I do not own Naruto. If I did, Gaara would dress up in a tanuki costume and run around fighting crime. X3

I figured, why not go ahead and post the prologue, as it's been bouncing around in my head, and 'Miss Uncongeniality' won't be done for awhile. Whether or not I'll end up writing both at the same time, I don't know. We shall see. And it's short, by the way, but then again, it's a prologue. Now, ON WITH THE SHOW! Story. Whatever.


Hope For the Future

Smoke billowed through the air in the distance, framed by a vile red glow. Screams of terror carried through the air, only to be drowned out by the demonic roar of some gargantuan creature. Konohagakure no Sato, The Village Hidden in the Leaves, was in chaos, and for a very good reason.

The Kyuubi no Youko was coming.

Even though the Kyuubi was still too far away to clearly see currently, it was impossible to not know that something truly evil was approaching. The air was thick with an overwhelming sense of dread and despair, a feeling of impending doom clutching at the hearts of all who felt it.

It was difficult to breath, as if each and every person in Konoha had a massive weight pressing down on them. What little air anyone could get in seemed to burn their lungs and throats like fire. Worst of all, however, was the killing intent radiating through the air from the Kyuubi.

That alone was enough to send many of the shinobi into a panic. All of the civilians, however, simply collapsed, screaming out in fear as they experienced visions of their own deaths.[1] Most of the shinobi fought off the effects as best they could, yet none could shake the feeling that no matter what, they would die, and Konoha would fall.

This is what Namikaze Minato saw, heard, and felt as he raced across the rooftops of the village, heading in a direct line for the hospital. He forced down the bile that rose at the thought of what he was about to do. It sickened him, yet he knew that he had no choice but to do it. If he did not, Konoha would be destroyed, now or later.

He'd tried fighting the demon, yet it soon became obvious, at least to him, that the creature was being controlled, and it did not take him long to figure out who was behind it. It was because of this man that Minato had no choice in the matter, had to do something he found despicable and almost cruel.

He had to create a Jinchuuriki.

Had it not been for that bastard of an Uchiha, he could do things differently. Perhaps he couldn't kill the demon, but at the very least, he could seal it within himself, and they would both die. However, that wouldn't do, as the village would then have no defense against Uchiha Madara in the future.

So, what was his only choice? To seal the Kyuubi within a newborn child, the only thing that could contain a bijuu's massive chakra stores without dying. That way, the child could grow up with the power of the Kyuubi and protect the village from Madara. There was, however, a problem with this.

He'd be condemning the child to a potentially troubled life, forcing a horrible burden on an infant. The thought disgusted him. However, wasn't that his duty? To guide and protect the village at all costs, despite what he may have to do in the process? The answer was, simply, yes.

The second part of the problem was, by far, the worst. He was going to use his own child. His duty as Hokage was conflicting with his duty as a father. However...the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was for the best. His child was the only one born recently enough to work for what he needed to do.

Of course, even if that wasn't the case, how could he ask something like this of some other parent? How could he force something like this on some child he didn't know? He couldn't. Besides, when he really thought about it, who better to trust with such power, than his own child?

That settled it. Despite his feelings on the matter, sealing the Kyuubi within his child was not just the only choice, but the best choice. His doubts subdued, he moved faster, focusing on the task at hand. He had a village to save.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood outside of the maternity ward of the Konoha hospital, smiling sadly at the sleeping baby in his arms. Minato had sent a toad to tell Hiruzen of what he was going to do and, though the retired Hokage hated it, he knew Minato would not do it if he had any other choice.

He looked up as Minato arrived, and when the blond approached, gently set the baby in his arms. "Are you positive that this is the only way, Minato?" Minato nodded firmly, pain flashing across his features. That was all the answer Hiruzen needed. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I understand. I'll do as you asked, Minato..."

"Thank you, Hiruzen-sama...and, how is Kushina doing?" Minato glanced toward Kushina's room as he asked this, feeling worried. He'd known she'd been having trouble during labor...

"She's sleeping right now. Giving birth took alot out of her, so she's recovering." Lying to Minato didn't sit well with him, but...he didn't want Minato to die knowing that the woman he loved was dead, and that his child would grow up an orphan. "Anyway, are you sure you don't want anyone to know that you are the father?"

"I'm positive. I've made many enemies in my career, Hiruzen-sama. If word got to those enemies, Iwa particularly..."

