Hey, I'm back with another chapter. This one was a hard one to write (actually started writing it before I posted chapter 20). Started it one way and decided it wasn't working out, so I took an alternate method, and this one I like a whole lot more. It ended up being a rather large idea so I divided it into two parts to make it easier.

This chapter has a rather dynamic idea inserted within it that separates it from the canon, so I'm hoping it comes out well, especially with this being the first time I've written Madara. He's hard. Tell me what you think.

This chapter's unbeta-ed but hopefully good enough. I was eager to get this chapter out so I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, although I'd love to.

Chapter 21: Unraveling the Mystery

"Ino's been out of it for a while," Asuma commented, eyeing the unconscious blonde. "She should have regained consciousness by now…"

"I'm sure she's fine, Asuma," Kurenai reassured her fellow sensei. "She knew the risks when she cast that jutsu."

"It cost her the match," Shikamaru pointed out. "Sakura won by default."

'That's why it doesn't feel like a real victory,' Sakura thought to herself, dissatisfied. She glanced at Ino guiltily. She didn't mean to hurt her former best friend.

Sakura turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei… I know that I haven't been giving my training my fullest efforts so far but I promise I'll change. I'll become a better kunoichi… worthy of being Ino's rival," she vowed.

Kakashi gave the pink-haired girl an eye-smile. "I'm glad to hear that," he declared, patting her on the head. "I've been waiting for those words."

Sakura had the grace to look sheepish. She glanced at Naruto, hoping to see his approval but was surprised to see him looking perfectly blank-faced.

"Naruto?" she called, waving a hand in front of his face. He didn't blink. She turned to her sensei with a puzzled frown. "What's wrong with him?"

Suddenly, Ino's long absence made sense.

"You don't think she…" Kurenai began in trepidation.

"It's possible," Asuma remarked. "When she fell, he was in her line of fire."

"This could be trouble," Kakashi voiced everyone's thoughts.

"It's time for the next fight," Hayate interrupted the worrisome discussion before it could escalate.

Subaku no Temari vs. TenTen

Ino blinked as the light that had flooded her vision when she had cast her jutsu cleared away.

She gasped in horror at the sight in front of her.

She stood in the middle of a large, burned out forest, overrun with snakes.

Just whose mind was this?

'This isn't Sakura's mind. It can't be,' Ino thought to herself in distress.

She tried to identify her current host by the chakra but she found it difficult to do so. The chakra she sensed was very unclear. She couldn't place it at all.

The snakes hissed at her viciously, causing Ino to recoil in fear. She wasn't welcome here.

Nevertheless, she wasn't going to back out. As frightening as her current location was, she was determined to explore it. She would never stop wondering over the entire mystery otherwise.

She took a deep breath and started to make her way through the forest, scampering out of the way of any snake that tried to lunge at her. She didn't want to know what would happen if one of them bit her.

Through the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a weak, golden glow. Interest captured, she headed in that direction and was horrified by what she saw.

A giant, white snake with golden slitted eyes was present in a large clearing, wrapped around a pale form.

'Naruto?' Ino gasped mentally before she realized that her assumption was wrong. The captured individual wasn't Naruto at all, though he looked alarmingly like him…

Looking closely, she came to understand that she had seen this person before in textbooks and on the Hokage Mountain.

The Yondaime Hokage.

'What's going on? I thought he was dead!' Ino thought in absolute confusion. How could the legendary Hokage be in front of her?

He didn't look very legendary trapped in the snake's grasp like that, blue eyes glassy and head tilted to the side with the snake's large fangs buried in his neck.

'How did he end up like this?' Ino wondered before her thought process was interrupted as the Yondaime groaned.

"…Naruto…"

'Why did he call out for Naruto? They can't possibly know each other…' Ino frowned before the pieces of the puzzle slotted together.

She'd missed her target and lodged herself in the mind of someone in the Tower, who incidentally turned out to be Naruto.

The Yondaime Hokage was imprisoned within the inner depths of said person's mind.

After being attacked by Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, Naruto had lost his guardian angel.

The Yondaime Hokage was the guardian angel, and therefore, Naruto's father.

"I don't believe it…" she murmured to herself.

