A/N: Wow, I never expected such a great response to this story!Thank you so much for all your reviews and responses on this story! All your reviews, alerts and favs really made my day! Enjoy the chapter!

Anonymous reviewer responses:

Ninja-hime: ^_^ Thank you for the compliment! I'm really glad you like this story. Don't worry, your question will be answered soon!

ANIME25FOREVER: I'm glad you liked it! I have never liked the idea of siblings either, as I find it a bit unlikely for Minato and Kushina to take such a huge risk again. But that's just my opinion!

Hidden Sunray

Chapter 2

The air was quiet. An oppressive silence hung in the air, broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl or the restless shuffle of a guard's feet that clearly indicated the guard felt it was a waste of time to patrol the area. A lazy yawn broke the silence and the footsteps ceased for a few seconds before it resumed its lazy shuffle.

A dark figure paused in the shadows of a doorframe, waiting for the footsteps to grow faint as the guard moved away. The footsteps finally disappeared into the distance and the dark figure cautiously stepped out from beneath the doorframe. He surveyed the area for danger and after confirming that it was clear, he slipped away from the doorway, cautiously keeping to the shadows. The footsteps of the guard grew closer again and the figure drew into the shadows of another doorway, suppressing his chakra and masking his presence with a mild genjutsu. The steps grew even closer and the guard passed without noticing the dark figure in the doorway and disappeared into the distance again. The dark figure stepped out of the questionable safety of the doorway and moved towards the exit of the building.

He halted in another doorway again when the door leading to the outside came in sight. The door was open and another guard stood by it, attentively focusing on his surroundings. The dark figure adjusted the bear ANBU mask on his face and quickly flashed his hands through a few seals. He held the jutsu for a few seconds before slowly releasing it, seamlessly trapping the unsuspecting guard in his genjutsu. He swiftly moved out of the building and slipped into the shadows of the trees.

Bear arrived at the previously planned location and impatiently waited for the rest of his team. Panther arrived first, dropping in as stealthily as his namesake. He nodded silently to his captain, indicating that he had completed his part in the mission without any problems. They waited in silence for the rest of the team for another few minutes until Wolf also joined them. Bear shot him a questioning glance, since he was slightly out of breath, which was a bit uncharacteristic for an ANBU.

"The guard almost caught my genjutsu, so I had to strengthen it. Genjutsu isn't my strongest point," Wolf explained softly. Bear nodded, indicating that he accepted Wolf's explanation. The minutes ticked by slowly and Bear felt the concern rise in him. The last member of their team, Cat, was taking too long. He started to consider his options regarding her, but his thoughts were interrupted when Cat finally arrived. She was panting when she arrived and her torn clothes indicated that she had been in a fight.

"I was discovered," she told her captain softly. Bear swore softly and gestured his team into motion. They leapt into the trees and moved away from the place until Bear was sure they were safe (for the moment).

"Report," he ordered them, looking at each of them, his eyes lingering on Cat. She was new to the ANBU, so she was still a little inexperienced. She had joined their team only two months ago when they had lost their previous medic in a fight. While Cat was still inexperienced, she was the best choice for their team due to her excellent medical and information gathering skills. Bear turned his attention to the other members and listened to their reports without any comments. The only person with any problems had been Cat.

Bear swore inwardly. He had hoped that they could escape without being noticed, but no mission ever went the way it was supposed to, so he could not blame Cat for being discovered. Still, if those missing-nin discovered that they were from Konoha, things could get messy, especially if the missing-nin knew that they held the Yondaime Hokage's son in custody. He turned his gaze to Cat's again.

"Did any of them discover where you came from?" he tersely asked her. She thought about it for a second before she answered him.

"If anybody noticed anything, it wouldn't matter anymore. Everyone who saw me is dead," she replied levelly. Bear nodded his approval of her actions. Even if she was a newbie, she never failed to clean up after her mistakes.

He looked at everyone on his team. "So everybody acquired the necessary information?" he asked his team and waited for their nods before continuing. "Then let's go. The Hokage is waiting for us." They set off towards Konoha in a sprint, taking to the trees. Bear felt the sealing scroll nestled tightly in the pocket of his ANBU vest and his thoughts returned to the information he had found. He knew that all hell would break loose for the missing-nin when the Hokage received the news. They would never know what hit them.

