I'm happy that the story seems to being received well. Now this chapter is going to time skip and I will have an interlude chapter to explain some of the events that happened between the prologue and now. If you have anything you'd like to see in the interlude, feel free to share. I have fun doing these things (if anyone has seen the interludes I have in Life, Death, and Magic, my Bleach/HP crossover).

I'm also looking for a proper beta. Some of the upcoming chapters I have written may be a little shaky and I was hoping someone could help me locate just what may need some smoothing over…

"Talking"

'Thinking'

~Naruto mentally talking to Minato and Kyuubi~

~Kyuubi talking to Minato and Naruto~

~Minato mentally talking to Naruto and Kyuubi ~

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I ever…

Chapter One: Underneath the Underneath

Million miles between our lives,

Can't keep us apart from our grieving hearts,

Sealed with love,

God speed my darling.

"Come back here, Naruto!" Iruka cried, a vein threatening to emerge in his forehead.

The 12-year old pre-Genin just laughed mischievously and evaded his Academy teacher. For being as short as he was, Naruto was able to stay well in front of the Chuunin. Iruka cursed Naruto's speed. It would be a great asset to him in his future as a shinobi but it was damn annoying right now…

"Catch me if you can, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out with a fox-like grin on his face as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

The blonde-haired Minato chuckled as he ran beside his son, unseen by everyone but the said child.

"Brilliant work with painting the Hokage's faces," Minato complimented. "Thanks for not doing anything to mine though…"

Minato had told Naruto the full truth about who he was and why everyone hated Naruto when the boy had been 10 years old, quite a few years since Minato had become Naruto's teacher. Naruto had matured well and was embracing everything Minato taught him. He'd been upset at first, and rightly so, but he forgave Minato quickly. He understood Minato's reasons and it wasn't like Minato hadn't been there for him to make up for the sealing. Even more so, the attention starved child wasn't about to deny himself the father he'd always longed for.

Naruto grinned at his father. ~No problem,~ he mentally said. He couldn't exactly speak aloud because then people would think he was crazy… well, crazier than they thought he was already for being a so-called "demon brat".

"You may want to let him catch you soon. A pre-Genin such as yourself, by all means, shouldn't be able to outrun a Chuunin for so long," Minato said. He'd made Naruto promise to keep what he learned from Minato a secret. So Naruto had built the façade of being a total idiot. He even went as far as to wear an ugly orange jumpsuit to catch attention.

Naruto pouted. ~Do I have to?~ he asked. Minato gave the pre-teen a stern look and Naruto relented. ~Fine…~

He slowed down ever so slightly and inevitably got caught by the irate Academy teacher.

He was deposited on the floor of his classroom, tied up. Minato faithfully settled himself in a corner of the room to observe the class.

Naruto frowned in annoyance and huffed, pouting cutely.

'Damn that's adorable…' the ever doting father thought. Naruto was the center of Minato's world and he knew it. Minato showered him in love and affection every day and Naruto didn't mind it one bit. It was perhaps the one thing that kept Naruto's innocent and loving heart strong despite all of the hardships he'd face and the frustration he felt at not being able to show how strong he was. He hated hearing how everyone called him 'dead last' and looked down on him.

"Tomorrow's the Ninja Academy's graduation exam and you've already failed it twice! This isn't the time for you to be causing trouble!" Iruka scolded. Naruto just glowered while looking away.

"Whatever," he said, his disinterest clearly shown. Iruka's eyebrow twitched before he turned to the class.

"Okay everyone! Time for a test on the Henge no Jutsu! Transform into me!" he called out, punishing the entire class for Naruto's mischief. They all groaned, sending looks of ire in Naruto's direction. He just glared back.

"This is your fault…" Inuzuka Kiba grumbled as they all lined up. Naruto just puffed out air in careless indifference.

"Like I care…" he said with disinterest. He gazed at Minato, who was smiling in amusement.

~Have fun…~ Minato said impishly, eyes glowing with mirth. Naruto had mastered the Henge when he'd been seven years old. Now, in Minato's eyes, the boy was free to play as he wanted. He was well past the standards the Academy looked for.

When it was Naruto's turn, he decided to spice things up. "Henge!" he called out, but the one who appeared out of the smoke wasn't Iruka.

