[A/N] So yeah, I needed a break on HMR, and since Yondaime is WAY too cool to just die off and never have any further use in the series, I decided to do a little 'what if'-oneshot on him.
Disclaimer: All characters and techniques belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The only thing that is mine is this storyline you're about to read.
ENJOY!
"Someday, this paperwork is going to kill me" the Hokage sighed. "It seems like there's no end to it."
He looked up when he heard a knock on the door. He smiled as he saw his highly pregnant wife walking in, a big smile on her face too.
"Hey baby. What are you doing here?"
"Nothing" she replied. "Just checking up on my husband who, as always, works way too hard."
"Heh. Being Hokage brings downsides too. How's the kid doing?"
"Oh, he's fine. He's moving around like crazy."
"Well at least we know he's alive then" the Hokage joked. "I hope he'll have your eyes." She smiled warmly, and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a bloodied Jounin Ninja barging into the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama! We have an emergency situation at hand!"
He jerked up. "WHAT!? Tell me all about it!"
"It-It's the -pant- the Kyuu-Kyuubi no Youko -pant- sir."
"God fucking damn it!" The Hokage yelled. "Kushina, get away from here! Hide somewhere safe and let me handle this!"
"But Minato!" Uzumaki Kushina protested. "You won't be able to take that demon on all by yourself! You'l get killed!"
"Don't worry, baby. I've got a plan" Namikaze Minato and Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure assured his wife.
-----
"Hokage-sama! Good to see you!" an elite commander said, taking cover from the flying trees and constant explosions.
"What's the status?" Minato asked, glaring intensively to the massive kitsune.
"Well sir, we've lost a great many men. The damn beast is just too damn powerful. Oh, and by the way, I heard your wife is about to give birth now. The stress must've been a little too much to handle."
Minato nodded, bit his thumb and formed a series of hand seals, summoning the toad boss Gamabunta. Everything was going according to plan.
"Oi, Minato!" The giant toad yelled. "What's this? Why is the Kyuubi no Kitsune here?"
"Well, that's the problem" Minato said. "It's attacking Konoha, and I'm stopping it with your help."
"I assume you made up some sort of plan, then?"
"Oh, yes. All it'll need is some of your chakra, and a lot of imagination."
"I don't like the sound of that" Gamabunta grumbled. Minato gave him his trademark grin.
"Aw, come on. Have I ever let you down?"
"Don't get me started. Come on, let's do this."
Minato formed a seal and suddenly, a huge cloud of smoke rose beside him. When it cleared, it revealed an identical Minato and Gamabunta, which charged at the fox. The fake Gamabunta attempted to grab the demon, but disappeared for it was hit by on of the fox's nine tails. Minato cursed. He dispatched his Kage Bunshin and made a new one, using Gamabunta's large reserves of chakra. This time, he and Gamabunta switched places with their clones, so that the two charging at the beast a second time were the real versions. Again, the fox hit them with his tails, but this time he was too late: the clones charged in and Clone Gamabunta stopped the fox in its tracks.
Unable to move, the fox howled with so much hatred that you could feel it in the air. Minato smiled and made his clone use the only Jutsu that could stop the fox from wreaking havoc on the village: Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal).
Gamabunta looked up. "So you got the Kitsune, where are you going to seal it?"
Minato's mind worked very fast. Then it hit him. "A new-born child sounds good."
"WHAT!?"
"Yeah! Think about it this way: A newborn has all his life to adapt his chakra paths to the Kitsune's chakra."
"And do you have anyone in mind?"
"The only one I can think of is my son..." Minato said, looking down. Gamabunta was schocked.
"...You can't be serious."
"Sad but true...Let's get this over with."
Minato made the necessary preparations to seal away the fox's spirit into a new-born child, his own son. He hated himself deeply to do so, but couldn't think of any other way.
"Hokage-sama! Please hurrry up!"
"You can do it, Hokage-sama!"
Minato smiled. At least he had the village's support. He made his clone carry on with the jutsu while he himself took the necessary precautions to prevent the fox from breaking free. When he was done, he gave a final effort and ripped the beast's soul from its body, and sealing it away in his new-born son.
