Spark

"Can't catch me!" A young boy ran from a group of older boys. The young boy looked no older than 8 years old and had blonde spikey hair cerulean blue eyes and had whisker-like birth marks on his face. He wore a white shirt and blue shorts with sandals. The blonde-haired boy took a turn into an alley and lead them to his trap. The blonde turned another corner.

"He's he….Hyahhh!" The leader slipped, with his cronies falling on top of him. The blonde boy had spilled slippery liquid and lead them to his trap. He then got a bucket of manure and threw it at them, covering the bullies with it. "Ewww! It stinks!" The leader spoke as they all got up and ran away.

"Next time pick on someone your own size!" The blonde was rolling on the ground and laughing heavily at his handiwork. "That's what you get when you try to pick on a girl in front of Naruto Namikaze!" The boy revealed his name, despite no one else being there. 'Great, I'm talking to myself….again.' Naruto then heard thunder and looked up to see the clouds form. 'I better get home before I'm soaked!' Naruto ran to his house, with the rain starting to fall until it became heavy. Naruto made it to his house shortly after and spotted a blonde-haired man he greatly resembled.

"Naruto! There you are! Get in before you catch a cold!" The blonde man told him in concern as Naruto already ran past him and was now by the fireplace. 'Hehe. That's my boy.' The man walked up to Naruto and patted his head.

"Hey Dad! Sorry about that, I just wanted to get warm." Naruto happily told his father, who smiled.

"I know you do, that's why I set up a warm bath for you. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold. Now, head to the bathroom and take a bath. As soon as you're done, I'll have ramen ready for you." When Naruto's father said ramen, Naruto rushed to the bathroom. 'That's my boy!' He smiled and went back to making ramen.

After an hour passed Naruto had his bath and already filled up with three large bowls of ramen, not surprising his father one bit. Now, he was in his pyjamas, which had frogs on it. He brushed his teeth and was now tucked into his bed.

"Hey dad?" Naruto got his father's attention. "I can't sleep, do you think you could read me a story?" His father just patted his head.

"Sure. And I have just the story, if I can find the right book." Naruto's father went to the book shelf and went through a list of books. "Let me see… a book about Edolas…..now it's Elentir …Ah! Here it is!" Naruto's father brought him a book which had the title faded out, it was quite old but also a rare book. Naruto was excited as his father sat beside him and began to read a story with adventure. Soon Naruto fell asleep after being content with the stories he heard about these warriors as his father closed the book and smiled. "Goodnight Naruto, have sweet dreams." He placed the blanket over Naruto kissed his forehead. He then headed for his own bed and drifted into the land of unconsciousness.

It was after a few hours passed when Naruto's father heard the door knock even though the rain was still pouring. Naruto's father got up from his bed and headed for the door.

'Who could be here in this hour? I don't want Naruto to wake up and I promised to spend the day with him tomorrow, so I need my sleep too.' He knew that his son was hyper, so getting some rest would do him some good. He opened the door after yawning one last time, surprised to see the person in front of him. This man had a darker skin tone, completely green eyes and brown hair. He wore a light-brown coat and a hat to cover his hair from the rain.

"Mr Kakuzu, what are you doing here?" Naruto's father asked him, though he became slightly defensive.

"Ah, I finally found you Minato, may I come in?" Kakuzu asked the blond- haired man, who moved out of the way to allow Kakuzu in. Kakuzu put his coat and hat on a stand, with Minato making him some tea as the older man sat down on a chair. Minato joined him afterwards with his own cup of tea. "So, this is where you disappeared off to. I was surprised to learn you became a chef at some backwater village, you of all people."

"It may not be as lucrative as my old job, but it is something I enjoy and seeing the people smile makes it worthwhile. If you want me to return, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." Minato maintained a neutral expression and showed no weakness in his words.

