|A.N.| I suppose I should start with a small opening, considering this is my first story. I'm new to this whole thing, so I'd appreciate any comments anyone would have towards fixing this story, but otherwise welcome to my story! I'd appreciate any comments I can gather, so please comment and let me know if I should continue this or no…

So, without further adieu, I give you my story! Warning, slight spoilers, but honestly if you want to know the truth behind the Kyuubi attack, read the manga.

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto, or the ideas I'm loosely using from Full Metal Alchemist.

The Heart of Jubi

Silence.

And suddenly, jubilation!

Oddly enough, these events would mark the beginning and end of the life of one Naruto Uzumaki, cursed with burden from birth that convulsed within him till death. To this single creature of the human persona nothing was simple, nothing was 'normal'. But, no matter how atrociously unfair Fate had been to the boy, serenity followed him with a smile and a gentle grasp about his soul. For Naruto Uzumaki was born to Balance the world, and bring about an end to conflicts none could ever begin to comprehend.

Cursed with burden, Naruto's life begins with silence, and sudden jubilation…

|Outside of Konohagakure|

Sounds of joy and cries to Kami above echoed throughout the destroyed landscape, as men missing limbs and women soiled in this blood-stained uniforms stood in awe. The Kyuubi no Kitsune, without any warning or preconceived notion appeared and laid waste to the sacred forests created by the Shodaime Hokage. The nine-tailed beast's red chakra burned villagers and overwhelmed even the most seasoned of warriors, and with power immeasurable took chunks out of the very earth with a careless swing of its tail.

However, in the midst of the chaos the Yondaime had arrived upon Gamabunta, his Boss Toad summon, with a child in tow, though most were ignorant to its existence. Cries of hope had followed his arrival and left Minato Namikaze with a heavier pressure in his chest, knowing if his plan did not work, then his death would mean nothing compared to the beating awaiting him in the Afterlife from a fiery-headed demon. They expected so much of him, and he aimed to end this senseless beast's reign in an instant.

Whipping out a small ink-covered brush, Minato worked nimble fingers about the navel of his son's stomach before hugging him close. As a single tear escaped his cerulean orbs, he prayed for the future of his child before his chakra began to settle in. No warning followed the sudden cold that filled the forest and covered the landscape, the eerie hold of the Shinigami grasping all hearts. Death surrounded all, and in that instant the Kyuubi was pushed into submission by the sheer dread that filled its mind.

And then its energy was sucked forth and into, what many shinobi fighting that night believed they saw, the very stomach of Shinigami himself. In truth, those beliefs were not ill-founded, but what was missed was the crying infant that received the filtered power that passed through the 'Death God'. Pale, limp flesh relaxed and a large 'poof' rid the world of the large toad, as two forms fell with no cushion towards the forest floor. The arms of a concerned father never gave out, muscles constricting long after the sickening 'crunch' of bone hitting solid ground, arms that held what warmth the dead could bring. The infant within those arms slept safely, unaware of the coming storm that was life, and the sad fact that this was the last moment where it would sleep in the arms of a parents warmth.

|One Week Later|

An aged man sauntered forward, arms rocking side to side as a giggling echoed through the small room, gurgling every once in awhile. Squeals would follow as the white-cloaked man set the child into a comfortable crib, but not before handing it a plush-filled bear to hold on to. Staring listlessly, the smiling man almost missed the soft knocking against his oaken doorway. Coughing abit, he slipped back into his chair behind his desk, before donning a large white hat with the symbol for 'fire' written upon its front side.

"Come in!" He called out, voice laced with exhaustion from the week he had spent caring for the damage that had been done to the village, as well as attending to the child in his care.

"Hokage-sama! We have finished construction of the temporary residence for civilians, we're here to collect any new, and are awaiting new assignment!" A small, brown-haired girl with reddish-brown triangles upon her cheeks spoke with utmost respect, saluting the man and correcting her posture as well. Next to her stood a black-haired boy with cobalt eyes that reflected unquestioning loyalty, with no discerning marks upon him besides the customary red and white fan of the Uchiha clan upon his black shirt. Their third and fourth companion held similar tied back brown locks, and radiated an aura of gentleness about them. The only difference between them seemed to be gender, though the boy held a scar along the bridge of his nose, while the girl covered her forehead with a white bandana.