How could Naruto be the son of the most powerful shinobi to ever grace the Earth? It was so farfetched…

And yet, the more she thought about it, the more Ino realized it made sense.

Naruto was virtually a clone of the man in front of her and he was much smarter than he let on. She could tell that much. He had clearly inherited his father's genius. Naruto's reaction to Inari insulting the Yondaime and the Iwa nin's unhealthy interest in him all added up as well.

'I can guess why Naruto never told anyone of his heritage now,' Ino thought to herself. It had been for his safety. It was a pity, though… she was certain that if people knew whose son he was, Naruto would have been treated much better. Like a Prince, even.

'Why do the villagers treat him so badly?' Ino wondered. Now that she was actually paying attention to Naruto's situation, she could see that the treatment he received was too harsh to simply be due to the dislike earned from his pranks.

She broke out of her reverie when she felt a flare of malevolent chakra coming from nearby.

Startled, and a little scared, Ino went to investigate the occurrence.

She found herself standing in front of a cave that was completely blocked off by rocks. She could see small flares of red chakra peeking out of it.

"I-Is somebody here?" Ino stuttered out. There was somebody else in Naruto's mind? Just how much was Naruto hiding?

"Who's there?" a sharp, but slightly muffled, female voice called out from within the cave.

Ino jumped back in surprise. While she had speculated over another presence, she really hadn't expected there to be one.

"Y-Yamanaka Ino," she introduced herself. "Who are you?"

There was a moment of silence before the trapped individual finally spoke up.

"Kyuubi no Youko," the female admitted reluctantly

Ino paled I fear.

Now she understood why all of the villagers avoided Naruto.

"H-how?" she stammered. "I thought that…"

"You thought Minato-kun killed me, is that it?" Kyuubi finished Ino's statement. "You can't kill a Bijuu… you can only seal it."

Realization hit Ino hard. "So the Yondaime Hokage sealed you into his own son?"

"More or less," Kyuubi responded.

'How could the Yondaime do this to Naruto? Doesn't he care for him? How could he ruin his son's life like this? Does Naruto even know?' Ino pondered over the situation.

As if reading her mind, Kyuubi answered her questions. She could easily predict what was going through Ino's head. "Minato-kun didn't want to seal me into Naruto… he had to protect Konoha… and he had to help Naruto have the strength he needs to fulfill his difficult destiny. He did what he had to as a father… and as a Hokage, and Naruto understands that."

"He's okay with it? What destiny? Why are you defending the Yondaime? Shouldn't you hate him for imprisoning you?" Ino queried. There was just so much to know… For such a dangerous demon that had nearly destroyed Konoha, Kyuubi was being awfully nice.

"Naruto understands Minato-kun's reasons. He had the time to adjust himself to his status as a Jinchuuriki. Why wouldn't I defend Minato-kun? He didn't imprison me, he freed me. How can I hate him when he welcomed me into his family when I had lost my own?" Kyuubi responded, shocking Ino.

"He freed you? What do you mean by that?" Ino inquired.

"I didn't want to attack Konoha… but I was being controlled," Kyuubi admitted. "Minato-kun had no choice but to seal me away in order to stop me."

Ino was in a state of complete disbelief. The Bijuu had just dumped a bomb on her.

Kyuubi wasn't the true culprit behind the attack? That meant that what everybody believed of that fateful night was a complete and utter lie.

"W-who controlled you?" Ino asked.

"A man that most people believe dead… Uchiha Madara," Kyuubi declared.

"That's impossible," Ino denied. "How could he be alive now? It's been more than eighty years since the last time he was ever seen. He has to be dead!"

"Uchiha Madara is not what he seems. He's as good as immortal and very much alive," Kyuubi replied.

"How can I believe you? You could just be making an excuse to seem innocent!" Ino exclaimed.

Kyuubi sighed. "Fine, don't believe what you hear. But you will believe what you see."

"What do you mean?" Ino wondered before a bright light flooded her vision.

When she was finally able to see again, Ino realized she was no longer in front of the cave.

She was in a hospital room where a beautiful, very pregnant, red-haired woman was currently giving birth. Standing beside her was a harried looking Namikaze Minato.

"Hang in there, Kushina-chan. Naruto's almost out," Minato encouraged his wife, biting back a grimace of pain from the strong grip the lively kunoichi had on his hand.

