A/N: Alright, this one is kinda...odd. The whole premise of this story came about when I wondered if Madara could control more then just the Kyuubi. Thus, him doing...experiments. Each chapter is less then 2,000 words, and that is intentional. It was a test of sorts for myself as a writer. And as a side note, all I have to say about Madara is holy shit! That man has so many different plots and scenarios going on that it boggled my mind as I was doing research.

This entire story takes place the year that Naruto is born. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. *bows*

July 31st

Uchiha Madara watched the unconscious teen at his feet impassively. She was a tool for the destruction and demoralization of Konoha, nothing more. An experiment, essentially.

She will be my test to see if I can control more than just the Kyuubi. Also, I can finally enact my revenge on the peace loving Uchiha's that have taken the place of my once proud clan.

Underneath his mask, scarred lips twisted into a smirk. Beneath him – as was fitting – was Konohagakure, the Village he had sworn to destroy so long ago. A little over 35 years ago he had tracked down the then Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, but when she had been at her weakest, he had been unable to act. His plan at the time for her had failed, and he hadn't wanted to reveal himself just yet.

He had more important things he had needed to worry about.

Then just recently, he heard the rumors of the current Jinchuuriki being pregnant. Confirming it, he knew that this was his chance. The seal was weakest when women housing a Bijuu were weakest – why he personally thought a woman should never be a Jinchuuriki – during, and the moments after childbirth. So, his plans were set.

He couldn't resist having a little fun, however. Uzumaki Kushina wasn't due to give birth until October after all.

That was why the teen at his feet – Yugito Nii and the Jinchuuriki for the Nibi – was going to be so much fun.

She, well, the Bijuu inside of her would wreak havoc and demoralize the citizens and shinobi of the Village, and if he had any luck, the cat would kill Minato. Even so, Uzumaki was a known container, and the death of her husband at the hands of a Bijuu would sow distrust and fear. That was the best case scenario – the Hokage would die, the Uchiha's wiped out, and Konoha's reputation would be in shreds.

Worst case scenario they sealed the Nibi, or destroyed it entirely before it could do much damage. The Bijuu with the higher tails – 5 and up – couldn't be destroyed and had to be sealed. However, the smaller ones could indeed be killed, albeit only by someone with a high enough chakra reserve. That didn't matter much though. Upon the attack of the Kyuubi, he could easily slip in and steal the child back.

Namikaze Minato was one of those men that could destroy. As well as Hatake Kakashi and possibly Sarutobi Hiruzen. He knew that Hatake was out of the Village at this current time, as well as Sarutobi. The only one he had to worry about was Namikaze, since none of the weak, disgraceful, so-called Uchiha's had the eyes to control the Nibi.

With a smirk of grisly anticipation set in place, he knelt down next to the girl, and without preamble, stabbed her through the heart.

She jerked as the shimmering blue cloak of the Nibi surrounded her and tried to heal its host, but he didn't allow it. Twitching the kunai to and fro, he sliced her heart to ribbons, watching gleefully as she took a shuddering breath and was still.

He was prepared for the outpouring of the chakra, and within seconds the Nibi had formed in all its glory, howling at the sky. All it took was for one look at him, and he caught it in a powerful genjutsu, hearing the mental 'snap' that signified it was his to command. The mismatched eyes swirled with the Sharingan for only a moment before reverting back to green and blue. He smiled grimly and mentally gave the beast a map of the compound at the northern end of the Village.

"Go and destroy that and any people you see."

His orders were short and sweet, and he watched in glee as it bounded down the faces of the previous Hokage's – weaklings, every one of them – and landed smack in the middle of the Uchiha district.

Ah, so beautiful, he thought as flames began to lick the buildings, alarms blaring through the Village as people started to fight back. The Nibi was glorious in its destructive abilities, shooting out balls of fire from its mouth while shaking off jutsu after jutsu like a duck shaking off water.