"Ah~, Rin, Itachi, Iruka, Ayame…Good to hear...Unfortunately, beyond simple construction, I have nothing else to give out for now…" Sighing lightly, the old man grasped his nose and squinted his eyes closed.

'How could I let this happen...To think, these children have not only tasted blood, but merely a week ago they saw their first massacre…Why, Minato, why did this happen?' The aged leader's inner conflicts were stopped when a soft, sudden giggle brought his eyes open, glancing at the two females of the group crowding and poking the small babe.

"Kawaii~!" Dual yells escaped them as they cooed and played with the writhing babe, while their scarred teammate watched with a slight blush on his tanned cheeks. Swirling red orbs shifted on the fourth member, glancing at the babe before turning back to the Hokage with a raised eyebrow. This did not go unnoticed by the senior veteran ninja, which was followed by a gaze that told him to await any questions he had.

"Seems young Naruto-kun has taken a liking to you girls…" Smiling, the Sandaime stood and walked up to the crib, an idea brimming in his old mind. "Would you four care for…an extended mission?" He hesitated as he spoke, curious to work out the idea in his mind. Unfortunately, to no surprise to him, the information of young Naruto's "tenant" had been leaked to the villagers. Thus, no orphanage wished to pay to care for the "demon boy", and no caretakers would even consider raising the "hell spawn". Weary eyes glanced at the rolling form of the boy, silent prayers leaving his chapped lips.

"What kind of mission, Hokage-sama?" Rin took a chance to glance at the old man, finger currently trapped in a minor tug of war with the young baby.

"A simple one, with S-class pay…" A wry grin marred his cheeks as he watched four sets of jaws hit the floor of his office, metaphorically of course. Each child, though trained and as deadly as any Jounin in his arsenal, were still unaccustomed to such a surprising idea.

"If you can excuse my next words, Hokage-sama, we're new to this whole…advancement process, but are you crazy!" The young Ayame seemed exasperated, chocolate brown hues widened at the audacity of the idea.

"No, no, Ayame-chan, it is not the typical S-Rank mission…" Chuckling under his breath, the Hokage slipped his pipe from a small drawer in his desk, before holding it out to the Uchiha with a playful smile. Nodding, Itachi channeled his chakra forth and brought about a small flame, before receiving a pat upon his head from the Sandaime. "Thank you, Itachi, now as I was saying…As I'm sure you know, or possibly not, this child is somewhat special…" Letting the small bit of information sink in, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched with mild interest at each of their reactions. Itachi simply let another eyebrow rise, while Ayame and Rin felt a slight bit of indecision within them, though as they each looked at the squirming infant they couldn't help but smile. Iruka, out of the four, seemed to be masking his inner rage and pain, but tears soon spilled from his eyes as he turned away from the crib. Deciding to wait, Hiruzen watched the events unfold.

"Is something wrong, Iruka-kun…?" Rin spoke softly to this boy, a hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. Her fingers brushed him, but what came was completely unexpected. Bursting forth, Iruka avoided the touch as if it burned him, deciding instead to walk forward shakily towards the crib. Slipping his hand into a side pocket, Iruka unveiled a sharpened kunai that he lifted above his head with his right hand. None of the members of his rag-tag team were close enough to stop him as the knife fell to strike the body of the infant.

Blood splattered all about white sheets, and the cries and sobs of one boy could be heard as he let out a scream of anguish. There before them stood Umino Iruka, head held lower as he revealed his cut left palm, which bled steadily and free. His sobs racked his form as the bloody kunai hit the wooden floor carelessly, tossed aside as he felt to his knees.

"T-To th-think…In m-my hea-heart I-I wanted to h-h-harm him…" It was soft, but Rin and the others suddenly understood. Iruka had lost something a small bit more precious than any of them, that being his parents. His malice must have fueled conflicting thoughts within his heart, but his decision had been to rather stop those feelings before they could manifest and truly harm the child.