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Minato sat in his office chair, staring absently at the large faces on the mountainside. He didn't really notice the faces, since he was deeply lost in thought. Bear and his team had left almost a week ago and he was expecting the ANBU to be back before the week was over. He was anxious for the information they were supposed to be searching for, as it was the first lead to his son in almost five years. He hadn't told Kushina about the lead yet, as he didn't want to give her false hope and he himself was afraid that the lead was just that – false hope. He would wait until Bear came back with definite evidence before he would tell his red-haired wife. He sighed and turned his gaze in the direction of Amegakure, where he knew the building Bear and his team were investigating was supposed to be located.

A gruff voice suddenly broke him out of his thoughts. "Stop worrying about it, Minato. Bear knows what he is doing. I'm sure that he will get all the information he can." Minato turned his gaze towards the speaker: a large white-haired man with vertical red stripes on his cheeks.

"I'm not worried about that; I know that Bear knows what he is doing," he told his former sensei, Jiraya of the Sannin. Jiraya merely raised his eyebrows at his former student.

"Of course," Jiraya replied, "but that doesn't change the fact that you are thinking about it," he pointed out. Minato tore his gaze away and stared out of the window again.

"It's the first lead to my son in five years. I can't help but to think about it," he softly told his former sensei. Jiraya stood up from the chair he was lounging in and comfortingly placed his hand on Minato's shoulder.

"I know, Minato. I know," he softly assured his former student. Minato turned his eyes to Jiraya's again.

"What brings you here? I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to tell me to stop worrying," he asked the sannin. Jiraya's hand slipped off Minato's shoulder and a solemn expression slipped onto his face.

"As much as I'd like to stay here and wait for Bear's report, I think it's time for me to return to my duties. I've received requests from some of my agents to see them. I thought I'd let you know," he solemnly told the Hokage.

Minato nodded in acknowledgement of Jiraya's words. He knew that Jiraya's spy network couldn't come to a standstill just because of a lead that could turn out to be false.

"I see. Thank you for letting me know," he replied to Jiraya's words. Jiraya nodded in acknowledge of the thanks and turned to leave, but before he moved towards the door, he placed his hand on Minato's shoulder again.

"Don't get your hopes up too high, Minato. The chances that he is in that place are very small. It was an unconfirmed rumour, after all," he gently told Minato. Minato looked away from Jiraya and a heavy silence hung in the air. He understood the truth in Jiraya's words, but he couldn't stop hoping. Even if it wasn't definite information, it was the most information they had had since his son's disappearance, so it was only natural that he would think about it.

He sighed softly and turned his gaze to the mountain again, where his own face was staring back at him. He felt anger well up inside him. Here he was, leader and protector of the village, yet he couldn't even protect his own son. A gentle squeeze on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts. Jiraya looked at him with sympathy visible in his eyes.

"Stop worrying about it, Minato. There's nothing you can do right now," the white-haired sannin repeated gently. Minato turned his gaze away again, but his posture indicated his acceptance of Jiraya's words. Jiraya inclined his head and softly left the office, leaving Minato alone with his thoughts.

The blond Hokage sighed. Jiraya was right. He had to stop worrying about it. He sat down on his chair again and looked at the paperwork in front of him. He took the first paper and started to read it, but his thoughts kept returning to his son. He placed the paper back on his desk and stared into the distance.

'Maybe I should leave the office for a while. It might help to take my mind off matters,' he thought and stood up from his desk. He exited the room and told his assistant that he would be away from his office, before he set off towards the village.

He felt his spirits lift slightly at the familiar sights of his village. It never failed to make him feel better. He wandered around aimlessly in the village; just revelling in the sensations around him: the smells of the fresh spring-flowers blooming in the gardens, the sounds of birds singing and dogs barking and the sights of people talking happily and animatedly with one another.

He allowed himself to revel in the peaceful atmosphere surrounding the village, but a hand tapping him on the shoulder forced him back to the present. He lazily looked over his shoulder, but quickly turned around when he recognized the crimson hair of his grey-eyed wife. She looked at him with an amused twinkle in her eyes, holding a couple of packages in her arms.

