Hey everyone, and welcome to the first chapter of Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux! I've taken a long, LONG, LONG, hiatus from writing. But I'm back and I have a lot of drive to start writing again. I decided to start by reworking my first story. I hope you all enjoy the start of what I hope to be a long and really fun story.

"Talking"
"Bijuu
"Talking"
'Thinking'
'Bijuu Thinking'
"Writing"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Trust me. Neither of us would want that.

Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux

Chapter 1: The Answer Lies Within

October 9th, Hokage's Office

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, stood by the large window in his office as he took a break before he started to defeat the ever growing mountain of paperwork upon his desk. He stared out his window across the village of Konohagakure. He could see the village had been decorated for the upcoming festivities. The elderly village leader brought his favorite pipe to his lips and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs as he thought about the fateful and tragic night that they were commemorating.

'Five years. Five years since that terrible day.'

That was when the great demon known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the village, bringing chaos and death in its wake. The great beast destroyed a large section of the city in a tragedy unlike the village had ever experienced before. Many lost their lives, including his own wife. In order to stop the beast and save the village, the Yondaime had to make two of the greatest sacrifices. Not only did he sacrifice his own life to defeat the beast, but he was forced to seal the demon into a newborn baby.

'Sometimes I wish you had let that beast run loose Minato. It certainly would have spared him so much pain.' The Hokage thought to himself with a heavy hearted sigh as he wondered where the child was at this very moment.

The boy in question was one Uzumaki Naruto. By all outward appearances he was just a normal 4, almost 5 year old boy. He seemed to have a smile on his face nearly 24/7 and he played many pranks on people. However, behind closed doors it was a very different story, especially around his birthday. For where most children would have a celebration with their friends and loved ones around, his were filled with loneliness and heartache. It was only last year on his 4th birthday that he was ejected from the orphanage he had called home his whole life. The Hokage quickly found him a place where he could live on his own, with constant supervision of course, he was still only a child. Naruto was sitting in his minuscule apartment talking to one of his caretakers, and one of the few people he trusted in the entire world. Sitting in his kitchen was a tall man dressed in the standard ANBU uniform with a red mark on his left arm to signify that he was Captain Status. On his face was a white mask in the shape of a dog

"Say, Inu-nii, is there any chance that I could spend my birthday with you?"

Hatake Kakashi smiled sadly underneath his mask. He loved Naruto like a little brother. He'd tried so hard to adopt the boy when he was a baby, but as the boy was an orphan with no known parents, Naruto's guardianship was controlled by the civilian council, who time and again denied him from adopting the young blonde. So the young ANBU captain had to settle for being his protector and older brother figure.

"I'm sorry Otouto. But that's not up to me."

Naruto stared at his older brother with a confused look. "Why not? Do you live with someone who doesn't like company?"

Kakashi chuckled at the young boy's innocence.

"No Naruto. It's because I'm part of the ANBU and our identities are supposed to stay secret."

The ANBU suddenly felt his young friend's arms wrap around his waist as he looked down into Naruto's cerulean eyes. Kakashi's heart sank as he could see the tears welling up in Naruto's eyes.

"Please don't leave me alone Inu-nii. I'm scared of what they're going to do to me."

Kakashi knelt and hugged him tightly as he cried into his shoulder.

"Naruto, I'm not going to leave you alone. Don't worry, I've got someone to watch over you tomorrow. He's one of our best new recruits. I promise he'll keep you safe."

"Why do they hate me so much Aniki? What did I do to make them so angry at me?"

Kakashi felt his own tears starting to form beneath his mask. It was insane that the village that his sensei and the woman he saw like a mother both loved so much that he gave their lives for how the village would treat his surrogate little brother so cruelly. He sometimes wondered who the real monster was in the world, the Kyuubi or the villagers.

"Naruto, you've done nothing wrong. You are a great kid and my otouto. There is nothing wrong with you. Say, you know what? I think you might be able to stay with me tomorrow night."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up and his face filled with joy. Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Really. We just need to tell Hokage-sama about it first, okay?"

