As the fierce Kyubi pierced his claws through the body of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage held a faint smile on his face, a smile that did not fade even as life slowly ebbed from his body. His eyes, full of love and devotion, gazed at the two fruits of his love with Kushina, his beloved wife.
Just a few inches from him, two small babies lay wrapped in blankets. The sound of blood droplets falling from his dying body echoed on the ground next to them, a sad reminder of his sacrifice. One of the babies had blonde hair, just like him; the other, a pure red, a clear sign he had inherited his mother's genes, the powerful Uzumaki clan.
"Naruto... and Satoru..." Minato murmured, his voice soft and almost inaudible, as his eyes filled with tenderness at the mention of his children's names.
Around him, the agonizing and hate-filled growls of the Kyubi reverberated like a distant echo, trying to break his spirit, to torment him in his final moments. But Minato, even in his weakness, clung to the peace he felt being close to his children. He would not let himself be broken.
As the Reaper's Seal began consuming his soul, Minato realized he had forgotten something important: he had never told Hiruzen the name of his second son, Satoru. With what little strength he had left, Minato brought a trembling hand, still gripping the Kyubi's claw, toward one of his torn pockets. Among his tattered jonin uniform, he desperately searched for a piece of paper.
Fate seemed to pity him, allowing him to find the paper, already worn and stained from battle. With the blood still flowing from his wounds, he wrote with great effort the names "Naruto" and "Satoru." As the paper fell next to his body, his arm finally gave in, unable to hold it any longer.
His vision began to blur. Minato struggled to keep his eyes open for a moment longer, just to see his children one last time. He saw Kushina, his faithful companion, give in to exhaustion and slowly close her eyes. He didn't want to leave without watching his children for as long as possible.
A cold wind stirred his hair as he felt his consciousness fading. Just before surrendering, something extraordinary caught his eye and took his breath away. Satoru, his youngest son, whose hair had been red as blood, began to turn white, as white as freshly fallen snow. At that moment, an ancient legend came to mind: Kushina had once told him of a curse that afflicted certain Uzumakis. One in every hundred, the story said, was born without the overwhelming amount of chakra and vitality that characterized their clan. Instead, these unfortunate ones were born weak, with little chakra, fragile in body and spirit.
A flash of concern crossed his mind, but Minato clung to hope. He had sealed the Yin half of the Kyubi in Satoru, trusting that, in time, this dark and powerful energy would restore his son's vitality. Even if he had inherited the curse, the chakra of the Nine-Tails would strengthen him, consciously or unconsciously.
Finally accepting his fate, Minato closed his eyes for the last time. He felt the Reaper intensify its grip, claiming his soul more forcefully, and he knew he could no longer resist. His body fell alongside Kushina's, while the Kyubi's chakra was sealed within their children.
Thus died Namikaze Minato, a man of gentle manners, a calm demeanor, and a great Hokage. The hero who stopped the army of Iwa and decimated them completely had fallen.
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2 days after
Hokage's Office
The days of Hiruzen Sarutobi could not have been more exhausting. Not only had he lost Minato Namikaze, a ninja whose strength equaled that of a thousand men, but now fate had left his two sons orphaned, both marked with the Reaper's seal to contain the dreaded Kyubi.
The old Hokage was sitting on a couch next to his desk, gazing with a mixture of fatigue and resignation at the endless paperwork piling up. While smoking from his pipe, his clones handled the administrative tasks, allowing him a moment of respite amidst the chaos. The smoke he exhaled slowly dissipated into the air, providing him with an ephemeral sense of calm amid the anguish and mourning surrounding him.
The real source of his exhaustion was not just the accumulated work; it was the emotional burden of returning to the responsibility of being Hokage in such dark times. Hiruzen had believed he would retire in peace, enjoying his days as a retired grandfather, watching the village's children grow, strolling through the fields of the Land of Fire, traveling to the warm hot springs, and savoring the delicacies he loved so much. But that future had been cruelly taken from him, along with his beloved wife, Biwako.
