Title: Guardian of Fire.

Author: Agni

Warnings: AU, Time travel, a bit of OOC but not too much.

AN: Okay, I am, in this chapter working on the assumption that Orochimaru left Konoha somewhere around ten years before he attacked Konoha during the Chunin exams. I don’t know when he exactly leaves Konoha so I will go with that. Forgive me if you do not agree with that but since I have integrated it into the plot, I cannot remove it without some very significant changes. Sorry about that.

Secondly, I do not dislike Tsunade, as some might believe from this chapter, nor do I consider bashing her. She is, in fact, one of the coolest female characters in Naruto for me.

Thirdly, those who are expecting Naruaki to get involved in a relationship now, forget about it. He will not seriously consider any woman until he is in his mid-twenties. He will be too busy for that.

Fourthly, just because Naruaki is skilled does not mean he is more powerful than Yondaime and a few others. He still has a long way to go before he can be on par with Yondaime for anything excluding Fuuin Jutsu. He is smart, adaptable and rather shrewd when it comes to politics but not on par with Yondaime. That man did not become the Hokage for nothing. Moreover, he will be working up the ranks. In addition, he does not have more authority than Yondaime. The fourth Hokage is simply indulging Naruaki now and when it comes to serious matters, he will use his authority as the Hokage and a father over Naruaki.

-Chapter four-

Dazed.

That was how he felt. He did not know how many potent drugs had been injected into his body. It felt weak and heavy and he knew that if he decided to fight his way out, his body would not respond as it was supposed to.

He did not know how long he had been kept like this, in this white, white room with a single bed and four blindingly bright walls. His eyes were hurting and he hadn’t been able to sleep properly in the impossibly bright room.

He was tired.

He could not recall a single moment in his life when he felt so miserable and helpless. His mind was clouded in worry, anger and guilt while he sat alone, staring off into space. Every now and then, someone would come into the room and give him another drug… all in the name of healing him of course. He was still wounded from his battle against Pein and then Danzo’s ANBU Root.

His prison, something that Danzo called a training facility, was an effective tool to brainwash others and had Naruto not been so stubborn, he would have given in.

It was tempting… almost too tempting to simply let the man win.

“Naruto-kun.” A calm and soothing voice of his ‘trainer’ caught his attention, “I hate to see you like this.” He said in a voice that held concern but Naruto knew that the man was an actor par excellence. “Naruto-kun, please look at me.” He pleaded softly and Naruto’s icy blue eyes landed on the man.

His trainer was a soft, wise looking man. His black hair contained a hint of grey in them; his eyes were brown and warm. It was a kind face, very deceptive. “Naruto-kun, if you examine your own life closely you would understand why Danzo-sama states that Konoha has become weak under the influence of Sandaime-sama and Godaime-sama.” He stated gently, “Just think, Naruto-kun. You, the Jinchuuriki of the greatest of all Tailed beasts, was simply abandoned.” The man shook his head, “So much of power, gone to waste. You should have been trained, nurtured, given the means to channel that power and use it for Konoha.” He said.

“Weapon…” Naruto whispered, clenching his fist.

“No.” the man stated gently, “Not a weapon but a good shinobi. You love Konoha, Naruto-kun. It is your home, it has your precious people in it, it is a village your father gave his life for… you love it and wish to be able to protect it.” He smiled at Naruto that spine-chilling, deceptive smile. He placed a file in front of Naruto, “It took you mere hours to master Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, just few weeks to learn the Rasengan. You mastered the Sage mode and went beyond your predecessors. Danzo-sama knows that you have surpassed Jiraiya-sama.” The man shook his head, a look of disbelief carefully placed on his face, “So much raw talent and everyone ignored it. Your own teacher, Hatake Kakashi, ignored this skill in favor of the traitorous and mentally unbalanced Uchiha.”

Naruto snarled. “Don’t talk about Sasuke.” His voice coming out in the form of a husky croak.

The man frowned and glanced at another person at the corner of the room. The girl, beautiful of course, and innocent looking as well, stepped forwards and offered him a glass of water. He did not care to consider the possibility that they may have added some drugs in the water. He was too thirsty to think about that.

“Naruto-kun,” he started again, “Jiraiya-sama recognized your talent while everyone else ignored it. He nurtured that talent but everyone knows that while he was a good teacher, his method of teaching was not appropriate for someone like you, someone so brilliant and creative. You need to be pushed, you need larger resources, better, more stern teachers.” He leaned forward, his brown eyes intent on Naruto, “Remember your days in the academy, Naruto-kun. Remember your days in the orphanage where Sandaime-sama just left you in the care of those ignorant, hateful people. No one taught you what you needed to be taught. They were too afraid of your power, your potential. You deserved so much more.”

Naruto snorted, his eyes heavy-lidded as he stared at the white walls, his trainer’s words inevitably bringing forth the bad memories of his childhood. “Sandaime-sama visited you, favored you but was it enough? The most powerful man in Konoha and he wasn’t able to stop all that mental and emotional abuse? Why didn’t he place you somewhere safe, a place where you would have been taught, taken care of and appreciated? Visiting you once or twice a month was enough? Don’t you find his behavior a bit irresponsible? You and your father sacrificed so much for this village and he still did not do anything to ensure your well-being except for passing a feeble law that was rather ineffective. Don’t you see the injustice, the lack of thought in his actions?”

Naruto’s eyes closed, “Yes.” He conceded and the man in front of him smiled.

“You deserve so much more.” He whispered, “Danzo-sama has always stated that you were special and your needed to be treated that way. Konoha needs strong, loyal shinobi who are willing to protect the village at all costs.” He looked serious, “You must realize that there is a need for discipline and order.” He stated, “We keep losing powerful shinobi like Orochimaru, Uchiha Sasuke and so on… we lose them because they have forgotten loyalty, they have forgotten that their ambitions and their quest for power causes harm to our beloved village. You must understand that such behavior was partially encouraged by Sandaime-sama’s soft hearted ways.”

Naruto looked at him and the trainer frowned, “We have forgotten our roots, Naruto-kun. Our village is a military organization formed to protect the fire country. How can we do our duty if we allow our ninja to go scot-free like that?” The trainer’s eyes were keen and resolute. “Our ninja need to be loyal. They need to be strong and well-trained.” He sneered, “They do not need to chase deranged cats across Konoha. They need to learn how to cope with the outside world. They need to start cultivating the skills that are needed to become a ninja and the sooner they learn to do that, the better.”

“You are trying to turn me against Sandaime and Godaime’s ideals.” Naruto said with sudden strength, surprised to realize they had not given him those highly potent drugs that they had used on him before. Kyuubi was slowly removing their influence.