Naruto jumped to his feet and smiled a genuine smile at the prospect of staying with his surrogate big brother during the most dangerous, at least for him, time of the year.

"Alright! Let's go! Can I piggy back with you this time? The lady at the front desk always gives me mean looks."

Kakashi chuckled. About 3 months ago they'd devised a system of letting Naruto travel without having people glare at him all the time. Kakashi would cast a genjutsu over the boy and give him a piggy back ride. The genjustu would give the illusion to all who saw the silver haired ANBU Captain, that he was merely wearing a supply backpack, a normal sight in a village full of ninja coming and going from missions out of the village.

"Sure thing Naruto." Kakashi did several hand signs and picked up Naruto onto his back as he headed out the window and towards the Hokage Tower. Naruto held on tightly as his older brother headed at high speeds toward the office of the man he considered a grandfather.

Kakashi made his way to the Hokage's office where he was stopped by the secretary.

"I'm sorry the Hokage's not in right now. There was a council meeting he had to attend."

"That's fine. I'll just wait inside."

Kakashi didn't wait for her to respond as he went inside and set Naruto down on the couch in Hiruzen's office as he dispelled the genjutsu. Naurto smiled as he sat on the couch.

"I'm really excited! I can't believe that I'm going to be spending my birthday with you, Inu-nii! It's going to be great!" Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle, he had to admit, he was kind of excited too. He'd never really been invited to anyone's birthday growing up and he and his father always celebrated his with a special trip out of the village. So this would be a first for the both of them.

"Yeah, but remember Naruto, the Hokage has to give you permission to stay with me first. Who knows, he might have something planned for your birthday and wants to keep it a surprise."

Kakashi raised a brow as Naruto's eyes filled with excitement as he started to wander around the office with a determined look on his face.

"What are you doing Naruto?"

"I'm looking for my birthday present! Like you said, Jiji might have something planned for my birthday and he probably hid the present in his office foe safe keeping! I'm sure if it!"

The silver haired ANBU snickered at his little brother's innocence. "Well, I think he has a secret safe behind one of the Kage portraits."

Naruto's eyes lit up as he pulled one of the chairs over and stood on it so he could reach the portrait of the Yondaime. When he tried to pull it off the wall, he cut his finger on one the sides of the frame.

"Otouto, I was just kidding. Hokage-sama doesn't really have-"

He was cut off as Naruto's blood activated a hidden seal on the portrait. The picture began to glow and dozens of kanji and seals appeared before the picture swung open to reveal a secret indent in the wall that held two scrolls. Both of them bore the same name on the seal. "For Naruto"

"I told you he had my present around here nii-san!"

"Naruto I don't think that's -" The young boy was so excited he grabbed one of them. His thumb brushed against the scroll seal and it unraveled in his hand. Naruto began to read it aloud, however it shortly became clear to both Naruto and Kakashi that Naruto wasn't meant to find these scrolls, at least not yet.

The first scroll read:

"Dear Naruto,

If you're reading this either one of two things has happened. Either you have reached the rank of Jounin as planned, in which case congratulations! Or, and let's be honest given me and Kushi-chan's history is the more likely, you were just messing around in the office and happened to activate the blood seal on my picture and the scrolls. But that isn't important now. What is important is you, Naruto. I wish I could have been there for you and taught you all of this myself, but unfortunately life can be cruel to us. Sometimes we have to make decisions that hurt us and those we love most. I had to make that decision tonight and I forced this fate on you. Given how most people in your situation are treated, I pray that the old man will keep what has happened a secret. However, I don't feel like he will. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry for everything that, through my actions, has happened to you. But despite all the pain and heartache, please know that your mother and I love you with all of our hearts. Inside this scroll are sealed the tools and knowledge on how to learn and master two of my own original jutsu, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin, as well as my signature taijutsu style, Hummingbird Style. Be strong for us Naruto, and become the great man we know you were born to be.

