Chapter 1
Spirit Death
A huge blast exploded out in front of the falls that dominated the Valley of the End, the ultimate landmark of the scariest fight between the First Hokage and his arch-nemesis Madara Uchiha. Many have often wondered where the sight was and up until this moment few have ever sought it. Sasuke grimaced in severe pain as he and his opponent crashed to the ground. His Curse seal level 2 mode dissipated leaving him drained and unable to move. But that was not all that prevented him from moving; a huge hole in the side of his shoulder also had a hand. Who knew the loser could do those things; the Nine-Tailed fox was sealed in Naruto all this time. The Uchiha had a pleasant feeling in his body realizing that he abruptly ended the demon's hold on the blond haired boy. The huge gaping wound in Naruto's chest was proof of that, Sasuke sneered weakly. I'll obtain the same level of Sharingan as Itachi now, sorry Naruto but in the path to vengeance sacrifices must be made. He tried to get up but the wound he suffered from was slowly draining him. A second later a shadow fell over him, looking up he saw his damnable ex-sensei looking down at him for a second before turning to the now sinking body of Naruto Uzumaki. "He's dead," Sasuke stated coldly.
Kakashi said nothing he simply kicked the Uchiha boy swiftly in the face rendering him unconscious running over to Naruto's body reaching down plucking the boy from the cold lake and checking for a pulse, he was surprised to find one at all. "No Sasuke, he's not dead, though for the life of me I can't explain why," if Kakashi had the gift to see the spiritual or supernatural he would have noticed a long chain trailing out of Naruto's body along the length of said chain there were cracks, and breaks. He would of also seen an unconscious spirit form of Naruto being dragged along silently behind as Kakashi picked up Sasuke's limp form and begun his trek back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
XXX
About several miles above two figures one shorter than the other gazed down at the prone form being dragged behind the group of mortals. One had bright orange hair spiked up in all directions much like Naruto's while the other had short shoulder length black hair; one was male and the other female. "That was some fight, but that blasted fox is giving our grandson some trouble."
"I know his demon aura has weakened Naruto's spirit energy, I'd say the poor boy has no more than six years at the most before he'll be nothing but another hollow," the young woman said sadly.
The man smirked a bit, "Well then guess there's only one way to solve that problem."
"Ichigo are you out of your mind, remember how hard it was for you to turn into a Soul Reaper?" the woman stated.
"It's either that or we leave the last of our family line to die out and become a hollow, Rukia," the orange haired man stated. "Plus if we do this not only will the blasted fox die but the Akatsuki will be denied their goal and Naruto will tap into his massive spirit power that's being suppressed by that fuzzy assed demon."
"I suppose but let us talk to him first before we do that, after all were probably the only ones who can see him right now," the duo ran alongside the silver haired ninja until the group reached the village gates. Sakura's eyes looked at Sasuke for a moment noting there was a great amount of blood but nothing like was coming from Naruto perched on Kakashi shoulder.
"Are they all right?" Sakura asked her sensei.
"Sasuke will need some minor surgery for his wound," Kakashi looked at Naruto however. "As for Naruto I don't think he'll last another hour." His estimate was honest even Rukia could see new cracks appearing on Naruto's chain of fate.
Sakura eyes widen for a second looking at Naruto intently she saw the huge hole in the boy's chest putting her hand over her mouth in shock. W-what have I done? She thought to herself, Kakashi walked by silently and she followed tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her only consolation was that Naruto kept his word; problem was she felt the cost had been too high. If Naruto dies it'll be my fault, Sakura felt her heart twist inside her chest and felt something squeeze it tightly in the same motion. She walked quietly behind her sensei tears rolling down her cheeks.
Tsunade had arrived as soon she got word from the ANBU that Kakashi had retrieved Naruto and Sasuke from the Valley of the End. Naruto was in the worse shape she had ever seen yet his body was clinging to life stubbornly. She through everyone out of the room and with Shizune's help began work on trying to heal Naruto's body. "Don't you dare die on me Naruto," Tsunade whispered tears slowly forming in her eyes.
