Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Dedication; to Udene, YuNa, Pen-Aine, WindiosSiesta, Ambria27, and Runtm for continuously inspiring me with your words.

Chapter Twelve

Destiny's Child.

Kisame didn't know exactly how he had found the Uchiha; all he knew was that he was glad he found him when he did. And before any other Akatsuki. As it was half of the organization was already out looking for his raven-haired partner, and when people as dangerous as the Akatsuki went looking for someone, it was never for a good thing.

Kakuzu's new partner, Hidan, had been extremely livid when he and his partner had been instructed to locate and return the Sharingan-wielder. As foulmouthed as the Jashinist was Kisame was sure that fouler words hadn't fallen from his lips until that moment.

Unlike his partner, Kakuzu on the other hand had a different way of looking at things. In the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre, the bounty on an intact Uchiha corpse had skyrocketed much to the miser's delight. Villages were willing to pay through the nose to obtain the priceless gifts of the Sharingan and Kakuzu would be more than happy to deliver. He had at first planned to find Orochimaru and rip the younger Uchiha from his clutches, seeing as both Madara and Itachi were much too powerful for him to defeat. But knowing the Uchiha's prisoner, the bounty hunter was certain that the Uchiha would be too weak to put up much of a fight, if any at all. Besides he knew that the bounty would increase significantly if he delivered the corpse of the Itachi Uchiha, Heir of the Sharingan. And words could not describe the gratitude the bounty hunter felt towards the wayward Uchiha. He wasn't even bothered about upsetting Pein or Madara for he knew that it wouldn't be the first time he had killed a fellow Akatsuki for money.

Sasori, like Kakuzu, had no intentions of returning the Uchiha alive. Although he and his partner had been assigned a different mission, Sasori had made it his personal business to locate Itachi. The puppet master still begrudged him keeping the Yondaime all to himself. That, coupled with his long desire to add a shinobi of the raven's caliber to his collection, drove him to focus all his energy and resources into locating the wayward Uchiha. His vast network of spies had been assigned one task and one task only; finding Itachi Uchiha. The Yondaime, he knew would be long gone, but the Uchiha would more than make up for the loss. Much to his young partner's annoyance, the Suna missing-nin had abandoned him to complete their mission on his own while he focused on making the necessary preparations for his fight with the Heir of the Sharingan.

Deidara gritted his teeth and internally blamed the Uchiha for his partner's abandonment of him. His defeat at the hands of the Uchiha still left a sour taste in his mouth, a taste he longed to wash away with the metallic tang of the Uchiha's filthy blood. He decided to listen to his no-Danna for once and complete the mission as quickly as possible. That way he could join the effort in finding his arch nemesis. So it was with fierce determination that he quickly killed his way through the heavily guarded fortress of a paranoid feudal lord, whose worse nightmare he was about to make a reality.

If there was one thing both personalities of Zetsu agreed on it was where their loyalties lay. And that was with Madara. Although Zetsu obeyed Pein's orders, it was a known fact that it was the Uchiha founder who would forever hold his unwavering loyalty. So when his master's plaything had gone missing, Zetsu had made it his personal business to find and return the younger raven back before Madara returned from his lengthy mission in Earth country. Although Kisame knew nothing about Madara's existence, he knew that both Zetsu and Itachi answered to the same master with somewhat different agendas from the organization. All he knew was that if Zetsu found Itachi before he did, he would return his partner to cruel man who had forced the raven to remain in an organization he had no business being in.

When word reached him of the Akatsuki leader's personal involvement in the search, the Kiri-swordsman had shuddered at the thought of the great misfortune that would undoubtedly befall his teammate. And had doubled his efforts to find to Uchiha.

Arriving at the small, busy, snow-covered streets of the large non-shinobi village, Kisame had strained his senses for any sign of his partner. His heart had leapt when he sensed the raven's distinct chakra signature somewhere in the distance and he instantly sped off in that direction. Judging by the weak, fluctuating chakra pulse he could detect in the air, Kisame knew that Itachi was badly wounded and in need of immediate assistance.

His heart dropped to his stomach when he found the Uchiha shivering uncontrollably on the floor of a room, almost completely buried in snow. The windows had been reduced to a fine dust that now mingled with the snow on the ground. The room was in utter disarray; snow was everywhere, furniture was all over the place. There was a large spherical dent on the walls which Kisame recognized as the handiwork of a malignant chakra pulse.

Itachi lay on his stomach; sticky, dark red fluid leaking from his lips and staining the snow around him as he crawled towards the slightly open door. His Akatsuki cloak had been discarded on one of the beds, far from his reach. His black, long-sleeved shirt and matching pants were soaked with the moisture of the snow around him; providing little to no protection from the harsh blizzard outside. His dark, silky curtain of hair was free of its loose ponytail and hung limply around his face, acting as a fragile veil shielding his face from the cruelness of the world. His frail body was shivering uncontrollably in response to the biting wind of the raging snowstorm. His smooth, porcelain skin had adopted a light blue hue. His body shook with the uncontrollable shivers and violent coughing fits that wracked his body mercilessly. In one word he looked pathetic. If any other Akatsuki had found him like this, Uchiha Itachi would have been no more.

Kisame hurried to his partner's side and scooped the frail Uchiha into his arms. He moved easily to the bed and adjusted the raven in his arms so that he could pick up the thick blankets that had blissfully remained dry all this time. He settled Itachi down in the driest and warmest corner of the room before wrapping him in the enveloping warmth of the blankets. Itachi conveyed his gratitude through eye contact and the Kiri-swordsman settled down beside him and waited for Itachi to finally calm down.