The man nodded, unfazed by the sharpness in Naruto’s eyes. “Your loyalty to Konoha is admirable, Naruto-kun.” He said, “And Danzo-sama loathes to cause you so much trouble but you need to understand that you are too powerful and influential for us to let you go.” He said, looking at Naruto in the eye, “Your goals are similar to Danzo-sama’s goals. Both of you wish for the well-being of Konoha. The only difference is the fact that Danzo-sama has a more rigid manner when it comes to dealing with his subordinates.” Naruto raised as brow, rubbing his temples to ward of his pounding headache as the man continued, “I realize that Danzo-sama is not perfect.” He murmured earnestly, “But at least he errs on the side of caution. He only wishes to stop the weakness that he sees in our ranks and you know that there is a weakness… you have suffered because of it with both the surviving Uchiha and Orochimaru.”

The man in front of him leaned forward, “You have been raised to be loyal to Sandaime and consequently Godaime and therefore you cannot see their faults. However, you are an intelligent, observant man even though you do not show it. You must realize that you have been manipulated by circumstances. Danzo-sam-”

“You talk too much.” Naruto interrupted irritably, a faint scowl on his features as he combed his fingers through his hair. Despite himself, he could see what the man was trying to say. His only contention with Danzo was the fact that he did not know what he had done to Tsunade and his other friends.

“Let me think about this.” Naruto whispered and the man before him nodded.

“Of course.” He stated generously and placed a file in front of Naruto, “There are facts in this file that would make things clearer for you.” He whispered, “Please consider the information carefully and without bias.”

Naruto nodded absently, already pursuing the file.

The man observed him for a while before walking out of the room and closing the door soundly behind him.

It was only then that Naruto relaxed a bit. He kept on the pretense of perusing the file. His eyes roamed over the words but he did not register them. Inwardly, he was considering his situation.

Danzo had taken over Konoha when it was weak. That was guaranteed to piss of many people and the old bastard couldn’t just arrest everyone who opposed him. He assumed that Tsunade was in custody. Logically, it was obvious that Danzo would not kill Tsunade. Despite being a well-known healer and admired by the ninja population, she wasn’t exactly favored by the civilians. Her tendency to gamble and drown herself in sake was legendry and everyone knew that she had abandoned Konoha once and that was not something most were willing to forgive, despite her reasons.

Many did not consider her a competent Hokage. She wasn’t as respected as Sandaime and Yondaime had been. Naruto was certain that it would not take much for Danzo to gain the favor of the civilians and the daimyo. If he killed Tsunade, it would lead to uncertainty and fear and he would not want that when he was trying to gain everyone’s favor.

However, Danzo needed someone on his side who had the respect of the ninja population, specifically, the younger generation of powerful clan heirs.

Naruto frowned as he recalled the manner in which the people of Konoha had roared in rage when Danzo had apprehended him. It was clear that he finally had the respect and loyalty of Konoha. Both the ninja and the civilian factions were enraged when Danzo had his ANBU confront him. He had just barely managed to defeat Pein’s bodies, knowing very well that the real body was still out there and it wouldn’t be long before that bastard came back to Konoha.

They had become all too aware of the number of times Naruto had risked his life for Konoha’s benefit.

Danzo wanted to use him. If Naruto were on his side then many would follow.

Naruto scowled thoughtfully as he turned a page in the report. He was careful to maintain his pretense of reading it. There was an opportunity here for him. Almost everyone knew that Tsunade had her eye on him as the possible candidate for being the Hokage once he was old enough. His turn would have probably been after Kakashi but he knew that he was very close to achieving that dream before Danzo took over.

What he planned would require subtlety and slyness that Naruto readily admitted he lacked. However, he had no other choice. He was well aware that Tsunade was in danger and Sakura probably was apprehended too since she was Tsunade’s apprentice. Naruto was not ready to lose another teammate but if he needed to help anyone, he needed to be out of here and in Danzo’s good graces.

Besides, he was willing to give Danzo the benefit of a doubt. If he screwed up, Naruto would find a way to get rid of him.

Naruto had severely underestimated Danzo.

“Naruaki.” The young Namikaze raised his eyes towards his frowning father, giving no indication of his previous thoughts. “Why are you studying that seal so intently?” he narrowed his eyes, “You are not planning to use it again are you?”

Naruaki shook his head gracefully, “I have made a mistake and am trying to find a way to correct it.”

Yondaime paled a bit. A mistake while performing the Command of Time seal would have grave consequences. “Mistake?” he asked faintly.

Naruaki nodded, his fever even more apparent by the flush on his cheeks. He pinned Minato with an intelligent stare, “You understand the basic premise of Command of time seal, don’t you?” he asked softly, “You must have come across it a few times when you were learning Fuin jutsu.”

Yondaime nodded in agreement and Naruaki sighed, “When the seal transports you to a different time, it alters you.” He stood and gestured Yondaime to look at his ankle. There was a small seal on it, “The seal leaves behind a part of it on the body of the one being transported.” He murmured, watching as his father knelt down before him and examined the seal.

“I have never encountered this in my research.” Minato murmured thoughtfully.

“That is because Command of time seal is too powerful and dangerous to be used by just anyone.” He stated, “A part of the knowledge about it is hidden.” Naruaki frowned as he searched for the right words to explain. “Consider the seal a sort of living entity.” He shook his head, “Or rather consider it something that is programmed to analyze a person’s intentions. If the intention is, if I am to use a word, pure, then the true knowledge of how to perform the seal is given to the person.”

“You mean to say that no person who intends to cause harm can use the seal?” Minato asked in surprise and Naruaki nodded, frowning at the scroll on the desk.

“Ingenious.” Minato whispered and Naruaki scoffed in agreement.

“Ingenious is right.” He murmured. “I have used it once and I still can’t figure out how it works.” He admitted before looking at Minato, “This is a very old seal… probably predates all seals that we know now and we do not know who created it.” He gestured towards the seal on his leg, “I figured out why this is here.”

Minato arched a brow in question while Naruaki frowned a bit. “This is basically a fail-safe. When I used the Command of Time seal, the price I paid was my identity.” He traced the seal design, a scholarly light entering his eyes. “I cannot be Uzumaki/Namikaze Naruto. I cannot think of myself as Uzumaki Naruto nor can I take his place in this world.” He stated and Minato grew confused. “This little seal erases my identity, soon I will start losing everything that I did as Naruto. My memories, my skills, my relationships, the name that I use for myself, my true name… I will lose all of it.” He laughed humorously, “Hell, I will lose the color of my eyes and my hair as well… everything that identifies me as Uzumaki/Namikaze Naruto will be gone.”

Yondaime paled, his eyes wide as he observed Naruaki, “Tha… that’s impossible!”

“Time travel is supposed to be impossible.” Naruaki murmured dryly before shaking his head. “That is why I said that I did a mistake.” He gestured towards himself, “I ignored the fact that I felt weak and feverish, thinking that it was because Kyuubi was removed from me but I was wrong.” He narrowed his eyes, “Removing Kyuubi did affect me but the consequences of that have mingled with the consequences of performing the seal and I cannot distinguish between the two.”

