"I remember that day. How could I forget? It was happiest day of our lives. But at the same time it was one of the scariest. Not because of the knowledge that it was going to be a painful happy day or that there won't be any sleep for awhile. That I could deal with. No, what made it scary was something else entirely."

October 10th, 6 years ago…

Within a single room, two couples occupied a single table.

On one end of the table were the Fourth and most current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.

On the other end sat the previous Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his wife, Biwako.

Minato's eyes subtly jumped back and forth between his wife and their guests. He had hoped that the jitters for the occasion were all he had to face, but it wasn't to be. For months he had to steel himself for the possibility of something else happening today.

Kushina solemnly glanced down at her enlarged stomach and gently placed her hand on top.

"Just so we're on the same page… Why are we doing this again?" she asked.

"A precaution," Hiruzen simply stated.

"With all due respect, I still don't see how all these 'signs' makes this necessary."

Minato anxiously scratched his right cheek. As a father to be, he wanted to side with Kushina on the matter, but as Hokage, he knew that what had been proposed needed to be done.

The first sign was the discovery of the amount of chakra the child she carried occasionally gave off. Sensory shinobi in the village had informed them that normally a developing child in the womb gave off such little chakra that it is hard to detect. However, the one they were waiting for sometimes emitted so much that it felt like it was announcing its presence.

It was strange, but they figured that it wasn't necessarily a concern until the second sign. One day, while they were visiting the local playground, Kushina felt a hot, bubbling sensation in her stomach. For a brief moment, a vermillion red chakra seeped through her skin and shrouded her stomach. Before they could question it, the chakra vanished from sight.

The third sign occurred that very night. After dinner, Kushina let out a belch so powerful enough that it threw Minato across the kitchen. The fourth and final sign was her missing her expected due date. To everyone's surprise, the child they were waiting for wasn't finished developing. An eye was kept on the development of the child until it was clear that today was the day they would meet him.

"We have never faced a situation like this before, Kushina," Hiruzen calmly reminded her. "It goes without saying that we wouldn't normally do this for childbirth, but you're child has been giving off chakra to such an extent that it has had physical effects on you. A newborn wouldn't have control of their chakra and we have to prepare for the worst once he's here."

"You make it sound like he's dangerous…" Kushina argued.

"We don't know whether he's dangerous or not, but it's best to air on the side of caution," Biwako pointed out. "Perhaps this is just a result of his development and it'll end once he's here or…"

She knew deep down what they were saying was right, but still-

A hand gently perched itself on her right shoulder. She looked up and was greeted with her husband's smile. It was soft and reassuring like always. "All that matters is that we're all together when he's here."

"Fine, you win this round," Kushina relented.

Hiruzen nodded his head.

"We'll set a place up outside the village and erect a barrier around it. Only Minato, my wife and Taji from the Anbu will be inside. This must be kept top-secret.

Of course, there will be reinforcements outside, Anbu under my direct command."

"I'll tell you where the place is, so get your things ready!" Biwako added.

"Yes… Thank you both," Kushina thanked.

…

"Didn't you have a girl?"

Standing in front of Kushina was her friend, Mikoto Uchiha. Tucked between her arms was a baby.

"Nope, another boy," she corrected.

"Well, what's his name, Mikoto?"

Mikoto looked down at her child and proudly answered with, "Sasuke."

Biwako eyes briefly lit up with interest. "Ah, the same as the Third's father."

"Yes… I'm sure he'll become a fine shinobi."

Mikoto's eyes were then drawn to Kushina's stomach.

"You're almost due, aren't you Kushina? You should pick out a name before it's too late."

"We've got one – 'Naruto'," she chirped. "He and Sasuke will be in the same grade, I hope they become friends."

Her expression darkened as she leaned in close, "By the way… Does it hurt? Like, bad?"

Mikoto chuckled. The sight of Kushina shivering with fear was a rare sight."Well well, even you're afraid of something. I'll be."

Before she could say more, Kushina felt something tug her left arm.

"Come on already!" Biwako scowled as she pulled her away.

"Oh, sorry," Kushina apologized as she waved by to Mikoto.

"Remember, we need to keep your birth classified. Try not to talk to anyone while we're on the move, even your friends."

"Right, sorry about that."

Kushina couldn't help but feel flustered over such reprimanding. She's not used to being on the receiving end.

