Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. But I so wish I did. (This is the only disclaimer I'm putting up; no need on any other chapters).
Not much to put up here. There's a Forward at the bottom though. I would suggest reading the chapter first, though, or there may be some spoilers for you. Also, a lot of things that may not seem likely or don't make sense are explained in the Forward, so read it if you have a problem with anything. Could help.
Now, onward with the first chapter.
Outsiders
Prologue: Failure of a Hokage
The beast's howl echoed across the village, sending a horrified shiver down his spine.
It was here.
Namikaze Minato stood outside the Hokage's office. Warnings had come, preparations had been made, but nonetheless the arrival of the Kyubi no Yoko made him question what hope Konoha could still cling on to. After all, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was the oldest, more powerful, and most feared of the legendary Biju. Killing it was undeniably impossible; defeating it was a task of extreme improbability.
It was for that reason that, despite his rank and abilities, Minato now stood here, way in the back of the village. He sighed, and threw open the door.
The Sandaime Hokage stood there, prepared to go into battle against the beast. Sarutobi locked his gaze upon him as he entered.
"Sandaime-sama," he said, bowing.
"What is it, Minato?" Sarutobi asked. "I'm in quite a rush. I'm sure you heard it."
"I…" He struggled to say it. He knew his idea would be difficult to accept. "I have a proposition as to how to defeat the Kyubi."
The former Hokage looked interested. Sarutobi nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"The Nine-Tails is a beast that can't be killed simply by human doing. We have a near impossible task in defeating it with jutsu and other such means." He explained.
Sarutobi nodded.
"…So I'm suggesting an alternative to defeating it."
"And that would be…?" Sarutobi asked in a rather cursory manner.
"We could seal it away."
Sarutobi's eyes widened. "Minato, you don't mean…"
"I do, Sarutobi-sama."
"The Shiki Fuujin…" Sarutobi muttered. "The Demonic Soul Seal…"
"The ultimate sealing art," Minato continued. "It summons Shinigami, the God of Death himself, to seal the targeted entity within his own stomach," Minato explained. "You know how it works."
"So you mean to create a Jinchuriki from this?"
"It is certainly a fate I would not wish on any child. But it is necessary. We have no other alternative in defeating this thing."
"It would be treated as a weapon."
"Perhaps it will. But a weapon for Konoha is an alternative I would gladly take to the village's destruction. One child might suffer… Or it could be seen as a hero."
"You truly think the village would see it as one?"
"It is my hope that they can try."
Sarutobi turned to face the window. The Kyubi could be seen, despite the distance, a great red beast in the forest surrounding the village. It overshadowed every tree and mountain. It was destroying everything in its path.
"What could have wrought such fury…" Sarutobi muttered.
"Sarutobi…?"
"You're proposition is sound and logical. It would be in our best interests. But you are aware of the consequences of the Shiki Fuujin, are you not?"
"I am. I am fully willing to embrace death, if it should save Konoha."
"Is that so? You would throw away your life? Your potential? Even your dreams, Minato?"
"Sir, I wouldn't see it as 'throwing away'…"
"But nonetheless, that it what it would be. Shinobi like you come once per century. Men of your caliber are rare, Minato. Losing you would be a dear cost to the village."
"What village?!" Minato said, irritated. "If I don't do this, there won't be a village to lose me!"
"Oh, there would," Sarutobi answered, his equanimity remaining. "After all, it is not written in stone that you should be the one to do this."
"H-Hokage-sama…"
I've lived for three times as long as you. My prime has ended. You would be more an asset to this village than I, Minato. They need you more than they need me."
"Are you…are you sure?"
"More sure than you. In fact, I am positive. There is no choice to be made. Like you said, there is no preferable alternative."
"Hokage-sama… You are a hero."
"As are you, Minato," Sarutobi said, smiling. He turned to face Minato, and put his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "One so willing to throw away his own life to protect that which is precious to him… That person is a hero forever, whether the chance to do so comes or not. Remember that."
Minato nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Now… I do not believe this kind of decision is meant to be made by a former Hokage. We will need to notify Orochimaru of our plan before we begin."
"Right. I'll head to the battlefield immediately—"
"No."
"…What?" Minato looked at him, confused.
"I will do it myself. You are needed in the battle itself. I'll take care of everything else."
Minato nodded.
"Now go."
Minato formed a hand sign and a disappeared an instant later in a bright, yellow flash.
---
"DUCK!"
The call was barely in time. Orochimaru substituted himself with rubble as the howling wind flew by.
