DISCLAIMER: I DO NO OWN NARUTO OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Before I get that inevitable review, yes, I know Obito's parents were already dead, but they will serve a plot element later on. After all, this is a fanfiction, and I can do whatever the hell I want. Anyways, read, review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter 3

Kushina's funeral was beautiful, but it was hardly extravagant, with only four in attendance. Minato held little Naruto in his arms while Obito and Rin stood to either side. They still refused to speak to one another, but they allowed the other's presence in order to comfort their sensei. Jiraiya would have attended as well, if he were in the village.

The rest of the village was attending the mass burial and funeral of all those killed in the attack. The count wasn't as high as one would expect from the amount of damage that had been caused, but each was like a kunai to the heart of whoever their loved ones were.

In the years following the attack on the village by the Nine Tails, some animosity grew towards the Uchiha clan. Rumors had surfaced that it was an Uchiha that had controlled the beast using their sharingan, but a select few people knew that wasn't the case. Though that didn't stop the council of elders, namely Danzo, from attempting to alienate them completely.

Minato was a staunch supporter of the clan, for he knew that the seal had simply broken, and the Nine Tails had turned its wrath towards the village that had imprisoned him for so long. Despite Minato's attempts to quell the opposition, he was still just one man, and it was hard to do when the entire village pressured him to relocate the entire Uchiha clan to the outskirts of the village. He attempted to assure Fugaku that it was just until things calmed down, but the Uchiha clan head was less than convinced.

In addition to the added pressure against the Uchiha clan, Minato was now having to juggle his duties as both a Hokage and a father. The latter was proving difficult, as he had no clue how to take care of a child, all of his instincts were wrong. His first choice for aid would have been Hiruzen's wife, but she had also died in the attack. And so, Minato was forced to survive on his own. He always tried to think of what Kushina would have done in each situation, which helped somewhat, but the job was ultimately his to do alone.

With his dual duties, Minato wasn't sleeping much anymore, and he looked like a shadow of his former self. No longer was his presence bright and inviting, and even the Sandaime found it chilling to be in the same room as the man. Still, they knew that it was still Minato, even if it was a colder version of their beloved Yondaime.

In Kushina's final moments, she had wished for Minato and Naruto to befriend the Nine Tails inside of them and use their power, but Naruto was far too young, and Minato was too filled with grief. Every time he even thought of the demon, the image of his wife slumping over in his arms filled his mind. With the memory of her death associated with the Tailed Beast, Minato refused to even look at the seal in the mirror.

As time passed and Naruto grew, Minato gradually got better, especially when Naruto was finally able to string together whole sentences. His use of 'ya know' especially helped Minato's mental health, as it reminded him of Kushina, even if the boy didn't look like her.

But, as Minato got better, relations with the Uchiha worsened. The clan had even gone so far as to set in motion a chain of events that would lead to an eventual planned coup d'etat, led by Fugaku himself. Every member that was allowed to know of the coup supported it without question. Well, except for Obito Uchiha.

Fire Storm Obito was never informed of the planned coup, even though his parents knew of it. If they'd divulged such information, the Yondaime would learn of it immediately due to their attachment as student and sensei.

That still didn't stop Minato from finding out about it. Itachi and Shisui, the two young prodigies of the Uchiha, had seen to that. The pair of them, best friends, had been placed as spies within the Anbu, but so great was their love for the village, that they turned double agent and fed information to Minato about the plans of the clan.

Minato quickly informed Obito, but the Jonin could do little about it without rousing suspicion, as his own clan would never fully trust him. Minato had initially planned to confront Fugaku directly, but Hiruzen had convinced him otherwise. Instead, Minato used the information given him by Itachi and Shisui to open negotiations with the Uchiha and try to find a peaceful solution.

Unfortunately, the Sandaime's philosophy of peace failed, and the coup was nigh. It was a good thing that Minato was the Hokage, or Damzo would be making a power grab to oppose his old friend Hiruzen.

It all began on the night that Shisui Uchiha appeared with Itachi in Minato's office.

Both of the young Uchiha were out of breath. It was fairly clear that the pair of them had traveled here as fast as their legs could carry them. Minato looked up from his desk with surprise. He stood and walked around to face the both of them.

"What is it? Any new developments?"

"It's happening tonight!" Shisui exclaimed between gasps of air.

Minato looked to Itachi for confirmation, who nodded as well, equally out of breath. "How long?" Minato asked quietly.

"Half an hour."

Minato knelt in front of them so that he was lower than the both of them. "Then you know what I have to do. Will you oppose me, or will you fight by my side?"

Shisui exchanged a nervous glance with Itachi. The elder of the two did not like the idea of killing members of his own clan in the least. It was the whole point of him turning traitor to them, so that they might live in the end. But now, the very Hokage was asking him to make a choice between two different families: the one he had in the village, or the one he shared blood with.