"The fact that we're leaving the village for this is classified as well!" Biwako reminded her. "Don't go screaming you're head off, even when the contractions started."

"R-Right…"

Later that night…

"OH GOD, IT HURRRRRRRRRRRTS!" Kushina screamed.

It was just like she feared, the pain was unbearable. She gripped her husband's hand tighter in tighter in time with each spasm of pain.

"I, uh… I've never heard Kushina in so much pain. Are… Are you sure he's all right…" Minato anxiously asked.

His hand was squeezed even tighter than before as Kushina let out another roar.

"The head's out!" Almos-!"

Biyako and Taji's eyes widened with horror as two watched a dark red shroud cover the baby's head. Two long, fox like ears sprouted from the top of his head as he stared at them with dull, white eyes.

"What in-"

The child roared; the power and ferocity of its voice sending the two flying into a nearby wall.

"Biwako, Taji!" a sharp chill crawled down Minato's spine as he watched his child drag himself out of his wife.

Each violent movement he made caused his mother even more pain than before. His body was soon free but more pain awaited Kushina. She howled in pain as four long tails swiftly flew out of her.

Each tail swayed menacingly in front of them. His dark red appearance, his ears, his tails and his preference to crouch on his hand and legs, one would be forgiven to mistake the child for a demon fox.

"Naruto…?"

That was all Minato could say as he tried to process what was going on.

"Lord Hokage!"

The team of Anbu who had been assigned to keep watch over the area rushed in. The moment they laid their eyes on Naruto prompted them to ready their kunai knives.

"No, wait!" Minato ordered.

Naruto lunged at the Anbu. In no time at all, he effortlessly dispatched of the members of the elite black ops group.

The child then jerked one of the shinobi towards him and raised his right hand over his head. The tips of his fingers slowly narrowed until they were as sharp as knives.

"Naruto, don't!" in the blink of an eye, Minato landed on the other side of the room.

Droplets of blood splattered on the floor. His son's claws were as sharp as he thought they would be.

"You… You really know how to make a first impression, Naruto…" he weakly chuckled.

Without making a sound, Naruto ripped his hand out of his father's abdomen and wrapped his tails around him.

But it didn't stop at ensnaring him; once he was securely captured, Naruto used his tails to squeeze his father.

"Ugh…!" The Hokage was being crushed from every angle, powerless to escape in a way that wouldn't hurt his son. "N-Naruto…"

The pressure of the tails was beginning to become unbearable leaving him no choice but to-

"Hold on."

Out of nowhere, a cloaked figure swiftly kicked Naruto away from Minato.

They didn't appear to be reinforcements from the Leaf which begged the question: Who were they and how did they find this place?

Judging from their height and voice, they had to have a teenage boy.

It was at that moment that he realized that it didn't matter who this stranger was. They were in danger.

"You need to get out of here," Minato advised.

The slightly injured Kage kept his eyes trained on the mysterious figure as he moved in front of him. Though his face was covered by the shadow of his hood, his sharp, violet eyes shined through for all to see.

Though they didn't look human, he recognized what kind of eyes they were. They were the eyes of someone who's seen their fair share of traumatic events.

But Minato wasn't the only one analyzing someone by the look of their eyes. The cloaked stranger noticed a hesitation in the Hokage's eyes. Along with Kushina's weakened state and the small stature of the creature he kicked away, he immediately knew what needed to be done.

The stranger silently turned his gaze back to Naruto. Suddenly appearing behind the newborn child, he grabbed one of his tails and brought him up to his face. The stranger's eyes shined as he placed his right hand on Naruto's stomach.

"Sleep."

With that singular word, the shroud that covered Naruto vanished, revealing a tiny boy with blonde hair and three whisker markings on his cheeks.

He gently caught him before he could hit the floor and carried the newborn to his mother.

"Thank you," a weak, but bright smile spread across her face.

"No need," he said as he turned his back to the couple.

"Wait," Minato called.

The stranger turned back.

"At least let us give you something to show our gratitude."

The cloaked figure glanced at the newborn Naruto and once again turned his back to them.

"Take care of your son. That'll be enough for me."

With those parting words, the stranger vanished from sight.

"I remember that day. It was one of the happiest and scariest days of our lives. But what made it scary wasn't how Naruto lashed out, but the realization of what could happen if the knowledge of the power he contained became public knowledge. What kind of people would develop a selfish interest in him if they knew what happened that day?

I hoped that question would remain unanswered, but…"