Chapter 1.

A/N: I'm not sure where I will be taking the relationship between Minato and Naruto yet. The story will evolve as I write the next few chapters. Reviews are very much appreciated. Enjoy the story so far.

The night was cold. Minato had to hold back a shiver as he surveyed his surroundings from where he was perched on the limb of a giant oak. Breathing deeply in the scent of the damp forest and the cool night air, he took a short moment to enjoy the peaceful night before he had to move on. He looked to the sky, and shortly took note of the layer of clouds working their way towards him. Guess it was, at the moment, the calm before the storm. Hopefully he'd be one his way back to Konoha before the storm itself broke, and get to see Kushina's smiling face soon.

He had been sent on a small mission to uncover the true identity of a person who has been recently tormenting a small village close to the border of the Fire and Wind country. The villagers had came to the ninjas of the leaf when they had had learned of a suspicious man who had taken up residence close to where their village was. Along with his appearance, though, also came the various thefts of the villagers meager supply of food and valuables in the middle of the night. When they had went to investigate, they had discovered the bandit living by himself about a mile from the village itself, who, when they had tried to confront him, had ran them off with some sort of Ninjutsu, killing two of their villagers in the process. This meaning the man was a dangerous ninja, the leader had decided it was not something they could handle on their own, and wanting the man gone, had contacted Konoha. So Minato, being one of the last unoccupied ninja at the time, and the village needing the money at the moment, had been sent alone on this B-rank mission, which he was almost positive would take him a very short amount of time to accomplish.

Deciding to get a move on, he quickly stretched, and went on to run the last mile that would take him into the village. With his speed, he was only about a day's travel from Konoha, and he hoped nothing to serious happened that would delay his journey back.

As he came closer to where the coordinates said the village was located, Minato suddenly noticed a marker jutting from the side of the path, the villages' name scrawled on it. He'd never heard of it before taking this mission, so he wondered what kind of people lived here. Walking a little further in that direction, he rounded a bend the last bend that would take him within sight of the tiny village.

He wondered faintly who the ninja was that would torment such an out of the way dwelling. Because he'd never heard of it he assumed there was not a powerful hidden jutsu or anything similar, and that was usually what ninja of that type were after. Some powerful technique that would make them formidable foes.

His first glance at the village had him pausing for a moment. The villagers must have been very desperate to see this man leave, as it didn't even look like they could afford housing or food for their people, let alone the fee for hiring a ninja. He looked around the unkempt town, noticing the few small buildings scattered about. They looked as if they had seen much better days, as there were various noticeable repairs along the outsides. There was one main path running through the middle of the town, leading to the center, where he could see a few people were gathered. The buildings ran along the sides of that road.

Slowly, he continued walking, hoping not to alarm any of the villagers, as he was a stranger in their midst. He wondered if someone here would come to greet him so they could give him the details he needed, or if he'd have to ask himself. The only people he saw, though, as he looked around, were the ones peeking at him suspiciously from slightly opened doors.

Walking towards the center of the town, he noticed a younger girl peering out the door of one of the more damaged buildings. Slowly walking toward her, he stopped a few feet from her house, putting his hands up in a gesture of peace when she looked ready to bolt back into her home. Speaking gently to her, he pointed at his headband, and asked, "This is the town that has requested help from the ninja of the leaf?"

He watched as a tiny spark of hope glittered in her fearful eyes, and she bolted out the door, giving him a wide berth as she passed.

The girl scampered off towards another building towards the center of town. He watched as she entered, and, moments later, returned with two men accompanying her. He was surprised when, at the appearance of these two men, others also slowly began trickling out of their homes, coming to listen and see what was happening when they heard the news that the ninja had arrived.

He vaguely thought of how fast news travels in such a little town.

As the men walked towards him, Minato took his time in studying them, as they were clearly very important to the villagers. Both men seemed close to the same age, and were similar in face and color, which made him wonder if they had any relation to one another. They both had a thick head of dark auburn hair, tanned skin, and green eyes, but the one on the right was slightly taller, and chose to wear a goatee, while the one on the left was shorter and clean-shaven.

"You are the Ninja from the Leaf?" The taller one said, speaking with a voice that was strong, despite his disheveled appearance. He had seen the man's headband, but wanted to make sure of it.

"Yes, sir. I am Minato, and I'm here to take care of a man that has been tormenting you and your people." Minato bowed slightly, waiting patiently, as he knew these two men would elaborate on their situation in a moment.

The tall one took his time to look over the man before answering. The blond haired ninja seemed, well, familiar, but he couldn't think of how. It'd come to him eventually. Until it did, he began introducing himself and his brother. "We are the Fumaki brothers. I am Juto, the leader of this village. This is my right-hand man, Kota." He pointed to the man beside him. "As I'm sure you learned from the details we sent to your village, we have somewhat of a problem with a certain man who has decided that our village is his own personal picking ground. We have no idea of why he just showed up, but he is strong, and has caused our village a lot of grief." Juto turned slightly to look at the few villagers who'd come up behind him, his eyes filling with sadness as he took in their poor state. There had been a severe drought last summer, and with no crops to sell, the village and its people had suffered more than he could have imagined. He had told himself he'd do anything to protect these people and make their lives easy and happy. He was doing a shit job of it, though.