"AAGH! I'm never letting you touch me again!" Kushina shrieked as another contraction hit her.

"Yes, Dear," Minato replied patiently, love shining in his eyes.

'This is Naruto's birth,' Ino realized with wide eyes. 'The night Kyuubi attacked.'

As she continued to watch the couple, she found herself a little envious of the obvious love between them. Sasuke would never look at her the way Minato looked at his wife…

~Then why do you like him?~ Kyuubi asked Ino, startling her.

"How are you talking to me? How am I here?" Ino demanded. "And why shouldn't I like Sasuke-kun?"

~You're in Naruto's mind, so I am capable of holding a mental conversation with you. You're inside one of Minato-kun's memories. You'll get your answers here, so just sit back and observe,~ Kyuubi responded. ~Oh, and Uchiha Sasuke is a mentally unstable brat with only revenge on his mind. He'll do anything to achieve his means. He will only hurt you in the end. Think of all that he has done – objectively - and then tell me truthfully if he is worth all of your love and loyalty.~

Ino wanted to defend her crush from Kyuubi's harsh assessment but the more she thought about it, the more she realized Kyuubi was right.

When she removed her rose-tinted glasses, she realized that Sasuke wasn't all that she and Sakura had made him out to be. He was frightening and heartbreakingly cold. He'd never given her the time of day and always gazed at her with disgust. She would never be happy with him. She would never get a love like Minato and Kushina as long as she dedicated her time on Sasuke.

She was broken out of her upsetting thoughts by the sound of a baby's cry.

Looking up, she saw Taji, Kushina's midwife, holding up the body of a newly born Naruto.

"Congratulations, Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama… it's a healthy baby boy," Taji declared happily.

The mutual looks of joy, love and awe on Minato and Kushina's faces took Ino's breath away. They looked so happy to see their baby brought into the world.

"He's beautiful…" Kushina murmured as she took the now clean baby into her arms.

"I'm a father," Minato intoned as if he had just realized it, tears coming to his eyes. A blinding smile appeared on his face seconds later as he embraced his family.

'Now I know who Naruto inherited his smile from,' Ino mused.

The happy atmosphere was shattered when a shinobi burst into the room.

"Hokage-sama, Kyuubi is making its way towards Konoha at a rapid pace!" the shinobi explained.

Both Kushina and Minato looked absolutely horrified at the news.

"Of all of the times…" Minato muttered mournfully as he stood up. "How much time do we have before it reaches Konoha?"

"At most, 30 minutes," the shinobi reported.

Minato cursed. He would have to form a plan to handle the situation quickly.

"Call for every available Chuunin and Jounin. Try to hold the Kyuubi back as long as you can," Minato ordered the shinobi, who quickly ran off.

"What are you going to do, Minato?" You can't kill a Bijuu and turning it away from Konoha could prove to be nothing short of impossible. Kyuubi is too powerful," Kushina declared, trying to help her husband despite the fact that she was utterly exhausted.

"I'll think of something," Minato replied, brows furrowed in concentration. He turned away from Kushina, Naruto, and Taji to contemplate the situation.

Suddenly, he heard a loud cry of pain and a thud. Whirling around, his heart nearly stopped at the sight in front of him.

Taji lay on the floor, dead, while a strange man with an orange mask held Kushina and Naruto hostage.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you fight Kyuubi, Yondaime Hokage-sama,' the man spoke up, saying Minato's title in a condescending manner. "I have too much at stake to let you foil my plans now."

A mixture of emotions transition through Minato's eyes before his mask slammed on: surprise, shock, fear, and anger.

"Let them go," he stated icily, mind whirring with plans to free his two most precious people from the unknown assailant.

The very fact that the man had managed to sneak up on Minato in the first place told a lot about how formidable he was.

"I can't do that, Pretty Boy. You'll have to fight me for their safety," the villain retorted.

The look of pure rage that crossed Minato's face terrified Ino. If Naruto inherited that look from his father, all of his enemies would quake in fear.

"You'll regret putting them at risk," Minato snarled, preparing himself for battle.

"I look forward to seeing what you'll do, Namikaze," the masked man replied, not seeming intimidated whatsoever.

