Naruto Uchiha, a tale of fire and lightning

by axelcelestios1

Madara Uchiha did not die at the Valley of the End. Instead he went on to find a Namikaze woman and bring Minato as well as his older brother into the world. How will Naruto deal with a stronger heritage as well as new enemies around every corner?

8. Chapter 8: Enter: Akatsuki

Chapter 8

It sucked. This funeral hit young Naruto way harder than the entirety of the Uchiha clan's mass funeral. He loved Hiruzen as if he was his own grandfather. He was proud that his gramps died doing what he loved, serving his village but still… it wasn't fair. Why did this world have to be so cruel? He was ecstatic when he got his dad back, but that mood was instantly killed when he found out Hiruzen died. But even so, he had to be strong. There were others that were hurting worse than even him, Aunt Mikoto, Pervy-Sage, hell, even his uncle and father. It seemed like they all looked up to the man as a father figure. Makes sense, that was just the way the old man was. He treated everyone in the village as if they were his own children or grandchildren.

Poor Konohamaru as well. Konohamaru was the grandson of Hiruzen that Naruto met one day outside the Ichiraku's Ramen. The two hit it off pretty well, they both knew what it was like to have expectations and so they were as kindred spirits. Naruto seemed to have found himself a little brother and rival for the hat even. Any chance he got of free time he would spend teaching Konohamaru how to be a shinobi, tips and tricks that could save lives, small scale jutsus, he even attempted to make a fuinjutsu apprentice out of the younger boy, but he just didn't have a knack for it. That was perfectly acceptable, he was at least able to teach the boy how to create sealing scrolls for gear and such. Necessities in Naruto's eyes so it was good enough.

The funeral itself was obviously a somber mood with Axel presiding over it and giving the eulogy as is tradition for the Hokage when ever another Hokage passes on. For Axel, the comments were mostly about how the old man had made him who he was today and how without him he wouldn't have made it in this world. He even gave him an although useless now, still highly prestigious medal of honor. He vowed to take care of the deceased Hokage's family for the remainder of his own life as well.

Minato as the apprentice of Hiruzen also gave a speech but it was really weird seeing not only a dead Hokage back to life but also one missing both of their eyes. His comments were roughly the same as Axel's but also about how he affected the village as a whole, so it was slightly less personal and gave a voice for the village as compared to Axel's speech. Mikoto also gave one talking about how the man was like the father she never had and how she would look after Konohamaru to the best of her ability.

After the funeral Axel and his elite as well as Minato met up in the now rebuilt Hokage Tower. Luckily all the Wood Style attacks thrown around in his fight left PLENTY of building materials. The group was also joined by the recently introduced Doomwraith. Only Axel and Minato seemed to have any trust in the man. It wasn't necessarily a dislike or even hatred towards the man, it was just that the others were very suspicious and as only Axel had gotten to speak with him so far, they only had their Hokage's word to go off of for now.

"You seem to have an admirer in one of my young shinobi Doomwraith," Axel stated almost in a bored tone. "Oh yeah? And who would that be?" the man asked honestly curious. Not many had ever taken an interest in him. More for lack of trying than anything. Whenever he did interact with anyone, he attempted to make it short and simple. He didn't like attention; he was a very powerful man and a hermit of kinds.

"My nephew Sasuke Uchiha. The kid won't stop asking me about you. Frankly, I have absolutely no idea what to say to any of his questions, so I just try to avoid the topic to the best of my ability," Axel explained fondly. The kid being start struck was honestly refreshing. It was much better than him going back to his brooder days, which is what seemed to be happening since the Curse Mark was placed on him. Speaking of, they hadn't figured out how to get rid of the damn thing.

"I see, I can't blame him. If what I've heard so far about his life is true it's no wonder that he seems to idolize me. The Sannin that more or less curb stomped him gets completely dominated right in front of him by a mysterious man he's never seen nor heard of before? I think even the most introverted of people would be slightly curious," Doomwraith acknowledged with a sagely nod.

"Would you be interested in taking him on as an apprentice by some chance?" Axel asked knowing the answer, he had to try though. "I already told you, I'm a vagabond by nature, not settling down for more than a few days at a time. While the prospect of having an apprentice definitely intrigues me, I have to decline the offer. I'll stay in the village long enough to offer aid while you recover and then I'm taking off," Doomwraith explained almost seeming a bit sad at his own decision. He missed human interaction, but he only had one goal in life, and he only ever cared about the greater good. Having an apprentice would only get in the way of his mission.

"I see, disappointing but understandable, nonetheless. Moving on though, we have more important things to talk about. Everyone other than Minato and Doomwraith are dismissed for the day," they wanted to argue but knew they would lose that fight. Kushina and Mikoto stayed behind just for a moment too long and had a shiver run down their spines when they found Axel's Mangekyou staring at them. It got the message across. 'Leave'

When it was just the three currently most powerful men in the village Axel activated privacy seals so no one could eavesdrop. "My brother has a question for you, and it would be greatly appreciated if you answered."

"Shoot."

"Are you the powerful presence I sensed the night of the Kyubi attack?" Minato didn't beat around the bush, he ripped that bandage off. "Yes, that was me. I was making sure things didn't go worse than they already did. You see you two are very powerful men and losing both of you would upset the balance of power in the world. It could have led to another war that I don't believe Hiruzen would have been capable of stopping."

"I see, it would have been nice had you stepped in and gave aid however I also understand why you wouldn't get involved. I must thank you for saving my son from Orochimaru," Minato responded. "Like I told your brother, no need to thank me. I was just doing what's right."

Axel pulled out three cups and a bottle of sake from one of the drawers in his desk and poured drinks. He personally was also curious about this man who seemed to be as strong as himself but was damn near a complete unknown. The way Sasuke described the battle against Orochimaru was quite incredible to be honest. He only thought himself and Minato to be capable of soundly handling the snake in such a way.

Two days later- mission desk

Axel had called a meeting with team Kakashi, Minato and Kushina, as well as Jiraiya, Mikoto, and Shikamaru Nara. Jonin Commander Skikaku Nara was also behind Axel.

In the time since the invasion Axel gave the go ahead for Mikoto to perform surgery on Minato to place his eyes from his original body into his new body. He was still getting used to bright lights but at least now he didn't have to hang off Kushina to get around without falling over obstacles in his path.

Another thing was that they immediately removed the five-pronged seal that Orochimaru placed on Naruto. It hurt like a bitch, but it was well worth it. He'd been talking to Kurama for a while now and it would feel empty without the fox, even if his half seemed to hate him. Satsumei also seemed to be connected to him at the hip and even Sasuke didn't like the idea of leaving him by himself other than private business. Apparently, he had proven himself to be mischief incarnate during the invasion. Luckily, Axel did make an attempt to form a treaty with Kumo after the team's help during the invasion. They still hadn't gotten word back, but they expected quite a while before the Raikage would answer anyways. He was a very prideful and aggressive man so truces and what not weren't his forte.

"It has come to my attention that promotions are in order and I must address a certain person in the room that has recently come back from the dead. First, Shikamaru Nara step forward," Axel commanded and said lazy ninja stepped forward. The fifth Hokage threw him a sealing scroll and he immediately applied chakra to it summoning a chunin vest.

"For your decision making against Temari in the final rounds of the exams as well as several of my jonin recommending you for your sound strategies during the invasion, I am promoting you to chunin rank. For now you will continue to stay on team Asuma and act as a second command of sorts. Congratulations kid, you've earned it," he stated and received a grumbling from the Nara. Something about a drag, just like his father.

" Sasuke Uchiha! Satsumei Uchiha! Step forward!" and they did catching two scrolls and unsealing them receiving the same vests that Shikamaru did. "The two of you showed skill as well as strategy making that while not on Nara level was impressive nonetheless. Your particular toolkits of abilities may very well be the difference between life and death for future teammates as well as your current team. You not only aided in the defeat of a rampaging jinchuuriki but also captured several enemy targets. For all these and with great praise from several dignitaries as well as my top jonin I promote you both to chunin. You both will remain on team Kakashi until further notice and will be expected to participate in decision making on missions."

They stepped back and Axel's gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment before he spoke. "Naruto Uchiha! Step forth."

