A tear drop fell on Naruto's striped cheek, and he quickly brushed it away. It wasn't Naruto's tears, as the small bundle was fast asleep in his arms, swaddled tightly in a blanket Kushina had picked out for him. No, they were his own tears. He couldn't hold them back at his wife's funeral, even being the Hokage. It wasn't just Kushina's funeral, but several shinobi and civilians of Konoha had died that night.

They had perished that night. The night his son was born, he had failed to protect Kushina. He failed to protect the village. Some Hokage he was. He had failed to keep the Kyuubi at bay when the seal broke as she gave birth, and the Kyuubi had broken free. Somehow, he had protected his son, but the love of his life was lost when the Kyuubi was released. He could do nothing when the seal broke; it was inevitable. A Jinchuuriki will die when their beast breaks free. Kushina was no exception.

Minato pulled Naruto closer, holding him tightly against his chest. This little blonde bundle was all he had left of her, and he swore to protect his son with his life.

"Minato," a voice called behind him as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Minato replied after turning to see who it was.

The look of pity and grief on his sensei's face almost made him break again, but he held it together. Looking around, he noticed the cemetery was empty. Everyone had left, leaving him before the framed pictures of lost people. He was so consumed with his own grief that he hadn't noticed everyone else shuffling out.

"Come on," Jiraiya encouraged.

Minato nodded, then glanced at the framed photograph of his wife in the center of the altar.

I'll protect him. I swear, Kushina. I won't fail this time.

Minato looked at his son in his arms. He had placed a terrible burden on his son, but he was Kushina's son too. He knew Naruto would be strong enough to keep the Kyuubi controlled. He chose to believe in his son.

One Year Later

It had been an entire year since he had lost her. He missed her more than anything. He thought time was supposed to help the pain of grief, but in the year since, nothing had changed. The pain had yet to fade an ounce. He tried to focus on Naruto and his job as Hokage, but the grief was ever-present. Nagging in his heart, he reminded him every moment of what he had lost.

A few weeks after the anniversary of her death and Naruto's first birthday, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi convinced him to get out for the night. So, he sat at a bar late at night, nursing a glass of whiskey. It had numbed him a bit, and for that, he was grateful. He knew it wouldn't last, and alcohol wasn't the answer, but for tonight, it was worth it.

He glanced up when he heard the bell of the front entrance ring and several shinobi stumble in, probably from another bar that had closed already. Their conversation piqued his interest.

"Did you hear?"

"About the kid?"

"Yeah!"

"Why isn't he locked up?"

"I know! He destroyed the village!"

"I can't believe they let him live!"

"He needs to pay for the people he killed!"

"What I'd do if I got my hands on the brat…"

"I can't believe the Hokage hasn't done anything about him!"

"Minato-sama should have taken care of that kid already."

"The Hokage's too soft nowadays, you know that!"

"That fucking Naruto kid! He needs to be taken care of!"

Minato froze.

How did they know about Naruto?

It was supposed to be a state secret. He had invoked it to keep Naruto safe! Who leaked the information? Minato looked up at the shinobi. They hadn't seen him yet. He kept quiet, hoping the information would present itself during their conversation.

"Maybe you should do it!"

"Hell no, I ain't going anywhere near the Kyuubi!"

"What will happen when that kid starts learning about jutsu?"

"He'll release the Kyuubi, that's what!"

"The Kyuubi should be locked away!"

"Locked up? They need to get rid of him before he gets older!"

"Yeah, before he can defend himself."

"I'd enjoy doing it myself."

"Like you could do it!"

Minato couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his glass on the counter, surprised he didn't shatter it. He stood quickly, knocking over the stool he was sitting on, catching the entire establishment's attention.

"Hokage-sama!"

All the shinobi he was listening to stood up, shocked at his presence. The expression on their face told him that he knew that they were in trouble. They had information they weren't supposed to have. Minato grabbed one of them by the front of his shirt. He knew part of his was being irrational from being slightly drunk, but at this point, he didn't care. Minato brought the shinobi's face close to his.

"Who told you about Naruto?" Minato demanded.

