legs before cocking a single eyebrow towards her husband.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was unnaturally calm. "Would you like to repeat that?"

The hair on the back of Minato's neck stood on end as the chill of his wife's voice coursed through his very veins. She was unhappy. She was upset.

She was mad.

He quickly uncrossed his arms and his hardened expression quickly shifted to a more panicked one. He began to stammer profusely. "I-I mean your pregnant and things are going to start getting hard for you and you will need to be very careful since you could easily get hurt and-"

Kushina held up a single finger and the man stopped his rambling instantly. She cracked her neck before getting to her feet and staring her husband in the eyes. That slight anger faded completely from her eyes and was replaced with mirth.

"Oh, my dear sweet husband." Her tone was way too sweet. "You know I love you with every ounce of my being."

Minato had to resist the instinct to flee.

"And I will love this child that we have both made." Her brow furrowed ever so slightly. "But, if you think for one moment that my pregnancy means I'm just going to be some hanger-on wallflower; you've got another thing coming."

"I just-"

"I know you just want to make sure everyone is safe, happy and healthy." She quickly interrupted her interrupting husband. "But I am not some dainty housewife." She glared at her husband. "And I refuse to be treated as one. You know who I am and how I am. I'm not about to let you start treating me differently now that I'm carrying a little extra."

"Yes dear." Minato responded instantly.

"Good." Kushina smiled warmly before making her way back to the kitchen. "But." She continued as she walked, a sort of signal to her husband to follow. She stopped just short of entering the kitchen.

"I, um." She did not turn to face the love of her life as her cheek were beginning to redden. "I wouldn't mind, um, being spoiled though. Just a little bit." Her voice got quieter with each word.

Minato did not need to see his beloved's face to know just how red it was. Kushina was well known by all for her strength, independence, and anger; but only her husband was allowed to see her in any other way.

So her going from a her headstrong and demanding nature to this soft spoken love struck girl was nothing uncommon in this household. And it was one of her many charms that Minato constantly fell in love with over and over again.

He walked past his wife and gently placed a hand on her head. "I don't know any other way to treat you." He gave her that oh so bright smile that filled the young mother-to-be with more warmth than even the sun could provide.

Minato walked into the kitchen to help finish the preparations for dinner and Kushina followed

The next few months went by quickly for the family of the Fourth Hokage. Every minutes that was not spent dealing with work or friends was dedicated to preparing for the birth and care of their child.

Of course, said friends were more than happy to help prepare the couple for bringing in a new life.

Luckily for Minato, as being the Hokage, the fact that several of the people helping happened to be members of some of the village's most influential and powerful clans; his wife's pregnancy was doing wonders dealing with the constant internal strife between these strong families.

Overall, everything was going pretty well for the village. Especially since this will be the first child born during the tenure of a Hokage. The past three, while they did have children of their own, only had them before taking the seat. So the village was clearly going to make this a massive deal.

Every business owner was going the extra mile to make their own respective business stand out to their village leader; hoping that his approval would increase the number of customers.

As her belly swelled, Kushina slowly became more and more dependent on her husband despite her near constant argument against the contrary. And the man was more than happy to help out his beloved when she asked, and even when she specifically said she did not.

The young couple were elated to learn that Kushina was to give birth to a boy, and so was the entire village. Though, to be fair, everyone would have been just as happy if a girl was to be born. No sexism here.

Knowing who the parents were, there was no doubt that the boy was going to be an energetic powerhouse that would not only be a wonderful asset to the village and it's military force, but also a massive headache with a combination of swift trickery and sneaking skills unlike any other.

Finally, the day had arrived. Or, more appropriately, the night.

It was right as the young couple had finished eating dinner when, upon standing, Kushina grasped her stomach as a sudden pain washed over her. No words were needed between the two.

They had planned for this day and it was finally time to implement it.