A simple thrust of its tail, and the Kyubi had eliminated an entire line of men. Orochimaru studied the damage. Shinobi lay with limbs missing, blood gushing, and fear like they'd never known before. Some were dead, others yet lived. He felt pity for those that were forced through the terror of motionlessness in the face of hell itself.
Orochimaru was forced to cover his ears as the Kyubi roared. Despite the flames erupting from its mouth, it still managed to force icy cold fear into him.
Dammit… How can this thing be stopped?
"Hokage-sama!" He turned to see Hyuga Hizashi calling to him. "We need to fall back! The damage is too great, if we stay, our forces will be decimated!"
"Ten minutes was all it took to completely destroy our front lines…" Orochimaru seethed. This thing was unstoppable.
"Make the order!" He yelled to Hizashi. Biting his thumb, Orochimaru flew through the seals of the Kuchiyose no jutsu and summoned to him a dozen small snakes. "Find every shinobi in the front lines capable of moving! Tell them to fall back!"
He could hardly hear himself over the howl of the Kyubi and screams of the tortured men. Nevertheless, the snakes nodded and slithered off with their message. They were small enough and blended in enough with the surroundings to hopefully avoid being targeted by the Kyubi. Orochimaru inwardly wondered if it could even see them from so far away, and with so great a difference in size.
Following his own order, he ran back, ushering his men with him. They needed to preserve as much manpower as possible. They had to wait until Sarutobi arrived, and perhaps that blasted Jiraiya. Why couldn't he just stay put in the village every once in a while?!
"Orochimaru-sama."
Aburame Shibi had appeared at his side, silent and sneaky as all those of his clan were.
"What is it, Shibi?" He asked.
"We're incapable of getting everyone out in time. The Kyubi is advancing far too quickly."
"We have to get as many men as possible out of here. We can't risk losing them, otherwise all our hope in surviving this are shot!" He argued.
"I know that, sir. But we just don't have the time. If we try to help everyone get out, we'll be killed ourselves. We have to pull back or it'll all end right here."
Or…we could slow it down.
"I don't care. Shibi, send out the order. Get as many functional shinobi out of here as possible. I have a plan."
"What are you going to do?" The bug master asked.
"Slow it down," he answered.
Shibi nodded, understanding his idea. He ran off, his beetles spreading out into the night.
His thumb was still bleeding from his last summon, so Orochimaru merely wiped it across his hand and slammed down on the earth.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" He cried. He felt himself instantly hefted up high into the air. Within seconds, he was standing atop Manda's head, overlooking the forest and the entire village behind him.
He now stood nearly eye to eye with the Kyubi.
"SUMMONING ME SO SUDDENLY, OROCHIMARU," said Manda. "THIS WILL WARRANT A SACRIFICE."
"Look ahead, Manda! I can't stop this thing without your help!"
The great snake turned to face its enemy. "HO HO… THE KYUBI NO YOKO, IS IT? WHAT DID YOU DO TO DRAW THIS THING TO YOU, OROCHIMARU?"
"This isn't the time, Manda!" The snake's eyes widened as a fireball shot through the air in its direction. Orochimaru dropped down and held on to Manda's scales as the snake twisted away from the fireball. "Don't let it hurt the village! We need to stall until we have as many men out of the front lines as possible!"
"YOU WILL BE REPAYING ME GREATLY FOR THIS!"
Manda lowered himself down to the earth, then snapped forward, his jaw shooting for the Kyubi's leg. The Fox jumped onto its hind legs to avoid the assault, but Manda twisted upwards and aimed a devastating bite at the demon's throat. However, a powerful gust of wind and a crushing kick from its front legs threw Manda back to the ground.
In retaliation, Manda pulled forward his tail, swiping across the entire forest below. The Kyubi leapt into the air and backwards. The speed at which Manda's tail moved caused it to nearly strike the snake itself, but he regained control of it at the last second.
The Kyubi, meanwhile, landed several hundred feet back. The force of its landing caused a small earthquake that Orochimaru could feel as it vibrated through Manda's entire body.
Stupid fool! I told him we're trying to SAVE people, not finish them off!
He would never utter such words to Manda out loud, though, else he'd be left to fend for himself against this demonic beast from hell.
Speaking of which, the Kyubi roared with rage at Manda's aggressiveness. It pulled back its head in preparation before it let loose an astounding howl of flames. Manda ducked but the Kyubi's fire caught a piece of its tail, causing the snake to thrash around in pain and anger.
