Disclaimer: Naruto (and everything in it) belongs to its owner(s) – Not me, the writer of this fanfiction. I'm just mooching off the framework already set in place... largely because I'm too lazy to finish my own, and, to a lesser degree, because I thought it'd be interesting to mix and match a few things...

Author's Note: Since Wind and Water's chapter nine was on my other PC (which is currently inaccessible) I'm going to take a brief break from it to work on MotS here, since it seems like a fair number of people are interested in seeing where I'll go from chapter one.

I have no idea whether or not I'll disappoint you, or what you expect, since not a single one of you mentioned anything to that effect, and only one person even bothered to review...

Cough.

Anyway, I've tried planning this out several different ways... in the end I've decided I'm going to wing it and see what happens. In other words, I've been trying so hard to come up with the perfect intro or the perfect plan that I've decided, "Screw it. Let's just push the ball of snow and watch it grow."

Yes, "Yurei" is a powerful character. No, I've no idea how this is going to work out; any ideas on how to balance things out and such will be appreciated. Flat complaints will not.

One

Kioku Yurei

"Have faith in this child – he's our son!" Namikaze Minato exclaimed, standing before the Kyubi, "Shiki Fujin!"

Time stopped, and Minato found himself standing in a vast, dark chamber, before an enormous, mirror-like gate. 'Where?' He thought, surprised, 'This isn't how the Shiki Fujin is supposed to work!'

Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage of the Village hidden in the Leaves. A dull, monotonous voice called out, prompting Minato to whirl about. In the darkness before him was a pair of eery, aquamarine orbs, glowing as if on fire. You are a leader. You are a husband. You are a father. You truly intend to sign the unhallowed pact?

So this was the shinigami? It was... more stand-offish than Minato had been expecting. What legend spoke of it asking for confirmation? Shouldn't it be eager to take his soul?

"Of course!" Minato responded, gathering his wits and solidifying his resolve.

"

Why? The shinigami's voice questioned, echoing about the darkness. This is an unholy rite you perform; it will do what you wish, but tragedy will surely accompany its success.

"Because I'm a leader – because I'm a father." The man answered fearlessly, "The Kyubi is too powerful to leave whole, and this masked man – Madara or whoever he is – he's too powerful for anyone to take on... unless..."

You would curse your newborn son with this destiny? The voice pressed, eyes blazing even more ferociously.

Taking a breath to steel himself, Minato nodded, "I have faith in him."

There was a pause, and for a moment Minato worried the shinigami would decide to simply kill him, or worse, for daring call upon it, when suddenly a podium appeared before him, a parchment laying on it.

...if you truly desire this, then I cannot stop you. It is not my way – but know this; your child will be burdened tremendously. Unimaginably. You cannot fathom the weight that will fall on his shoulders. If this curse is your will, then sign the contract in blood.

The Fourth Hokage cut his hand without hesitation, writing his name in the contract immediately.

There was a sudden outcrop of azure flames, and the contract was gone.

"Very well, Minato." A soft, feminine voice called from behind the blonde, prompting him to turn toward the gate once more to find a heavily robed woman standing before him, a bent staff in one hand – from which a scythe-like blade of azure fire hung. "With this contract," She stated, holding the parchment with Minato's signature in one hand, "I am yours for one night, and your son's guardian until his death... at which point both your souls will join the Kyubi's in oblivion. I am ruin incarnate – the hollow guardian of life and death; known to you as the shinigami. I ask you now before the gear of fate turns; is this truly your will?"

Staring into the pale, aquamarine eyes of the shinigami, Minato nodded.

"Then the pact is made."

The parchment vanished in another wave of flames, and the shinigami looked from where it once was to Minato with an expression resembling disappointment... and then everything faded for Minato and he found himself standing before the Kyubi no Yoko once more, the shinigami hovering in the air before him.

"You!" The demon fox exclaimed, furious, "That foolish Yondaime actually signed the contract?"

In response, the shinigami spread her arms wide, her scythe hovering in the air behind her as six chains of azure flames shot out from her robes, wrapping themselves around the Kyubi before pulling out a bubbling, orange sphere from its center. The Kyubi roared as its Yin chakra was condensed into a ball and removed from it.

The energy in the ball traveled up the chains then, and into the shinigami's form, vanishing.

Your previous destiny has been annulled; a new path is set before you.

The neutral voice from before called out as the Kyubi snarled, struggling in vain to escape the chains... only for six new chains to launch themselves from the blade of the scythe as the previous ones faded. Again, the chakra was drained into the chains, where it traveled to the blade, dying it blood-red as the Kyubi's form slowly vanished, until nothing was left save the shinigami floating in mid-air.

The deity turned to Minato then, motioning him to move aside as she drifted toward Naruto. Begrudgingly, Minato yielded, allowing the shinigami to close the gap.