Minato called the hospital and a friend or two before gathering his wife's coat and helping her out the door. Before they even reached the end of the home's walkway, a small, modest carriage stood in front with several hospital staff heading to the pair to help the pregnant woman inside.

There would be no high speed leaping through the village for this woman. Such activity and excitement would not do the pregnant woman any good at all, even if she was not the one actually doing the jumping about.

The ride to the hospital went smoothly and the staff at the hospital was already prepared to receive the woman and help her along with the birth of the new child.

As with all things, word had traveled quick and it did not take long for people to start milling about the hospital in wait to hear about the birth. Minato, despite being the leader of the village and being a military genius, was in a state of shock due to how exact every single action the hospital staff performed was as well as just how fast everything was going.

In what felt like minutes Minato suddenly noticed an incredible pain in his right hand and that he had somehow wound up right beside the bed his wife was laying on with her hand currently gripping his own...tightly.

After another moment, his brain finally caught up to what was happening and he quickly began encouraging his young wife. She responded by breaking his hand in about four different places before suddenly jamming her elbow into his face hard enough to break Minato's nose.

Despite his own discomfort, the Hokage staid next to his wife the entire time and did all he could; a.k.a. not much, to help her along with the birth of their little boy.

In all of his life as a shinobi and leader of a ninja village, Minato had never been called such horrible names and cursed at so violently as he currently was while the love of his live shattered bone after bone in his poor hand.

After several very, very long hours, the screams of complete and total agony from his wife came to a stop and were replaced with the cries of a new life entering the world.

The doctors and nurses all quickly went about cleaning the newborn while insuring that the baby could properly breath while another group of the hospital staff came over to help Kushina recover. The birth had taken a lot out of her, but there were no signs of harm to either her or the child.

Minato, wearing the appropriate gear so as to protect his son from anything he might be carrying, was handed his child as his wife was now much too tired to even raise a hand.

"Congratulations, Lord Hokage." The doctor spoke quietly. "It is a healthy baby boy."

The new father looked down at his son, who looked up at him with the same bright blue eyes as his father. He even had the same blond hair already trying to spike up right after being born. The newborn was curious as to who, or what this giant looking over him was and continued to stare as a smile grew on the giant's face.

"Look. Kushina." Minato practically whispered. "It's our son."

The red-headed mother could only give a tired smile as a nurse helped prop her up. The woman's strength was slowly coming back to her, but not yet enough to safely hold her young. So, being the happy father he was, Minato brought his son over so that his wife could see.

"Look." He requested again.

Kushina smiled tiredly. "He had your eyes. And hair."

"Bet he'll have your attitude." The Hokage joked.

Kushina was finally able to use her arms again and held them out in an unspoken request to see her baby; which Minato gladly handed to her.

"Oh, my baby." The woman cooed as the baby switched focus from his father to his mother. Her soft smile and tired eyes made the baby give a toothless grin before trying to reach out to the his mother. Minato leaned in so that the two parents could look at their newborn.

"Oh my little baby boy." Kushina cooed her attention completely on her small child.

A bright flash, however, drew Minato's attention away from happy family and to the window; where a bright orange flashing light, off in the distance could be seen.

Before he could question what the light was, it came rushing towards the hospital as a massive wave. The wave hit everything in it's path, but harmed nothing but the windows of the building's it touched.

Seeing the incoming wave, Minato instinctively leapt over the bed before quickly turning on the spot and enveloping his new family in his arms. It was the only thing he could think to do to protect them as the wave hit the hospital.

There was no sound as the wave of energy came into contact with the hospital. No sound from the wave itself or from the building. An almost deafening silence washed over everything as the windows shattered violently; the shards almost instantly turning to sand. The same went for the glass monitors of the hospital equipment and the overhead lights.

A feeling of great pressure enveloped Minato on all sides. Almost like he had dived into the ocean and had gone down as deep as he could. It was not bone crushing, but was enough for the man to be aware of the slight discomfort.

