In the Beginning:

MT: Yes, I realize that the last chapter wasn't the best ever, but expect the newer chapters to be longer and better. The first one, however, ends where it does because it was a natural stepping stone to the next chapters. It'll get better from here, trust me.

Demon talking- Raaaawr!!
Demon thinking- I will eat you!!
People talking- "Ramen"
People thinking- 'Believe it!!'

And yes, I realize that this is necessary, so here goes... I do not, and never will, own Naruto or any affiliated characters!! (Except for OC's, and original justu names) Also, if my story resembles your story a little too closely, please tell me, as any similarities are purely unintentional, and I will try to fix my error as soon as possible!!

Mt: Who wants to start the next chapter?

Minato/Kushina: Me!

Kushina: Grrr... Minato... You got to end the last chapter!

Minato: But I'm awesome! The people love me more!

Kushina: Unless you want to sleep on the couch for the next couple years, you'll let me do it

Minato: Fine... -Goes into a corner and starts crying- Why Kami, Why?! What did I do to deserve such injustice?

Kami: It's because I hate you...

Kushina: While my husband laments his fate, let's begin this story. -Kicks Minato in his special corner of "heaven"- That's for not letting ladies go first, you jerk!

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Each step was an achievement. Yugito trudged through the desert sands, hopelessly lost in the pattern. 'Step forward. Stand and rest a second. Step forward. Fall. Get up. Step forward.' She had made the journey a couple times before, but never before had she had to carry a small child on her back. Never mind that said child had A GOURD OF SAND ON HIS BACK. She had tried to leave the gourd where she had found him, but the gourd just kept materializing, so she had eventually just left it on his back.

Back to the current predicament. She was tired, hungry, and, worst of all, badly dehydrated. Just as she was about to lose all hope, she spotted Konoha Forest's massive tree line over the horizon. Pushing the last of her chakra to her legs, she ran. There would almost certainly be water within about 200 feet of the tree line.

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She had made it. However, shortly after drinking some of the sweetest water she had ever tasted and forcing it down the gullet of the still unconcious kid, she had collapsed about ten feet away from the water line. Now, she felt water lapping at her heels. Forcing her eyes open, she immediately noticed that the redhead was up to his waist in water. Quickly dragging him away from the water, she felt him stirring.

"Mother?" the child questioned "Where am I?"

"Hush. I'm not your mother" Yugito frankly told him "I found you collapsed on the sand, too weak and tired to more. Just rest up for a while. Then we'll keep moving."

"Oh," she said as she turned around "if the Ichibi even thinks about trying to make you kill me, tell it (does anyone know Ichibi's gender?) then you can tell him that I'm not worth the effort. If he did manage to kill me, which is highly unlikely considering the massive difference between tailed bijuu, then Nibi no Nekomata would give him the most horrible punishment imaginable to a tanuki: a feast of dead souls, each one specially tailored to give him horrible indigestion.

"Noooooo!! Why Her?! Why must Kami be unmerciful enough to let her near me again!?"

"Nibi said to tell you that Kami hates insane bastards"

'...'

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Finally, they had made it within site of Konoha's gates. Because of Nibi's "close" relationship with Shukaku, Yugito made sure that Garra knew that "Mother" wasn't allowed to kill anyone from Konoha. As a confident Yugito walked up, Kotetsu asked "Miss, may I see your identification?" Astonished, Yugito asked, "Ummm... I'm Nii Yugito, formerly known as Namikaze Yugito. You know, from the Namikaze Clan?" Upon seeing his blank look, she added, obviously hoping for some form of recognition, "the sister of Namikaze Minato?"

"Sorry, Miss, but there are no records whatsoever about any Nii or Namikaze Yugito or Minato." However, after seeing Yugito's increasingly darkening face, he hurriedly added, "But I'm sure that Sandaime-sama will know who you're talking about. Come in for an appointment around 3:00 P.M. next week, and he'll see you."

Yugito, who by now had had enough waiting for the gate guard, yelled "Garra, stay here! Sarutobi-jiji will straighten this all out!" With a start Kotetsu realized that she had snuck past him while he had been looking through his paperwork.

Oh well... if she was a threat he had no doubt that the Third would be able to handle the problem. Big mistake.

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"Hey, old man Hokage!" Yugito shouted as she burst into Sarutobi's office "I want to talk to you about something!"

"Yugito, it's been too long" replied an ever calm Sandaime Hokage "How have you been over the past couple of years? Did the mission go as planned?"

"Fine. What happened to Minato, old man? Why are you in his office? Where is he?" asked an increasingly worried Yugito

"Wait a minute. I'm old, and my mind doesn't move as fast as it used to."

"Ok. I'll try to slow down for the old and infirm"

"HEY! I never said that I was infirm, I just wanted you to tell me a little bit about your experiences in Kumogakure"

"Hmph. Stupid Sarutobi-jiji..."

"Yugito..."

