Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto nor do I own the rights to FMAB.

Hello everyone, for better or for worse you could say that I am back! Finally my muse decided to return to me, after a long breakup period!

Sudden story idea that had popped into my head, especially when I just re-watched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood again. Once again I have to reiterate that it is still one of the best anime that I have had the pleasure of watching, plot-wise as well as animation-wise. One character that caught my interest (besides the bombshell known as Lust) has to be Greed, both as his first form and as Greed-Ling. His character and powers were what drew me to him in the first place, especially since he was killed off in the anime.

Possible pairings off the top of my mind: Guren, Hanabi, Yugito, Yūgao or a harem.

So as a result, this idea popped into my head and has been festering there for many weeks until the result is seen strewn out before you. Enjoy!

Prologue: Rebirth of Sin

When his supposed 'father' had cruelly decided to cut short his existence from the mortal plane, he did not expect any form of afterlife since he was basically an artificial product created using forbidden techniques. However apparently having a core composed of multiple tormented souls classified him as a living being, which was why Greed's ethereal form was now floating in an empty white space with an ominous looking metal gate towering over him.

The gate was composed of two giant metal slabs that worked as the doors, upon their surface were multiple alchemy-related carvings that he could not decipher but was sure that were important. The gates were sealed firmly shut and nothing else existed within the empty plane of existence.

"Man if this is heaven... it really sucks." Greed could not help but comment offhandedly.

"You could call it heaven..." A voice spoke up from behind causing the soul fragment to spin around in surprise, only to see a rather disturbing figure sitting on the previously unoccupied ground. It was roughly the shape of a teen human child and that was where the similarities ended, it had no features except a wide grinning mouth that occupied the bottom half of its face.

"Whoa shit! Where the fuck did you come from?"

"As I was saying you could say that this place is heaven... or even hell. Some people call this space, or maybe the universe and others may call this purgatory. This is the place where all things begin and all things end." The figure answered enigmatically.

"Okay... and who are you supposed to be?"

"Who am I? One name you might have for me is the world, or you might call me the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am All, and I am One. So, of course, this also means that I am you." Truth, as he had introduced, grinned as he extended his finger towards the apparition of Greed. "Greed the avaricious, Greed the homunculus, I know what you are."

"Oh really now? Please do enlighten me, I've been dying to know what I am ever since I was born." Greed mocked in sarcasm.

"You are the accumulation of all the Greed within the Philosopher's Stone that was created at Xerxes, a cardinal sin given form and life by a pathetic artificial life-form attempting to play god. You are an abomination to the natural order of the world yet at the same time... you have evolved past that." Truth spoke, its grin never leaving.

"What does that even mean?!"

"What does it mean? It means that... you are interesting. You destroyed the boundaries that contained and retrained you, you have effectively transitioned from a Homunculus into something more... something human."

"Bah human, Homunculus, I don't care. I know what I am Greed the Avaricious, I want women, fame, power, wealth! I want-"

"Another chance at life?" Truth cut in mid-rant, his signature grin etched out on his blank face as he looked at the dumbfounded expression on the ethereal figures face.

"Wait... what? You mean you can revive me?"

"I can... but I won't."

"But you just said!"

"I did and I can revive you but I'm not going to... or at least not in the manner that you thinking of. Your time in that world has passed, the 'truth' that you have learnt will follow you always... even into your new lease at life." Truth said as he clapped his hands together.

Greed watched transfixed as a portal formed between the separating palms of the God-like being, he managed to make out a distorted view of a village under attack by what he assumed to be a giant fox with nine tails. He could see the inhabitants of the world performing impossible feats such as blowing fireballs from their mouths, walking on walls and many other feats.

"Well fuck me sideways, how are they doing that without any alchemy circles?! Not to mention that giant ass fox rampaging all over their asses, damn that's badass!" Greed shook in laughter

"The world that you will be entering is inhabited by a different kind of Homo-Sapient, they have evolved a secondary circulatory system of some sort that carries a strong vital energy that allows them to perform these amazing feats that you just witnessed. Worry not, part of the 'truth' that I will impart to you will contain all the information you need to know about these 'Elemental Nations'. Before any other questions, let me explain the full context of your reincarnation." Truth snapped his fingers as the image displayed in the portal switched to that of a crying child laying along on a bed.

"A baby?"

"Not just any mere babe, this will be your host. The catalyst of your second lease at life if you will. Very much like how you interacted with Ling, now you will share the same bond with this boy. However you will not be able to seize control of his body like you did with your previous host, only if he grants you permission then can your consciousness take over. A rough life lies ahead for this child, and by association, you as well. Many will seek his death, though be it for personal reasons or part of a much larger scheme..."