"Suiton: Mizu Kyousha no jutsu!" Orochimaru summoned as much chakra as he could to pull forth the water from one of the lakes just outside of Konoha to put out the flames.
Looking back, he saw the Kyubi spinning several of its tails. Before he could ask himself what it was trying to do, it released an insane gust of wind. With no time to brace himself, Orochimaru took the full force of the miniature twister. Manda himself was taken aback at the sheer might of the wind; Orochimaru was thrown off of the snake's head and down into the forest below.
"Seneijashu!" The shadow snakes erupted from his sleeve and caught onto a tree, softening his fall. Looking back, he saw Manda being trampled by the Kyubi.
Cursing, he got back up. Now what? It seemed like there was no hope in defeating this blasted demon.
"Need a hand, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru spun around. Behind him stood Sarutobi, dressed for battle in his old-fashioned gear.
"Sarutobi… This thing is unstoppable. Not even Manda can hold it back." He said.
"Don't worry. The front lines have completely pulled back. We've found a way to defeat the Kyubi. I haven't the time to explain, I must act. Go back with your men and help them; they need you."
"What will you do?" He asked.
"Like I said, there's no time to explain. Now go!" With that, Sarutobi ran off in Manda's direction. Orochimaru thought he saw a small black bundle under his former master's arm, but he could not make out what exactly it was. Deciding to do as Sarutobi had said, he ran back towards the next line of defense. After all, it was true. From their view, it had seemed like Orochimaru had just been killed by the Kyubi. They would need to know that he was safe, and that he was with them.
---
The scene was the most devastating and horrific Minato had ever witnessed.
Men lay dead and dying everywhere he went. Blood covered the grass, and gigantic splinters born of ripped and flying trees surrounded them. Minato gulped, seeing the epic view of the Fox battling the Hokage's great snake summon, Manda. It was not such a relieving thought when he saw the fox trampling Manda to the ground and unleashing its fiery fury upon it.
"Kakashi!" He spotted his grey-haired student carrying back a larger figure. The boy's single black eye caught sight of him and he quickly made his way toward him.
"Sensei! Where have you been?" He said.
"I had to talk to the Sandaime. He's here, now, too. What's going on?"
"It only took the fox ten minutes to completely obliterate our front lines. Hokage-sama ordered everyone to fall back, but it was advancing too fast. He summoned Manda to stall time for us to get everyone back here."
"From the looks of it, Manda didn't last too long."
"Just long enough."
"What's the next plan of attack?"
"There is none. It's chaos here, no one's in charge anymore. So many people are dying and so many people are trying to take care of them…"
"Where's Rin?" Asked Minato.
"I…I don't know," Kakashi confessed. From the look in his eyes, it was evident that he had not given thought to her location in some time. Clearly he had been preoccupied with keeping himself alive. "The last time I saw her she snuck into the front lines to help the injured. I told to fall back, but…"
Minato grimaced. He knew what Kakashi meant to say next, even if the words never escaped the boy's mouth. They both knew how Rin was; always thinking of the injured before herself. Minato dearly hoped that she had followed Kakashi's orders and pulled back, but deep inside, he knew that that could not be true.
"Minato-san!" Yelled someone about fifty feet away. Minato looked to see Inuzuka Tsume calling out to him. The feral woman ran towards him. Blood was splattered across her jacket, and her dog was nowhere in sight.
"What is it, Tsume?"
"This place is chaos. We need someone to take over."
"Where's Orochimaru-sama?"
"We don't know. The last we saw, he fell off of Manda's head. Hizashi is out looking for him now, but there's no word yet. We need someone to lead, Minato!"
He understood. Sarutobi had considered Minato as an alternative choice to Orochimaru in succeeding him as Hokage. Naturally, with Orochimaru and Sarutobi absent, the lead fell to him.
"We need a plan," he said. He knew that Sarutobi would already be on his way towards Orochimaru and Manda. He needed to get close and high up in order to perform the Shiki Fuujin. But he also needed time, and that required a distraction.
"Listen," he said, "gather every elite Jounin in the area. Bring them to me as quickly as possible." Tsume nodded and went on her way.
"You have a plan, sensei?" Asked Kakashi.
"Not much of one," he answered. "But Sarutobi-sama has a way to end this. We need to distract the Kyubi so that he has time to prepare."
"Right."
He was glad that Kakashi refrained from asking how Sarutobi would stop the beast. Minato had no time to explain how or why he couldn't explain. He needed to come up with a plan to distract the Kyubi so that Sarutobi would have time to prepare the Shiki Fuujin seal.
