Disclaimer: It is unfortunate that I don't own my own series of anything. That would be awesome.

AN: So, here is another challenge a bit earlier than I had anticipated, but I wanted to write it down while the idea was still fresh in my head. Based off the original the Infamous Man's challenge, I've seen versions of this done with almost all the Espada, Gin, and even Yoruichi, but never Urahara which is strange because out of all the Bleach characters, I can relate Naruto to him the most (I mean come on, he's both a blonde, a prankster, and does anything he can for his friends!). In a way, this is a challenge of a challenge! The plot will go something like this:

My plan is that after the Sasuke Retrieval mission, which ended like in canon, a wounded Naruto is taken into custody by Root ninja. Apparently, during the mission Danzo pulled a coup d'état against Tsunade using his army of Root to take over all of the Hidden Leaf. Danzo orders Naruto's execution due to him being too faithful to the Will of Fire to properly make into a weapon, and decides to simply recapture the Kyuubi once he reforms after Naruto dies using the mission failure as his excuse.

All of the people who are friends with Naruto, including all the Rookies and senseis are prevented from seeing him, but Hinata is able to visit by using all of her family's influence in order to confess her feelings. After he's executed, Naruto's soul passes the dimensional barrier into Soul Society. There he takes on the name Urahara Kisuke and changes himself slightly both physically and mentally to distance himself from the painful memories of Naruto. Years later, Urahara dies while fighting the Sternritter and Yhwach but dies peacefully knowing Ichigo has what it takes to win.

Once dead, Urahara finds himself in his inner world, the sewer of Naruto's mindscape, and meets both Kurama (who he befriended over the years) and Benihime, which turns out to be Kushina! He then also meets the Soul King, who didn't die but merely shed his corporal form. The SK, in return for Urahara's help and good deeds, offers him a chance to go back to the Narutoverse. Remembering Hinata and all his friends, Urahara accepts. Before leaving, the SK both winds back Urahara's age to sixteen so it would be less awkward with Hinata, and returns Kurama's Yin half so Kisuke can now use a portion of his power (he couldn't before due to no longer having chakra that requires both spiritual and physical energy to use, the latter he lost when he died). The story then proceeds like Jealous Fox in some ways but will be otherwise completely unique.

Once more this is a CHALLENGE people! So unless it gets adopted, it won't be continued!

Urahara or Uzumaki?

'So this is it, huh?' Kisuke Urahara thought as he lay in a rapidly spreading pool of his own blood. 'As far as endings go, I guess it isn't too bad. Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, I'm sorry but it looks like my time has come. Ichigo, I leave the rest up to you…'

With that, Kisuke died in the final battle against Yhwach's Schutzstaffel, but not before dealing a critical blow to the enemies of Soul Society. But just as one story ends, another begins.

Unknown Location

Urahara felt as if he was lying in a pool of water. When he opened his eyes, he found out he was in fact lying in a pool of water in what appeared to be some kind of sewer system. The next thing the former captain of the Twelfth Division noticed was that he no longer had the fatal slash wound that nearly bisected him during his last fight. Idly, he reached up and tilted his green stripped hat up slightly to better take in his surroundings when he realized that his hat was lost during the battle so how was it back on his head? With a slight grown, Kisuke stood up and was grateful that the water surrounding him didn't actually seem to have the consistency of water in that his clothes remained dry. Figuring that he didn't really have anything better to do and the scientist in him demanded answers, the blonde Soul Reaper headed deeper into the tunnels. After several minutes of walking, Kisuke found himself in a large room that had an equally large cage at the other end of it.

With a pleased smile, the humble candy shop owner walked up to the cage and rapped his knuckles against the sturdy metal, knowing exactly who resided in the cage. There was a loud yawn as though a sleeping giant was just awakened when the shadows of the cage started to shift. Before long, a distinctive vulpine face suddenly came into the lite area of the cage and blinked it's large, slit pupil red eyes. A large foxlike grin made its way on the now revealed nine-tailed fox's muzzle as he recognized who exactly it was that disturbed his nap.

"Been a while, brat," the fox said in a booming male voice.

Kisuke grinned and said, "That it has, Kurama. I think the last time we talked face to face like this was when Aizen was defeated, no?"

"That it has," Kurama chuckled, "So what do I owe the pleasure? Wait…" the large fox's eyes widened as he went over the new information going through his mind before gaining a somewhat sad look and said, "…You died again, huh? I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto."