"That's a pretty tall order God, you sure you're looking at the right person for the job?" Greed said with a speculative look.

"I am Truth, I am everything so that means I am also you. If I believe that you are the right person, does that not also mean that you believe in yourself?"

"That's some pretty deep shit... well that is better than floating around this stupid endless void for the rest of eternity! Where do I sign up?"

"Excellent, I knew you would agree." Truth stated with his grin, getting a snort from the greedy spirit. "He will retain all of your Homunculus powers that you originally had, which was the manipulation of the carbon atoms inside the body. However in addition to that, the 'Truth' that I will impart to you will give a significant boost to your current repertoire of powers."

"Now that's what I'm talking about! So what will he be able to do? Shoot lasers from his eyes? Ice breath? Flight?"

"Now where's the fun in revealing them to you? I'm sure that together with the boy, you will be able to discover what new secrets that your powers hold." Truth said before turning towards the portal. "Prepare yourself, the time of your departure approaches."

The two figures watched as the blond-haired man perform a technique that apparently summoned the Shinigami (God of Death), which then proceeded to seal half of the giant fox's power into the man. They watched as the parents of the child leaped into the path of the descending claw to protect their offspring, sealing their fate as the light slowly left their eyes. After a few parting words from parents to child, the final sealing commenced. Greed felt his essence slowly being absorbed into the portal as Truth watched, grin still in place.

"Looks like I'll see you around eh?" Greed chuckled as the last of his ethereal form vanished into the portal, which then faded out of existence.

"Everything revolves around equivalent exchange, for something given, an equivalent has to be returned... now what shall I do with you I wonder?" Truth pondered with his grin in place, arm outstretched and pulsing with the blue glow of chakra.

Konohagakure no Sato
2100hrs
5 Minutes after the sealing

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, was not a man that was easily stumped by life. One did not get the title of 'The Professor' by sitting around twiddling their thumbs when a situation reared its head, a great many wars have been averted due to his sharp mind and intellect. However the great Sandaime was stumped as he gazed at the sleeping visage of the blond-haired, whisker-cheeked babe that lay in the crib before him.

The child of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato also known as the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Yellow Flash of the Leaf) after he had swiftly dispatched over three hundred Iwagakure shinobi by himself during the Third Great Shinobi War using his signature techniques. The Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God), a complicated Jikūkan Ninjutsu (Space-Time Technique) that used a Fūinjutsu formula on the tags attached to his specialised kunai thus allowing him to teleport to each tag in a yellow flash of light. His second signature move was the Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere), an A-ranked jutsu that consisted of a condensed sphere of rapidly spiralling chakra that would grind away at the target before exploding with lethal force. This was the only shinobi to ever gain the SS-ranked position in the bingo books after the passing of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

On the maternal side, the child was born of Uzumaki Kushina. The last full-blooded Uzumaki of the royal lineage, thus meaning that her Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai was stronger than other Uzumaki. Of which was an increased life-force, chakra pool, the ability to understand and breakdown complicated Fūinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) with a glance as well as manipulation of raw chakra. She was also the previous Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox), though she never relied on the Bijū to attain her well-deserved S-rank within the bingo book.

Nor was that the end of it, the babe was now also the Jinchuuriki of the Yang half of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko. Even with only half of the beasts' power sealed inside him, it was still a lot of destructive power that anyone would pay to get their hands on. Added together with his lineage, that just painted a huge bright red bulls-eye on the boy. Which was why he was extra careful not to let any information leak out to the populace yet, information was power after all. At the moment, only he and his personal ANBU unit knew of what had transpired.

'I can't let a clan adopt him as that would just cause unnecessary problems in the balance of power, I can't send him to Danzo… that's such a horrible idea that I can't even remember why I even considered it…' Hiruzen pondered internally as he used Katon manipulation to ignite the scented tobacco of his pipe, he took a small puff before blowing out a ring of smoke.

"I also can't leave him at the orphanage… while I am not as ruthless as Danzo, I also understand that this young babe holds a lot of potential. Potential that should not be wasted. Any ideas?" He asked aloud, as if talking to himself yet knowing that his trusted bodyguards remained hidden in the shadows.

"If I may Sandaime-sama?" A rather lanky silver-haired ANBU dropped from the shadows of the corner of the room.

"Any idea is welcomed at this point." He gestured for the man to carry on.