'This guy's got balls for standing up to the Yondaime Hokage like this,' Ino mused. A part of her wondered if what Kyuubi told her was right. If the assailant was Uchiha Madara, it would explain his insane confidence. A fearsome shinobi such as him would be able to face Minato on equal grounds.

At the moment, the could-be Madara held an advantage in the form of two vulnerable hostages.

That is, until Kushina pulled off a surprise maneuver as chakra chains came out of her body and wrapped around Madara.

That split second move gave Minato the time he needed to recover his two loves and transport them far away from the threat.

"You did a good job, Kushina," Minato praised his exhausted wife, petting her hair soothingly. "Rest now, I'll take care of everything."

"Will you really?" a deep voice rang out from behind the Hokage, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

He couldn't even turn around when an arm wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his side while a hand clasped over his mouth with a vice-like grip.

"You're good, Yondaime, but I'm better," Madara breathed in his prisoner's ear before he teleported both of them away from a horrified Kushina and a bawling Naruto.

Minato grunted as he was slammed face first into a wall in the middle of what looked to be an abandoned Uchiha home, if the insignia plastered all over was any sign.

He couldn't believe he'd been caught off guard like this... again. His assailant was making him look like an amateur.

Minato hadn't expected him to track him down so quickly, especially considering that the Yondaime had used his Hiraishin.

'He's skilled with time/space jutsu. He's better than me, perhaps even better than the Nidaime Hokage. Add Kyuubi into the mix, and there's only one person he can be…' Minato thought. "Why have you brought me here?" he demanded aloud.

"You know very well why I brought you here, Minato-kun," his captor replied smugly. "By now, you've most certainly realized who I am."

"Don't address me so familiarly!" Minato stated sharply, head-butting the masked man so hard that his mask broke. Minato saw stars.

"Insolent child," the villain snarled, tossing the dazed Hokage away from him forcefully as he went to deal with his shattered mask.

'That was a reckless move,' Minato thought to himself as he recovered all of his mental faculties. 'I've spent too much time around Kushina.'

He glanced up and couldn't help but gape at the sight in front of him.

Seeing that grotesque, aged face in front of him made Minato realize that all of his suspicions were right.

"That shocked look doesn't become you, Minato-kun,' the Uchiha patriarch declared, mocking Minato's outrage over his familiarity.

"Uchiha Madara…" Minato voiced the name as if he was trying to process the information.

Ino was equally horrified. She couldn't believe that Kyuubi had been right. The founder of the Uchiha clan was alive. But how?

~Now you've seen the truth,~ Kyuubi told Ino. ~Are you willing to believe me now?~

'Wait…' Ino stated. 'I want – no, I need to see the rest of this.' She had to know how Minato went from being at Madara's mercy to saving all of Konoha.

~Are you sure?~ Kyuubi pressed. ~It may ruin the image you have about your precious Uchiha.~

'I don't care,' Ino blurted out and she was surprised to find that it was the truth. Solving the mystery behind Kyuubi's attack was far more important than her crush on Sasuke.

~Have it your way,~ Kyuubi conceded, her voice fading away.

"What do you want?" Minato asked Madara as he got back to his feet. Madara wouldn't be an easy opponent. He'd have to figure out a way to defeat him… he would make Madara talk until he found his strategy.

"I want a lot of things," Madara declared bluntly. "The destruction of Konoha, death to the Senju, revenge against my clan for betraying me… and the Namikaze down on your knees before me."

"…What?" Minato gasped, eyes wide. He'd expected everything else but the last one… Madara hadn't spoke of him as the Yondaime, but as a Namikaze. What did he have against his fallen clan?

Madara looked amused by Minato's confusion. "I almost forgot… you're an orphan, aren't you? The last remnant of a once great clan. You never learned of your family's history. How sad…" he mocked. "Shall I fill you in?"

Having found his way to get Madara to talk, Minato encouraged it. "Please do," he responded simply, eyes narrowed.

Madara chuckled. The Yondaime Hokage amused him. "I'll indulge your curiosity this once," he conceded as if he was doing Minato a favor. "Have you ever wondered why, while you were growing up, you always had the eyes of the Uchiha clan on you?"

Minato's brow furrowed as he thought over what Minato said. He was completely right… but how did he know?

