Prologue
The Yondaime was panicking. The Kyuubi was only a few minutes away and his wife had just given birth to a girl, before dying due to the stress placed on her body by the Kyuubi's jyaki and a premature birth. He was lost.
He chuckled to himself as tears streamed down his cheeks, "Naruto…no," the Yondaime shook his head, "You're a girl…you shall be known as Ryuko Uzumaki Namikaze, the last of both clans. You are my child; you will be the last jinchuuruki, the savior of this village…of this world. Forgive me. Forgive me for doing this to you, but I cannot burden anyone else with this. Only you, Ryuko, have the strength to withstand this burden." The Yondaime, no Minato Namikaze wiped away his tears and paused, staring at the sleeping face of his daughter…
"You are going to lead a harsh life, but that will only make you stronger…with every hardship you overcome your spirit and mind will grow. You will become strong and I will make sure of that." The Yondaime turned his head sharply, spiking his chakra as he did so. Immediately a silver-haired anbu dropped down in front of the Yondaime.
"You called Yondaime-sama?"
"Ah yes, Kakashi… I need you to do me a favor. It's something I can only ask of you."
"Hai, sensei."
Good, I need you to go to the Sandaime. Tell him that her name is Ryuko Uzumaki Namikaze…"
Kakashi glanced down at the bundle…"She's yours then?"
"Yes…but listen, go to the Sandaime and tell him that I sent you for the forbidden scroll as well as the scrolls in the vault in the Hokage Mountain. I need you to take the scrolls, my daughter, as well as Itachi Uchiha with you outside the village. If not…terrible things will happen. Sarutobi will understand and will give you scrolls that have further instructions from me…"
"Wait…you knew this would happen?"
"Kakashi, I didn't know…I just went with a gut feeling…you will understand in time. Please Kakashi, I am doing this as a father, not the Hokage…if Ryuko stays in this village…I'm afraid for her. Please listen to this selfish man's words, as your teacher, as your friend, your older brother…please.
"…why?"
The Yondaime grinned lopsidedly, "The Kyuubi is coming."
"…you…you…you're going to seal the Kyuubi in your own daughter? Sensei!!!" The Yondaime…no Minato shook his head as he smiled a strange smile before looking fondly at the blond in his arms.
"I cannot wish this fate upon anyone else. I am only a man, but at the same time, I am the Hokage and a father…I cannot place this burden on anyone else. My daughter will be the only one strong enough to withstand the Kyuubi's influence. The Kyuubi is the strongest of the tailed bijuu and if even the Sanbi is said to have driven his container insane, then what about the Kyuubi? The Uzumaki's are known for their strong will and mind prowess; I also feel that the Kyuubi will protect my daughter. His attack is…too strange. He is said to be the…"
"…protector of Konoha, the Guardian of Fire. So then, why?"
"Why attack the village, right? That too is something I do not know. But you and Itachi should be able to find out…no you will find out."
"Sensei, why do you speak as if you are not going to be there?"
The Yondaime smiled fondly at the young anbu in front of him, knowing he was making the right decision… "Kakashi, the seal I designed requires a human life…a sacrifice." The Yondaime looked at his student, "Protect her. In my daughter you will find a reason…and that reason will make you stronger." With that said, the Yondaime jumped out the window with Ryuko and hiraishined away. Summoning Gamabunta, the two old friends glanced at each other, then at the rampaging Kyuubi, then to the village. Gamabunta turned his head towards his friend and summoner, glancing at the bundle in his arms…
"The tadpole yours?"
"Yeah…"
"This is going to be the last time I'm going to see you…isn't it kid?" The Yondaime nodded and looked down at the bundle he held in his arms. His eyes widened in surprise…Ryuko's eyes were open.
Gamabunta looked up sharply, sensing something off…"What's wrong kid?"
"…no…nothing…maybe not, nothing. It's as if she knows what I'm about to do…she's only a baby," there was a pause and the Yondaime glanced down at his daughter… "YES!!! MY BABY'S A GENIUS!!!"