Love Your Father,
Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage"

The young jinchuuriki's eyes were full of tears as he read his father's words.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this Inu-nii? And what was he talking about? What did he do that Jiji was supposed to keep a secret?" He looked at Kakashi and managed to say in between sniffs and tears. Kakashi was in shock from hearing that his little brother was in fact his sensei's son. However his heart sank as he heard Naruto's question. He didn't have the heart to tell him, so he said the only thing he could.

"Naruto… I think you may want to read the other scroll first. It may have the answers you want." Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes as he opened the scroll with shaky hands and began to read.

"To my sweet boy,

I love you so much Naruto. Words cannot describe how much it hurts not to hold you in my arms and shower you with all the love you deserve. Love that I know deep in my heart that you have not gotten. I know that you had to carry my burden because I was too weak to hold it when it mattered most. I'm sure Minato-kun didn't introduce himself to you properly, so I might as well. My name is Kushina Namikaze-Uzumaki, and as you may have guessed, I am your mother. Now I have the unfortunate task of telling you what is going to be painful but has to be told to you. You are a jinchuuriki, Naruto. Today on the day of your birth, a day that was supposed to be the happiest in our lives, the Kyuubi was released from its prison and wreaked havoc on our village. Minato-kun is now preparing to do something that unfortunately has caused you the pain you have experienced your whole life. In order to save the village, your father sealed the Kyuubi into you. No, this does not mean you are the Kyuubi. You are merely its jailer. As for why he couldn't seal it back into its old prison. The answer is simple. I'm dying. Yes, I was the Kyuubi's previous jinchuuriki. It is a burden that was passed onto me and now, has been thrust upon you. Fortunately for me, my status as a jinchuuriki was kept a secret from everyone and I was able to live a normal life.

You on the other hand, I fear may not be so lucky. Perhaps Oji-san's intentions were good. But if he did let the knowledge of your jinchuuriki status known, then your life has been filled with unnecessary pain and hatred. I can't even begin to make up for all of this. But I hope that one day you can forgive us. However there is only one thing I ask you to do. Grow strong Naruto. Train hard, grow strong and leave. Leave and find the love you truly deserve. However, this is still your home as much as it is mine and your father's. So I ask you not to hold any ill will towards toward those who are too stupid to realize the difference between a sword and the scroll it's sealed in. So find either Minato's sensei Jaraiya of the Sannin, and please do your mother a favor, make his life hell for me. Be sure to call him Ero-Sennin and kick his ass for peeping on me in the hot springs. Or your father's student Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi will be easier to find. Show either of them this scroll and they will help you in your mission. They owe you at least that much.

I've sealed inside this scroll my swords, Fuchinashi and Fukutsu no En, as well as the katas to learn the kenjutsu style that made Uzushiogakure a force to be reckoned with and helped me earn the name of Konoha's Red Death with our enemies. It is a difficult style to master on your own. I believe you should learn to be competently proficient with Fuchinashi on your own, however you'll need to seek out a master swordsman on your journey to help you learn how to wield Fukutsu no En and master kenjutsu. Show them my sword and they'll know you're my son. I also sealed in the scroll the key to the Namikaze-Uzumaki vault in our clan compound. Take your inheritance with you, and I don't just mean our money. You are an Uzumaki, probably one of the last after Uzushiogakure's destruction. In our home are the countless books on Uzumaki fuinjutsu, it's our legacy and what makes us truly special. I'm sure Minato-kun gave you his signature techniques as well.

Go my dear Naruto. Become stronger that either of your parents and always remember, no matter what happens, we love you and are proud to call you our son.

Your Mother,

Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina, Konoha's Red-Hot Habanero"

As Naruto set the scroll down, the dam holding his tears in broke as he began to sob. Kakashi went to his little brother and hugged him as he cried. After several long minutes Naruto looked up at the ANBU he'd come to call brother.

"Inu-nii… Will you please help me look for my father's student Kakashi? I want to make my parents proud." Kakashi smiled sadly. He wiped a tear from under his mask as he knelt down and put his hand on the young blonde's shoulder

"That won't be necessary Naruto." Naruto's tears of joy and sadness turned aggressive as he began to cry harder, punching the ANBU Captain again and again on his armored chest.