He did and Kushina as well as Minato couldn't help but radiate pride as they looked upon the incredible shinobi their son became. "You showed skill the likes of which hasn't been seen since possibly the first Hokage at your age. You knew the transformed Gaara needed to be stopped and acted upon it and possibly secured us an alliance with a nation that even I haven't been able to. You fought off a Sannin to give your own mother and sensei respite even though you knew you couldn't win which shows bravery beyond what would be expected. Lastly, you have shown an improved control over your own emotions that a month ago could have placed those around you as well as yourself in danger," he paused here to allow all of that to sink in for everyone.

"With all that being said, while I can't just promote you straight to jonin due to lack of experience, I would like to proudly give you the rank of special jonin for the time being. In one year if you can show me you've gained enough experience as well as continue to improve I will gladly allow you to take the jonin promotion exams. I will also be considering possible teachers I can place you under as an apprentice," with that he pulled a special scroll out and tossed it to Naruto. When Naruto applied chakra to the scroll what came out LOOKED like a chunin vest but was different. It was a dark burgundy in color and had an Uchiha fan on the back.

All of team Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock recognizing exactly what it was. "Ax, that's your-" Minato tried to get out but was interrupted. "Indeed, that was my custom made chunin vest during the third shinobi war. I don't wear it anymore and it's just gathering dust. I figured as a show of how proud I am of his progress I'd pass this down to Naruto here. Think of it as a metaphor for the teacher passing his will down."

It took everything in Naruto's will and power to keep the tears back and to not hug the life out of his uncle. In front of this many people he would stay professional . This, this is what he had always wanted. He didn't want the hero worship based off his father's deeds. He wanted the recognition for his own feats.

"Let's continue on with the second task of the meeting. Naruto please step back in line and Minato Uchiha please step forward." The two switched places and Naruto seemed to have been lost in his own world staring at the vest in his hands. "Minato your were formally of the Hokage rank and obviously we can't have two Hokage. The question now is what rank to give you. I'd considered the possibility of asking you to join the ANBU and having you become its new commander but considering what the ANBU does to people I decided against it," Axel explained and received a nod.

"You will be given the rank of jonin once again and when it's time for team selections at the academy I will be placing a team of genin under you as long as of course you pass them. In the meantime I'm forming a special team of elite beyond even the ANBU that will consist of you, Kushina, and Mikoto. On occasion you will be joined by Jiraiya." Minato stepped back in line seeing as he could tell that part of the discussion was over.

"Now for the last item on my list. I have three total missions here that I will be assigning to you who are gathered. The first mission will be carried out by team Kakashi with the exception of Naruto who will be on another mission. It is an escort mission to the Land of Snow and you will be in charge of protecting an actress as well as her crew who plan to film a movie there. Pack for at least a week. The second mission is to track down a missing nin by the name of Mukade. Minato and Naruto will be on this mission as Minato has previously been to where I'm sending him and this will also be a father-son bonding time," Axel longwindedly explained before giving Minato a moment to think on where he was being sent.

"Loran is where your sending us, correct?" Minato asked as his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Correct, or I should say the ruins of Loran. This mission is part of my peace talks with the Hidden Sand. We are taking this task on as a show of 'no hard feelings'. They're suspicious of the fact that I'm not asking for repercussions and this popped up so I made the offer. You had previously shut down the Leylines but be careful regardless. I can only think of one reason Mukade is going there," Minato nodded and was clearly troubled but said nothing.

"The third mission has me as 'the client'. I got word back today from Lord Ay of Kumo. We will be meeting in the land of Iron where the majority of all Kage Summits are held. The Raikage and I will be attempting to form an alliance of sorts. I have chosen Jiraiya, Kushina, and Mikoto to be my bodyguards. In my absence Shikaku will keep the flow of the village going as well as using this as a time to teach Shikamaru in the probable case he's the next jonin commander. Any questions on any of your missions?"

For the most part no one had questions and while Satsumei and Sasuke were upset that they were being separated from their teammate even if only temporarily they wisely said nothing of it. Seeing that no one had questions he continued with final mission details. "Team Kakashi leaves tomorrow, Minato and Naruto shall depart in an hour and lastly my entourage and myself shall be leaving tomorrow as well. If there's absolutely no questions then your all dismissed."

They all filed out and the full Uchiha family headed straight for the Namikaze estate. Naruto took this time to finally let the tears flow. He didn't make a sound other than a few sniffles and the only ones who really even noticed were Minato and Kushina. Minato pulled Naruto into a one armed hug as they continued to walk along and Naruto couldn't help but appreciate the silence. It was such a small gesture but it meant the world to Naruto. He was also extremely appreciative of Axel for not only the vest but also the opportunity to go on a mission with just his father.

Namikaze Estate 30 minutes later

Naruto just opened the door to his room and noticed a new article of clothing that wasn't there before. It was just like the cloak he wore in honor of his father except it was a dark red with black flames instead. There was a note on top signed by Jiraiya.

'Hey brat. I know I haven't been as present in your life as I would have liked but I'm real proud of what you've accomplished and the man you've become. The cloak you normally wear just makes you look like a clone of your father so I figured since you wanted to make your own legacy a wardrobe change would be a good first step. Your father and I had this cloak custom made to fit every aspect of your personality and we even put some seals on it for functions that you'll just have to discover on your own.' - Love Jiraiya

There were the waterworks again. But this time came some sobs. He heard the foot steps behind him and didn't fight it when he was spun around and held in a full hug by his father. "You've got plenty of people that love you Naruto. Now that I'm back I'm going to make up for lost time to the best of my ability and even Jiraiya-sensei wants to now that he'll be able in the village more often. Never forget your not alone and that we're all so proud of you my son. Now, you may want to dry up those tears before we head downstairs. Don't want Sasuke making fun of you now do we?"

"I guess not. We have so much to talk about dad. I plan to fully take advantage of this mission to get to know each other."

Naruto took his current cloak off and placed his new vest over his dark blue shirt, and then wore his new cloak over that. He still had his hidden kunai holster underneath the cloak that held the tri-pronged kunai with his own sealing formula.

"Well dad, how do I look?" he asked with hope. "You look so much cooler than I did at your age son. Let's just head down and see if your mother agrees."

They did and Naruto was bear hugged by said red head. "My baby boy is becoming such a handsome young man!" she couldn't help herself, she had to embarrass him just a little. "Mom stop! Your embarrassing me!" he protested but he really did love the attention from her.

"You listen here young man. As your mother I have every right to embarrass you. But, let me focus on someone else for a moment. Hey Satsumei!" she really knows how to zero in on her targets. "Yes Aunt Kushina?" she didn't like the teasing tone AT ALL.

"Your gonna have such a hard time beating away the fangirls. So much competition coming your way," the teasing grin and wriggling eyebrows were infuriating but Satsumei could only look away with a touch of rosy red adorning her cheeks. "Aunt Kushina I think your one to talk. After all Lord Minato was known wide and far to have many fan girls and you'll probably have to fight twice as hard," was her indignant response though it didn't have as much bite as she would have liked.

"Fine, fine, you have a point. I'll stop teasing you. After all I know what it's like to be a teen in love. Just as long as you keep any hussies away from my baby boy that's all I ask," she replied with a wave of the hand.

"As funny as this all is Lord Minato and Naruto have a mission to accomplish and they are supposed to leave in about twenty minutes," surprisingly it was Sasuke who spoke up against the usual shenanigans.

"He's right honey we really do have to be leaving soon. It's time to say our goodbyes," Minato added with a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head. That was one of Naruto's physical ticks. Those two really were alike, it was almost like they were clones. It brought a fond smile to Kushina's face.

A quick peck on the lips was the goodbye for Minato and one more hug for Naruto from the Uzumaki Matriarch. A fist bump between Naruto and Sasuke. "Don't do anything stupid Dobe."

"Right back at ya Temē. I'm counting on you and Kakashi-sensei to keep her safe," Naruto shot back with a grin which was reciprocated. Naruto hugged Mikoto and then moved to Satsumei as the three adults struck up one last conversation, all the while Minato keeping an eye on him.

