AN: Well, I never expected myself to make a second story out of nowhere, but this was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. I recently got into the Bleach manga and this popped into my head, so I figured why not? Let's see where this goes, shall we? Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Chapter 1: Facing a New Darkness

(Unknown Location)

Tranquility. That's all he could really think of at the forefront of his mind.

His body, normally riddled with the signs of battle, felt weightless and unscathed. His mind, usually bombarded with a continuous stream of spontaneous emotions and an unhealthy amount of paranoia, was stilled. His five senses, frequently worked overload for the sake of survival, remained undisturbed.

He honestly couldn't remember a time he ever felt like this.

Sure, he's had moments in his life that he truly held dear to his heart; acquiring his spot as a protector of his village in the form of a headband from someone he knew actually cared about him and his success, experiencing what it meant to be truly strong and proving that strength to all those that doubted his ability as a fighter and even as a human being, earning the respect of his peers and fellow villagers no matter the effort or length of time, having people he could truly call his friends and family, and even being blessed with a chance to briefly meet his mother and father despite his lifelong status as an orphan.

All of those instances in his past were filled with or lead down to moments of pure happiness and accomplishment that will never be taken for granted. They were among the greatest parts in his journey that made him into the man that his friends and comrades, especially himself, were proud of. He wouldn't trade those experiences for all of the ramen in the world…maybe.

And yet he couldn't compare anything he's been a part of to what he was currently feeling. It was practically being unaware of everything his body was conditionally accustomed to without the need of being unconscious for whatever reason. In what little cognitive thought he could rouse up he was able to grasp the sensation of being in a somewhat deep meditative state with the clear attentiveness of knowing he wasn't asleep. If anything he could compare it to being half asleep, knowing of your own continuous slumber while being mindful to some of the happenings around yourself, albeit slightly jumbled depending on your own mental position.

Yeah, this was something like that, just on a whole other level.

It was peaceful, and he didn't want to leave. Seconds, hours, hell, even years could've gone by and there probably wouldn't be any difference. The perception of time just didn't register to him and he simply didn't care. Honestly, just what was making him feel like this?

It wasn't clear to him, but his mind was merely at ease and he felt it was because of something else, like a huge weight was suddenly lifted off of his shoulders, relieving him of all the troubles that could've been accumulated over the course of recent years. It's as if a conclusiveness of sorts with the greatest of importance just disappeared, leaving him without any more worry.

Shit, he wasn't dead, was he? If so, was this heaven? It certainly didn't feel like hell, so then what else? An endless void? Purgatory perhaps?

He might've not been the most model citizen sometimes, but he certainly wore his heart on his sleeve when it mattered, so he at least earned relief from being among those that were truly evil, right?

If not, well…that just sucks then…

Despite the inner protest of escaping the smooth and relaxed state of mind he was experiencing, he managed to find the willpower to make his eyelids a tad ajar. At first there was blurriness, not surprising in the least, but after an effort to blink a couple of times whatever was in his line of sight became clearer.

What was presented before his drowsy sapphire eyes was an endless sea of fiery orange straight ahead of him that reached every little bit of his peripheral.

Well, shit…his hopes of not spending an eternity in flames were dimming by the second…

Oh wait, there were some clouds trickled around in random spots as well.

Thank Kami, it was just a sunset, and a beautiful one at that. The familiar colors of a dimming day took him back to all the times he would sit calmly on the heads of the Hokages on their respective monument to witness the traces of sunlight hug the village as if it was all enraptured in a tamed and mythical fire.

Definitely befitting of their country's namesake.

Well, so far so good in what he's seen in his first few seconds of responsiveness and- oh look a bird! It looked to be enjoying its time as well, simply gliding in the breeze and embracing the freedom it was gifted to experience in the wide open skies. The wind was something it coexisted with and commanded in its own way and- wait, now he was feeling the wind too, extremely so as its sharp gusts raced around his body from below him.

Wait, below? And why was the bird quickly getting farther and farther away without even facing away from him?

Oh…

"Son of a-" He barely managed to utter as alarms loudly responded in his mind before he felt an immense force of impact explode on his back. With the pain quickly registering and breath being forced out of his lungs he could do nothing as his body continued its path of carnage. Arms, legs, torso, head, nothing escaped harm as every part of him smashed and broke pieces of whatever he landed on, and from the cracks that loudly sounded out he could tell it was the oh so familiar cries of cracking wood.

Well, wasn't that lovely? He went from a peacefully drifting mind to launching into a tree and hitting what felt like every. Damn. Branch.

Welp, there goes that misperception of time, because even in the heat of the moment he could tell that by the time he cleared the last branch only a second, maybe two, had passed since the impact.

Not like that even mattered to him, since he knew that by reaching the bottom of the branches there was-

THUD

-The ground.

Oh, and did he hit cement? That was unexpected, but why not at this point? At least he broke the fall with his head, so there's that.

"F-fuck…" He rasped out with difficulty as he lay face down, the cold and dirty cement being his temporary resting spot.

The entirety of his body ached. Every little movement he tried to make, even trying to move a finger or two, ignited a severe soreness that discouraged any further activity. However, despite what his body wanted to do he knew he had to figure out just what the hell was going on, even with the pain, exhaustion, and harshly dazed mind that was becoming more apparent as the seconds ticked on by.

With what seemed like a great deal of effort in the moment, he slowly managed to lift his head with one eye barely cracked open.

To his surprise a pair of small feet covered by black buckled shoes was the first thing he saw. From the small pink flower covering the end of each buckle he figured the owner was a young girl, of which was confirmed when he looked up a little bit more and saw the bottom of what seemed like a casual dress.

'Wow, I must be really out of it if I couldn't even tell she was there.' He thought.

"Yo-you wouldn't happen to have a bandage or two, would ya?" He quietly asked with as much light-heartedness he could. He didn't want to scare her after all. If the pain throughout his frame and the blood he felt quickly drip off of his chin onto the ground was anything to go by, he probably looked like all kinds of hell, and that would probably frighten any normal kid away.

He heard a feminine gasp as a response and noticed she took a surprised step back.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

"You…you can see me?" She whispered.