Kisuke waved off the Tailed Beast's apology, "Eh, it wasn't your fault Kurama. If anything it was mine for underestimating the enemy's strength. But don't worry about it, I have a feeling everything will work out alright in the end if Ichigo and his friends have anything to say about it. Really, in this life I have no regrets. Speaking of which," at this the scientist gave the fox a pointed look from the shadows of his hat, "I thought I made it clear that my name is no longer 'Naruto'. I honestly don't want to have too much of a reminder from my past."

"Even though it is your real name? Honestly, you can be quite stubborn at times, Kisuke," a new female voice said from behind the man.

Turning around, Kisuke saw a woman standing there with an amused grin on her face. She had a slender, but feminine build, fair skin, violet eyes, fiery red hair that fell down to her ankles with strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left, keeping it out of her eyes. She wore a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress that nearly covered her sandal clad feet.

"Well, you could say it was an inherited trait. Isn't that right, Benihime?" Urahara retorted to his Zanpakutō spirit.

Benihime in response gained a tick-mark on her forehead as she sent her wielder face first to the ground with her fist. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, BRAT?! And didn't I tell you to call me 'Mom' when we were alone like this, you know?" She shouted angrily before gaining a more gentle expression as she helped the poor man up who was now rubbing the large lump forming under his hat. "Honestly, you don't always have to call me by my title Naruto."

Kisuke smiled bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, as far as I know I'm the only Soul Reaper who has such a relationship with his Zanpakutō, so I'd rather not make the mistake of calling you that outside of my mindscape. I mean, I even told Ichigo once that most Soul Reapers never remember their time as humans, so having them find out I'm one of the rare exceptions might get a little awkward," he explained.

"As amusing as this all is, what do you think happens now brat? I mean, you died again right so why are all of us still here?" Kurama asked from within the seal.

Kisuke placed a hand on his scruffy chin as he thought. "That's actually a good question Kurama. Normally, when a Soul Reaper dies their soul, if it's still largely intact, goes back to the cycle of reincarnation. So by rights, all three of us shouldn't still able to talk to each other like this. My guess is that something is holding my soul back from being reincarnated," he theorized.

"You are correct, Kisuke Urahara, otherwise known as Naruto Uzumaki," a voice that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time rang out.

"Who was that?" Urahara, Kurama, and Benihime all asked at once, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Do not be alarmed Kisuke Urahara, Kushina Uzumaki, and Kurama," the voice said calmly, "You know me as the Spirit King, and I have taken a personal role in explaining to you what happens next."

"Wait a second," Urahara said suspiciously, "Yhwach killed the Spirit King, so how can you be speaking to us?"

The voice said, "What my foolish son destroyed was nothing more than a shell I created to help maintain the balance between worlds. My real self exists outside of your understanding and as such cannot be destroyed so easily."

"If what you say is true, then why didn't you stop Yhwach from everything that he's done so far? Many lives have been lost, and the existence of all reality has been put into jeopardy!" Kisuke demanded hotly, his normally calm demeanor slightly slipping as he thought of everyone who's been hurt since the Quincy Invasion.

"Would you so easily destroy one of your own children? And do not concern yourself with Yhwach and his delusions of grandeur. I have seen his fate and know that everything in this world will work out, just as you yourself have predicted," the Spirit King said simply. "Now, back to the matter at hand. As I said, I have taken a personal interest in your case, Kisuke Urahara. You have done a great deal of great deeds that has helped both the living and spiritual worlds in their time of need. Your involvement in this latest war and your help with stopping that upstart Aizen being prime examples. Taking all this into consideration, I have decided to offer you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Kisuke wondered as he felt the two other beings who reside in his soul wonder the same question.

"I'm offering you the chance to go back to the Elemental Nations, Naruto Uzumaki," the Spirit King announced.

Urahara's grey eyes widened as memories that he'd tried to largely repress came to the forefront of his mind.

Flashback

A young boy with wild blond hair, blue eyes, and whisker-marked cheeks was being carried into a village on the back of a masked man with spikey silver hair. The boy was battered and bruised and looked on his last leg, but the moment they entered the village men wearing black clothes and white masks with the kanji for 'Root' in the center apprehended the blonde while restraining the silver haired man. A few hours later a trial was held in the center of the village.