"I'm sorry to do this to you, kid. But if anyone can deal with that fox it'll be the Hokage's son."
-----
"Kushina!" Minato yelled as he rushed through the halls of Konoha hospital after hearing his wife scream in pain. It seemed like it went on forever, not letting him get to the one he wanted to be with right now. When he finally arrived, he was too late: she was already gone. Minato broke down.
"No...NO! KUSHINA! Why...? WHY!? KUSHINA!!" the Hokage screamed in agony as he cried his heart out.
"I'm terribly sorry, Hokage-sama" one of the doctors said. "Everything was going well until a massive red chakra popped up and was sealed inside young Naruto's stomach."
"What? A...red...chakra...GOD DAMMIT! CURSE YOU, FUCKING FOX!"
"Take it easy, kid. C'mon, let's get you out" a new voice said as a warm hand wrapped around Minato's shoulder. Minato obliged, too beat up by his wife's death to argue or even hesitate.
"I'm sorry, master..." he started once they were outside.
"Hn. Don't be. Your reaction was understandable. It's hard to cope with the loss of the ones we love" his master, Jiraiya, said comforting the young Hokage. "Besides, you've still got Naruto. He has the exact same eyes as Kushina."
"Ah...but what kind of a father seals an evil and utmost powerful demon inside his son?" Minato asked, looking down. He suddenly turned around and punched a hole in the wall. "Dammit! What was I thinking? I'm not even a father for an hour and I already am the worst father ever...way to go, Hokage-sama!"
"Minato, easy. You're in pain because of Kushina's death, and that's completely understandable. But don't EVER say you're a faillure out loud again, because you're NOT. You're an excellent Shinobi, you're the Hokage, you've got a village full of happy people, a son, a whole new life with lots and lots of oppurtunities, and most of all, you're the most compassionate and kind person I've EVER seen in my life. And that's saying a lot."
Minato dropped down, exhausted, stressed, painful, mourning, and god knows what more. As he laid on the ground satring at the stars, he imagined Kushina being up there somewhere and telling (ordering) him to get himself together and move on, and to get his lazy ass off the floor to go see his, scratch that, their son. He smiled.
"Thanks, sensei. Thank you, Kushina."
-----
"Dad, wake up! You were going to teach me Rasengan today!"
Minato groaned. Naruto usually woke him up at inhuman times to train or eat. He swore that one day, the kid was going to get it, but then again, no-one could stay mad at Naruto for very long. So Minato just got out of bed, yawned, slumped to the bathroom and took a shower. A warm smile crept up his face as he saw that Naruto had already made him some coffee.
"Thanks, son" Minato said, ruffling the 11-year old boy's hair and sat down at the dining table. He looked at Nartuo and asked "So how's school? I heard you were in the same class as that Uchiha kid."
"Ugh, that teme!" Naruto exclaimed. "Thinking he's mister perfect just because he gets higher results than I do. Somehow the girls really like that."
"Heh. Reminds me of my own academy years."
"How come, dad?"
"I used to be in the same class as Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke's dad. He always had a huge fanclub too, and always got straight A's while my results were pretty much like yours. Maybe even a bit lower."
"So I'm actually better than the fourth Hokage?"
"I didn't say that. But it does make me proud to be your father."
"Whoohoo! I'm better than the fourth!" Naruto kept yelling, and Minato sighed smiling. Naruto was so much like him when he was a kid.
Minato stood up and gestured his son to follow him. Naruto skipped over to his dad and asked where they were going.
"I thought you wanted me to teach you how to use Rasengan."
"Oh! Yes! Yes! Teach me teach me teach me!" Naruto said jumping up and down from excitement.
"This might take you a while to get down, but I'm sure you can do it. Here's what you have to do..."
-----
Naruto gritted his teeth. Why wasn't it working? Stupid balloon. His arms hurt from pushing so much chakra through his tenketsu, and still the balloon wasn't popping. He picked it up and tried once more, but grunted in pain a second later. His arms just hurt too much...
"Hey kit. Let me help you. Remove this seal and you'll be able to do it."
'What the? Where am I? Who's talking? Show yourself!' Naruto said inside his mind. How much he wished he hadn't a while later: It turned out to be the damn fox that his father had sealed within him to save the village.