Well, that's a question that he didn't exactly expect.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" He responded.

"Because-"

"What's going on now? First some stupid skateboarders, now w- the hell?" A new noticeably male voice interrupted.

"Hello again, mister." The girl greeted with a slightly more upbeat tone.

"What's going on?" The stranger asked.

She pointed down to the bloody and battered man next to her while shrugging and signaling she didn't know herself.

Footsteps quickly jogged along the pavement and drew closer to the pair.

The prone man was only really able to see that the person making his way over to him had on a pair of sneakers and gray pants.

"You look like hell." He said once he stopped in front of him and knelt down, still not low enough to see higher than his chest.

"Feel like it." The injured man retorted with some difficulty as he took that chance to spit out some blood that was building up in his mouth.

"Think you can stay alive a little longer?" The stranger asked as he started to lift him off of the ground while paying mind to injuries.

After letting out some grunts of pain as he was hoisted over the stranger's shoulders, the battered man said, "Got nothing else to do."

"Of course you don't. Just hold on, I'm taking you to get help."

"Sounds…good." The man barely muttered with a quickly fading consciousness. From his new position on his helper's shoulder he was able to see what looked like a book bag hanging on his side and noticed he was wearing a gray shirt as well.

Before he knew it the stranger was jogging away from what he now knew was an alley when he looked up. He also saw the tree on the other side of a short wall all battered to hell from his fallen path from the sky.

Right before his current transport rounded the corner he was able to see the young girl in all of her splendor and wasn't sure what to make of her appearance. She looked like any other normal girl with her dress and her brown hair put up in pigtails. What threw his mind for a loop was that the left side of her head was drenched in blood that looked to stream down and cover her left eye completely from view. The stranger thing, though, was the chain lazily hanging from the middle of her chest. Those things, along with her smiling innocently and waving in goodbye was just something that he couldn't mentally compute.

'W-what…?' Was his last lingering thought as the girl suddenly walked through the wall next to her before he finally blacked out.

(Karakura Town – Streets)

"Is that Kurosaki-kun?" A young lady with long and burnt orange hair asked as she looked on and saw who she thought was her classmate run down the sidewalk in a hurry. Running in the desperate manner that he was would've been enough to garner attention, but the bloodied blonde man he was carrying on his shoulder easily brought attention to himself from various onlookers.

"Looks like it. Seems like he's taking that guy to his family's clinic. I hope he makes it okay, he looks really messed up." The girl's companion with short black and spiky hair said while having a look of concern.

"What do you think happened, Tatsuki-chan?" The orange-haired girl asked, masking the same concern.

Tatsuki glanced to her best friend. "No clue. I didn't hear a car crash or anything, so maybe a fight? We can ask Ichigo tomorrow. Come on, Orihime, my mom's probably getting worried from how long we're taking." She said as she started walking towards her house once again.

Orihime nodded and matched her friend's pace while casting one more look in Ichigo's direction as he got out of sight.

'Hope you'll be okay.' She mentally wished for the injured stranger.

(Nighttime – Kurosaki Residence)

"Hang on, we're almost there." Ichigo whispered to his unconscious passenger.

Now quickly approaching his home/family clinic, he bypassed the locked conjoined medical building and went straight for the house's front door which should've been left unlocked.

With a rushed twist of the doorknob he went inside and had to quickly step out of the way of a flying kick aimed for his head.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Ichigo yelled to his assailant that flew through the open door.

"You're late!" A man's voice yelled out as its owner made his way back inside. "And you know damn well dinner is always at- huh?" The revealed black-haired man said as he looked at the person his son was carrying.

"Exactly, first I had to help a spirit and now I'm dealing with this guy! Help me out, will ya?!" Ichigo yelled.

Gone was the hyperactive dad, and in its place was the serious man who ran the clinic.

With a fierce nod, he ordered his son. "Get him onto a medical bed, I'll get things ready." His son nodded and hurried down the hallway before the head of the house turned and yelled towards the kitchen where his two wide-eyed daughters were sitting. "Karin, Yuzu, put dinner on hold! Someone needs help!"

It was all over…they had finally gotten the chance to end this hell once and for all, not just for them, but the entire world.

So much blood, sweat, and tears had to be shed to get to this point. Even a spec of less effort on this long and tired path could've led them to failure long ago. Every step and sacrifice was needed to achieve this final victory.

And once they applied that final technique, monumental relief washed over him.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

And that was it. That was all it should've been.

However, things were just never simple for him.

Maybe it was a final gambit for her to pull out a desperate victory.

Maybe they didn't perform the technique right.

Maybe there was an unknown outside factor that interfered.

Maybe there was just a need for one final sacrifice.

Or maybe shit just happens.

"What's happening?!"

"It's deteriorating too fast!"

"A bunch are opening up!"

"Hurry and get them!"

"Kurama!"

"He's caught!"

"No!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naru-"

(Nighttime – Kurosaki Clinic)

Naruto's eyes opened wide with a gasp as he lurched forward, something he instantly regretted as a jolt of pain shot throughout his torso.

Letting out of small grunt of discomfort he allowed the soreness take its time to subside as he calmed down enough to gauge the situation. After blinking a few times the blurriness in his blue orbs cleared, and the first thing he noticed was the medical equipment such as rolls of gauze, syringes, and other medical crap he's dreaded seeing every time he was forced to be in a hospital.

Crap, he was in a hospital.

The second was the curtains on either side of his bed, currently not pulled out, usually allowing at least some bit of privacy for multiple patients in the same room when they were. That gave him an open viewing of the rest of the room. It looked to be able to handle a few patients at once if need be, and was filled with other kinds of gadgets he really didn't care if he knew or not.

The last thing he noticed right away was the full moon bestowing its lunar glow through the window next to his bed. Normally this would be a beautiful view he could take a moment to look at, but instead he was suddenly reminded of the pale eyes that he just fought with the world on the line.

"…What happened? Did we win?" He whispered to himself, unblinkingly gazing upon the shining moon.

"Damn right we did." A familiar and deep voice resonated within his mind.

