October Tenth.

Naruto Naruto was brought into the world, kicking and screaming. He was the spitting image of his father.

Only half an hour afterwards, the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him by the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. Minato Namikaze.

The Fourth wobbled on his feet as the Hakke Fuuin was complete and the Shinigami drained him of his very existence. His eyes landed on the peaceful form of his son and he gave his best apologetic smile.

"I apologize... Naruto. I... always wondered if the Hokage hated me... now I understand. We are the same." With that cryptic statement, the Yellow Flash collapsed. His smile was the last expression he wore as the Shinigami finished claiming his soul.

XxX

Naruto Uzumaki grew up hated by the rest of the Leaf without knowing the reason why. He heard the spiteful comments aimed in his direction or the felt the occasional glare when he wasn't looking and they hurt. Hating the feeling of being shoved aside and forgotten, he turned to pranking others in order to gain recognition.

Then he graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Prior to achieving this, Mizuki Touji revealed the reason why he was shunned by the people of Konoha. He learned the reason why the civilians believed he was some kind of monster in disguise.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was inside of him. Naruto Uzumaki was a container, a living sacrifice, a Jinchuuriki.

XxX

Team Seven.

Team Kakashi.

These were the names of his squad of Genin. His teacher, Kakashi Hatake, was habitually late for everything and had an unhealthy addiction to porn. His teammates were Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. The former was the Rookie of the Year. The later was his crush of several years now.

It was understandable to assume that they had trouble at first, but they survived. Wave Country, a situation that was so far above their heads, had pulled them closer together than ever before.

XxX

They had been in Konoha for a little while when Kakashi decided to nominate them for the Chuunin Selection Exams. Being the young and impatient children that they were, Team Seven had agreed to take part in it. When they entered the pre-exam room, they realized that they were still rookies compared to most of the other Genin in the room.

The proctor's name was Ibiki Morion. One hour, and the first exam was over. Naruto passed only because of his determination to not fail.

There was a survival test. A man wearing a Kusa Genin's face attacked Team Kakashi. Sasuke was branded with a strange mark with three tomoe in a triangular fashion. Exhausted, and helped along by a fellow Konoha Genin by the name of Kabuto Yakushi, the team barely made it through to the third and final round. However, there were too many people left and preliminaries were held.

Naruto fought Kiba Inuzuka. A combination of good luck and creative thinking enabled him to pass.

XxX

Naruto was happy - he had passed the preliminaries and was going onto the final stage of the Chuunin Exams, which was to be held in front of a large audience with civilian and shinobi alike looking on. He had asked Kakashi for training but he was denied in favor of Sasuke.

The bitter feeling of betrayal slowly passed.

He was passed onto the tutelage of Ebisu Ashiya, someone whom m Naruto believed he could already defeat. Contemptuous, he sneered at the man. However, the Tokubetsu Jounin proved that he was worthy of the title and surprised him. He agreed to let Ebisu Ashiya teach him.

XxX

The man taught him chakra control in the form of walking on water.

He was interrupted halfway through with the appearence of an apparent pervert.

Angry at the loss of his teacher, Naruto demanded training from the white-haired man. He introduced himself as Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Toad Sage taught him the art of summoning.

One Gamabunta later and Naruto was finally starting to feel a little momentum on his side.

XxX

Naruto defeated Neji Hyuuga, the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and the previous Rookie of the Year.

It was to be expected. He had sworn an oath to defeat him and Naruto never broke a promise.

Sasuke arrived late. His match was delayed until the end of the first round of the tournament. His opponent was Gaara of the Desert.

A short while after the match started, chaos broke loose.

Suna-nin and Oto-nin invaded the Hidden Leaf together as one force. Naruto, along with Shikamaru, Sakura, and Shino were instructed to - go on their second A-ranked mission - follow Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara and his siblings.

Naruto made it there only to see Sasuke writing in agony, clutching something on the left side of his neck, and Sakura Haruno pinned to a tree with a slowly tightening arm of sand.

Gamabunta was summoned. Gaara transformed into Shukaku. Soon the fight was over with many of the trees scattered and the Suna boy laying on the ground, defenseless. His siblings appeared and the three fled.

And Naruto stayed long behind, staring in the direction the redhead had gone. He had finally found a fellow Jinchuuriki.

XxX

He mourned the death of the Sandaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi's death in his somber black attire.

XxX

Sasuke Uchiha deserted soon afterwards. Naruto vowed to bring him back. Operation Retrieve Sasuke began under the direction of newly promoted Chuunin; Shiksmaru Nara.