"I figured you would say that, but that isn't the reason I am here." Kakuzu finished his tea and he took out a scroll, handing it to Minato. Minato took it from him and opened it up, the left side of his face having some sweat fall. "That's right Minato, I'm here to…. Who's the kid?" Minato turned around to see Naruto.

"Naruto! Why are you up at this hour?" Minato was now in front of his son, his back facing Kakuzu.

"I had to use the bathroom and then I heard you talking with someone." Naruto rubbed his left eye and yawned.

"Well time for bed, my friend here was about to leave. Now, off to bed you go!" Minato rushed him back to his bed, but Naruto could not help but stare at Kakuzu briefly.

'T-This guy is kinda scary.' Naruto turned back and was worried for his father. Minato took Naruto to his room, but the young boy asked him a question when they entered the room. "Who's your friend dad? He looked scary?"

"His name is Kakuzu and he's just an old friend from work. And yes, he is very scary, but don't you worry, your daddy can handle him. Now, go to sleep and I'll spend the entire day with you tomorrow." This made Minato smile as Naruto quickly went to sleep. Minato then made his way back towards Kakuzu.

"I see you've been busy. Cute kid, but that's not going stop what's going to happen." Kakuzu told him complete certainty. Minato looked at him with eyes of determination and showed acceptance.

"I know."

(The next day)

"It's a shame that the rain carried on today, but did you have fun Naruto?" Minato asked his son, who wore an apron too.

"Yeah! And soon I'll be a better chef than even you dad! If I don't become a wizard first that is!" Naruto had his hair ruffled by his father, who smiled at him.

"I'm sure you will, now let's eat!" Minato told his son, who went to set up the table, with Minato joining him. Minato saw how excited Naruto was to get him to try his stew. Minato reminded Naruto to be thankful of the food as both joined their hands and then began to eat. "Hmmm. This is really good Naruto! You improved from last time."

"Of course! I practised and practised. No way I was going to fail this time!" Naruto told him with confidence and recalled how much effort he put into his cooking and now he feels confident in making any type of dish.

'Considering that his first try was not bad, my boy can has talent when it comes to cooking…..and playing cards.' Minato recalled him teaching Naruto how to play cards and wagered him ramen from his favourite stand for a week for fun, but he was surprised by the ridiculous amount of luck Naruto has. 'Tsunade would love to have your luck.' Minato then noticed the time on the clock.

'It's almost time. If only I had more of it to spend with you my son.' Minato took Naruto to bed and tucked him in. "Would you like to hear a story Naruto?" Naruto nodded eagerly at this.

"What story is it? Does it have monsters again?" Naruto asked his father, who gave him a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"It's not one with monsters but it's an old favourite of mine." Minato sat beside Naruto held him. "Once upon a time, there was a family of wolves that loved and protected each other. Their leader was a wolf named Arashi who had a son named Menma." Minato's smile began to falter.

"One day, strange people arrived and began to hunt them down." This made Naruto's heart jump a bit. "Most of the wolves were gone, with only Arashi and Menma left. Arashi took Menma and lead them to safety, but the hunters were still after them." Minato hid his tears. "Arashi had a choice, to keep running with his son or to abandon him so that his son could live another day. He decided straight away what he wanted to do and took his son with him." Minato let a tear fall, something his son noticed.

"Why are you crying dad?" Naruto asked his father, who quickly wiped his tear away and just gave his son a fake smile.

"Nothing. This story is just really sad Naruto. You see Arashi chose his son over his own life." This shocked Naruto. "Arashi took his son to safety and hid him from sight. 'Stay here Menma, no matter how difficult it is, please do not make a sound until I lead them away. But know this, my son, no matter what happens to me, always remember that I love you and that I will always be with you.' These were Arashi's last words as he ran off and lead the hunters away from Menma. That was the last time Menma saw his father. It began to rain as Menma cried out for his father, even though he knew that his father was never coming back." This time Naruto began to sniffle, he didn't like this story because it made him sad, but he also wanted to know more, what would happen to Menma without his father.