"Why not?! Didn't you hear what my kaa-san wanted? I need to find him!" Kakashi gently grabbed Natruto's hands and held them. He looked into the eyes of his younger brother and saw how much he looked like his parents. It brought several tears to his eye.

"Naruto calm down. You don't need to go looking for Kakashi." The silver haired man removed his ANBU mask to reveal his face. Or at least what wasn't covered by his other mask. He gave Naruto his patented eye smile.

"Because I'm right here, Otouto." He wrapped his arms around the boy as he cried with happiness now.

Hokage Monument, One Hour Later

Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto sat on the Yondaime's head atop the Hokage monument. The brothers in all but blood tried to take in what had happened. Naruto wore the ANBU mask that the silver-haired man had taken off atop his head. He held tightly in his hands, the messages from his parents. He was both excited and saddened by what he learned in the Hokage's office. He was excited by the fact that not only were his parents two of the most powerful ninja in history. But he also got confirmation of every orphan's fantasy, that he had parents who loved him and truly wanted him. However, he was upset about all the secrets kept from him. Why didn't the Hokage tell him who his parents were, why they weren't around for him, and why everyone hated him so much? He looked at his big brother. He too was staring out into the village. Kakashi on the other hand, was having similar thoughts of his own.

'How could I be so stupid!? How could I have not noticed how much he looks like sensei. I knew something was fishy when Hokage-sama told me he had died with his parents!'

Kakashi turned to his little brother and eye smiled. It was nice to be with the young boy. Not as Inu, the ANBU who protected him out of duty, but as Hatake Kakashi, his father's ex-student and his older brother. Naruto smiled back before getting a curious look on his face.

"Nii-san, you knew my parents well didn't you."

"Yes I did, Naruto. I knew them very well."

"Can… Can you tell me a bit about them?"

Naruto paid close attention as Kakashi rubbed his chin as he thought about what he should tell the boy.

"Well, in the field, your father was every bit the shinobi you'd read about in the history books. He was smart, calculating, and one of the greatest men to ever walk the battlefield. He was very serious about protecting his village and those around him. But when he was here in Konoha, he was almost an entirely different person. He would smile a lot, crack jokes, work on seals for various uses, and occasionally ask a random question that popped into his head."

"So when he was working he was serious, but when he wasn't he was kind of an idiot." Kakashi chuckled a bit at his brother's bluntness.

"Kind of. He was always very smart. He just was very relaxed when off duty and he sometimes just let out a random thought. He had a tendency to think out loud."

~Flashback no Justu~

A young Kakashi was sparring with his teammate, Uchiha Obito, in Training Ground 7 while their other teammate, Rin, was reading her scrolls on Iryojustu. Their sensei was sitting on a log, watching the match with intense concentration. Kakashi landed a particularly hard hit to Obito's stomach, knocking the breath out of him and forcing him to the ground.

"You're weak Obito. Your form is nearly non-existent, you can barely hit me, and when you do it feels like a light slap rather than a punch. Sometimes I wonder if you're even an Uchiha. I'm serious. Rin fights better than you and she's a medic!"

Rin got up and slapped Kakashi hard across the face.

"Stop it! Obito is trying very hard. You're a skilled ninja Kakashi, but you're a terrible teammate. Instead of berating him all the time, why don't you try helping him for a change?"

"Yeah. You obviously know so much better than I do. Why not enlighten me?" Obito angrily wheezed as he got to his feet, still catching his breath.

"That's not my job. It's Minato-sensei's. Right sensei? ...sensei?" Kakashi turned to their sensei, who seemed to be still watching them. That is until he spoke.

"Who do you think was the first person to try honey?"

"Huh?" The gennin squad collectively exclaimed as they saw what their sensei had been examining so intently the past few minutes was not in fact the match between his students. But had yet again had his train of thought derailed and then land on a track leading in a completely different direction as he intently studied a honey candy.