"We will get that date eventually but in the meantime we'll have to put it off I suppose. I just-" he was cut off by lips slamming against his. It was over as quick as it started and she excused herself afterward saying she needed to make preparations for tomorrow's mission. Naruto stood there for a moment brushing a finger over his lips and then looked over to see his father giving him a teasing grin.

"Let's go," he said grumpily as he made his way out of the house and down the road his father following in step.

"You know I'm not actually going to tease you but I do want to ask one thing. Is she everything you want in a woman?" he asked giving Naruto all the time he needed to formulate his answer.

After a few minutes he finally responded when the village gates were in view and standing there was Axel, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. "I… don't really know. I love Satsumei dearly, I just don't know if it truly is romantic feelings. I'm only thirteen for crying out loud. I don't know the first thing about that kind of love. I know you and mom fell for each other around my age but that was during a time of war when any moment could be your last. Feelings were made quicker and shinobi tended to not let chances slip by."

"A very good answer my son. Take your time. You two are young and shouldn't rush anything. Keep communication in mind and don't get into anything you think you could possibly regret so soon. It's important for both people to be on the same page," Minato responded with a sagely nod as they came up to Axel.

"He's right you know. Look at me. I'm almost as old as my sensei and I'm still not in a relationship. Just take your time and be patient with both her as well as yourself kid. Now, are you two ready?" Naruto took Axel's wisdom as well as Minato's into consideration and then gave a nod. "Yes Lord Fifth!" he saluted gaining a chuckle from everyone present.

"Very well then. Brother, make sure to come back safe and keep the brat out of trouble. I'm sure I'll see you soon. After all you are the Yellow Flash," Axel declared with a grin that was given right back. "Minato-sensei won't let anything bad happen. We can be sure of that. My only request is that you take the time to teach Naruto the Rasengan. I think as the technique's creator as well as his father the right strictly belongs to you," Kakashi stated.

"He's right Minato. That right belongs to you and you alone. Hell, it may as well be your duty since you're the brat's father," Jiraiya added placing a hand on the fourth Hokage's shoulder. "Come back safe and Naruto better have that technique down when you return."

And with that they took off towards the Land of Wind where their mission would begin. Naruto almost kept up with his father but he knew the Yellow Flash was going nowhere near his full speed.

Five hours later somewhere in the Land of Wind

"We'll stop for break here. I know you're a stamina monster but I want you at your best. In the meantime I will explain to you the history of my experience in Loran, that is if it interests you of course," Minato said with a sheepish grin. Since it was just the two of them he knew it would become slightly awkward to keep conversation just because they didn't have Kushina or Axel's boisterousness. Maybe in another world Naruto would have been more like his mother but this one may have been Minato with a bit of Axel rubbed off on him.

"Yeah, I would love to hear all about your missions. For starters, what was the mission?"

"I believe Lord Third tasked myself, Mikoto, and Axel with hunting down a man by the name of Mukade as well. Whether this is the same man or not I could't tell you. This would have been... sixteen years ago based on your age. What happened was we found him, captured him and then to make sure no one would use the leyline for evil purposes I used one of my kunais in conjuction with a special formula to seal it up."

"How powerful is this leyline?"

"We had theorized that if one could tap into it they would easily have enough chakra to fuel an entire legion of shinobi and or even out chakra a Bijuu. I'd reckon even Kurama could have possibly met his match. Essentially if Mukade can use it we'll have a hell of a fight on our hands."

"So if your kunai is there why don't you just flash us there?"

"Ah, good question. At that point in time I hadn't mastered the Flying . I could use the move but I only had one kunai with the formula and that kunai I used wasn't it. That reminds me, you know how to use it as well don't you?" at that question Naruto threw his tri-prong kunai in a random direction and flashed to it and then did the same thing to go back to Minato but not without noticing the pride in his eyes.

"I'm so unbelievably proud of you my son. You'll never understand. To have this jutsu under your belt at the age of thirteen. I couldn't use it until I was sixteen. After we complete the mission we'll have to spar and I want you to come at me with everything you have."

"Of course dad. I've always wanted to see how I stack up with you. I-" he cut himself off as he looked all around them. There were a few trees that managed to spring up in the Land of Wind but nothing that would give much cover so how could he not notice the enemies?

"How many?" Minato asked.

"Two. One with an incredibly high chakra level. Jinchuuriki level, at least Gaara at maximum but possibly much higher. The other feels like an Uchiha but I'm not one hundred percent sure. Quite high in chakra but not as high as yours," Naruto answered as he summoned Ryujin and kept the tri-pronged kunai in his left hand. Minato prepared a Rasengan just for special measures. Being the Yellow Flash there really was no hiding his abilities. Especially when he had an idea of at least one of the foes.

Naruto almost didn't react in time to bring his sword up to block a giant sword covered in bandages. Being only one handed, his block was flimsy but gave him just enough time to fling his kunai behind the foe and flash forward causing the foe to slam his sword into the ground. The blade was stuck in the ground long enough for Naruto to capitalize with a lightning chakra enhanced slash to the back. Before his attack hit it was blocked by a kunai from another figure.

"Your pretty good kid. One hell of a swordsman at your age. I think I may have to cut your limbs off to make sure you don't give us any problems," the man stayed without giving away who he was.

Naruto jumped back to his father's side and observed their opponents. Black cloaks with red clouds. Straw hats and auras the likes of which he's never felt other than his uncle and father. "Dad? Any idea?"

"One of them can be no one else but Itachi Uchiha. The other I have an idea based off what you've told me but I can neither confirm nor deny. Activate your Sharingan or this battle will be entirely too difficult for you," Minato answered as he not only activated his Mangekyou but also summoned both his lightning and his wind kunai. The blade of wind exuded reached five feet while the blade of lightning reached three feet.

" Take them serious son or you WILL hurt," he stated as he flung himself at the sword wielder while Naruto activated his Mangekyou and launched toward the now suspected Itachi. As the boy's blade came down the foe exploded into smoke and a new one appeared behind him. Before his foe could strike he summoned a Susanoo ribcage and arm and backhanded him. Again the foe poofed away and appeared a bit farther away. 'What was it that Shikamaru says? Ah! What a drag.'

Minato slammed the bandaged sword down with so much force his kunai generated a draft that blew off the straw hat. He recognized this shinobi. "Kisame Hoshigaki. The Hidden Mists number one missing nin. AKA the tailless jinchuuriki. Much stronger than the other seven swordsmen. I have to say that as a fellow shinobi of the blade I'm honored to fight you even if it puts my son here in danger," he looked over to Naruto's opponent and threw what looked to be a shuriken made of lightning that the foe barely dodged at the cost of his straw hat revealing Itachi Uchiha, one of the greatest traitors of the Hidden Leaf.

"As I suspected. You see when Naruto uses his sensory abilities those of the same clan tend to have VERY similar chakras. Other than the obvious difference in chakra levels there is a certain intensity and darkness. Us Uchihas tend to have the darkest auras. We also tend to have the most intense only beaten by Bijuus and Uzumakis. Factoring all that your identity was easy to discern but I digress. Leave now and I will spare both of your lives. I don't have time to mess with you two."

"It is an honor to fight you Lord Fourth. I however have no use for you, I'm here for young Naruto here," Itachi stated as he eyed the older man. He knew there was no way he could win this fight. Especially when he had his illness, but not counting that Minato was far more experienced not only in combat but also at using his Sharingan. How was Itachi to beat the brother of Axel Uchiha. If anyone didn't think Itachi was smart enough to figure their heritage either they were fools. He was able to figure out they were the sons of Madara Uchiha, the way Axel wears his hair as well as that battle armor of his was a dead give away, not to mention the raw power behind his Sharingan. In this case he would have to make a show of this battle to convince Kisame or risk blowing his cover. No doubt Axel had already told Minato about his undercover mission so he wouldn't pursue.

"Dad, we should capture them both and take them in."

"No offense son but you do understand who your talking about, right? Kisame alone would be excessively difficult to take alive and I'd prefer not to factor in Itachi. We should drive them off," he said as he held off the much larger sword with both of his own weapons. He did happen to notice that the chakra blades he formed were destabilizing and thinning down until they were completely gone and he was forced to jump back. 'So, that's the famed Samehada. Not much is known about it but if I had to take a guess based on what I just witnessed it quite literally eats chakra. That means Susanoo is probably out unless it's Perfect Body and there's no point using a Rasengan unless I can mark him or get my kunai behind him.'

