Hiya! A new fic! This idea occurred to me based solely on the image that flashed in my brain of Minato as a child doing calligraphy. From there it just kinda expanded into this idea.

Any-who, this is an eventual MinaSaku, and I'm mainly gonna focus off of the romance at first. So don't go expecting things like shy hand-holding and cute blushes (no matter how much they may make you squeal) and have a bit of patience, please. I want this to be a long fic. Well, long for me, anyway. :P

In any case disclaimer that I don't own, and enjoy!

Second Life

Prologue

He sat seiza before the chabudai, hand flowing through the kanji he transcribed to the delicate paper before him. The characters were perfect, right down to the smallest inflections. A look of concentration was upon the child's face as he worked, and once he was done, his features relaxed and he sat back, examining his composition.

"Perfectly done, Minato-kun," a voice said, and the boy looked up to see his caretaker smiling down at him.

"Thank you, Hakuku-oji," the boy, Minato said, then he asked. "Are the lessons over now?"

Hakuku smiled. "Eager to get out and play with Toru-kun?" he asked with a grin, and the boy before him flushed.

"I-I just wanted to…" Minato stuttered through his excuse, and Hakuku laughed heartily.

"It's alright, Minato-kun," he told him, ruffling his hair and earning a disgruntled look from the boy. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to play with your friends. In any case, Toru-kun should be home soon, the Academy lets its students out around about now."

At the mention of the Academy, a brief shadow fell over the boy's face, and Hakuku resisted the pang that hit him at that look. Minato had been looking forward to going to the Academy, especially once Hakuku's son Toru, who was actually a year older than him, had started going, and came back with all sorts of fantastic tales. But going to the Academy had never been an option for Minato.

Nine years ago, after the retired Sandaime had been forced to retake the Hat after the Yondaime's death, Hakuku had been shocked when the man had brought a small child to him to care for. At first he'd thought it was that child, the one the rumours had started going on about. But then his Uncle Hiruzen had taken him aside and, after swearing him to all kinds of secrecy, told him the whole truth.

On that fateful night, the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, aka Kiiroi Senkō, sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune into his own son, fully intending that his soul should be sealed into the belly of the shinigami. And yet, that wasn't what had happened. When Hiruzen and his team had come upon the scene, they'd found the newborn Naruto there, as they'd expected, and found Kushina's body, as they'd feared.

But they hadn't expected to find a de-aged Yondaime there, wailing alongside his newborn son, reduced to being a baby once more.

Hakuku sighed as he looked down at the morose Minato before him. The boy knew nothing of his 'past life', that was a decision that Hiruzen had made once it was revealed that he didn't actually remember anything about it in the first place. Once Hakuku learned the truth of Naruto's parentage, and realised, truly realised, what it was that Minato had done to save them all, he would have taken in Naruto as well. But the Elder Council had stonewalled them all on that one, refusing the request and placing Naruto in an orphanage.

That whole thing reeked of Danzou's influence.

Minato, meanwhile, was placed with a loving family, having no idea about how Naruto was being treated by the ignorant villagers, of which a shameful Hakuku knew he'd likely have been if he hadn't learned the truth…

He sighed and placed a hand on Minato's shoulder. "Go out to the gardens, I'm sure Toru-kun will be along soon."

Minato sighed and nodded, used, by now, to the fact that he wasn't going to be an Academy student. He instead had a slew of tutors, who were really here just to 'remind' him of what he already knew. In fact, he picked things up so easily, learned them so quickly, he likely would have broken every record they had for prodigies and geniuses, if it weren't for the point that he was simply 're-learning' these things.

Once Minato left the room, Hakuku let out a frustrated sigh and hoped that, if Minato ever regained all of his memories, that he could forgive them all for the treatment of his son.

So how was it? Review please!

Glossary:

Seiza: A sitting position where you sit on your knees.

Chabudai: Short legged table used in Japanese homes.

Kiiroi Senkō: Yellow Flash