Hey guys, this is a story I've been thinking about doing for awhile. Read, review, and all that jazz to let me know what you think. Toodles. ^_^

Chapter 1: The Boy

Minato leaned over the side of the boat, bored out of his mind. He wasn't very fond of boats. It was very cramped, and there was no way to run around and release that constant stream of pent up energy he seemed to have. Still, though, at least he was heading back home from the mission with his team in one piece. He smiled to himself under his ANBU mask as he thought of his home, of Kushina, his one true love.

However, he was snapped out of his daydreaming when he heard one of the ANBU on board say, "Look alive, guys. There appears to have been a battle. There's pieces of a shipwreck all over the place. The enemy may still be around."

Minato nodded, scanning the waters quickly for signs that the enemy may be lurking within. He paused as he spotted something yellow and lifted his mask slightly for a better look. His eyes widened at what he saw and he leaped off the ship without a second thought, his team mates shouting after him. Running over to what he saw he picked it up and quickly jumped back into the ship. Gently setting it down, he looked at the boy as his team gathered around him.

He was young, no more than four by Minato's reckoning, with blonde hair that lay flat on his head, drenched by the water, and falling down to his eyebrows and shoulders. His skin was around the same shade as Minato's and he had the same facial structure as he had had as a kid and on his forehead lay a scar in the shape of a crescent moon. His clothing consisted of a white hooded vest with a red short-sleeve shirt underneath it and white cargo pants that went down to his knees. His body had many cuts and bruises, though his clothing seemed to be miraculously intact.

Minato checked his pulse and was surprised at what he felt. Not only was his pulse normal, but his body was exceedingly warm. This was strange considering the freezing temperature of the water at this time of year. He glanced around at his team, giving them a silent signal to go back to their posts and let him handle the situation. With some slight grumbling, they left, leaving Minato to look over the boy some more.

A flash of gold around the boy's neck caught his eye and he reached for it. As he touched it, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a small hand that nonetheless had a firm, fierce grip. He looked at the boy's face and was surprised to see red eyes staring at him. They were there for less than a second before they changed to a beautiful sky-blue, leaving Minato to believe that he had imagined it. Gently, he pulled his hand away and the boy let him, watching him all the while with calculating eyes.

Minato removed his mask, smiling warmly down at the boy and said, "Hello there, I'm Namikaze Minato. Who're you?"

The boy looked at him for a second, his expression thoughtful as he sat up.

"Sheik," came his simple reply.

Minato tilted his head to the side, pondering the strangeness of the name before asking, "Where're your parents?"

"Don't know." Sheik replied.

"Where're you from?" Minato asked next.

"Don't know," he said again.

Minato sighed, suppressing his irritation and said, "Is there anything you do know?"

Sheik gave a cheeky grin and said, "I know my name's Sheik and your name's Namikaze, which is a weird first name."

Minato laughed lightly and said, "My last name is Namikaze, my first name is Minato. Your name is pretty strange too."

Sheik laughed and rubbed the back of his head with his hand and said, "Well, that's just your opinion, Minato."

Minato chuckled slightly, partly because of what he said and partly because he pronounced his name Min-ah-tow.

"It's pronounced Minato," he said, saying it the correct way.

"Nah, that sounds stupid. I like the way I say it better," Sheik laughed.

Minato smiled at the boy. This kid's pretty funny, I'll give him that. He's not afraid to speak his mind either. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate. He thought to himself.

"Is there anything you can tell me that I don't already know?" Minato asked.

"Um…I'm three years old and my birthday's on September 14…that's all I remember," Sheik said, frowning slightly in thought.

Minato sighed lightly thinking carefully about his predicament. The boy was younger than he had at first thought, which meant he could be easily influenced by whoever was in contact with him. Seeing as how he had found him shipwrecked, he could already assume that his parents were dead, making him an orphan. Minato sighed again, looking at Sheik. Sheik noticed him staring and smiled at him as though he hadn't a care in the world. Minato smiled back. This kid's extremely likeable. I wonder what Hokage-sama will do with him? Maybe I can persuade him to let me adopt this kid. He thought, ruffling Sheik's hair affectionately. Sheik laughed at him before suddenly stopping and closing his eyes, falling forward onto Minato's lap. Minato looked at him worriedly for a second before smiling again, he was fast asleep! Minato picked him up and carried him to the sleeping cabin. He lay the boy down in his hammock, still smiling as he left the room.

Hey guys, this is just a side-note but I was wondering if maybe one of you could draw Sheik? The best picture gets my undying love and affection-because it's obviously the most important thing in the world. And maybe an occasional sneak peek at what I plan on putting in upcoming chapters and the sequel-yes there will be a sequel, 2 or 3 in fact.

Anyway, rate and review or don't...seriously though guys, rate and review, it'll make me happy. And when I'm happy I post more chappies. I won't post chapters everyday, but I'll try to get them up at least once a week-not making any promises though!