They failed.

It wasn't that they couldn't defeat the Sound Four. It was because of Naruto's personal failure when he attempted to bring Sasuke Uchiha back.

The Curse Seal of Heaven was too powerful.

He left on a three year training trip with Jiraiya.

XxX

When Naruto returned, much had happened. Immediately he was sent on a mission to help the Godaime Kazekage. Akatsuki had started to mobilize and by the time his team reached their headquarters... Gaara was dead. Shukaku was extracted.

Chiyo, the very same woman that had sealed the Ichibi into Gaara, used a life restoring technique. Gaara was ressurrected at the cost of her life.

XxX

Naruto returned to the Leaf with a bright smile. This feeling wouldn't last for long.

Over the course of the next nine months, more had happened than in the last four.

Sarutobi Asuma had taught him Elemental Manipulation. Hatake Kakashi and Yamato of the Wood Release taught him to combine Elemental Manipulation and Shape Manipulation in order to perfect the Rasengan. The Rasenshuriken was created.

Following the demise of Jiraiya of the Sannin, Naruto left in the company of the Toad Sage Fukasaku for Mount Myoboku. He was instructed in the ways of Natural Energy and granted the title of Toad Sage upon the completion of his training.

Naruto Uzumaki defeated Pain upon his arrival and instigated the revival of everyone in Konohagakure no Sato.

Then the Fourth Shinobi World War started.

Madara Uchiha or Obito Uchiha later succeeded in capturing a portion of the Hachibi and Kyuubi, respectively. With the mediocre amount that he had stolen, he was able to revive the Progenitor of the Bijuu. It was the Juubi. Once known as the Shinju or God Tree.

The Allied Shinobi Forces fought with everything that they had. Uzumaki Naruto finished the fighting by defeating Madara Uchiha alongside Obito Uchiha and pulling the Bijuu out of him and restoring them.

Following the conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto began his studies in Fuuinjutsu.

XxX

"Naruto-kun?" Kakashi's voice knocked him out of his slumber.

"What?" The sleepy mumble from the pallet was the only noise that came from Naruto. The two were in a small clearing behind the Hokage Monument, experimenting on the Hiraishin.

Kakashi chuckled fondly and used a Water Release technique on Naruto, causing him to splutter and immediately exit his pallet with a speed that rivaled Rock Lee. As he dried himself, Kakashi reached into one of the pockets of his flak jacket and brought out an odd looking three pronged kunai with kanji written on the handle.

"What's that?" Naruto asked, barely taking a look at the kunai as he stretched and grabbed an empty scroll from his utility pouch.

"This," Kakashi said, "is what Minato-sensei used as the marker for the Flying Thunder God technique."

At this, Naruto snatched the kunai out of his hands and immediately started turning it over and examining it. "The seal array... they're identical," he mumbled as he jotted something down on his scroll. He continued to speak to himself for a while until Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Well..." he announced, "It seems like you're quite busy over there. I'll see you later!" The silver-haired Jounin gave his patented smile as he stood. Naruto, far too engrossed in the intricacies of the kunai, waved a flippant hand at him.

"Yeah, yeah, Kakashi-sensei," the demon container murmured, not looking up and seeing Kakashi's mock hurt at being brushed off so easily. "See you later."

Kakashi sulked for a moment before leaping away, his faux-dark mood lifting as he imagined rereading some of the passages of Icha Icha Tactics.

XxX

Naruto sat back on his heels, bored. After an hour of examining and experimenting with the Hiraishin kunai, he thought he nearly had the technique down. He glanced at the near-midday sun and back at the scroll he had hastily scribbled the kunai's original seal array on.

Picking up his ink brush, Naruto dipped it in the portable ink container located at the head of the scroll ( given to him courtesy of Sai) and looked at the arrangement again, before shrugging and doodling random seals on the scroll, figuring that he wouldn't really have a use for the written down seal arrangement again.

The not quite eighteen year old boy sighed as he looked longingly at the three pronged kunai, slipping a finger through the hole at the end and letting it danle, unknowingly copying a pose form the Fourth himself. Kakashi had expressly forbidden him from trying out the Hiraishin technique without him being present... but in all honesty, one try couldn't hurt, right?

Naruto stood up slowly, the slightly stunted grass tickling the bare soles of his feet as he absentmindedly twirled the kunai around his finger. He calculated the amount of chakra he would have to push into the technique and, without thinking, abruptly halted movement and brought the kunai into a guard position - or tried to.