He brought out a blank paper and started drawing a seal on it. Minato leaned forward and observed what Naruaki was doing, trying to ignore the panic that was boiling in his chest. “The Command of Time seal actually has an auxiliary seal to it.” He finished drawing the auxiliary seal on paper. The design was crude and hastily drawn but it served its purpose. “This seal is called Reforge.” He explained, “Essentially, I need the help of a blood relative to create a new identity in this world but only when I use the Reforge seal will this seal that is on my ankle, break.” He shook his head, “That is why it was so essential for me to have a new name, while your son was named Naruto.” He frowned, “I knew that I had to establish a new identity but I did not know that I actually needed to use a seal for that.”

Minato shook his head, combing his fingers through his hair, “I do not understand any of this.”

Naruaki sighed, “Let me explain this in the simplest of terms.” He gestured towards the seal on his ankle, “This seal is like a ticking time-bomb. The moment I successfully traveled through time, this seal was formed on me. It will be on me until I… no you perform the auxiliary seal to anchor me here and provide me with a new identity that is separate from Uzumaki/Namikaze Naruto.” He looked into his father’s eyes, “Performing the Reforge seal on me would mean that you are basically adopting me, it depends on what want you want me to be, your brother or your son.” Naruaki snorted, “Think of it this way, when a person changes his name, everything that he owns comes under that name. His bank accounts, his home, his children and family and friends, his very soul.” He looked serious, “Now, a person has an identity because there are others who acknowledge his identity. If a man changes his name and others refuse to accept it and still call him by his previous name, the change of name and identity becomes ineffective.”

Minato nodded, “So you mean to say that the Reforge seal that I perform will convince that fail-safe seal that you have established a different identity here that is separate from Uzumaki/Namikaze Naruto and I, as your blood relative, have accepted it. Once that is done, that seal will stop erasing your existence in this timeline and break? I am basically adopting you and naming you Namikaze Naruaki by using the Reforge seal?”

Naruaki nodded and Minato’s eyes widened, “I don’t think I want to know who was brilliant and particular enough to come up with such a seal.” He murmured.

Naruaki smirked faintly before sighing, “We need to do this as soon as possible but you need to understand one thing about performing a seal of such caliber.” He looked at Minato with narrowed eyes, satisfied to see that his father was paying attention, “This isn’t simply a technique… it is so much more than that. There are three elements to it.” He held up on finger, “The first is blood that represents your physical connection with me. I am your son and I have inherited many things from you. That is a very potent connection and therefore the seal must be drawn in your blood that is given without hesitation.” Minato nodded and Naruaki continued, “Second is chakra. That is a spiritual connection that we share and in this case we are lucky since both of us as similar chakra. Both of us possess wind chakra. That too must be given without hesitation on your part.” He then looked at his father in the eye, “The last is the effort and will that you put into the seal. You must truly believe that I am as precious to you as you claim.” He murmured, “You must choose what is more comfortable for you, me being your son or me being your brother. If you, even for a moment while performing the seal, show doubt, there would be consequences that I do not wish to think about.”

Minato looked at Naruaki in return, his blue eyes serious, “You must trust me with this.” He said softly, “I promise that I will perform it properly.” He assured, “I will not let you fade away.”

Naruaki observed Minato for a while before nodding. He tossed a scroll at him, “I have written down a detailed description of the seal. There are diagrams explaining everything that you need to know. Go through that thoroughly. From start to end, you will be the one who will perform the seal.”

Minato unfurled the scroll while Naruaki stood and walked out of the room. He wanted to get some sleep.

“It is no problem at all, Hokage-sama.” Mikoto smiled, Naruto cooing softly in her arms. She politely ignored the sheepish yet charming look on the young Hokage’s face, concealing her amusement.

Minato nodded gratefully, “Thank you, Mikoto-san.” he reached forward to tickle his little son’s belly, “I keep burdening you with this…” he sighed softly, a sad light entering his eyes, “I admit that I am a bit lost. Naruaki’s health is not improving even though he tries to hide it and I have work so I cannot leave Naruto with him.” He combed his fingers through his hair nervously, “I realize that I am not being much of a father but there isn’t much I can do right now.” He whispered regretfully.

Mikoto’s eyes softened with pity, “Minato-kun…” she whispered soothingly, seeing her treasured friend’s husband looking so helpless was upsetting for her. “Everything will turn out alright.” She assured, “Right now you are dealing with a lot of things and it is not easy for you. Neither I nor Fugaku mind having Naruto with us.” She said without hesitation, looking down at the baby in her arms with a motherly smile, “And Sasuke and Itachi have started to grow a bit attached to him.” She murmured in amusement, thankful to see the relieved smile on his face, “I am afraid soon you will never get to keep Naruto to yourself.” She giggled lightly, “Itachi is always watching him protectively and Sasuke tends to latch onto him if they are sleeping together in one bed.”

Minato chuckled, “That’s a relief.” He bowed to her, “I am very grateful.” He glanced at his wrist watch, “I must leave.” He murmured regretfully, “Thank you for your assistance, Mikoto-san.”

As Minato started walking back towards his home, a ninja came up to him and started to walk alongside him casually.

“I received several reports from my ANBU.” The man said softly and Minato simply glanced at him. “They have informed me in detail about our new recruit and his strength.”

“Is that so?” Minato asked, waving at the children who brightened up at the sight of him, smiling at their enthusiastic calls but not pausing in his stride. “And what are your thoughts?”

The man’s lips twitched, “Cunning.” He murmured, “He is leading us on, Minato. He is a true ANBU and like any true ANBU, he will use only what is needed to perform the missions. Skilled but we do not know how powerful he is and how he would deal with fighting powerful opponents face to face.” The man looked at his superior from the corner of his eyes, “I suggest we have him fight someone strong head-on to see just how capable he is.”

Minato inclined his head a little in acknowledgement, “Very well.”

The other man paused, his sharp green eyes amused, “You must be proud, Minato.” He smirked, “You have given me a fine heir.”

Minato chuckled, looking at the sky. “Ah, let’s not jump the gun, shall we, General?” he murmured, “I am impressed with the skills he has displayed so far but he is too young, despite what he thinks, to take on so much responsibility.”

The other man nodded, his eyes glimmering calculatingly, “Yes, knowledge of what is to happen would weigh on his mind, making him feel responsible for things that he has no control over.”

Minato hummed in agreement, “For now, I will give him complete freedom to do as he wishes with the knowledge. He would know the consequences of his own actions better than I.”

The ANBU arched a silver brow in question, “You trust him that much?”

Minato frowned, “My boy has this innate sense of justice, Sousuke.” He murmured, “And the tendency to feel as though he needs to protect everyone and save everyone, even at the cost of his own well being.” He glanced at him, “That, my friend, is why I trust him.”

