Chapter two Splendid Ninja Shine!
After the excitement of meeting Kurama, Naruto became a ninja in training under the tutelage of his father and mother. During the next several months with his mother's help Naruto learned to contact Kurama directly without needing her assistance. She also began his training in the art of sealing jutsu. His father helped him identify his chakra type as a wind affinity and instilled in him a desire to train hard physically and mentally. Because Minato was the 4th Hokage he had many duties that kept him away from doing more with Naruto directly.
One problem Minato was having which was of a very serious nature was the Clan of the Uchiha who were the police force for the Hidden Leaf Village. The Clan of Uchiha had helped found the village but were mistrusted by many. What worried Minato the most was a rumor that a coup was planned by this clan and especially in light of his former pupil Obito trying to control the Kyuubi. Because of this, the council had recruited one of the Uchiha's own, Itachi Uchiha, a fine young ninja who was very powerful and intelligent. His job was to infiltrate and report on clan activity. Over a period of 18 months the full breadth and depth of the planned coup was determined. Despite many overtures by Minato to the Uchiha's nothing seemed to deter their plan. In council with the third hokage no real solution could be found. Then one day Itachi came before the council of elders and spoke to them in secret.
" I'm sorry for the shameful way that my Clan has acted and is acting. I know that the Hidden Leaf Village has done everything it can to reach out to them but their pride and hatred keep them from seeing the truth and I did not see any way of changing their minds. As a shinobi of the village I can see but one path, the destruction of the Uchiha Clan." At this Itachi bowed to the council.
The council looking very grave understood the heart of this shinobi and what it took for him to say those words to them. Minato stood up with a heavy heart and address the council and Itachi.
" There must be some other way, the Uchihas are special to the Leaf! We must find..."
" No! There is no other way, it must be done for the safety of the village." This was voiced by Danzo, leader of Root, an ultra secret sect in Konoha. The 3rd Hokage and other members of the council sadly agreed with the need for such drastic action.
" But there must be hope for your clan. We cannot let it die out like this!" Said Minato.
" There is. My brother, Sasuke. As you know my clan has not produced many offspring because of their pride and arrogance. Sasuke will be the last and the first if he survives this cleansing. He has not been indoctrinated into the ways of the Uchihas beyond the basics of our aptitude for fire jutsu. I ask a favor of this council, watch over my brother and see that he does not grow up with the arrogance. That is all I ask if you." Itachi said with cold emotion.
" You know that by doing this you will become a missing ninja, you'll be held in disregard and disdain across all the nation's for what you will do. But I Minato, the 4th Hokage, promise to watch over your brother to see that he does not grow up with the arrogance your clan has shown, but becomes a splendid ninja like his brother." Minato said with a formal bow to Itachi.
Itachi left the council meeting knowing that what he was about to do was irrevocable but what pained him most was what it would do to his brother Sasuke. He hoped the 4th Hokage would live up to his promise and help his brother become an Uchiha worthy of their family heritage. On his way out Itachi was stopped by an aide to the 4th Hokage who handed him a small packet sealed with the 4th's sealing mark. Danzo saw the exchange and made a mental note of it before leaving by another entrance to the council chamber.
Weeks before this fateful meeting had seen both Sasuke and Naruto enter the ninja academy along with many other new students. Both the youngsters reveled in the training they were receiving. Each day they went home they could do little but be exuberant about the academy to their parents, specifically to their mothers. After school practice most always started with kunai training. Sasuke trained with multiple kunai both in throwing them and with avoidance techniques. Naruto on the other hand practiced throwing kunai with sealing papers attached to them. When he would throw them and they would make contact whatever they touched was sealed inside a barrier until he released it with a simple handsign. Both young ninja were complemented by their mothers for their skill and training.
All young ninja go through various training at the academy learning new techniques and areas of ninja training from ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. This was no exception for Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto found that he was quite adept at taijutsu and ninjutsu but he just could not get a handle on that genjutsu thing. Sasuke on the other hand found all three equally compelling. At their young ages they had much to learn of course but already their instructors could see talent in these two youngsters. The weeks prior to the Uchiha's Clan demise were not some of the happiest for Sasuke. His brother spent less time with him than before and seemed moody. His father, who was a very busy policeman, found time to help him train with his fire ninjutsu once but also seemed on edge.
On the night of the end of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke discovered all his Clan massacred. What was worse he found it was his brother who had done the unthinkable. Using his Sharingan, Itachi had destroyed his mother his father his aunts and uncles and all the other Uchiha. And for some reason Itachi had spared his life. Sasuke couldn't understand why, he couldn't fathom the reason his brother had done such a horrible thing and why his brother had left him alive. Why? Why!? Why? Lying in a hospital bed these thoughts continued to run through his mind. The medical ninja had looked over him and healed the minor wounds that his brother had given him. As he lay there the door to his room opened and a youngish looking man walked in. Definitely older than his brother but not nearly as old as is father. He was wearing typical ninja gear underneath a white overcoat that had red flames on the sleeves and along the bottom hem.
"Hello Sasuke, do you know who I am?" Said Minato
"You're the 4th Hokage aren't you?" Sasuke said and once he realized what he said and who this was he attempted to get out of bed.
"Relax Sasuke, no need for formalities. Yes I am the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze"
"But why are you here Hokage?" Sasuke said, unsure whether he wanted to know the answer to his own question.
"I am here because you are a Hidden Leaf ninja, and I am your Hokage, that is as much as you need to know for now. Get some rest and we will talk more later. " And with those words the Hokage turned and left his room, leaving Sasuke wondering still why the Hokage had come to see him. Would he be blamed for being the only survivor of the Uchiha? What would he do now without any family and a brother who surely would be an outcast among all shinobi.
As Minato walked from the hospital he began to consider Sasuke, such a young ninja having to face such a burden of losing his whole family and Clan. Then he thought of his own son Naruto, what if Naruto didn't have either him or Kushina, he already had no close kin besides them. What would have happened to him? It was a thought that Minato did not want to play out to the end. He had definitely neglected Naruto and his training since the impending coup and solution had been discussed. He would need to remedy that situation with some one on one training.