He had been okay with that, because the Kyuubi had kept quiet all the time and his father had said that one day he'd learn him how to use the fox's power instead of just suffering from it like he had the first time it leaked out.
"You do realize I can hear everything you think, right?" the Kyuubi teased. Naruto shot him a glare, but it only laughed harder.
'Oi, baka kitsune! You're inside my body and I ain't scared of you! So shut up and since you're here anyway you'd better help me learn this damn technique or I'll have my father block you away permanently!'
`Hmm? You think you can boss me around? You've got some nerve, kit. I like you."
'Whatever, are you gonna help me or not?'
"Ugh. Fine..."
Naruto felt the Kyuubi's presence weakening and regained consciousness of what happened around him. He picked up the water balloon again and started rotating his chakra inside it, but this time it was different: his arms didn't hurt at all and the baloon popped with ease nonetheless. He formed the Rasengan without water balloon and noticed his chakra wasn't the standard blue but a deep crimson.
'Must be the Kyuubi's work.'
"Indeed, kit. This time, I used my own chakra because you seemed a bit low on resources. So you practically didn't do a thing but hold your hand still. Next time have some chakra ready, baka."
'Can it, foxy, or I'll tell daddy.'
"Blackmailing is a crime, you know?"
'Mass murder is too.'
The Kyuubi growled and tried to claw at Naruto, but the seal held his cage tightly shut. Naruto stuck his tongue out and laughed at the fox, angering it even further.
"Ooh, if this seal just wasn't here..."
'Too bad it's still in place. For you, that is. Anyways, have fun doing your usual stuff.'
And with that, Naruto blocked away the fox's presence and dashed off to the Hokage mansion, so that his father could teach him the second stage.
-----
Naruto sighed. He hated meetings. They gave him less time to train with his dad. Soon, the loudmouthed blonde was daydreaming about a girl in his class. Haruno Sakura...She was perfect. She had brains, looks, manners and skills. Pretty much like Sasuke, only Sasuke didn't have the manners. Anyway, she was the sharpest of the girls in his class by far, and only Sasuke (him again...damn teme) and the lazy gebius Nara Shikamaru outran her in nerdiness during class. Naruto himself was an above average student, with good to very good grades and no trouble whatsoever. He had a small fanclub, which he sometimes hung out with during lunchtime.
"Oi, kit. I think your father is talking to you, and you might want to answer if you don't want to be a rude jackass. And if you want to learn that jutsu."
"Huh? Wha? Oh, hey dad. Meeting over?" Naruto asked, returning to the present. Minato chuckled.
"Yep. So how's your Rasengan training going?"
"Well, I kinda passed the first stage. More or less."
"More or less how?" Minato asked puzzled. How could you only pop a water balloon half?
"Well, the balloon's blown to pieces, but technically, it was the Kyuubi who popped it."
Minato scowled, and Naruto looked at him a bit scared.
"Naruto, what have I told you about using its power like that? You're not old enough to fully control the Kyuubi's powers. It could kill you, and I'm not losing anyone precious to that demon ever again."
Naruto pouted. Minato ruffled the boy's hair and gestured him to follow. Naruto smiled and ran after his dad, to continue training.
-----
Four weeks have passed, and Naruto has somewhat mastered the Rasengan. Sometimes it would still get out of control, but hey, what'd you expect from an 11-year old? To even be able to create an A-rank jutsu like Rasengan is a huge feat, let alone mastering it. Minato couldn't be more proud of his son.
"Oi, Naruto. Don't go showing off that technique every chance you get. Even though you've got your tenant you've still got limited chakra reserves."
Naruto sighed. "I know dad...complete chakra depletion results in death, as you've only told me like a zillion times..."
"Watch that tone, son" Minato scolded the 11-year old. "It's for your own good."
"Sorry."
Minato smiled, touched by Naruto's expression. He ruffled the kid's hair and smirked before dashing off. Naruto cauht the hint and tried to catch his father. The two blondes raced around Konoha for about ten minutes before Minato used his trademark Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God technique), which allowed him to move at the speed of light. Naruto laughed and went home.
Once he barged into the Hokage's office, he called "That one doesn't count, dad! Using Hiraishin is cheating!" Minato smiled.
