5 Chapter 5: The First Step

Minato Namikaze woke up with a wide smile on his face.

He really was very excited today. Some people may think why the Hokage must be so eager?

The reason was simple, today he was going to teach his elder son the various ninja arts. Words couldn't describe how happy Minato was.

The past three weeks had been some of the best weeks of his life. Naruto was now not cold towards him, he didn't hesitate to sit beside his father. He was slowly opening up to Minato.

Minato knew this was his golden chance to get his son back and make up for all the times he wasn't there. He had ordered Shikaku to handle the office for a few hours, to which the Nara had said as troublesome. He would teach his son for some time and head to the office to do his duty. His wife Mikoto would then continue Naruto's training.

This was the plan decided by both of the parents. When Minato would train Naruto, Mikoto would spend time with Itachi, and when it was her turn Minato would take Itachi to his office.

Itachi would then be taken to the park and any other place he wanted by a team of Genin. Of course the Anbu would be guarding his younger son from the shadows.

After Naruto's training is over, he and Mikoto would rejoin Itachi and soon Minato would join too. This way their family would be able to spend the maximum time together and Itachi wouldn't be just bored by sitting in one place.

A small shiver ran through Minato's spine when he thought what Itachi would do when he was bored!

Let's just say it won't be comfortable for any of them.

Minato was really thankful to his wife, for making his son understand and give his father a chance.

Minato was quite surprised and shocked when he learned about Naruto's sensor skills. His son was indeed very talented and with time he aimed to make his son a good man.

Naruto used to smile more now these days, Mikoto had trained him in accessing his chakra and now he had completely learned it.

Minato still remembered the day when Naruto had made a fool out of him.

(Flashback : A few days Ago)

The Namikaze family sat around their dining table and were eating their food peacefully, well except from Itachi who was just munching over his poky.

Minato sat in the center of the table, Naruto was on his left side and was eating his ramen peacefully. His wife Mikoto was on his right side guiding Itachi how to properly eat his food to which the young boy was showing discomfort by making angry faces.

Mikoto had told him about how Naruto had accessed his chakra and how strong it was. Words couldn't describe how proud Minato felt, maybe one day both of his sons would surpass him and succeed him as the Hokage.

Minato felt someone kick him a little on his feet from below the table.

He looked at his wife and she was giving him the look to speak with Naruto.

Understanding what his wife meant, Minato gathered his courage to speak with his son and offer him some help.

"Hey, Naruto..." said Minato kindly, he knew Naruto only liked to be called "Naru-chan" by his mother.

"Yes, Tou-san." said Naruto calmly shocking Minato.

Minato's eyes were wide as saucers, he looked at his wife with a gobsmacked expression. She was looking at him with a victorious smile on her face. Naruto didn't call him "Tou-sama" as he always did, but now for the first time he called him "Tou-san".

Minato was so much in his own dream world and was suddenly brought out of his thoughts.

"Tou-san, a fly went in your mouth." said Naruto bemusedly

"WHAT!" yelled Minato and immediately rushed towards the washbasin.

Minato gargled his mouth for three times and after a few moments walked back towards the table with a heavy sigh, how long had he kept his mouth open that a fly had got in. That was so disgusting and had left a bad feeling in his mind.

Minato was quite surprised when he came towards the table and saw Itachi laughing loudly, Mikoto was giggling furiously while Naruto was almost on the verge of laughing but was furiously trying not to.

"Is something wrong?" asked Minato curiously

"Tou-chan...Tou-chan.." said Itachi enthusiastically

"Hm..what is it Itachi-kun?" asked Minato interestingly

"Itachi..." said Naruto with pleading eyes, but Itachi just smirked.

"Ni-chan tricked you!" yelled Itachi and pointed his small finger towards Naruto.

Minato's mouth was wide open in shock when he realized, he, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha had been fooled by a kid.

