The Wanderer:

Prologue - Leaving Well Enough Alone

"Dear? Who's this?" Janon had just entered his home after a long day of defensive drills to find his daughter talking animatedly to a young blond haired boy maybe a few years younger than herself. Judging by the boy's somewhat haggard appearance, he was likely a war orphan or refugee from one of the nearby hamlets.

His wife, a fair skinned woman in her late thirties walked into the room. Wiping her wet hands dry with the apron that hung around her waist, she approached her husband and kissed him on the cheek. "Sira brought him home with her," she said quietly observing the pair. The two were sitting in the middle of the room playing some card game. From the frustrated look on Sira's face, she was losing. "Apparently, they met near the square and got into a conversation. When she heard his stomach growl she invited him to dinner."

Janon nodded. 'Guess I cannot scold her for being a kind soul.' He walked over to the pair of young adults and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. She jumped, startled at the contact. "Oh, Dad, you're home." She quickly stood so she could greet her father properly. Mimicking her, her new friend stood as well. Giving her father a quick hug, she turned to introduce their guest. "Dad, this is Minato. I met him near the market and we got to talking about gardening."

At that, Janon chuckled. "I've never met a young man who was in to gardening before."

"You've never met anyone like me before," the boy named Minato responded with a grin.

Getting a good look at the boy, Janon was forced to agree. The boy appeared short for his age, with spiky blonde hair that could use a trim as a few of the bangs hung in front of his right eye. But that was not what one would notice first when looking at him. There were two other features that distinguished this Minato from any other person Janon had ever met. Minato had three whisker-like markings on both cheeks, giving him an animalistic look, but by far his most striking feature was the color of his eyes. Nothing natural were that blue. Further study of the stranger in front of him was suspended when a loud bell began to ring. They had finally come.

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The family picked up the emergency packs they had prepared for this eventuality. They had expected this. They had planned, but still… How do you prepare for something like this? Janon escorted his family to the shelter that had been built in the center of the village. Original plans had called for an underground bunker, but when news had arrived of how the citizens of Hiro village had been entombed with little additional effort by the invaders, most were not keen on digging their own graves. Not that the end result would be any different, but there was a dignity in dying on one's feet, a serenity in seeing the blue sky one final time before one's eyes closed for good. So it was that this village that few would remember chose to meets its end, a speed bump in the encroaching army's path to the capital city. Or so they believed.

"I love you," Janon said to his wife, as he held her for what they both knew to be the final time. She tried to respond in kind, but could not subdue the sobs that racked her. Janon turned to say goodbye to his daughter, but Sira just shook her head in denial and ran deeper into the shelter. Janon lowered his head in resignation that this would be the last time he saw his daughter. He left without further production to join the defense.

Sira ran until she was as far away from her father as the cramped shelter would allow. Why was this happening to them? Why did everything have to end this way? What had she done to deserve this fate? What had any of them done? "Don't you believe in him, even a little?" a somber voice asked.

Sira wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to meet deep blue eyes that practically glowed in the subdued light of the shelter. "Believing is not going to save us!" She pushed him away from her. "Believing is not going to stop that army of murderers outside! Believing is not going to bring my father back to me! We are all going to die. They will kill us all like they've done to all the other villages they have trampled over. How can you be so naïve?"

Minato just looked at her for a moment, watching as her body shook with grief, before he tentatively reached out. The moment his hand touched her shoulder, she lurched forward to bury her face into Minato's shoulder. For a brief moment, her mind dwelled on the fact that this morning she had not even known the young man she was clutching… not that any of that matter. Tragedy was the greatest icebreaker of them all. "I know that believing is not enough sometimes," Minato's voice began quietly into her ear. "No matter how much I wanted it not to happen, my teacher who taught me so much was killed before my eyes. Sometimes though, believing is all we have and that belief gives us a precious few moments of happiness." He pulled away from her and placed a gentle hand beneath her chin. Looking down at the shorter boy, she saw Minato smile reassuringly at her. "If it doesn't matter either way, why not have hope?" She could not help but smile at his optimism. "Believe it! By the way, my name is not really Minato."