Unbeknownst to everyone else on the battlefield was how incredible Minatos mind really was. He could dissect the basic functions and theory behind a jutsu, technique, or ability by seeing it only once and plan around its strengths and weaknesses. Naruto could ALMOST do that but for him it was more trial and error while abusing Kuramas durability boost. "Naruto! Throw me your kunai!"

Naruto barely dodged out of the way of a Fireball Jutsu in time to hear that. As confused as he was he trusted his old man so he did as commanded. He wasn't quite sure but realized exactly what was happening when his father's lightning kunai came flying at him and he caught it. He turned his attention back to Itachi and attacked thrusting the kunai first, making Itachi believe he was trying to stab him. He knew about the prediction abilities of the pinwheel eyes he wielded so he was counting on Itachi dodging just barely as he let go and the kunai went flying behind the traitor.

Naruto waited for the pull of his own kunai and flashed to it with Ryujin primed and ready to cut Kisame's head off as Minato flashed to his place behind Itachi with a Rasengan ready. He had sealed up his wind kunai at one point before that exchange and he was glad he was correct on his plan as well as Naruto realizing what it was so quickly. The Rasengan made contact but it created so much dust that the Yellow Flash wasn't sure what he hit until he realized it was grinding against something. When the dust settled he realized it was a large orange chakra ribcage. 'Well, that's not in any of our data. Although I should have expected it,' was the surprised thought as he jumped back.

Naruto joined him back to back. He had heard the grinding of blade against shark scales so he knew Kisame managed to save his own life. "Fine, let's finish this like real Uchiha!" he yelled as his lightning blue Susanoo exploded around him and Naruto, and Itachi's eyes widened for but a moment before he reigned his emotions in.

"Kisame, we're going. This has become too dangerous for the two of us," Itachi stated before closing his right eye and then opening it . The moment that happened a black fire appeared before the blue Susanoo and began burning it giving Kisame the distraction he needed to get to Itachi and then for them to bolt away.

"That fire doesn't want to let up. What will we do about it?" Naruto asked recognizing the pained expression and the blood running down from Minatos eyes. "This," was the simple answer he got as Minato pulled a scroll out from one of the pockets of his flak jacket and ran through hand seals all while maintaining the ultimate defense.

"Sealing Jutsu: Fire Formula!" he yelled as he unraveled the scroll and focused chakra into it. The seal on the scroll sucked the black flames in before he closed it and let up on the Susanoo. The pair of blondes landed on the ground roughly with Naruto surveying the surroundings. It was just the few trees that this far into the Land of Wind would allow. He noticed his father panting HARD and couldn't help the sliver of concern.

"I'm fine. Just getting used to the new body. That damn jutsu takes too much out of you and feels like your body is on fire the whole time," he reassured while wiping away the blood dripping down from his eyes. "Dad, why didn't you use your own Mangekyou ability?"

"Well, like my father I don't have one. Or… maybe that isn't quite correct. Father said he used a technique on Hashirama that allowed him to rewind time and negate attacks. It was an unnamed ability. I have not discovered what my eyes can do other than the Susanoo. What about you?"

"Ah, same here. I don't have any that I know of. Must run in the family then, huh?" he replied scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Not true. Axel has two not counting his own Susanoo. His right eye possesses what he calls Kamimusubi, which can reflect any low level genjutsu and only allows whatever high level genjutsu HE wants to be cast on him. Apparently it may even work on sound based ones if his spars with Jiraiya-sensei are to be believed."

"Wow, immunity to genjutsu is insane! I already suck at using them and have a hard time dispelling high level genjutsu unless I have my Mangekyou up. What's the other ability?" he said with wonder and amazement. It was infectious really, Minato couldn't help but grin at Naruto's love for the shinobi arts.

"The other one is called Amenotokotachi. You may have seen him use it. The ability applies red chakra chains on the opponent that can only be dispelled by the caster or physically overpowering them funny enough. They essentially seal off all jutsus except certain Mangekyou abilities and the Rinnegan. I can neither confirm or deny whether a Byakugan can remain active," Minato explained with a sagely nod at the end.

"So what was that black fire that Itachi used?" good, he still want more answers. The more knowledge he got now the easier it would be to fight back against Itachi if he ever came back. He was more than aware of Itachi's mission given to him by the elders but had to keep appearances.

"Well, from what limited knowledge I have from father, those flames are called Amaterasu. They burn for seven days and nights. They can't be extinguished except when the target dies or if the user dispells them. As you just saw there are other ways to deal with them but not everyone keeps a scroll like that on them or can even make a seal of that caliber. Now, I must send a message back to Lord Fifth so he knows what just happened. After we shall continue the mission," he explained and pulled out a blank scroll and wrote his message.

Minato bit his thumb and performed the necessary hand seals for summoning and slammed his hand on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" a bright vibrant blue bird the size of a harpy eagle appeared in front of them. It had a crown of lightning on its head that zapped every which way and what looked to be a small yellow mane of feathers. "Tetras, it's been awhile since we last met."

The thunderbird stared in shock seeing his long dead summoner. "M-Minato!? We all thought you were dead!"

"Funny thing really. I WAS dead. Through some soul chakra linking, Reanimation, and Rinnegan shenanigans I am back in the land of the living. For all I know the half of my soul that went into the shinigami's belly is still there but that's an issue for another day. I need you to bring this scroll to Axel for me. He needs to read this ASAP. Can you do that for me?"

The summon merely nodded dumbly before flying forward and grabbing the scroll and taking off in a bolt of lightning back towards the village. Naruto couldn't help but be in awe. Axel told him tales about the thunderbird clan but seeing is believing. While his mother had the Contract he'd never gotten to see her summon anything. He wanted to be able to summon so bad.

"From what Axel tells me you were denied the contract for the Phoenix clan. If that's true then I doubt the thunderbirds will want you either. They both have extremely similar standards. We can always have you try the toad contract that Jiraiya-sensei has if it interests you. They also possess senjutsu so you could still become a sage. Or we can try and find another contract if that's what you want," he gave Naruto a moment to deliberate.

"I'm not sure. I don't really like frogs and toads. I don't hate them but I don't really like the sliminess. Is there something cooler like a dragon contract?" he asked with hope in his eyes. "There were rumors but they were just that, rumors. I can look into it and have Jiraiya-sensei try to find it through his spy network but can promise nothing. We need to start moving. Mukade won't capture himself," he said with a smile and began running at a pace that Naruto could comfortably keep up with. Looks like his plans of Naruto being at one hundred percent weren't going to pan out.

Hokage's office a bit later

"Hmmmm," the God of Fire hummed aloud as he read and then reread the scroll.

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki have made contact with us. It would seem the Akatsuki are moving earlier than we expected. I also found out that Itachi possesses the Susanoo. A power which was not in the records. He also has the Amaterasu as well. He was not fighting at full capacity. It almost seemed something was ailing him. I managed to drive the both of them off with my Susanoo. Naruto fought admirably and hardly seemed nervous about the fight. He even wanted to capture them! I had to steer him clear of that but we depart in a few. -Minato

"Hmmmmm…" he hummed louder that time finally grating on the nerves of one of the only two other inhabitants of the office. Jiraiya decided to give him his time to put his thoughts together, Kushina? Not so much.

"Well!? What is it!? What did Minato have to say!?" she may as well have screamed in his face as she slammed her hands down on the desk. He took a nice long breath of air and exhaled in a sigh. This was going to suck.

"What I recently got word of from Jiraiya is that there is an organization of S-Rank missing nin that is after the Jinchuuriki by the name of Akatsuki. The contents of this scroll merely confirmed this information as they attacked Minato and Naruto in the form of one Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Probably one of the most powerful shinobi to come from the Hidden Mist and possibly the most proficient water style user since Tobirama and yes I'm including you in that statement," he let her digest that before all hell broke loose.