"Damn it!"

He cursed as blood trickled down his finger from the shadllow cut he had accidentally made with his kunai. He had forgotten that the Hiraishin kunai was longer - and much different in shape - compared to the standard ones.

Naruto looked around the area once more before selecting a tree to throw the kunai at. He twisted, preparing to shoot his chakra out, but stopped a second before going through with the technique.

'I should probably practice throwing the damn thing before even trying," Naruto thought ruefully, snapping his arm back and hurling it at the tree.

XxX

Kakashi looked up from his perch on a tree above the Memorial Stone, a stray breeze moving through the area. He frowned momentarily as he eyed the position of the sun in the sky, questioning how he had allowed time to pass him by.

'I should probably check on Naruto to see how he's progressing.'

XxX

Tsunade Senju was in the middle of reading a mission debriefing that was written by Kurenai Yuuhi when Shizune Katou rushed in, not even bothering to stop and knock.

"Look, Lady Tsunade!" the raven gasped, thrusting a newspaper in her face. Tsunade snatched the newspaper out of the other medic-nin's hands and furiously skimmed through.

'Damn...' she cursed as her eyes took in the gambling section.

There on the paper, Tsunade Senju had won the grand lottery prize.

Tsunade raced to the window facing the Hokage Monument as a huge shockwave blased through the entire settlement.

'Earthquake?' she thought, before discarding the idea. 'No, couldn't be. The source is from the top of the Hokage Monument.' She turned around again, before...

The Fifth blinked stupidly for a second before whipping around as another blast shook the Hokage Tower.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed, already jumping out of the window, chakra grasping onto the walls. "He's on top of the Monument!"

XxX

"What in the Leaf was that?" Kakashi mumbled as the first jolt caused the ground beneath him to quiver. He took on look at the Hokage Monument before setting off at a dead run for where he knew Naruto was located.

XxX

"Hiraishin!"

Naruto flung the sealed kunai at the tree, concentrating on the thin line of chakra that connected him and the weapon, smiling in satisfaction as he felt the slight tug... only to look in horr as some kind of swirling vortex of light swallowed him, making him see black spots in his vision. Through the light, he could dimly make out the seals on the scroll he had experimented, and a small splatter of blood on it. His eyes widened in realization.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed as blood trickled down his finger from the shallow cut he had accidently made with his kunai.

The seal flashed a violent yellow and Naruto groaned, clapping his hands over his eyes as the supernova threatened to blind him.

"What are you doing, Naruto?!" Kurama roared as his container twisted and collapsed in agony. A low keening aound started, quickly rising in pitch and volume until it was a vicious high pitched whine that felt like it could puncture the blond's ears.

"S... Seal," Naruto choked out as Tsunade landed at the edge of the churning vortex. " Granny Tsunade!"

"Naruto-kun!" she cried out in helpless dismay as the intense brightness all but engulfed her surrogate brother. Next to her, Kakashi climbed the last few steps of the Hokage Monument and hurried to her side.

"I see..." the Kyuubi stated, sounding almost... nostalgic. "Now I understand what Minato-baka meant when he sealed me..."

"What?" Naruto gasped as the current around him increased. The air felt alive with electricity. A wave of nausea overtook him and he retched, involuntarily opening his eyes and flinching back in pain. There was nothing but the piercing yellow light.

"There is nothing you can do to stop this," Kurama remarked, the sadness in his voice almost palpable. "Good luck, Naruto. The future won't know what hit them... or the past, should I say?"

'What are you talking about, Kurama?' Naruto yelped as his chakra spiraled out of his control and mized with the already virulent, painful light.

"I apologize... Naruto-kun. I... always wondered..."

"Hiraishin!"

"Don't worry-"

"-chan. I promise!"

"Granny! Kakashi-sensei!"

And with that, Naruto vanished from the world in a yellow storm of chakra and light.

XxX

"... appears that..."

"... awaken-"

"-Doctor... send..."

"Send for a bloody Medic!" a voice demanded. There was a brief silence, punctured by the soft pitter-patter of running feet. Naruto grunted as the noise seemed to aomplify itself by a hundredfold. Slowly opening his eyes and half expecting to be blinded by the golden light, Naruto became aware that he was laying in a hospital bed. Left to stare at the ceiling of the immaculate and sterile hospital room. Naruto groaned and closed his eyes once more.

"Ah, you're awake," a calm male voice interrupted his moment of blissful silence.