"Years past as Menma grew into a strong wolf and he never forgot what happened to his father. He now had his own pack and they would scare off anyone that dared enter their territory, including hunters. Despite finding his own pack, he still vowed to find his father's killer. He spent the rest of his life searching and even left his pack, only to never find his father's killer. He returned to his pack, only to find that they were nowhere to be found, so he wandered around until one day he found two men." This made Naruto's heart race.

"What happened next!?" Naruto wanted to know what Menma would do next.

"I was just getting to that. Menma then surprised the men and attacked them, injuring one of them whilst the other one ran away. Menma saw how weak and feeble the man was and it made him remember how he felt when he was cub. He realised that this man was not a hunter and he allowed his need for revenge to control and it caused him to lose his pack again. So, he left and searched for his pack." Minato then smiled. "He would find them and re-join the pack. They travelled together and protected other creatures from hunters. Menma had finally moved on."

"That was a good story dad. I didn't like it at first, but I like that Menma got his happy ending." Naruto then asked him a question. "Hey, dad?"

(Play Kingdom Hearts OST-Xion's Theme)

"Yes son?" Minato looked at Naruto and retained his usual smile, though even Naruto could tell that something was wrong with Minato due to the smile not reaching his eyes.

"You won't leave me alone. You'll still be here with me, right dad?" Minato dreaded Naruto's question. Minato sighed and spoke.

"Naruto, I'm not going to lie to you. There will come a day where I won't be around, and sooner or later you'll have to carry on without me." Minato told Naruto the truth and knew that his son was upset. "But it doesn't mean I have to be forgotten. You see Naruto, I will always be with you no matter how far apart we are, I will still exist, in your memories and most importantly in there." Minato pointed to Naruto's heart. "As long as I'm in your heart, you and I will never be apart. Do you understand?"

"I think so." Naruto had a smile but then yawned. "Do you ever miss mom?" Naruto's question struck something within Minato but he just sadly smiled.

"I miss her a lot. She may no longer be with us, but she's in my heart and the memories of the time we spent together will always be with me. My only regret is that you never got to know her." Minato was surprised by Naruto, who just hugged him.

"I always wanted meet mom, but at least I have you dad." Minato hugged Naruto back and eventually Naruto became tired. Minato then tucked Naruto in and then kissed his forehead.

"I love you son, never forget that. And remember this. If you are ever lost, may your heart be your guiding key." With this, Minato wished his son a goodnight.

(OST End)

Minato went to the living room and he began to write on a piece of paper. After a few minutes passed, he was now sitting on his chair, all alone and with a look of acceptance on his face.

'Goodbye my son, may your heart be your guiding key.' Minato closed his eyes and accepted what was about to happen to him.

(The morning after)

Naruto yawned and stretched his arms out. He then rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. He made his way to the living room.

"Hey dad! What's for breakfast?" Naruto shouted for his father, only to not get a reply. "Dad?" Naruto kept yelling for him but then made his way to the living room. He found Minato laying on the floor, scaring young Naruto. "Dad!" Naruto was now by his father's side and just noticed blood on the floor. "D-Dad?" Naruto used both arms to turn his father around and was horrified by what he discovered. Minato's mouth had bloodstains and he had a wound on his neck.

(Fairy Tail OST-Destiny)

"Dad? Wake up…please. C-Come on, this is a j-joke r-right?" Naruto's tears had already fallen and he was desperately trying to wake up his father to no avail. Naruto kept crying out for his dad to wake up until he recalled what his father said to him last night.

"Naruto, I'm not going to lie to you. There will come a day where I won't be around, and sooner or later you'll have to carry on without me."

'N-No! No! No! No! NO! You can't be dead! You can't be! I-I wanted you to be there w-when I-I became a wizard! I wanted you t-to b-be there when I become a-a g-grown up! I-I wanted more time with you!' Naruto's tears flowed completely and his face became a mess. "DAD! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Naruto hugged his father's head into his body. "AGHHHHHH!" Naruto kept crying until something within him broke and he his body released a large blast of power.