"I, Danzo, Sixth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, with the powers invested in me by the Hidden Leaf, declare you a traitor. You have brought shame and dishonor upon the entire village. You were ordered to capture Sasuke Uchiha and return him to Konoha. Permission was given to use force if necessary. But instead, you allowed him to escape…"

If Naruto wasn't chained and manacled and he didn't have the cursed gag in his mouth, he would have ranted and screamed and hurled abuse at the mummy. But he wasn't able to. Naruto's face was mauled and scarred, courtesy of the masked ninja that attacked him, and breathing hurt him sorely, thanks to the two point blank Chidori he had received during his battle with Sasuke. He stared at the man from under his eyebrows, his neck bent under the heavy steel collar; his eyes filled with betrayal, hate…and despair.

"…Allowing him to leave for one of the Leaf's biggest traitors, Orochimaru. Your incompetence has cost Konoha one of her finest ninja. It is decided that you will be taken from this place and suffer execution three days hence, as should have been done when you were a child. The Kyūbi no Yōko is a threat to this village, one that should have been destroyed long ago, and it is clear that you no longer have the will or strength to suppress it."

Danzo stood and waved a hand to the two Root ANBU members, declaring, "Take the jinchuriki away."

The holding cell was large and bare. There were a dozen thick steel bars across the entrance, but there was a small door through them which allowed the guards in. Naruto's wrists were manacled, with long chains attached to the walls, stretching his arms to breaking point. His neck was held in a large collar, attached to a chain to the ceiling, and every time he breathed or moved his neck the sharp edges cut deep into his skin, causing blood to run down his naked chest. His legs were manacled to the floor, spread out from each other, so that he resembled a five-pointed star.

He had found out from his jailors what happened, apparently one of the village elders named Danzo had held a political coup on Tsunade, forcing her from the village and, with the help of his personal Root ANBU that had grown in size to easily match the Leaf's own army, along with a few of seemingly loyal Leaf ninja, had placed the man as the official Sixth Hokage. Some of the shinobi tried to fight against it, but they were quickly silenced due to blackmail, public executions, or they simply 'disappeared'.

On the first day, the Root version of the Torture and Interrogation squad had entered the cell and had set to work on him. By the time they left, many hours later, his ribs were fractured, one of his eyes was blinded, his skin was burnt, his legs were broken and twisted, and he had more bruises than he could count.

Hours passed in complete isolation, the silence and pain from his injuries nearly driving the boy mad. Where were his friends? Had they all abandoned him in his time of need?

As the sun set and the moon arose, a storm struck the village. Freezing rain struck the outside of the prison and seeped through the wall, the cold chilling his blood. The second day began warm and dry, but the inside of Naruto's cell was still cold. He heard the tramp of feet approaching the cell.

"Here he is. Be quick," hissed one voice, a guard, nervously.

"Yes," said a second voice, quietly.

He continued looking down, his eye focused on the ground.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" stuttered the second voice. The voice was sad and heavy, panting with fear and worry.

Naruto looked up, fixing his baleful cerulean glare on the bars. The voice whimpered in surprise and sadness upon seeing his ruined body.

"Who is there?" he asked hoarsely.

The bars creaked and the small door opened and Hinata Hyuga stepped inside. Fat tears coursed down her soft face, her eyes wet and shining. She slowly, cautiously walked towards the prisoner. When she was a mere foot away, she stopped and knelt so that Naruto looked down at her.

"Hinata? What are you doing here? Aren't you too busy to be bothered with me like the rest of my so-called 'friends'" His lips twisted in an insane grin, his eye mad and wild.

Hinata looked pained at his words and shook her head worriedly, crying harder. "Forgive me Naruto."

Naruto blinked in surprise. He softened somewhat, but his eye still held the insane gleam.

"Don't worry Hinata; it's enough to know that someone doesn't hate me." He smiled at her.

Hinata smiled through her tears, her lips quivering.

"N-no, Naruto-kun. Danzo has f-forbidden everyone with ties to you from entering, and it t-took all my c-clan's influence to get m-me here. I c-came here to…to t-tell you something… and if I don't do it now, I-I-I'll never get the chance…" She started to hyperventilate.

Naruto watched her closely, confused and unsure of what was going on. Hinata regained her breath and then said, "N-Naruto-kun…for a long time now, I've…I've…" She stopped again, then, scrunching up her face, blurted out, "I love you Naruto-kun!" then dropped her face into her hands and wept.