"You mean to tell me that there is an organization of criminals after my baby and I'm only learning it AFTER he's been attacked!? If I would have known this I wouldn't have let him go on that mission! His father being there or not he could get taken and I may never see him again! Let alone the fact they'd have to kill Minato to get to him!" her hair was waving behind her in nine menacing tails. Normally this is where he'd be scared shitless but this time he was right for his decisions. As the Hokage he had to put his foot down now even if she was his sister in all but blood.

"I didn't tell you specifically BECAUSE you would then try and coddle him. Knowing you, you'd find the deepest basement in Konoha, wrap him in chains, place a chakra restricting seal on him and then toss him in. He's not some kid that needs to be locked up Kushina. He's the son of the damn Yellow Flash and the Red Hot Habanero. He's the grandson of the strongest Uchiha to walk this earth and he's been trained by Jiraiya the SAGE OF MOUNT MYOBOKU, Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, and myself the GOD OF FIRE and phoenix sage," he let her bristle for a moment. Even Jiraiya was shocked he was showing that kind of back bone to her.

Before she could say anything else he continued. "Your husband did not have a child with you just so that you could keep him in some estate forever. Minato trusted that you would be a good shinobi mother and trust his own judgement when it came to stuff like this. I didn't promote my GODSON who I love and have treated all his life as if he were my own son to special jonin for no reason. If you refuse to trust in my judgement as the Hokage and godfather of Naruto as well as Minatos judgement to keep the mission going then I have no problem putting you on probation and/or house arrest until you cool down. Now, am I going to have to do that?" he fixed her with his slit pupils showing he was deadly serious.

She didn't answer him, instead opting to run out the tower with tears in her eyes. He'd NEVER talked that way to her before and she couldn't take it. Jiraiya stared in complete shock at the scene. As far as he knew she was entirely too hot-headed and strong willed to give up on an argument so quickly but apparently Axel was capable of it. He watched as Axel slouched in his chair with a depressed sigh.

"Was that really necessary?" they heard from outside the window and turned to see Kakashi sitting against the glass, back turned toward them. Since the window was open they could assume that he heard everything.

"She needed to hear it at some point. Minato is probably going to be pissed once he finds out but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm more worried about what Mikoto will do to me… and possibly Satsumei. Look, I didn't spend almost my entire reign as Hokage fixing this village up and protecting those two just to have her second guess me over a little trouble. The Akatsuki is full of powerful shinobi but I believe that Minato is more than capable of protecting Naruto from just about anything. I was the one to fight him during the invasion and while he may have had constantly replenishing chakra that fight still relied on HIS power, not some forbidden jutsu. He's a monster, end of story. Naruto is also ridiculous for his age."

"Right, I agree, but and hear me out. Weren't you a bit harsh?" Jiraiya asked finally chiming in. "No. I have never once been cruel or unkind to her. I've only ever been gentle and caring. A little harshness once isn't going to kill her. If she decides to hate me for awhile then so be it. This is in the best interests of Naruto. She'll see it my way eventually."

"And if she doesn't?" was Kakashi's quick but thought provoking question. It did cut right to the heart of something Axel feared. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Kakashi, tail her. I don't want her doing anything rash."

"And what do you have in mind that she would do?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "A few things; she could take her anger out on other people, she could attempt to go after them, try and convince Mikoto and the Uchiha siblings to go with her after them. Sasuke wouldn't be too hard to convince considering its Itachi that was involved. Other than Jiraiya you are the only one that I trust to be able to subdue her," he stated nonchalant while counting off on his fingers everything that could go wrong.

"Very well, I don't have any choice in the matter. I will do my best not to get flattened," he stated in a very depressed tone and took off to pursue. Axel turned to the only other inhabitant in the room

"Any idea why they're moving early?" he asked not in the mood for any more eccentrics. "Kid, I can only imagine. The only thing I can think of is that they're scared of Naruto getting any stronger. You told me you've seen Pain and he had the same cloak, right? And you believe the person impersonating Madara is Obito? Well if the both of them are part of Akatsuki and they both encountered you I'm assuming they don't want a mini version of you and Minato running around. It would seem based on all the information given that whoever this masked man really is whether it be Obito or not severely underestimated both you and your brother. He did the night of the massacre and the night of Naruto's birth. That's my thoughts on the subject anyway."

"I see. Well, anywho. I'm hungry, wanna go get some Yakiniku Barbecue?" Axel questioned with some drool dripping from his mouth. Jiraiya couldn't help but shake his head, this kid never changes no matter how old he gets. "No can do, I've got research to go do. Hehehehe," Jiraiya responded with a perverted grin while rubbing his hands together. "Yeah, you do that then. Just make sure Mikoto doesn't catch you. She probably won't be willing to heal you after what she'll do to you."

Axel watched as Jiraiya went to the window and prepared to jump when he turned to look at his student. He seemed to contemplate something then just gave him a grin and double thumbs up and leapt out, no doubt to go peep on the hot springs.

Axel stood up and placed his kage hat on the desk, walked over to the window and closed it before locking it. The walk to his destination was relatively peaceful. He'd made sure that the first building to get major repairs to happen in the village was the Hokage Tower and then the restaurants. He wanted people to have a food source in the case that the damage from the invasion prevented anyone from being able to keep food in the house and/or couldn't cook. He made a temporary contract with both Ichiraku as well as Yakaniku BBQ to help feed those who were hurting. He pledged his Hokage's salary as well as made a few GENEROUS donations to both establishments to pay for the free food as well as the inventory.

His ANBU Tenzo also known as Captain Yamato was the only one in the village with Wood Style so he was in charge of repairing any structural integrity. The wood leftover from Axel's fight with the reanimations was gonna be used to fix the village but Axel and Minato figured it was better off being moved and replanted in the barren wasteland that was Naruto's fight with Gaara. The natural fortress that is Hashirama's forests was one of the greatest defenses in the Elemental Nations for a village. It was second only to the mountains in the Land of Lightning.

Axel's walk to Yakiniku BBQ was a short one and when he opened the curtain he was surprised to see the rookie ten minus Naruto for obvious reasons all celebrating the promotions with a feast. Even the normally reserved Sasuke was laughing and having a good time. The Hokage did catch the slight bit of loneliness in the eyes of the Uchiha siblings but no one else seemed to. He walked right up to the last remaining seat which happened to be between Hinata and the wall.

"Hey kids, you got room for one more?" he requested with a grin. The reaction was immediate for anyone who wasn't the siblings and Shikamaru. Their eyes lit up in awe and Hinata patted the seat next to her. "Of course Lord Fifth!" was the choir of excited shouts he got from them. "Now, now, while you all eat with me you can just call me Axel. If you must give me an honorific you can use Master Axel too. Due to having a similar status as the Sannin I surprisingly qualify for that… or it's my sage status. Either way don't necessarily think of me as the leader of the village while I'm sitting with you."

"So, now that the exams are over, how do you feel about your progress as shinobi?" he asked as he broke a pair of chopsticks and grabbed five pieces of beef tongue and placed them over the charcoal brazier. He also slathered some barbecue on the slices. Surprisingly the first one to speak up was Sakura. "I didn't do great at all. I'm a horrible kunoichi and probably shouldn't be in this profession," was her answer as she looked down at her balled hands. She just barely kept the tears away. 'Harsh but not unfair. But it's not her fault. Not completely anyway.' With that thought he heard a grumbling from deep in his mind.

'Whether you want to admit it she is at fault for not taking her training more seriously. At her level she could easily get her whole team killed.'

'Fair but that doesn't mean it can't be rectified. And if it wasn't for her and Ino's poor performance I wouldn't know which jonin I'm paying to basically do nothing. That reminds me that I have to get on their asses about that.'

He focused back on the conversation to realize Sakura and Ino were in a heated argument. "It's not your fault! You don't come from a clan, so it's much more difficult to learn and improve. You can't just compare yourself to the rest of us. Besides your brilliant with that large forehead of yours!" Ino yelled with no amount of hesitation.

"Stop making excuses for me! Just admit it, I'm useless!" she WAS being harsh on herself but maybe it actually wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He noticed she wasn't stealing as many glances at Sasuke as she used to in the academy. He heard about the two girls' crushes on the avenger. Fan girls, the dread of any good looking or powerful shinobi. But it seemed like she had recently got a healthy dose of reality and was starting to mature. Hell, she didn't even look as skinny as she once did. A month and a half of self reflection would do that he supposed.

