I would like to say right now that this story was originally written and posted by Dirty Reid. Unfortunately, he chose to delete it—I say unfortunate because not only was it well-written with a semi-rare pairing, but also because it was one of my favorite stories. Sadly, I haven't been able to get DR to answer me about whether or not I actually CAN rewrite this, so I'm taking matters into my own hands. DR, if you tell me that you really want me to stop this, then I will. However, I won't delete it—I believe that only true crap should be deleted, and this was—and still is—certainly not crap in any way.

Without further ado, I present 'Kuragari no Kokoro: Darkness of the Heart'.

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Chapter One: Prelude to Darkness

Minato cursed openly—a habit he knew that, as a father, he should try to break, but sometimes foul language was the only way to express oneself without going on a destructive rampage.

Due to the intelligence reports, he'd thankfully known about the Kyuubi attack a full three weeks in advance. He had used those three weeks to evacuate the civilians, trying to minimize casualties.

After all, it was inevitable that people would die, so why—"Damn it Minato, stop thinking like that!" he shouted at himself.

Last week, Minato had gone with his grandfather to a witch doctor to see if he could delay the monster for a while longer—long enough to come up with a better choice than the Reaper Death Seal.

The witch doctor had been able to do so, but his price was too high.

With a sardonic chuckle, Minato remembered that he and his grandfather hadn't gone home empty-handed, though. No, the witch doctor had seen fit to curse them with what he'd called 'Kuragari no Kokoro', or the 'Darkness of the Heart'.

Minato hated himself—not only because of what the curse had turned him into, but even more so because of what he was about to do.

"Kushina-hime, I don't want to do this to our baby, but I have to."

Tearing up, the love of his life gave him their son. He couldn't help but look into her heartbroken eyes, and indeed it caused his own heart to break as well.

Turning to face the night, he summoned Gamabunta and prepared for battle. Until, of course, his predecessor tried to stop him.

"Please Minato-kun, don't do this. Let me perform the sealing—don't make your son grow up without a father."

Suddenly, a… malevolence spread throughout the room—not killing intent; more like the feeling of pure evil—as Minato Namikaze changed. His vibrant blonde hair turned to pitch black, and some of it fell over, covering his right eye. His left eye, however, had gone from electric blue to a sickening yellow. His somewhat pale skin had become even more so, and he seemed to radiate darkness.

Even his voice had become darker as he hissed, "Sarutobi, we have discussed this repeatedly! You are not as proficient in the required seals as I am… and as Naruto is my son, I must do it myself." Suddenly, Minato's expression softened as he slowly began reverting and said, "I'm sorry for that… but this curse killed my father, and it will likely kill me soon anyway. It's best I die protecting this village, and with any luck, the curse will end with me. And if not… then I have put everything in order as best as I can."

With that, Minato disappeared into the night. As he performed the Forbidden Seal, the Kyuubi lost not with a roar, but a whimper.