As he deeply inhaled from his pipe, the smoke filled his lungs, giving him a momentary peace amidst his pain. The old Hokage let out a long sigh, allowing his eyes to slowly wander around the room. Every corner brought back memories. Minato, always with his bright smile. Kushina, full of energy and vitality, with that loud but warm voice. And Biwako, his rock, who used to bring him bentos when he forgot to eat amidst his busyness.
The sound of a knock on the door echoed, pulling him from his thoughts. Without waiting for the Hokage's confirmation, two figures unexpectedly entered the office.
First, Jiraiya. His white, wild hair fell to his shoulders, and the two red lines descending from his eyes to his chin gave him an imposing appearance. He wore his characteristic green attire, covered by a red cloak adorned with two yellow circles, and on his feet, the same-tone sandals. On his back, he carried the massive contract scroll with the toads, and on his forehead, instead of the Konoha ninja headband, he wore the protector of Mount Myōboku with the kanji for "Oil" (油, Abura), symbolizing his connection to the wise toads. Although Jiraiya usually had a carefree attitude, this time his expression was solemn, serious.
At his side was Uchiha Toji. Tall, muscular, his black and messy hair fell over his face, marked by a scar across his mouth. His small, dark eyes conveyed a tired look, but there was a coldness and unwavering seriousness in them. He dressed simply, in a short-sleeved black shirt and loose light pants, but his presence was imposing. He was a man who, despite his casual appearance, radiated power and danger. As he closed the door behind him, his face betrayed no emotion.
Toji was a special case. Banished from the Uchiha Clan due to his low chakra capacity, he had been a pariah. Danzo had tried to recruit him for Root, but the young man had refused. And though Danzo had deemed him harmless, he didn't bother to kill him or impose a seal on him. However, Hiruzen had seen something in Toji. Despite his lack of chakra, he excelled in taijutsu and weapon mastery in an extraordinary way. His skill in physical techniques and his superhuman agility made him a lethal warrior, and Hiruzen wasn't going to waste that talent.
He had taken him into the Anbu, giving him purpose, a home, and a salary for his missions. Despite his rejection of the clan, Toji had become a fearsome force. Even without the prodigious chakra of his lineage, his physical prowess and skill with weapons placed him above the best, surpassing even Maito Gai in a short time. He was a shock force, a spy, an assassin in the shadows. Under the right circumstances, Toji could eliminate a Kage without anyone noticing.
Hiruzen knew that Toji was special, not just because of his abilities, but because of his unique condition as a chakra-less Uchiha, something that made him both valuable and dangerous. That's why he decided to protect him, ensuring he never fell into enemy hands. It would be like handing over a golden goose to another country. The old Hokage knew that although some underestimated him, Toji was a key piece on the board, someone with terrifying potential.
And what made him so special?
Hiruzen maintained a calm expression as he looked at the two most trusted men he had before him. His serene gaze didn't reflect the fatigue of his advanced age, but that of a leader who, despite everything, still bore the weight of the village on his shoulders. He seemed young and strong, but both he and the men in the room knew that image was merely an illusion.
"I've taken a look at the village, and the situation is worse than we thought," Toji commented, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless as he observed the Hokage.
"Tell me," Hiruzen demanded, serious, slowly rising from his seat and walking toward the window with his pipe between his lips. As he looked out at the village in the process of reconstruction, he exhaled a puff of smoke that mixed with the autumn breeze entering through the window.
Toji nodded slightly and began his report:
"According to the information I gathered, Danzo has leaked to the villagers that the Kyubi wasn't destroyed but rather sealed by the Fourth inside two children. The influence of the beast is evident in the blonde son, whose whisker-like marks on his face betray him. The rumors have spread quickly, and now everyone is talking about them as 'the demon brothers,' the bearers of the Kyubi."
Hiruzen frowned but remained silent, listening attentively.
"Moreover," Toji continued, "it's been rumored that it was an Uchiha who released the Kyubi to take control of the village. They say the Fourth Hokage fought him, gravely wounding him, but couldn't prevent his escape."
The words caused Hiruzen's fists to tighten, turning white from the pressure. He knew Danzo was behind all of this. He was marginalizing the Uchiha, sowing hatred and distrust toward them, setting the stage to carry out his dark moves in the shadows without anyone intervening. If the villagers came to believe the Uchiha were connected to the Kyubi's attack, the hatred toward them would become unstoppable.