"Where is he?" Kisame asked through clenched teeth.

Itachi refused to answer as he buried himself further in the warm folds of the blankets. Kisame decided to try a different approach.

"What happened?"

"That is irrelevant." Itachi said finally in a low voice very much like his usual self. Kisame gawked at him in disbelief but before he could utter any protests the raven held up a hand silencing him.

"What we need to do now is to find him before anyone does." Here the Sharingan-wielder paused to fix his partner with a stern but pleading look. "And for that I need your help."

"If you really want my help then you'll start talking." Kisame said stubbornly. "And you'd better be fast about it 'cos Kami knows that son of a bitch can run like the wind."

"STORM RELEASE: HEAVENLY GRUDGE!"

Tsunade stood frozen in front of her window, arms crossed over her chest, hazel eyes fixed on the chaos in the skies above Konoha. Down below civilians and shinobi alike stood frozen as well, watching the heavens for fear of what was to come.

The evacuation was in full swing and already most of the civilians had been evacuated to the shelters hidden within the Hokage Monument thanks to Kakashi's intellect and foresight. Tsunade felt something shift at her side and something stir in her heart; guilt. Without turning she dismissed the green-jumpsuit clad taijutsu enthusiast as she studied the great stone faces of Konoha's greatest heroes.

Grandpa Shodai, Big Uncle Nidaime, sensei, and him the Yondaime Hokage. Studying their faces, she couldn't help but notice the connection they each shared to her, and how that connection was what she felt had led to their demises. After all everyone she ever held dear always managed to meet some gruesome end. Her father, the Shodai's only child, died young in the same war that claimed his father and uncle. Nawaki, her beloved ototou was also claimed by war. She had saved him from the disease he had inherited from their mother as a child but she had been unable to save him from himself. Her ototou had a tendency to overexert himself, which went hand in hand with his belief that he needed to accomplish more if he wanted to live up to the Senju name. And so when the Second Great Shinobi war broke out, he had seen it as an opportunity to prove himself to the village. Tsunade would never forget the pain of his death.

Then there was Dan, Shizune's uncle. He supported her views and opinions but he was also another idealistic fool looking to change the world. And he too met a gruesome end. His death stung a lot more because despite all her skill and prowess in medical ninjutsu, she had been unable to save him. Sarutobi-sensei had followed but before him his successor had succumbed to the cold clutches of death. The idealistic brat had summoned it even. She never understood what her perverted teammate meant by it when he often said "that boy knows too much for his own good." Until that night.

Tsunade shifted uncomfortably at the memory of the Yondaime as guilt ate away at her. She had wronged him even more than she had wronged this village. Konoha indeed had a funny way of repaying its heroes. She had abandoned the village in its darkest hour and yet here she was donning the very hat her grandfather had worn with pride and standing in the very office her predecessor had stood in 14 years ago. While the son of the man who had sacrificed his life for the village was loathed and scorned. She wondered if he had stood in the exact same spot she was standing now; watching the chaos threatening to overwhelm the village below.

She wondered if he had known as soon as he saw that monstrous chakra demon in the distance that he would die before the night was over. He had been a genius after all so that possibility must have crossed his mind. And yet he had turned his back on the office he had dedicated his young life to acquiring and had walked to his death.

The Godaime remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on the Yondaime. He had reminded her so much of her little brother that when she first laid eyes on him she forgot that Nawaki had been dead for ten years and had hugged him tightly to her bosom. The child had been surprised by this but rather than pushing away from her or tensing at her touch he had returned her embrace with sincerity and equal fervor.

"So you're the boy Jiraiya won't shut up about." She had said in an effort to break the awkward silence that followed their embrace. He had nodded, his eyes shinning brightly as his lips spread into an excited grin.

"I don't know about that. But what I do know is that I'm the guy who's gonna become the Yondaime Hokage." He had declared with just as much confidence, although thankfully less enthusiastically than a certain other blond, blue-eyed boy she knew.

She remembered the flash of anger triggered by the echo those words seemed to have in her head. She had refrained from slapping him with enough force to make his head spin. And settled instead for insulting him.

"Baka!" She had said with an air of derision. "If you want to become Hokage you might as well stab yourself with the kunai in that weapons pouch and save everyone the trouble of mourning you. Everyone knows it's a fool's errand."

Those enchanting blue orbs of his had narrowed at her at this and she had hoped that she had successfully crushed his dreams.

"I would have expected a better response from a kunoichi of high standing such as yourself. You seem to have forgotten one very important thing. The Hokage before assuming his position was first and foremost a shinobi himself. To be a shinobi is to confront hatred and face certain death and yet there are those willing and able to sacrifice their lives for their village and beliefs. You are no different than the Hokage. As a shinobi you have bled and shed blood for this village. And something tells me that you will continue to risk your life for this village and its people. You are a hypocrite because you detest the very thing you are."

Tsunade remembered her eye twitching in annoyance as she turned to face her silver-haired fellow Sannin.

"You sure he's ten?" She had asked which had caused the perverted Toad Sage to burst into raucous laughter. If there was one thing Tsunade hated more than being talked down to by a mere child, it was being laughed at for it. She had cracked her knuckles menacingly, effectively shutting the Toad Summoner up.

Chuckling nervously, Jiraiya had ushered his student out of harm's way. But Tsunade had stopped the boy in his tracks with an arm on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll make a bet with you. If you become Hokage I'll take back everything I've said and empty my bank account to compensate you."

