Title: The Living Yondaime
Author: Mitsuko-chan
Date: 1-1-2010
Summary: What difference would it make if the Third sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi instead of the Fourth? What would Naruto's life have been like if his father was still alive?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this work.
Claimer: I do, however, own this story, its ideas, and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.
A/N- Well, this is my first Naruto story, so please be kind. I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I'll try my best. Unfortunately, I have a busy life so I don't get as much of a chance to write as I would like. (And when I do get a chance, I have no more motivation…) Anyways, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: The Kyuubi Attack
…When combining the kokoro and eien runes, it is important to remember to maintain a close associatively with the elements and incorporate these natural elements to create a firm foundation. This foundation is fundamental in time and space mutability to maintain the yin transference and the yang infusion. Be circumspect in integrating the seishi rune to invoke the eternal elements of life and death…
Minato sighed, leaning back in his chair. Letting his head fall back to rest on the back of his chair, he placed one arm over his eyes as he closed them in exhaustion.
This job is going to be the death of me…heh, no pun intended.
Minato pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to alleviate the pain creeping into his head. He knew he had to be tired if he was making corny jokes to no one other than himself.
"I mean, Jiraiya-sensei isn't even here…" Minato mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, I am," the toad Sannin replied, popping in through the window.
Minato jumped in his seat, accidentally slamming his hands against his desk and knocking all his paperwork all over the floor.
"Jiraiya-sensei! What are you doing here?" Minato gasped in surprise as he scurried to pick up all his notes before his sensei could see what he was doing.
Jiraiya didn't answer, giving his student a calculating stare. "What were you so caught up in that you allowed me to surprise you?" he shrewdly asked.
Minato inwardly cursed his teacher's ability to read him and know when he was up to something.
Minato forced his voice into a steady, even tone. "Nothing, sensei," Minato said, gathering all his strewn paperwork into his arms.
Jiraiya reached down and picked up a paper that had been partially hidden under the desk. Minato flashed forward to snatch it out of the older ninja's hand, but Jiraiya turned away, keeping it out of his student's reach. He stared at the paper in his hand, scrutinizing it. His expression resembled a thunderstorm when he glanced back at the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
"What is this?" Jiraiya growled in a low, dangerous voice. He held up the page so Minato could see its contents.
It was the fuinjutsu construct for sealing the Kyuubi into a newborn baby, most likely his soon-to-be-born baby, to create a jinchuuriki. Minato stiffened, not moving, holding his breath as he tried to find some excuse, some way out of this. But this was Jiraiya, his sensei. He was a seal master himself and would automatically recognize what the seal was for.
Ever since learning of the Kyuubi's imminent arrival, Minato had begun researching (not the same way his sensei did) possible ways to defeat a bijuu. There were very few methods to be found. Bijuu, by their very nature, were the strongest of all demons—the kings of demons, really. They were so strong they were worse than a force of nature itself. Each method of annihilation was more risky than the previous ones he'd found, and absolutely none of them were guaranteed to work. Unfortunately, every method also came at a terrible price—the castor's life, unless he could find some way to defeat it during combat, which wasn't likely.
It wouldn't be so bad if Minato could just be sure that whatever tactic he used would actually work. That was when he had come across a reference to the human sacrifices known as jinchuuriki. By sealing the power of a bijuu inside a newborn baby, the demon would be contained, its power potentially accessible for use. But then he'd discovered the negative aspects of someone hosting a bijuu.
Jinchuuriki were always hated and feared. Scorned by the ninja villages they lived in, they were usually treated as nothing more than a living weapon. If they were recognized as anything at all, it was only as a tool.
This type of psychological oppression usually led to instability in the host that drove them to an early death; either because they were a failed weapon and their village disposed of them, from prolonged exposure to the demon's youkai, or even suicide from depression. Jinchuuriki lived hapless lives and were pitiable creatures.
Minato detested the idea of treating the host as if it were the demon itself. If nothing else, the hosts were heroes for keeping their villages protected from the bijuu. People were so stupid sometimes. Minato swore when deciding upon this route that Konoha's jinchuurki would be viewed with respect as the hero he or she would be or at least treated like a normal human being.
Another common problem he had found was the seal construct. The seals allowed for the host and bijuu to interact and communicate—this was necessary for the host to access his bijuu's power. But most of the seal constructions allowed the bijuu to influence their host as well. This meant that they were relatively weak in keeping not only the bijuu from escaping but also from possessing the host.