Sucking in a quick breath in surprise, Naruto responded. "Kurama?"

"Who else?"

"Shut up." He allowed a small grin to crack at the corner of his mouth and closed his eyes. "So…we actually won?"

"I just said that, didn't I? Yeah…we got the bitch, and that damn plant freak Zetsu too." The fox seemed tiredly relieved. It was glad it was over too.

Naruto lightly chuckled humorlessly as he brought up a bandaged hand to rest his head on as he slouched forward.

"After everything we've done, it just seems so hard to believe…just…holy shit."

"You're not going to cry, are you?"

"Hell no…are you?"

"I'm an ancient mass of sentient chakra, I don't cry."

"So says the old furball…for now."

"A furball that can kick your ass, you damn fishcake."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle a little louder. He really missed just talking without having to worry about fighting. "And who was the one that kicked the other's ass to attain control of its chakra?"

"Shut up."

Naruto laughed some more in the quiet and darkened room. Once he calmed down he brought his attention back to the moon and schooled his whiskered face a bit.

"What happened, Kurama? And where are we? All I remember is doing the sealing process for Kaguya and then it gets all hazy."

"For the second question, I have no idea, while the first is more complicated."

"Shoot then, there's nothing else to do."

"Fine. You and the Uchiha were successful with the Chibaku Tensei and sealed away those two, so don't worry about that. After doing that is when it gets complicated."

"Go on."

"Both you and the other brat just fell, like you were both completely spent. Then with Kaguya's power cut off, her core dimension started to fall apart, and way too quickly at that."

"Wait, if I was out of it, wouldn't that mean you would've been cut off from seeing clearly too?"

He could practically feel the fox smirk. "Not my yang half."

"You got both again?!"

"Yes, and that's what happened next. No one really knew what was going on or what to do with everything crumbling down and pathways opening up, but we had to get you both first. Cyclops was already getting duck-ass so I went to grab you. The moment I came into contact with your body I was, in a word, absorbed."

"Alright, I get the sealing, but not the actual reason on why it happened like that. And pathways? W-what do you mean?"

"I didn't pay much attention since I was hurrying to get you, but with Kaguya's power acting unstable as she was being sealed, more doors were opening all around from what I could see. Like I said, though, my yang was sealed and joined my yin, not sure why, and I only woke up at the same time as you did a moment ago."

Naruto's breath was suddenly increasing as his mind was increasingly becoming more sporadic. "But…but what about the others?! What about us?! Are they okay?! Are we stuck wherever we are?! What the hell are we going to do?! What-"

"Naruto!" Kurama shouted, successfully silencing his partner.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. I was taken out of the picture just after you were. It's not hard to believe that maybe we fell into one of those newly opened doorways and got here, wherever it is. It might be hard to grasp, but you have to think clearly."

"…How can you be so calm about this? My friends could be in trouble…I might never see them again…"

The fox sighed. It never liked these emotional kind of situations. "I'm calm because one way or another, I've resigned myself to be sealed within you. I don't exactly have any outside connections besides my siblings that I've barely had contact with over many years until recently. I know that we're all free and happy now in our own ways now that the big mess is over, so that's fine with me. Wherever you go, I go."

"What about everyone else?" Naruto shakily responded.

"Do you believe they're safe?"

"What?"

"Do you believe that they got out of there safely? If I can believe that my siblings did, can you believe that your friends successfully got out of the situation?"

"But if it's like you said, then how could they have-"

"Do you honestly believe that after everything that's happened, they would let themselves fall like that?!"

Naruto became quiet again. Did he really have so little faith? Sure, the situation seemed real dire, but they were capable of taking care of themselves, right? Of course they were, but he really couldn't help but worry. They were some of the people he cared most about in his life.

"Well?"

"I think they could- I mean, I know that they got out of there. No stupid dimensional crap could've stopped them!" He responded with more resolve.

"Good. And remember that you're all shinobi, and shinobi are putting their lives on the line the moment they take their headband. Even if they didn't get out, then what better way than going down saving the world?"

"…Yeah…" Naruto really didn't know what to say anymore. There was always the risk of death, he knew that, but he didn't really care about his own life as long as his friends were safe, something they could've felt too with him. How they could've escaped, he doesn't know, but the Elemental Nations were safe now, and that was the ultimate goal, wasn't it?

His own wishes might've been selfish of everything ending fine, but he deserved a happy ending, didn't he? Of course he did, but he went into this battle knowing he might not come out at all and he had to be able to suck it up no matter the conclusion. They didn't fail, but he felt he didn't completely succeed either, so to him it was bittersweet. The rest of his world was safe, but what about those of team 7? All he could do now was have faith in their abilities. He could care less about himself, as long as they got out and joined up with everyone else.

But just the thought of realizing he might never see any of his friends again was…just…

"Damn it!" He shouted as he slammed a fist on the metal frame on the side of the bed, ignoring whatever pain came to him as the impact echoed throughout the room.

His breath was becoming shaky again, his now clenched fists were twitching, and his lips trembled. He wasn't going to cry! Crying wouldn't help anything! What would his friends say if they saw him about to break down?! How would they react to the tear that was already rolling down his cheek and- wait, damn it!

"Are you okay?" A soft voice spoke from his left, towards the direction where he saw the door earlier.

Turning his head he saw a small figure in the shadows of the room before a flick of a switch turned the lights on. Taking the opportunity of adjusting to the light, he wiped whatever tears were building up.

Once he stealthily wiped the moisture off of his face, Naruto got a proper look of who entered. He noticed it was a small girl, probably ten or eleven years of age. She had short light brown hair with a red hair clip on the left side of her head, brown eyes, wore a yellow hooded sweatshirt, a blue skirt that reached just above her knees, and calf-length white socks.

"Huh?" He responded.

"Wait right here." She said before scampering off with hurried footsteps.

With a little time to himself he finally realized the state of his own clothing. Just by looking down at his chest and arms he knew he was covered by a lot of bandages. This was confirmed even more so when he lifted the light blanket off of his lower half and saw even more gauze around his boxer-clad form. In little random spots blotches of blood were able to soak through a bit, but it seemed that the worst of whatever injuries he sustained were all fine and dandy now if he still had his quick healing to take into account. To his best knowledge he was probably only dealing with soreness and quickly fading scars; he's definitely been hurt enough to estimate his own recovery time.