"I might be young but I'm not stupid. What good will you taking back your words do me? Besides I know about your less than stellar financial record, so you emptying your bank account will provide a loophole for you to exploit. How bout this, when I become Hokage I'll make you do as I say for a day."

Tsunade had laughed at the child's cockiness but agreed nonetheless. They had shaken on it before departing. She had admired the boy's confidence but she had thought that he would die trying to achieve his dream. She had reasoned that seeing as he was just like Dan and Nawaki in almost every way he too was going to meet the same tragic end as they. Why? Because he was no better than them.

But over the years the brat had turned her logic over on its head. As they years went by the blond flew through the ranks and became jonin in his late teens which was unheard of at the time. She had stubbornly refused to acknowledge this and pretty soon her stubbornness gave way to hatred and jealousy. Hatred because he was accomplishing feats her loved ones hadn't even dreamed of accomplishing. And jealousy for that reason alone. Why had fate favored him and not Dan and Nawaki?

She began to ignore and avoid him. But pretty soon that became almost impossible to achieve because they were often forced to work together. Then the Third Great Shinobi War had broken out and she had expected him to meet his demise then. But he had triumphed and came out a shinning hero—the Yellow Flash of Konoha was what they had nicknamed him. And his popularity grew both far and wide. His name came to be feared and he was regarded by many as the greatest shinobi of his generation.

"The future is bright with Minato leading the way." "I have nothing left to teach the boy." Were Jiraiya's exact words.

Even the Snake Sannin had commented on Minato's talents, even going as far as acknowledging him as his equal in the race for Yondaime Hokage. Despite all this, Tsunade had refused to let go of the past and embrace the boy. His very existence enraged her to no end. It wasn't long before Minato himself noticed her hostility towards him and began keeping his distance. Something Tsunade was grateful for.

A year after the Third Great Shinobi war ended, Konoha was in chaos. Orochimaru had been discovered and exiled by the Sandaime himself and civilians and shinobi alike began speculating on who would be next in line for the title of Yondaime. Tsunade had been away on a lengthy mission in Water country, and when she returned she discovered that power had changed hands and the brat had finally realized his dream. She had marched over to her sensei's house and had knocked his door down, demanding a reason why the brat had been named Yondaime and not Jiraiya. In truth she had wanted anyone but the brat to become Hokage. But her former sensei stood his ground and there wasn't really anything else she could do. The deed was done as was evident when she had to report back to the new Hokage about her mission.

She stood there internally seething as she recalled the uneventful details of her mission in a brisk, professional voice to the man she had wished failure upon more than anything else. They both knew that beneath her veneer of formality lay an enraged beast they both agreed was best to not provoke. She had congratulated him in a voice lacking any emotion and had departed from his presence, her mind made up.

She had instructed Shizune to pack her things and meet her at the Western Konoha gates that same night. Although the girl had not questioned her Tsunade hadn't missed the silent inquiry in her large, black eyes. Before leaving, Tsunade decided to pay them a visit one last time. She had walked in silence that evening her mind trying to make sense of the rage in her heart.

Who was he and what was so special about him that fate chose him over Dan and Nawaki? How dare he come and steal their dreams, hopes, and ambitions from them? He had essentially stolen their lives for his own selfish desires and she was unwilling to forgive that. She had always pictured the Yondaime as being either one of those two, not some scrawny, blond, pretty boy with more fan girls than Fugaku Uchiha. Which was why she was leaving.

As she approached Nawaki's grave, she sensed someone else nearby and felt something clench forcefully in her stomach when she recognized his presence. She found him standing there in front of her brother's grave staring off into space, lost in thought. She chose to ignore him as she knelt down directly in front of the headstone.

They had remained like that for several moments, separated by the velvety darkness of the night and the silence of the cemetery around them. The entire time she had kept her eyes shut; silently willing him to disappear. But he lingered and she felt her eyebrows crease with annoyance.

"I didn't think it would happen this soon." He had said in a low voice loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes had snapped open and turned to fix him with a baleful glare. But he didn't see this because his head was upturned towards the sky, his eyes reflecting the shiny dots on the inky canvas.

"Come to gloat?" She had asked slowly rising to her feet. He turned to face her slowly and she saw confusion written in those enchanting orbs of his. Despite his obvious confusion, Tsunade refused to deliberate and allowed him to attach whatever meaning he wished to her words. Being the genius that he was the man had figured out her true meaning and shook his head slowly in response.

"Today in my office, you had this look in your eyes…something about the way you carried yourself told me that you would be leaving forever." He had paused and Tsunade chose to ignore the brief flash of sadness in his eyes.

"Then your title is well deserved." She had replied curtly.

"Why mouth words you don't mean?" He had asked closing his eyes as one would do after being personally insulted.

"Funny cos I was just about to ask you the exact same thing."

"Please elaborate."

"Gladly." She had said in a tone that told otherwise. "First of all you go around spouting nonsense you understand but do not mean. Reciting the words of the great Hokages past, influencing and deceiving people into thinking that you genuinely care for Konoha's welfare and wish to protect it. When in actuality this is all a façade, a trick. You are on a quest of self-gratification to slake that intense hunger to validate your own existence. And I refuse to remain in a village run by an individual like you."

Minato had been silent for several minutes following her tirade, digesting everything she had thrown at him. She had turned her back to him in disgust and had tried to ignore his presence and pay her final respects to her ototou.

"You know I've always thought the world of you." He said finally breaking his silence. "But regardless what I thought or how I felt about you, I never once judged you. Why? Because I know nothing about you."