Immediately, Minato set about finding a way to rectify this problem. He wanted to enable the jinchuuriki to use the bijuu's power, but not let that power consume the host. Using his advanced ability in fuinjutsu and his creative ingenuity, Minato had succeeded in creating a seal that would protect the host, but also give them the strength of the bijuu. In fact, due to his seal construct, the host should be able to absorb the bijuu's power at a steady rate, keeping the child safe from too much exposure to the demon's chakra, but also eventually eliminating the demon itself over time. Eventually, the demon's soul would be consumed and all that would remain for the host would be its chakra to access and use at will. It was this seal construction that his sensei currently held in his hand. This meant he knew what Minato was planning…and what it would cost him.
Instead of trying to deny what his teacher already knew as the truth, Minato turned defensive, his expression angry and defiant as he clenched his hands into fists.
"You know what it is, Jiraiya-sensei," he said quietly, gaze studiously fixed to the floor.
"And just when were you planning on sharing this idea with me that you were going to run off and get yourself killed?" the toad Sannin hissed, sounding like a boiling teakettle as his voice rose in pitch.
"I wasn't," Minato answered, finally lifting his head to look his sensei straight in the eyes.
"Why?"
"What was I supposed to do?!" Minato exploded. "Something had to be done and this is the only feasible option! If I had let you know, you would have tried to stop me. And here you are, just like I knew you would. There's nothing any of us can do. I have to do this; I didn't want you to feel guilty over my death when this is my responsibility!"
"And what about your new family? They need you; Konoha needs you. You are one of our greatest assets, Minato! Did you ever think about that? Who are we going to find to take your place? There is no one!"
"I'm sure that—"
"Did you ever even think, if you had consulted the Professor or me, we might have found an alternative before you came up with such a harebrained scheme?"
"And what alternative is there, Jiraiya-sensei?"
The man paused for several seconds, considering his answer. He apparently came to no reasonable conclusion because he shook his head in frustration.
"Don't do this," he pleaded instead of answering.
"You know I must."
"No! We'll come up with something else," Jiraiya insisted. "I'll talk to sensei, and together the three of us can come up with a better solution than this."
"I'm sorry, sensei; there is no 'better solution'."
*~***~*
Jiraiya was as good as his word. He collaborated with his own sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and while they discovered that creating a jinchuuriki really was the best way to secure the village, they also knew that Minato shouldn't be the one to do it. Of the three of them, the most obvious choice was the Third. He had lived a full, ninja life and was a retired Hokage. He had the power and strength to accomplish the task and was technically no longer needed by the village, as he wasn't an active ninja. The way he saw it, Ninja weren't made to die peacefully in bed—this was his last chance to protect his home and claim the resounding glory that came with it. Besides, who would want to put up with all that paperwork after finally getting free of it?
Minato was a new Hokage, husband, and soon to be father; they could not let him give all that up when something could be done about it. It was for the younger generation to replace the old, not for the old to replace the young. The village needed a strong commander like the Yellow Flash, and they weren't going to let his stubbornness be his undoing…at least, not his time.
That was why, almost a week later, Jiraiya found himself rushing to the Hokage tower as the Kyuubi drew near the village gates. Death and destruction were already abundant in its wake. He had to keep Minato from facing the Kyuubi; that was in Sarutobi-sensei's hands now. The two had snuck into the Hokage's office and made copies of Minato's plans to defeat the Kyuubi, planning out their own version. Now they just had to keep Minato from interfering…
Luckily, the fourth Hokage was just preparing to leave his office as Jiraiya entered the building.
Looking up at the toad Sannin, Minato said, "Now, sensei, we already went over this. There's nothing you can do, so don't try to stop me."
The only thing Jiraiya said was, "I'm sorry," before hitting his student in the back of the head, knocking him out. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Jiraiya drug his student back into the Hokage's office. He made his precious student comfortable, laying him on a cot kept for when the Hokage needed to sleep in his office.
Jiraiya froze as there was a knock on the door. He opened it a crack and peered out, blocking the view inside the room with his body. A ninja subordinate stood outside cradling the newborn baby Naruto in his arms. Jiraiya knew Minato was planning on using his own baby. Minato's notes he'd found on the subject were quite thorough. They weren't just notes; it was more like a journal, describing his reason for every minute detail. Everything was broken down and factored into its barest principles, not a single aspect forgotten.
That was why he knew Minato believed in order to be seen as a hero, there was no host better than the Hokage's own son. Besides, Minato was so kindhearted, he just couldn't bear to sacrifice one of the village's children if he wasn't willing to make the ultimate sacrifice himself. And who better to handle the power of a bijuu responsibly than his own son? It would also offer the child an extra layer of protection since he wouldn't have his father there to help him.