Before he knew it multiple footsteps were easily heard as they approached the barely opened door to his left and in came the girl along with a middle-aged man with spiky black hair and thin facial hair around his mouth. He was wearing a white lab coat over a yellow collared shirt, dark gray pants, and dark brown shoes.

"So you're awake? That was faster than expected with how you looked." The man said.

"Um…yeah." Naruto retorted still somewhat trying to get his emotions in order. "I've kinda always healed fast."

The man crossed his arms and gained a wide grin. "Well, aren't you a lucky one?" He said and walked towards Naruto's bedside with a clipboard in hand, his daughter following. "Now then, since we have a chance, we can finally get some info. We couldn't find any identification on you, just your clothes, of which are no longer usable."

"Great…" Naruto muttered.

"Don't worry, we can take care of that later. Anyway, my name is Kurosaki Isshin and this is my daughter, Yuzu. This is my clinic and my son brought you in not too long ago. You were pretty banged up when we treated you; exhaustion, multiple bruises, deep cuts and a gash just below your hairline, a few fractures in your right arm and leg, and a concussion among some other minor things." Isshin said while looking at his clipboard.

Naruto looked at him for a second before shrugging. "Not too bad, I've had worse."

Yuzu looked a little wide-eyed at this while Isshin said, "Not really surprised, what with that nasty scar that was already on your chest."

Naruto touched his bandaged chest before getting a little anxious as he repeatedly tapped around his neck for something missing.

Isshin noticed. "Calm down, your necklace survived. It's with your ripped clothes on the counter over there." He gestured over his shoulder next to the door.

Naruto looked to the ruined pile of black and orange cloth and indeed saw the Shodai's familiar green gem still safely attached to its black cord that was given to him by his baa-chan as it lay on his headband. He sighed in relief and nodded to Isshin in thanks.

"Important?" The father asked.

"Very. Someone very close entrusted it to me."

Isshin nodded before continuing. "Moving on, it doesn't seem you'll have to go anywhere else for treatment since you don't require surgery, so that's good." Naruto nodded. "Now can I have your name and age?"

"Oh, right, sorry." Naruto said. "It's Uzumaki Naruto, sixteen."

Isshin held out a hand. "Then it's nice to meet you, Naruto." He said with a grin.

Naruto managed to crack a small one of his own before he briefly shook the doctor's hand.

"So, Naruto, do you have anyone we can contact and get everything taken care of?" Isshin asked as he prepared to write any information down.

Well, he was completely shit out of luck in that regard. Even without being told outright by Kurama, he could easily tell this wasn't his home, not even the same country. It just didn't have the same presence, and besides, if he was in any of the shinobi countries then they could've easily been able to tell who to contact just by looking at his headband; his growing reputation didn't hurt either.

Gearing himself up mentally, Naruto simply said, "No."

Isshin and Yuzu blinked at him. "Um, any friends?"

"No."

"Parents?"

"Orphan."

"Other relatives?"

"None."

"School?"

"Not enrolled."

"Employer?"

"Nope."

Isshin disregarded writing anything down and looked to his blonde patient. "Didn't you say someone gave you that necklace, or is that person gone now?" He asked apologetically.

Naruto sighed and laid back down onto his bed, looking at the marks on the white ceiling in an emotionless gaze. "She's gone…they're gone…everyone's gone." Naruto side-glanced at an increasingly worried Isshin and even more distraught Yuzu. "I'll just save you the trouble by saying it's just me alone and there is no one I know around here. I don't even know what here is. There's no records you can find on me anywhere as far as I know since I have absolutely no form of documentation. Hell, I don't even know how this treatment's getting paid for."

"Don't worry about the money, it's more important that we need to help figure out just what to do with you. This is much more complicated than I thought." Isshin looked to think a little to himself. "Excuse us for a bit." He said as he headed towards the door, gesturing for Yuzu to follow. Before turning around to follow him, though, she sent him an encouraging smile before leaving with her father.

He smiled back and watched them go, leaving him back to his thoughts as he stared at the ceiling.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"No idea."

"Going to just up and leave this place? Maybe forage for acorns in a park and live amongst the squirrels as one of their own?"

"That is the stupidest thing you've said in a while."

"Just throwing ideas out there, not like it matters what you do, as long as you don't die on me."

"Your compassion melts my heart." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Better than melting your face like I used to want to do."

"That's one hell of a silver lining."

"You have to be positive about stupid things sometimes, mister homeless."

Naruto gained a blank look. "Dick."

Suddenly Naruto started hearing muffled yelling from somewhere in the house. Weirdly enough it wasn't angry, just loud, and passionate? It sounded like Isshin and who he assumed was Yuzu, but a couple of other voices joined in every now and then. Naruto didn't know what to make of it, so he just decided to wait it out, at least until he figured out where to go from here.

Eventually the door was opened again, allowing Isshin and Yuzu in, but in came two new people along with them. One was another little girl looking to be the same age as Yuzu, this one with short black hair wearing a sports jersey of sorts and black shorts. The other person next to her was a young man with bright orange hair, a blue t-shirt, and gray pants. Both wore faces of what looked like natural disinterest, maybe even borderline frowns.

Naruto looked right at Ichigo from his now sitting position, who met his stare. "You the one that carried me here?"

The orange-haired teenager nodded which got the blonde to stick his hand out. "Thanks. Name's Uzumaki Naruto."

Ichigo reacted in kind and gave a light shake. "No problem, and mine's Ichigo. This is my sister, Karin." He said pointing down to the girl who gave Naruto a half-hearted wave in greeting, something he did back in kind.

"By the way, Ichigo," Naruto started, gaining the young man's attention, "Did you get help for that girl too?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What girl?"

"The one you found me with. The one in the alley. She was bleeding and had a damn chain sticking out of her chest." Naruto said with a light narrowing of his eyes. This guy better have gotten that girl some help too, he at least had good health regeneration and would've been better eventually.