A flash of yellow below signaled the arrival of Minato, and he watched with a critical eye as they began to battle. Unfortunately, they were too far away for him to see any hand seals that he could copy, or the specifics of the clash. He decided to take this time while they fought to burn the dead body in front of him, turning it to ash and watching it float away on the breeze. He did like doing that; nothing was left of the girl.

When he looked back down, he cursed. The Nibi was nowhere in sight, and he knew it was time to leave. Activating his space-time jutsu, he made a note to himself to put feelers out to see if it was destroyed, or sealed. As he left Konoha with no trace, he wasn't entirely sure which one he wanted. Destroyed meant that Konoha wouldn't have a Jinchuuriki of the Nibi. However, sealed meant that he wouldn't have to change his plans for the Juubi.

As he exited the jutsu on the outskirts of Konoha, he hummed quietly to himself and started walking towards Amegakure. It was time to put the fate of the Nibi from his mind; he had another pawn he needed to see.

X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X

Namikaze Minato panted as he kneeled on the ground, one hand bracing him and the other holding the screaming infant protectively. The buildings burned around him, shinobi and medics yelling and running all over the place as they put the fires out and helped the wounded. Just from what he saw as he entered battle with the Nibi, he would be surprised if half the Clan survived.

Someone was calling his name, and for the life of him, he couldn't look up to see who it was. The attack had to happen today of all days. He was exhausted from working on his Rasengan, trying to complete it. He barely had enough chakra left now to even keep him awake, let alone try to help those around him.

If only it hadn't been today. The demonic chakra spike had happened in their own backyard, just suddenly there. No warning, no nothing. Luckily, the people around him were assuming it was just a monster, and not a Bijuu. That he was holding Sasuke to protect him, not because -

When hands entered his vision and took the crying infant away from him, he forced his attention on what was going on. Taking a deep breath he looked up and saw Itachi.

"Itachi, status?" he croaked, staggering to his feet. The boy looked like he was ready to reach out a hand, but was stopped with the need to calm down his younger brother.

"128 confirmed dead, and rising. 23 critically injured, and 17 mildly injured so far. Every building and home in the compound is on fire or gone. From what I saw, there are only 5 Uchiha that escaped any sort of injury, 3 with the Sharingan."

Minato closed his eyes, cursing mentally. From the numbers Itachi had given him, he could safely assume that the majority of the Clan was dead. "In one night…"

"Hokage-sama?"

Minato opened his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing Itachi. Your parents?"

"Dead." Minato didn't miss the slight hesitation before the word, or the flash of sorrow in the Sharingan bright eyes. He nodded in resignation, and took a deep breath. He took off his flame lined jacket and threw it over Itachi's shoulders. Smiling as kindly as he could in the situation and at the surprise on the boys face, he put both hands on the small shoulders.

"Go to my house, and my wife will let you in with my coat. We have food for you both, and a place for you to sleep tonight." He dropped a hand, tracing the small cheek with the back of his fingers, thinking about the seal between the baby's shoulder blades that was containing the Nibi. "It's the least I can do for the two of you."

Itachi opened his mouth, and then closed it as he looked away. "Hokage-sama…why did a Bijuu attack? And why seal it in my brother, instead of destroying it?"

Minato's face firmed though inside he flinched at the veiled accusation. "I'm sorry Itachi. I have no clue right now, but I can promise you I will find out. For the second answer, I had mild chakra exhaustion from working on a jutsu all day." He looked Itachi in the eye, and saw the subtle shift that told him his Hokage mode was being recognized. "Itachi, I'm asking this as your Hokage. If anyone asks, the monster was destroyed. It cannot get out what happened. Understood?"

Itachi studied him for a moment, before nodding; a short jerk. He sighed mentally in relief. "Please, you need to go get you and Sasuke food. Kushina will be more than happy to feed you."

Itachi nodded shortly, and disappeared. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he looked around resolutely. He would continue to spread the belief that it was a monster, and that he had destroyed it.

It was going to be a long, messy night, and he had a lot he needed to do.

Sometimes being Hokage sucked.