Gamabunta paused and chuckled, "Only you kid. Only you would scream that out in front of the Kyuubi."He shook his head "You shouldn't be so surprised brat. She's yours isn't she, yours and that red-haired brat's? You two were always too smart for your own good…looks like the smarts passed down. Oh shit, that means…Good god not another one…you better pray to Kami-sama that she turns out to be like you and not Kushina, otherwise I will bring you back to life and kill you again in the worst possible way possible."
The Yondaime chuckled. "Don't think that's possible, my souls going to be in the Shinigami's stomach…tough luck beating that. You ready to go down in history old man?" Minato ran through a combination of seals, "Hop to it old man, I'm not going to get any younger."
"No respect at all…I'm going to let it go this time." Gamabunta leaped towards the Kyuubi and unsheathed his tanto to slash down…only to find himself stopped by tails and a grinning jaw… "You need a breath mint you damn fox and that's coming from someone who doesn't even have a sense of smell."
The Kyuubi growled, "Fool summon. Did you really think that you can stop me? You and what army you cursed toad?"
Gamabunta shrugged, "Who said I'm going to stop you and besides my grandpa can stop you and he can't even move…he even has short-term memory loss…"
The Yondaime groaned, "Gamabunta, stop agitating him and get stalling."
"All right kid, you ready?"
"Did you even have to ask? I was born ready old man…SEAL!" The Yondaime's chakra enveloped the Kyuubi and Ryuko as a dark mist gathered behind him, condensing into a humanoid figure. The Kyuubi began to struggle as the figure cut the strands that tied the Kyuubi's immortal soul to its physical body. The Kyuubi began to fall while fighting, until there was a bright light and no evidence of the Kyuubi remained.
Minato looked down at his daughter in wonder, "So this is the Shinigami's power…to be able to merely cut the strings tying the Kyuubi to this plane of existence and seal him inside my daughter in only one minute; no wonder he is a God. Live well, my daughter and all will be…" The Yondaime's body began to fall with a smile still left on its face.
Gamabunta caught Ryuko with his tongue, setting her down amongst the branches of a tree and smiled, "You will be special kid…" before poofing back to the summon world.
Meanwhile Kakashi was furiously building hopping towards the Hokage tower and as he burst open the door, he saw the man known throughout the shinobi nation as, The Professor looking out of the window with tears running down his aged cheeks.
The Sandaime whispered, "So it has been done…all there is left to do is call Weasel in."
Kakashi looked quizzically at the Sandaime. "Sandaime-sama, you knew?"
"The crystal ball in the office is not just there for decoration Kakashi. It's there for a purpose, just like everything else in this world."
"You mean…you have already…"
"The scrolls have been sealed, all of them. I even added a few of my own…actually a lot of them."
"But why…?"
"You mean why go so far for a simple child?" The Sandaime chuckled, "Ah, Kakashi you are still too young. Tell me Kakashi, if you were in my stead…what would you have done?"
"…I do not know…"
"Exactly, but Minato did know, and it is only because of him I am not making a mistake… perhaps in another world I could have made a mistake, but not in this one."
"What exactly do you mean by mistake?"
"Tell me Kakashi, if I were to go out there right now, in front of all the villagers with Ryuko…and told them: the Yondaime is dead because he has sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi into this child…tell me Kakashi, how would they react?"
"…the retired shinobi and the veterans would understand and treat her like a hero... but the younger generation and the villagers would treat her like a…that's what sensei meant…"
"Do you understand now Kakashi? Minato was like a son to me as well as a friend. His daughter is my granddaughter and I will do all that I can to help, even if it means breaking by vows as a Hokage...don't you love loopholes.
"Loopholes, Sandaime-sama?"
The Sandaime grinned before starting, "As of now only you and I know the Yondaime is dead…technically, I am still in retirement. I am not the Hokage…at least until the council reinstates my title."
"Sandaime-sama!" Kakashi stared in disbelief. Was this really the man once known as the God of Shinobi…he whispered to himself, "We're doomed…"
"What? When you get old like me, you'll find things you like to do as well. For me…it's politics and making those old coots on the council angry…"
"Cough…hypocrite…cough."