“And I trust your judgment.” The other man stated, his voice held loyalty that came only after years of solid friendship.

Minato smiled at that. “Even if you do, I will be placing my son in your care, Sousuke. You need to see if he is worth your time.” He looked at the silver haired man, “I will inform you as soon as I can arrange something.” He assured, “I need to deal with a few things first.”

“Of course.” Sousuke murmured gracefully before he glanced at something out of the corner of his eyes. “You were always popular, Minato.” He smiled, “Especially amongst those shy, secretive girls.” The tall general smirked, “Now it seems, they will have another mystery to solve. I have seen a few sneaking glances at Naruaki.”

Minato suppressed his instinctual reaction with expert ease, smiling at his friend in amusement. The underlying message in his ANBU general’s statement was not lost on him. “He is rather interesting.”

Green eyes narrowed dangerously, hidden by a curtain to silky silver hair and Minato raised a brow, “They are gone.” He murmured, a displeased scowl on his face. He glanced at the shadowed corner and gestured vaguely. Minato caught sight of an ANBU quickly leaving his hiding place and pursuing the unknown spy. “Someone is getting too bold. Take care of your family, Minato.” Sousuke warned, “Iwa obviously knows of Naruaki now. Just a few nights ago, one of my men caught an Iwa missing-nin by your manor. They would love nothing more than getting their hands on one of your sons.”

Minato frowned in concern, “I think it is high time we start to reevaluate our security.” He murmured, “I did not think it was possible for anyone to simply slip into Konoha without us noticing.”

Sousuke nodded in agreement. “Usually, it isn’t.” he murmured, “However, there are a faction of people within our ranks that are not under your control, Minato. Because of this there is a weakness in our security.”

“Ne.” He murmured, his icy blue eyes narrowed.

Sousuke nodded, “That and some others.” He murmured, an uncharacteristic note of uncertainty in his voice, “This time, Danzo may not be the one to blame…”

Minato arched a brow, “An internal conflict not attributed to him?”

Sousuke shrugged, “Give me some time.” He requested, “I am still trying to unearth this whole thing.” He favored Minato with a slight frown, “Did Naruaki say anything with regards to this?”

Minato smiled a fond smile. “Ah…” he chuckled, “He likes to be cryptic.” Amused green eyes glanced at him. “He is being cautious about the information he gives me. He simply gives me hints and lets me act on my own accord.”

They stopped in front of Yondaime’s manor. “I think that is a good thing.” Sousuke stated before bowing to Minato mockingly, “Good day, Hokage-sama.”

Minato chuckled and waved at him as he passed the gates, a wave of chakra caressing him, analyzing him before letting him in. Unfortunately, the security measure did not prevent others from spying into the manor from outside the compound.

Naruaki was already awake by the time he walked into his home. He was reading a book, looking incredibly relaxed. Minato observed him for a while, carefully keeping his presence unknown. He had spent a lot of time simply observing Naruaki over the past month. The incessant need to know and understand his son drove him to spy on the boy when he was unaware of Yondaime’s presence.

He learned much by simply observing him silently. With mixed feelings, he would recognize certain gestures that were remarkably similar to Kushina. The tendency to tap her temple when she was concentrating on something was a habit he had seen Naruaki replicate a number of times.

That careless grace and the flowing, dancer like movements was something he inherited from Kushina as well. A person grew into such elegance and Minato did not doubt that his son had been very clumsy and uncoordinated when he was younger.

The scowl that he had seen often on Naruaki’s lips was a dead ringer of his own. The shape of the eyes was all Kushina but the color and the manner in which they glowed with wisdom was from him.

Small things. Small gestures that were slowly convincing the part of him that was still skeptical that yes, Naruaki really was his son.

There were times he suffered from bouts of disbelief. How could someone so different yet so similar to him exist? How could this jaded, skilled, utterly incomprehensible young man be his son? How many days since Naruaki had barged into his life, saving his life and the life of countless Konoha ninja? It had hardly been a month and it felt it had been a year.

He watched as Naruaki turned a page in his book, silently contemplating him before stepping forward, revealing his presence.

Naruaki’s eyes immediately rose to meet his and he arched a brow in silent question. “We should perform the seal.” Minato said softly and his son nodded, placing a bookmark in the book and putting it away.

“Are you sure you have memorized everything?” Naruaki asked as they headed towards a spare room that was cleared for their purpose.

Minato nodded in response, holding up a bottle containing certain pills. “It got this from a healer, just incase I lose too much blood.” He remembered the large and complex design of the seal they were about to use.

Naruaki nodded in approval, removing his yukata as he stepped into the room, shrugging off the awkwardness of standing in front of his father in only his boxers.

Minato did not even glance at him as he set about the delicate task of drawing the runes. He slit the palm of his right hand and let the blood come to surface before he started to draw the runes on the floor. Slowly, a vast, spider-web like design started to unravel on the floor. The scent of blood irritated Minato and Naruaki’s noses as both pairs of blue eyes focused on the design.

Minato frowned, ignoring the stinging in his hand and looked at Naruaki. “Well, what do you think?”

The younger Namikaze studied the design intently, inwardly marveling at the near perfection of the runes. His father was no slouch; that was for sure. It had taken him mere hours to understand the entire seal. “It’s perfect.” Naruaki assured as he took his position.

The Yondaime nodded before kneeling down in front of Naruaki and drawing the remaining part of the seal on his body. He drew a circular seal on the top of each foot, and then on each knee, he stood and drew the same circular seal on Naruaki’s chest and then his forehead. Naruaki raised his hands so that Yondaime could draw the seal on the inside of his wrists and then he turned around so that he could draw the seals on his lower back and the back of his neck.

“I think that is it.” Naruaki murmured and Minato nodded, carefully making his way out of the web and standing the very edge of it. “Let us just hope that there are no adverse effects of this.”

Minato narrowed his eyes at Naruaki, “You take too many risks for my liking.”

Naruaki shrugged, “Comes with the job.”

The Hokage snorted before observing the seal for the last time, checking for imperfections. When he found none, he looked into Naruaki’s eyes for a moment before he started to channel chakra into the seal.

There was one terrifying moment when the seal didn’t even react to his prodding. He glanced at Naruaki in panic but the boy only raised a brow at him. He gritted his teeth, glaring down at the seal. Trust the brat to be so nonchalant about the situation. He wasn’t about to fail. He would not lose his son because he wasn’t able to perform one seal.

The seal reacted suddenly and the reaction brought Minato to his knees. He felt as though he was being searched thoroughly. He felt his very soul being evaluated. At that moment, he understood why Naruaki insisted that the seal was different from other seals.

Discarding the thought, he steadily directed his chakra through the seal, watching as the runes shifted and glowed before crawling over Naruaki’s body. He followed the movements of the runes, narrowing his eyes to understand the smallest changes. The runes that had been on the floor were now painted on Naruaki, connecting the small seals that Minato had already placed on his son.