"I understand. They would surely seek to kill the child...is there anything else you need me to do?" Minato was already walking away, but hesitated. He glanced over his shoulder, and nodded slightly.

"Yes...I want the people to see my child as a hero...as the jailer of the Kyuubi, not as the Kyuubi itself. Promise me you'll do what you can?"

"I promise I'll do everything I can...it...was an honor to know you, Minato. You're a good man, and were a truly great Hokage..." Minato just smiled sadly, and nodded, before walking away. Once outside, he summoned Gamabunta and together, they moved quickly to put a stop to the Kyuubi.

Gamabunta landed in front of the Kyuubi just as Minato finished drawing the complex seal on the stomach of the baby in his lap. The fact that he had modified the Shiki Fuujin[2] the way he did was a testament to his skill and genius, but he really couldn't bring himself to appreciate his work.

He'd had to make allowances, had to make changes in the technique in order to make it work the way he wanted. The original version wouldn't work, after all. He couldn't grab the Kyuubi and hold it still, and he had to give the child access to the demon's chakra, yet set it up so that the demon couldn't take control.

So much work went into this technique. As soon as word had come that the Kyuubi was on it's way, he'd begun working on it, hoping he'd never have to use it, yet knowing that it was better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Turned out he'd been right.

He gently set the baby at his feet on Gamabunta's head, and faced the Kyuubi, which was busy toying with the shinobi that were trying to hold it off. He smiled sadly when he saw a streak of lightning arching toward the Kyuubi, accompanied by what sounded like thousands of bird's chirping. 'I'm proud of you, Kakashi...I hope you know that...'

Minato took a deep breath, hesitating slightly when he heard the baby cooing softly, then steeled his nerves, doing what he knew he had to do, flashing through hand seals. 'Mi, I, Hitsuji, U, Inu, Ne, Tori, Uma, Mi!'[3] He clapped his hands together, beads of sweat already dotting his brow from the strain.

Minato glanced behind himself, seeing the form of the Shinigami behind him, with his own soul restrained. 'This is it. There is no going back now...' The Shinigami raised it's left hand above it's head, strange black symbols forming all along it, before it drove that hand into Minato's soul.

Minato lurched forward, his body suddenly feeling heavy, but he forced himself to straighten, glaring at the Kyuubi. He had more to do. Since he couldn't grab the Kyuubi, he had to do something else. It was for that purpose that he came up with the modification that he was about to use.

'Ushi, Saru, U, Ne, I, Tatsu, Ushi, Uma, Tori, Ne, Tora, Inu, Tora, Mi, Ushi, Hitsuji, Mi, I, Hitsuji, Ne, Tatsu, Saru, Tori, Tatsu, Tori, Ushi, Uma, Hitsuji, Tora, Mi, Ne, Saru, U, I, Tatsu, Hitsuji, Ne, Ushi, Saru, Tori, Tora, Ne, I, Mi!'[4] Minato suddenly doubled over in pain, coughing up blood into his hand, but refused to fall.

He again stood tall, despite his shaking legs, and saw the cracks seemingly forming in the sky above the Kyuubi, before the air seemed to tear open, swirling blackness waiting behind it. That was when the Shinigami's hand reached out of this 'rip' and into the Kyuubi.

The great demon froze, eyes fixating on Minato, before letting out a demonic roar and enough killing intent that Minato couldn't breath for a moment. Those vile eyes seemed to be piercing into him.

And then the Kyuubi began thrashing around as the Shinigami began dragging it into the inky blackness behind that 'rip'. It was an exercise in futility, however, as not even a demon of the Kyuubi's power could resist the Shinigami.[5] Of course, only Minato and the Kyuubi could really see what was happening.

To everyone else, the could tell that Minato was doing something, and that the Kyuubi was panicking, it's body seeming to be slowly disappearing. They all held their breath, watching in hope as their beloved Hokage seemed to be succeeding in defeating the demon.

Finally, the Kyuubi was drawn into the 'rip', which closed behind it. Minato allowed himself to drop to his knees, and placed his hands gently on the baby in front of him, channeling what was left of his chakra into the intricate seal he'd drawn on the infants stomach.

It began to twist and deform, before there was an explosion of vile red chakra, which filled the air. It began to spiral uncontrollably and moving into the seal on the infant's stomach like water down a drain, the baby now crying loudly, yet Minato blocked it out, needing to concentrate.