"Aren't you supposed to be working, Hokage-sama?" she asked him pertly. He smiled at her words and her attitude. It was just like her: treating him like an errant Academy student instead of the Hokage. He leaned slightly closer to her and looked into her eyes.

"Oh? Are you in any position to talk, ohime-sama(1)?" he retorted back at her with an amused grin on his face. She snorted at his words and indicated towards the packages in her arms.

"Since when does a princess do her own shopping?" she asked him jokingly. He gave her a bright smile and leaned even closer until their faces were mere centimetres apart from each other. She didn't move away from him, even though he was clearly in her personal space. She merely continued to look at him with a challenging look in her eyes.

"You deny you're a princess?" he asked her, the amusement thick in his voice. She snorted at his words and gently pushed him away from her. He allowed himself to be pushed away, but the smile didn't leave his face. Kushina looked him in the eye again and her grey eyes softened slightly.

"Minato, that's very sweet of you, but you know it's not the truth. I may be your wife, but that doesn't make me a princess," she gently told him.

The smile on his face broadened even more at her words. She always managed to take his comments and throw them back at him in some way or another. He rather enjoyed her quirks, as it kept their marriage interesting. She flicked a lock of her crimson hair over her shoulder and adjusted the packages in her arms to a more comfortable position.

"Wait, let me take care of those," Minato offered, but Kushina nimbly evaded his efforts to take her packages.

"It's fine, Minato: I can manage. Thank you for the offer though," she told him and gave him a searching glance. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be at your office?" she asked him levelly, all signs of mirth absent from her voice. He broke his gaze away from hers as he was reminded of his reason for leaving the office. She had managed to make him forget about his thoughts for a small while, but, as usual, she knew him far too well for him to fool her. It was quite obvious that she knew something was bothering him.

He heard a faint shuffling sound and a cold hand gently forced him to look her in the eye again.

"Did something happen?" she asked him concernedly. He considered telling her about the lead they had found, but a sudden memory flashed across his mind: the memory when she had broken down in his arms after they had found that the very first lead had been a dead end. It wasn't a very pleasant memory for him.

He looked away from her again. He could not tell her. He wouldn't be able to take the broken look in her eyes if the lead turned out to be false again. She would convince herself that their son was there and if it turned out to be false, she would break down again in disappointment.

"Nothing happened," he quickly told her. "Nothing happened," he repeated softly. He could feel her eyes try to drill a hole through him, but he did not meet her eyes. He could not let her find out: not with a lead this imprecise.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them as she continued to stare suspiciously at him. He heard a shuffling sound when she shifted and looked at her again to see his grey-eyed wife look at him with a cold look. He felt the apprehension rise slightly in him when he read the danger signs in her attitude: an argument would be coming if he didn't resolve the situation soon.

"You're lying," she stated coldly. "But, I suppose that if you don't trust me enough to confide in me, I just have to make peace with it," she told him, the tone of her voice coldly angry.

Minato sighed inwardly. He truly loved his wife, but sometimes her mood changes were difficult to handle. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Kushina, it's not that I don't trust you: it's just that I can't tell you right now. I promise that I will tell you eventually, but right now I cannot. Will you trust me in this?" he asked her gently, trying to stave off the impending argument. She continued to stare coldly at him for a few seconds before her eyes softened again.

"I understand. I'm sorry for doubting you," she softly apologized. He sighed in relief. He had successfully resolved the potential argument. He smiled at her and released her shoulders. He suddenly felt a presence behind him and quickly turned around to see a familiar ANBU behind him: Bear.

"Hokage-sama," Bear muttered softly to let the Hokage know of his presence. Minato excused himself from Kushina and indicated with his head to Bear to follow him. They set off towards the Hokage tower in a fast pace and arrived a short while later, where they both entered the office. Minato leaned against his desk and anxiously looked at Bear.