Removing his mask, the man revealed himself as Hatake Kakashi. A shinobi famed for his usage of the implanted Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) within his left eye socket, earning him the moniker of Sharingan no Kakashi (Kakashi of the Sharingan). Within the circle of ANBU operatives, he also garnered another nickname. He was known as Reiketsu no Kakashi (Cold-Blooded Kakashi), for dispatching every single one of his foes with a single-minded focus and without mercy. He was also the student of Namikaze Minato and the son of Hatake Sakumo, the Konoha no Shiroi Kiba (White Fang of the Leaf).

"As you know, Yondaime-sama was my sensei… Minato-sensei was also like a father-figure to me. He gave me reason to live after I lost both Obito and Rin, he saw the excellent shinobi in me that I myself did not see. I also acted as Kushina-san's shadow for the entire duration of her pregnancy, on order of Minato-sensei. I… I would like to repay my debt to him by at least raising his son into the fine shinobi that I know he will be." Kakashi stated with conviction.

"Hmm… you raise a good many points Kakashi. However are you not part of my Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactics Squad)? Where would you find the time to raise a child?"

"I would gladly resign from my post if it meant being able to repay my debt to Minato-sensei, I believe that my position would be easily filled by another capable shinobi." Kakashi replied.

"I see… while I am proud of your dedication towards your deceased sensei, I am afraid I cannot grant you custody of young Naruto here." Raising a hand to forestall any arguments, he continued. "The reason for my decision is that your reason while valid, is not exactly something I can permit. You see raising young Naruto as a form of repentance rather than genuinely caring about his wellbeing, you know what I'm speaking is the truth!"

"Sandaime-sama…"

"In addition to that, you are also the strongest member within my ANBU unit. With the destruction caused by the Kyuubi's rampage, chaos and anarchy would be soon to follow. Not to mention the fallout that will happen once other villages catch wind of what has happened this night, your services in ANBU will be needed during this trying period."

"I… understand Sandaime-sama." Kakashi whispered in defeat as he placed his mask back into place, once again blending back into the shadows.

'Minato deigned that Jiraiya be granted custody of the child were something to happen, but I already deployed him to run damage control with his spy network. Tsunade… has not been seen ever since she took off all those years ago with young Shizune. That leaves me with… Orochimaru.' Hiruzen stroked his beard as he pondered about his last student, who also happened to be the only one within Konoha's walls at the moment. 'Orochimaru is smart, resourceful and talented. Plus he also knows what it is like to be an orphan, he also has no apprentice to speak off…'

"I have decided… Kuma (Bear), please fetch Orochimaru of the Sannin for me."

A scarce few minutes later and a cylindrical plume of smoke erupted in the middle of his office, clearing away to reveal the pale-visage of his student and member of the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja). Clad in a rather battle-worn Jounin outfit of Konoha shinobi, the rather tall man with waist-length black hair and golden eyes with slits in the pupils, cut an intimidating figure.

"You called for me Sensei?" Orochimaru asked, his voice with its usual raspy quality to it.

"Hai... I have something of utmost importance for you to do." The Sandaime said with a cough, taking another long drawl of his pipe. "You are among the few privy to the marriage of Namikaze Minato to Uzumaki Kushina, this babe before you is the result of their love. Meet Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

The Snake-Sannin's eyes widened in surprise as his gaze raked over the small child, small tufts of blond hair and a whisker-marked visage hardly spoke of anything remotely dangerous. Yet the man knew of the power within the young baby, he could feel the aura surrounding the crib and he knew exactly what had transpired.

"Minato… he sealed the beast within his own son. Turning his very own flesh and blood into a living sacrifice… a Jinchuuriki." Orochimaru stated in amazement, not believing the Yondaime capable of performing such a task towards his own new-born. "With the lineage of both his parents… plus the power of the strongest Bijū at his beck and call…"

"Exactly. Now you see why I have called you here, I want you to be the one to raise Naruto."

Orochimaru was stunned speechless, Kakashi was stunned speechless and even the other ANBU operatives within the confines of the room were stunned speechless at what their leader had decided. While Orochimaru was not the worst parental figure, he certainly was not the best choice either and the man himself would concur with that statement. With his ruthless attitude in battle, cold indifference towards his comrades and generally unpleasant aura. Everyone wondered what exactly the elderly Kage was smoking.

"Sorry Sarutobi-sensei, I believe I must have suffered some kind of trauma to my head thus resulting in a form of hearing deficiency. I swear I heard you say that you wanted me, Orochimaru of the Sannin, to raise a baby."