"Now, now, ladies. Let's calm down. Sakura is one hundred percent correct. She IS useless as she is," he said and everyone even Sasuke cringed and this time Sakura couldn't stop the tears. "However, I remember a certain platinum blonde also resorting to hair pulling instead of the shinobi arts she was trained in from a young age," THAT left a mark on Ino. What no one had realized other than Axel was that the clan heads were having dinner a few tables down from them. Even Kushina and Mikoto were there. Mikoto barely managed to convince Kushina to go out. The clan heads listened intently. This is a conversation that would make or break their children but whatever the Hokage had to say was only ever in the Leaf people's best interest so of course they wouldn't butt in. The only thing Axel didn't notice were the jonin leaders nearby listening in.

"Look, I know I haven't exactly been as involved in the academy's educational system as I should have been but that doesn't mean that a clanless shinobi doesn't have the same potential as a shinobi who comes from a clan. Please don't count Naruto in any statement regarding shinobi potential because there are extenuating circumstances regarding that brat," he let the words hang for a moment and eyed both Sasuke and Satsumei. They got the message. 'Don't say anything'. Shikamaru was extremely suspicious by now though. The progress Naruto has made even with being the son of Minato Namikaze-Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki as well as the tutelage of Axel Namikaze-Uchiha was astronomically astounding. Now he's hearing about extenuating circumstances? He'd ask his father later.

"You all know how my sensei was Jiraiya of the Sannin, correct?" he asked while devouring some of the meat, receiving nods. "Well he was considered a clanless orphan loser when he began his shinobi career. Could hardly throw a punch, fell for every trick in the book, could hardly mold his own chakra. He trained, he trained hard, I'd say harder than even what Lee here does. He eventually found Mount Myoboku and was trained by the toads. He surpassed everyone's expectations. It wasn't just the toads though. Jiraiya-sensei is what we call the 'Gutsy Ninja', he never backs down from a challenge and he stares failure in the face, flicks it off and then tosses it off a cliff," he got a few chuckles and laughs. Even Sakura seemed to cheer up a bit after that.

"What I'm trying to say is this, Jiraiya of the Sannin is one of the greatest shinobi to ever walk the lands, and he's certainly one of the best senseis. He's the best I could have asked for and more. If someone who started off useless like him could rise to heights like that why can't you Sakura? Clan or not. Look at Lee as another example. He cant properly mold chakra by the almost won his match against Gaara, a JINCHUURIKI. You know, the thing that both Naruto and myself are," he waited for a reply but she seemed stunned so he continued on.

"I'll tell you what, unlike my predecessors I am not bogged down by the enemy known as 'paperwork', so I have a bunch of free time after I get back from my trip. How about this, I start training you all myself since all but two of my jonin squad leaders want to be damn near useless at their jobs? Meet me at training ground seven tonight at 8 and I'll see what you all are capable of and put together an actual training regimen for you. I'll be honest, I'm going to put you through the ringer. Team Seven can attest to that," said teammates both had visible shudders. The wounds Naruto came back with were a testament to that fact whenever Satsumei had to heal him but Sasuke had also sparred with the living legend and while it was always fun, it was incredibly difficult. Of course Axel didn't use the same force as he did with Naruto but still.

"If any of you don't want the help that's fine. I don't mind if you think you can do better on your own but just know from this point on I WILL be keeping an eye on each of your teams and if anyone is a liability they will be sent right back to the academy."

He didn't wait for a response, he got up and placed a HUGE wad of Ryo in the owner's hand while pointing to the group and met the eyes of each of the clan heads, lingering on Mikoto and Kushina for a moment before walking to the exit. He turned to face the group of genin and chunin. "Oh, and if you hear the screams of your jonin instructors or they're depressed for awhile, don't worry about it. It's just good business," he declared with an all too happy smile.

When he exited all they heard was a shout of "Speak of the devil! Your both coming with me!" and they did in fact hear protests and screams that ended after a big boom. The poor genin plus chunin didn't know what to say or think. The man was wild and unhinged and THAT was who was leading them but they couldn't deny he was damn good at what he did. They each had a few hours to think about the proposition so they filed out. All of them being lost in their own little worlds they didn't notice their parents but did notice Kakashi and Guy outside the establishment. Kakashi gave them an eye smile and Guy gave them a thumbs up and a sparkling grin.

"The Hokage is right, you should ALL take him up on his offer, including MY cute little chunin. I'd join you all but you probably wouldn't learn anything AND I'm not really in a hurry to hurl myself back into training with Lord Fifth. It wasn't my idea of fun wouldn't you say Guy?"

"Lord Fifth's Flames of Youth burn brightly even after an invasion! But I will say that THAT kind of training is not what I would like anytime soon," pretty bad when even Guy agreed on that. The genin went their separate ways and Guy left Kakashi to his charge. As soon as he noticed movement he hid away before Kushina could notice him.

8pm training ground seven

Axel sat on a tree stump reminiscing over his times of being a genin in this very training ground. All the times with Jiraiya, Minato and Mikoto. Even the few times Kushina joined them. The memories were still fresh even to this day. When they first whipped out their summons Jiraiya was so shell-shocked he almost couldn't react in time.

Flashback

They were barely making any headway. The training usually constituted trying to get the bells. It was meant to further their teamwork as well as show them what they needed to work on. They were told by Jiraiya to come at them with the intent to kill. Mikoto protested at first but then was told that Jiraiya was a TRAINED killer. He could handle it.

Axel and Minato both stood in front of Mikoto protectively panting hard, exhaustion marring their faces. They'd used almost everything in their arsenals and Jiraiya wasn't even breaking a sweat. He was even writing in that damned book of his while giggling away like a pervert! "Alright brats I think we're done here. We've been at this for hours and you three are no closer to getting these bells than when we started."

"No! I will not give up!" Axel shouted as he pumped chakra into his claymore and flung a wave of fire at Jiraiya and then did the same with his gunbai and shot a large blast of wind which doubled the size of the fire. Jiraiya couldn't help a whistle. Those weapons were much more efficient than Axel using regular Jutsus. It still wouldn't be enough but at least he had the intent to kill thing down. Jiraiya flew through hand signs and smashed both hands on the ground summoning up a wall of mud.

The two techniques collided and right when it looked like Axel's attack would break through, it fizzled out. The genin were in shock. That attack had a lot of chakra in it and he tanked it with a basic jutsu like the mud wall. Before anyone could do anything Axel was lifted into the air by the wrist holding the claymore. It was Jiraiya, he moved THAT fast. When Axel tried to struggle he felt the crushing grip of Jiraiya to the point of his bones creaking, he couldn't stop himself from the scream as well as letting go of the claymore, the blade lifelessly dropping to the ground.

"I said we're done. Nighty night kid," before he could get in the punch that would knock Axel unconscious he was blindsided by a giant bolt of lightning. He couldn't keep his crushing grip so Axel dropped as soon as Jiraiya went sailing across the training ground.

Axel stood up and looked at the lightning blue hawk like bird flying around Minato and a light bulb lit up in his head. "Whoops, forgot we had those. Summoning Jutsu!" he sheepishly said as he bit his thumb, swiped it across a scroll, and slammed his hand on the ground. An eagle like bird with burgundy feathers and an orange beak with a flaming crown atop it's head appeared. "Azmus, we need your help!"

"Ugh, did anyone catch the number of that bird?" Jiraiya asked as he crawled out of the newly formed crater. When he looked he couldn't believe his eyes. There with them were two DIFFERENT summoning clans. He had no idea that they had those. They must have really taken that whole 'a good shinobi never tells his secrets' thing to heart.

They looked determined and he would have to actually try this time. Those summons were dangerous, he could feel it. He didn't have anymore time to think as they all charged at him.

Two hours later would see the genin all on the ground panting from exhaustion and Jiraiya actually having a small sheen of sweat. "Where did you two get summoning contracts?"

"They were left behind by mom. She was a samurai shinobi hybrid. She never did use either one though. Anyway, I was looking at the scroll left behind by father and noticed there was an almost nonexistent seal on it. I pumped some chakra into it and it didn't work so I figured since it was dad's handiwork, maybe it was a blood seal. I applied some of my blood and out popped the two summoning contracts. My affinity is lightning so I went with the thunderbird clan and Axel obviously went with the phoenix clan," was Minato's explanation.