XXX
Rukia floated in watching the two working feverishly to save the boy they both grown to love in such a short time as a son or brother. Ichigo had gone back to the spirit realm to acquire permission from the council to give Naruto the Soul Reaper test. Rukia stayed with her grandson watching as the chain of fate steadily grew more brittle. There was nothing to the other two women can do. With a deep sigh she focused her spiritual energy and manifested herself.
Tsunade saw the dull flash followed by the figure that appeared; needless to say she was shocked beyond belief. "R-Rukia Namikaze?"
"It's good to see you again, Tsunade," Rukia smiled sadly.
"Your suppose to be dead, Minato said you were," Tsunade replied hearing Naruto's heart beat grow fainter.
"I am and I am not," Rukia giggled a bit. "I was a Soul Reaper before I joined the Leaf Village. I was a shinobi when I joined the Leaf Village, and when I died leaving behind my little Minato-chan I became a Soul Reaper again."
Tsunade's eyes began to water knowing the significance of a Soul Reaper and what they're job entails. "We're not going to be able to save him, are we?" Shizune looked over at the small woman.
Rukia's gaze turned sadly to Naruto's still form watching as the middle part of his chain of fate became no thinner than a needle. "Two minutes at the most." Tsunade's eyes closed and she slumped to the ground tears falling.
"Not again," Tsunade whimpered.
Rukia stepped forward and kneeled down, "Easy there, Naruto will die but Ichigo and I refuse to allow him to stay dead." She eyed smiled much like Kakashi does. "After all we want plenty of great-grandchildren can't have those if he dies. Ichigo is taking care of everything as we speak."
Tsunade's wiped her tears away taking deep breaths, "Thank you, I don't want to think about how'd I be able to live here as Hokage if he died."
Rukia smirked, "I see, well I have something else to ask you."
"What?" Tsunade asked watching as the smirk turned into a predatory grin, she barely remembered the Namikaze elders being a teen at the time they died. Both of them dying on the same day and at the same time. Now she realized they had been called back into service as Soul Reapers. "Why do I feel like I just lost twenty games of blackjack just now?"
Shizune shivered at the predatory smile. "Now, now Tsunade-chan I'm not asking you for anything too outrageous. I just want my grandson protected and I'm just saying you send him off with that perverted teammate of yours, I want to ensure two things one that Sasuke Uchiha is executed for treason for killing Naruto and the second that because of that assault you officially adopt Naruto as your son."
"Why?" Tsunade asks.
"For his protection you will reveal to the civilians and those within the ninja council who's child Naruto was," Rukia explained and to drive that particular fact in Naruto's heart monitor flatlined. No sooner had the heart monitor gave that dull tone the chain of fate snapped in half. It took all of Shizune and Tsunade's will power not to break down in tears at the sight.
XXX
Outside the room Sakura had just appeared when she heard the dull tone of the monitor go flat-line. She dropped to her knees clutching her chest, No, Naruto! her head drooped forward tears now slowly falling down her face before started shaking her head side to side the only restraint ourtright wailing was because it was a hospital hallway. If she had been spirit sensitive she would have seen a tall orange haired man wearing black and caring a huge sword that looked like a giant butcher knife hovering there a huge smirk on his face. He walked past her and entered the room.
"Yo, big tits," Ichigo states only to get hammered by his wife crashing into the floor. He stood up getting into his wife's face. "What the heck was that for?!"
Rukia snarled looking up at the man she both loved more than anything as well as annoyed by. "You're as insensitive as always!"
Ichigo waggled his eyebrows smirking, "Turns you on doesn't it." Rukia sighed pinching her nose, covering a growing blush to her face. When they had first met this kind of bickering was the norm and in time it becomes sort of a script they use to get into for a long night of hot passionate sex.
"Not in front of the children, dear," she said softly.
"I'm hardly a child Rukia-sensei," Tsunade said softly gently rubbing Naruto's cooling head. In another part of the room Naruto in his ghostly form began to awake.
"True but my standard I'll always see you as that cute little blonde girl who wanted to surpass her Grandpa and wanted a monster rack," Rukia smiled she then turned. "Hello there Naruto-kun," she whispered.