Ichigo's eyes showed clear shock. "You were able to see her?"

Now it Naruto's turn to raise a brow. "Well, duh. She was standing right there in broad daylight right before…she…walked through a wall…" He trailed off, now just staring at nothing as he tried to process his memory.

"You can see spirits like onii-chan?!" Yuzu semi shouted excitedly with a glimmer in her eye, eliciting interest in her sister and father.

Naruto snapped back into it and looked at the brown-haired girl. "Spirits? Wait, you mean ghosts?!" He shouted with a following chill down his spine.

Okay, when it came to him he could usually take anything on with no fear, but it was completely different when there is something that can haunt you and mess around and you couldn't hit it! That shit just isn't right!

Naruto's head snapped towards Ichigo. "You can see ghosts?!"

"You can too apparently, so don't get all crazy, calm down!" Ichigo responded.

"How?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Breath exercises? I don't know!"

"No, I mean how I can see ghosts?!"

"I don't know! Maybe you were just born with it like me!"

"This has never happened before!"

"I don't know what to tell you! What, do you want me to say, 'welcome to hell'?!"

"Not th-" Naruto's response was cut off as he and Ichigo were both smacked on the back of the head by Isshin.

"Quiet!" He shouted.

Ichigo only held his head and sent an annoyed look to his father while Naruto was hunched over trying to ride out the pain without cursing out the doctor, there were two little girls present after all.

"Dad, he's still hurt!" Yuzu proclaimed while quickly checking over Naruto.

Isshin paused and looked at Naruto being doted on by his daughter. "Oh, right…oops?"

It was his turn to be hit as his Karin gave him a swift kick to the shin, making him hold it while hopping in pain. "Control yourself! These are the kind of things that can get you sued! Act your age!" She shouted.

A recovered Naruto watched this happen and was weirded out a bit by how Isshin suddenly switched emotions on a dime and was actually pouting down at his daughter.

What happened to the serious doctor?

"Never mind the ghosts or whatever, let's just get what we were meaning to do out of the way!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he waved off Yuzu to signal he was fine.

Ichigo sighed and looked at his dad. "Tell him."

Isshin suddenly went serious again. "Before I say what was decided, I have to ask three things." He said to Naruto who nodded.

Isshin held up one finger. "One, where are you from?"

"Konohagakure, my home village." He said.

They all seemed confused. "Never heard of it." Ichigo said.

"Of course you haven't…" Naruto sighed.

"So a village? Seems pretty old-fashioned to me. Is it isolated?" Isshin inquired.

"From here? Yes, very, very isolated and out of the way. Probably won't find it on a map."

"No shit." Kurama muttered but went ignored.

The head of the house seemed to scrutinize him before gaining a wide smile. "Good enough for me!" He said earning a smile from Yuzu and pointed looks of disbelief from his other kids.

Two fingers were now held up. "Two, what happened to you?"

Oh boy, there was no way they would believe the real answer, and there was no way he was going to go all ninja just to prove a point. He had no idea where he was or if anything similar to ninjas were around, so he didn't want to do anything crazy and draw attention.

"Thinking ahead and with tact? Wow, you must've hit your head really hard."

"Shut up!" The blonde said before giving the others his attention again.

"Um…I fell."

"Okay…really, really, hard…"

Alright, maybe he should've gone with going all ninja, and judging by everyone's blank looks, the point was hammered down more so…even if he was technically telling the truth.

"You…fell?" Ichigo asked with obvious doubt.

"Yes?" Naruto lamely replied.

"And it wasn't because you were getting into some illegal trouble? Some business with the Yakuza? Any type of criminal activity at all?" Isshin questioned seriously.

"Um…no?" Naruto replied.

"That's what a criminal would say." Karin blandly said, ignoring Naruto's whiny 'hey.'

"Well, now there's doubt." Ichigo offhandedly stated.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Isshin said waving his son off as he looked towards Yuzu. "Go ahead, sweetie."

Firmly nodding, Yuzu turned towards Naruto who was looking at her curiously. Without a word she lifted up her small right pinky and looked at him as if she was swearing him into something.

"Is what happened to you criminally related, and are you a criminal or bad person?" She probed.

Naruto looked at her extended finger with even more hesitation, but answered anyway. "No."

"Promise?" She said noticeably looking back and forth between him and her pinky.

"Uh, yeah, I promise." He said taking her pinky in his own and grasping it lightly.

Nodding in satisfaction, Yuzu smiled at him before looking at her father in utmost seriousness. "He's clean." She said in a no nonsense tone with a salute, earning a pleased nod from Isshin.

'Seriously?' The shinobi thought.

"The justice system must be messed up here."

They weren't the only ones that thought it was ridiculous since in the next instant Ichigo and Karin face palmed at the same time.

Why couldn't their family be normal?

"Does that seriously pass?" Naruto muttered in disbelief.

"Yep, Yuzu's word is good enough! And if you're a good person, then whatever happened is your business!"

"Wait, wh-"

"Next and final question!" Isshin proclaimed to move along. Now holding three fingers and speaking in a deadly serious tone, he said, "Now I want you to be completely honest with me."

Naruto nodded and prepared himself.

"What's with the whiskers? Are they tattoos or something?" He asked.

Naruto only stared at him owlishly for a few very long and silent seconds. Noticing that even the others looked interested, he answered. "No, they're not tattoos, they're birthmarks."

"Really?!" Yuzu shouted with glistening eyes. "That's so cute! You're like a cat!"

Naruto merely squinted down at her and said, "I prefer fox." And as they all looked at his face, they could definitely see the resemblance.

"Huh, when you think you've seen it all," Isshin muttered before becoming excited again and yelled, "Final bonus question!"

"What?" The blonde responded.

"You were only going to get this one if you passed the first three. Now, I want you to think really hard about this." Naruto nodded. "Alright, do you want to stay here?"

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? Why?"

Isshin gained a gentle smile. "You look like you really need some support right now. I don't know what happened to you, but I can tell it was something big, and it looks like you need a new start."

Wow, he really seemed seriously genuine when he said that. Looks like he could be mature when it really mattered.