Minato smacked a hand over his red face as he watched Iruka get sent back from the force of his nosebleed at the sight of the naked teenage girl standing in Naruto's place.

"I didn't mean that…" Minato groaned. Why Naruto had decided to create such a perverted jutsu was beyond him. It did have certain value for infiltration missions however…

"Baka! That wasn't what I asked you to do!" the spastic Iruka exclaimed once he'd recovered. He looked like he was about to have a coronary. Minato felt bad for the younger man. He usually got the brunt of Naruto's mischief.

Naruto just grinned foxily.

Later, after Naruto finished cleaning the Hokage's faces, Iruka treated Naruto to ramen, much to the pre-teen's pleasure.

Minato kept his distance, choosing not to interfere in the time Iruka and Naruto spent together. Despite the fact that Naruto drove Iruka off the wall, they were very close. Minato could see that it was the closest to a mother Naruto ever had (Minato would never say Iruka was like a father… that was his position, damn it!)

"Naruto… why did you vandalize the Hokage Monument?" Iruka asked the boy curiously as they ate their ramen. "You know who they are, right?"

"Of course!" Naruto said. If he didn't know, he would have felt really stupid. His own dad had been the youngest Hokage of them all! Not that he could share that information. Minato had informed him clearly that it was dangerous for anyone to know that he was his son. Particularly if word got out to Minato's many enemies.

While a little disappointed that he couldn't claim rights to his heritage just yet, he found himself agreeing with the logic. Besides, he wanted to be acknowledged for his own merits first before he dropped the 'Namikaze bomb' on everybody.

"If you know who they were then why did you do that?" Iruka asked with a small frown.

"Simple… I plan to be Hokage and I intend to surpass them all," Naruto said with a wide, determined grin. Iruka smiled softly. Naruto's strong will and determination were two of the most endearing points he had.

"Good luck," Iruka said. "It will be a hard path, you know…"

"I know, but as they say, what's worth a prize is always worth a fight," Naruto said brightly.

'Well said…' Minato thought proudly from where he observed them.

Iruka chuckled. Naruto really was growing on him…

That night, Naruto and Minato discussed what was to be done at the next day's graduation exam.

"I think it's time," Minato said. "Don't fail this one on purpose like you did the last two times."

"They're most likely going to try to get me to do that Bunshin no Jutsu again…" Naruto grumbled.

"You've got too much chakra for that," Minato pointed out. Minato had worked with Naruto on that from the moment the boy had first entered the Academy at age 6. It was still difficult, however, for Naruto to do the lower level jutsus. Minato made up for that by teaching him the higher level versions of some of the jutsus he'd had difficulty with. Those suited his vast chakra levels much better. "Kage Bunshin should suit your purpose just fine," he said. "Your Taijutsu is very good as it is, considering you've embraced our family style. Your Ninjitsu is excellent… the only thing you're lacking is the ability for Genjutsu, but as long as you know how to dispel it, you should be fine. As a Genin, I'll allow you a slight opening to reveal some of your skills but don't do it too quickly. As you ascend through the ranks, you will be able lower your mask until it no longer exists."

"You've put a lot of thought into this," Naruto commented, lying on his bed.

"Of course I have," Minato said. "This is your future we're talking about."

He hoped that Naruto's future jounin-sensei would be one that didn't discriminate against him for the Kyuubi. He reassured himself with the thought that Sarutobi would never subject Naruto to a teacher like that…

"After the exam tomorrow, I'll teach you a new jutsu," Minato promised, immediately exciting Naruto. "After that, I'll increase how heavy your weights are." Naruto pouted. It was always so – troublesome – when his dad forced him to wear heavier weights. Getting used to them was a pain. It was times like this Naruto was very thankful that he had the Kyuubi who helped heal any injury he had faster than the normal human body would have.

Surprisingly, Naruto, Minato and the Kyuubi had a rather benign relationship. It had turned out that the Kyuubi had never wanted to attack Konoha. She had only wanted to live peacefully with her mate and kits but a shinobi had bewitched her to attack.

Nowadays, she saw Naruto as her own kit and doted over him as much as Minato did. Therefore… Naruto had a very odd set of parents.

"It better be a good jutsu," Naruto said expectantly. Minato smiled.