"Report," he tersely ordered the ANBU. Bear cleared his throat and delivered his report in a neutral tone. Minato attentively listened in silence, waiting for Bear to finish his report. They had found significant information: including (but not limited to) the identity of the leader - an Iwa missing-nin going by the name of Yamauchi Takeo(2) - and the fact that the missing-nin had been operating completely independently from Amegakure. Minato internally sighed in relief at the news that Yahiko had nothing to do with the entire affair. He respected Yahiko and almost regarded him a friend, so just the thought that he could have been involved had left a sour taste in his mouth.

"What about my son?" Minato demanded from Bear. There had been a lot of information, but nothing about his son had been said in the report.

Bear stepped forward and handed his Hokage a scroll. Minato gave Bear a suspicious glance, but wordlessly opened the scroll. He lifted an eyebrow when he noticed a folder sealed inside the scroll. It had to be the same file Bear had mentioned in his report, but Bear had never mentioned what was inside the file. He unsealed the folder and his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the name written neatly on the folder: Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. He anxiously opened the folder and his eyes widened even more when he read the contents:

Surname: Namikaze-Uzumaki

Name: Naruto

Current age: 10

Age when imprisoned: 5

Heritage: The son of Namikaze Minato (Yondaime Hokage and The Yellow Flash) and Uzumaki Kushina (The Bloody Hanabero)

Cell number: 6-15

Reason of imprisonment: Namikaze Minato killed the brother of Yamauchi Takeo during the Third Shinobi War.

Minato clenched his fist when he read that line. His son had been living in a prison because someone wanted to get back at him, The Yellow Flash, for doing his duty in war. Fury flashed across his eyes and he looked at Bear without bothering to hide the fury in his eyes.

"Well done," he levelly told the ANBU. "You and your team are excused from any shinobi duties until you receive further orders from me. Make sure that you are completely fit for duty. You are dismissed." Bear crisply saluted and left the office immediately.

Minato glanced at the folder again and felt the fury rise higher in him. He absolutely won't let this injustice go unpunished. He lifted his hand in an order and an ANBU with a tiger mask landed in front of him.

"Summon Hatake Kakashi and Hyuuga Hizashi. Tell them I need to speak with them. Now. And let Kakashi know I will NOT tolerate any tardiness," Minato ordered Tiger with cold fury in his voice. Tiger disappeared immediately and Minato turned his attention to the folder lying on his desk. He read attentively through the rest of the contents regarding his son's medical history and treatment, completely lost in the information he was taking in. He only looked up again when a knock sounded on the door.

"Enter," he curtly ordered and the door opened to reveal Hyuuga Hizashi and Hatake Kakashi. Minato absently noticed the apprehensive expression on Kakashi's face (and the fact that he was actually on time). The two jounin stood in front of the Hokage's desk and silently awaited the Yondaime's orders. Minato rested his chin on his folded fingers and glared at them, the cold fury still visible in his eyes.

"Hyuuga Hizashi and Hatake Kakashi," Minato stated. "I am assigning you an S-ranked mission. The mission details will follow in a few days. You are both excused from any shinobi duties until you receive the mission details from me, as both of you need to be in peak condition for this mission. Are there any questions?" he asked the two of them.

Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his neck and a sheepish expression crossed onto his face.

"Not about the mission. But, uhm, are we in trouble for something?" he asked cautiously. Minato blinked at Kakashi's question. Why would he think he's in trouble? The blonde suddenly realised he was still sending out killer intent in waves. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and suppressed his killer intent slightly. It would not do to send out killer intent towards his shinobi.

"No Kakashi, you're not in trouble. I'm not angry at you," he told the silver-haired jounin in irritation. He took a deep breath to calm down and addressed the two in front of him again. "If there are no more questions, then you are dismissed."

The two jounin bowed slightly and silently left the office, not wanting to experience the wrath of their Hokage. Minato took a message scroll and started to pen a message. He signed his name with an angry flourish at the bottom and sealed the scroll with his symbol. He lifted his hand again and Tiger softly landed in the office, waiting for orders.

"Take this message to the Avian Master and tell him to send it to the leader of Amegakure. Let him know that it is on the highest priority. You are dismissed," he told Tiger who immediately disappeared with the message. Minato stood up from his desk and exited the room.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off," he told his assistant. She opened her mouth to protest, but merely closed it again and nodded when she noticed the furious look on her Hokage's face. The entire village knew not to cross The Yellow Flash when he was really angry.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," his assistant muttered timidly and Minato left the office without any further ado. He still had to tell a certain redhead about these developments.