She had turned on him by then her anger and rage swelling inexplicably.

"I know now why you hate me. You feel that I stole your brother's dream. But I'll have you know, before I ever heard about Nawaki, or Dan, wanting to become Hokage had always been my dream. I'm sorry that I come across as deceitful and pretentious to you but I'm not. I don't say things I don't mean. And although like all human beings I naturally seek some sort of acknowledgement or approval, I would never resort to lies or dishonesty to achieve this. Because in truth I'd rather be hated for something I am than loved for something I'm not.

"I'll have you know that I'm not the only person who has ever dreamed, or will ever dream, of becoming Hokage. Look around. There are so many others out there willing to take the burden off my shoulders. So many ready to go on this fool's errand. And why would any one possibly want to do that? Because there's a Nawaki and Dan inside each and every Leaf shinobi willing to lay down their lives for this village a hundred times over. And I happen to be one of them."

Tsunade had stared at him for several moments, her rage building as she refused to acknowledge his words. But the harder she tried, the more they sunk in. She had nodded her head calmly before balling her fist and aiming a heavy punch at the man beside her.

The blond man's instantaneous reflexes were the only thing that spared him the excruciatingly painful experience of being on the receiving end of her punch. He caught her fist in his long fingers and held it in place. She had roared in fury as she flung her other arm at his gut. He had easily caught it in his other hand like he had the first. They remained like that for several moments; her struggling with all her might to break his hold and him struggling to maintain his death grip on her fists. When she had aimed her knee at his groin, he had swiftly swept her feet from underneath her and used his body to pin hers to the ground below.

They had struggled like this for several minutes until she finally calmed down and gathered spittle in her mouth.

"Don't." Came his firm command before she had a chance to hurl the spit at him. She stopped and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Then get off!"

"No. First calm down." He had adopted a condescending tone now and she saw red. In the end her brute strength won out and she was able to knee him forcefully in the groin. He had rolled off her in pain and shock, allowing her to rise to her feet again.

She would have kicked him some more had he not gotten up right after she had.

"Is that the best you could do Hokage-sama?" Minato had caught the venom attached to his title and he frowned at this.

"I only came to talk."

"Well I'm done listening."

"Please." She had actually smirked at reducing the most powerful man in Fire Country to begging.

"No."

"Why?"

"If you haven't figured that out yet then I suggest you resign your post."

"Then we have nothing further to discuss." He had said with a far off look in his eyes as he stared at the space behind her. She had turned on her heels and stormed out of the cemetery, forgetting to visit Dan's grave as well.

By the next morning she was long gone. However, Jiraiya had found her and had tried to convince her to return. But the Senju were as proud a clan as the Uchiha, and she refused to listen to reason. Yet Jiraiya remained, determined to not lose another friend. Tsunade knew that had it not been for the emergency summons he had received from Minato, Jiraiya would not have returned to Konoha. Before he departed Jiraiya had tried one last time to convince her to return, but she had refused and so he had left her with the promise to return. It would be 13 years before he would keep that promise.

"Be careful what you wish for." Her sensei had once advised her sagely. On the night of the Kyuubi attack Tsunade understood the true meaning behind his words. As it turns out, Jiraiya had been summoned back to assist in Kushina's delivery. But he had been delayed in returning. As a result the fragile situation exploded and escalated forcing Minato to intervene.

Learning of his death had been a huge blow to her and at first she had been in denial. But when the truth finally sunk in so did the realization that his death was indirectly her fault. Had she been there Jiraiya would have been present during the entire process and things wouldn't have gotten out of hand. She would have been able to stabilize Kushina's chakra and kept the lid on the situation. But she hadn't, and the 'brat' had died. And she had gotten her wish.

Shame and guilt devoured her and she sank into a deep depression. She had sworn to never return to Konoha and had been true to her words until the day she met him. He looked everything like the man who gave him life but acted nothing like him. He was loud, obnoxious, dim, stubborn, spirited, and fiercely determined. But he was too much like Kushina so he wasn't a genius and things didn't come to him as easily as they had his father. Gamabunta being the perfect example. But his determination always won out eventually and he was able to do two things his father had been unable to; first of all he had successfully mastered the Rasengan—his birthright in record time. Secondly, he had successfully convinced her to return to Konoha as the Godaime Hokage.

And here she was today standing in the office like her predecessor; staring certain death in the face. She laughed at the irony of the situation. She had indirectly caused his death and now she was about to meet her own demise by his jutsu. The unnaturally thick clouds above moved menacingly spurring the dazed citizens below into action. She snapped out of her reverie, her mind made up and turned to leave the room. Before leaving she decided to take care of one minor issue; the issue of succession. Unlike her predecessor she wasn't going to leave behind a whole bunch of rules and suggestions of how the village should be run that would be ignored by the council and citizens anyway. Konoha always found a way to sustain itself and she knew that now would be no different. However, she wanted to avoid any dispute that would infringe on Naruto's birthright. Her successor would have to be someone who was well aware of Naruto's right to the seat of Hokage and would protect the village until he was old and mature enough to lead Konoha. And there was only one person she could think of that fit all those criteria.

Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi's lone Sharingan eye was spinning madly as he studied the surrounding forestry. They had already located the source of the chaos and had surrounded it. They were now preparing to close in on it and he had been assigned, for obvious reasons, to scout the area before issuing the 'okay'. His mismatched pair of eyes scanned the area carefully as his heightened sense of smell and hearing kept on alert for any other presence than the one in the woods. Finding none he turned to Pakkun and was about to give the signal when the sound of hurried footsteps and crashing leaves alerted him.

