Dear Readers, this is my first time writing a fanfic. So please feel free to review/comment whether it be positive or negative. Hope you guys like this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to the Naruto universe. It is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

PROLOGUE

A Forest near Konoha

"We have to keep it outside the village. Hold it off until Yondaime arrives!", an old man in black shinobi gear shouted for everyone to hear. This man was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the retired Sandaime Hokage. Rejuvenated by his words the shinobi army once again pulled themselves together to face the strongest of the bijuu, the Kyūbi no Kitsune. The Nine tailed fox fixed a paralyzing glare on the charging shinobi, freezing most of them in their tracks. Just as it raised it's claws to strike at them the Sandaime went through some handseals, inhaling a tremendous amount of air, and sent from his mouth a huge ball of fire towards the demon. He shouted, "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!"(Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)

The fire took the form of a dragon head and hit the Fox's head engulfing it in flames. The shinobi cheered at the display of power by their former leader. However, a loud roar resonated from the cloud of smoke creating shockwaves that blasted people away revealing the beast, more annoyed than hurt. Hiruzen and the others sent chakra to their feet so as not to be thrown off. The fox then focused it's blood red slitted eyes on Hiruzen with a look of pure hatred. Hiruzen was unfazed, unlike the rest. There was a reason he was called the Shinobi no Kami and the Professor. He was not hokage for about 30 years for nothing. He bit his thumb, went through some handseals, and slammed his hands on the ground and shouted, "Kuchiyose no jutsu: Monkey King Enma!"(Summoning Jutsu)

A large puff of white smoke appeared from which a tall monkey with a large white mane, wearing battle clothes was summoned. It looked at Hiruzen and nodded. Hiruzen said, "My friend, I am in need of your help."

Enma looked at the Kyubi and said, "Right". He put his hands in a seal and shouted, "Transformation: Adamantine Staff!"

Another puff of smoke revealed Hiruzen with a large black staff whose metal edges glinted in the moonlight. He then settled into a Taijutsu stance thinking, 'Minato, where are you?'

Far Away in Another Part of the Forest

A man with sun kissed yellow hair was speaking softly to his wounded wife in a clearing while their child lay in cradle near them asleep. The blond man said to his crying wife,

"It's the only way Kushina. Naruto has to be the one."

"But why Minato? Why should he be the one to carry this burden?", Kushina cried.

Minato smiled sadly at her and said, "You know as well as I do Kushina. The kyubi is too powerful. The only way to protect the village is to seal it away. I am sure that the person who orchestrated this attack will strike again in the future. I believe Naruto will be the one to stop him. He is the prophesied child Jiraiya-sensei was talking about. Not me. And he will need all the help he can get. As for why, I would be a lousy hokage if I ask for another person's child's future while I am unwilling to sacrifice my own child's."

Kushina wiped her tears and said, "I understand Minato. I'm just sad that I won't get to see him grow."

Minato smiled and said, "Don't worry my love, while sealing the kyubi into Naruto, I will also seal mine and your souls into him. That way you will be with him throughout his life."

Kushina looked surprised. "But how Minato?" she asked.

Minato looked at Naruto and said, "I made some alterations to the Shiki Fūjin(Reaper Death Seal) to allow the caster's soul to also be sealed. However, part of our souls will get sealed in the Shinigami's stomach. We won't have any power within his mind. Nor can we help him with the matter of kyubi." Seeing his wife about to protest he said, "It's alright Kushina. Atleast we'll be there with him always. However he'll have to allow us if we wish to speak with him."

Kushina smiled sadly and said, "Okay Min-kun. I just hope he lives happily."

Minato leaned down and kissed Naruto's forehead. Then he kissed his wife one last time and hugged her. "Forgive me", he whispered in her ear. Then he got up and teleported away in a yellow flash. Kushina moved down and kissed Naruto's cheek and cried.