Hiruzen slowly turned toward Jiraiya and Toji, the weight of the situation falling on his shoulders. He sat back in his chair, removing the Hokage hat, as the clone occupying the seat disappeared in a puff of smoke. The accumulated exhaustion, both emotional and physical, was palpable in his expression.
"We can't leave the inheritance of the Fourth Hokage to Naruto and Satoru… You understand that, right?" emphasized Hiruzen, narrowing his eyes as he looked at both shinobi, although his attention was focused more on Jiraiya, who was the most attached to Minato.
Jiraiya's expression changed immediately. His face showed a mix of anger and deep concern. He knew what those children represented, the living legacy of his brightest pupil.
—"What do you mean by that, sensei!? You know what Minato would have wanted; you know it very well!! They deserve it more than anyone; they already carry too great a curse on their shoulders… If we don't leave them the jutsus and the inheritance of the Fourth, it will be worse for them. If they grow up poor, combined with the inevitable rejection they'll face from the villagers, it's likely they'll end up hating the village! And not only that, there's also the possibility that Danzo will try to recruit them into Root or, worse, that they'll escape the village!"
Jiraiya raised his voice, frustration is evident in every word.
—"Do you know what could happen if word gets out that the Leaf let its two Jinchuuriki go? Toji and I won't be here to prevent that, and you know very well there's no way to control Danzo."
Hiruzen's face showed a slight crack in his usual composure, but he quickly exhaled a puff of smoke. He sighed deeply, a sigh heavy with regret and the weight of the situation. It was no longer the Hokage speaking, but Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man of ancient times, filled with experience but also with fatigue.
—"I know, Jiraiya… I know better than anyone. But this is for the best. If we let the villagers notice that the children have money, they'll be even more hated and marginalized. We can't take them to another place outside the Land of Fire… We must keep them safe and monitored, and the best place for that is the village itself."
Toji, who had remained silent until that moment, finally spoke. His deep voice broke the silence with calculated indifference.
—"With what's happened, they're going to be hated, whether you like it or not, Hokage-sama. No option will save them from hatred. The information has already been leaked, even details about how Minato used sacrifices to stop the Kyubi… And Danzo is doing nothing to improve the situation. Honestly, if you ask me, we should wipe Danzo off the map… He's just causing problems."
Toji's gaze remained cold, unyielding.
—"Once we do that, we can think about the next step and what we'll do with the brats of the Yellow Flash. If you want, Old Man, I volunteer to do the job. You know I have unfinished business with the one-eyed man."
Hiruzen turned to look at Toji with a complicated expression. Once again, he released smoke from his pipe, closing his eyes to ponder the gravity of the situation. The sweet smoke of tobacco was the only thing keeping him anchored to reality with everything that was looming.
On one hand, he had to decide whether to eliminate his old friend, Danzo. He had defied his orders time and again, trying to take control of the village under a militaristic philosophy. Danzo had spared no effort, even attempting to assassinate Hiruzen, through ambushes and poisonings. He carried the Second Hokage's hatred for the Uchiha, a hatred that consumed him.
On the other hand, the Uchiha, one of the founding clans of the village, were being pushed to the brink. Despite their arrogance, they were an integral part of Konoha, though their past actions, like those of Madara Uchiha, had left deep scars in the village's history.
Hiruzen knew he would have to decide between further marginalizing the Uchiha, which would inevitably lead to internal conflict, or eliminating Danzo, who was pulling the strings from the shadows without his consent.
Toji and Jiraiya watched him expectantly, aware that the decision the Hokage made would have repercussions for the future of the village.
Time seemed to stand still, even for the Anbu guarding in the shadows, invisible yet present, silent witnesses to the conversation. They felt an unusual anxiety about what was to come.
Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes and, for who knows how many times, exhaled smoke from his mouth.
—"Toji… I'm going to make you a presumptuous request."
Toji watched him, his expression unchanged, waiting for the Hokage's words.
—"I truly want to protect the peace of the Leaf… The Will of Fire, despite all the warnings I gave, is in danger. With all the information you've gathered about Danzo's influence in the elemental nations, his atrocious crimes, his alliance with Orochimaru, and even his assassination attempts against me… He has quietly torn the village apart."