"Um…Jiraiya-sama?" the ninja in front of him questioned, releasing the Sannin from his thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Hokage-sama told me to bring his son to him in his office, since he needed to do something before leaving for the battle front."
"Yes, I told him I'd take care of it so he could go on ahead," Jiraiya said as he reached for his godson.
"Hai, Jiraiya-sama," the ninja replied, passing the baby over before bowing and jumping away
Jiraiya expelled a large breath in relief as he took the baby inside the office. Jiraiya sighed, looking down at the sleeping Naruto. He smiled sadly at his godson, knowing that this one moment would forever change the child's life as he became the village's humans sacrifice, its jinchuuriki.
"Well, kid, looks like it's time to do our part. Now, let's get you ready, Naru-chan."
Naruto's aquamarine eyes opened as Jiraiya transferred the baby from his arms into a basket, which he placed in the middle of the room. Seems, Minato-kun had been prepared after all. After gathering together all the needed supplies, Jiraiya began drawing the necessary seals on Naruto's stomach. The cold ink and soft, tickling brush made the boy squirm and whine. His little hands waved frantically, trying to make the offending object go away, and Jiraiya was forced to hold the little baby still to finish the seal without messing up.
The entire time, he sympathized with the child, cooing, "I know, buddy. I know; just a little bit more and then I'll be done."
When he finally finished, Jiraiya released the child and continued drawing sealing characters on the ground around the basket, finally ending with the placement of six lit candles in their proper positions around the sealing circle.
*~***~*
East of the village, the countryside lay wasted, completely devoid of life as if a fireball scorched a long gouge in the earth as it sailed by. Unfortunately, such a tragic natural occurrence would have been preferable to what was presently occurring. The Kyuubi no Kitsune had finally breached the outer wall, the last barrier leading into Konoha. Luckily, their final line of defense—ninjas—were not quite yet exhausted.
But they will be soon if I don't do something, thought Sarutobi morosely, looking around at all his fallen ninja. So many dead and injured. If Sarutobi didn't turn this tide quickly, there would be precious little to rebuild and come back from.
The strong commander had returned; The Professor was once again clad in his ninja armor as he jumped into the fray, encouraging his underlings by his mere presence. They all cheered as he sped by.
He maneuvered his way up close to the Kyuubi, drawing its attention to himself. It roared at him. The breath of the Kyuubi itself was enough to blow several surprised ninja back into their equally surprised comrades.
Only Sarutobi remained out in front of the fox now as he maintained his position by sticking to the ground with charka. Seeing that his opponent was still before him, the Kyuubi flicked one of its massive tails in Hiruzen's direction, forcing him to dodge.
The Sandaime tried several different tactics to make his way closer to the fox, but everything he tried was blocked or countered. It was at that point that he realized this was no ordinary bijuu attack. Someone was controlling the Kyuubi, telling it what to do. Using a location jutsu, the Professor found a ninja huddled far away on an outcropping of rock where he could view the entire vista of Konoha and thus watch the battle as it took place.
From what little he could see of the man, Hiruzen noticed that he had dark clothes and hair, and wore a mask over his entire face.
Figuring he only had one option remaining, the Third completed the hand seals for the summoning jutsu and slammed his hands into the ground. Enma the monkey king appeared beside the Professor and together they faced the raging kitsune.
"Quite the unexpected situation, Sarutobi. How do you intend to defeat this enemy?"
"I have a plan, I just need your help on it. Also, I need you to get word to my successor that the Kyuubi is being controlled."
"Controlled?"
"Yes, by that ninja over there in the mask."
"Understood."
And with those words, Sarutobi transmuted the monkey king into his bo-staff transformation. Planting one end of the bo into the ground, the Sandaime jumped up onto the other end, balancing and maintaining his footing with charka.
Catching on to what his summoner intended, Enma extended his length so that Sarutobi was level with the Kyuubi's eyes. The mighty bijuu continued to attack what it considered to be an annoying bug, while Enma jumped around dodging the attacks.
Together the Professor and his summon looked like a bouncing pogo-stick as the Sandaime prepared the handseals for the Shiki Fuinjustu. The Sandaime gasped in pain as he felt the chilling hand of the Shinigami embed itself in his chest cavity, continuing to latch onto the yin portion of the Kyuubi's soul.
Darkness enveloped the entire battlefield, obscuring the Professor and Kyuubi from the view of the other ninjas. The darkness carried with it the eerie sting of death passing by. Then, suddenly, the area was flooded with light as an explosion rent the air, showering everything in glowing red sparks of the Kyuubi's remaining youkai. A puff of smoke off to the side signified Enma's return to the summon world.