"Would I offer you anything less?" the ex-Hokage inquired. Naruto grinned and shook his head. He knew he wasn't ready for the two jutsus he really wanted Minato to teach him (the Rasengan and Hiraishin,) but Minato always taught him awesome jutsus, particularly ones that worked with his wind and water affiliations. Minato had never been prouder when he'd found out that Naruto had embraced both of his parents' elemental affiliations. It showed just how much potential Naruto harbored. His name suited him well (both Uzumaki and Namikaze).

The next day, Naruto couldn't help but feel excited. He was finally going to be able to prove that he was more than the class 'dead last.' Well… at least a little bit.

He glanced surreptitiously at his father who had stationed himself behind the teachers who would be judging the pre-Genins. Minato flashed Naruto a grin (one that was absolutely identical to his own) and Naruto's spirits lifted even higher. Not even the presence of the annoying teme aka Uchiha Sasuke could dampen his mood.

"To pass this exam you have to do the Bunshin no Jutsu," Iruka informed the class.

'Just like I'd predicted,' Naruto thought with a sigh, frowning in annoyance as he felt someone's gaze upon him.

"Looks like it's your loss, dobe…" Sasuke sneered. "That's your worst skill, is it not?"

"Shut up, teme," Naruto spat with a glare, only to get hit on the head by an irate Sakura.

"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" the fan girl exclaimed.

Naruto hid his annoyance. The banshee really got on his nerves… what was worse was that he had to let her hit him to keep his façade up. He grinned falsely instead, noting with glee that Minato was glowering at both Sasuke and Sakura as well. "But Sakura-chan… he started it," Naruto whined.

"He was only telling the truth!" Sakura exclaimed hotly.

'I'll show you the truth,' Naruto thought, fighting to keep his eyebrow from twitching.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered from where he sat slumped in the back of the room. He reluctantly got up to line up with the others.

Iruka felt anxious as it was finally Naruto's turn. He knew how much the boy wanted to graduate but he didn't know if he was ready… considering the boy's record with the Bunshin…

Naruto just flashed Iruka a confident grin before making the seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu…" he said gleefully, creating four perfectly solid clones of himself, stunning everyone.

"Did you just say Kage Bunshin?" Iruka gaped. Naruto nodded with a smug smirk. "How did you learn that?"

"I had a good teacher," Naruto said vaguely but with a hint of pride. Minato beamed in the background.

'How the hell was the dobe able to do that?' Sasuke gaped. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was an A-class Kinjutsu. How could the dead last perform it?

'Things just got more interesting,' Shikamaru thought. He'd always felt as if there was something Naruto was hiding from everyone and it wasn't just the reason behind why the entire village seemed to hate him. He'd watched the boy throughout all of their academy years and he'd seen times when the boy's mask of ignorance and blind happiness seemed to fade to reveal a hint of the enigma within. Not to mention that Naruto always seemed to be aware of a presence no one else could feel… he was always glancing in random directions at times. Those were the only times Shikamaru saw a real smile on Naruto's face. It was perhaps that which had convinced Shikamaru that it wasn't just some figment of Naruto's imagination that he kept drawing comfort from. Now just what or who it was that was watching over Naruto was something that Shikamaru didn't know…

Iruka smiled at Naruto, proud of his achievement. "Congratulations, Naruto… you pass," he said. Naruto beamed happily.

"YATTA!" he cried out and tackled Iruka into a tight hug, causing both of them to fall as the chair Iruka had been sitting on gave way. They landed with a crash but Naruto didn't care.

Iruka groaned, completely dazed, but once recovered, he only smiled at the excited child and returned the hug.

'I want a hug too…' Minato sulked childishly before his sharp eyes caught sight of the look of pure disgust in Mizuki's eyes. His eyes narrowed. He'd never liked the assistant teacher. There was just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way… 'It would be best to keep an eye on him.'

After the graduation exam was done with, Naruto watched as all of the other kids, save for Sasuke, were congratulated by their parents and led home.

~You know… I kind of feel bad for him,~ Naruto mused as he watched the pale-skinned boy walk off by himself on his way home. ~I mean, we're both orphans but you're still with me through odd circumstances. He's got no one…~

"On the contrary, Naruto… he has the entire village trying to support him. He just refuses to accept it," Minato said. "That's the major difference between you and him. He'll learn eventually…"

~I guess you're right,~ Naruto mused as he waved goodbye to Iruka and headed back alongside Minato. He ignored the derisive looks he got from the other parents. Minato, on the other hand, was glaring at them all… even if they couldn't see it. He'd known a lot of them when he'd been alive. He'd never expect them to have let him down so badly with how they treated his son.