It was fascinating. He could see Naruaki’s eyes glaze over and his chakra spilled out of control, flaring brightly. The seal glowed bright red, hissing ever so slightly as the runes shifted and adjusted.

Rather unceremoniously, the glowing stopped and Naruaki started to fall forward, his eyes closed. Minato cursed under his breath, rushing forward to catch his son before he could hit the ground.

He sat down, Naruaki’s head in his lap and studied the seals that were slowly disappearing. It was as though they were sinking into Naruaki’s body. Minato narrowed his eyes as Naruaki’s breath hitched for a moment before he settled down.

That was it.

He watched as the seal on Naruaki’s ankle snapped and melted away, leaving behind no trace of its existence. He breathed a sigh of relief as he checking the younger Namikaze.

He was suddenly in perfect health.

Minato shook his head in marvel before lifting Naruaki with a grunt. The boy had the slender teenage body but his height was nothing to scoff at and it made it difficult for Minato to carry him properly. He stalked towards Naruaki’s room, grumbling about tall, lanky, troublesome brats despite the fact that his lips were twitching in relief.

Being a Hokage had nothing on his new job. Being a father was a hundred times more difficult.

Especially if one of your children was a teenager with careless disregard for his own life.

“I did not expect it to be so soon.” Sousuke commented when Minato appeared before him, Naruaki appearing moments later, impassively scanning his surroundings. The younger Namikaze had managed to recover within a day and Minato was eager to get the matter of Naruaki’s ANBU placement resolved as soon as possible.

The young Hokage glanced at Naruaki, watching as those alert eyes landed on his friend. The youngest amongst the three gave no indication that he recognized the silver-haired ANBU and Minato frowned. Either Naruaki was a very good actor, or he really did not know Sousuke. That knowledge was troubling for Minato. While he had named Jiraiya as Naruto’s godfather, he knew that if something happened to him, Sousuke would take care of his child.

If Naruaki did not know of Sousuke, it meant that his friend had either gone missing or died in the future.

It troubled Minato more than he would ever admit. On Sandaime’s advice, he had decided that he would not question Naruaki but the temptation to do so was great. There was so many other factors that his son may not have considered that Minato knew to be important.

However, his predecessor had been correct. No one but Naruaki would know the consequences of his own actions and Yondaime was coming to trust his son’s opinion slowly.

“Naruaki.” Minato called for the younger Namikaze’s attention. “This is Nakagawa Sousuke. Currently, he is the General of the ANBU.” He introduced, watching as Naruaki looked at Sousuke in slight surprise before bowing in greeting.

“Sousuke, this is Namikaze Naruaki, as you well know.” The General nodded, observing Naruaki with assessing green eyes.

“Naruaki, I know that you must be aware that the missions I assigned you were simply to test your abilities?” Minato asked as Sousuke relaxed against a tree, observing Naruaki keenly. The younger Namikaze nodded, seeming a bit baffled. “I have decided that you are skilled enough to be an ANBU. However, while your performance in those missions told me a great deal about your skills as a Fuuin Jutsu expert and your ability for espionage and assassination, I am still unsure about your other skills.” Yondaime sighed at Naruaki’s frown. “Under normal circumstances, we know almost everything about an ANBU candidates skills from his instructors, family, mentors and team-mates. Therefore, their performance during test missions is enough to get them into the ANBU and we have enough information to place them in appropriate squads.”

He glanced at Sousuke, who nodded in response before looking back at his son. “You, on the other hand, is an unknown entity. I cannot possibly contact those who know you best to understand your skills and your level of competence. I do not know where to place you or how you would be of use to me in emergency situations.” At Naruaki’s nod of understanding, he smiled, “Since, you are such an unknown to me, I cannot bring myself to trust you much when it comes to very important missions and I know that frustrates you. Moreover, neither I nor Sousuke, here, can place you in an appropriate squad without knowing just what level you are at.”

Naruaki glanced between Yondaime and the General with narrowed eyes. “A spar?”

Sousuke inclined his head gracefully, “Yes, Naruaki-kun.” He looked at the youngest amongst them seriously, “We have decided that for us to trust your strength, we need to see it for ourselves.” He leaned forward, looking at Naruaki keenly, “You must realize that it is not only for the ANBU position that we wish to test you so thoroughly.” Naruaki raised a brow at that, “Your father is concerned, rightly so, about the task you have given yourself.” The General murmured in a low voice, “Both of us wish to help you in anyway we can but we must follow certain rules and norms that could possibly hinder your mission. I am told that you succeeded me as the ANBU General, isn’t that right?”

Naruaki nodded, “Yes.”

“Well, as the General, you come under the direct command of the Hokage but until you reach that stage, the council has access to you and that includes Danzo.” Sousuke narrowed his eyes in slight distaste. “Since your arrival is so suspicious and the fact that you are related to Minato is well known, you will be watched closely and that concerns us. You will not have much freedom to use your knowledge to the fullest.”

“I realize that.” Naruaki stated, slightly surprised by the fact that his father had trusted someone so much that he told him the truth about Naruaki’s situation.

He knew that Namikaze Minato did not trust easily.

“Good.” Sousuke nodded firmly, “Giving you too much power and authority right now is very risky and it will compromise Minato’s credibility. Therefore, we will be doing everything we can to bring you into an influential position without giving anyone a reason to suspect us of ulterior motives.” He gestured towards Yondaime with a frown, “As of now, your father is considered to be the most powerful shinobi in Konoha. He is well respected and has the admiration of the civilian and ninja population. Our goal is for you to develop a similar reputation. Once you have integrated yourself into the higher echelons of our power structure, you can carry out your plans with the freedom that you do not have now.” He looked at Naruaki with approval, “You have already started taking steps in the right direction. From what I have gathered, most consider you a subdued and a more silent version of your father. Moreover, taking Uchiha Itachi as an apprentice was a good move even if you had other reasons for it. This puts you in the good books with the Uchiha clan.”

“Which,” Naruaki pointed out dryly, “would possibly put me in the bad books with the Hyuuga clan.” Shaking his head a little and nodded, “I understand what you are trying to say, sir. I did not expect to have the same influence that I had before. What I have in mind would take years for subtle planning and actions.”

Sousuke tilted his head to the side and smirked faintly. “You are very interesting.” He glanced at Minato before looking back at Naruaki, “You definitely did not inherit your cunning and intelligence from this baka.” He stated, gesturing towards Yondaime.

“Oi!”

Naruaki chuckled, “Believe me, sir. This is not something I inherited but rather developed.”

“Don’t go ganging up on me.” Minato scowled at them, “You are supposed to defend me and be on my side!” he frowned at Naruaki, “I am your father.” He turned and narrowed his eyes on the General, “And I am your best friend!”