For a moment, the shinigami simply loomed over Naruto – looking down on him almost piteously... before, with a single swift flick of the wrist, the blood-red blade of the scythe dipped itself into the babe's stomach, eliciting a cry of pain as Naruto woke up.

Minato panicked, but could not move as the crimson energy in the blade drifted into Naruto's stomach, mingling with the boy's chakra and the shinigami's flames alike, until the scythe was simply a staff, and was removed to reveal a pulsating, runic seal.

"Congratulations, Minato Namikaze," The shinigami spoke, voice laced with thin, barely detectable venom, "Your eternity is now forfeit, as is your son's."

Before Minato could respond, he was suddenly knocked unconscious by a tap from the shinigami's staff. Moment's later, he vanished.

"I pray this works as you intended, you naïve fool." The shinigami muttered, her staff vanishing and her robes changing and slimming to become a simple tunic and pants; obscuring cloth yielding to a lithe, athletic form as a wave of azure hair fell from the woman's head, unbound. A quick glance to Kushina's nearby form – battered, but still barely conscious, and the shinigami sighed, picking up Naruto's small form, which was now asleep.

"You are dying." The deity remarked, bluntly, as she stood over Kushina, "It is my job still, before this night is over, to carry out Minato's wishes. The fool wants me to seal your consciousness into the boy; a small portion of your soul to aid him in the future. I am not without pity. I can do better, and there is someone who owes me a favor... so, I ask you while you still yet live; do you wish this boon?" Seeing Kushina's concerned, shocked face, the deity sighed again, "Should you accept, your soul will be sealed within your son, much as the kyubi, but able to dispense advice and so on. By consequence, however, you will join him in oblivion – which is not something to be taken lightly, I might add, as your fool husband did not seem to fully understand. You will have no afterlife. You will have no reincarnations. Your existence will end, when he dies."

Unfortunately, Kushina's response was a foregone conclusion.

With a heavy heart, and a minor headache, the shinigami dispelled the barrier surrounding the battlefield and left, a konoha forehead protector materializing as a large scarf wrapped around her neck. Stepping away from the battle, and toward the third hokage, the shinigami left two corpses behind.

Taking in the hokage, who drew back from her warily, and the two ANBU beside him, who remained motionless, the shinigami let out another sigh, "You know what I am." She stated simply, garnering a stiff nod. "For simplicity's sake, my name from now on is Kioku Yurei."

"Memory Ghost." The third hokage intoned, "...why is it that you still stand before me – wearing a konoha forehead protector, then... Kioku-dono?"

Yurei, for that was what she had decided to be called, would have pressed a hand to her head if they were not occupied with the babe in her arms, "Because it was your Fourth Hokage's will I personally safeguard young Naruto's life. To do this, it would be prudent that I be around him as much as possible... do you have an argument against this, Hokage-sama?"

For a moment, Yurei's aquamarine eyes smoldered, threatening to come ablaze, and Hiruzen was reminded of who – or rather, what – he was dealing with.

"I cannot simply instate you as a ninja of Konoha-" Hiruzen started, only for Yurei to interrupt him.

"You do not need to. It has already been arranged. I am Kioku Yurei, special jonin of Konoha; placed on reserve due to crippling health issues, recently discovered to have been caused by a complex chakra seal. I have served Konoha for fifteen years; two as a genin; I was the only member of my team to pass the exams. The other two members, Shin Saki and Shin Akako, died during the event. Jonin sensei was Seiki Oka, who died during a mission shortly after my graduation... all of this only exists in paper, of course, but legally I am a shinobi of Konoha and should you do something to change that..." Yurei let that trail off, motioning to the child in her arms, "...I'm sure I can train this one properly myself if I have to."

'How?' Was the first question, but it was left unasked as it answered itself, almost. Yurei was the (or at least, a) shinigami – a divine being; who knew what forces had conspired to make this come to pass? For all he knew Yurei called in a favor, or something about the contract she made took care of simple complications to make it possible. The second question, however, was more relevant, "Was that a threat?"

"Not at all." Yurei assured, "...I am bound by contract to protect this child. Whatever you may try to do or say, I will continue to do so."

Hiruzen wished dearly Minato was still around and Yurei hadn't spirited him away. At least then he would have someone he could complain to. "Paperwork or not, no one from the village has ever seen you before. There is a glaring hole in your story..."

Yurei shrugged, head tilted to the side as if to say, 'Do you really think I care?'

With an internal sigh, the third hokage directed Yurei to go with him to the hokage tower.

'This is going to be a long, long month.' He thought wearily.

Yurei merely followed – gaze blank enough to make an Aburame flinch.

'Hey...' She thought to herself, glancing down at the child in her arms, '...did you plan this out somehow, Lady Harvest?'

There was no response, but that was okay...

Yurei had long ago resigned herself to that.

'Even without a guide; the gear of fate turns on. Damn this accursed world.'