Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But if I did, oh the possibilities…

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become one himself."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Kushina sighed in relief as the seashore finally came into view. She was the last of the Uzumaki Clan, not counting the new life growing inside of her, and that only made her more determined to uphold its traditions. The seaside cottage that she was now looking down upon was an old one, predating the First Great Shinobi War. It was said to be the home of the founder of the Uzumaki Clan. The place had become an important symbol, and a closely guarded secret. For it had become tradition that whenever an Uzumaki became pregnant she would visit the cottage and stay there for a while, bringing the child to his roots before he was even born.

She stood there for a long moment as the familiar pain of loss washed over her. Her clan, along with the Whirlpool Village, had been destroyed. Actually vanished was a better description. She had journeyed to Konoha to visit Minato-kun. When she came back, the rocky peninsula that had housed her village was gone. She had even used a powerful Suiton Jutsu to visit the sea floor, but had been unable to locate the ruins of her home.

She had been devastated for a long while, much as would be expected from one who'd lost so much. Gradually however, she'd been able to work her way through it. Her passion for life, and love for Minato, was simply too great for any tragedy to overcome. She gained control of her grief in time, and threw herself into life with renewed vigor. She'd married Minato, and then gotten pregnant. That energized her more than anything. She wouldn't be the last of her clan for long, and the Uzumakis would live on in blood if not by name. Her determination and hopes for the future banishing her grief, Uzumaki Kushina squared her shoulders and resumed her trek to the cottage below.

She felt a rising current of emotion as she approached the cottage, but dismissed it as excitement. It wasn't until she entered the cottage that she realized that something was amiss, that danger was afoot. Her hand twitched towards the katana at her hip, but she felt something sharp plunge into her neck before her hand even covered a fraction of the distance to the hilt. She caught a hint of pale skin, black hair, and golden eyes. Then her legs buckled as she fell into blissful unconsciousness.

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The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Saito was beginning to get worried. Kushina had been gone two months now, two months when she'd told him only to expect her to be away for one. He had deferred to her wishes for now. She was as stubbornly independent as anyone he had ever met; and she'd insisted that this tradition of hers was a solo journey, one that he was not to interfere in. But he was only willing to concede so much, and now his mind was made up. Namikaze Minato disappeared from the Hokage's Office in a flash of yellow light.

He reappeared with another yellow flash, and took in all the important details of his surroundings at the very moment of his appearance. The kunai hissed through the air as he pulled it from his holster and swung in one fluid motion. Then the room became utterly still. Orochimaru stood ten feet away, where he had landed after leaping backwards to avoid Minato's slash. A few strands of Orochimaru's black hair drifted to the ground as Minato took in the rest of his surroundings.

He was in a windowless room constructed entirely of stone. Kushina was lying next to him on a cot, and there were several trays of medical instruments lying nearby. Various other pieces of medical equipment were spread throughout the room, leaving little doubt as to what Orochimaru had been using the room for. Minato fixed his wrathful gaze upon the Snake Sannin, and when he spoke; his voice was filled with tightly controlled rage. "To think that you could sink so low Orochimaru, kidnapping my pregnant wife."

Orochimaru's customary grin spread across his face, "Your view point is rather narrow-minded for a Hokage Minato-kun. It is easy to denounce the means when the end is not known."

Minato practically growled in anger as he threw the kunai. "I'm in no mood for your lies!"

Orochimaru moved practically before Minato did, his foot sliding forward to make contact with a ring of seals etched into the floor. A purple barrier sprang into existence almost immediately, stopping the kunai cold and melting it into molten slag. "While I believed I had gotten rid of all the seals on Kushina, I was hardly unprepared for your appearance Minato-kun. This is a new barrier I've developed, and nothing can hope to pass through it intact. Not even your vaunted Rasengan can hope to penetrate it. You should be grateful though. Your son is the culmination, of all that can be offered by both Konoha and myself. He has the potential to be the greatest shinobi this world has ever known."

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his hand on the sleeping form of Kushina. "Someday, Orochimaru, you will pay for your crimes. And I can only hope that I'm there to see it." Then both the Yondaime and his wife were gone in a yellow flash.