"I mean think about it. What person was the guy who looked at a beehive and said to themselves, 'Those bastards are hiding something delicious in there and I know it."

The gennin face-faulted. Instead of training them, their sensei just spent the past five minutes intently pondering the intricacies of fucking honey. The blonde kage popped the small candy in his mouth, stood up, and walked over to his students.

"You're right though. It is my job to train you. However Rin is also correct. You're only as strong as the person fighting beside you. It's your job as a teammate to make sure that you are all working together. Do you understand?"

Kakashi bowed his head. "Hai sensei."

Minato smiled brightly. "Good. Now I think it's time we called it a day. I have to meet someone for ramen."

~Kai~

Naruto laughed at the story.

"Tou-san really was funny wasn't he nii-san?"

"Yeah, but he always was aware of what was going on around him. He may have been focused on a task or some random thing, but he was always mindful of his surroundings. There was only one thing that could capture Minato-sensei's full and complete attention."

Naruto looked quizzical. "What was that?"

Kakashi eye-smiled brightly. "Your mother, Naruto. Kushina-san was the only one in the entire world that would hold sensei's attention indefinitely. She was one of the most beautiful women in the world. She was also a great fighter. I can see quite a bit of her in you, Otouto. She was always so straight forward with everyone. Sometimes that wasn't always a good thing, but she always fought for what she believed in. She also had one hell of a temper. If you made her angry and you weren't Minato-sensei, you had one option. Run. Run and hope she didn't catch up. She also shared your love of ramen. I think that's one of the reasons why she named you Naruto."

The silver-haired man let out a sad sigh. "They would be so proud of you Naruto."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi with a sad smile. He could see how much his brother missed them. He looked Kakashi in the eye and asked him the other question that was on his mind.

"Aniki, can you help me fulfill my Kaa-san's request? Can you help me get strong enough to leave like she asked?"

Kakashi's eye widened. Did Naruto really want to leave that badly?

"Naruto, I… I don't think I can answer that question right now. It's a serious request and I need some time to think about it. Okay?"

Naruto smiled sadly as he nodded in understanding. Kakashi looked at the sky as the sun was very nearly set.

"Come on Naruto. You should get home. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Naruto hopped onto Kakashi's back as they made their way to Naruto's apartment.

The Next Day

Kakashi was sitting in his apartment waiting for Naruto to arrive. He gave Naruto the address last night and told him to come by right after dinner. The silver haired ANBU captain had spent the entire day cleaning his messy apartment as well as hiding his collection of certain orange books not meant for five year old eyes. He even managed to buy and wrap a present for Naruto. He bought his little brother a set of training kunai and a bokken made for him.

As he anticipated his younger brother's arrival, the question he asked him the night before rang in his mind as he racked his brain to find an answer.

'Can I really do it? Can actually help him abandon the village? I mean, I was planning on becoming his jounin sensei when he graduated. But this is crazy. If I let him leave once he becomes a ninja, then he'll be labeled as a missing-nin and marked a traitor. He'll have squads of ANBU sent to find him and kill him. If I don't train him he may just leave without training and get killed anyway. AHHH! What should I do?'

Kakashi was interrupted from his thoughts by a frantic knocking on his door. He rushed over with a large eye smile, expecting to see his little brother. His smile quickly faded as he saw on the other side of the door wasn't Naruto but two ANBU, a woman wearing a cat mask and a man with a bear mask. The man spoke in a respectful tone.

"Senpai, there's been an incident in the village tonight. It's really serious. Naruto's been attac-"

Tenzou didn't even finish his sentence as she was interrupted by Kakashi barging out the door at breakneck speeds without his mask. As they watch him go, Neko noticed tears in his eye as she looked at her partner.

"Kami help the poor bastard who was supposed to be on watch tonight."