"Too bad that I'm still the big boss around here, so I can make my own rules."
"Awww man..." Naruto gave up. You couldn't argue with that. Minato chuckled.
"Say, son...race you to Ichiraku's to get some ramen."
Naruto cheered as he dashed off full speed to the ramen stand. Minato just smiled, and gave his son a head start. Then he dashed off at blinding speed, and soon he caught up with his blonde mini-me.
-----
Minato waited patiently outside the Konoha academy. Today was the big day for a lot of youngsters with the dream of becoming ninja: today they would gratuade and join the official ranks of Konoha's military force. He remembered the speech he was supposed to give to the successful candidates and sighed. The man next to him chuckled.
"Having a hard time, Hokage-sama?"
Minato turned his head to the right and looked at Nara Shikaku. He smiled.
"Nah, I'll manage. Being Hokage is hard working after all, and at least this'll give me a break from an evil even greater than the Kyuubi."
Shikaku was shocked to say the least, not even being sure if he wanted to know the answer to his question what that would be. Minato laughed at the Nara's expression.
"Ease out, Shikaku. You'll never have to deal with it. It's an incarnation of evil only meant to torture a Kage."
"Spill it already!"
"Paperwork" Minato said shuddering. He looked around acting paranoid, like he was expecting a big pile of papers suddenly appearing behind him. Shikaku twitched.
"...That's all? Just some...Paperwork?"
"Don't underestimate its evil!" Minato warned him. Several people following the conversation sweatdropped, and Shikaku facepalmed.
"And that dude is supposed to be our Hokage, our symbol of wisdom and strength..." Minato just gave the Nara his trademark smile.
The parents' attention was suddenly turned to the Academy doors: the first fresh Genin came running out of it, excitement easily readable on their faces. Some others were relieved, and a few were depressed and sobbing. Those obviouly didn't make it.
Minato had to wait out a bit longer, since Naruto was a Namikaze and the students took the test in alphabetical order. After what seemed like ages he saw his son coming out of the door, a bright smile on his face and a shiny Konoha headband reflecting the sunlight from his forehead. He smiled and hugged his son, congratulating him on his gratuation.
-----
"Alright class, pay attention. The Hokage himself will be here to congatulate you and--"
"And to give us a long and boring lecture on what it's like to be a shinobi" Naruto interrupted. Iruka glared at him, but was stopped by Minato walking in.
"Naruto, don't think you know everything by merely being the son of the Hokage. Anyways, congratulations, all of you, on your graduation. You are now officially part of Konohagakure's military shinobi force, though you're still mere Genin, mere juniors. However, if you keep giving it your all you'll make Chuunin for sure and maybe eventually Jounin."
Minato's face turned from cheerful to serious. "However, don't expect the world to be as easy as the Academy. Out there, you won't have second chances. there's no practice or tests. Every action you commit will have consecquences, and only the best of shinobi can anticipate on that fact. Don't take this as an order to not make mistakes though. Everyone makes mistakes, even I do. So if you just train hard and keep aiming for the best of the best. you'll grow up to be fine shinobi. Good luck."
Naruto smirked. "Told ya it'd be long and boring. You owe me five bucks, Kiba." Minato sighed.
"Ahem" Iruka walked up again, giving Minato a list. "Hokage-sama, the honor's yours."
"Thanks, Iruka" Minato said as he took the list handed to him and started announcing the teams. "All right. The Genin teams are as follows: Team one consists of..."
Naruto didn't pay attention, until his name was mentioned.
"Team 7: Namikaze Naruto," Naruto looked up,
"Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto groaned and Sasuke nodded,
"And Haruno Sakura." Sakura cheered, since she was on a team with both the Hokage's son and an Uchiha prodigy. This was going to be fun.
"Team 8: Ino Yamanaka..." Minato went on as team 7 left the class to meet their Jounin sensei.
-----
"He's late" Sakura wailed and Naruto groaned in annoyance. Sasuke either pretended to not give a damn or he really didn't give a damn, but his face was emotionless either way. He just sat there, patiently waiting for the guy to show up.
Fifteen more minutes passed, and still no sign of the sensei. Minato came in, checking if everything was all right, and Naruto took the opportunity to complain.