“That doesn’t make you any less stupid.” Sousuke commented dryly and Naruaki smirked.

“Are we going to spar or not?” Minato asked petulantly.

Naruaki’s hand immediately went to the hilt of the sword on his back when he noticed that Sousuke had a sword with him as well. He narrowed his eyes but Minato stopped him before the younger one could make any assumptions. “You will be fighting me. Sousuke is here just to observe.”

Naruaki stilled and looked at his father with a raised brow. He observed Minato keenly for a moment, his eyes narrowed and calculating before a slow smirk formed on his lips. “This will be interesting.”

Minato narrowed his eyes in response, his demeanor now serious and attentive.

“Let me tell you something.” Naruaki whispered as he settled into a stance, his hand still on the hilt of his sword, “Whatever you can do, I can as well. Rasengan…” he waved his hand dismissively, “I have known it since I was thirteen. Frog summon is the same though I am certain I cannot summon them anymore. However, as I was tied to them previously and they haven’t declared me an enemy, they cannot harm me.” He smirked at the startled look in the Hokage’s eyes, “And Hiraishin…” his smirk widened, “Is a piece of cake.”

Minato glanced at Sousuke, not surprised to see the General standing straight in attention at Naruaki’s confession. He looked back at his son, his eyes glowing even as his lips curled into a smirk at the challenge. “That is not all I know, boy… those are just a few things that I am famous for.” He pushed aside the feeling of pride that threatened to overwhelm him.

Rasengan at thirteen. How wonderful was that… his son was a little prodigy.

“Well,” Naruaki drawled, “You don’t know much about me, either.” He smirked, a sharp sound of his sword being drawn ringing in their ears.

Both father and son grinned before their forms blurred as they moved at impressive speeds.

Minato had come prepared for sparing against his sword-bearing son. He had been an ANBU at one point of time and all ANBU were trained to know the basics of KenJutsu.

It started out simple, as simple as it could be between two highly skilled opponents. Neither gave an inch. Naruaki’s stamina and strength coupled with that nearly blinding speed would have overwhelmed many but Minato reacted instinctively and easily.

Naruaki would need much more than that to make him sweat.

The younger blonde stilled for a moment, looking at Minato with glowing blue eyes before he stood straight. “I guess you are serious.” He whispered before all emotions and life faded from his face.

Slowly and gracefully, he slipped into a stance, his eyes narrowed and calculating. The changed the grip he had on his sword before taking a small step forward.

Then he disappeared.

‘Wonderful.’ Minato thought to himself, reacting just in time to catch Naruaki’s sword with his own. ‘This is clearly on par with young Hayate. If not more skilled.’ He analyzed as Naruaki kept him on the defensive. Minato smirked and somersaulted the moment Naruaki dropped to the ground, his sword a white blur as it moved to damage Yondaime’s legs.

Naruaki raised a brow, impressed by the fast reaction. The last stunt was a gamble and it failed; now he was the one who had to defend.

His father was no slouch.

The loud noises of steel meeting steel rang throughout the training ground. It was clear that it was a stalemate. Naruaki, even though he used the sword was no KenJutsu master. Sousuke could see that he needed more polish. His technique was effective against amateurs and people like Yondaime who were marginally skilled with the sword but masters of KenJutsu would defeat him, it would take effort and concentration on their part but they would defeat him.

“Let’s test this, shall we?” Minato murmured as removed a scroll from his kunai pouch. Naruaki’s eyes narrowed as he spied the kanji before he hissed and bit his thumb, tapping his bloody fingers against a couple of invisible seals on his body.

Immediately, his body started to feel lighter, more agile.

Just in time since the entire clearing was now littered with familiar looking kunai. Naruaki felt his lips twitch. He could use Hiraishin too but it would defeat the purpose of the whole battle. His father needed to know just how skilled he was and it was not going to happen if they kept dancing about.

His father’s signature technique was amazing to watch. It wasn’t the same to perform it and witness it. This was his father’s greatest achievement and it was breathtaking to watch him perform it.

Naruaki, of course, reacted instinctively. His body far too accustomed to spars at such high levels of speed. However, he was well aware that the speed of Hiraishin increased as time passed.

True enough. Soon, his father’s technique was surpassing Naruaki’s natural, hard-earned speed. Despite, the imminent defeat that the younger Namikaze could already see in the future, he was enjoying himself.

He smirked, a taunting, sinister light entering his eyes. As he tried to keep up with the constant yellow flashes and the blurring steel, the fingers of his unoccupied hand started twitching. Naruaki had more tricks up his sleeve than just Fuuin Jutsu and KenJutsu.

“Katon: Tsunami no Jutsu.”

There was a loud roar of flames and Minato swore an oath, tossing a tri-pronged kunai into the sky and moving quickly off the ground. Fire swept throughout the clearing like a giant, destructive wave, extinguishing everything in its path.

The smirk on Naruaki’s lips widened sinisterly as he vanished from his spot, his sword meeting Yondaime’s again as the Hokage somewhat unsteadily defended himself. Blue eyes met blue.

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.” He whispered, this time using no seals and a large number of clones appeared, all of them concentrating on Yondaime as the real Naruaki landed on the charred ground, looking at the burnt Hiraishin kunai with distinct pleasure. There were no seals on them now.

His father’s famed technique had just been thwarted.

Naruaki heard a faint chuckle from the General but he ignored it in the favor of concentrating on his father. Yondaime had disposed off all his clones with ridiculous ease and was now looking down at him, those sharp blue eyes were calculating.

This was a war veteran.

Naruaki shifted his stance.

‘Well, so am I.’ he thought to himself. He watched his father sheath his sword and toss it at the General and understood that they were taking the battle to a higher level.

Naruaki put his sword away with lot more reverence than his father did, sealing it inside a scroll instead of giving his treasure to the General. He bounced on his heals a little, the weight seals on his body had faded away completely at last.

His body was naturally more agile and swift when the weight seals were off. He had designed his seals in such a way that the weight was released slowly, over time. That prevented him from losing command over his body. It prevented him from over-compensating or being stiff.

That was a good thing because his father attacked immediately.

His father’s TaiJutsu was definitely superior to his own. Graceful and precise in ways Naruaki’s never was. What Naruaki lacked in refinement, he made up in experience and sheer unpredictability.

Minato was surprised by Naruaki’s skillful use of clones. There were so many of them, all of them concentrated on attacking and overwhelming him. He had started the spar with the intention of learning more about Naruaki’s skills but he was learning much about himself as well. He realized that he had come to rely on his prized Hiraishin jutsu a bit too much. Battling Naruaki’s clones was like battling against multiple opponents and it seemed as though he had come to rely on Hiraishin solely when it came to battling against multiple opponents.