Minato, sensing the mans thoughts drifting in another direction, slightly cleared his throat. "I know that you've gone through some hard times recently, and sympathize with you and your people. I wish I could do more, but as of right now I can only rid you of the menace making your lives even worse. So please, let me relieve at least some of your burden in seeing this man gone."

"Of course, of course." Juto shook himself, pushing the depressing thoughts aside and focusing on the problem at hand. Thinking of the thief distracted him plenty, as whenever he thought of him he became angry. The guy had made a bad situation worse, and anything that caused his villagers harm or suffering he would gladly get rid of himself. This time, though, with the man being trained in Ninjutsu and having killed two of his men already, he'd need Minato to aid him. "I'll take you to him now. It's about a ten minute trip, so we'll get their very shortly."

With that, Juto began walking towards the entrance to the village, and as Minato began to follow, he glanced back towards the villagers, almost as if something controlled his actions. Drawing his gaze across the dispersing crowd of people, most had their eyes pointed downward, and were beginning to travel the short distance back to their respective houses. One though, the young girl he had spoken to earlier, was looking straight at him with a determined expression on her face. Once she saw that he had seen her, though, she quickly looked away and disappeared into a small crowd making their way back home.

He suddenly had a bad feeling resonate in the pit of his stomach, putting him even more on his

guard as he left the village and began his short journey to the house of the thief. He had learned to trust his instincts long ago, as many times they'd saved him from a hell of a bad situation in the past.

He walked in silence beside Juto until they reached a small stream about a mile from the village itself. Juto stopped, turning to look at Minato with a determined expression on his face.

"Okay. If we walk downstream, his small cabin will come into view in about five minutes. I can't tell you what he'll be doing, but I think we'll be able to get his attention from there. I don't know who he is or what he has been trained in, but I'll be accompanying you, as it's my village this man has been tormenting." Futos eyes glared at Minato, daring him to oppose.

Minato reluctantly agreed, and though he didn't like the idea of the village leader coming with him, he understood the need he felt to protect his people.

"Alright, Futo, if you must. Just stay behind me and watch yourself. I don't know yet what he is capable of, and until I find out, I will keep you safe." Minato watched the man as he said it, knowing Futos pride was about to say he was a man who didn't need protecting, but he cut the man off when he heard a sudden noise in the distance. Futo shut his mouth, and Minato listened silently, on high alert for any danger that could be coming their way.

After a couple minutes, Futo moved closer and whispered quietly in Minatos direction, "It must have been an animal or something, I don't think -"

His voice was cut short as a shrill scream of a little girl pierced through the once quiet forest, in the direction of the thieves house.

Both men raced towards the sound, Minato on alert for any sign of a trap, and Futo dreading what they were about to come upon. He was pretty sure of who that voice belonged to, and he would not let another one of his villagers get harmed, even if it was at the cost of his own life.

Minato reached the small house before Futo, taking in the scene before him. A badly scarred man with dark glasses and black hair was holding a girl up by her neck, smirking at the terrified look in her eyes and shaking her as she clawed at the big hands around her throat.

Speaking gently to the girl, Minato had to strain the hear the words the man was saying.

"-believe I've finally found you. All these years of research and traveling, I never had thought to have found you in such a place, how did you ever-"

It was then the man suddenly noticed the company he had, violently jerking his head towards Minato, eyes widening as recognition clouded his eyes.

He whispered in disbelief, "The Yellow Flash of the Leaf?"

Minato took in the expression on the man's horrid face. He got his first good glimpse of the girl he was holding when he put her down to stare at Minato, but still kept his hand on her neck.

It was the girl from the town that had helped him. The one who had looked to him with determination in her eyes. How had she gotten here before them?

Just as Minato was about to speak, Juto came crashing up behind him, looking to where the man and girl were standing. Jutos face went sheet white, and Minato heard him yell, "Kanae!"

Minato had to hold Juto back as he tried to run to the girl, an act that could possibly get both him and her killed. He had to be cautious, as the man who was holding her was now looking at Minato with dark eyes, and he sensed a fair amount of chakra radiating from him. Oh yeah, he'd been trained as a ninja before, but the question was whether or not he would kill them without a second thought or if his goal was something else. He bet on the latter, as the words Minato had heard him speak told him there was a lot more to this situation than met the eye.

Minato needed to think, and the man squirming in his arms did not help him concentrate.

"Futo, Futo!" Minato yelled at the man until he had calmed down enough to listen. "Stop. You have to keep a calm head, or you could put Kanae in more danger than she is now."