Naruto stood there speechless. He couldn't wrap his mind around Hinata, sweet, innocent, shy, beautiful, gentle…

He made the links all in an instant. Her shyness around him. Kiba's and Shino's odd comments about her crush and her unwillingness to ever speak about it. Her shyness about him, her odd mannerisms. 'Perhaps if I noticed earlier, I might have…'

"I am sorry, Hinata," he whispered.

She looked back at him in confusion, then abject depression, her shakes and quivers intensifying. He realised it a moment later. She thought he was saying he didn't feel the same way.

"If I had known you felt that way," he continued, hoping to save the situation, "Perhaps, perhaps I might have…"

Hinata silenced him by grabbing his cheeks in her hands and kissing him. He was so surprised he couldn't react for a minute, but finally his mind kicked back in and he responded. It was clumsy and messy, but it was sweet. Finally, she pulled back, holding his face in her hands. Whispering…whispering…whispering…

"I love you Naruto-kun…"

"I…love you too." And he was surprised to find he meant it. What a fool he had been, chasing after Sakura when all along there was someone who loved him for him. "Will you wait for me?" he asked as footsteps approached.

She nodded and kissed him again. "I will."

Naruto grinned up at the two Root members. "No worries, guys. Just help me a bit with the cuffs and everything else will be fine, believe it!"

The two men said nothing, silently removing the chains from the walls to retie to him later at the gallows. As they dragged him unresisting from the cell and through the prison, the Kyubi sighed. 'Well, Kit, it looks like the end is here. Afraid?'

'You?'

'Of course I am! I doubt there is an afterlife for me. And even if there is, all these fools who controlled me have pretty much guaranteed it'll be Hell.'

'Sorry, Kyubi,' Naruto thought as they were brought into the blinding sunlight, and heard the roar of the crowd.

'Don't be. Of all the humans I could have died with, I doubt many would be as brave as you kit. When you get to paradise or whatever, think of me, eh?'

'Sure' thought Naruto sadly as he realised that, despite the animosity between them, the Kyubi cared for him in a way, and he would never see or hear him again.

'Showtime,' they thought together, grinning sickly at each other as Naruto was bound between two pillars of stone on the gallows so that he stood as if crucified.

The wooden platform was built in directly in the middle of the village square, and to either side were the leaders of the village. In front of him was the entire village, everyone gathered to see the 'event'. Some were on the ground, some on top of the buildings. They were all silent, though some looked eager to see the death of 'the demon'. However, in the corner of his vision, atop one of the buildings, a small group huddled, alone. He caught a glimpse of Team 8 and Team Guy, as well as the Konhamaru Corps and Asuma with his team sitting on the roof together, watching the scene below. He saw Hinata being held by Kurenai, watching him and he could just about see her shoulders shaking.

Danzo raised his hands for silence. The crowd went dead still at this.

"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the execution of Uzumaki Naruto, former Konoha Shinobi and S-Rank traitor, for the crimes of High Treason and failure of a mission paramount to the Village's security."

'All humans are the same; love the sound of their own voices' murmured the fox.

"As a shinobi he is allowed one honor; death through traditional execution."

Two more masked Root ninja stepped forward, one placing their tanto at Naruto's stomach while another stood behind him with his arm raised at the ready.

"Any last words?" asked Danzo as a drum started to beat.

Naruto remained silent and shrugged his shoulders, glaring the mummy dead in the eyes.

Without further prompting, Danzo gave the signal and everything went black.

Present

After his death as Naruto, the blonde found himself in the Rukon District of Soul Society. It took a while to get adjusted, but then Naruto started to learn things. First of all, the place he was in was a sort of crossroads most souls go in another dimension. While it rarely happens, sometimes souls from the Elemental Nations find their way here instead of immediately moving on to the 'Pure World' due to unfinished business or a great regret they might feel. Secondly, Naruto found he no longer had access to his chakra as it required both spiritual and physical energy to use, the latter of which he lost when he died. In response though, he'd gained an abundance of Spiritual Power from this and soon found himself eligible for the Soul Reaper's Academy.

Before he joined the Academy though, Naruto decided that since he was now in a new world that he would create a new identity for himself. The first thing he did was find a way to alter his looks slightly. Fortunately, in the slightly seedier areas of the Rukon District there resided some who couldn't quite make it as Soul Reapers and instead used their powers for profit. He was lucky to find one such individual that, for a small price, was willing to use specialized Bakudō spells that could alter one's appearance. The first thing he changed was his eye color, bright blue soon became a lively grey. Then, as much as he didn't want to, Naruto had his whisker-shaped birthmarks removed. He then started styling his hair differently, often brushing his natural spikes down which resulted in some strands framing the sides of the face and hanging between his eyes, and he slightly bleached it to give it a duller color. Finally, he decided to change his name. After going through several options, he finally settled on one: Kisuke Urahara.