‘Such mastery over such a mundane jutsu.’ Minato thought as he concentrated on disabling the clones as well as being on the lookout for the real Naruaki. ‘The clones fight as though they are individuals, each with their own tactics and jutsu.’ He observed, ‘I cannot imagine how much he must have worked with them to develop such a complex style of combat.’

“Rasengan!” Minato dodged as soon as he heard the word, watching with pride as his son performed the technique to perfection. It was such intense pleasure to see the young man following his footsteps. He would have loved to think that Naruaki had inherited everything from him. From his looks, to his smiles and his skills but he could not discount Kushina’s contribution.

The more time Minato spent with his son, the more he saw Kushina in him. The unpredictability of his attacks, the wild and overwhelming techniques that he used, the calculation and imagination behind every move was so reminiscent of Kushina’s style that Minato suffered a moment of nostalgia over it.

NinJutsu was something that Minato was most concerned about. Naruaki had confessed that he did not know if he had retained his proficiency for NinJutsu after Kyuubi was removed. He wasn’t aware of his chakra capacity and how long he could last in a NinJutsu battle.

He gathered his chakra and took a deep breath.

“Katon: Karyuu Endan!”

Naruaki dogged, his fingers already forming seals, “Futon: Kazekiri no Jutsu!” (Wind Cutter). A large blade of wind was formed, slicing through the fire technique easily and Naruaki quickly followed its path, “Futon: Rasengan.” He whispered, the miniature and less deadly version of Rasenshuriken forming on the palm of his hand. He had perfected this technique after he mastered Rasenshuriken when it realized that he could use that as an offensive but less chakra consuming jutsu.

Minato barely dodged, small blades of wind leaving behind cuts on his arm and shoulder. He skidded into a stop a small distance away from Naruaki, examining his bleeding arm. Naruaki had purposefully avoided hitting his father with the deadly technique, as his aim had only been to incapacitate.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at his son. That had just been a glancing blow and left enough damage cut through his clothes and leave behind deep scratches. Head on, that attack would have been deadly.

His couldn’t get his head around the fact that his son had improved upon the Rasengan. He started fighting in earnest, wanting to push Naruaki to his limits, wanting to see just how strong his son was.

His efforts were rewarded. Naruaki was breathtaking. His fingers seemed to only twitch and several Kage Bunshin would appear in the clearing, distracting him. He primarily used Futon jutsu, devastating in their power and precision. Naruaki’s level of mastery of his elemental chakra impressed Minato. For a young boy of eighteen to be able to achieve such perfection in Futon jutsu was quite amazing.

“Raiton: Rairyuu No Tatsumaki.” The lightning element was strong against Wind. Minato watched as his dragon roared towards Naruaki, who scowled.

What happened next blew him away.

“Futon: Rasenshuriken!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sousuke stand up straight. His eyes were wide as he observed at flying shuriken-like jutsu completely obliterate the dragon as though it was nothing. The powerful technique expanded in mid-air, slicing through the dragon before moving on, not even losing an ounce of its power, destroying several trees and rocks before it dissipated.

He looked at Naruaki, stunned while yellow eyes stared back at him. His son seemed to be sweating and exhausted but not tired enough to give up the fight.

Naruaki narrowed his eyes and launched himself at Minato. The Hokage reacted immediately, withholding a wince when he realized that even Naruaki’s glancing blows seemed to do some amount of damage.

They moved in a blur, at speeds that not even most Jounin could accomplish. It was finally down to the least fancy of all ninja arts. A spar based on pure, instinctual TaiJutsu. Both of them got lost in the mindless rhythm of exchanging blows. Their hands moved without a single thought, his bodies shifting from one stance to another based simply on muscle-memory developed through years of training.

Naruaki could see the ache of stress slowly develop in his body. He could feel the sweat rolling down his heated back, he was aware of the small drop of blood moving down the side of his face from the cut on his temple. It was impossible not to feel pressured or impressed by his father. No matter what he tried, that man didn’t budge. He gave back just as good as he got.

He could feel himself slipping out of the Sage mode slowly and knew that his loss was eminent. However, judging by the proud gleam in his father’s eyes, Naruaki knew that Minato wasn’t disappointed in him.

He let out a startled gasp when Minato’s fist landed heavily on his stomach, causing him to slam against the ground painfully. He winced, coughing as his father landing on top of him, pinning him with a kunai pressed against his neck.

He had lost.

Naruaki took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at the Hokage, watching as those calculating blue eyes softened. “Well done.” Minato whispered, moving his kunai away and reaching forward to comb his fingers through Naruaki’s hair affectionately, “Very well done.”

Naruaki chuckled and let his head fall back, gazing at the sky, his eyes glittering in immense satisfaction. “That was brilliant.” He whispered hoarsely, “Man dad…” he said in a rare moment of candidness, “You are awesome.”

Minato smiled before pulling him to his feet, those worried eyes examining his wounds. “So, Sousuke,” he glanced at his best friend with a raised brow, “What do you think of Naruaki?”

Calculating green eyes looked at the younger Namikaze for a long moment before the General smirked, “After that performance, I do not think I am going to let anyone else get their hands on him.” He narrowed his eyes at Naruaki, “Welcome to the ANBU forces, Naruaki-kun. You will be placed in Unit 4 whose captain is scheduled to retire in three months. You will be under his guidance for the duration of those three months before you take over his position.” He handed Minato’s sword back to him, “From this moment on, you will also be my apprentice. I have analyzed your strengths and weaknesses and believe that I can take your skills a step further… especially with it comes to KenJutsu.”

Naruaki nodded, stretching his sore muscles with a sigh. ‘I am going to feel this keenly tomorrow.’ He thought to himself, gingerly placing a hand on his bruised stomach.

Sousuke knelt before him and started healing his wounds with a small, amused smirk on his face. “Taking you to the hospital would be unwise. The healers will have your father’s head this. In their opinion, you should have rested longer.” Naruaki watched as the General’s glowing hands hovered over his injuries and thought back on those days when his wounds would heal without a single thought on his part.

He missed that and yet found himself cherishing the fact that he was finally normal. He could get hurt just like everyone else, he needed a healer to heal his wounds, just like everyone else, and he did not have a limitless supply of chakra, just like everyone else.

He was certain that there would be many disadvantages. He was already feeling the hint of weakness that he never felt before, seeing that even the smallest cuts needed to be tended to. He didn’t feel as invulnerable as he did before but Kyuubi’s presence had been more of a curse than a blessing and he felt that such sacrifices were worth it in the end.

Naruto would come to see Kyuubi as only a blessing. He would never have to face the prejudice of the villagers; he would not have to face the pain of being a Jinchuuriki. He would never come to regret the day Kyuubi was sealed in him.

Naruaki, however, had deep-seated wounds that would probably never heal. He had faced too much pain because of the Kyuubi and did not regret its absence at all.

He was distracted from his thoughts when Sousuke moved to heal Minato. “It has been a while since anyone has been able to reduce you to such a state, Minato.”