"Whhoareyoo?" the Jonin slurred, head pounding as he feebly tried to lift himself up off the bed. "Where am I?" The male's hand gently pushed him back down.

"Relax, would you?" the man chuckled softly.

"My name is Tetsuya Yakushi. You are in Konoha Hospital."

'Yakushi?' Naruto thought, his half-asleep mind churning the information over furiously. After a few seconds, the realization hit him. 'Kabuto?'

Naruto snapped his eyes open and stared at the newly revealed brunette at the foot of the bed. He appeared to be in his mid- to late twenties.

Tetsuya tied the clipboard he was holding onto a piece of string on the bedframe. Then he walked over and extended a glowing green hand across Naruto's chest.

"I'm running a diagnostic," the medic-nin explained. "You appear to be clean now. But in the next few hours, you'll have a rather large bruise on your head."

Naruto blinked a few times. There was something wrong about all of this.

"Um... Tetsuya-san," the Jinchuuriki began. His voice was raspy from disuse. "How did I get here?" In the recesses of his mind, he questioned the obvious.

Had Tsunade and Kakashi taken him here after the accident?

Tetsuya raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "You don't remember?" he asked, then shook his head as he realized something. "I guess that isn't really a surprise. You did give yourself a concussion, after all. The Chuunin in charge of your class brought you in. He said that you had slipped in the hallway and smacked your head on the floor."

The man glanced at his watch.

"Look. I apologize but I can't stay here for much longer. The Third is expecting me in a few minutes." He began to turn around.

Naruto's eyes widened. The Sandaime? "Wait!"

"What do you mean the Thi-"

"Tetsuya-san!"

Tetsuya turned back to Naruto with a pleading expression on his face. "I've got to run. I promise I'll talk to you later!" the young man turned back around and opened the door. "I am on the way, Tsuke-san!"

The door slammed shut.

Naruto tore off the sheets and jumped out of the bed, grimacing slightly at his hospital gown and the feel of the cold tiles underneath his bare feet. He hurried to the window and stared at the faces of the three Hokage on the side of the Monument.

Three.

Hold on.

Three?

The Jinchuuriki rubbed his eyes and stared at the unmarked face of the Sandaime. He slowly arranged his hands in the seal for Ram.

"Kai!"

Nothing.

'What... what is going on?' Naruto thought. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he felt like he couldn't get a breath in. 'Is this the result of that stupid seal I made?'

The door opened and a nurse stepped into the room.

"What are you doing out of bed, young man?" she questioned, pointing back at the bed with a stern finger. "Get back in there at once!"

By the Sage was she tall, Naruto thought dumbly. Or was he just shorter? However, he disregarded that thought as he frantically tried to come up with some kind of excuse to save himself.

"I... just needed to use the bathroom," Naruto replied lamely, looking as pathetic as possible.

"Oh! That's okay then," the woman said brightly, any suspicion clearing from her face. "I'll show you the way."

XxX

When he looked in the mirror, Naruto got one of the biggest shocks in his entire life. He blinked at the mirror stupidly.

The face of an unfamiliar child blinked back.

This child had spiky blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. In fact, he looked almost exactly like what Naruto looked like when he was just a child. Except this one had a slightly more narrow jawline and more defined cheekbones.

Well.

For a child.

It was like a distorted reflection of his younger self.

However, the face that stared back at Naruto didn't have the patented whisker marks. This boy couldn't be him, the Jinchuuriki decided. He looked far too much like the boy in the picture that Jiraiya had shown him of his old students...

His eyes widened as his mind slowly connected the dots.

No.

Hell.

No.

There was no way!

Naruto snapped back into the present as the nurse knocked on the door outside.

"Are you finished in there?" she questioned, her voice tinged with impatience.

"... yeah," Naruto replied. There was only one way to find out for sure.

In his room, Naruto turned around to face the nurse.

"Um... do you know my name?" he asked, wringing his hands together nervously. The lady looked at him in surprise.

"You can't remember?" she asked, looked visibly surprised. "You must have hit your head pretty hard."

"Do you know?" Naruto prodded further.

The nurse gestured toward the clipboard at the foot of his bed.

"The Chuunin that dropped you off told us your name. He said your name was Namikaze Minato," she revealed. "It's my lunch break now, Minato-kun. I should go now."

She left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Naruto rushed to the clipboard in a frenzy.

Name; Minato Namikaze.

Date of Birth; January Twenty-Fifth.

Age; Eight.

Blood Type; B.