All was calm for a total of two seconds before the ninjas noticed the puff of smoke dispersing irregularly. That was the only warning they had before a blast of air shot out from the epicenter of the explosion area. The shockwave of air exploded outward, picking up dirt and debris, creating a hail of deadly wind. Projectiles made up of the kunai and shuriken that ninjas had previously been throwing at the Kyuubi were now picked up in the wind and shot back toward their owners. Ninjas dodged and blocked as much of the incoming debris as they could before they could find some type of shelter.
When it finally ended, all was still and quiet once more.
*~***~*
Jiraiya and Naruto had only a few seconds to wait before they heard it: a great roar of the Kyuubi, followed by a sound like rumbling thunder as the earth shook to its very foundations. The Hokage tower was then pelted with a concussion blast of wind, debris, and the Kyuubi's tainted youkai.
At that signal, Jiraiya completed Naruto's sealing by infusing the circle with his charka after he formed the finished sealing jutsu. The charka infused seals flashed and suddenly a torrent of the Kyuubi's remained youkai inundated the room and flooded into the seal on Naruto's belly. The child screamed in fear and pain as all the seals on the floor retracted into the main seal on the baby's stomach, imprisoning the greatest known bijuu.
Once it was finished, the rumbling stopped, the wind died down, and all became silent and still once more. An eerie silence descended over everything, following in the wake of chaos and destruction having run their course. The only sound that remained was Naruto as he cried from the trauma and lingering pain of the experience as he lay in his little basket surrounded by the lit candles of the ritual.
*~***~*
A/N – Well, I hoped you like it so far. Please review and tell me what you think. No flames, but constructive criticism welcome. Also, I'll be looking for a good Naruto beta reader if anyone would be willing to help me out. Thanks for reading!
NOTE: I would like to present whoever with the opportunity to write for a Challenge/Contest.
Living Yondaime Challenge/Contest
The Challenge essentially follows the same rules as the contest only is not constrained by a time limit and won't be judged. The Contest will be open for entries for an entire year (which is why I'm posting this on the New Year). Final chapter submissions will be due by December 31 at 12 am.
Please write in all caps either LY CHALLENGE or LY CONTEST depending on which you are writing for in the summary of your story. I will be making a community for all these stories so other people can read them if they want. So, please either LET ME KNOW about your story by either leaving me a message in a review or by emailing me at: mitsuko (dot) chan (at) yahoo (dot) com. (No spaces or caps; and replace the words in parentheses with their corresponding symbol.)
I will (do my best to) read and judge all the contest entries after their final submissions. Depending on how many there are, it may or may not take a while. But I will narrow the choices down to a specific number (that number will be determined by the number of entrees), no more than 100 at the most, but it will most likely be less than that. Then I will create a poll for others to pick the top story. Sorry, you don't get a physical prize, but you could win cyber flowers, fireworks, and cookies along with the title "The Living Yondaime Contest Winner." And I suppose I'll do a second and third place winner also.
Contest/Challenge Rules
1) Minato must be alive (he doesn't have to raise Naruto from childhood, or remain the Hokage, he can have memory loss, a handicap of some kind, whatever, he just has to be alive). So, either figure out a way for him to defeat Kyuubi without sacrificing himself, or someone else does it, or something.
2) Kushina must be alive, but she can reasonably be missing (in other words, she has a good reason for disappearing). She has to make appearances in the work.
3) Kyuubi must be sealed into Naruto.
4) The story must be focused mainly on Naruto.
5) Accurately depict how a living Yondaime would influence (or not influence – such as if he's missing or has no time to spend with his kids due to Hokage duties, etc.) Naruto and the way he acts in cannon.
6) Optional – Naruto has siblings.
7) Optional – Naruto receives assassin or ANBU training.
My basis for judging the stories will be based on these four things:
Consistent Cannon Characterization – if they are not cannon-like characters, there has to be a good reason for it explained in the story. No random OOCness just because you're too lazy to look stuff up in the manga or anime. Some websites you might find helpful for this: tailedfox (dot) com – anime, www (dot) onemanga (dot) com (forward slash) Naruto – manga, and www (dot) leafninja (dot) com – general Naruto guides.
Ability to follow the rules – if you're not going to follow the rules, why bother? Just make it for the challenge instead of the contest in that case.
Plot Originality – Sorry, this is something really big for me. Plot is my most favorite aspect of writing. I love really complicated, twisted, and involved plots...for some strange unfathomable reason. The plot can be simple, but make it good, please!
Overall Quality/Realism – Please do your best to write well. That means use spell check, possibly find a beta reader, whatever, just try to make it so people can enjoy what you write.
I will also be posting the Challenge/Contest information on my profile if you want to look for it there.