"Relax Kashi." Pakkun cautioned lazily when the Copy Nin instinctively reached for his weapons pouch. When Kakashi picked up Kotetsu and Izumo's scents he couldn't repress the disapproving frown that came over his features.

How many people does it take to deliver a message? He had thought as he turned to watch the two breathless Chunnin emerge from the bushes.

"Honestly you people are no better than academy students." The Copy Nin admonished the squabbling duo who turned to face him at his words.

"Sorry, you see it's all Izumo's fault." The spiky-haired Chunnin said matter-of-factly causing his partner to sputter angrily.

"What? It most certainly is not!" Izumo said angrily.

"Just deliver the message. Sheesh." Kotetsu said earning a death glare from his partner.

"Guy sent us to tell you that Neji detected two rapidly approaching figures headed towards the village." He said pausing to allow Kakashi to mull this over.

"Any idea who they might be?" Kakashi inquired. The Chunnin shook their heads at him before Kotetsu decided to add to what his partner had said earlier.

"But according to Neji, one of them has a very malicious chakra emanating from him and so you should be experiencing some atmospheric changes shortly." Kakashi's eyes widened in realization of what was going on.

"I want you two to return to Guy and tell him to not engage until I send reinforcements." The Chunnin nodded their assent as they departed. The Copy Nin turned to Pakkun his mind working furiously.

"Kashi what's wrong?" The dog inquired.

"No time to explain. I want you to find Kurenai immediately and get her back to the village. The rest of us will take it from here." Pakkun nodded but turned back towards him before departing.

"Should I get reinforcements?" But Kakashi shook his head at this.

"No. Trust me the village needs all the protection it can get." Was his reply as he took off in the direction of the electrical charge.

Malicious chakra…There's only one person I can think of that fits that description. And with Sasuke here that explains his reappearance. I just hope I can reach him before he does.

Shikamaru sat up suddenly in his hiding place. He had been slouched lazily on the tree he had been hiding behind waiting for Kakashi's signal until a loud crash jolted him from his light doze. He stretched his chakra and sensed Asuma-sensei not too far away. But Kurenai was nowhere in sight. Asuma had obviously noticed this too because he turned to fix Shikamaru with a questioning stare before taking off to locate the raven-haired kunoichi.

Women. They're such a pain.

He though lazily as he strained to hear any signs of the Copy Nin. His eyes narrowed in suspicion when he heard none. He listened closely and realized with a start that it was unnaturally quiet.

Genjutsu. But how? When?

"Is the evacuation complete?" A silky voice inquired from within his mind. Recognizing the effects of a genjutsu Shikamaru remained calm and ignored the voice. He felt something probe his memory and fought to force it out. But his efforts were in vain and his mind succumbed to the stranger's will.

"I see. So you don't know." The voice fell into a contemplative silence as it digested the information.

Although Shikamaru was positive he had never met this person before something about the presence in his mind seemed vaguely familiar. He wracked his brains trying to remember who the voice reminded him of but came up empty. It wasn't until the presence, which had been flitting through his memories, paused briefly at the memory of his disastrous first mission as a Chunnin that Shikamaru realized just exactly who had infiltrated his mind.

"My ototou never really did have much common sense."The elder Uchiha said in that silky voice of his. Shikamaru felt a shiver run down his spin at the sound of the murderous Uchiha's voice.

He had never met the elder Uchiha in person before but stories of his ruthlessness had convinced him that he was one of the lucky ones who hadn't. Feeling the man's presence this close was unsettling and very disturbing and Shikamaru felt himself trembling like the coward he was deep down inside.

"You love your sensei very much." It wasn't a question but Shikamaru couldn't help nodding in response. The mass murderer chuckled.

"Then you have half an hour to save him." Before Shikamaru had gotten the chance to ask him what he meant by that the Uchiha departed causing him to crumble to the ground. Although he was shaking all over Shikamaru managed to pick himself up and took off to locate his chain-smoking sensei. From what he knew of Itachi Uchiha, the man was not one to make idle threats and so he doubled his efforts and pace.

Kisame turned towards his partner, an evil smirk playing on his shark-like features.

"Seriously Itachi did you really have to scare the boy half to death?"

"You know me Kisame, if it hadn't been of the utmost importance I wouldn't have done it." Itachi said as he began forming several hand seals in rapid succession. "Besides, by the time this is all over he won't be able to remember a thing."

"Feh, how come you get to have all the fun?" Kisame asked his disappointment evident. Itachi smiled despite himself at this. The Kiri swordsman waited patiently for the Uchiha to finish his preparations.

"Did you secure Yuhi?" Itachi asked a stern look crossing his features.

"The girl with the crazy eyes? Yeah I took care of her." Kisame replied adjusting Samehada as he rose to join his partner.

"And you understand your role in all of this?" The Uchiha inquired further.

"As much as I hate to acknowledge this, yes." The Kiri-missing nin muttered beneath his breath. His partner caught this but he gave no indication of this.

"Kisame please don't get carried away," the Sharingan-wielder said a pleading look crossing his eyes. "It is imperative that you play your part exactly as I stated earlier. Remember who we're dealing with here." Kisame waved the prodigy's cautionary words away impatiently before fixing him with a stern look of his own.

"You just make sure you come out of this in one piece, you hear?" Itachi gave no reply as he departed. Kisame sighed in frustration as he took off towards his destination.

"How on earth did I let him drag me into this?" He wondered out loud.