"And besides," He started as tears started building up in his eyes and his lips started quivering comically, "Masaki-chan would've given you a chance!"

And there goes the man-child…

"Masaki?" Naruto uttered.

"Our mom that passed away a few years ago." Ichigo answered him as he and Karin watched as their father and sister were having a sporadic episode of over exaggerated crying, and where the hell did those tissues come from?

"Oh, I'm sorry." Naruto quickly said apologetically.

"Don't sweat it. So, what's your answer?" Ichigo questioned with a side-glance.

"You're okay with this too?" Naruto asked him.

Ichigo shrugged. "It's not a big deal to me, as long as you don't cause trouble."

"Dad guilt tripped him by using saying 'this is what mom would've wanted.'" Karin told Naruto, earning a pointed look from her brother.

"I see…so that's what that yelling was about?"

"Yep, but most of it was dad begging for advice from a giant poster of our mom." Karin said with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't ask." Ichigo stated before Naruto could get a word.

"So, Naruto, what's your answer?!" A recovered Isshin shouted as he suddenly jumped back in front of the surprised blonde expectantly.

Looking around the room he saw them all waiting on him. Not really knowing what else to go on for the moment he said, "Sure, for now I guess."

"Then it's settled!" Isshin yelled excitedly. "Until Naruto here can get back onto his feet he'll stay with us as one of the family!"

"Yay!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"And he'll stay in Ichigo's room!" Isshin continued.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Whoa, wait, you didn't-"

"It'll be great! He can even go to the same school!"

"Wait, school?! I didn't agree to that!" Naruto shouted in fright.

Isshin stopped mid celebration at looked at him expressionlessly. "What country are we in?"

"Uh…"

"Exactly! Your poorly isolated mind needs proper education!" The father yelled going back into whatever crazy mindset he was in. Unknown to him his words were making a certain fox start to laugh its ass off in a certain blonde's head.

"But how can I enroll if I don't even have identification?!" Ha! Now he couldn't be forced to go!

Isshin smirked suspiciously. "Not a problem, I know a guy."

Okay, who was the one that seemed to be a criminal?

"Now no more delay! You need to eat and get situated! Yuzu, help me get him some food!" He declared as he made his dramatic exit out of the medical room with Yuzu quickly in tow.

The three remaining people simply stared at the closed door in awkward silence.

"Well…your dad is certainly…something…" Naruto stated.

Both siblings sighed and muttered, "Yeah…"

"Y'know, he actually reminds me a little of someone." Naruto said as his face scrunched up in thought.

"Who?" Ichigo asked.

"You wouldn't know him, but now that I think about it he's like this guy named-"

-Maito Gai…and he was supposed to live with him?

Naruto's eyes widened with his pupils dilating dangerously fast. Without completing his sentence, Naruto went back to laying down and staring into space.

Ichigo and Karin didn't say anything, only watching to see if he would say something else.

"Ichigo?" Naruto abruptly and quietly called to the teen.

"Yeah?"

"How often is your dad…eccentric?"

Karin cut in. "Twenty-four seven." She said hollowly.

"Uh-huh…hey, Ichigo, Karin?"

"Hm?" They both sounded.

"Pull the plug…"

"Huh?"

"I've lived a good life…so go ahead…"

"It…doesn't work that way, Naruto."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

Well, there goes that plan.

(Nighttime – Kurosaki Residence)

"Where are you going, Naruto?" Yuzu asked the blonde who was making his way to the front door, herself about to get ready for bed since they all got done eating an hour prior.

"Feel like taking a walk for a while. I won't be long." The shinobi responded, now dressed in black pants and a white t-shirt given to him to borrow from Ichigo. Thank goodness he had a bigger growth spurt than he thought he would have over the last couple of years, otherwise the clothes would've been a lot more awkward on his 5'9 frame. At least his black sandals remained unharmed, and now he had the Shodai's necklace once again hanging securely around his neck, along with his black headband tied just above it.

"But what about your injuries?"

"I'm fine, look." He removed the gauze wrapped around his head that miraculously showed only a small red mark where the huge gash was earlier.

"Wow…" Yuzu muttered in amazement.

"You sure you're not escaping?" Karin asked as she came down the stairs.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm not escaping from the only familiar place that's willing to help me right now." He said sarcastically. "And I also have to learn about this whole ghost thing anyway."

"Just in case." Yuzu said walking up to him and raising her pinky.

Naruto lightly chuckled and grasped hers with his. "I promise I'll be back."

Yuzu nodded, and that was his cue to quietly exit.

When the door closed Isshin poked his head from around the corner, seemingly eavesdropping a bit, but didn't want to reveal that fact. "Did Naruto just leave?"

"Yes, but he pinky promised he'd come back." Yuzu happily replied.

"Oh, okay." Her father dismissed and was about to head to his room before coming to a realization. "Does he even know his way around here?"

Yuzu's eyes lit up, coming to the same conclusion. "Uh…"

"Too late now." Karin casually said as she walked back up the stairs with a freshly poured glass of water in hand.

(Nighttime – Karakura Streets)

"Well, that just happened." Naruto muttered to himself, hands in his pockets as he walked the quiet streets of the newly identified Karakura Town.

"It's a start. What else would you have done?"

Naruto sighed. "No idea. I guess I got lucky to have met them. Like Isshin said, they're helping me get a fresh start, so I can at least use their kindness to understand exactly what I'm dealing with here."

"Quick idea since you seem to be in the clear, try summoning the toads."

Naruto couldn't have reacted faster when did the proper procedure of biting his thumb to draw blood and performing the necessary seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique).

There was a poof of smoke as expected, but when it cleared there was-

"Nothing…" That seemed like the last hope since technically the toads were in a dimension of their own. If he couldn't summon them here, then they couldn't reverse summon him for whatever unknown reason. Maybe it had been a breach of contract or it was just something to do with this world? Whatever the reason was, the current result didn't help the blonde's still tender psyche.

"Fuck!" He shouted in aggravation as he kicked a disregarded glass bottle into a nearby brick wall, making it burst into shards easily.