Naruto blinked looking confused, he was seeing himself lying on a bed looking like he gone sixty rounds with the entire Chunin exam entrants and this time he was sure he lost. Standing around him was his favorite granny, Shizune, and two people he never seen before but for some odd reason felt like he knew them. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rukia Namikaze and this is Ichigo Kurasaki Namikaze we are your grandparents or I should say we were," the new woman stated to him.
Ichigo held up his hand in a friendly gesture, "Oh Tsunade-chan, some pink-haired girl is outside crying, I think she heard him die."
"WAIT, WHAT I'm DEAD!" Naruto screams jumping to his feet.
"Oh yeah, kiddo," the orange haired man states. "At least for the next three days then. You'll be brought to life."
"Three days," Naruto muttered looking dumbfounded. To think it took him dying to finally meet a member of his family. Shizune went outside and found the pink haired girl on the floor crying. Seeing this Naruto ran passed them and entered the hall trying to throw his arms around her. "Sakura-chan, I'm here don't cry."
"Only those adept in seeing the supernatural can see or hear us, kid," Ichigo sighed then pursed his lips in surprise as he saw Sakura's tear stained face come up looking at Naruto. "Or a traumatizing event such as the loss of someone you hold very dear," he paused glancing at his wife. "forgot that one."
Rukia simply rolled her eyes turning back to the female Hokage, she then walked up to Naruto's empty vessel touching it, the wounds began to heal rapidly. Sakura watched the whole ordeal completely confused. "Since Ms. Haruno came late to the party and Naruto finally woke up so to speak, I'm going to retell what will occur."
Shizune and Sakura entered the small room shutting the door Naruto phased through it and giggled doing it three more times for fun before his grandmother clobbered him and dragged in. "He is so like his grandfather and his mother, if it wasn't for the fact I spent nine hours in labor giving birth to him, I swear we adopted Minato. He was nothing like his father."
Ichigo snickered, "Nope he was momma's little boy."
The short dark haired woman glared at her husband who began to whistle looking away from her. "Anyway, Naruto for the next three day's your body will be preserved; until you finished your preliminary Soul Reaper training, your more advanced training won't start until after you've led a full life, married, provided Ichigo and I no more than six great-grandchildren," she said this all completely with a straight face Naruto was blushing and if anyone else had notice so did Sakura. "After your death of old age, you'll be brought into the Soul Society and trained in our more advanced methods."
Rukia stopped glancing at Tsunade who nodded, "I'm going to cover up your death, state that you're in a coma. After your three days of training, when you've returned to your body you'll be given the rank of Chunin for successfully completing the mission. Also you'll be getting more training from that pervert Jiraiya, and I'll be adopting you."
Naruto's eyes widen, "Really?"
Tsunade nodded bending down so they are eye level, "I lost you today, it's going to be rectified but it still tore my heart out."
Sakura stepped forward, "Please come back I feel awful if I hadn't asked you to make that stupid promise," she began crying again this time dropping in a movement that he remembered all too well when they were little.
She was crouched down into a vertical fetal position her hands pushed against her eyes and her knees holding them in place. The boy remembered all the times she did this mostly after getting bullied. "Please Sakura-chan don't," he whispered reaching, trying to wrap them around her form. After three tries he slumped his shoulders, he wanted to take away her pain like when they were little, before Ino had shown up before she became a Fan-girl.
He noticed two hands gently wrap around the girl's shoulder looking up, Tsunade slid her arms around the girl. "N-Naruto," Sakura whimpered.
Looking to his grandparents he was grateful that they were sharing solemn looks, "How many times?"
"Our jobs as Soul Reapers, Naruto our job is to fairy souls to they're final rests, we had to do them for both your father and mother the same day you were born," Rukia looked down. "It was my friend Renji that had been summoned by your father to seal the nine-tails into you."
"My father," Naruto blinked once before connecting what his grandmother meant, "my father was the 4th Hokage?"
Author's Note: This is a Fan Fiction challenge I like to see who can use this premise to write a complete fan fiction.