"I see. Well no doubt it will massively boost the effectiveness of the team. Once you brought those summons out you ALMOST got the bells however, just remember I wasn't even close to using my full power, and I hadn't even used sage mode. I want you to learn from this. I have two heavy assault specialists and someone who I'm not one hundred percent what to do with. You have the high fire affinity of the Uchiha and fine chakra control reminiscent of my teammates in their younger days. How about a combat medic?" Jiraiya pondered aloud.

"A combat medic? That's something that I wanted do and completely forgot about. I had told these two that I'd rather save lives than take them. I don't know how I forgot that!" she said with a finger to her chin as if in deep thought.

"I see, well if I'd have known that I could have properly prepared a training regimen. I'll see if I can pull some strings with Tsunade then. If nothing else she might not be willing to teach but I'm sure she'll be more than willing to pass on all the research material you'll need. Also I think it's a fine thing to want to save lives over taking them " he said as he ruffled her hair. Normally she would have swatted his hand away but she was too caught up in the fact that he supported her dream. She could only beam up at him and the Namikaze-Uchiha brothers could only smile in response.

Flashback end

Axel smiled as he fondly remembered that moment. How they'd all grown since that day. That was probably the day he started looking at Jiraiya as a father-figure more than a sensei. The things they had been through since then, and there was still more to come. He blinked quickly and noticed emerald eyes staring at him in worry. Pink bangs framed the face.

He looked around and noticed everyone of the genin invited had shown up and it was dark out. "My bad, I was… reminiscing. This is the same field my team was assigned to. Enough about the past though. We're all here for a reason and I want to get you all up to speed," they could see the fire in his eyes as he stood up and walked to the middle of the field. They couldn't sense the curious eyes all around the clearing but he could. It was the assigned jonin trying to gauge them.

"I first need to get to know each of you and some basics about your fighting styles so we'll go around the proverbial room and introduce ourselves in the same manner as how your senseis should have done. Names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and last but certainly not least dreams. Dreams are important, they are the foundation of every great man or woman in the world. Let me go first. As you know my name is Axel Namikaze-Uchiha. I like protecting my comrades, barbecue, fire, and swords. I dislike traitors, perverts, and those who would quit before they've even given it their all. Hobbies are fighting, learning new jutsus, and creating new sealing formulas. My dream? I've already fulfilled it but I suppose a new dream of mine is to reignite the Uchiha clan. Your next pinky."

They all stared in awe for a moment, they were getting to learn about and from the Hokage. One of the greatest geniuses to come out of the Leaf and the busiest man in the village, and he was standing here with a bunch of genin getting to know them like they were his own team. It really was something special. Suddenly there was a fire in Sakura's eyes.

"My name is Sakura Haruno! I like flowers, books, and sweets. I dislike loud obnoxious people, bullies and snakes and bugs. My hobbies are flower planting, reading, and studying. I'm not sure what my dream is at this point. I think I want to be a great kunoichi," she's matured a lot. 'That three hours must have been a lot of time for her to think.'

'So it would seem. I have a feeling she will definitely be one to keep an eye on. She'll go on to do great things.'

Next was Hinata. "My name is H-Hinata Hyuga. I like cooking, my family, and cinnamon buns. I dislike those who look down on others because of things beyond their control, and when family doesn't support family. My hobbies are training, flower pressing and knitting. My dream is to unite the Hyuga Clan under one banner," she said as something in there sounded oddly familiar, Axel just couldn't quite put his finger on it. With a nod he pointed to Kiba.

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka. I like dogs, meat, and my teammates. I dislike arrogant people, bad smells and traitors. My hobbies are training, eating, and dog grooming. My dream is to be the strongest Inuzuka and protect the Leaf," he finished and Axel was actually surprised. This definitely wasn't the same Kiba from the exams. 'Maybe there really is hope for this generation.'

By the time he'd gotten through all of them it was twenty minutes later and he just told them to all attack him. He gave them a moment to come up with some form of plan, after all this wasn't some mission so he wanted to see what they were made of completely. The three of Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino primarily led the strategy meeting with everyone inputting something here and there. He gave them all the time they needed. When they finally came up with something they looked at him with fire in their eyes. "I want you all to come at me with the intent to kill. Especially Sasuke and Satsumei as I will be the hardest on you two."

Obviously the siblings took point with Neji and Lee, and Kiba, Hinata, and Choji taking point for their mid range. The rest stayed at a long range. He was already looking at them with pride. He did notice that Sakura was missing but he would let her do whatever it was she was doing. This was after all a way to see what they were all capable of.

Satsumei was the first one to attack. She came down like a missile with a chakra enhanced punch and he jumped back but was assailed by a volley of fire balls courtesy of Sasuke. He batted them away with his bare hands surprising them all. The shock didn't last long as he had to deflect a few Jyuken strikes and a dodge back as a Dynamic Entry came in. He hardly had time to readjust himself as he noticed two whirlwind like drills coming in from his sides and a GIGANTIC ball coming at him from the front. He recognized this as Choji in his Human Boulder form.

He held his palms out to both his sides at the last minute catching both Kiba and Akamaru and then kicked his foot out stopping Choji's attack as well. He gave a light push to all three of them and sent them flying but had to duck another flying kick from Lee. That's when Sasuke came in with his tanto engulfed with lightning. Axel barely rolled out of the way in time. He was then assailed by a hail of shuriken and didn't notice the glint until the last moment and was wrapped in ninja wire. He was sent flying by a chakra enhanced fist to the sternum. By the time he had recovered and forced the wires off him he'd been in range of multiple shinobi traps. Everything from swinging logs to falling rocks and trees. By the time he'd come out of the forest he was beaten to hell and looking like he'd taken a barrage of enhanced fists from Tsunade herself.

He stood up, dusted himself off and smiled then went poof. "Dammit! I should have known it was a Shadow Clone! He TAUGHT that jutsu to Naruto for crying out loud!" Sasuke shouted as he formed hands signs and inhaled a LARGE amount of air. Neji jumped in front of him as well as Hinata both with their Byakugan active. They both pointed at the same time in one direction. 'Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!'

The wave of fire was like a tsunami that engulfed an incredibly large amount of land, it had to have been so much chakra used that most of them thought he should of dropped unconscious. When he stopped breathing fire it was revealed that Axel had switched to sage mode to tank the blow with ease. Just as easily as it was activated it was turned off. "I'm impressed Sasuke. You've only seen me use that jutsu once but memorized the hand seals even without the Sharingan at the time. You've given me an idea on how to train you. However I would like you to refrain from using that move until I can properly correct your few mistakes."

They didn't have time to say anything as he blurred forward and in one hit knocked out Kiba as well as then aiming for Choji. He couldn't react, he was unconscious before he knew what happened. A dual effort of jyuken strikes had him back pedaling while slapping their palms and fingered strikes away. Lee joined in and Axel was forced to summon a Shadow Clone in order to keep up without using lethal force. That was the thing, he could easily take them out if he went for killing or crippling blows, that's just not what this training was for.

He was about to start his counter attack when he went stiff all of a sudden. He was barely able to turn his head to look at Shikamaru with a hand sign required for his Shadow Possession jutsu. "Attack him now! I've got at most three seconds considering who it is!"

They came in all at once, Satsumei launched at him again but not before Shikamaru let up the jutsu at the last moment and Shino swarmed him with Kikaichu. The Shadow Clone also went stiff for a moment but it was just a moment too long and Lee took the opportunity to hit it as hard as he could.

As Axel lay on the ground writhing beneath the Kikaichu Sasuke prepared a Chidori. He reasoned as long as he got a good blow in it would probably end the session. He didn't plan on dealing a killing blow and he figured any damage done would be healed by Kurama anyways. He noted this would be his last jutsu and he'd be spent.

He ran at Axel as fast as he could and aimed for his stomach but before he could stab the man his wrist was caught and deflected into the ground harmlessly. Then, Axel exploded. Literally exploded in a blast of fire that threw Sasuke into a tree and knocked him unconscious.