"No your ears are perfectly fine Orochimaru, I did entrust young Naruto's upbringing to you. While there may be some qualities that you indeed lack, don't forget that you are also intelligent, cunning, resourceful and a genius shinobi. I am sure that you will raise this child to be a fantastic shinobi of your calibre, or to an even greater height." Sarutobi explained his reasoning before gesturing towards the crib. "Remember that nobody is to be informed of Naruto's burden nor of his lineage, he will be informed of them at your own discretion but emphasise to him that he is to keep it a secret until he can properly defend himself."

"Hai… I understand Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru bowed respectfully before picking up the sleeping babe in his arms and walking out the office, mind still in turmoil.

"Are you sure that was a wise idea Sandaime-sama?" Kakashi's voice echoed from one of the corners.

"Only time will tell… only time will tell…"

Not too long after, his brief respite of peace was broken by the arrival of his three advisors. Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo were all long-time friends of his, the former two being his teammates and the latter being his rival in all but name. Mitokado Homura was known for his masterful use of Katon Ninjutsu (Fire Release Techniques), bordering on the mastery displayed by Uchiha clan members that were born with a strong affinity for fire styled techniques. Utatane Koharu was famed as the original Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, though her real prowess lay in her sharp intellect that rivalled the minds of the best Nara strategists.

Shimura Danzo was a different case from the former two, he was not famous throughout the Elemental Nations yet shinobi have all heard of his exploits and abilities. This was a man that embodied the true will of a shinobi, striking from the shadows and fading away before anyone could even notice. The man specialised in his Futon Ninjutsu (Wind Release Techniques) along with a penchant for laying traps and using deceit to accomplish the job for him. Thus earning him the moniker 'Yami no Shinobi' otherwise known as the 'Darkness of the Ninja', symbolising his ruthless methods and shady character.

'Yet there is not a person who loves Konoha more than him.' Hiruzen thought to himself, allowing a small smile to splay across his aged face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Now is not the time for your usual antics Hiruzen, the village has been heavily crippled by the Kyuubi and we lost a good third of our shinobi forces. I know that the Yondaime has sealed the beast away, where is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko?" Danzo said straight to the point, his voice sharp and determined.

"Sharp as ever Danzo. However I do not see how the Jinchuuriki would be of any concern to any of you, I have already made plans for his upbringing and training." Hiruzen replied in kind, tone indicating that he would not entertain any of their foolishness.

"We are your advisors, we need to be privy to this kind of information!" Homura interjected.

"And I care why? Do I need to remind you three that I am the Hokage? If I so choose to withhold said information from you, then all you can do is agree and suck your thumbs even if you disagree! The less people that know of our Jinchuuriki means the less likely that the information would be leaked out, that is not something that we have the resources to deal with at the moment! Imagine the assassins and kidnappers that would follow in the wake of such information getting out!"

"…apparently you have put much thought into this. I retract my statement. I shall entrust this matter to your judgement Hiruzen, don't let me down." Danzo conceded, inwardly pleased that the tactical genius of his rival still burnt bright behind the wrinkled visage.

Surprised by the quick concession of the bandaged elder, the other two tried but failed to come up with a proper counter-argument towards their former teammates' statement. Begrudgingly they also laid the matter to rest, instead choosing to bow their heads slightly before leaving the room. Danzo gave a small nod of respect as he followed them out, briefly glancing at the portrait of the Yondaime Hokage for a moment before closing the door behind him.

"…well that went better than expected." The Sandaime remarked, getting silent nods of agreement from his hidden guards.

Orochimaru's Home/Lair

For quite possibly the first time in his life, the Snake-Sannin found himself stumped. Slumped on a simple wooden chair, he stared at the blond-haired babe sleeping on his couch. While the man may be a genius when it came to the various Shinobi Arts, as well as several theoretical things, he did not have the slightest clue about raising a child.

Orochimaru was neither stupid nor gullible, he knew that he definitely was not the first person in mind when the elderly Kage was thinking of a suitable guardian for the child. Jiraiya or Tsunade, even kakashi would have been better suited in the upbringing of a babe. However in the same manner he had deduced that, the pale-skinned man also knew that his teacher had his own reasons for coming to this decision.

"Okay let's look at this from a different point of view… I've read multiple books on the human psyche as well as books on the biological makeup of the human body. How hard could raising a child be?" Orochimaru said to reassure himself, slightly succeeding in boosting his self-confidence up again.

Little did he know how much those words would come back to haunt him.

Within the confines of baby Naruto's Mindscape

Greed groaned as he cracked open his eyes, he blinked a few times to adjust them to the dim lighting of wherever the hell he had ended up. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he had a fully functional body once again, it was modelled after Ling as that was the way he looked when he had discovered his humanity. Popping his bones, the man leapt to his feet and begin several stretching exercises to limber up his muscles.