Hiruzen paused, his voice laden with resignation and sorrow.
—"Wipe Root off the face of Konoha… and become a criminal in the Bingo Book."
Toji's gaze did not waver for a second. He remained calm, indifferent to the order, and simply nodded.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, frowned, his gaze sharpening like a kunai.
—"By himself? You know he can't do it alone. I'm not saying he isn't a capable shinobi, but against all of Root and Danzo… That's too much, sensei. Besides, according to our information, Danzo has an arm implanted with cells from the First Hokage… Which is illegal, and we have no idea of the true power that arm could grant him."
Hiruzen sighed at Jiraiya's protests and nodded in understanding.
—"I'll assign an Anbu unit skilled in Genjutsu to accompany him… And you, Jiraiya, will go with him on this mission."
The tension in the room increased.
—"Once the mission is complete, Toji, you must leave the village immediately. Koharu and Homura will inevitably incriminate you for Danzo's death, trying to destroy your reputation by any means necessary. Orochimaru, once he finds out, will come after you. This will also serve as bait… to deal with him once and for all."
Before Jiraiya could reply upon hearing the name of his former comrade, Hiruzen raised his hand, stopping him.
Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya with a serious expression, halting him just before he could insist.
—"No more, Jiraiya. You should go prepare; the mission will be tonight. About Naruto and Satoru… we can talk about it later. Until then, I'll leave them in the Sarutobi clan compound under the watch of some Anbu ninjas."
Jiraiya clenched his fist, wanting to protest. He knew that his godsons, Naruto and Satoru, were at the center of this discussion. But under the stern gaze of his sensei, Jiraiya bit his tongue, suppressing his anger. Hiruzen had silenced him without further explanation. With resignation, Jiraiya nodded and left the office, aware that there was nothing more to say at that moment.
Toji, who had remained silent, followed Jiraiya. The two left the room, leaving the Hokage in deep silence.
Hiruzen sighed once more, slowly turning in his chair to gaze at the dim lights of the village through the window. His thoughts drifted to why he had asked Toji to become a criminal in the Bingo Book. It was not a decision he took lightly.
According to the information Toji had gathered, Orochimaru had been trying to convince him to leave the village and let him study his body in exchange for certain rewards. For a while, Orochimaru had sent him letters, tempting him with promises of power, but Toji never responded. Toji's silence had led Orochimaru to assume he was still loyal to Konoha.
But if Orochimaru found out that Toji had become a criminal, it would make him let his guard down, and then Hiruzen could lure him into a trap. This was his personal debt: to stop his former student, someone he had allowed to be lost in darkness.
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Sarutobi Clan Compound. 6:00 PM.
The Sarutobi clan compound was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive silence. The long shadows of the buildings seemed even darker due to the tragedy that had struck the village two days earlier. The calamity of the Kyubi's attack had left wounds that, although invisible, could be felt in every corner of the compound.
Relatives, friends, parents, husbands, and wives... everyone had lost someone on the day the chaos of the nine-tailed fox began. Muffled sobs and choked cries echoed through the walls, reminding everyone of the immense pain they endured.
In one of the rooms in the compound, two Anbu ninjas stood guard at the door, preventing any stranger from entering. Their masks concealed their expressions, but the tension in the air was palpable. One wore a shark mask, while the other had a possum mask. Both kept their gaze fixed on the long, dark wooden hallway in front of them as the sobs of broken families filled the air like a heavy breeze, slowly overwhelming their trained senses.
The hallway, which would normally be a routine path, felt endless under the weight of their emotions. Both had lost loved ones in the battle against the Kyubi. Both had felt the helplessness of being unable to stop the beast. And now, they found themselves protecting what they considered the source of their suffering.
It was unthinkable: the babies behind those doors, the vessels of the nine-tailed fox, were responsible for their losses. Although they knew the children were not to blame, they could not help but feel the weight of injustice. There was no one to blame. There was no one to hold accountable. Only pain remained, mixed with helplessness and a rage they didn't know how to handle.
