After the loss of his wife and his predecessor, Minato throws himself into his work, leaving his son almost entirely alone. Naruto grows up shunned but never outright reviled, aware of his burden and achingly lonely. But it’s not his way to give up, and someday, with the help of Kakashi, Obito, and a few faithful friends, he’s going to show his father just what kind of shinobi he can be.

When Naruto is five, he's gutted by a drunken civilian and presumed dead. Six months later a girl with ash pale hair and dark blue eyes enters the Academy.