NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ AND LET THE CHAOS COME, READ IT FIRST AS THE PREQUEL TO THE TRILOGY OF KAMI NO NARUTO. OTHERWISE, CONTINUE READING THE STORY.

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Kami's Messenger

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The earth calmed and the Kyuubi calmed with it as time seemed to freeze, leaving the Yondaime to watch in amazement. A light from the heavens descended, and a single figure steeped forward, a smile playing on its face. Seeing Namikaze Minato before him, the figure stopped and looked right at the man.

Kami smiled sadly.

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Prologue

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The Yondaime blinked and rubbed at his eyes; just a minute ago, all had been chaos. Death, blood, destruction: the Kyuubi surely was a monster, costing the lives of all these shinobi. A righteous anger had burned within him- There was nothing even being accomplished by this attack! And so he had tried to activate the Shiki Fuujin, what he saw as the only possible effort that could stop the fox. An act of self-sacrifice, it had been.

The word here was tried.

Mouth agape, Minato watched as the whole world seemed to calm in the presence of this divine light radiating from the heavens. A tear, unknown to him, slid down his face and he felt bathed in light and in radiance. He felt whole, but a part of his mind tugged at him, reminding him of the threat.

Turning to the Kyuubi, the Hokage saw, to his shock, not a mindless beast, but a majestic animal, the bloodlust and hatred gone, replaced with reverence and shame. A final shudder took it though, and the fox bowed its head.

Reeling in confusion, Minato turned back to the radiant figure and saw a man there, walking softly toward him on what appeared to be a staircase of light. "Kami," he breathed, and the very fabric of space and time seemed to scream to him in whisper, Yes it is.

The Yondaime looked around frantically sudden panic and was stopped when the being before him abruptly appeared in front of him, hand cupped around his cheek. "Calm," the god spoke, and Minato did, another wave of rightness flowing over him.

The Namikaze's mouth worked, but no sound came out. Nearby, the shinobi who had been fighting stood as if frozen, unmoving. "But- how?" he questioned, stuttering. The deity only smiled sadly before looking up into the sky.

"Us gods have many plans, and I have need of what will happen here tonight." Kami turned his ancient gaze onto the Hokage and the man shivered. "Normally, it is forbidden, but tonight, I must intervene personally."

"Still!" Minato blurted out. "I thought that I was summoning-"

"My brother, the Shinigami?" Kami asked amusedly, interrupting the blond-haired Hokage. He chuckled a bit at the mortal's face. "He has his own duties on this night.

"Kami-sama," asked the Hokage, suddenly kneeling. "May I… may I ask why you have come?"

"I have no need for ceremony," Kami said, eyes twinkling, and Minato stood, as if a weight had been lifted from his back.

"Now, I cannot tell you the full story, but I can tell you one thing that is central to these events, those present and those yet to come." Minato stiffened. "Your son."

"What? But, Kami-sama-"

"Do not question me, Namikaze Minato," said Kami, his face growing weary. "I have much to consider lately, and your son, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, is vitally important to events about to unfold." He regarded Minato with that ancient gaze and the Hokage felt compelled to respond.

"But he's just a child! An infant! He's newborn!"

"But not forever," Kami answered, and Minato fell silent.

"One day yet to come, your child will have a vital role to play in order to aid in the preservation of humankind." Minato looked ahead quietly, as if entranced by the god's words.

"I, who hold the keys of Time, have seen the kind of person your son is- and will be." Kami chuckled once more. "If there is anyone who can help us, it is he." His eyes grew grave.

"There is a threat far greater than you can imagine, Yondaime Hokage, and your son will be needed to fend it off. As gods, we are forbidden from interfering directly- but we are free to use proxies." Seeing the man's mouth move soundlessly, Kami answered amusedly, "Yes, I have plans for your son as an avatar of my power."

Sensing Minato's protest, Kami held up a hand and continued. "He will be free to accept or reject it as he pleases, and though it will cripple me, I will not force him to take on a burden that he has no wish for- though, as I understand his spirit, he will do anything to protect those he loves."

"Will I be able to raise him, to teach him?" asked Minato, fearing the response.

Kami shook his head sadly. "I am afraid that the wounds you have so far taken will be the cause of your death nonetheless, and you are needed greatly in Heaven. A great leader such as yourself must be able to help all in need- and not just the living," he chided gently.

Silence followed.

"Please," said Minato quietly. "At least… can you keep watch over my son? I hope… I need…" He trailed off, as if unsure what to say. Kami only put a hand on the man's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"I give you my word, as a binding oath of an immortal, that a shall do my utmost to protect your son. In addition, you will be able to observe him from above, and, if he accepts this mantle, you will be able to see him and meet with him."

A great tension went out of Minato's body. "Very, well," he choked out. "Th-Thank you." He smiled once more as he felt the gentle power of Kami flow over him, and then vanished in a flare of blinding white light as he left the physical plane, gone as a mortal yet now an immortal soul.

The formerly frozen shinobi began to stir and shout, and Kami turned to the Kyuubi. "As for you," he said disapprovingly, but the fox bowed its head once more.

"Forgive me, Kami-sama." The Kyuubi said breathlessly. "But I was taken by a foul power, and I- I lost myself."

But Kami only smiled. "It is acceptable," he said reassuringly. "You have been held captive this night by the powers of Yomi."

"Yomi-" the Kyuubi shuddered. "How-"

"All will be seen to in due time," Kami said. "But for now, you must do as this shinobi intended, and aid his son until he comes into his powers."

"This will be your penance," Kami continued. "You will be sealed inside the soul of Uzumaki Naruto for the present. Do you accept this?"

Though the kitsune's first loyalty was to Inari, he knew and respected Kami's near-omnipotent power. "I do," he said automatically, unquestionably obedient, and he too vanished in a flash of light before reappearing as a fox's head above the baby's navel and disappeared.

"Now," said Kami to himself. "All must go as originally, so…" He raised his hands, and suddenly, all the shinobi remembered was that the fox had attacked, and had been sealed by the Yondaime using the Shiki Fuujin. Kami vanished as they cheered, though happiness turned to shock as the soulless body of the Yondaime fell from Gamabunta's back.

All that remained was a faint twinkling of light- but that soon vanished as well.

And then all that remained were the stars, and the moon.

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AN: Okay, prologues done.

Alright, so I am REALLY kind of annoyed with people not knowing what's going on. If you don't know, then read the prologue. Just go to my profile- you can't miss it. And Let the Chaos Come. Read it. Now. Seriously.

Anyway, R&R!

-SoS, out!