The wave of energy passed through the building before finally hitting the Hokage Mountain and suddenly dissipating into an orange mist upon slamming into the stone.

Slowly, sound started to come back with the first sound being the crying of the new baby.

"Is everyone ok?!" One of the doctors shouted as he went about checking everyone.

Minato got off of his wife and noticed that the woman was still hunched over their crying child. A terrifying chill instantly ran down Minato's spine as an even worse thought popped itself into his head.

"Kushina?!" He was in a complete panic as he shouted and grabbed his wife's shoulders. The woman did not move.

"Kushina?!" Minato shouted even louder, not helping his crying baby's current mood.

"Huh!?" The woman's head snapped up and her eyes blinked rabidly, albeit tiredly. The stress and pain of giving birth had been just too much for Kushina and her bending over was all it took for her body to shut down.

"Oh thank the gods." Minato mumbled as he fought to keep his shaking knees strong. Kushina noticed her crying child and began to gently rock the newborn in an effort to calm him down.

The doctor quickly came over and gave everyone a once over to make sure everything was alright. Once it was clear that no one was harmed, it was time for the nurses to take the little baby away for a proper exam.

But not before...

"Have you two decided on a name?" One of the nurses asked while holding onto a clipboard.

Kushina looked at her husband, who simply responded with that smile she loved so dearly. She could not help a smile of her own growing on her face as she looked down at the calmed down boy.

Another nurse came up and gently took the newborn away for a moment with the doctor quickly following behind. The two went to another part of the room to perform the last few inspections of the baby, allowing both mother and father to finally rest without worry.

"You did amazing." Minato whispered to his wife. The woman rested her tired head against his supporting arm and just gave a hum in acknowedgment of her husband's words.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Minato's excitement for his new child had finally returned in full. "We are going tog o out so much on family days. We can set up play dates with our friends. We should really convince more of them to have kids for ours to play with." He went on a short excited rant that made it incredibly difficult for Kushina to not smile widely.

She listened to her husband talk for a while as her boy slowly regained it's strength. She opened her eyes once she noticed the doctor walking back over to the pair, a solemn expression written on his face.

Both parents returned his expression with one of concern.

"Lord Hokage." The doctor's voice matched his expression. "I have some unfortunate news." He gave a regretful sigh; it was never easy having to tell a family any kind of news that they would never want to hear.

"After performing some basic testing, it would appear that your son's chakra network has been severely damaged. It can only be assumed that whatever that strange energy was might have caused this. But it is most likely that your child will never be able to mold chakra."

Both parents were shocked and upset upon hearing the doctor's words. But, the fact that their child was otherwise perfectly healthy completely overrode the disappointment of his disability.

For the time being.

Seeing that the two new parents needed some time to think, the doctor left them alone.

In the back of their minds, both knew the many problems that would eventually arise due to their son's inability to mold chakra. The obvious, unable to become a proper ninja, was the one the instantly came to mind.

For one, he was the son of the current Hokage, so a certain level of skill and ability is expected from not just the military force of the village, but the civilian populace as well. In fact, pretty much every issue that Minato's new son was going to have to deal with will arise due to the combination of who his father was and his inability to become a proper ninja.

Minato already knew that there was likely to some kind of assassins already on their way to kidnap his son. Him being unable to properly defend himself meant that the Hokage was going to need to infiltrate the civilian populace with some trusted agents to keep an eye on his boy.

Regardless of the troubles that may follow their son, both parent's knew that they would do to make his life as happy and safe as possible.

"Um, E-excuse me." One of the nurses came shuffling over, a clipboard of her own in hand. "Lord Hokage? You, um, never told us if you two had come up with a name yet." Her voice was meek and cute.

Minato and Kushina looked at each for a brief moment. A small smile formed on Kushina's lips before she returned her attention to the nurse.

"Naruto." She said in a motherly tone. "Our son's name will be, Naruto."