'Forgive us, my son... '

Back in the Battlefield

The shinobi were retreating, unable to match the strength of the tailed beast. The Sandaime was panting heavily, nearly depleted of chakra. 'What power! We won't last long if this continues.' Suddenly the kyubi opened its mouth facing up while his tails converged near his mouth like a shield. Hiruzen felt something bad was going to happen and looked towards it to see red and blue chakra particles joining together near it's mouth to create a huge orb of pure condensed chakra. Hiruzen paled. 'A tailed beast bomb! Of that size! Only Hashirama-sensei was able to stop one. What will we do?' Meanwhile the tailed beast bomb had grown to the size of a house. Suddenly the beast launched it towards the retreating shinobi in the direction of the village, plowing through trees like nothing, with tremendous speed. Just when it was near them a kunai came speeding towards the bomb while a shout came from above.

"Hiraishin!"(Flying Raijin)

Just then the bomb vanished without leaving a trace and reappeared in front of the kyubi, blasting it back, while a huge toad, nearly the size of the beast, landed in front of them billowing dust and smoke. It wore a blue jacket like a yakuza boss while smoking from a huge pipe in its mouth. And on top of it was a blond man in a long white trench coat with the words 'Yondaime Hokage' written on the back. The shinobi who saw him felt their hopes rising up once again. They cheered,

"Yondaime!"

"He's here. He'll save us."

Minato looked down upon his fellow shinobi and shouted, "Sorry for the wait everyone. All of you, please retreat back to the village. I'll take care of this."

Suddenly, Hiruzen shunshined near the toad boss's head and asked, "How's Kushina and your son?"

Minato looked at the now recovering kyubi and said, "Kushi-chan doesn't have much time left. The extraction has left her really weak. We named our kid Naruto, from Jiraiya-sensei's novel."

Hiruzen looked down in sadness at the mention of Kushina's present state. He steeled himself and asked, "What about the kyubi?"

Minato's eyes suddenly hardened to an icy blue. He said, "I have only one way to defeat it. And it is the only way I can make sure me and my wife sees our son again. The kyubi is too powerful to be killed. Hence it has to be sealed away. But due to it's large chakra reserves and immense strength, it can't be sealed in an object. So it has to be sealed in a newborn baby."

Hiruzen gasped. To do that would be a horrible thing for the child. But he realized that Minato was right. With a heavy heart he asked, "So who's the one?"

Minato looked at him and gave him a soft smile and said, "Sandaime-sama, I thought you knew me better than that."

Hiruzen's heart missed a beat. Of course, Minato was too sincere and kind-hearted to those he loved. He never could have asked someone else's kid to go through with this. He said, "But, Naruto..."

"Can handle the power. I can't entrust this responsibility with anyone else. He might hate me for this", Minato said. Seeing the Sandaime's confused look he added, "I'm sealing half of the kyubi in me and the other half in Naruto using the Shiki Fūjin along with mine and Kushina's souls. However, Naruto himself has to open the connection between us and him. By the way, this is an SS class secret. Word of what I said must not go out. However, you may tell Jiraiya-sensei, as he is Naruto's godfather, and Kakashi."

Hiruzen sadly nodded.

Minato looked at Sandaime's sad and heartbroken face and said, "Forgive me Hiruzen-sama, for placing the burden of the hokage on yourself again. I must be the worst hokage in history to go down this early. I only have one wish, that is Naruto must be seen as the hero he is for enslaving the beast."

"No Minato, I can say from the bottom of my heart that you are the best hokage this village has ever seen. Rest assured, I will make sure that your wish is fulfilled. I shall personally see to it", Hiruzen said.

Minato smiled again and said, "Thank you old man and farewell." The boss toad leaped straight onto the dazed Nine-tails and landed on its head. Minato went through some hand seals in a blur and shouted, "Hiraishin!" and they disappeared in a flash along with the kyubi.

In the Clearing

Minato landed, along with the kyubi and the toad, near Kushina and stumbled. The amount of chakra he used to teleport the beast was insane. He shouted to the toad, "CHIEF, KEEP HIM BUSY!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?", came the reply.

"Kushina, are you ready?", he asked.

Kushina struggled on her feet but nodded. Minato started going through a long and complex series of hand seals along with Kushina.

Suddenly the kyubi lashed out with it's claw and created a big gash on the chief toad's left eye, though not enough to hurt his eye.

