Prologue

Though her body was weak, she still managed to hold and smile at her newborn baby boy. She let a tear roll down her cheek as she kissed his cheek softly. "Naruto,"she cooed softly. "My sweet, darling boy...Forgive us." Her gentle cry became a sob as she held the boy to her chest. "Why us?! Why do we have to make this sacrifice?! Why must we place this burden on our own child, Minato?! They won't love him! They won't treat him like a hero even with that law you passed! They'll treat him like a monster, like he's no better than that monster out there!"

Minato, the baby's father, gently lifted his distressed wife's head and moved a strand of beautiful red hair from her face. He smiled, both because he was happy that he was now officially a father and because if he didn't the intense sorrow he was feeling would crash over him and render him useless when the village needed him most. The man kissed two of his fingertips, pressed them to his Kushina's lips, and then to a sleeping Naruto's forehead. "Ku, we have to do this. It'd be wrong of us to ask another parent to do it if we ourselves wouldn't do it. I promised to protect this village at all costs and I'll stick to those words. Plus, I'll never ask another to do what I wouldn't. That's my-"

"Your nindo, your ninja way, I know! But that doesn't make this any easier..."

Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds filled the small cave the three were in. The beast roared in unbridled fury. The people wailed in agony and sorrow. And Naruto began to cry as if he knew what was happening.

"Hush, little one," Kushina said softly. "You're loved. You're loved so much by Papa and I. Please...remember how much we love you and forgive us for causing you any grief in your life. And don't be a pervert like your godfather and don't gamble like your godmother and don't forget to brush your teeth and put on clean underwear and-"

"Kami. The boy doesn't even have teeth or wear underwear yet, Kushina," Minato said with a small chuckle.

Kushina blushed a little. "W-well someone has to tell him!"

Another roar was issued and Minato frowned. "I have to take him now. I'll call the medic nin back in to run a diagnostic on you." He took the now quiet child and moved to get up, but Kushina held the hem of his coat. "Aren't you gonna kiss me goodbye, Mina-kun?" He smiled at her and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips, the last one they'd ever share. "Goodbye, Ku-chan," said the man as he rose and walked out of the cave.

Not too long after her husband and child left, a medic nin came in and ran a diagnostic on Kushina. "What is it?" she asked as she saw the man's face contort in confusion.

"Well um...Kushina-sama, it would seem that you...uhh..." he stuttered dumbly, causing Kushina to grab him by the collar roughly. "Out with it!"

"You're having another child!"

"Another...How is that possible?! I've been pregnant for nine months, been to multiple doctors, and even had Tsunade check me out! How could nobody know I was having twins?!"

"I...I don't-"

"You better know! I'll-" she was cut off as she felt the baby coming and groaned. "Round two, huh? Kami's sense of humor never ceases to amaze me."

"Kushina-sama, you won't survive a second birthing. Your body is weak as it is and-"

"Can you...get my child out...alive?"

"Yes, without a doubt."

Kushina Uzumaki sighed and groaned loudly. "That's good enough for me. Let's do this."

Minato Namikaze summoned Gamabunta as soon as he was a safe distance away from his wife and was racing towards the Nine-Tailed Fox with his child in his arms. "Gamabunta. Am I doing the right thing?"

"Are you doubting yourself?" The giant frog boss asked as he leaped into the air again.

"No...A little...Just answer me please."

"I'm not sure about the rightness of the action, but to trap a demon in ones own child for the sake of millions of little boys and girls, young aspiring ninja, and unborn babes is the most honorable thing a man can do. You're not killing him, Minato. You're making him bear a burden that you think only he can handle." Gamabunta landed with a grunt before leaping once more.

"But-"

"Steel your resolve now! You said that you'd protect this village at any cost and, this time, the cost is your life and the normalcy of your child's life. I won't carry you another mile if you break that promise, no matter how I feel about some of the people this village has had in it."

Minato closed his eyes and hugged his child tight against him. "Forgive me."

"We're here, partner."

Minato looked at the beast, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and simply stared at it before getting into his stance and making the proper hand signs. "Shiki Fuujin!"

That night, the Council of Konoha filed into the cave where four people, two dead and two alive, were sitting together. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato held each other and their children, each smiling brightly even in death. Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the two babies the dead couple was holding and rocked them gently in his arms. "Did Minato leave any instruction as to what to do with the children, aside from the law that he passed stating that they must be treated as heroes?" he asked.

Danzo stepped forward. "I believe he said that the boy must be treated as a hero. The girl is of no matter to us."

"Be that as it may, Danzo, Minato was not aware that the girl was being born and therefore never left any instruction as to what to do with her. But I know that, had he known, the law would encompass both children."

Hyuuga Hiashi cleared his throat loudly. "To answer your question, Hokage-sama. Before his death, the Fourth came to see me. He asked me to help raise his children though the surrogate parents would be Hatake Kakashi and Hatake Rin."

Danzo scoffed. "The Copy Ninja and his wife? Neither one of them knows anything about seals, nor are they old enough to properly raise a child, let alone a demon child."

"Danzo," the Third said softly. "You will refrain from calling the boy a demon. He's the jailer, not the prisoner itself. Would the other members of the council like to say anything?"

Homura stepped forth. "I'm personally against letting the child be raised by those who are barely adults themselves, but it was the Fourth's last wish and he was never a man to do something without reason, so I'm in favor of his choice." Koharu simply nodded in agreement.

"Well, the Uchiha clan is against this," Uchiha Fugaku said plainly.

"No surprise there," Inuzuka Tadao said with a smirk. "Inuzuka is in favor of the Fourth's decision."

"It's troublesome, but I'm sure the guy knew what he was doing. Nara is in favor of his decision."

Inuzuka, Sarutobi, Aburame, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Utatane, and Mitokado were all in favor of following the Fourth's decision, while Shimura and Uchiha were against. And with that, it was decided that the Hatakes would raise Namikaze Minato's children. Everything that night was declared an S-rank secret and anyone who leaked it would be put to death.