From his vantage point Itachi had a clear view of the entire village. However, his eyes were clamped shut at the moment as he prepared them. He waited patiently for his partner's signal and when it came he opened his eyes and felt the familiar transformation take place in both eyes.

His poor health required him to make use of shadow clones as opposed to him performing the jutsu unaided. When he felt the similar change occur in all his clones he placed his hand together forming the release seal.

"Reverse Tsukuyomi; Frozen Barrier."

It was a jutsu he had developed at the height of his Mangekyou's powers. His steadily declining health had led him to restrict his use of it until he ultimately forbade himself from ever using it. As he felt the sporadic tremors building within his chest Itachi realized exactly why. The impending battle would leave him sick for weeks, but he didn't care. He would do anything to protect the village he had so foolishly put in harm's way.

He felt contentment swell within him as he examined his handiwork. The village below was frozen in its tracks. People and animal alike. True to its name the jutsu was the exact opposite of the Tsukuyomi in the sense that in the mind of those affected only a second would have passed. The genjutsu enabled him to do two things; cloaking the village in a protective barrier, while simultaneously wiping the citizens' memories. Unwilling to take any chances, Itachi had had Kisame take out the only person in the village capable of breaking the genjutsu; Kurenai Yuhi. The only downside to this jutsu was that those outside the genjutsu's barrier were not only unaffected by it but they could also see the genjutsu's effects on others. That was where Kisame came in. While Itachi confronted the Yondaime, Kisame was to capture and manually wipe out the memories of all the shinobi already outside the village. This shouldn't be hard for him. Itachi's only concern was that his partner would get carried away and kill someone.

Itachi shook his head, banishing the unwanted though from his mind. The first phase of his plan was complete. Now came the hard part—subduing the Yondaime. Itachi decided to fall back on his trump card again seeing as it had worked in the past. But he would refrain from using it until the last possible moment. The air around him stilled and only the distant sound of metal clanging could be heard in the unearthly silence around him.

I have to wait for Kisame's part to be over before moving in otherwise this could turn into a bloodbath pretty quickly.

As he waited Itachi closed his eyes as he assessed the damage done to his body while preparing himself for his next course of action. Out of habit Itachi opened an eye and used his Sharingan to scan the area around him. What he saw rocked him to his core. The image of a colossal pillar of water and lightening flattening Konoha spurred him into action. His Sharingan had foreseen the very near future and he had only seconds to form a counter attack.

"DIE!" A booming voice cried out as a pillar of light descended rapidly towards the earth. Itachi cringed at the raw power behind the jutsu. Susan'oo was forced to act before fully manifesting. Itachi directed the colossal humanoid to raise its shield in time to deflect most of the blow.

Put the pillar held and Susan'oo was forced to raise the blazing sword in its hand. Despite the large amount of blood oozing out of his eyes and mouth, and the rapid deterioration of his vision, Itachi held on and didn't dispel Susan'oo until the blinding pillar disappeared completely. When the ethereal warrior dispersed Itachi collapsed to his knees coughing violently as he clutched his chest.

Minato was panting heavily and uncontrollably his eyes narrowed in anger as he watched his jutsu vanish. As he watched the giant, fiery humanoid recede, it finally hit him.

Uchiha.

The sight stirred up a long forgotten memory within him. It was his first encounter with Itachi. He had been about to play his trump card when everything had suddenly gone dark and he felt his powers drain from him. He remembered catching a glimpse of fiery red before his eyes closed and now he realized exactly what had happened.

His frown deepened and he took off in the direction the giant had disappeared.

Knowing he had mere seconds before the angry blond kage would arrive, Itachi closed his eyes again. Trying his best to ignore the violent throbbing in his head, Itachi focused as much chakra as he dared to his right eye.

Just one more.

When he opened his eyes he saw a flash of yellow and felt a smile tug at his lips.

Typical. He is Naruto's true father.

The blond male rushed at him with a giant-sized Rasengan and Itachi's right eye flew open. The black flames of the Amaterasu burst forward engulfing the screaming man whole. Itachi smiled at the sight before him, but not for the reason Minato thought.

Itachi had seen through the Yondaime's genjutsu and had decided to play along in order to lure him out. He had pretended to attack the illusion with his Amaterasu and had cast a genjutsu of his own to make the clone appear to be engulfed. He was smirking because he knew that the real Minato was currently charging at him with an impossibly large Rasengan.

Forgive me Namikaze-sama.

With one blink Itachi broke the genjutsu and the concealed dark flames of the spiritual fire leapt at the charging blond. The ethereal dark flames latched onto the older man's tanned skin drawing out an earsplitting scream from him. The Yondaime collapsed to the floor in a futile effort to quench the hungry flames.

Itachi waited until the man was knocked out by the excruciating pain in his arm and upper torso before quelling the flames. As those horrid flames receded, Itachi felt his surroundings dim as he was enveloped by the welcoming darkness.

Minato didn't know how long he stood there watching the sleeping teen; all he knew was that he couldn't take his eyes off the blond teen. And who could blame him it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the boy since before his death 14 years ago. Like his mother, Naruto was a heavy sleeper and slept with his mouth open meaning that he had a tendency to drool all over the place. Like him, the teen's limbs were sprawled all over the place and he had somehow managed to kick off his blanket and had wiggled out of his futon.

Minato chuckled at the cute expression on the teen's face. He felt pain, sorrow and overwhelming guilt tug at his heart and did his best to compress them for the time being. Itachi hade made it absolutely clear that his time with his son would be brief and so far he had already spent most of his allotted time watching his son sleep. He finally forced his feet to carry him across the room and slowly made his way towards the snoring blond.