"I have one condition," Itachi began. "My little brother Sasuke must be spared."

Just from looking at Itachi, Shisui could tell that the Uchiha heir was ready for action. His expression seemed indifferent, but Shisui knew that his best friend was hurting more than most. His own father was the orchestrator of the entire coup, after all.

Finally, Shisui looked down at Minato. "I'll...I'll side with the village."

Minato nodded once, then shot to his feet and rushed out the door. The pair of Uchiha quickly followed him. He called for all of his elite and Special Jonin, as well as the Anbu. The strength of the Uchiha clan was not to be underestimated.

Minato's white coat with red stitching billowed in the night breeze behind him. Flanked by his personal guard unit, as well as a large contingent of Jonin, Special Jonin, and Anbu, he strode directly for the Uchiha compound.

The sound of clinking armor and the light click of footsteps alerted Minato to a new presence next to him. He glanced over to take in the new presence before turning his hardened eyes back ahead.

"What are you doing here?"

Hiruzen walked with the Adamantine Staff under his arm. "This whole situation is partly my fault, and you expect me to just sit back and allow ninja to die? I am a shinobi and a former Hokage, I have a responsibility as well."

Minato accepted the answer, as the old man was far too stubborn to be talked out of it. Even in his old age, there were few shinobi in the world that could face him on equal ground, and Minato wasn't even sure that he was one of them.

The Uchiha clan had apparently caught wind of the approaching shinobi force, and had armed themselves for battle. Nearly the entire clan had assembled in the streets of the compound. In the center was Fugaku Uchiha himself, flanked by his wife and Obito's parents. Hatred burned bright in Obito's parents' eyes when they saw their only son flanking the Hokage, his sharingan already active. Obito simply stared back with matching determination. As far as he was concerned, Minato and Kushina were his parents.

In contrast, Fugaku and Mikoto felt only sadness when they saw Itachi among the crowd. They dropped their heads in resignation that they would have to face their own child in combat. If this was to be the downfall of the Uchiha clan, they would go down fighting.

"These are clan grounds, Hokage. Why have you brought such a force to bear against us?" Fugaku called.

Minato's usually jovial tone and warm face had taken on a dark expression, one that was only seen when he was ready to kill. "Don't toy with me, Fugaku. You know perfectly well why I'm here."

"Yes, I can see now that you have known all along. Those two did an admirable job of concealing their true intentions from us," Fugaku motioned towards Itachi and Shisui, who both had silent tears rolling down their cheeks already.

"I'm sorry, father, but I can't let you leave the village open for another war," Itachi said, his voice unusually heavy with emotion.

"As much as we're disappointed, we understand, son," Mikoto smiled sadly. "No matter what happens here tonight, at least Sasuke will be taken care of."

Itachi nodded sadly, not trusting his own voice to reply. Minato was absolutely shocked that they were already treating this like an inevitable fight. Minato was just about to attempt to negotiate one final time, but the Sandaime beat him to it.

"It doesn't have to end in a fight."

Fugaku scoffed. "Of course it does. It always does. We're shinobi, after all. You above all should know that better than most, Hiruzen."

"Will you not reconsider?" Minato asked.

Fugaku's eyes suddenly shifted, and his sharingan activated as he dropped into a ready stance. Suddenly, all Minato saw was a sea of black hair and red eyes. "Does this answer your question, Yellow Flash?"

"Very well," Minato said sadly.

Instantly, the two armies charged forwards. A row of three-pronged kunai were thrown amid the Uchiha ranks by Minato's personal guard, and seven Uchiha dropped to the ground in a fraction of a second, blood spurting from their wounds. Minato lived up to his name as he teleported through their ranks like a stinging wasp.

Hiruzen executed wide sweeps and thrusts with the Adamantine Staff, unleashing fire jutsu wherever he could. The transformed Monkey King Enma would call out different enemies and their relative location to Hiruzen. Though he didn't exactly need the help, it was always reassuring to know that he still had it.

From the very first clash, Obito found himself being forced backwards by a savage onslaught. As it turned out, it was coming from his two parents. Even his fellow Jonin were reluctant to get in the way, so much so that Obito yelled for all of them to stay away and let him handle this by himself.

The battle was quickly turning into chaos. Fighters were splitting off from the main battle either of their own volition or simply because they'd been forced that way. What once was two separate crowds of shinobi had now turned into an all out free-for-all in the confines of the Uchiha compound.

Though they outnumbered the enemy force, the Konoha loyalists were taking just as many casualties as the Uchiha, their sharingan living up to its reputation. Minato and Hiruzen were the two doing the most damage on their respective side. Even with the sharingan, Minato was too fast to predict his movements, and many Uchiha met their end by trying to do just that. Ironically, the sharingan was known for its ability to copy enemy jutsu, but Hiruzen's techniques were so devastating that they seldom had any time to defend themselves.