She nodded her head, not catching the part about his name. He was right. If the outcome would not change no matter what she did, why waste what moments she had left in despair? "I…"

"Sira!" Her mother shouted out as she finally found her daughter in the crowd. Sira ran the short distance to her mother's arms. "Everything is going to be alright," her mother told her, despite not believing it herself. Sira nodded amidst the hug.

"I know," she agreed. "I believe it." Sira twisted in her mother's grip to look for the boy that had at the very least brought her these last moments of peace, but Minato or whoever he truly was, was nowhere to be found.

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Janon was forced to his knees before the leader of the foreign army. He knew what the results of a battle would be and had left his position to walk forward alone to attempt to negotiate a surrender that would have at least spared the women and children, but it was all for naught. He was dealing with monsters in the guise of men. When a foot was placed on his back, forcing him to the ground he resigned himself to his fate and prayed that death was all that awaited his wife and daughter. "Sira wants you to know that she believes in you," a slightly familiar voice said to the condemned man.

All eyes turned to a strange young man with blonde hair and maroon eyes. Janon's eyes widened in momentary surprise. He hadn't expected Minato to fight for a village he had no allegiance to, which is why he brought him to the shelter. Still, Janon doubted he could have sat in a shelter while good people died around him either. His daughter had met a fine man this day. It was too bad. Janon nodded in acknowledgement of Minato's words. It was the next words out of Minato's mouth that made Janon think that not all of Minato's faculties were there. "Hey, do you think if we end this quickly that your wife will finish that cake she was going to make after dinner? It's been a long time since I had cake."

The man whose foot was on Janon's back laughed. It was not out of arrogance or even overconfidence. He was a veteran of many campaigns and knew to expect the unexpected. But a lone boy was not going to change the dynamics of this battle no matter how skilled. The odds were just that stacked against them. He stepped over Janon. The killing of this simpleton would come first. He raised his sword to strike down the barely teenage boy, but only after signaling for the rest of his men to be wary. There was something about that fox-like grin that was beginning to chill his very soul.

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1 Month Later

He spent a moment to look at the clear blue sky above the Hokage Monument and feel the warm summer air on his face. Though it looked like it was the start of a gorgeous day, the Hokage could not help but feel that something ominous that would forever change the history of the Leaf was about to happen. The job was not nearly as glamorous as he believed it to be as a child. Staring at the pile of papers that weighed down his desk, he sighed at his youth slipping away. He should probably get in some meditation time before the crap rolled in. Taking a seat behind his desk, he opened the bottom drawer and took out a small wooden case. Opening it, he retrieved a small bottle of lotion and his happy sock. Quickly surveying the room to ensure that he was not being observed, he performed a quick set of hand seals causing a secret compartment to open in the floor near his desk. Inside was his most precious possession. When the author of his favorite series had died, his works became more than just collector's items, they became national treasures. Kakashi was well involved when an incessant pounding on his office door began. Sighing, Kakashi placed his volume back into its protective wrap and into one of the desk drawers. 'This had better be good,' he thought tightening his grip around his happy sock and quickening his pace.

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With the haste that the council meeting was called together, one could be forgiven for believing that the village was about to be burned to the ground and in the fears of some, it was. The heads of the respective clans spoke with notes of confusion and urgency while waiting for the meeting to begin. There had been some rumors circulating after a scouting team had returned from a long term liaison mission, but they were too nightmarish to be believed. Besides, it was supposed to be dead. Killed with a child's noble sacrifice sixteen years ago. Finally, the last participant arrived and the Hokage motioned everyone to be seated. He looked over to Danzo who had called for the emergency meeting.