"Oi, dad! Go get us our teacher! The guy's late and I wanna train!"
Minato sighed. "Naruto, watch your tone. I'm both your father and the Hokage, two people you should treat with respect. About your sensei: he'll show up. He was my student back in the day. He's always late."
Right on that moment a tall guy with a face mask and long silver hair standing upright appeared in a puff of smoke. His Konoha headband covered his left eye, so the only thing you could really see from his face was his right eye. He was dressed in the usual Jounin shinobi gear, and had kind of a laid-back, casual attitude. Minato smirked.
"Told ya so. How're you doin', Kakashi?"
The Jounin, now identified as Kakashi, looked up. "Why hello, Hokage-sama. I'm fine, thanks." He then noticed the three kids looking at him. "Guess this is my team, huh? Sorry I'm late."
-----
"Alright kids. Before we will leave for the training grounds, I want you guys to introduce yourselves." Silence. Kakashi looked surprised. "What's wrong?"
"Well" Sakura started, "what sould we say? What do you want to know?"
"You know. Name, likes and dislikes, hobbies, dreams..." Kakashi said, pointing to Naruto. "You start."
"Fine. My name's Namikaze Naruto. I'm the son of the Yondaime Hokage, and my dream is to become Hokage one day. I like ramen, training, and hanging out with my friends. I dislike the Kyuubi inside of me, the teme overe there," he pointed to Sasuke, "and people calling me a demon, since they're obviously way too stupid to look past my tenant."
'He already knows of the Kyuubi inside of him...and he doesn't even care what others think? Some kid' Kakashi thought, before pointing to Sasuke. "Next."
"Hn. Name's Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. I'm an avenger. My dream is not a dream, for I will make it reality. This will result in me restoring my clan, and the death of a certain man by my hand."
'Interesting...talking about Itachi, huh? Just as I thought.'
Kakashi mentioned for Sakura to start, and she sat up straight. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like learning stuff, like new jutsu or interesting facts about the shinobi world. I dislike people who only judge by appearance or background. My dream is to become a respected member of the Konoha military force."
'Hm? I thought she'd be all over Sasuke...this is going to be fun.'
"Alright. I'm Hatake Kakashi. I like a lot of things, and hate some others. I don't really have a dream anymore, and I have no reason to tell you my hobbies."
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sweatdropped. "All he told us was his name..." Naruto muttered. Kakashi stood up, told his team to meet him at training ground 4 the next morning at 6 AM sharp and disappeared.
-----
Kakashi looked at his Genin team and smirked inwardly. They took his advice not to eat breakfast today, and were now suffering the consecquences. Naruto's stomach was grumbling, Sakura looked weakened. The only one that seemed fine was Sasuke.
"Alright, kids. Listen up. You are going to try to get one of those two bells from me. The one who doesn't have one by noon not only gets no lunch, he or she also gets sent back to the academy. Good luck."
"Wait! What are you talking about, 'getting sent back to the academy'? That's not fair!" Sakura sceamed. Kakashi looked at her seriously.
"The shinobi world is harsh, deal with it. Now, let's begin" and with that, the Jounin disappeared.
"Oi, kit. Don't get fooled by this guy's talks. It's all an act."
'What do you mean, baka kitsune?'
"Way to talk to someone who gives you vital info. Anyway, this test is not what it looks like. That's all I will give away."
'I see. Thanks.' Naruto gave it a thought before he took the lead and called his teammates together.
"Alright, guys. Listen up. This test is probably to test our teamwork."
"Why would you say that?"
"Hn. The dobe's right, now that i think about it" Sasuke said. "The fact that there's two bells must be to set us up against each other rather than with each other."
"I see. So we have to work together to get those bells? But what about the one who doesn't get a bell? They get sent back to the academy!"
"Think about it Sakura-chan" Naruto explained. "Why would they put us in four-man squads? Dad once told me teamwork is even more important than individual power, and he's usually right. So let's try to get this guy together."
"All right. Got a plan?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, you're the military mastermind. How should we get this done?"
She smirked. "I might have an idea. Here's what we'll do..."