Mikoto smacked her forehead, the entire joke was ruined due to her younger son but it was still amusing.

She was quite surprised when she looked up and saw a demonic faced Minato whose eyes were burning with fire and was looking at Naruto murderously.

"Naruto...You little shit!" yelled Minato and went to catch his elder son.

"OH SHIT!"

(Flashback end)

A small smile came on his face as he remembered that incident. These were such moments that made him realize that his family was still together and everyone loved each other.

Naruto indeed was a calm person, but he still had a prankster in him.

Minato's thoughts then drifted back to his old time friend and teammate Kushina. She too was a great prankster and had caused a lot of ruckus during their time at the academy. He could imagine Naruto wearing an orange jumpsuit and screaming how he would become Hokage if Kushina had been his mother.

A small sigh escaped from Minato's lips, reality was always different than most people wished for.

He knew Kushina must have left the village on her own, she was a Kage-level shinobi and if there had been an attempt to capture her she would have used the Hirashin seal on her body to call him for help.

The fact that worried Minato was he could never activate that seal since the night she disappeared, he really was shocked. Had Kushina managed to remove the seal from her body?

But that was impossible, but then again Kushina was the best Fuinjutsu specialist in Konoha. Her skills were far greater than Jiraya's , she was from the Uzumaki clan who were masters in that art.

Regardless of what was the truth, Minato knew he was left with a bad pair of cards now. The world was heading towards war and Konoha was going to be right in the middle of the shit storm.

Minato knew his son would have to participate in the war and that thought made him more depressed.

His elder son was a pacifist who hated fighting. The only reason he was becoming a shinobi was to protect his little brother and the villagers.

War is hell and the thought of losing his elder son ran a shiver through Minato's body. He looked at the sleeping form of his wife on his bed and the small form of his younger son who was hugging Mikoto tightly.

He couldn't even imagine what would happen to Mikoto and Itachi if Naruto died in a war. Mikoto would be destroyed, Minato knew she loved both her sons but Naruto was very close to her. He was the center of her life and if anything happened to him then hell hath no fury like a women scorned.

The Uchiha clan were pretty much known for their vengeance, the fact that his wife was one made him more worried. Hiruzen had told him something about Uchiha activating Mangekyo Sharingan when they lose someone close to them.

Mikoto would destroy the entire Iwa if they killed her son.

And as far as Itachi was concerned, Naruto was his idol and best friend. He too would be devastated if something happened to his big brother.

Minato also didn't want to lose his elder son, despite their little differences he still loved him dearly.

He strengthened his mind and made a decision. He would train Naruto to his best abilities and will make him strong enough so he could protect himself and the others.

(A Few Minutes Later)

Minato walked down the stairs of his house. He was fully dressed and had a Jounin flak jacket on his chest and blue pants. He was going downstairs to wake Naruto up and start his training.

"So you're ready." came a familiar voice surprising Minato.

He looked to his side and found Naruto standing at the edge of the stairs. He was wearing a black shirt with the Namikaze name written on it and green shorts.

But one thing which Minato found to be surprising was that Naruto was wearing a black face mask on his face.

"Why are you wearing a facemask in the morning? And how come you knew I would want to train you this early?" asked Minato curiously

"I'll answers both of your questions, but not here." said Naruto calmly

Minato looked at Naruto and understood that he wanted to talk with him. Naruto's eyes were fixated on Minato's room, and Minato clearly understood that Naruto didn't want either Mikoto or Itachi to hear their conversation.

He gave a nod and both of them silently started walking towards the training ground of their house.

It was early morning and there was still some fog in the air that was hindering their sight. Both the father and son were walking peacefully, with neither of them uttering a word.

Minato looked at his son, his silky blonde hair were falling on his face and he had to admit his son really looked handsome with that facemask which his student Kakashi had given him.

They both stopped in front of the small trees in the backyard. Naruto turned towards his father in order to talk with him.