He stood and slowly made his way to the center dais. "As you may or may not know, a team was sent to what was once Whirlpool Country to act as liaison with the new government that is seeking to reunite that fragmented land." He looked to the back of the room where a white haired man waited clearly trembling despite the warmth of the room. The man stepped forward and joined Danzo on the dais. "This is Hito, who led the mission. He will explain what he witnessed when the group he was meeting with was attacked outside of a village near a rebel stronghold."

"Hito? Isn't he twenty-three?" a voice murmured from the congregation.

"He looks forty. What happened to his brown hair?"

Hito's eyes closed and his hands clenched into fists as he gathered what courage he had left. He took a deep breath and his shaking lessened a little. "We had just reached the outer wall of the rebel village. We had spent the morning encircling it and the partner force was just about to begin the assault. After capturing a scout, a strange youth approached the mission leader." Hito's voice grew quiet at this point and several voices asked him to speak up. Those that had heard the rumors began to become unsettled in their seats as so far, the stories matched.

"The youth had blonde hair, but there were too many individuals from the group in the way to get a better description though I tried to get closer, but I was able to hear what was said between them." Hito reached for a glass of water to ease his increasingly dry throat. He felt like he was six again on that terrible night when the fox had attacked. "The boy appeared to know the captured man and passed a message from the man's daughter and then something about wanting cake. I don't think it was a code."

"Cake?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked. He was not one to partake in rumors and could not fathom why he had been interrupted from his busy schedule for this.

Hito nodded. "We had them outnumbered. Our allied force was far more skilled, but the blonde stranger showed no fear whatsoever. We thought he might be mentally deficient. The mission leader laughed at the boy, but was still cautious. He was about to strike the boy down, when the youth spoke."

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"Want to see a trick?"

The leader of the group, a man by the name Dohu paused his sword stroke for only a moment. "Not really," he answered and swung to cleave the strange boy in half. Janon closed his eyes not wanting to see the result. He opened them again when he heard Minato's voice a second time. He was standing next to him.

Dohu turned around to see the blonde enigma had somehow gotten behind him. He hadn't even seen him move. He decided not to rush in a second time. Obviously, the child had more skill then his somewhat haggard appearance would indicate.

"It will only take a second," Minato promised with a smile. The boy went through a set of hand seals that Dohu recognized immediately. He braced himself for the summons to appear. He relaxed somewhat when a small toad appeared on the boy's shoulder. "Cool, huh?" Janon would have laughed if the situation were not so dire.

"Boy, you're out of your mind."

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The council room was immediately inundated with shouts at hearing Hito's words. "A toad?"

"That's not possible?"

"I thought the toad contract was lost when Jiraiya was killed."

Hiashi now understood the reason for the meeting or at least he thought he did. "As I understand it, the toad summoning contract scroll was believed destroyed, but that is obviously not the case." He sighed; this was indeed an unfortunate event for the Hidden Leaf. "To think that the scroll may have fallen into another village's hands."

"Why did you not kill the boy and retrieve the scroll?" a council member asked.

"Maybe Jiraiya had an apprentice?"

Those familiar with the rumors knew the answer to the first question. Some even lowered their heads in despair, causing confusion to form on the faces of the uninformed. While a tragedy, the loss of the toad summoning scroll was not a problem that could not be fixed. Hiashi turned to see what the Hokage's reaction to all this was. He frowned when he saw the Hokage's expression. 'I hope he is not doing what I think he is doing.'

Hito shook his head almost hysterically. "No… no, you don't understand. The situation is far worse than you can imagine."

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Minato whispered something to the small toad and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "You'll like this one better, maybe?" He repeated the motions for the summons and nothing happened.

Despite that, Dohu was on edge. He had felt the amount of chakra the boy in front of him had used for the second summons. It was more than he had ever felt before. It momentarily stunned him into disbelief. He had to stop this. "Enough, this ends!" He was about to ready his own jutsu when the earth beneath his feet shook. He stumbled to a knee and looked up to see Minato looking down at him. "What did you do?" Fear had entered the jounin's voice. Janon came to stand next to Minato. He too was confused.