They headed for Ichiraku's first and Naruto gobbled up his fill of ramen while Minato watched on enviously. He hadn't got to eat ramen in 12 years… he cursed his lack of a tangible body. He consoled himself with the thought that he may be able to have one for small bouts of time in the near future.

He and Naruto had been working on a way to summon him properly out of the seal. With Naruto's skill with the Kage Bunshin they were a step closer to having success…

~So what jutsu are you going to teach me today?~ Naruto asked eagerly.

"A wind technique," Minato said. "Futon: Daitoppa. It will be a great asset to you in the future. It's a C-rank, but that will at least allow you to use it more freely without much suspicion. Your sensei could think you picked it up from a book or something. After your revelation of knowing how to do Kage Bunshin, this won't be too much of a stretch."

"Cool," Naruto said, sounding fascinated. He loved the elemental jutsus his dad taught him. They all looked so cool…

They were well into their training when they heard a disturbance occurring in the village. Minato's sharp ears picked up what the panicked Chuunin passing nearby were saying:

"Mizuki-sensei stole the Scroll of Sealing! We need to find him and get it back!"

Minato scowled. "I knew that man was up to no good…" he muttered.

Sniffing the air with his enhanced senses, Naruto sought out Mizuki's scent. ~He's in the forest… that's not too far from where we are…~ he informed his father. ~Should we go after him?~

Minato nodded. "Don't try to engage him in battle unless absolutely necessary. Just follow him," he instructed. Naruto nodded and quickly ran off.

Iruka was in denial. Mizuki couldn't have stolen the scroll. What motive did he have? Mizuki was his friend… Iruka was certain he would have picked up on any odd behavior from the other Chuunin, but he hadn't.

He'd just entered the woods when he got pinned by a series of kunai. He gasped in pain before looking up to see Mizuki leering down at him.

"Iruka, Iruka, Iruka…" Mizuki drawled condescendingly. "Didn't I always tell you that running around wearing your emotions on your sleeve would get you in trouble? You were so flustered you weren't even able to dodge my kunai…"

Coughing out a bit of blood, Iruka looked at Mizuki pleadingly, noting the forbidden scroll in Mizuki's possession. "Mizuki… why?"

"Why?" Mizuki repeated, perched on a tree branch as he stared at his wounded friend. "Because I wanted power, that's why."

That was when he heard someone tutting in a reprimanding tone.

"Power? You're not an Uchiha-wannabe are you?" a familiar childish voice rang out. Iruka and Mizuki both whirled around to see Naruto perched across from Mizuki, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Naruto! Get out of here! It's too dangerous!" Iruka cried out panicked. He didn't want the new Genin to die at Mizuki's hands.

"Sorry, no can do, Iruka-sensei," Naruto drawled, dropping down from the branch. "If I ran, where would you be? I'm sure Mizuki-teme over there didn't just hang around here for fun, now did you?" He looked at Mizuki pointedly. "If you wanted to, you could have been long gone by now. You were waiting for someone… and I'm certain it's Iruka-sensei."

'Since when was Naruto this perceptive?' Iruka thought with a small puzzled frown.

"I thought I told you not to engage the enemy," Minato scolded his son.

~That was before he involved Iruka-sensei,~ Naruto said matter-of-factly. ~Now he's got to pay.~

"I'm beginning to think you love him more than me…" Minato grumbled. No matter the situation, he found ways to complain about the other adults that Naruto showered affection on.

~Stop being so needy,~ Naruto shot back at his dad, earning a wounded look from his father.

Mizuki sneered at Naruto. "For a dobe you're pretty smart," he mused, an insane glint in his eyes. "You're right… I am here for Iruka-sensei. After all, I'm leaving never to return… I have to make sure no one can have my precious dolphin, now don't I?"

"Iruka-sensei's not your precious anything!" Naruto retorted, eyes narrowing in anger. "Take that possessive streak of yours and go to hell, Bastard!" Mizuki's face turned sour.

"Here's another thing I've always wanted to do…" Mizuki said. "I've wanted to kill the accursed Demon Brat. Perhaps I should thank you for coming to me."

