A/N: Hello and welcome to my own version of Naruto! I'm going to warn you early on because I know there may be a few problems with it - Naruto will seem incredibly godly throughout the early parts of the story up through, say, the Tsunade Retrieval Arc. I'm also changing up some of the characters to make them seem a lot more... ah, useful to the story. It is my belief that the thing only worse than killing off an incredibly important character (cough, Hiruzen Sarutobi, cough), is keeping around an absolutely god-awful useless character who only served one purpose early on in the story. The Sasuke fangirl club will still exist, but I'm going to make each character far more mature than they were made to be in the original manga. Additionally I'm going to loosely stick to canon events, but I'm going to throw in a few twists, as obviously I need to due to Naruto being a Kumo ninja. There will be absolutely no harem. Pairings will be Naruto and Yugito, Sasuke and Sakura (no I'm not siding one way or the other), Kiba and Hinata, Shikamaru and Temari, Ino and Choji and a few select others when I make a final decision. There might also be some Tsunade and Jiraiya action, who knows. One last note, early on in the story it's going to seem like the only thing written is narrative, but I promise by the third chapter there will be a lot more substance. I promise. Anyway, that said, enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I, obviously, do not own Naruto, nor would I ever be capable of keeping such a successful manga going.
Konohagakure, October Tenth, 5:24 PM
The air in the village was still – almost lifeless. There was no autumn breeze sweeping through the streets, a fact that made many of the citizens of Konoha nervous. A fact that wasn't helped when everyone remembered that Kumogakure had sent its Yondaime Raikage and a group of Kumo's own ANBU Black Ops a little over a week ago to negotiate a more permanent peace treaty. The attitude between Kumo and Konoha was tense, and everyone knew it. Kumo was widely known not to possess many Kekkei Genkai, a weakness caused by the lack of clans within Kumo. However, Kumo possessed more jinchūriki than the other four elemental nations. This seemed to offset the imbalance between their lack of Bloodlines.
This peace agreement was looked upon as strange by everyone in the Lands of Fire and Lightning, as both nations had been at each other's throats for what seemed like millennia. The catalyst for this treaty was a strange mutual respect that both the Yondaime Hokage and Yondaime Raikage seemed to hold for each other. They both were the fastest shinobi in the entire world, none capable of matching their speed. Save, of course, for each other. The Raikage and Hokage had both grown weary of the reports of small skirmishes between their shinobi on missions, a fact that was only amplified by the war between Iwa and Konoha.
However the treaty had been signed. The Raikage and his guard were planning on leaving the very next day to return to Kumo with news of this new alliance. Trade would soon boom, and many merchants were excited with the prospect of a new source of income. However, as the Raikage would soon learn, nothing ended normally in Konohagakure. A, as he was known, was simply walking down a rather large thoroughfare and enjoying the warmer air of the Land of Fire when he stopped. He noted quickly that the other shinobi around him had stopped as well. So I'm not the only one, he mused, who seems to sense this sudden presence. But it's strange… It's almost like the Hachibi, but that cannot be right—
He was interrupted as a large eruption of smoke in the center of town blew through the air.
"Kyūbi!" he heard. Screams filled the air as the civilians around him began running for their lives. A blood-curdling roar sounded from the smoke, and a large blast of air cleared it. A's heart sank. The Kyūbi had been unleashed on Konoha. As if the Kyūbi had heard his thoughts, it opened its mouth and began gathering chakra. The Bijū Dama, A assessed. If that damn thing blows up in this city, Konoha will be destroyed. And I just made peace with them, too. Dammit all. The Kyūbi unleashed the large ball of dark chakra at the Hokage Monument. Much to A's surprise, however, it seemed as if the ball of highly concentrated chakra was absorbed into the mountain. A knew better, and the resulting explosion miles away only confirmed it. Minato Namikaze had arrived.
A joined the fight, joining alongside Konoha's Sandaime Hokage to push the beast outside of Konoha with the help of the Monkey King, Enma. This accomplishment did not mean much, as heavy losses were still inflicted on Konoha. Many shinobi fell as they protected their home. These shinobi possess so much discipline. I'm beginning to respect these Konoha shinobi more and more. However, that does not excuse the fact that Minato hasn't shown up yet! Where the hell is he!? A thought, angry that he seemed to be doing the Hokage's job for him. As if he had heard him, Minato appeared. He was injured and A realized that he had battled whoever set the Kyūbi loose. As quick as he had come, Minato vanished, taking the Kyūbi with him. A cursed. That damn arrogant upstart! If he thinks he can take on that monster by himself, he's sorely mistaken. A, along with several other shinobi and the Sandaime Hokage, rushed to find where Minato had taken them.
Fifteen minutes of searching later, they found Minato, Kushina and what appeared to be a newborn infant. Minato and Kushina were both impaled upon the Kyūbi's claw, and both A and Hiruzen noted the ritual. "They're going to seal the Kyūbi inside that infant!" Hiruzen deduced. A nodded, also coming to the same conclusion. Both men watched in awe as the entire Kyūbi was sealed into the infant. As soon as the Kyūbi was sealed, the barrier fell. Hiruzen and A rushed to Kushina and Minato and rolled them both over. They were still both alive, but barely. A knew they weren't going to make it, but Hiruzen ordered medical attention. Kushina and Minato looked at A, a pleading glint in their eyes.
"Please… Please Raikage-sama… Take Naruto," Kushina pleaded weakly, pointing at the infant. "Your brother is already a well-respected jinchūriki, you can look after him."
A looked between Minato, Kushina and the baby Naruto, curiosity evident in his features. "But why?" he asked, confusion the only discernable emotion in his voice. "You would allow me three bijū? Why?"
His answer came from Minato, albeit weakly. "I fear Naruto will not be respected here. People will not respect him and treat him as a hero. I don't want Naruto growing up alone, Raikage-sama. I want him to know who his parents are, I want him to know that we loved him. But I cannot protect him, and no one in Konoha will do the job as well as you can. Please…" he begged, tears streaming from his eyes. A inspected Minato's features, Kushina giving the same determined and pleading look. A understood. He wanted Naruto to feel loved, despite his parents both being dead. However, he also knew Iwagakure would be out for Naruto's blood. A sighed. A third jinchūriki running around Kumo… Perhaps he and little Yugito will get along. And then she'll have someone to play with other than Bee… A looked once more at the two new parents laying on the ground in front of him. He nodded and smiled, "I promise, you two. Naruto will grow up to be the legend that you want him to be." Minato smiled, "Please, Hiruzen-sama… Let Jiraiya and Kakashi know where Naruto is. I want them both to be able to see him, someday." Minato then turned to A. "Raikage-sama, please, let Jiraiya of the Sannin train him when he is older. I want him to be able to surpass me, someday." A nodded in approval. Naruto Namikaze, he thought with great admiration as he lifted the baby into his arms, someday you're going to be a legend, a hero and a very powerful shinobi. I promise, Minato, Kushina, I will fulfill your wish.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the prologue! Like I said, the next chapter is going to seem dull. Bear with me, please! I promise the quality will improve! Rate/Review/Favorite, please!