Konoha Hospital

Kakashi burst into the hospital room as he saw Naruto on a bed. He was covered in multiple bloody bandages all across his tiny body as he was hooked up to several machines. Kakashi fell to his knees beside the bed and began to weep uncontrollably. This was the scene Neko and Tenzou walked into. Neko walked over to her captain and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He was headed in the direction of your apartment. He was spotted and chased by a drunken mob of villagers. They cornered him in an alleyway. It had been nearly five minutes when we came across the scene. Kakashi, there's more. There... There were ninja in the crowd."

"What happened to Taka? He was on duty tonight. He was supposed to be watching him." Kakashi choked out.

"He reported in for duty but hasn't given his hourly check in yet, sir." Tenzou said.

Suddenly the entire room was flooded with killing intent as Kakashi stood up. Neko and Tenzou could feel their blood chill as the usually relaxed and level headed Captain became enraged.

"Find. Him. And bring him to me… NOW!"

"Hai!" Both Neko and Tenzou saluted as the raced out to find the ANBU known as Taka. They returned several minutes later with a man in the standard ANBU uniform, a mask bearing the likeness of a hawk on his face.

"Taka! Where have you been? You were supposed to be on duty making sure Naruto was safe." Kakashi asked angrily. He shook his head as he could clearly smell a bit of alcohol on his breath, even through the mask.

"The kid's fine. He went to eat tat that ramen place. He always stays there for over an hour eating. So I took some well-deserved time off to enjoy the festivities for a few minutes. So what? I mean how much trouble could he get into eatin-... Oh shit." The man's calm demeanor and indignant attitude dropped as Kakashi side stepped to reveal the boy he was supposed to be guarding in the hospital bed. His blood froze as he felt a gargantuan wave of killing intent hit him. Not only sobering him up but also making him piss his pants in fear as Kakashi grabbed him by the neck and held him against the wall, lifting him up by one arm.

"YOU ABANDONED YOUR POST TO GET DRUNK AND NOT ONLY THAT! YOU LEFT A FIVE YEAR OLD BOY UNPROTECTED TO GET MERCILESSLY BEATEN TO NEAR DEATH! NOW HE MAY DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE AND NEGLECTFUL BEHAVIOR!" Kakashi smirked beneath his mask.

"You've abandoned your duty and willfully defied orders given by your superiors, Taka." All of the color drained from the man's face as he squirmed and begged for his life. Kakashi tossed him to Tenzou and Neko who held him in place.

"Take him to I&T. I'm sure Ibiki would love to have a long, slow talk with Taka-sani while he waits for his trial." The pair nodded as they took the screaming man away. The man was on the verge of tears behind his mask as Tenzou placed chakra cuffs on him.

"Please! Please don't send me to Ibiki-sama!" Kakashi held up his hand as he cried, halting his two subordinates.

"You're right maybe you shouldn't go see Ibiki." The hawk masked man let out a sigh of relief and was about to thank Kakashi for his kindness but stopped himself as he saw that the cycloptic man had lifted his hita-ate to reveal his sharingan which glowed malevolently. "Neko, Tenzou. Send him to Anko-chan. I'm sure she'd just love to find out why her favorite dango eating partner was nearly killed."

Kakashi pulled up a chair and sat down beside his younger brother as the two Anbu dragged away the shrieking Taka. His pleas for help died off and the room fell silent soon after. The silver haired man's blood was boiling. How could they have done this? How could the village he loved stoop to such monstrous behavior. That didn't matter now. All that mattered was his little brother's safety. Kakashi squeezed Naruto's hand as he thought to himself.

'You have to live, Otouto. Heal fast and wake up soon. I hope you're ready when you do. Because when you wake up, your training will start.'

So there you have it folks. The first chapter of Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux. As some of you who read the first one, you'll notice I didn't actually change much to the actual story so far. And honestly that's because I'm actually pretty happy with how the story came out for the first few chapters. My only real problems with the first few chapters were that they were short and that I missed a few details that I really shouldn't have. Chapter 4 was really where I started to have problems with my own work and I think I've developed as a storyteller enough to write the story I wanted to when I first got the inspiration to write it. I hope you all will join me on this new journey.

~Ninja