Futo glanced at Minato, and seeing the man thinking deeply, began to regain his senses. "You're right, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm the anger that had enveloped him when he'd seen the filthy man's hands on his adopted sister. Rage coursed through him just thinking of it again.

Minato watched, and, when he was sure Futo wouldn't bolt, let go and left him while he thought. The ninja thief had been watching his little struggle with unblinking eyes, his gaze never leaving Minato. The man knew who he was, so for him to not show an ounce of fear in his eyes had him wondering whether or not the ninja underestimated him, or thought himself more powerful.

They'd see about that.

"As you already seem to know who I am, may I ask what your name is?" Staring into the ninjas black eyes, Minato waited as the man seemed to think before speaking.

"My name?" His voice came out soft and deep, a direct contrast to the rough, grizzly appearance that had taken Minato aback. "You are right. How uncouth of me. I am Zanake, and that is all you need to know. I must say, though, I never expected to see the Yellow Flash in a place like this. Usually one like me only hears about you in tales."

Minato was about to reply, when he noticed the girl suddenly regain her senses, and again she clawed at the man holding her captive. It was no use, though, as he threw her to the ground with one flick of his hand.

"Usually I'd just kill an insolent brat like you. Now stay there. We wouldn't want you friends to die, now would we?" She went still, her eyes filling with fear for her brother, and glared with hatred at the ugly man. She was panting for air and holding her neck from the grip he'd had on her, unable to speak.

"Leave the girl be, Zanake." Minato said quietly, ready to spring into action should he make any attempt to harm Kanae any further.

"Oh, don't talk about her like you know her. If you knew what she was, you'd be halfway back to your ninja village right now." He paused to chuckle to himself, delighting in the yellow flashes ignorance. His eyes, hidden behind those dark glasses, missed nothing, though, as the girl seemed to gather her strength and procur a little knife from her torn trousers and attempt to strike him.

Kanae's teeth ground together as she used the last of her energy in her attempt to keep her village and her brother safe. They had been there for her when she had been lost. They had protected her. Saved her from sure death. Had been like the family that she didn't remember having. And as soon as she had known they had been about to confront the man who had tormented them so, she'd just grabbed her precious knife and bolted, blood on her mind, taking the shortcuts she'd memorized through years now of exploring the trails.

As Kanae flew towards him like a devil who knew only one purpose, he drew from a hidden pouch a much longer blade, and without hesitation swung his arm and aimed it at her heart.

Before Minato could even draw a kunai from his belt, Futo reacted with a speed even the flash could admire. The man closed the gap between them and his beloved adopted sister in a second, throwing himself between the two and taking the knife meant for Kanae in his back. Grabbing her shoulders, he sunk to his knees and Minato barely made out the words Futo mumbled to Kanae, before Zanake ripped his knife from the man's back and backed away, looked puzzled at the situation before them.

"But she's the monster." Minato heard from Zanake, his voice as still as the forest around them.

Kanae then chose to let forth an anguished scream, hands clawing at her hair as she watched another person she loved be ripped away from her.

Minato watched as the girl was torn apart, and he felt a sudden shift in the air that had his insides clenching. Something was happening.

Seeming as though an invisible force gathered around the girl, it only lasted for a single breath before a sudden blue light engulfed the entire clearing, her at the center. Minato heard himself gasp in horror as he was blinded, and his last thought was one of love for his wife before darkness swept in and he could feel no more.

The night was cold. Naruto shivered, pulling at the hood of his cloak to try and shield his face from the worst of the freezing rain pouring in what seemed like a never-ending torrent down on Konoha. The clouds covering the moon made it so the night was dark as the blackest sin, the only illumination being the occasional strike of jagged lightning, and so he was having trouble seeing where his next step was going to land.

Maybe going out for some late night ramen hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

He had, after much careful deliberating (yeah, right, maybe two seconds), decided that it was worth it to brave the upcoming storm to obtain some of his favorite food. He'd run out of everything else, plus he just returned from a mission, so he deserved it. He did. He had planned to make it back to his apartment before the storm broke, but somehow he had misjudged the wind and it had all come crashing down when he was about halfway to the convenience store. He knew the way by heart, so he quickly walked through the back alleyways that acted as a shortcut, taking him along the quickest route. His vision being as impaired as it was, though, had him tripping on a few various objects that were unknowingly blown in his path. As he was nearing the store, however, he tripped over something that had him widening his eyes in shock and hunkering down to get a better look. A man? He thought in alarm, uncovering his hand and finding the man's neck. Alive. Wondering who in the world could be laying in the back of an alley at this time of night with the rain pouring down, he dropped to his knees beside the dark figure and squinted his eyes to see.

He got a quick look as an especially bright bolt of lightning lit the entire area for a second, before everything again went black. Slowly falling backwards into a puddle, his mind went blank just as his heart pounded in his chest. He was sure he had to be going crazy. That face...that hair...the same as the face he stared at every day in the faces of the stone hokage...

He silently whispered in profound disbelief...

"Father?"