"AAAAGGHHH...!", it cried while falling backwards. The kyubi saw Minato and tried to strike him. Seeing this Kushina gathered her remaining chakra and shouted, "Fūinjutsu: Kongō Fūsa!"(Sealing Art: Adamantine Chains)

Suddenly multitudes of chakra chains burst from her back and went forward tying up and restricting the movement of the kyubi. Kushina then coughed out a mouthful of blood. Seeing this Minato increased the speed of his hand seals while he shouted to the chief toad, "CHIEF, GET BACK TO THE SUMMONING REALM!"

The toad, with a now bloody eye, nodded and said, "SORRY MINATO", as he poofed out. Minato then finished the seals and shouted, " Fūinjutsu: Shiki Fūjin!"(Sealing Art: Reaper Death Seal)

Behind him a ghosly apparition of the Shinigami, that only he could see, came into view. It was the scariest thing that Minato had ever seen. The pale apparition had a cross on its chest on which Minato's soul lay loosely bound by chains. On its left hand it carried a necklace of beads while it's body was covered in black markings. It had two horns on top of its wild mane of white hair. It had pointed sharp teeth which bit down a tanto and had the most creepiest of smiles. It had an dark and ominous aura around it. Slowly the apparition reached out with its left hand, which contained the necklace of beads, and sent it through Minato, who felt cold all over his body, to the kyubi. Once the hand went inside the kyubi, it started struggling even more. Beads of sweat appeared on Kushina face as she struggled to restrain the kyubi. Just then Minato ripped out the yin half of the kyubi and sealed it into himself. The kyubi let out a savage roar of desperation as it tried to escape. Minato's knees buckled but he sent the hand through him again, but this time split it into two as one continued towards the kyubi while the other went to Kushina. As the hand entered the kyubi, it started thrashing about with its tailes leveling the surrounding, but Minato's grip was firm, as it slowly started pulling the yang half out. But when the hand went inside Kushina her knees buckled and she coughed out a lot of blood again, losing her focus on the chains. Using this moment then kyubi struck out with its claw towards Naruto. Seeing this, Minato and Kushina both jumped in front of Naruto as a shield. The claw impaled through both of them before coming to stop mere inches away from Naruto due to Kushina tightening the chains again. Minato and Kushina both coughed out a lot of blood as they realized their time together was coming to an end. Minato then proceeded to pull out the kyubi's yang half. As he was pulling out his and Kushina's soul, she slowly whispered to him, crying, "I love you Min-kun"

Minato replied while crying, "I love you too Kuchi-chan." He then pulled out both Kushina's soul and the yang half of the kyubi along with his and proceeded to seal it into the now crying Naruto. The apparition took out the tanto from its mouth using its right hand and proceeded to cut off the spirits connecting to him, Kushina and kyubi and sealed it into Naruto, while Minato shouted, "Fūinjutsu: Hakke no Fūin Shiki KAI!"(Sealing Art: Eight Triagrams Seal SEAL!"), as an eight triagrams seal appeared on his abdomen. Minato then slowly whispered on his dying breath, "Forgive me, my son. Always remember that we love you no matter what. We'll see each other again. Minato then shouted, as the chains on his soul in the cross tightened, "Fūinjutsu: Shiki Fūjin KAI!"(Sealing Art: Reaper Death Seal SEAL!)

At that moment the Sandaime, along with two jonin, burst into the clearing to see both Minato and Kushina lying down in a pool of their own blood, dead. Hiruzen fell onto his knees and let his tears run freely. In the dark night, they heard the sound of a baby crying and walked over to see young Naruto in a cradle with a few drops of blood on his face. The Sandaime quickly took the baby in the blanket and looked at him to see three whisker marks on either off his cheeks. The baby Naruto stopped crying and looked up to see Hiruzen's face. Then he started smiling. Seeing this Hiruzen thought, 'Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, forgive this old fool.'

And finished. Hope you all liked it. There's more to come. Please review. Suggestions on a new name for the story or some ideas for the story are welcome and I might use it if it fits into the story I have in mind. Thank you for reading.