"How do hundreds of ant-sized people distract one gigantic beast from another…?" He asked himself. Sarutobi would require Manda. They had to get Kyubi away from it.
"We…would need an attack powerful enough to get its attention," Kakashi answered. Minato had not realized that the boy was still listening to him, but he was glad for the help with his train of thought. It was difficult to think in these surroundings.
"Or…" Minato said, "perhaps not something powerful. All we really need is something…close…"
"You're going to send someone near that thing? The chance that they'll survive is—"
"Minimal, I know. But it's our only chance. I don't think anyone here knows any jutsu that can put even a gash on a gargantuan demon fox."
Kakashi sighed, understanding his point. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was nothing that could be done about it.
Meanwhile, Tsume had returned with several other shinobi. Minato accounted for each one.
Inuzuka Tsume, Aburame Shibi, Hyuga Hizashi, Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Shieto, and Hasaki Tetsubo.
Five people to choose from.
He sighed. "Alright, here's the plan. The Sandaime has a way to stop the Fox, but he needs time. Four of us have to go in near the Nine-Tails and get its attention away from Manda. I'm going to need Shikaku, Shieto, and Tetsubo with me. We're going to sneak in near the Fox. Shieto will use his Sharingan to keep an eye on it and warn us of any danger, Tetsubo will be our backup to help us get away if the Fox turns its full attention to us. Shikaku, I'll need you incase I have a need for a backup plan while we're out there."
The three specified nodded. "The rest of you stay back, keep an eye out for Hokage-sama and follow his lead if he does show up. If not, then reorganize and form the next line of defense, just incase the Fox advances. Now let's go!"
Minato, followed by his new customized team, slowly made his way through the battlefield. Their focus remained on the path ahead, with the exception of Uchiha Shieto, whom was watching the Kyubi.
Minato looked up for an instant to see what the beast was doing. Manda had escaped its wrath and slithered away to recuperate. The Fox seemed intent on killing it, but Manda managed to land a powerful whiplash of its tail on the Kyubi's cheek.
Turning around, he said, "This is our chance! We have to dash in near it! Cover me while I get my Rasengan ready."
The three nodded. Minato took one last glance at the Kyubi and ran forward, the shiny blue mass of swirling chakra forming in his right palm. In the background, he heard Manda cry out in a shriek of pain. He hoped it had not returned to the home of the snakes, or Sarutobi would have some trouble.
He looked back at his team, quickly making its way behind him.
"Look out!" Shieto screamed suddenly. Minato looked back just in time to see the Kyubi's attention fix on him before the fox's hellfire was let loose upon them. He felt shocking fear inside of him as what appeared to be hell itself descended on them. Remembering his conversation with Sarutobi, he fought back the fear. He released the Rasengan in his hand, feeling only a tinge of pain washed out by the fear and panic of the situation. He grabbed the closest person to him and, as fiery death blew past, disappeared in a flash of yellow light.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and found himself far away from the Kyubi's fire. He had just barely avoided it, but he could not say the same for his team. He looked to his side to see who he had saved and found Shikaku, his body half burned, laying beside him.
Finding the strength to stand, Minato got up and studied his injured comrade. "Shikaku, are you alive? Come on, speak!"
"Argh," muttered the Nara. "Such a…pain."
"Can you stand?" Minato asked, but he already knew the answer. Shikaku was undoubtedly mortally injured. He had no medical equipment on him. It was over for the shadow-manipulator.
Minato stood. There was nothing he could do, and he had no time for the dying man. He looked up and saw that Manda had returned to his fall height, and atop his head a figure stood. It was Sarutobi.
"Minato…" Shikaku struggled to say. "My…wife…"
Minato had meant to tell Shikaku not to make his death more painful than it already was, but he could see in the man's eyes where his sentence was going. There was already sorrow in them that could not have been wrought by his own death. Shikaku's wife must have died somewhere on the battlefield.
"I'm sorry," he muttered. He had to leave and help Sarutobi.
"My son…" Shikaku said. Minato nodded. He knew what Shikaku was asking, but he had no time to deal with it now.
---
Sarutobi sighed. This was it.
In a flash of light, Minato appeared beside him atop Manda's head. "Sarutobi," he said, "are you ready?"
Looking at the young man, Sarutobi saw several burns and blood. He couldn't tell whose blood it was, but he did notice the swirl-shaped scar adorned on Minato's right palm. "Clearly more ready than you."
Minato studied his hand and body. "It's nothing. I'm…fine."