"Fine. The mission was a success, but I'm going to keep the object to myself for a while... As for why it took almost 7 1/2 years, I got a little bit too much into character, and I stayed as a gennin for all of two months, then after I eventually became a Jounin, and was even seriously thinking about defecting, but then things got off track, and I'm here now... As for my loyalties, I'm perfectly willing to submit to a session with Inoichi in order for him to confirm the truth of what I'm saying..."

"Any other news for an old Hokage who isn't allowed to get out as often as he likes?"

"Yeah, I may or may not have a scroll that holds some very valuable Raiton jutsus... But that's for me to know, and my friends and family (or enemies) to find out..."

"Yeah. Where's Minato? Isn't this his old office?"

-sigh-"Are you really sure that you want to know?"

"Of course I do, Sarutobi-jiji. I want to talk to Minato-kun about some very important things... Or is the REAL Hokage not man enough to see his favorite little sister?"

"Ok. Sit down, Yugito. You're not going to be happy about this..."

"What's going on? Has something happened to Minato-kun?" a panicking Yugito said

Sandaime slowly eased himself back into his chair. You never knew what a Namikaze's reactions to certain news would be; Naruto was proof enough of that...

Speaking of Naruto...

"I'm sorry Yugito, but Minato died almost six years ago. The Kyuubi attacked Konoha, and he sealed his soul into the Shinigami's stomach in order to seal it into his child's stomach. Kushina died during childbirth due to bloodloss and stress. The child himself is in Konoha Memorial Hospital, due to injuries inflicted on him by an angry mob of civilians.

They are being punished by Ibiki as we speak... --Cue mass fear-induced shiver--

Almost all of Konoha hates him for the demon sealed in his belly, despite several laws we enacted to prevent the children from being like their parents. Needless to say, we've failed... Please, whatever you decide to do, don't subject him to that kind of treatment." Here his voice took on a sharp edge. "If you decide to hold him responsible, I'm afraid that I'll have to not let you even see the child. He deserves better than to be mistreated by his own family"

As Yugito raised her head, Sarutobi saw what he liked to call "The Will of Fire" burning deep within her tear-stained eyes.

"No matter what my nephew holds in his belly, I am incapable of hating him for his father's actions. I guarantee you that no harm could or would come to him if I had any say in the decision, both as his only remaining relative and as a fellow Jinchuuriki. Now, before I go visit the poor child, can I have his name?"

An obviously relieved Sandaime replied, "His name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. However, he doesn't know about the Namikaze part of his name, his parents, or the Kyuubi."

"The poor child is an orphan, and you won't even let him know who his parents were!? I know if I was an orphan, I would want to know about-"

"I'm sorry, Yugito, but it's for his own good. Do you really think he would have been able to keep something so sensational a secret? He probably would have let it slip in an attempt to stop the other children from being mean. As soon as word got out, he would've had an S-rank bounty on his head faster than he or his father demolish/ed a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen!"

Yugito... If there's anything else you want to talk about, I'm here. I think the paperwork is starting to feel vengeful and neglected, so I'm going to go back to appeasing Kami with my blood, sweat, and tears..."

"Fine. But know that when Naruto is better, I'm taking him out of this shit hole until it's time for his Academy class to take the Gennin Exams"

-sigh-"Ok. However, I insist that you allow me to send one Jounin of your choosing along, just for added protection."

"As long as I get to choose... Now can we please go visit my poor nephew?"

Hoping, at least in part, to get out of doing paperwork for a while longer, Sarutobi asked, "Sure. Would a beautiful young lady such as yourself give an 'old' man like me the pleasure of escorting you to Kenosha Memorial Hospital?"

"Ok, but first tell me where this old man is. All I see in front of me is a shriveled up smoker who smells like a rat's ass, and probably is only offering in order to escape paperwork..."

"...You always know how to get rid of my happy moods, don't you?"

"Of course. With a brother like Minato-kun, do you really think I wouldn't know how bend powerful people around my pinkie?"

And so they walked off, arm in arm, to visit one very special child. Little did they know of the epic events that would follow after meeting him. The rest, as they say, is history...

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(Meanwhile at Konoha's gates)

"Hello? Yugito-san? Mother says that she's hungry again..." And with that, Garra of the Sand walked away, leaving a seriously creeped out Kotetsu.

Maybe there'll be some deer or something around...

The events afterwards have since been referred to in the Nara records as "The Great Deer Extermination"


Please review, flame, whatever. If you flame, however, be advised that I probably won't look at any of your postings afterwards...

Minato: okay! I'm back from my special corner of "hell", all ready to give you the ending remarks

Kushina: Minato, if you say even one more word until after the good people have stopped reading, I will smack you so hard that your teeth will come out your ass faster than Jiraiya's perverted giggles at a hot spring...

Minato: --Sweatdrop falls-- runs off, screaming,"I'll be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!--

Kushina: MINATOOOO! Come back here so I can kill you --fades away into the sunset, where sounds of horrible pain and suffering are faintly heard through the ending music of the latest Naruto Shippuuden episode--

MT: Well, I guess that's about all for today. Log on next time to Jinchuuriki's Salvation. Till then, this is your host, Ryan signing off...