"Naruto." He called shaking the blond gently. The child only stirred but didn't wake up. Minato felt a fond smile cross his lips as he brushed the spiky, blond mop of hair his son had inherited from him.

She got her wish…he looks just like me but from what I can tell he acts just like her.

Minato stroked the whisker marks on his son's cheek affectionately as he tried to wake him up again.

"…Sakura-chan…" His son muttered in his sleep and Minato had to suppress the snort that escaped him with his hands.

He's dreaming about a girl with his mouth open like that? I hope he doesn't act like his mother around her.

Unable to resist the burning urge, Minato leaned in and planted an affectionate kiss on his son's tanned forehead before scooping him into his arms. Although he was a lot bigger than he had been the last time Minato had held him, he was pleased to note that Naruto still fit snugly in his arms. He rocked him slowly as he reached down and stroked his cheeks.

Minato felt hot tears building up but refused to shed them. This was supposed to be a happy moment. It shouldn't be ruined by past failures and regrets. He couldn't let his guilt and anger at himself get in the way. Besides he had something important to ask his son and time was wasting. But he knew that if he woke his son up they would talk and when the conversation was over so would their time together and then he would have to leave. And he wasn't sure he wanted to leave just yet. Or ever. He had his son in his arms, just like he had always fantasized about doing when he had first heard of his lover's pregnancy.

He heard the impatient call of the Uchiha's raven outside and he gently laid Naruto down before walking over and closing the window. The bird shot him a baleful look before taking off to find its master. Minato froze in shock when he heard a loud yawn from behind him. He turned around slowly and came face to face with his now-awake son. They held eye contact for several minutes, studying the other and waiting for some sort of reaction. Minato's heart began an unhealthily fast rhythm under his son's scrutiny that his body struggled to catch up with.

Will he recognize me? Will he know who I am? What I did to him? How do I start?

"Did you find Pervy Sage?" The younger blond asked in a bleary voice as a yawn escaped him. Minato blinked at him for several moments in confusion.

Who is Pervy Sage...wait a minute Jiraiya-sensei's still the biggest pervert I know, and he's a Sage. Could it be?

"Who?" Minato asked. Naruto only threw his hands up in frustration as an exasperated groan escaped him.

"You got carried away and forgot didn't you?" The whiskered teen said pointing accusingly. His temper tantrum was a little on the cute side despite it being comical.

"Er."

"Why can't you guys ever do something right?" The exasperated teen asked as his hand fell limply to his side. "Everyone else's shadow clones obey them. Heck even Akamaru makes a better shadow clone than you do. Why do mine have to be so…weird?"

Minato repressed the smile that threatened to surface. His son thought he was a shadow clone. Despite the obvious height difference and their vastly different attires.

So he inherited his mother's brain as well.

"The other time I asked you guys to find me a bathroom and you all got stuck in the door and the one that actually got into the bathroom locked the door and forgot to open it. The same way you forgot to find PERVY SAGE!" Minato blinked several times as he stared at the panting teen wondering how he could say all that in one breath.

The teen watched him watch him for a few minutes before releasing a long, drawn out sigh of exasperation. His expression suddenly brightened as he turned and dove into the pile of orange clothes discarded carelessly a few feet away from his futon. He finally emerged with a wallet Minato recognized as Jiraiya-sensei's.

"Well at least I managed to swipe his wallet before he left." Naruto said as his features adopted a very fox-like grin. "And if he doesn't come back and teach me that new awesome jutsu like he promised…I'll just have to find out how much ramen his wallet can afford."

He loves ramen too? Did he even get anything from me? Oh wait, yeah he did.

"Come on I know you're hungry cos I'm starved." The teen said as he hastily threw on his orange jumpsuit before hurrying out of the hotel room. Minato chuckled at the boy's speed as he followed him out of the room.

"Man you're really fast." Naruto exclaimed as he collapsed unto the empty seat opposite Minato. They had raced through the small non-shinobi village to the ramen restaurant.

"It's not as awesome as Ichiraku's, but it sure is delicious!" Naruto smacked him lips expectantly before attacking the steaming bowl in front of him. Minato had never really liked ramen but he had always managed a bowl to impress his lover and he was willing to down more to buy more time with his son.

By the time he was done with his first bowl his son was already halfway through his fifth and was talking through a mouthful of noodles about something Minato had lost track of. When Naruto picked up the bowl and tipped it towards his mouth Minato took the opportunity to voice something that had been nagging him for some time.

"Are you happy?" Naruto almost choked on the steaming broth running down his throat before he drained the bowl and set it down on the table with a lout clang.

"Where'd that come from?" Naruto asked.

"Just answer the question." Minato said before pausing to add. "Truthfully."

Naruto stared at him for several moments before his eyes went out of focus as and a sad look came across his features.

"Not really, no." The teen said clutching his stomach sorrowfully. "Ever since Sasuke left I've…it's the reason we're here training with Pervy Sage. To get stronger to bring him back!" The fire and determination in his eyes were reminiscent of his mother and Minato watched him with narrowed eyes.

So Sasuke was dear to him. I can see why he would want to bring him back from Orochimaru. If I had known that the boy was a lost soul I would have dragged him out of there kicking and screaming as opposed to knocking him out like I did.

"Why?" Minato asked as he got started on his second bowl. Naruto stared at him like he had grown two heads before answering.