Now hurriedly walking in some random direction in an attempt calm his anxious nerves he eventually found himself traveling along a guided path in a park. Of course it was completely empty, leaving it with a creepy vibe as the moon bathed its light onto the open areas and through the crevices amongst the branches of the trees.

He didn't know when he did, but in a strange sense of déjà vu he found himself becoming more aware of his surroundings as he sat on a tire swing, slightly moving back and forth with what little bit of momentum he built up.

"We've come a long way." He whispered, leaning his head against the main rope holding the swing up.

"Yep, the last time you were like this you were stupid, lonely, and had no hope of achieving anything. Now you're sorta smarter, sorta lonely given the situation, and you saved the world. Not bad all things considered."

"Thank you, your heartfelt words sooth my soul." He replied in monotone.

"You have all the time in the world to get used to it now, so prepare your heartstrings."

"You've become a lot more talkative."

"Yeah, maybe, but that's only because I didn't really expect to live this long and who are you going to tell if I say something stupid? No one here would believe you have a demon fox in your gut unless you go all chakra beast. We're partners now anyway, so why not chat more? I've got nothing else to do but sleep."

"Well, you'll probably be doing that a lot, not like I have to fight any more freaks with a god complex trying to take over the world or anything."

"I can see your future now, a middle-aged blonde man that let himself go, working as an assistant manager of some rundown business with a bitchy wife at home and ungrateful brats skipping school."

"Maybe you should sleep now…"

"Nope, I'm annoying you all night. I'm still alive and I'm going enjoy the time gifted to me, and it's not like you would cut me off anyway, you lonely piece of-"

Naruto waited for the biju to continue, but was only met with silence.

"Kurama?"

"Quiet!"

"What's wrong?" He asked mentally.

"Don't you feel that?"

Naruto took his head off of the thick rope and looked around him, trying to see whatever Kurama detected. As he gazed at the dark playground he was next to, all he was able to see was the emptiness that accompanied the area and the shadowed foliage from the trees surrounding him. The only sound he was able to pick up was the light and cool breeze blowing through, slightly pushing the nearby swings, making them squeak in a consistent rhythm.

Figuring he should heighten his senses more he pulsed his chakra, something that would probably be overkill in a world that seemed to not have ninjas, but he had to make sure there wasn't something creeping up on him.

The instant he sent out a minor pulse he felt it, whatever it was. With a sudden chill down his spine he slowly turned his head directly to his left, an area that was heavily riddled with trees, and found the source of the malicious intent he came into contact with.

His breath stopped, all sounds stilled, and his body froze as he saw it maybe a little over fifty yards from him.

Barely concealed in the shadows of a single branch were two beady yellow eyes staring right at him, unblinkingly waiting, as if seeing exactly what he'd do now that they were making direct eye contact.

'What…the hell…is that?'

It seemed to react to his thoughts as it moved a tad bit forward, showing a fraction of what looked like a large white mask, similar to a skull, only misshapen as it hugged the face of the large creature.

Abruptly getting off of the tire, Naruto continued to stare down his observer, as if challenging it to make the first move.

Suddenly a deep and unnerving chuckle echoed through the air.

"Such powerful spiritual energy in one so young, and a human at that." The creature said from its semi hidden position.

"A human that will kick your ass if you don't get out of there!" Naruto yelled narrowing his eyes at him, letting a little of the fox's chakra momentarily turn them red to give him a more intimidating appearance.

"Oh, and he can see me? Maybe not a completely normal human then, but even with so much spiritual power you're not a Shinigami…yes, you'll be quite the interesting meal…" It said as it crawled forward slowly, revealing its disturbing form.

Along with the skull-like mask there was two rows of giant human-like teeth attached to it, some of them cracked. With no more features of its head in sight the shinobi saw that the rest of its large pitch black body hung low to the ground. Its entire and surprisingly thin torso was facing down, chest with a hidden and hollowed hole from front to back almost touching the blades of grass below it. Despite its body angled the way it was, its door-sized head was looking straight up at him, something that would severely strain or potentially break a normal person's neck if they were such in a position. Holding its frame up were creepily long arms and legs that were thin to match its main body, the elbows and knees all pointing unnaturally straight up and reaching about seven feet above its back. Connected to those joints were hands with long and skinny fingers, almost looking like claws as they gripped into the ground, and feet that couldn't really be called much as they looked like appendages found on a scorpion.

In short, it looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

"Now if you don't mind, would you please stay still so I can enjoy consuming that sweet soul of yours?" Its demonic voice sounded from a barely opened maw.

"Sorry, I still plan on using mine for a little longer."

"I hope a few more seconds is long enough." And just like that, with a few sickening crunches as it turned its head completely upside down and opened its jaw to an extreme length, it let out a disgusting and ferocious wail before launching at the blonde at great speeds.

As it tried to take a bite out of him, all it got was a mouth full of wood as a log now took the ninja's place.

"Hm?"

"Like I said, you shitty movie prop, I'm still using this soul!" Naruto shouted behind the monster as he threw an explosive-tagged and chakra enhanced kunai stored in a seal on his wrist; much more convenient than a simple pouch that could be lost in battle.

The creature grunted in discomfort as the blade stabbed into its side before reaching the end of its fuse and tearing off a chunk of flesh. With blood spurting and ripped and burned flesh flying, the monster roared in fury and pain as it turned its furious sights back to the blonde.

With another rush it tried to swipe at Naruto with its sharp fingers, but was surprised that its target instantly turned to smoke.

"That's not gonna work either!" Naruto once again shouted behind him, have created and replacing himself with a Kage Bunshin.

With even angrier yellow eyes the monstrosity decided to take it up a notch to its increasingly difficult prey. Turning around it extended its right hand with fingers pointed right at the standing Uzumaki. After a mental command the almost needle-like fingers started launching at Naruto at alarming rates, quickly replenishing themselves and firing off like a machine gun.

Not expecting this kind of attack, Naruto was struck with more than a few on his body before transporting onto a nearby tree branch with a hasty Shunshin (Body Flicker). Momentarily out of sight Naruto took that chance to rip out some of the projectiles in his left arm, leg, and side before tossing them away.