Orochimaru stood there for a long time, staring at the space once occupied by Uzumaki Kushina and her unborn child. "You had better hope, Minato-kun, that he grows to fulfill his potential completely."

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Minato reappeared in the lobby of a hospital, his sudden appearance alongside a beautiful redhead causing quite the stir. He acted quickly, before too much of a commotion could be raised. He glanced across the room, and the receptionist felt the full focus of her Hokage fixate upon her like a spotlight. "Take her to intensive care; I need her placed under careful medical observation. If there's any anomaly I want to hear about it immediately."

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Good, and thank you." Minato disappeared with another flash of yellow. This time he reappeared in his office, already biting his thumb and running through a short series of seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

There was a puff of smoke as a small, elderly toad appeared atop Minato's desk. "Minato-chan, what do you need me for?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing you Fukasaku-sama, but I need to speak to Jiraiya immediately. There aren't many toads he'll accept a reverse Kuchiyose from unconditionally."

"I understand." Jiraiya appeared in a burst of smoke a scant second later. He had a dish of sake in his hand, and his posture suggested that he'd been leaning on a bar or something of similar height. Of course, without that support the slightly inebriated Jiraiya collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Jiraiya sat up quickly, preparing to complain about being pulled away from the bar at the worst possible time. He stopped though, as he saw the look on Minato's face. He'd taught the kid, and knew him as well as anybody. And he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen him this serious. The Toad Sage rose to his feet, suddenly all business. "What is it?"

"Sensei, do you know where Tsunade is?"

"Yeah."

"I need you to bring her back here as soon as possible, use Gamabunta to help you cover the distance if you have to."

Jiraiya frowned, "Kid, you know her views of Konoha at the moment; she's not going to take being brought back here kindly."

Minato grimaced, looking out over the village entrusted in his care. "Orochimaru kidnapped Kushina. I don't know if he held her for two months or a day, but either way it's far too long for my comfort. Someone needs to run a full check up on her, and there's no one I trust to do it more than Tsunade."

Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly in shock. Then he carefully schooled his expression to hide the familiar surge of emotions brought about by the mere mention of his ex-teammate, and the worry he felt for Minato and his fiancé. "I'll have her here within a day." With that, Jiraiya disappeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves.

Jiraiya was true to his word, and Gamabunta brought the Toad Sage and the Slug Princess back to Konoha at around noon the next day. Tsunade wasted little time in storming through the village until she reached the Hokage's office where Minato was waiting for her. "Why did you bring me back here? Jiraiya said it was urgent, but refused to offer any more details outside the security of Konoha."

Minato sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Orochimaru kidnapped Kushina, and the brief conversation I had with him when I retrieved her gave me reason to believe that he experimented on my son." He paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath. "I know that examinations of unborn children are dangerous, but we're dealing with Orochimaru and I have to know what he did. You're the only one I trust to examine my son."

The tightening of Tsuande's features didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room; Orochimaru remained a sensitive subject for her as well. "I'll do it."

Tsunade spent four hours with Kushina in an operating room for a procedure she refused to let anybody watch. Immediately after finishing she took several samples to a lab and locked herself in. She stayed in there for two days. As soon as her tests were done she brought a folder full of papers to the Hokage's office; where she was hardly surprised to see Jiraiya, Minato, and Sarutobi-sensei waiting for her. She sighed, opening her folder as she began speaking. "During my examination I found nothing wrong with either Kushina or the fetus. Knowing Orochimaru's tendency for genetic experimentation though, I decided to take several samples from both Kushina and the fetus. I compared Kushina's genetic structure to previous records and found that absolutely nothing had changed, so he didn't do anything to her. The samples from the fetus though," she set the opened folder down on the table, "this couldn't have been natural."

The other three shinobi took turns reading the file, and despite being S-class shinobi none of them were able to hide the shock on their features. It was Hiruzen who broke the silence. "Are you sure?"

Tsunade slumped down in a chair, nodding. "Yes, I lost count of how many times I ran the genetic tests. I am absolutely certain that what you're reading is correct."

Minato looked at her with an expression full of disbelief, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "I didn't even know that such…extensive genetic manipulation was possible."