-----
Kakashi smirked. Had they already figured out the true purpose of the test? Probably not. And even if they had, Sasuke was too stuck up to let his teammates help him. Sakura wouldn't know who to agree with: the Uchiha prodigy or the son of the Hokage. And Naruto...well, he was Naruto. Come to think about it, he had heard that Naruto could communicate with his tenant and get intel from the fox.
'Yep, they figured out the purpose of the test. Damn kitsune.'
Suddenly, he heard someone charge up to him. He turned around and saw Naruto, just bluntly charging in. Naruto swung his fist, but Kakashi dodged and countered with a roundhouse kick. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi's visible eye widened.
"Kage bunshin?"
He was just in time to notice Sasuke setting off a trap, so he jumped out of the way of a rain of kunai knives. Next thing he knew, he was socked in the jaw by a powerful force, sending him flying into a tree. As soon as his body connected, however, it took the form of a log. Sakura, the one who punched the Jounin, cursed under her breath.
'Heh. You could only pack a punch like that with perfect chakra control' Kakashi thought. He watched his students regroup and was surprised that these kids had actually managed to hit him.
After a few minutes Sasuke was the first one to attack. He just came walking to the Jounin casually, stopping right in front of him. Kakashi tried hard to read the Uchiha's emotionless face.
"I can see you're special" Kakashi started. "You're diferent from the other two. You're a genius. Just like me when I was your age."
"Hn."
"Not very talkative, are you?"
"Correct. I believe actions speak louder than words."
Sasuke suddenly started forming seals, and Kakashi was amazed. This guy was attempting a Katon!
"What's this? Rookies can't do Katon; takes too much chakra!"
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
A huge fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, and Kakashi dodged. He looked to Sasuke to see him smirking, and before he knew it he was caught in a trap. He had been tricked: Sasuke's true purpose wasn't to damage him, but to lure him. And he walked right into it.
Four Narutos pinned the Jounin to the ground, the real Naruto and Sakura charging in to snatch a bell from him. Kakashi was dumbfounded. They pulled it off. They got the bells. Sakura pumped her fist in the air and Naruto and Sasuke both smirked.
"Mission 'Capture the Bells': Accomplished."
-----
Minato sat atop his own head on the Hokage mountain. This was his place where he found peace and harmony. He overlooked the village and its people, having small talk or working hard. He smiled when he heard his son running up to him.
"Dad! Dad! I passed the test!"
"I wouldn't expect less from the Hokage's son. Good job, Naruto" Minato said ruffling the boy's hair. He gestured him to follow, and dashed off to Ichiraku's. Naruto cheered and followed his dad to have some lunch.
"So how'd it go?"
Naruto smikred. "Well at first this Kakashi guy was all creepy talking that one of us was getting sent back to the academy, and he scared the crap out of us. But then the Kitsune said that is was an act, and I figured that it must've been to get us on each other's bad sides. So knowing that, we, or Sakura actually, came up with a plan to get this guy, but he was stronger than expected. He got out of it fairly unharmed. We regrouped and Sakura made up another plan, and this time it was dead on."
"You got Kakashi like that? I'm impressed."
"Yeah. Sasuke threw out some sort of amazing jutsu, and I used my Kage Bunshin to trap Kakashi. Then the real me rushed in and snatched one of those bells that we had to get from him. Mission passed, and with time to spare too."
Minato smiled. The way Naruto told the story made him feel very proud of his son. Naruto had accomplished several amazing facts if you thought about it: He managed to live a fairly normal life with the Kyuubi sealed in his body, he had beaten a Jounin in less than ten minutes, and he learned two S-Rank jutsu.
'Someday, you're going to surpass me, kid.' Minato thought with a smile as he watched the kid slurp his ramen soundly.
'Someday...You'll be a great shinobi.'
There. Now off to write more HMR =)
Some translations:
Yondaime - Fourth
Jounin - High-ranked ninja
Kyuubi no Youko - Nine-tailed Demon Fox
Kitsune - Fox
Kage Bunshin - Shadow Replication
Sense i- Teacher; Master
Tenketsu - Pressure points
Jutsu - Technique
Genin - Junior ninja
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu - Fire release: Grand Fireball technique
Thanks a lot for reading!