"Ahem, right now Konoha is weak. Konoha is falling apart. Danzo will try to act as soon as word gets out that Minato is dead. That is why I am doing this now and not later." There was a pause as Sarutobi shook himself out of what looked to be a stupor, "Itachi will be here shortly."
"Hai, Sandaime-sama." Sarutobi looked solemnly out the window. He never looked older then he did at this very moment: his eyes seemed sunken and his wrinkles more pronounced. As he let out a sigh an anbu appeared before them, pausing slightly at the presence of Kakashi.
"Did you call for me, Sandaime-sama?"
"Take off your mask Itachi, you too Kakashi." Both anbu looked at each other before reluctantly taking off their masks.
"Good, my kage bunshin should be back shortly with Ryuko; in the meantime, I will explain everything that Minato wanted me to explain and what I want you to do.
Both men looked at each other and nodded, "Hai, Sandaime-sama."
"Now no one knows yet except us. I am sending you on a mission, a SSS class mission. No one will know the details except for us, not even the anbu commander. Your mission is to take Ryuko Uzumaki Namikaze out of this village and out of the elemental countries. You will protect her…and you will be her everything…her fathers, her brothers…her everything.
"S…S…Sa…San…Sandaime-sama," Kakashi and Itachi looked at the old man in front of them in disbelief, "You cannot be seriously implying what we think you are implying…can you?
"Imply what? Oh dear…I must be going senile in my old age…" Sarutobi snickered to himself, "Not."
"Did you say something Sandaime-sama?" The two men looked suspiciously at the Hokage, "We could of have sworn…"
"Of course not…do I look like that type of person to you?" Sarutobi coughed and began, "Back to more important things." He looked around and sighed, "Of course…"
"What is wro…," Kakashi paused and took out a five pieces of paper from his pocket and began to place them around the room evenly. He turned and began to speak, "We have one hour tops, until the seals wear out that is."
Sarutobi grinned at Kakashi, "I knew you'd come in handy one day…I mean…nevermind. Anyways, what I am about to tell you is a secret, a secret that only Jiriaya and I know…I also suspected Minato knew as well."
"WELL!?!?!?!?"
"Well, the elemental countries are not the only countries in existence. Rather we are one in a million. Beyond our "world" lies another: a mix of society and culture that is much larger than our own."
"Come again, Sandaime-sama, I'm afraid I had some ear wax stuck in my ear." Kakashi spoke as he blew something off his pinky…
"NOOOOOOO!!! Not on my floor…I just cleaned it…" The Sandaime sobbed to himself before glaring at Kakashi, "Now, before I was interrupted…This is a hidden continent, or rather a hidden island that does not exist to outsiders."
Itachi paused, "Sandaime-sama, how does this island not exist? What do you mean by outsiders?"
"This continent, the one we shinobi call the hidden continent, does not exist to people outside this island. Centuries ago, even before the bijuu came to this land, our ancestors created a barrier, a barrier that separated our world from their world. This barrier repels ships and other forms of transportation as well as other forms of technology other than what we already have, away from this island. In reality, we, the shinobi continent do not exist therefore we, the people should not exist."
"What do you mean we should not exist?"
"I mean exactly what I said. To us, it has only been a few centuries, but to the outsiders it has been even more…it has been over a few thousand years. Any trace of a true shinobi does not exist in the outside world; our kind does not exist. The world out there is different, so much more complicated, and yet, at the same time, so much more peaceful. Ah, forgive this old man's musings…You two will take Ryuko and travel, experience the outside world, train her, and become stronger yourselves. After all, you will be in a new world; who knows what you will find out there. I will keep in contact with you through Jiraiya. Do not be worried…everything is in that scroll. Do you accept this mission?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama," the two men answered. Kakashi and Itachi looked at each other before asking, "…Hokage-sama, where is Ryuko?"
The Sandaime sweatdropped to himself, "Oops can't forget the most important part of this mission now can we. I apologize…my clone is waiting for you two at the Valley of the End. You will have five minutes to get ready and…actually let's make it thirty minutes. You will be gone for a while and you probably need to empty out your bank accounts and houses…so thirty minutes to get ready and be out of the village. Dismissed." With that the two ex-anbu shuunshined out.