The Hokage raised a brow, “Anyone but you, you mean?”

Green eyes looked up at him, amused, “Come now, Hokage-sama, you give me too much credit.”

“Hn.” Minato scoffed before glancing at Naruaki, “You okay?”

Naruaki arched a brow at him, his eyes once again impassive. He gave his father a short nod before combing his fingers through his long hair, bringing the tresses into order. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tied his hair before walking away. “If that is all, I have a book waiting to be read.”

Minato rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath as he followed Naruaki out of the training grounds along with Sousuke. “I don’t get what is so fascinating about that book.” Sousuke smirked at him but before he could open his mouth, Minato glared, “If you’re about to sprout some lame joke about me not being able to read or being stupid, save it.” Sousuke chuckled while Naruaki shot him a smirk from over his shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sousuke, “Why is it that you and my son are so alike?” he scowled, “You weren’t getting frisky with my wife behind my back, were you?”

Naruaki choked while Sousuke stumbled in shock, looking at Minato with wide eyes. “What did you say?” the General asked incredulously while Naruaki looked at him in surprise.

Minato simply grinned smugly, congratulating himself for catching both his son and his friend off-guard. Silently, he sent Kushina an apology.

Naruaki observed his father for a while before shaking his head in disbelief. He met the General’s amused green eyes and raised a brow, “Is it always like that between the two of you?”

Sousuke inclined his head with a small smirk, “Well, we have been friends all our life. That didn’t change when we got into separate Gennin teams or when he become the Hokage. I teased him relentlessly then, I do so now.”

Minato scoffed, “As we grew older, I learned to give back just as good as I got. So whenever the both of us meet, we make it a point to annoy the hell out of each other.”

Naruaki looked at them in amusement before letting his eyes roam around the Jounin lounge that they had just entered. He paused when spotted the familiar white hair of Jiraiya only to freeze in shock. “What the Hell?” he whispered to himself, horrified.

Minato and Sousuke paused, looking at him with question. He gestured towards the man standing beside Jiraiya, his face paling in disbelief, “Is that who I think he is?” he asked, his fingers twitching towards the hilt of his sword.

Sousuke glanced at the man and raised a brow, “Orochimaru-sama?” he looked at Naruaki in confusion, “He is one of the Sannin, your godfather’s best friend. Surely you know of him?”

Naruaki’s eyes narrowed, his lips thinning in displeasure. He had not counted on Orochimaru’s presence in Konoha. After dealing with the likes of Pein and Madara, Orochimaru seemed like a little worm in comparison, however, he was well aware of the danger the Snake Sannin posed. Honestly, he had never even considered Orochimaru when he was asked by Kyuubi to travel back in time. To see him so unexpectedly was a shock.

Minato recognized that something was wrong and quietly steered Naruaki out of the lounge. Sousuke followed them after glancing at Orochimaru suspiciously.

Naruaki bit his lip, combing his fingers through his hair as he struggled to recollect everything that he could about Orochimaru’s history in Konoha. He knew pitifully little about the traitor. He had been too young for either Jiraiya or Sandaime to share any information about Orochimaru and when he was older, the bastard had ceased to be his concern, thanks to Sasuke.

He needed to thread carefully. His first instinct had been to run his sword through that slimy pedophile but his actions could do more harm than good. He needed to think this through.

“Naruaki…” Minato whispered softly, “Is something the matter? Is there something about Orochimaru-san that we should know?”

The younger Namikaze looked at his father in considering manner. Finally, he seemed to have come to a decision. “You are not going to like this.”

Minato frowned. “It does not matter, Naruaki-kun, whether he likes it or not.” Sousuke said before Minato could reply, “Obviously, you had not expected Orochimaru-sama’s presence here and your reaction was negative.”

Minato nodded, “Sousuke is correct, Naruaki. This seems like a sensitive matter.” He glanced at the General, “We should take this to my office.”

The younger Namikaze nodded and kept his silence as they headed towards Yondaime’s office. His thoughts were muddled as he tried to recall as much as he could about Orochimaru’s transgressions. He was unsure whether his father would believe him or not.

Once they settled into the office, Minato looked at him, silently asking him to explain. Naruaki sighed, closing his eyes thoughtfully. “You are correct in assuming that I had not expected Orochimaru to be here. By here, I mean Konoha.” Minato stilled, narrowing his eyes at Naruaki when the implication of his statement registered. “With this one, I will need your help.” He looked at Minato with a frown, “I don’t know much about the man’s past nor do I know if he is redeemable or if he has already conducted those vile human experiments that he so loves to do.”

“Human experiments?” Yondaime asked, his brow arching in shock, “You don’t mean…”

Naruaki swore under his breath, trying to piece together fragments of information. “Look, Orochimaru was a great problem when I just became a Gennin… he caused a lot of pain…” he grimaced when he recalled Sasuke’s treachery and Sandaime’s death, “From age twelve to fifteen, he was our primary goal but when I come to think of it… I never bothered as much with him as our other enemies. I was so focused on getting my best friend out of his clutches that most of the time, I didn’t bother to look into that man’s past.” He sighed, “Frankly speaking, compared to the others that I have faced, Orochimaru was child’s play. He was sick and vile but…”

“Naruaki… what are you saying? Are you implying that Orochimaru became a missing nin?” Minato asked in disbelief.

Naruaki nodded solemnly, “Yes. I don’t know what exactly happened and when it happened. All I know that Sandaime-sama caught him conducting some experiments on human subjects… sometimes children… and he wasn’t exactly pleased with the fact that you became the Yondaime instead of him.”

Naruaki leaned forward, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “Geez, I can’t believe that just slipped my mind.”

“Naruaki-kun, how much can you tell us about Orochimaru and his defection?” Sousuke asked, leaning forward. He could see that Naruaki was irritated with himself. Angry that he could forget something so vital and the General wanted to reassure him that no one expected him to save everyone and right every wrong. The knowledge of the future was a burden and obviously, Naruaki could not just snap his fingers and set everything all right.

“I cannot tell you much about how and when Orochimaru defected but I can tell you what he did after the defection. The rest, I leave it up to you. Just consult me before you take any action.” He ran his fingers through his hair in visible frustration, “Man, that bastard has a hand in everything. I need to think. I need to understand just how much his actions affected everything else… weigh the pros and cons… damn it!”

“Hey now.” Minato whispered softly, coming to kneel before Naruaki to look into those clouded blue eyes, “Calm down, alright? Tell us everything and we will decide what to do together. Obviously, you feel that disposing him off now is not a wise decision. You must have some reason for that. Don’t worry much, we will resolve the issue.”

Naruaki observed him for a moment before nodding in agreement, visibly calming down.

Sousuke leaned back, glad that Minato was able to placate Naruaki before gaining their attention, “Start from the very beginning Naruaki-kun… don’t skip even the smallest detail.”