"Okay, that's it…" Minato growled, fingers itching to take hold of a kunai even though it would be fruitless for him to even try. He was just an apparition after all. "I want to kill this guy. Let me borrow control for a bit."

~And blow our cover sky high? Iruka-sensei's watching too, you know,~ Naruto protested. ~Let me handle it, Tou-san. I'll get him for all three of us.~

Taking Naruto's strange silence as confusion, Mizuki decided he'd elaborate. "I guess I'll just have to tell you about it, won't I?" he drawled.

"No, don't!" Iruka protested, panicked. Naruto wasn't supposed to know about the Kyuubi!

"You heard about how the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi no Yoko 12 years ago, right?" Mizuki began. "The truth is… the Kyuubi wasn't killed. He was sealed."

Both Naruto and Minato deadpanned at this. Here they thought Mizuki was going to tell them interesting. It looked like he was only going to share some old news.

"Cut the drivel, Mizuki-teme… I already know about the Kyuubi being in me. It's not that hard to figure out after all. There are only so many times one can be called Demon Fox without wondering why," Naruto said sarcastically.

Mizuki's eyes grew outraged, seeing his plan to de-stabilize the so-called demon brat fail. "Baka kitsune… whether you know or not doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact that everyone hates you, even your beloved Iruka-sensei. No one will ever love you!" he spat, taking out one of his giant shuriken and throwing it at Naruto.

Those words bit at Naruto. It was true, he had his father's love, but that could only take him so far… he had no friends or people to acknowledge him outside his own body. Only those in his seal accepted him…

It was then that Iruka managed to dislodge himself from the kunai and he lunged at Naruto, taking the hit for him on the back.

"D-don't listen to him, Naruto!" Iruka gasped, blood seeping out of his mouth. "You and I are the same… I felt the same pain as you when I lost my parents… I did the same things you did. You must have suffered so badly…" Tears began to stream from Iruka's eyes as he tried to get the words out. "You're not the Kyuubi… don't let anyone make you believe that. You're nobody but Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's heart lightened as Iruka finally verbalized his acknowledgement. Smiling genuinely, he moved to wipe the tears away.

"Thanks," he said softly. "It means a lot…"

The tender moment was cut short as Mizuki roughly grabbed Iruka by the hair and forced him away from Naruto. Iruka cried out in pain, but by this point, he'd lost too much blood to really be able to fight back.

"Bitch, you weren't supposed to side with the demon!" Mizuki yelled out in rage as he wrenched the shuriken out of Iruka's back forcefully, eliciting another cry of pain.

"Since when… do I comply… to your orders?" Iruka got out, glaring at Mizuki out of the corner of his eye.

"Shut up," Mizuki growled, punching Iruka and finally knocking him out.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that," Naruto snarled as he straightened up. His livid father hovered behind him. Then, Minato smirked.

"Remember when I told you that you seemed to learn best from being in dangerous situations?" he asked Naruto. Naruto smirked as he caught on to what Minato was getting at.

~Time to practice,~ Naruto thought gleefully before stealthily sending a summoned clone to retrieve Iruka while the original started making the necessary hand seals for the jutsu he was about to perform.

Mizuki was about to go on guard when four other clones immobilized him. As he struggled, Naruto unleashed his jutsu.

"Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu!" Naruto called out before bringing his hand to his mouth and blowing out a large torrent of wind that sent Mizuki flying hard into a nearby tree, knocking him out instantly.

Minato pouted at the results. "I still think you could have been harsher with him…" he said, crossing his arms. "That bastard deserves it."

~Iruka-sensei's more important,~ Naruto reminded his dad, heading over to the wounded Chuunin that had finally voiced his acknowledgement.

"That he is," Minato agreed just as the ANBU finally arrived.

The Sandaime Hokage beamed as he watched Naruto through his crystal ball. The boy had come a long way in the past few years. He hid his potential but he could clearly see it.

"You just may achieve your dreams one day, Uzu – no – Namikaze Naruto…" he whispered to himself.

A/N : Pairings I have decided on for this story would include: MinafemKyuu, KakaIru, some LeeSaku, and KibaHina. There's also one-sided SasuNaru.

I'm having trouble deciding who to put Naruto with: Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, or Gaara (slight possibility that if I decide not to have either Neji and Gaara with Naruto that they'll be together…). So I'll let you vote on what you prefer amongst them.