"So why are you wearing it?" asked Minato curiously

"To prepare myself." said Naruto calmly

Minato got confused, what was Naruto preparing for?

Meanwhile Naruto was facing a lot of questions that were popping up in his mind.

He really wanted to make something clear to his father and now was the time.

"Father, can you answer some of my questions honestly?" asked Naruto seriously.

Minato was quite surprised with the commanding voice of his son, these were the traits of a good leader.

"It depends on the question you ask." said Minato calmly

"Fair enough. Is there going to be a war?" asked Naruto seriously

Minato's eyes blinked in surprise, his barely 6 year old son was so much mature. He could have sworn Naruto knew about what was going to happen. He thought about all the possible answers he could give his son.

But in the end he decided to tell him the truth.

"Yes, there will be a war in the near future" said Minato gravely

"I see." said Naruto calmly

"Who told you that there might be a war?" asked Minato curiously

"It is not that hard to figure, everyone in the village is tensed. Shinobi are always training, people are buying more weapons, you have dropped the graduation age to 7 and that is why I have to join this year. I have heard talks about other villages mobilizing their forces too. You destroyed Iwa and Kumo's armies in the previous war, so now they are coming back for us. We are soon going to fight the Fourth Great Ninja war." explained Naruto briefly

Minato was utterly shocked by his son's thorough analysis, he had gathered the entire data and had come to the conclusion. If he knew how to fight, Minato would have made him chunin right away. Maybe his son was indeed fit for the front lines.

"I'm surprised, you really have thought this through." said Minato with a wide smile

"Tou-san, is there no other way to stop this war? Thousands of lives will be lost if it happens." argued Naruto fiercely

"I know Naruto, that is why Konoha will not start the war but if we are attacked it is our duty to protect our village." explained Minato strictly

"Can you promise me one thing, father?" asked Naruto in a very begging voice.

"What is it?" asked Minato curiously, Naruto never asked for something so badly. Minato was quite surprised when Naruto dropped on his knees in front of him.

"Don't ever involve my little brother in this war. I'll do anything, I'll even take a suicide mission if it means Itachi stays out of this war. I don't want my brother to go through that hell." said Naruto sadly

Minato was utterly shocked, words couldn't describe what he was feeling now. He knew if the war happened it could go on for years and Itachi would have to join the war too. Naruto was asking him to sacrifice him and spare his younger brother.

Minato knew Naruto loved Itachi fiercely but there was something different in his voice. It was desperate.

He bent down and put a hand on his distressed son's shoulders.

"Naruto, do you really want to protect your brother?" asked Minato proudly, he was grateful for having such a worthy son.

"Yes, but you must promise me that you will not involve him in this war. I know our strength is low in comparison to the combined armies of the other villages, I know you will need every person who can fight but...just not my brother. He is too innocent, I'll go to whatever front you send me, I'll do whatever it takes but please just don't involve him in this." begged Naruto

"Is this the Uchiha's love for their precious people?" thought Minato

Minato looked at Naruto, his azure eyes were piercing his son's black eyes. Minato could see how much attached Naruto was with Itachi. This could be beneficial as well as harmful for Naruto. His desire to protect his brother would make him strong but if something happened to Itachi then Naruto won't be able to bear it.

He had to teach his son how to control his emotions but right now his son needed a father and not a shinobi.

"I promise." said Minato truthfully.

"Thank you, father." said Naruto happily and hugged Minato

Minato was quite shocked when Naruto hugged him, it had been so many years since they had shared such a moment. He hugged his son back gently, a wide smile came on his face.

He really was very proud of Naruto, even though Naruto's behavior was a little strange he was a good son. And the way he was willing to jump in a war just to protect his brother and the village made Minato proud as his father.

"I'll train you in everything I know, so you can come back to us." said Minato with determination

"I'll try my best." said Naruto doubtfully

"You have to promise me, have faith in yourself and your comrades and you will make it back alive." said Minato fiercely

"I...promise." said Naruto slowly

Minato smiled more and both of them got up and decided to start their training.