"No one! Everyone was talking about it at the Mission Assignment Center. Everyone knows!"

Minato shoved him back into his chair.

"That was supposed to be top secret," Minato said.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama!"

"You should be!" Minato snapped, "Talking about murdering a child. What is wrong with you?"

"But…"

Minato shook his head, cutting him off. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the establishment. He couldn't even look at them. The owner of the bar would forgive him for not paying his tab.

"He's the Hokage! Who else would be strong enough to control the kid?"

"You've seen him! He's broken!"

"He's fine!"

"Hiruzen, we've given him time to grieve! It's been a year!"

"Minato couldn't do anything that night! How can we expect him to keep his son controlled?"

"Danzo, there was nothing he could have done that night! You know that!"

"Hiruzen, it doesn't matter. We need to protect the village."

"Homura, while I agree with you, I know this isn't how to do it!"

"Then what do you recommend?"

"Hiruzen, we can't just let the Jinchuuriki wander free amongst the village!"

"Koharu, this is an infant we are talking about locking up!"

"He's not just an infant, Hiruzen, you know that!"

"I do. He's the Hokage's son!"

"He's the Jinchuuriki for the strongest-tailed beast! Even Kushina wasn't given the beast until she was older!"

"I trust Minato and the seal he used."

"That isn't the point, Hiruzen. We've heard reports about the Jinchuuriki in Suna losing control. They also sealed the beast when the kid was an infant, and he can't control it. The Kyuubi is a lot stronger than the Ichibi."

"We have to plan for the worst, Hiruzen."

"Danzo…"

"No. We all know you have a soft spot for Minato, but we will override your choice."

"Yes, it has already been decided. Hiruzen, we will remove Naruto from his father's custody and place him under the highest security within Danzo's Root Program."

"I will train him to control it."

"Danzo! He's not a weapon! He's a child!"

"He is, Hiruzen. You know that as well as I do."

"Minato will fight you on this. He won't let Naruto go without a fight."

"We are aware, so we are counting on you."

"Very well."

Minato stood frozen outside of the door to the council's chambers. He couldn't be hearing this right. They wanted to take his son. Put him under Danzo. They didn't think he was strong enough to keep Naruto under control. No, he wasn't going to let them. He refused to let Naruto go. Naruto was HIS son! Minato balled his fists as he felt the anger start rising inside. He had never been angrier than he was at this moment.

He needed to get his son. Now.

Minato turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the Hokage's tower, heading to the small childcare center that was only a short walk from the base of the tower. The lady at the front desk beamed at him when he walked in and asked for his son. Moments later, she came back with a little blonde in her arms.

"Look, Naruto! Your daddy came to get you early!"

"Naruto!" Minato smiled at his excited son.

Naruto reached for him when they got close, and he took the little boy from her arms.

"Thank you," Minato told her as he turned to leave.

Minato headed to their home as he started to think about what to do. He felt a bit calmer with Naruto in his arms. He wouldn't let a single person take him. He promised Kushina that he would take care of him, no matter what. He would keep this promise. He couldn't do it as he approached their home, knowing no one would be home to greet them. Kushina's memory was too strong there.

He turned to one of his favorite spots, the small field behind the Hokage monument. He sat down with Naruto in his lap, handing the small child a binky that he always seemed to carry with him nowadays. Naruto fell asleep quickly in his lap.

"So, what do we do, Naruto?" He asked the sleeping child.

Minato looked up and gazed at the scene of the entire village in front of him. At this moment, he was faced with a choice. The village or his son. He needed to find a way to protect both. That was his job as Hokage. Almost like he knew, Naruto rolled in his lap, which caused his shirt to ride up a bit around his little toddler potbelly. Minato laughed at his son as he reached to pull the shirt back down.

Minato's face fell when he noticed it.

There were small bruises around his ribs. Minato lifted the shirt a bit farther, careful not to wake his son. There were red and purple bruises around his entire torso. They were new and still forming; it couldn't have been more than a few hours since he received them.

People were hurting his son.

His choice had been made for him. He was determined to protect his son, which meant getting Naruto out of the village.