(OST End) (At Naruto and Minato's village)

'What incredible magic!' An old man with a smoking pipe felt Naruto's magical power manifest. This man wore red and white robes and wore a hat with the same colour scheme as his robes. This man is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the village leader. 'This power, it's coming from Minato's home…..Naruto!' Hiruzen wasted little time and made way towards Minato's house at the outskirts of the village. 'Luckily that the villagers cannot sense magic power. To think that I could sense it from this far…..Naruto, if you were to train and learn to control your magical power, you will become a force to be reckoned with.' Hiruzen sped up but his old age effected his movements.

Unbeknownst to Hiruzen, Naruto's outburst gained the attention of someone else. Someone who's heart was already tainted by evil.

(Back with Naruto)

Naruto's power final subsided and he panted heavily. Naruto then noticed that the house looked ruined.

'What was that feeling? And did I do this?' Naruto recalled the power he felt but he was in too much grief to take notice until now. He wiped his tears away and kept staring at his father's corpse.

"So, you were the cause of that power surge." Naruto jumped in fright and turned around to see a hulking figure. It was an old man with a long white beard that reached to his lower chest, his right eye was covered by an eyepatch.

"W-Who are you!?" Naruto was frightened at first but then calmed down and seemed angry, his magic beginning to flow again. "Did you take my dad from me?" Naruto glared at him, showing ferocity that no child should have.

'His magic, it's this high and he's only a child. Just like Ultear… I can convince him to join.' The old man thought to himself. "No, I just happened to pass by and I sensed your power. Whoever killed your father must be long gone by now." This caused Naruto's magic to stop flowing and he looked down until he recalled Minato's old friend's name. "Kakuzu."

"Excuse me?" The old man did not understand what or who Naruto was talking about, but he did think that Kakuzu's name was familiar.

"There was a man named Kakuzu here two nights ago. My dad was acting weird that night." Naruto's anger returned briefly until the old man spoke.

"Well, then. I have an suggestion, you can come with me and we can find out who truly murdered your father." He shocked Naruto by saying this.

"W-What's in it for you?" Naruto was told by his father that he should never trust strangers because they usually have malicious intentions.

"Your father has taught you to be cautious of strangers I see. Very wise of him. I'll be honest, I belong to a guild and after sensing your magical power, I think you possess potential to become a powerful wizard." The old man smirked as Naruto's curiosity and need to find his father's killer overtook him. "What is your name, young one?" The old man held out his right hand.

"My name is Naruto. Who are you?" Naruto slowly reached out with his right hand until it finally grabbed the old wizard's own.

"I am the Guild Master of Grimoire Heart. You may call me….Master Hades." Outside the house, Hades revealed to Naruto that he arrived on a ship.

By the time Hiruzen arrived, Naruto had already left with Hades and he found was a ruined house and Minato's corpse.

'Dammit! I was too late!' With this Hiruzen promised himself that he would never allow this to happen again and would begin to retrain his body and regain his lost strength.

End. Hey true believers, my new story is here. Hopefully, this chapter was enough to get you all hooked and enjoy upcoming chapter. For those waiting for Fairy Tail: Bonds, I have already wrote part of the chapter, but I put my focus on this one for a while, trying to figure how I want to start it off. This story will have elements from other series, such as Kingdom Hearts, Nanatsu no Tazai, Dark Souls and others. In fact, for one of the stories, I was originally going to name drop a few characters, but decided against it for now.

Now, I do not own anything from any piece of fiction that will be referenced or featured in this story.

Any questions or concerns, just leave a review or PM me. Before you ask, there is a reason why Minato has not used magic in this story, that will come later. I plan on having the pairing as Naruto and Wendy, if you have questions about this, please PM me. My other choices were Mirajane or Ultear just to let you know.