"I've been watching you too, you know," the older man answered the silent question.

'That's not creepy at all,' Ino mused sarcastically. It looked like Naruto wasn't the only one who suffered from crazed stalkers…

"Why?" Minato frowned. It just didn't make any sense.

"The Namikaze and Uchiha clans have a long history together, just like the Uchiha and the Senju… one filled with anger and betrayal. You see, your clan was a selfish group. You all possess an angel's beauty but have hearts as cold as ice. Your clan has chakra that has the ability to soothe the cursed chakra of the Uchiha and put an end to the insanity that threatens us all. Your clan… could have saved mine, but you turned your backs to us and kept your gift to yourself. Having no other choice, we decided to take it by force," Madara explained, barely hidden rage and bitterness tainting his voice.

'That would explain Sasuke-kun's fixation with Naruto,' Ino realized. Naruto's Namikaze-born chakra attracted the Uchiha like a moth to a flame. Hearing this part of the Uchiha history was allowing Ino to see how not perfect the clan really was.

"You speak as if our chakra is rightfully yours. My clan had every right to deny you," Minato spoke with narrowed eyes. He quickly dodged as Madara lunged for him. There was no way he was going to let the deranged, cyclopean, possibly pedophilic, Uchiha get in grasping range again.

"It is," Madara spoke fanatically. "The Namikaze, all of you, belong to the Uchiha! We tried to make peace through marriage, but again, you shunned us. Your bride ran away with a fucking Senju! If she had married my brother, he could still have been alive! I wouldn't have needed to take his eyes from him… Having had enough of the injustice, we slaughtered you, all of you! Only a few managed to escape… out of our good will, hoping that one day, the newer generation would be more giving. Yet… you're still as selfish as you once were before! If I can't have you, no one will!"

'He's a total mad man!' both Minato and Ino thought in alarm. Madara was placing an entire clan's 'culpability' on Minato… Ino didn't think that this would go very well. The selfishness of the Uchiha clan, Madara especially, was really beginning to disillusion her…

"So you plan to kill me because my clan refused to submit to yours?" Minato pressed, beginning to formulate a plan as he continued to dance out of Madara's grasp. The Uchiha had granted him a way to find an opening through his monologue. Now all he had left to do was execute it… He slowed down slightly, making it appear as if he was giving Madara the moment he needed to take hold of him.

"No, I'll force you to take the burden that your ancestors ran away from!" Madara exclaimed as he managed to grab Minato by the hair and force him to meet his eye, Sharingan activated.

Ino could only watch in horror as she saw wisps of golden chakra escape Minato's body through his eyes and mouth, entering Madara's own.

"I've got you, Yondaime," the villain smirked, staring down at his prey maliciously.

He was shocked when Minato's gold-tinted blue eyes sharpened with defiance as he snapped out of the spell.

"Hardly," Minato growled before he thrust a Rasengan into the surprised Madara's chest with as much force as he could. It had left the Uchiha with no time to go intangible as his body was still integrating the little amount of chakra he had managed to steal.

Madara snarled in pain as he backed away, pressing a hand against his chest to stem the blood flow. "Bastard… you let me catch you," he realized.

Minato smirked deviously. "Don't underestimate me," he said flatly.

"I won't make the same mistake again," Madara declared as he turned intangible. "You will pay for this one day, Namikaze. I promise you that."

"You can try," Minato replied sternly. He would be ready.

Before he could attack again, Madara retreated. He'd delayed Minato long enough…

'I'll make you regret this, Yondaime,' Madara thought to himself. He'd let himself get greedy at the feel of the enticing chakra swirling through Minato's body. The fact that he'd fallen for such a juvenile trap pissed him off. Soon… he would make Minato suffer for the insult.

Minato had no choice but to let Madara escape. He had a bigger problem to deal with: Kyuubi

A/N: I think I made Madara really deranged and the Uchiha out as thieves of more than just jutsu, but it mixes things up, so I figured it would make an exciting amendment to the way things are in canon. I wish the fight had turned out more spectacularly but they really had no time for that sort of thing.

I'm thinking of having a chapter in the side story to further explain the entire history thing, maybe put it in Madara's point of view. Hope you like.