Perhaps physically…but not psychologically.
There was no time for this, though. The Kyubi had begun to attack the outer rim of the village itself. The winds and fire had already devastated a majority of the outer wall and the buildings near it. If the Kyubi got any further, the entire village could be destroyed.
"We must begin now," he said. "Take this." He handed Minato the black bundle that he carried in his arms. Minato grasped the baby as Sarutobi sat down and began the seals. This would take some time. Behind him, Minato unraveled the blanket and saw the seal inscribed on his stomach.
"Hurry, Sarutobi-sama," Minato said. "It's about to destroy what's left of the wall."
I'm doing what I can! He thought. But he had no time to say it out loud. He had to concentrate on this, and losing his focus was not an option.
"HURRY IT UP, HUMAN," Manda said, "I'M NOT WAITING MUCH LONGER."
A few seconds more, and Sarutobi stood back up. "Minato, the boy," he said.
Minato held up the baby boy as Sarutobi performed the final seal.
"It's time," said Sarutobi. Minato nodded. He clasped his hands together. "Fuujin Jutsu: Shiki Fuujin!"
The Demonic Soul Seal… The Dead Demon Imprisonment… Here it goes!
He felt a tremor within his body before a coldness overtook him, signaling the arrival of the Shinigami. Silence suddenly overtook the battlefield as the Kyubi's head spun around, its gaze resting dead upon him. Sarutobi stared the beast straight down, not once faltering against its mighty snarl.
"This is it!" He yelled. "Begone!"
A bright white light appeared, overcastting the forest. The Shinigami's hand sprung out through the boy's stomach and launched forward. The Kyubi met it head on, running forward toward them. The light flashed, blinding Sarutobi.
It was the last thing he saw.
As the light dissipitated, all he found in its place was darkness. He felt Manda disappear beneath him, and Minato grab him and bring him down to the ground with his Flying Thundergod technique for which he was so famous.
Minato laid him down on the ground. "Sarutobi…" He heard the man say.
"Minato," he said quickly. "Listen to me. I can't fathom what Orochimaru may try to do with such power as this boy will wield. Please, I beg of you. Do not explain to him what has happened. Make him think that the Kyubi is dead. Let him believe that there was no Jinchuriki created this night."
"I…I see. I will."
"T…thank you, Minato."
And then everything stopped.
---
Minato stood above the dead figure of Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage.
Truly…heroic. He thought.
But more importantly, he had been assigned the task to keep this boy safe from Orochimaru. How he would go about doing that…
Inside, he knew that Orochimaru would discover the truth. He would question the accuracy of the night. He would wonder why this boy had sprouted whisker marks. His seal would eventually be seen and identified. There was no stopping it.
No. Minato knew the only way to keep the Jinchuriki safe from Orochimaru was to take him away. He had to smuggle the boy away from Konoha. Luckily, he was an orphan. Minato knew that Sarutobi would not have asked anyone to give up their child to such a fate. But to put such pressure on one without parents…
His resolve was even more definite now. He was probably suspected dead already, after the Fox's attack that he had barely avoided and Shikaku barely escaped.
Shikaku…
He thought back to Shikaku's dying words. "My son…" His son would be orphaned now too. As would Hasaki's daughter.
Am I really going to do this? He thought. But he had already made up his mind.
Not an hour later, Minato stood on the outskirts of Konoha. He had with him a small package of supplies, the bloodied clothes he wore, and five orphaned children. He knew that perhaps some of them might be better off remaining in Konoha, but with the damage and the time that would be spent searching through all the rubble, they would probably be better off with him.
He studied them each. He had with him Shikaku's boy, Shikamaru, as well as Hasaki Tetsubo's daughter Tenten. There was also a pink-haired girl named Sakura, whose dying mother had begged him to take her after he had acquired the former two. And lastly, a somewhat older child that Minato guessed was named Rock Lee, as the boy would not quit saying it.
He sighed. This is going to be a difficult decade…
FORWARD
Welcome, and thanks for reading. This story is my third in the making. And yes, I realize that the others are nowhere near far along, but I had so much inspiration for Outsiders that I couldn't stop myself from beginning it. If it's any concern, please be sure that while I will probably focus more on this story than the others, Loser Uchiha and Shinigami no Nara will both continue.
First off, in terms of the story, I'd like to explain a few things. By now, I am assuming that you've read the entire Prologue. If not, go back and read it or skip this part.
