A/N Welcome to Naruto: The Dark Hokage! As for those of you that already have read some of my work, you know that I make things that you usually don't see. This of course, will be different than most of the 'Minato lives' au's as well. Note: Obito died, so Ninetails just showed up on his own. The Uchiha Massacre still happened as well. I'm not sure about Madara yet, though

This will contain a stronger and a smarter Naruto, but he's not ridiculously op (yet). That won't happen for awhile.

Enjoy!

Buildings were destroyed and fire was on the streets. People screamed, trying to escape the monster that threatened their homes. Konoha, the Village in the Leaves, was being attacked by the Ninetailed Fox.

Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was the one who took it on. However, he didn't go alone. His wife, Kushina Uzumaki, who gave birth only moments before, came with him.

"How is he?" Minato asked, while he ran beside his crimson haired wife.

Kushina looked down at their newborn son who was sleeping peacefully.

"He's okay. He'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

"We have to take care of the fox somehow and no one's attacks have worked. I'm afraid that there's only one way to deal with it."

The Ninetails was tall. It was bigger than any opponent than anyone in the village had every faced, making it easier for it to cause destruction. Its tails crashed into buildings and it cut down ninjas as they charged. Worse, the fox wasn't that far.

"Minato!" a voice called.

Minato looked up and saw the Third Hokage, Sarutobi. Some wounded ninja were retreating while others rushed out to fight the beast. They all used the strongest powers they had, but nothing worked.

"Third!"

Him and Kushina landed beside the Third Hokage.

"What's the situation?" Kushina calmly asked.

It always amazed Minato how she could be so calm, no matter how grave the situation was.

"Not good. The Ninetails arrived and started to attack the villagers. At this rate, the whole village will be destroyed."

Minato cursed silently. Kushina stared at the ground, scared, but determined. Minato knew what he had to do, but it wouldn't be easy.

"There's a way to stop it," he brought up.

"Minato, you can't!" Kushina shouted. "It's too risky!"

"It's the only way. You know it, too."

Kushina's eyes softened a moment, but she gazed back at him, the look in her eyes sharper than ever before.

"I'll help. I'll chain the Ninetails long enough so you can prepare the Jutsu. Then, you can do the rest."

"So, you're going to do that Jutsu? But, where are you going to put the Ninetails?" Sarutobi asked.

Minato's eyes faced Naruto, a sad, sympathetic look in them.

"No, I won't let you!" Kushina yelled, pulling her newborn close to her chest. "There has to be another way!"

"Kushina, would do it myself, but I'm the one performing the Jutsu, and you'll be busy holding back the Ninetails! There's no other way!"

"I'll call the troops back," Sarutobi said, before hopping in the direction the fox was.

Soon, many ninja fled, but some were cut down in the process. A dark ball of energy formed in front of the fox. Minato knew the attack would cause a mass amount of destruction, one that no man was capable of preventing.

"Let's go!"

"He still doesn't have a name!"

He knew she was referring to their child.

"Okay, but we can't wait much longer, or all three of us will die!"

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. That will be his name. No matter what anyone else says, our child is the savior of Konoha, and will always be loved, even if we both perish."

Minato nodded.

"Welcome to the world, Naruto," Minato said, a soft smile on his face.

Kushina kissed Naruto on the forehead and handed him to Minato and he did the same. Then, she ran towards the fox and silver chains with a greenish glow shot out of her back and wrapped around its legs.

"Chains?!" it bellowed, its black orb of energy disappearing.

"These chains have the power to drain Chakra! Try all you want, but you can't break them as long as I stand here!"

Minato started chanting. Naruto began to cry.

'It'll be okay,' Minato wanted to say, but he honestly didn't know if it would.

"No!" the Ninetails yelled.

His chained paw rushed forward, attempting to reach Minato, but Kushina stepped in front of it.

The Shinigami burst free and Minato's eyes flew open. He turned and saw a claw sticking out of his lover's chest and blood running down her mouth.

"Kushina!"
He ran over to her and grasped a hold of her, his Jutsu behind him.

"Finish the Jutsu," she instructed.

He nodded and made some handsigns.

Her chains disappeared and the fox screamed, only for it to vanish. Two orange masses of Chakra split up. One entered Naruto and another hit Minato. Seals appeared on their chests. Kushina's bloody body was now cradled in his arms.

"Kushina," he said, crying.

"Minato, I love you. Please take care of our son."

"I love you too."

Her body went limp.

"Kushina? Kushina!"

"So much grief, so much pain, so much agony. She died because of your weakness, and an urge to destroy me. However, with this new power you possess, you can prevent others from suffering the same fate. I can help you and your son become the light the world needs. Just, take my hand."

Minato looked up. He was in front of a cell that had two big glowing eyes in it. Rage took over and he grasped the fox's paw, despite his hatred for him. He would prevent others from going through what he did, no matter what the cost.

…

Naruto Uzumaki stood on top of the Hokage Tower and gazed down at Konoha. He wore a black jacket that his mother's symbol, a red circle imprinted on the back.

Naruto had a tragic story, despite his usual cheerful attitude. His mother died soon after he was born and father became cold. Not mean, just cold.

He began to train Naruto at a young age and as a result, Naruto was isolated from the rest of his peers. No one liked him anyways, since he was the host of the monster that tried to destroy the village twelve years earlier.

"Naruto," someone called.

Naruto looked back and saw Sarutobi, the Third Hokage standing behind him.

"What is it?"

"Your father wants to talk to you."

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute."

Sarutobi disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Naruto climbed into a window and ended up where Minato was: the Hokage room.

"Hello, Naruto."

"What is it, dad?"

"Sarutobi and I have been talking, and we think it's time for you to join a team."

"Me, on a team? Dad, I'm stronger than most of the ninjas here. What would being on a team do?"

"It would help prepare you for situations that you might have to face someday. I have spoken to an academy teacher and they've agreed to assign you to one, given a video I showed them of your training."

"Ugh, this is so stupid! I'm not doing this! Can't you just let me join the Anbu?!"

"Unfortunately, you haven't mastered your fox powers or your normal powers, so no. You need an extra push to help jumpstart the progress," Minato explained.

"Why, are you planning something?"

"Yes, I am trying to save the world. There are bad people out there, Naruto, and I need your help to stop them."

"And, how are we going to do that?"

"Right now, we aren't going to do anything. You are going to complete your training, and when it's done, then we'll talk. Until then, be nice to your teammates, and learn as much as possible."

"And, what about those that aren't on my team? I'm sure they won't approve of me being there, especially since I didn't go to the academy."

"Show them that you're not going anywhere, and nothing more. No killing."

"Fair enough."

"You will meet with your team tomorrow at eight. I will give you the room number."

"Who's going to be my sensei?"

"One of my old students, Kakashi Hatake. You know the story."

Naruto nodded. He knew of that and of how despair met all of them. Kakashi and Minato had it the hardest. They failed to save their other teammates, Rin and Obito.

"I'll do it, but you better talk to me afterwards."

"Will do."

Then, Naruto left, and the door loudly shut behind him.

…

A minute later, Sarutobi appeared beside Minato.

"How do you think he'll react when he finds out what you're planning?" he asked.

"Don't know. I will finish what I've started with or without him."

Minato exited the area as well, leaving Sarutobi in silence.

A/N Interesting? I hope so!

Minato has control over the Ninetails powers, but Naruto doesn't. Minato feels like he needs Naruto's help, his power, for his goal. I don't know exactly what will happen yet, but this is going to flow through the original Naruto story line. I might make a seperate story for Shippuden. Expect Gaara to show up sometime in this, though it'll happen differently than before.

Till next time!