Chapter 1

"Close to My Heart"

Sunlight coined through the windows of the Hokage office as a spiky blonde haired ninja sat, massaging his forehead at his desk. A white robe with red flames licking the bottom hem hung on a coat rack by the door and the blonde's azure eyes traveled to it while lost in thought. The pile of paperwork was not that bad for that day and the man was contemplating on whether he should pop by his son's training ground just to say hi. Leaning back in his chair, he watched the clouds lazily slip across the sky and felt a light breeze ruffle through the long spiky hair that covered his ears.

Well…aren't we cozy? A rather sore but snarky voice sneered within the man's ears. His eyes snapped open and he instinctively placed a hand over his stomach…where the ninetailed's Yin's half lay sealed within. Kyuubi… he thought, furrowing his brows, taken aback by the fox's prescense.

When did the Yondaime Hokage become so boring? The fox whined. The man sighed, and mentally responded, I told you….my name is Minato. You can call me that you know…

I may be the Yin half…but don't think I don't hate you just as much… the fox replied bitterly. Even though I am the 'bright side' of myself… I've endured nothing but pain and hatred from your village… I'm trying to find the good in your kind but so far I'm not getting anything.

Well…I'm trying to understand you…

Yeah, but I don't want your weak human pity…

Minato sighed, knowing that through his previous conversations with Yin, that the fox didn't trust him…even though 16 years had passed…

His wife had died in order to allow Minato to live those 16 years ago and had knocked him out so that he couldn't jump in front of the fox's attack on baby Naruto. When Minato had woken up disoriented…Sarutobi had told him Kushina's wish for him and Naruto. Now Minato spent the 16 years trying to figure out how the fox ticked and tried to break the barrier between them. He thought it'd be easier with the yin half…but although the waves of hatred were not very strong…he knew that the fox was angry with him. Despite it all, Minato knew that Kyuubi was not the one to entirely blame…he had been controlled by the masked man… Minato had done his best to track down the masked man since that day but he was undetectable although there was some intel that he was a part of the Akatsuki.

If you really cared, you'd let me go… the fox pointed out but Minato was not that careless.

I can't do that, and you know that… Minato said, and he sounded apologetic.

…I don't understand… the previous jinkuuriki…didn't bother to try to get to know me… why are you trying…I was the reason she died…The fox said quietly.

Minato felt a pang in his chest but leaning back in his chair, and eyeing the ceiling, he replied with honesty, Yeah…she did die because of you…but it wasn't only you. If…we humans weren't so scared of you…I'm sure that who you would've been…wouldn't have been like that.

Humph, where were you back when humans first started hunting us down? The fox said in a calm almost bitter tone. Minato had had 16 years to get used to the weight of the kyuubi's chakra…as well as the Kyuubi itself. He had studied the bijuu since he'd first learned of Kushina's…furry little secret and since then…even now…he was trying to find a way to make peace with the bijuu.

Minato was interrupted from his reverie when he felt comforting arms around his shoulders and although his body tensed, he felt nuzzling at the back of his neck and smiled, patting the younger lighter blonde on the head, with the arm he wrapped around the boy's shoulder. Cerulean blue met azure and the two blondes grinned at each other.

"Hey Pa," Naruto said cheerfully, and Minato leaned back into his son's welcoming hug.

"What are you doing here?" Minato asked smiling. The connection between Minato and the fox was barriered by Minato so that Kyuubi couldn't interrupt his alone time with his son.

"Kakashi-Sensei let us go," Naruto shrugged and unwrapped his arms from around Minato's shoulders and walked over to Minato's coat.

"Oh? No mission yet?" Minato inquired. Minato eyed his son as their eyes met and Minato could see a bit of Kushina's gaze emitting from Naruto and he looked away, trying to supress the sad feeling. Putting his signature smile on his face, he said, "Well…since you say you're free…I have a mission for you, Hinata and Kiba." He waved a paper in Naruto's direction and he could see his son's eyes light up.

"Seriously? What kind of mission? Protecting some daimyo? Or maybe it's a stealth mission! Or infiltration? Is it infiltration? Or is it info… on…" Naruto's rambling slowed as he said the last part softly, "Sasuke…"

Minato gave him an apologetic smile. "No…nothing on Uchiha…" he said softly, and he got up and with silent rustling he hugged his son, and his son blushed from what Minato assumed was embarrassment.

"Pa!" Naruto whined, "I'm not a kid anymore! Don't baby me! I'm not gonna cry or anything!" and he pushed Minato's hug off. Minato glomped Naruto again and began to tickle Naruto's sides and Naruto squirmed trying not to laugh and give in.

"Come on, you know you can't hide how you feel from me…" Minato teased, and was surprised when he ended up tumbling onto the wooden floor with Naruto on top of his stomach.

A playful light shown in Naruto's eyes, and he began tickling Minato back and they had a brief tickle war before an Eagle masked Anbu coughed discreetly announcing his presence. Realizing how ridiculous he looked with his son on top of him, Minato and Naruto tumbled apart, both red faced and got to their feet hastily.

Minato couldn't tell the expression behind the Anbu's mask but his heart beat fast and he expertly composed himself to adress the ninja.

"What is it?" Minato said, with what he hoped was a leader-like tone. Naruto tapped his dad on the shoulder and Minato looked at him.

"Er…I'll take that mission now and leave," Naruto said.

Minato blinked and nodded, and went back to his desk to get the mission details. "Please allow me a second to give Naruto the information," he said apologetically to the Anbu. The Anbu nodded curtly, and Minato sincerely hoped that he and Naruto hadn't looked that weird on the floor. I don't have any reason to be embarassed…it's not like me and Naruto haven't been caught tickling each other before… Minato smiled to himself thinking fondly of how much Naruto had grown up.

"Um dad? Any time now would be good…" Naruto said loudly and Minato sheepishly handed the paper to his son.

"Er…right, sorry about that, I got um…distracted," Minato said meekly.

"Heh, so even the great Lord Hokage has moments where he doesn't pay attention," Naruto joked. Minato swatted at his son and his son left laughing good naturedly. Turning back to the Anbu and taking a deep breath, Minato indicated that the Anbu could speak.

"It is mission details…regarding Itachi….and Sasuke…" the Anbu said and Minato's eyes became a deep calm and he resumed his leader-like air, fully attentioned to the news.

"And?" he held out his hand to receive the report and the Anbu handed it to him solemnly.

"That is all, Lord Yondaime…" the Anbu bowed and teleported before Minato could speak. Minato held the report in his hand and wondered what sort of news about Sasuke it could hold…He finally had some news for Naruto…after a few missed attempts at meeting up with Sasuke and ever since their first encounter after 3 years…Naruto hadn't been exactly the same and Minato had pressed him as far as he felt reasonable—not as the village leader—but as a concerned father who worried constantly about his adorable son.

He was proud of his son's sense of integrity…and undying faith in his comrades…athough in Sasuke's case, Minato didn't have the heart ot tell his son that Sasuke…was never coming back to the village…at least not alive.

Minato could feel his headache returning and the temporary barrier he had up faded but the kyuubi was silent. Minato gazed at the picture of Naruto when he was around 6 and he had gone to ichiraku with him for his birthday. Seeing Naruto's smiling innocent face, Minato knew that with time, that face would become lined with wrinkles, and that Naruto's soft heart would eventually become hardened. Minato rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes, almost wishing that his son hadn't grown up.

A/N: next chapter will be from Naruto's P.O.V. Same chapter but different perspective. I like doing that. Experimentation is fun. No flames or anything.