As the battle raged on in the distance, Obito found himself all alone against his two parents. They both wielded katanas, which Obito was having a hard time defending against with simple kunai. Fed up with the defensive, Obito leapt straight into the air and landed behind his parents.

Turning around, he cast a jutsu that he'd recently perfected. "Fire Style: Bomb Blast Dance!"

A spiral of flames exploded from his mouth and enveloped his parents, beginning to deprive them of oxygen within its flames. Obito thought he had them until a water jutsu created steam and dispelled his fire.

"Fire Storm Obito, perhaps that name was exaggerated. Were those ten enemy Jonin you supposedly killed Genin instead?" his father taunted.

"You're no Uchiha," his mother spat. "You're not even our son."

Obito growled low in his throat. "Maybe I did care for the both of you once, but I've long since abandoned the both of you. You were never my real family."

"You're such a disappointment," his mother stressed, positioning her katana as if she were about to charge.

Obito beat her to it, though. "Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A sea of flames exploded from Obito's mouth and enveloped his parents again. Creating two shadow clones, he sent them around the wall of flames so that when they dispelled, his parents simply looked at him smugly, their combined water jutsu having saved them once again.

Before either of them could taunt their son any further, they looked down in surprise at the sharp pains coming from their chests. Each had a kunai buried between their ribs, right in the center of their chest. They sank to their knees in unison as Obito walked towards them, his anger boiling over.

"All I wanted was a family!" he shouted. "All I wanted was for you to love me! But I had to find others to fill that hole! Good parents don't abandon their children or expect them to be exemplary ninja to earn love! Love is unconditional! Which is why I love the both of you in spite of what you've put me through!"

Obito finished them off with quick slashes to the throat. Seeing the life fade from their eyes made Obito suddenly collapse in tears. His eyes were burning. Not as if simple tears had caused burning. No, when Obito wiped his eyes, his hands came away bloody. He had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

The rest of the battle was over quickly. Konoha's forces had adapted and pushed back against the rebellious Uchiha clan. Even the almighty sharingan, the pride of the Uchiha, couldn't save them from defeat.

Fugaku had been killed by Minato himself, despite having the Mangekyou Sharingan. It had been little more than a slaughter, but only if one was feeling generous. Even with the fabled power of the Mangekyou, Fugaku stood no chance against the legendary power of the Yellow Flash.

Itachi had been forced to kill his own mother, where he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan as well. His pattern was a simple three curved blade shuriken around a red pupil, as opposed to Obito's intimidating one, looking like three interconnecting black scythes on a red field.

Obito had made a point to destroy his mother's eyes, as he didn't want anyone taking the chance of obtaining the sharingan. His father's, on the other hand, he deposited in a preserving jar and sealed them away in a scroll. As they sifted through the corpses, Obito and Itachi agreed to destroy each of the sharingan that they found to keep them out of the hands of the enemy.

In general terms, Konoha's losses had not been too severe. With the presence of both the Yondaime and Sandaime, the Uchiha had stood little realistic chance of surviving that. As a consequence, nearly their entire clan had been wiped out, aside from a select few, including Sasuke.

Though all mourned the loss of the Konoha faithful, perhaps the greatest loss had been Shisui Uchiha. The speedy prodigy had been found dead, surrounded by four of his dead clan members. That wasn't the unsettling part, though. Shisui's eyes were missing, and not because Itachi or Obito had destroyed them. Rather, they'd been stolen. Also, a gaping vertical wound was visible where his heart should have been. He'd likely been taken by surprise while he was fighting the other members of his clan.

When Obito crouched next to the corpse to close the eyelids, he inspected the wound and immediately looked up to Minato. Obito's anger had flared up all over again, his newly acquired Mangekyou Sharingan blazing in contrast to the night sky.

Kakashi had been here. Kakashi had taken Shisui's eyes.

The sole survivor of the Hatake clan was quite pleased with himself. His contact in the Uchiha clan had informed him of the impending coup. He had originally planned to use the distraction to kidnap young Naruto, but he'd seized a far greater opportunity when his former sensei turned Hokage arrived to face the Uchiha clan.

In the chaos of the battle, he'd managed to kill Shisui Uchiha with a Lightning Blade to the heart, and had stolen his eyes. The power of the Mangekyou Sharingan would fit quite nicely with his newly acquired Hashirama cells, courtesy of Orochimaru.

Now, if only he didn't have to wear this stupid cloak with the red clouds on it. Oh well. It wasn't like it was a large sacrifice. He knew that their leader would not be happy that he'd failed to get the Nine Tails, but he also knew that he would be in the clear once he arrived with the Mangekyou Sharingan of Shisui Uchiha and the impenetrable genjutsu that came with it.

Those eyes would finally give them the window they needed with regards to the control of one of the Five Great Nations. Now to choose which ninja village to enact it upon….