Anyway, the first part of the story focuses only on Konoha. I'm warning you now, the plot of Part I of the story is based on the plot of Bleach. More specifically, it's based on the Soul Society/Rescue Rukia arc of Bleach. But don't think that it'll be exactly the same story. It's based on the plot of Bleach, but the plot idea has been adapted to fit in with the Naruto setting and characters, as well as the continuation of the story that I have planned (which in no way resembles the continuation of Bleach, at least in my opinion). There will also be no mention of any Bleach characters or anything else that comes from Bleach.
I personally think that I adapted the plot pretty well, and it should end up far enough from Bleach that it won't matter and the story should still be enjoyable. If you're going to stop reading this story just because the beginning of it is somewhat based on Bleach, then you are probably missing out.
Another thing I would like to warn readers about: At this time, I have not completed the entire plot and I don't know yet exactly how the story will end. The reason for this is that my ending is heavily reliant on the ending of the Canon Naruto series. Once I know where things are going in the Manga, I'll be able to formulate the ending to my story. But at this point, I have written chapter summaries for SIXTY-FOUR (64) chapters. As of now, the story works like this:
Part I:
Arc 1
Arc 2
Part II:
Arc 3
Arc 4
Arc 5
Part III:
Undecided
Part IV:
Undecided
Parts one and two alone encompass ~64 decent sized chapters, so you're good for a long, long time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if by the time I get that far, the Naruto Manga is already over.
Now, there's a few things I'd like to explain about the Prologue:
About Orochimaru and Minato: Yes. In this story, Orochimaru became the Yondaime Hokage instead of Namikaze Minato. In fact, this change is the direct and/or indirect cause for nearly every difference between the story and the canon.
About the Orphaned Children: Obviously, all of these kids with the exception of Naruto have parents in the story. But only one of them has ever had his parents shown, ergo I had to write in Shikaku's death. The others were optimal choices to become the Orphans along with Naruto because their parents were never shown and I could easily say that they happened to die in the battle against the Kyubi. But I needed one more and all the others from the Konoha 12 had revealed parents, so I decided to choose between Shikamaru and Ino, whose families appear to be the smallest (compared to the Hyuga, Aburame, Akimichi, Inuzuka, and Uchiha). Shikamaru happened to fit the role I have set for him better than Ino (likewise, she fits her role better as well).
Now, you may be wondering: if Shikaku and the other parents didn't die in the Canon battle against Kyubi, why would they die here? The answer is simple. Compared to Minato in Canon, Orochimaru did a horrible job leading Konoha against the Kyubi (Hence the chapter name!). Therefore, more damage was caused to Konoha and more people died. You'll see this trend of Orochimaru as Hokage vs Minato as Hokage appear plenty more times throughout the story.
About Sarutobi: While fighting Orochimaru in the Manga, Sarutobi did not possess the strength to seal away even his entire body. Granted, this is at the old age of 60+, after a long battle against his two predecessors and Orochimaru himself AND splitting his chakra into three (himself and two Kage Bunshin). This leads me to believe that Sarutobi, while twelve years younger than in that situation, would probably be able to seal away Kyubi.
About Uchiha Shieto and Hasaki Tetsubo: Yes, both are made up. In my other story, Loser Uchiha, Uchiha Shieto is the name of Obito's father. In Shinigami no Nara, I used Hasaki as Tenten's surname.
About Minato Raising Five Kids: Far-fetched, I know. But it's important to the story. Anyway, this stage of the story will take only about 3-4 chapters at most (I may choose to shorten even that number) before the story really kicks off.
That's about it! Any other questions can be asked in reviews, I'll make sure to answer them. I don't know yet when I'll go on to the next chapter, as this is kind of a preview to the story. If I get enough feedback then I'll get to work immediately, otherwise it might take some time before I go on.
About Naruto: As you may have noticed, Minato has shown no relation to Naruto whatsoever. In this story, Naruto is not the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. For the most part, this is because I don't like the idea of Naruto being the son of Minato. It contradicts the entire notion of the underdog, the whole mentality that Naruto has had of "clanless underdog" vs "prodigious bloodline". To be able to say that being great is in Naruto's blood, that it's due to his genetics and who his father or mother was rather than that he became great by his own sheer will, determination, and hard work is an insult to his character. To me, Naruto is the underdog. And he'll remain that way.
Of course, there's also the fact that it would have a powerful effect on the way Minato raises him in comparison to the other orphans, and I don't want to have to deal with the father/son relationship at all. Naruto's parentage may or may not become important later in the story, though. Keep an eye out for it.
-Kangaimaru
Please: READ and REVIEW!