In the Academy, the newly named Urahara learned something startling about himself: he was actually quite smart. In his original life, Naruto had to pretend to act ignorant in school as some of the meaner teachers before Iruka-sensei tended to get really annoyed with him when he got answers right. Now that no one was trying to put him down though, Urahara found studying both entertaining and fun in some ways. Soon, he grew to be one of the brightest students at the Academy. It was then he met Yoruichi Shihōin, and the two became fast friends, largely in part due to how much the girl reminded him of his previous life. While rumors spread that the two were romantically involved, Kisuke never really saw the woman as more of a sister with the purple haired woman feeling the same way, especially since Kisuke never forgot the promise he made to the pale eyed girl from his past life. After graduating, Kisuke found a spot easily amongst the Second Division, whose methods were similar to the life he previously led as a ninja. However, he soon grew tired of this and started wanting to explore his newly found passion as a researcher.

It was during this time that he learned that the Kyubi was still sealed inside of him when he started learning to enter his inner world to communicate with his Zanpakutō spirit. Apparently, the seal held strong even after death. While the two had a rocky start, they eventually warmed up to each other over the years even to the point where he learned the Kyubi had a name: Kurama. Then he met his Zanpakutō spirit. After learning her 'name', Kisuke found out a startling truth! Benihime was actually the spirit of his mother, Kushina Uzumaki! As it turns out, a piece of her soul was sealed in him along with Kurama when he was just a baby and, after he died, her soul became bound to his and manifested itself as his Zanpakutō. He learned many things from his mother; who his father was, the night he was born, the masked man, the reason behind the Kyubi Attack, and his parent's sacrifice among other things. Needless to say, Kisuke spent many of his free hours talking to the mother he never got to know in life.

Then, slightly over a century ago, he was made captain of the Twelfth Division and the rest as they say was history. Back to the present, Kisuke was brought out of his thoughts and asked the Spirit King, "May I ask why you would want me back there? After all, quite a few years have passed since I entered Soul Society. Most likely everyone I knew is now dead, and I've never been able to find their souls here no matter how hard I looked, so I'd assumed they passed onto the Pure Realm."

"The dimensional barrier causes our two worlds to go at different time frames, Kisuke Urahara. What was three centuries in this world was but a mere three years in the Elemental Nations. As for why, I have foreseen a great conflict will arise there soon, one that you would have been crucial to had you survived. As it stands, the outcome is now unclear unless you go back," the Spirit King informed him. "Also, your home village is in dire need of your help. All of your friends and loved ones have been suffering under Danzo's rule."

'My friends-!' the former ninja thought urgently, images of the people he'd come to call precious flashed through his mind, stopping at a certain heiress. Turning to both Benihime and Kurama, Urahara asked, "What do you two want to do? After all, this affects both of you as much as it does me."

Benihime smiled and said, "I can't answer that. All I can say is do what your heart tells you, like you always have."

"Hmph, personally I wouldn't mind heading back. It's been as boring as hell in here and since you can't use my chakra anymore I've been having to entertain myself by going over the battles you've fought. If you call it quits now, how will I entertain myself?" Kurama replied flippantly.

Seeing this as the go ahead, Urahara said aloud, "Okay Spirit King, I accept your offer!"

Good, though here are two gifts before you go," the voice said before two balls of light flew down from the infinite blackness of the ceiling of the seal. One struck Urahara in the chest while the other entered Kurama's cage. There were twin flashes of light that, once faded, showed both the man and the fox had changed. Urahara, instead of looking like a man in his late twenties now looked to be around 16 years of age, his clothing shrunk to match his slightly smaller form and his face now clean shaven. Kurama, instead of getting smaller, seemed to have doubled in height, his red eyes staring down at his hand like paws in surprise. "To you Kisuke Urahara, I have reduced your age back to what it would have been if you remained alive in the Elemental Nations. To you Kurama, I have bestowed your Yin half back so now, if you so wish it, you can lend your strength to Urahara once more by using your spiritual energies that you'd lost. Now…I will send you to an area that should be familiar to you. However, I suggest going to the Hidden Sand within three days, as an old friend of yours will need your help. Good luck!"

With that, everything turned white.