"Yeesh, where the hell did that stupid God drop me? This place looks like a sewer, except it doesn't smell as bad." Greed grumbled as he took in his surroundings, noting the strange energy that flowed through the pipes of the supposed sewer.

Closer inspection of the pipes showed that there were two different kinds of energy, chakra was what they called it, flowing through the pipes. The main pipelines were humming with a soft blue glow, as the smaller sub-pipes that connected to the main ones were pulsing with a much deadlier crimson glow. Greed grasped his head in pain as a sudden influx of information assaulted his brain, this was the 'truth' that was being imparted to him as part of the deal.

Several minutes passed as the Homunculus struggled to piece together the information, it took a good chunk of an hour for the memories to fully assimilate into his brain. The first realisation was that he was now sealed within the child, Naruto, and the area he had woken up in was the subconscious realm of his host. The pipes represented the chakra circulatory system, with the larger pipes being the main chakra network and the smaller pipes representing the function of the seal that filtered a portion of the Kyuubi's corrosive chakra into the main network.

"Oh that means I'm not alone inside this dreary place! Time to find big, bad and fluffy I guess!"

Whistling a jaunty tune as he strolled down the narrow pathways that consisted the majority of the mindscape, Greed followed the direction from which the secondary pipes emerged. Eventually he came upon a large clearing that resembled an old-fashioned boiler room, except with large metal gates held close by a flimsy piece of paper with some scribbles on it. Deciding that was the most likely place the giant fox demon could be residing, he walked right up to it and rapped his knuckles against one of the bar.

"Knock, knock! Anybody home?" He shouted into the darkness of the cage, waiting for a response of some kind.

BAM!

Which came in the form of a giant orange-furred arm shooting out of the cage and smashing him face-first into the ground, kicking up a large spray of sewer water into the air from the impact. The fox grinned, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth, as it crushed the pathetic human that had dared mock him within his cage. However the glee soon turned to shock as he felt movement from under its paw, quickly jerking it back when he felt two sharp objects bite into it.

"Geez cranky little fucker aren't you? All I wanted to do was introduce myself, yet you try to squish me under your paw like a bug…" Greed mocked as he revealed his carbonized form, entire body a dull matte-grey with red lines tracing around his body. "Unfortunately you will find this bug to be rather hard to kill ne?"

"You… I remember being sealed into the infant child of that blasted Yondaime Hokage! How is it that you are here with me, this is the representation of the boy's subconscious mind… you definitely aren't the boy, nor do I believe you are even fully human. I can sense the taint in your soul, a dark and chaotic power resides within you." Kyuubi raised its hand and placed a claw directly in front of the Homunculus' chest.

"You're right, I am not human. At least not fully. Let me introduce myself…" Greed chuckled as he spread his hands open into the air. "I am Greed the Avaricious! I want women, power, fame, glory, wealth! Everything in this world I want to be in my possession! I am the personification of all of humanity's sin of greed!"

"…"

"Geez everyone's a critic! Well I was all of those things, now I just want to do one thing… and that is to make sure this kid becomes the biggest badass in the history of the Elemental Nations!" Greed smirked as he placed a hand on the claw in front of him. "And I know exactly how to go about doing that…"

"If you think that I would assist you in training this pathetic whelp then you are sorely mistaken, there is no way I would stoop so low as to associate myself with disgusting ningens (humans)!" Kyuubi roared as it made a grab for the Homunculus, only for him to slap the attempt aside.

"As I always say, there is no such thing as no such thing~" Greed taunted with a grin, figuring that he had about five years to convince the bitter old demon to see things his way.

And so begin the tale of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto!

So thus ends the prologue of my newest venture. Naruto will have all the powers of Greed during his stint in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe as well as a plethora of new powers, they will still link back to Greed's ability though! (Manipulation of Carbon atoms)

Remember to review who you think should be the pairing for this story! I've got a rough idea about who I want... or it could be a harem again... I think I will leave it to you, the readers, to decide! As always, you know the females I won't accept so don't place their names!

IMPORTANT! On a side note, I am trying to catch up with all of my older stories. Currently working on the next chapter of 'Path of the Samurai' as well as the first chapter of the remade 'Force Unleashed' that has been a long time coming (rejoice!). So I will leave it up to you all to decide, which of my stories do you want to see me complete/pay more attention to?

Path of the Samurai

Force Unleashed remake

Brethren of Fangs

Ghost Squad

This Story?

Drop a review to let me know!

Ja ne!