However one thing which Minato had failed to notice that Naruto had crossed his fingers!

In a small room sat four people around a table.

The atmosphere was highly tensed and one could actually feel the presence of all these people.

Onoki sat in his in chair with a dissatisfied look on his small face. To his left sat the Sandaime Raikage who too was not looking pleased at all.

To their right sat two figures, both of them were dressed in black clokes with red clouds on it.

"What an idiot, would keep a name Akatskui!" thought Onoki with a groan.

One of the figures was none other than Orochimaru, the famous S-rank missing nin of Konoha and the most insane scientist in the shinobi world. He was looking at both the Kage in a very sick manner that was really not making Onoki comfortable.

It was as if Orochimaru was considering them to be his test subjects.

The only person who was sitting stoically in a corner was a woman with blue hair. She was the most quite out of all them and was very relaxed, even in the presence of three Kage level shinobi.

"How much more longer is it going to take?" asked the Sandaime Raikage in an irritated voice

"Patience, Raikage-dono. It takes time to prepare an undefeatable army." chided Orochimaru in his snake like voice

"Even if we combine our armies, Konoha still has the Yellow flash and Hiruzen Sarutobi and many more formidable ninja. They even possess the Kyubi." said Onoki angrily

"They don't possess the nine tails any longer." said the woman calmly

"WHAT!" yelled both the Tsuchikage and Raikage in unison

Orochimaru chuckled while the woman remained stoic as usual.

"It is true, their Jinchuriki has deserted the village and has not returned." said the woman

"How do you know this Konan?" asked the Raikage suspiciously

"We have our contacts." said Orochimaru with a smirk

"This could be a golden oppotunity for us but have you mastered that Jutsu Orochimaru?" asked Onoki sternly

"Ah, that wonderful Jutsu. The Nidamie Hokage was really a genius for inventing such a Jutsu." said Orochimaru gleefully

"Is he insane?" thought both the Kage

"You don't need to worry about that, you will get your assistance on time. Meanwhile have you prepared for what Pain-sama had asked?" asked Orochimaru seriously

He really didn't know why he was doing this. All he cared about was mastering all the Jutsu in the world.

After the third war had ended, he was sure he would be made Hokage but his senile old teacher made that Namikaze brat the Hokage in his place.

Such insolence, he was the great Orochimaru, he could have uncovered the secrets of life and lead Konoha to glory but that was all in the past. He realized his life was too short to fulfill his ambitions and he had to become immortal.

So he defected from that pathetic leaf village after conducting all his brutal experiments. Hiruzen was not able to stop him, his old teacher was far too kind.

He then joined the Akatsuki as the organization was offering a lot of money and he could use that for his experiments. Plus soon there was going to be a war and the experiments he could conduct on all the shinobi were making him more giddy.

So much to learn, so much data, so much blood. He licked his lips with his snake like tongue.

"Kukukuu...Soon I'll truly become immortal." thought Orochimaru madly

While Orochimaru was busy in his dream world, the woman named Konan had discussed the entire plan that their leader had told them to tell the Kages.

"So how much longer until the preparations are complete?" asked Konan strictly

"A few months after that Kumo will be ready." said the Raikage firmly

"Iwa will be ready to crush Konoha in 5 months. I will kill that Yellow Flash and his family for taking away my elder son and so many of my shinobi." said Onoki angrily

Minato had killed his elder son Renji in the third great Ninja war, he was among the thousands which the Yellow Flash had killed.

Onoki could never forget what happened and he had vowed to get vengeance.

"Love breeds hatred and hatred leads to war. This world has indeed become corrupt Pain-sama and you are the one who will guide us." thought Konan calmly

Soon the Fourth Shinobi World War would begin and Akatsuki would execute its plan and lead the world to peace.

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