"I didn't know that it was possible either, and I'm a Medic. Orochimaru always has been able to surprise us, as twisted as he may be."

Everyone sat quietly for another few minutes before Minato spoke. "What you've all seen here is an SS-Class Secret. It is not to be revealed to anybody without express permission from me or in the case of my death, my successor. You would, of course, be able to tell him or her."

Jiraiya sighed, glancing down at the folder once more. "Are you going to tell Kushina?"

"Yes. She knows Orochimaru kidnapped her and has heard plenty about him. She has to assume that the snake did something…and I won't hide it from her."

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The night was October 10th, and a heavy oppressive feeling hung in the air. It was so intense that even untrained civilians could feel it, and several of whom were driven to hysteria. The great Kyuubi no Kitsune was approaching Konoha, even as its shinobi died like flies while trying to fight it. They may not have been able to kill it, or even hurt it; but they could delay it. They knew they couldn't stop the beast but they sold their lives anyway, because they knew the Yondaime could. He hadn't told them anything to that effect, but they knew it just the same. He was the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash. He was the greatest shinobi, the greatest Hokage, the greatest man Konoha had ever known. No matter what happened he would be able to protect Konoha. The shinobi under his command knew this with the certainty of faith, and so they laid down their lives without hesitation to buy him time.

Minato was in his office. It had been cleared of all its usual furnishings, left completely bare except for a simple wooden crib set up in the middle of the room. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya were there as well, both wearing solemn expressions as they watched Minato covering the room with an extraordinarily complicated array of seals. Sarutobi sighed; wishing he had his pipe that Minato had expressly forbade him from bringing into the office. Apparently it may have thrown off the delicate balance required for the seals. "Fate has truly been unkind to this boy. Being the focus of Orochimaru's twisted madness and now this."

Minato paused for a moment from his kneeling position on the ceiling, the last of his seals finally completed. "I know, but I can't rightly ask anyone to make this sacrifice. Besides…if Orochimaru's experiments were a success than Naruto will be uniquely suited to containing the Kyuubi."

"Or the conflicting chakras could destroy the boy."

Minato closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "All of the research I've done, and everything you know shows that that's a highly unlikely scenario. And in sealing a power of this magnitude…the chance that something could go wrong is always present."

Jiraiya spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Look kid, I understand your reasons to use Naruto for this. But with all the adversity he'll face he shouldn't have to grow up without his father. You know that either of us would gladly take your place."

"No…no. As the Hokage it is my duty to go through with this. Besides, using this jutsu on a demon complicates the sealing procedure. There wouldn't be enough time to make sure you fully understood the adjustments. Remember, neither of you can be in the room when this jutsu goes off. And I need you to make sure that no one can get here and interfere with anything, even if it's the ghost of Uchiha Madara himself." He paused a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself, and when he next spoke his voice was thick with emotion, "Goodbye." Then he was gone with a flash of golden light.

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The following day found the Council Chamber in an uproar. Sarutobi, garbed once more in the robes of the Hokage, sat at the head of the table. Barely a day into his second reign and he was already growing tired of the job once more. The object of the Council's debate was one Uzumaki Naruto, currently under the protection of Hatake Kakashi and two hand picked squads of ANBU. The council was embroiled in a bitter argument over his fate; whether to kill him, let him live, turn him into a weapon. It was a mess, and one that no amount of mere reason would be able to solve. Thankfully Jiraiya had arrived, even if he had yet to reveal his presence.

One of the retired Shinobi holding one of the council's elected seats was currently calling for Naruto's death, swinging a kunai down point-first into the table to accentuate his point. Jiraiya decided that it was time to make his presence known. He caught the kunai between two fingers, twirled it out of the councilor's grip and slammed it deep into the wood between the splayed fingers of the man's other hand before the he had even registered Jiraiya's presence. A deep crack ran from where the kunai was plunged into the wood to either end of the table. The people seated at the table all had to scramble away as a loud crack was heard. The table collapsed to the floor in pieces, and everyone present turned their eyes to Jiraiya. Say what you want about the old pervert, but he certainly knew how to make an entrance.