"Because he's our friend!" Naruto said in a loud voice that reminded Minato why he had rarely taken his red-haired lover out in public.

Then Naruto's expression saddened considerably as he dropped his head down.

"And…I promised Sakura. We promised to grow stronger together to bring him back together." Minato saw the hurt in his eyes and had to contain the rage swelling inside him at the thought of the younger Uchiha hurting his son.

"Was he taken from you, or did he leave?" Minato asked in a low voice as he stared off into space. Naruto's eyes shot up to glare at him.

"What difference does it make?" The teen snapped in a feral voice.

"Just answer the question."

"He was lured." Naruto replied his temper rising but not because of Minato. "He was trying to get stronger to defeat him."

Minato had a strong feeling he knew exactly who his son was referring to and made a mental note to punch the elder Uchiha later. It was all starting to make sense now. The pieces were slowly but surely falling into place.

After the Uchiha massacre Sasuke had been forced to grow up in loneliness and hatred because of what Itachi had done. Naturally, he grew to despise the cause of his misery and he must have deserted Konoha to seek Orochimaru out to get the power to kill his insanely skilled brother. But before his defection, he and Naruto had formed a close bond that his son was willing to travel the world a hundred times over to maintain. He loved that boy with all his heart and his betrayal really cut deep. And here he was this very moment dedicating his life to saving someone that didn't give a rat's ass whether he lived or died.

'Sounds familiar don't you think?' A sly voice said in his head. Minato bowed his head as he realized that he was no different from his son.

He too was willing to dedicate his life for someone he knew almost nothing about. From the very first moment he had realized how tormented Itachi was, he had made up his mind to save him from himself. It was a hero complex he had always possessed; something he had unfortunately passed down to his son. It was the same thing that had gotten him killed. Uzumaki genes or not, Naruto was going to die young if he continued on the path he was on.

"Naruto." When the teen looked up at him he sighed. "Let it go." Minato saw the punch coming but did nothing to avoid it. His son's fist collided hard with his face sending him falling to the ground.

As he cradled his cheek he wondered if his son had noticed that he hadn't dispersed in a cloud of smoke like normal shadow clones did when they got hit.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" By now all eyes were on them but neither of them cared. Naruto walked over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

Minato repeated himself and felt a powerful surge of the fox's energy emanate from the boy. He cringed in alarm. His hands began working on their own accord as they formed seals for his Containment jutsu. He opened his palm and pressed it forcefully to his son's stomach. The blond teen's eyes widened in pain and shock and Minato caught him before he could fall. He apologized for the ruckus and departed after paying for their meal, carrying his son in his arms.

As they walked in silence, Naruto glanced up at him weakly before opening his mouth to speak.

"Where did you learn that from?" He wondered out loud. Minato chuckled fondly at his son's stupidity but said nothing in response.

"I can't let him go, because that's not my nindo." The whiskered youth said weakly. Minato turned to stare at him curiously.

"And what is your nindo?" He asked dreading the answer. Naruto smiled weakly.

"To never give up." Minato felt something sink inside him.

That had been her nindo. Her recklessness had inspired me to change my nindo to protecting those precious to me. It's the reason we both died young. Naruto deserves a long life filled with happiness and laughter. Not one of chasing empty dreams and being forever haunted by regrets.

"If I give up on Sasuke, I might as well give up on becoming Hokage." Naruto declared weakly. "And that's not gonna happen, not in this lifetime or the next."

Minato stared at him for several moments as he listened to his son's words.

"You still want to become Hokage after all they did to you?" He asked incredulously. Naruto chuckled at this.

"If they hadn't done what they did I wouldn't be the person I am today. They made me who I am. They inspired me to keep moving forward, to never give up. To not sit around feeling sorry for myself because it was pointless. To show my gratitude for everything they did to me, I'm gonna protect them with my dying breath…just like the Yondaime."

Minato felt his breath catch at the sound of his title.

"Besides, I get a thrill out of making people eat their words. So why stop now?" Naruto said as his eyes finally fell shut as he succumbed to the welcoming darkness of sleep and fatigue.

Minato was shaking like a leaf when he tucked him back in bed that night. His son had just reminded him of everything he had dedicated his life pursuing. People had mocked him, derided him and ostracized him for his father's sins. And yet he had managed to change to their opinions about him and achieve his dream of becoming Hokage. Their hatred had shaped the man he grew up to become in more ways than one. He had countered every negativity with something positive and had earned his rightful place in history as the greatest Hokage to have ever lived. He had died protecting the very people that had despised him as a child. And his son was no different.

Naruto had pulled himself out of his misery and depression with no help from anyone, while he had had his lover's help. If he could have gone on to become the legend he was he couldn't imagine how much more Naruto would accomplish under Jiraiya's tutelage. He didn't know much about this Sasuke but he knew enough to know that at one point he had been a decent guy. If he wanted to fully sever that bond he still shared with Naruto, he was going to have to kill him. And that was easier said than done.

In his lifetime he had been called many things. Brat, Blondie (his lover's pet name for him), sensei, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Yondaime, Hokage-sama. But none of those titles mattered compared to the one he was so proud to bear; father.

And although he ached to hear it from his son's mouth, he was content just knowing that his legacy would surpass him in life. Knowing his son, when he woke up the next day their entire encounter would all seem like a weird dream. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Goodnight Naruto." He said with one wistful look at the sleeping teen as he disappeared in a flash of yellow.

The latest episodes in the anime have really endeared Naruto to me and I just couldn't resist the urge to put him in the story. As usual tell me how I did and I promise to update as soon as I can.