It was then that the last part of Minato's preparations came into effect. The vile chakra seemed to tear in half, the Yin and the Yang of the Kyuubi's chakra. The Yang continued moving into the seal, while the Yin half seemed to start compacting in on itself, before seeping into the direct center of the seal, forever being locked away.

The Yang half, however, just continued spiralling into the seal. It was the Yang chakra that would slowly mix with the chakra of the child, eventually being completely absorbed. It was the Yang chakra that would give this child the power to protect the village and stop Uchiha Madara.

After what seemed like hours, but was truly only a few mere minutes, the chakra briefly took the shape of the Kyuubi's head, letting out a roar that none would forget.

"YONDAIME!"With that, the last of the Kyuubi was sealed into the child, and Minato slumped over, giving the child a sad smile. The baby had calmed, and was looking up at him with innocent eyes. Eyes of a deep violet, just like Kushina. The baby even had Kushina's red hair.

"Minato, in your weak state, there is nothing keepin' me here anymore. I won't be here much longer." Minato blinked tiredly at Gamabunta's booming voice, and nodded.

"Mmm...let me....down then..." Minato pulled the baby to his chest as Gamabunta tilted his head forward so that Minato slid down the massive toads face and into his webbed hand, before Gamabunta gently set Minato on the ground, leaning against a tree "Thanks...Gamabunta...it was great....working with you..."

Gamabunta was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You were a great subordinate, Minato. I'll miss ya, I hope ya know that." The giant toad just looked at Minato for a moment, then the baby in the man's arms, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, returning to his home on Myoubokuzan.

Minato turned his attention back to the baby, even as his vision blurred. He sensed more than saw Jiraiya land next to him, and didn't look away from his child. He did, however, speak to his old sensei. "Sorry...Jiraiya-sensei...I know we....promised to name our child Naruto....but that...doesn't fit anymore....Naruto....is a....boy's name..."

Jiraiya closed his eyes, fists clenched as Minato's head lowered. "But...I think that....the name Naru....is close enough....so you're...still the....godfather.....you.....old.....pervert...." Minato's eyes slid closed, his chin resting on his chest, daughter in his arms, and a smile on his face.

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, was dead.

Jiraiya knelt in front of his former student, resting his hand on the blond man's head. "Good job, kid...I'm proud of you..." He lifted Minato's body, the man still holding his now sleeping daughter even in death, and headed back toward the village, carrying the body of the closest thing to a son he'd ever had.

There once appeared a Nine-tailed Demon Fox. One swing of it's mighty tail could crumble mountains and create tsunamis. To fight the demon, the people assembled the Shinobi. One brave shinobi was able to seal up the demon, but in the process, he lost his life.

That Shinobi was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage.

[1] This is what Orochimaru did to Sakura and Sasuke in the Forest of Death, if you recall. If Orochimaru's Killing Intent was potent enough to do that, is it really such a stretch that the Kyuubi's KI could do that?

[2] Dead Demon Consuming Seal

[3] These are the hand seals for the Shiki Fuujin. In English, that's Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake.

[4] Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Rat, Boar, Dragon, Ox, Horse, Rooster, Rat, Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Ox, Ram, Snake, Boar, Ram, Rat, Dragon, Monkey, Rooster, Dragon, Rooster, Ox, Horse, Ram, Tiger, Snake, Rat, Monkey, Rabbit, Boar, Dragon, Ram, Rat, Ox, Monkey, Rooster, Tiger, Rat, Boar, Snake.

[5] When Sarutobi was using the Shiki Fuujin on Orochimaru, he was already weak and dying, so could not maintain the technique for long, and so settled for just taking Orochimaru's arms. Minato, however, is in his prime, uninjured, using a modified Shiki Fuujin, and much stronger than Sarutobi. That's how I see it anyway.

Okay, now, before anyone yells at me and tells me that calling the character 'Naru' is unoriginal, I need to remind anyone who has forgotten, that Minato and Kushina decided, before their child was born, that they were going to name the child Naruto, after the character in Jiraiya's book. Since Naruto doesn't really fit for a girl....Naru.

In this fic, pick the guy you want Naru paired with. Whichever ONE character gets the most votes, is the one Naru will eventually fall in love with. Everyone else will just get some nice scenes. Each voter gets two votes. Use 'em well.

(in no particular order)
1. Gaara
2. Sasuke
3. Neji
4. Kiba
5. Shikamaru