It was Danzo who broke the silence that descended upon the room. "What are you doing here Jiraiya? You don't hold a seat on this council."

Jiraiya almost laughed, finding the idea of the council not wanting the opinion of one of the Dentetsu no Sannin to be somewhat ludicrous. But that would ruin the intimidation he had taken care to instill so he kept his face impassive. "Maybe not. But you seem to have somehow gotten it into your head that the boy's future is yours to decide. However, since he was orphaned by the deaths of Minato and Kushina, and since no prior arrangements were made, custody falls to his godfather…which would just so happen to be me."

There was another round of stunned silence, this time broken by Koharu. "The boy is Minato's son, and you're his godfather? Bold claims Jiraiya, but can you prove them?"

Jiraiya smirked, reaching into his vest and withdrawing three scrolls. "Of course, what do you think took me so long?" He tossed the scrolls to Koharu, letting the advisor unroll and examine them. "That first scroll documents the marriage between one Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, kept secret for various reasons. The second scroll contains more than enough information to confirm that Naruto here is their child. The third is signed by both Minato and Kushina, naming me as the boy's godfather."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Regardless, as a Jinchuuriki the boy occupies a unique position. He has the potential to be a valuable asset to the village, or do great harm should he fall into the wrong hands. I do not think that it is unreasonable to allow the village to have a say in the boy's fate."

Jiraiya leaned forward, and the air suddenly felt heavier under the weight of restrained anger and violence. "There are two things you seem to be forgetting Danzo. The first being that any claim this village would have over Naruto would be a military one, meaning it falls solely under the discretion of the Hokage. The second is that if anyone tries to kill the boy, or turn him into a living weapon, or quite frankly do anything to him that I don't approve of…they'll have to go through me to do it." His eyes swept the room, lingering on the most outspoken of Naruto's detractors. They all averted their gaze hastily, unwilling to meet the Toad Sage's challenge. "That's what I thought."

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Jiraiya is right of course, any claim the village could make on Naruto is of a military nature. And as such the final decision lies solely with me." He paused a bit, feeling the weight of Danzo's scowl. The old war hawk could undoubtedly guess Sarutobi's stance easily enough. "I have seen the seal Minato used to bind the Kyuubi, and it is sound. I understand that the Kyuubi's attack was a terrible tragedy, and that many of you likely hold grudges against the beast. But Naruto is not the Kyuubi, and is as much a victim of the attack as anybody else in this village.

He lost both his parents on the day of his birth. One died after childbirth because the hospital's resources were stretched too thin by the Kyuubi's rampage. The other sacrificed his life to stop the beast, sealing it into his own son. It was because of Naruto that the Kyuubi was defeated and this village saved. Not only has the boy lost his parents, but he's also been forced to bear a tremendous burden for the sake of his village. He's already been through more hardship than anybody should have to experience in their entire life." A brief clouded expression crossed Hiruzen's face as he briefly recalled Orochimaru's tests, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Any of the onlookers would believe his reaction to be brought about merely by the hardships they knew about, he saw no need to tell them potentially inflammatory information that they didn't need to know. "The boy is a hero, even if many in this village are too blind to see it. To that effect I am instituting a new law, effective immediately.

While it is common knowledge amongst most of the village that Naruto now holds the Kyuubi the younger children do not know, and others born into Naruto's generation will remain similarly ignorant. I wish them to remain as such, so as to allow Naruto to live something resembling a normal life. No one is to reveal Naruto's burden to anybody without explicit permission from the Hokage or the boy himself." His eyes hardened, and for a brief moment everybody in the room was reminded of exactly why Sarutobi had been, and still was, such a feared shinobi. "You don't want to find out what the consequences of breaking the law are." And with that, Sarutobi turned and left the room; leaving a speechless council, an approving Sannin, and the sleeping form of a babe destined to become one of the greatest heroes the Elemental Nations would ever know.

Author's Note: This is an idea I've had bouncing around in my head for a while, one of two actually. But I haven't yet been able to write what I consider a satisfactory beginning for my other little plot bunny. But that's beside the point. This story promises to be a lot of fun, and I hope you'll all like it as much as I think you will. But I can't exactly read your minds to figure it out, so be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think.