Possum, the Anbu with the distinctive mask, stared down the endless hallway with deep sadness. He had lost his wife just two days ago. She had been a beautiful woman, both in appearance and spirit, but also a formidable kunoichi. The memory of her gentle touch and her last words before dying in his arms tormented him endlessly.
—"I love you… remember, I will always love you… survive, be happy for me, for you… for our son… I love you, Taiko, so much, so much…"
Taiko Uchiha had been a happy man before that fateful day. He was not a prodigy of Madara Uchiha's caliber, but he had been talented enough to enter the Anbu unit at a young age, without the backing of an influential family within his clan. He was one of the few fortunate enough to have awakened the Sharingan, and one of the even rarer who had taken that power to its maximum potential.
But after his wife's death, something in him changed.
In the pure, absolute pain of his loss, Taiko had unlocked something more. His Sharingan, which had once been a symbol of his skill, had transformed into a reflection of his suffering. Now, Taiko's eyes showed not only power but the agony of a broken man.
Taiko Uchiha had awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, but when he did, he did not fully understand what it meant. After researching the Uchiha clan's archives, he discovered that very few in history had attained this power. Not even the current head of the clan had awakened those eyes, which ironically made him stronger than the clan leader. But for Taiko, these eyes were not a blessing, but a curse.
He kept his power a secret. He did not wish to be associated with the eyes that only brought pain and tragedy. The only reason he hadn't ended his life after his wife's death was his son. He didn't want his son to grow up an orphan, just like Kakashi Hatake. However, a growing darkness consumed him: someone had to pay for the suffering he felt.
Perhaps, if he killed the babies, the pain would disappear. Perhaps the rage that gnawed at him would fade. He would avenge his wife, and finally, his heart would find peace. He could tell his son that he had avenged his mother.
With that thought, Taiko slightly turned his head toward his comrade, who was probably also immersed in silent mourning.
—"I'm going to check on the children…"
He murmured but received no response. His partner was lost in his own thoughts of grief.
Without further delay, Taiko opened the door and entered the room. He closed the door behind him with a soft click and looked at the two sleeping babies. One had white hair, bright and silky like snow. The other was blonde like the sun, with whisker marks on his face. His eyes wandered from one to the other, finally resting on the empty space that separated the two cribs.
The wooden floor creaked under his steps, each plank older than the Hokage himself. Trap seals covered the walls, but Taiko barely noticed them. His mind was focused on only one thing: the image of his wife dying and his son persistently asking for her, day after day. The blood, the dead, the devastation... everything he had lost, everything that now consumed him.
His resolve strengthened with each thought. Slowly, he reached into his kunai pouch and pulled one out. He approached the crib of the white-haired child, his mind set on revenge. He raised the kunai into the air, ready to stab the infant.
But something stopped him.
A pair of blue eyes, as deep as the sky, were watching him. The white-haired baby had opened his eyes and was looking at him with an expression that shouldn't belong to a newborn. Taiko froze for a moment, hypnotized by the hostility and power emanating from those eyes. It was as if the sky itself were watching him from the depth of that blue.
—"What the hell...?" he whispered, stepping back a few paces, his hand trembling as the kunai remained in the air. His breathing became heavy, and though he tried to relax, a shiver ran down his spine at the penetrating gaze of the child.
—'What kind of anomaly is this child?' he thought, disturbed by the intensity of those eyes. But his desire for revenge did not fade. If he didn't kill the white-haired child, he would kill the blonde one. That would give him peace. That would allow his wife to rest.
He slowly approached the crib of the blonde child, the kunai steady in his hand. With a swift movement, he stabbed toward the sleeping baby.
But before his kunai could make contact, liquid shadows emerged from the ground. Suddenly, a black wolf with three dots on its head appeared and, with speed and precision, bit Taiko's arm. The Anbu was dumbfounded as the creature dragged him into the shadows, devouring him in seconds.
The room returned to its usual silence as if nothing had happened.
The blue-eyed baby observed the scene with a tiny smirk of surprise on his face.
—"That was the Ten Shadows... but I didn't use them..." thought the white-haired baby. His gaze shifted to his blonde brother, still sleeping peacefully, and a small smile formed on his face as he realized what had occurred.
—"So it was Naruto..."