Rin rushed forward and grasped Iruka's hand, a green energy flowing from her and sealing the small cut before he lost any more blood needlessly. As he met her gaze, a hand slammed into his cheek, before a head cuddled itself into his chest almost seconds afterwards.

"You baka….Baka, baka, BAKA!" She screamed in his small embrace as he held her, confused and distraught as he looked to the others for help. "Stop…Stop keeping it all in…We-We're here for you…I..I…" She blushed abit as she snuggled closer into him, feeling his arms around her to soothe her.

Iruka sighed, knowing the small smirks his teammates and the Hokage sent him were to show she was both right, and how much teasing he would receive from this day onward. Truth be told, they'd all been on the verge for days, or atleast Rin had, for she had lost he Sensei as well in the end of the attack. Minutes passed before both had recovered, and stood painted crimson before the Hokage could continue.

"As I was saying…My idea was this…Naruto is going to face several problems in the future with getting along with others, and not many with accept him for who 'he' is, but more for what he has within him…" His sad tone echoed in the stuffy room, only defused by the occasional gurgle from a now sleeping Naruto. "I want you four to care for him, provided Rin, he may stay with the Inuzuka…As we all know, your mother was rather close with Naruto's mother, and the name Uzumaki should be enough to make her take the child in. Be his friends, simply be there for him and show him the basics to a Shinobi's life. Besides that, I wish for you to protect him…Consider this your first assignment as ANBU…" Gauging the childrens' reactions, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw only indifference and acceptance. With a chuckle, he let himself relax within his chair for the first time in the last week, final seeing a ray of hope in the abysmal future he had foreseen.

"Hokage-sama…I understand my teammates and I are more than accepting of this mission, but as I noticed earlier…why is there a genjutsu over this child?" Itachi's voice rang out, bringing Hiruzen's heart to a sudden stop, his eyes darkening for a moment. His form arose and slid next to the crib, followed by each of the confused children who crowded around him. Raising his hands, the Sandaime let loose a small burst of chakra causing the illusion about the child's body to waver and disappear. What each child saw was a shock, to say the least.

Before them, the blonde-haired, cerulean orbed child changed in various ways. Firstly, his hair shifted to a dark, endless black with white tips in the same spiky manner that they had been in before; though it wasn't much it was different. Second, the once cerulean orbs now had a black line around the iris, with the left eye containing a shimmering black pupil, while the right was a blindingly pure white. The third and final change were that his hands and feet were now tinted different colors, his right side of his body up to both mid-shin/forearm was black, while the opposite with white occurred upon his left side. The lines wavered and were not straight, as if moving to energy of their own.

"Ho-Hokage-sama! W—What is happening?" Iruka's outburst was silenced swiftly by the Sandaime's glare, his eyes narrowing at the boy before he was silenced.

"Before you lies what occurs to a boy with boy the Yin and Yang energies of the Kyuubi trapped within himself…But, for you to fully grasp what I am to tell you, I must tell you of the Law of Equivalent Exchange.." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice slowly drifted into the night air as he spoke to the children, and the destiny of one Naruto Uzumaki began to take shape.

A.N. Ending Notes – I'm happy with this so far, but comments would always be appreciated, mainly about my writing style, the story if you need explanations or anything. This was rushed abit, but here's a slight change in my story. Questions I cannot answer yet: Why Ayame is a ninja? What made the change in Naruto? Why Rin is alive?

However, to explain abit, in my story all four of them are in ANBU only for the protection they provide, Itachi is the only one at that level. Ayame would be about Toukubetsu Jounin along with Rin, while Iruka is about Jounin. They started being ninja a small bit earlier, Iruka and Ayame are their age, and they're about 10 right now. Alittle overpowered, but it'll be explained in more detail about the reason.

Anyway, tell me what you think, I really want to know. Unsure on a pairing yet, I am leaning toward Hinata, and maybe one other girl, but I'm unsure and need time to see if I should even still continue this story. Ja ne~!