"Fire Clone Jutsu. Sorry about that Sasuke but I did tell you I'd be going at you and Satsumei harder than the rest. Now, let's get back to it shall we?"

He was standing back in the middle of the training ground with a come hither gesture. Satsumei charged in but made a different decision this time. A shield made of chakra chains appeared on her left arm and she summoned a chakra scalpel on her right.

She slammed the shield into him and he blocked with his left arm covered in Kurama's chakra. She tried to push him but he was far too physically strong for her and she was thrown back. She caught herself but couldn't bring up the shield in time for the next attack. Before she could take the hit the offending arm was struck multiple times forcing Axel to back pedal. They stood on either side of her, Hinata and Neji.

He was actually kind of proud of them already. They were all fighting valiantly, even Ino. If they didn't think he noticed the clone being beaten due to her Mind Control Technique, they were fooling themselves. He also ALLOWED it to take hold, same thing as the Shadow Possession Jutsu. What was bothering him was that he didn't even notice Neji and Hinata coming in. How was that- clever girl. He looked all around and didn't see her anywhere. With his left arm he used the hand seal to release the illusion. That's when he saw her behind them. Sakura was standing there behind them now.

'Shit, I was so caught up with Satsumei I didn't notice that genjutsu. And such a potent control over it. Her chakra control is possibly even better than Mikoto's at that age. And she calls herself useless?'

He pulsed Kurama's chakra through his arm and the previously limp arm's Tenketsu were unsealed. "I think… that about wraps it up. I've learned all I've needed," he said as he started walking to the edge of the training ground but not before stopping at Sasuke and slinging him over his shoulder. He stopped before leaving and turned to Shino. "After careful reconsideration I will be promoting Shino to chunin as well. You can grab your vest tomorrow before I leave for Kumo. All of you will be suggested possible training regimen as well as a master to take you under their wing as an apprentice. Naruto if he should choose to accept my proposal upon his return will also have a master. This is the absolute best way to bring you ALL up to snuff. Also this many apprenticeships have never been done before in one generation, so I highly recommend you take my offer," he finished before exiting the clearing and heading to the Namikaze estate, Satsumei running after him.

She turned real quick and bowed to her fellow genin. "Thank you for allowing me to fight alongside you all. I had a blast and look forward to the day we are on the battlefield together," they were flabbergasted, she actually looked forward to a battlefield? Only an Uchiha. They merely gave her smiles and waved her off before grabbing their unconscious comrades and bringing them to their houses.

Namikaze estate

"Well Satsumei? Do you have any idea what I may have planned for you?" Axel questioned as he lay the unconscious Sasuke on the living room couch.

"The only thing I can think of is that you'll assign me to my mother," she replied with a finger to her chin. Naruto was right, she really is cute as a bunny sometimes. In fact he remember Mikoto doing that exact same gesture.

"My sweet, sweet Satsumei. You are only half correct. I will be assigning you to Mikoto as her main apprentice however I will also be your sensei," flabbergasted, that was all he could describe her facial features as. "Let me explain. I want to improve your capabilities with your summons. I see no reason why we should leave your training with them at only reconnaissance and communications. I… want to make you a sage as well," she'd fainted at that. "Hehe. She is either ecstatic or can't believe she'd ever have the opportunity to be a sage. This seems like déjà vu."

Near Loran

Naruto had asked about how Minato attained his summons and was now a little more enlightened on how his father was as a child and even Axel. In the meantime while they were running Naruto's task was to pop a water balloon by making the water rotate using his chakra. He'd gone through twenty already because he didn't pop them correctly. He didn't quite know what his father meant by that but after a couple of demonstrations using the balloons he understood what his father was doing. While his father used only one hand Naruto decided that to actually learn the jutsu he should use two hands at first.

"Your getting much better at it. If I had to guess you'll have that step done by the time we hit Loran. Luckily for you you've got mine and Kushina's chakra reserves as well as Kurama to help you if you get low. However, I still don't want you to overdue it. Chakra exhaustion sucks," Minato explained with a smile on his face. He loved the time he was having with his son. He even loved the rush of the wind on his face and the speed they were moving. He felt so… alive.

Naruto was actually a bit grumpy that he hadn't gotten further in the training, so he said nothing. Minato sensed his discomfort but decided not to say anything. It's probably close to what he felt just making the technique. He knew his son needed to sort it out on his own. He focused on the road ahead only taking brief glances to make sure Naruto was still right behind him.

It took a few more hours but they finally made it to Loran. It wasn't at all what Naruto expected. A massive sandstorm covered the ruins. What looked to have probably been vast towers were now well… not towers that's for sure. Naruto heard the word ruins but wasn't prepared to see this.

They walked around for a few minutes just so Naruto had a chance to sense around for their target. Minato figured he knew where the man would be but this wasn't just a capture mission, this was also a training trip for Naruto so he would give him the time he needed.

"I think the one we're looking for is below ground. That's the best I've got. However we have a large number of chakra signatures coming in fast. They don't feel human but I can't be too sure," he explained uncertainly and unsealing Ryujin.

"Mukade was a puppet wielder if memory serves correct. Keep your guard up," Minato said as he readied his lightning kunai. They didn't wait long as larger than human sized constructs flew in out of nowhere and engaged them. There were twenty at least and they had to assume that there were more weapons on these things than what they could see. Naruto remembered hearing a little bit of what happened during Kankuro's fights and some of it was ghastly.

"Whelp, time for some action!" Naruto shouted as he darted at the first one he saw bringing his now lightning coated blade down on it and slicing straight through it. He barely flung his kunai at the next one and flashed away in time to get away from the paper bombs that were inside the puppet's body. 'That was close. I wasn't expecting bombs INSIDE the puppets. I'll have to be a lot more careful.'

He dodged the swing of the closest one and rammed his sword into its chest and released a large amount of electricity essentially frying the thing. Jumping back he found himself assailed by three and he got an idea. He sealed Ryujin and unsealed Fujin. Summoning a wind edge around his blade he sliced through the first and like he suspected there were more bombs. Quickly releasing a pulse of chakra he swiped his sword flinging the paper bombs at his next target promptly blowing it to pieces.

He looked over and noticed that his father was having significantly less trouble taking them down. By his count there was already a pile of six of them. They weren't even wrecked, just immobile as if someone cut their strings… 'Son of a bitch! These are PUPPETS. Why didn't I think of that!?' his growing anger was not helped by the deep chuckling in his mindscape. 'Something funny furball?'

' Not much. Just thinking how for being noted as such a genius by everyone around you, you sure can be such a scatter brain. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're an idiot,' was the deep rumbling he heard from Kurama. Damn furball should shut up. He's never fought a puppet user, how was he supposed to remember that important detail?

He didn't have time to continue pondering as the next wave attacked. He threw his kunai and blitzed through one-handed seals. "Kunai Shadow Clone jutsu!" his tri-pronged turned from one into two hundred. The attack not only smashed straight through the constructs but also gave him more than enough seals to flash to, to slice through the chakra strings.

He landed on the other side of the constructs and noticed his father had finished off the rest. "Good work Naruto. Not only do you seem to have the Flying Raijin mastered but you also took advantage of the Kunai Shadow Clone to make it even deadlier. To top it off you figured out the best way to take down chakra puppets. Your constantly proving to me why your promotion was deserved," Naruto couldn't help but beam at the praise.

"We should move, he's not too far now but we need to be quick," was all Minato said before he darted away, Naruto following close behind.

Minato's sealing formula- Loran

It may as well have been a giant chasm. The room they were in had mostly been one giant drop with one giant square shaped platform in the middle. There was a walkway that led from the entrance to the platform and a statue on each corner that faced the middle of the platform. Speaking of the middle of the platform there looked to be some… contraption was the only word that Naruto could come up with. He recognized the kunai sticking out of it, his father's which had a sealing formula sprawled out across the ground. He also noticed the other occupant in the room who had his hands on the kunai. Short brown hair, beady black eyes, sickly looking build. That had to be Mukade.

"Your too late shinobi of the Leaf!" he yelled as his chakra flared and they saw the sealing formula be absorbed into him.

They were quick on the fly. Both Namikazes threw their tri-pongs at him and flashed in attempting to kill him in time but it was too late, the flash of light all around them was the last thing they saw.