Behind the three of them, Dohu's men had had enough. They started the attack, until the screaming began and everyone figuratively froze where they were. Minato just smiled in mirth. In his earpiece, Dohu heard the terrifying reports from the other attack leaders who were commanding groups to the west, east and south. Though as he came back to his feet, he could see the nightmare unfold for himself. Three giant toads had fallen from the sky amidst the three other groups crushing a good number of the attacking force. The rest did not live much longer.

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"That boy is able to summon Gamabunta?!"

"Please listen and you'll understand just how…" Hito shook his head and finished his task. He just wanted to go home and lock the door.

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Everyone was stunned at the display, everyone but the youth with the foxy grin.

"Who…what village are you from?" Dohu demanded of the boy in front of him. It was not supposed to be like this? This small hamlet had been a pebble to be kicked aside on their march to the capital village. Dohu then recalled an important piece of information. "The toad contract belongs to the Leaf, doesn't it?" Dohu turned to look behind in attempt to find Hito. Failing to do so, he turned his attention back to the boy. "You Leaf bastards have double crossed us! Why!"

"Minato?" Janon queried, equally confused. Hito, hearing the name of their legendary hokage out here in this insignificant place, moved to get a closer look at the stranger, but the youth named Minato was facing away from him at this point.

The youth double blinked at the man's outburst and a look of confusion momentarily graced his features as well. "The Leaf? I don't belong to the leaf or the tree or the bush for that matter. My name is not for you to know and I like to think of myself as…" Behind him, nine foxtails unfurled seemingly from thin air. "…a free spirit."

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There was stunned silence in the council chamber. Hito continued in barely a whisper. "I am not sure what happened after that."

"By the fates…"

Chaos was just moments from braking out in the room as no one present could fathom how this could be. "Another nine tails?" That was the hope in many a mind, but that hope was quickly dashed.

Danzo spoke up. "No, I am afraid that is not the case. It is the same Kyuubi that attacked the village 16 years ago.

"How can you be so sure?"

This time it was one of the elders who explained. "Minato."

"What?"

"That man, Janon, called him Minato."

Then people understood. There was not a soul in the village that did not know the name Minato. "Is that damn creature mocking us?!"

"That's still not enough proof! The Fourth sealed the beast and Jiraiya smothered the child!"

"He's right! Many children were named after the Fourth after his sacrifice became known!"

The meeting proceeded to a period of open discussion, which to an outsider likely looked like open mayhem. When their shock and fear reached manageable levels, the Hokage moved the proceedings toward developing a course of action. All eyes turned toward two individuals, the leader of the Nara clan for their strong strategic thinking and the Aburame for their cool reasoning ability. Quickly coming to the conclusion that this meeting would last forever if he did not push it in some direction, Shikaku propped his head up with a hand and dug into his ear with the other. "Why do we have to do anything?" His question drew a number of gasps and outbursts of derision, but there were an equal number of nods of agreement and sighs of relief. The reactions were reversed when the next man spoke.

"How can we not act? Would that not be irresponsible?" came the dulcet voice of the Aburame clan head, Shibi. "We do have an alliance with Dohu's group. If we ignore this, then Dohu's claim of betrayal gains credence. Our village would lose even more relevance."

Hiashi's expression had schooled from his initial display of shock. For sixteen years Konaha had known peace. He was not entirely sure what course of action the village should take and was quite interested in the points of view of these two men. His eyes turned toward their leader, who appeared to have his eyes closed in deep contemplation, at least that's what Haishi hoped it was.

===============End - The Wanderer: Prologue==================================

Author: If you couldn't tell, this will be an alternate universe story. While I will borrow some premises from the manga, I reserve the ability to ignore others. As the penname suggest this will be a harem, sort of. While Naruto is not necessarily looking for a long term relationship, he doesn't run from women screaming either. Also though he isn't looking for a relationship doesn't mean others aren't, one character (an OC) in particular will be introduced in chapter 1.