"You underestimated the freak."

"Won't happen again. Those were like oversized senbon, I should be better than this!"

"You can't hide with your reiatsu as big as it is, you fool!" An angry wail cried out as the monster speedily approached the tree Naruto was hiding in and swiped right through the middle of the trunk with explosive strength.

"Damn it!" Naruto jumped away to the middle of the grass again as splinters and other chunks of wood flew through the air, some leaving small cuts on exposed skin on his arms and face.

Now seeing his target out in the open for the picking, it tried to simply grab him and rip him apart.

"You're not very creative, the only thing special were those stupid fingers." Naruto muttered as his enemy was only ten feet away and closing in. "And that's gonna cost you."

With a quick flick of his wrist he threw a smoke bomb that detonated in front of him in a big cloud of black.

Not being able to stop its momentum, the murderous being shot through the black smoke, managing to launch a desperate lunge forward to grab its victim before he managed to escape. With great satisfaction it saw that it managed to wrap its hands around a struggling Naruto's body as it slid across the ground eventually coming to a harsh stop.

"You thought you were going to get away, you damn piece of meat?!" It shouted in Naruto's face.

Weirdly enough Naruto stopped struggling and actually gained a vicious smirk before his entire body detonated, creating a large explosion and making the creature roll backwards twenty feet away.

Regaining its bearings, it finally registered that its arms were now only nubs and the front of its body was badly burned.

"What's with these stupid magic tricks?! This isn't Kido!"

"Don't know what Kido is, but that was Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion). It might as well be magic to you, though! Abracadabra, bitch!" Naruto's voice yelled from above.

As injured as the demonic assailant was, all it could do was look up as the young man he thought would be easy pickings descended towards him from the sky, a strange sphere of energy held in his hand.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as his attack made contact with the monster's forehead. It only took a short moment for the swirling ball to start grinding into the mask, causing his enemy to start screaming as its felt the attack shred and crack its face.

With one final wail, the monster finally gave in to the ongoing damage and suddenly exploded in black particles that quickly faded away with the wind.

Watching the last of his foe disappear, Naruto dispersed the Rasengan and looked around at some of the damage done the area.

"Okay…first ghosts, whatever the hell that thing was, and some crap called reiatsu and Kido…I really need to find out what's going on around here."

"Do it later. After everything that's happened today alone, you're going to need to sleep on it."

Naruto gave one heavy exhale before saying, "Sleep sounds so good right now." With a decision to rest and recuperate, Naruto started walking forward and froze mid-step.

"What's wrong?"

"Where am I?"

"Damn it, Naruto…"

(The next Morning – Kurosaki Residence)

"What in the hell happened here?" Naruto whispered as he stood in front of the house belonging to Isshin and his family. Even though he hadn't been here long, he was definitely sure there wasn't a gaping and hastily boarded up hole on the front of the house when he left…

"Naruto! Glad to see you came back!" Isshin enthusiastically shouted as he left the house and joined the blonde in looking at the damage.

"Um…what did I miss?" Naruto quietly asked.

"Something big you wouldn't believe! In the middle of the night someone drove a truck straight through the wall without waking anyone up!"

"A truck?" Yes, he knew what a truck was. You tend to see some vehicles labeled as such when you travel around a city aimlessly all night in search of your temporary home.

"Yep! Thankfully no one was hurt, but I do hope he comes back to apologize someday." He trailed off while holding his chin in thought.

"I'm sure he will…"

"Anyway, come in and get some leftover breakfast! Ichigo and the girls already left for school so it's just us all day!"

Yay…

"Hopefully you'll join Ichigo soon, just give me some information and I'll get you set up in a day or two!"

Double yay…

"Now c'mon!" Isshin yelled as he grabbed Naruto's shoulder to usher him, but at this point the doctor finally noticed the state of the blonde's body.

His borrowed clothes had rips and tears in them, little drops of blood splattered here and there. His hair was a greasy mess, his bangs hanging down, but not enough to cover his tired blue eyes that had bags under them. Dirt and sweat was layered on his face where whatever cuts that were there hours ago healed without nary a mark.

At least his headband and necklace were unaffected, both hanging around his neck without as much as a scuff on them.

"What happened to you?" Isshin asked.

After lazily looking down with drowsy eyes, Naruto looked right into Isshin's.

"…I fell."

AN: Okay, in hindsight, probably a little bit too much dialogue…oh well! This was just an idea to throw out there and mess with in whatever free time I can get in the future if I feel like it, so updates aren't scheduled and can happen at any time.

Hopefully what I put together made sense and didn't seem stupid, although I'm sure others have come up with crazier reasons for Naruto to cross over into other worlds. What happened with Naruto here is similar to the situation in my other story, but it still works, to me at least, and is just something to get the story started because just like in the other one I'm pretty sure I'm not going to include the Elemental Nations at all.

Nothing is ever set in stone, though, since with my writing on the spot style, anything can happen.

And just as a heads up, some things in Naruto's upbringing might be changed (techniques, events, etc) to fit with how I want him. There's nothing drastic, he just might know different things and certain AU elements might be involved, as shown by the necklace surviving to this point and him knowing the explosive clone technique, but I do plan to keep his personality. He's just smarter and more skillful (I always hate when literally everything is changed about him, without a trace of what he looked and acted like. At that point he might as well be an OC).

Not sure where this story is all heading, but the potential it has is fun to think about, so maybe it can grow into something good?

If you liked it, great! If not, thanks for giving it a chance.

Either way, if you could leave a review of your thoughts about this start, I would greatly appreciate it :)

And since it's come up more than once, yes, I'm aware that Naruto was 17 at the end. This is a part of the AU elements I've instilled since the timeline would be weird because the months are completely different. It also makes it easier to get Naruto involved with everyone Ichigo's age.

And no, Naruto isn't nerfed. He still wasn't all there in the head mentally and emotionally, along with facing a completely mysterious enemy, so it took him a little longer to gauge the situation and get back into the groove of things.

Hopefully that clears things up, especially with those that aren't signed in for me to reply to.

Well, I got nothing else to say, so thanks for reading!

Later!