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Minato entered his house, hanging his hokage cloak on a coat hanger before he sank into a chair in the living room and buried his face in his hands. He was still furious at the news he had received and he knew he had to calm down before he could tell Kushina, but the fury inside him refused to calm down. Just the thought of his son locked away in that place caused the anger in him to rise again. Too many things had to happen first before he could rescue his son, but his very being chafed against the delay. He desperately wanted to see his son again, so all the necessities that needed to happen first only caused his frustration to grow.

"Minato? What are you doing here?" Minato suddenly heard a voice say. He lifted his head and saw his crimson-haired wife stare at him in surprise from the corridor. He stared back at her and sighed internally. He had hoped to calm down a bit more before he spoke to her, but clearly he had not been given that chance. She continued to stare at him until she read the signs of anger in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Did something happen?" she asked him with suspicion in her voice. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples to relieve the slight headache that had been forming. Trust Kushina to always look at the heart of things. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again to look at her.

"We found him," he told her levelly, still trying to repress the fury that was rising again. He knew that he did not need to mention who the 'he' was, since their son was never far from Kushina's thoughts. Her arms dropped to her sides and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. He could see the emotions flash across her eyes: hope, fear, disbelief and many others all mixed into one. She continued to stare at him in shock until he realised that she wasn't breathing. He sighed softly and walked towards her, placing his hands on her biceps.

"Breathe, Kushina. It won't help anyone if you faint," he told her gently. She blinked a few times and started to breathe again. She looked at him with her heart in her eyes.

"Really? How...? When...? Where is he?" she asked him with her breath catching in her chest, as if she was afraid to hear his answer. He sighed again and gently steered her towards a chair before he told her everything. Her eyes narrowed in anger the further he got with the tale until he finally handed her the file. Her eyes widened again when she read the file and a deadly calm surrounded her when she finally closed the file.

"I see," she calmly said and turned her attention to her husband again. "When are we going?" she asked him, still completely calm.

He sighed internally. He had hoped that she would remain in the village, but he had known that she would never agree to that. She wouldn't let anything get between her and her son, especially not her husband's protective urges. A part of him was surprised that she took the news so calmly, but another part of him knew that she just looked calm. Her fury was definitely boiling beneath the surface.

"The moment I receive the go-ahead from Yahiko," he told her calmly. A hint of anger flashed across her eyes and she looked angrily at him.

"Why do you need to get his permission? You're the Hokage. You don't have to listen to anyone!" she declared vehemently.

Minato sighed at her response. He had expected something like that from her.

"Because, Kushina, it would spark an international incident if we take a place down that falls in his borders. It's better to do this the right way. I promise that it won't be longer than a week," he told her gently. He was somewhat surprised to realise that he had calmed down to the extent where he could reason logically again.

"A week? You intend to let our son stay in there for another week?" she demanded angrily at him. The thin layer of calmness that had hidden her fury was steadily corroding away to nothing. Minato placed his hands on her shoulders again and gave her a slight shake.

"I know, Kushina!" he told her loudly. "I know. I don't want him to stay in there either, but I don't have a choice right now," he told her softer. Her fury diminished a bit as she listened to him and waited for him to continue. "If we do it this way, we won't be delayed by any legal necessities once we leave the village," he gently told her. She pondered his answer for a few seconds before she turned her head away.

"Fine. Do it your way. But don't take too long," she warned him and left the house, presumably to calm down in her own way. He continued to stare after her and clenched his fists.

"I won't, Kushina. Believe me, I won't," he muttered softly after her disappearing figure.

_~...end of chapter...~_

(1) Ohime-sama means princess.
(2) Yes, Yamauchi Takeo is an OC. I like the characters in the canon too much to consider them for doing something like this, so I used an OC. Madara just irritates me (a LOT), so in this story he actually died in his fight with the Shodaime.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please remember to review, as your views on this story really matters to me! Also, please point out any grammar mistakes!