A/N Hey guys, I wrote this in my spare time, and decided to post it... Though, to be honest, I should really work on the other stories I am writing, but I've hit a road block. :( Anyway, hope you enjoy. R&R please.

A Lapse in Realms

Chapter 1

A young man glared into space as he spun through a blinding whiteness, his body was covered with wounds and he wore battered clothing; a torn-up white, long sleeved top with the right sleeve missing, ripped brown trousers with a belt. He also wore metal plated gauntlets and rough leather boots, a sword's scabbard hung from the belt, sheathing the deadly blade.

"What the hell are you ol' crones babbling about!" He snarled venomously into the whiteness.

"Calm yourself, Angau. We merely stated that your talents were needed elsewhere." A soothing voice echoed throughout the area. "You have mastered the elements, and are an accomplished warrior and hero and has even been blessed with immorality." Angau scoffed at this.

"Being immortal isn't a blessing; it's a curse." He snarled at the voice.

"It would be a waste to let talent such as yours go to unused." The voice reasoned calmly, not even acknowledging the comment, drawing a further scowl to Leo's face, his sharp blue eyes glaring at the nothingness around him, his short, light brown ponytail hanging down, unaffected by the weightless spinning.

"I finally finished off that bastard and ended the needless corruption he was spewing; let me rest you fuckin' assholes!" He growled angrily at the voice. "Why the hell do I have to do what you demand?" There was a temporary silence as the voice seemed to contemplate this, though it didn't last long.

"There is a 4 year old child that is need of your help, his destiny is pivotal to that of his world." The voice harmonised, the expression on Angau's face softening at the mention of a child in need.

"Why would he need my help?" He asked, somewhat sceptical of the voice, somewhat concerned for the child.

"You always did have a soft spot for children in need." The voice seemed to chuckle, causing Angau to bite back memories.

"I've seen enough suffering to last three lifetimes…" He murmured quietly. "Anyway, stop avoiding the question! Why would this child need my help?" He demanded, starting to get fed up with the spiel coming from the ones who held him in the palms of their hands. The voice seemed to take on a solemn tone.

"This boy has been shunned and hated for something he could not control, he needs guidance, he needs protection and he needs tutelage. You can give this to him." The voice informed him with sadness. Angau sighed in resignation, closing his eyes for a moment, before opening them once more.

"I'll do it." He spoke, losing the scowl from his face as a portal opened up before him, a fiery funnel on a white background. Power coursed through the area, closing the wounds on his body and stitching up the tears in his clothing, clearing the blood as if it hadn't been there to begin with.

"The boy's name is Uzumaki Naruto. You will know it is him by the whisker birth marks on his cheeks, blonde hair and blue eyes. Good luck." With those parting words, he floated towards the entrance and pulled himself through, falling through an increasing amount of gravity. He fell from the air, landing haphazardly on someone with a grunt. He sat up and got off the unconscious body with a stretch.

"Sorry 'bout that." He grinned at the body, scanning his surroundings quickly, his eyes falling on a disturbing sight; a group of fully grown adults were crowded around the tiny form of a beaten and bloodied child, some of the crowd even carried weapons. He growled in fury as he stormed toward the group, forcing his way through to protect the child who stared up at the figure of Angau with something akin to awe. "I rescind my apology." He glared menacingly at the group, his eyes promising nothing but death for those that overstepped his imposed boundaries. One stepped forward.

"Get away from that demon, stop protecting it!" He yelled angrily, bringing a burning rage to Angau's eyes. He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade, gripping it tightly as he drew it from its sheath.

"Take one more step, or say one more thing against this boy and it'll be your last mistake." Angau snarled viciously. The same man stepped forward again, which was enough. Angau threw his blade, which spun through the air shortly before embedding itself into the chest of the offending man. "The rest of you had better leave, or you'll meet the same fate." The crowd quickly dissipated and Angau and the child were soon left alone, sans the corpse of the civilian man. Angau turned to the boy and knelt down in front of him, smiling warmly at the slightly injured boy, pulling his attention from the body. "Would you happen to be Uzumaki Naruto?" He asked kindly, getting a shaky nod in response.

"Y-yeah, who are you?" Naruto asked nervously, meekly looking up at Angau.

"I, my dear boy, am your guardian angel." Angau spoke calmly, a small smirk playing across his face at the irony. 'A demon becoming a guardian angel, huh? That's rather amusing.' "My name is Angau." Naruto gave him an odd look, backing away slightly.

"My guardian angel…?" He asked in a steadier voice, casting a slight glare Angau's way. "Then where have you been?" He questioned suspiciously, drawing a warm smile to Leo's lips.

"I know I'm a bit late, but I was detained on a different world by a very bad man, and I couldn't leave until I dealt with him." Angau answered kindly, reaching out his hand towards the cowering boy who flinched away, staring untrustingly at the offered hand. "Come now, I'll make sure you're safe-"

"Who are you!" An aged voice suddenly demanded, making Angau spin around and adopt a defensive stance in front of Naruto, being sure to position himself in between the child and the newcomers making himself the target as opposed to Naruto. Angau glared at the old man and those flanking him. The old man wore some sort of red robes with a white overcoat covering it; he also wore a wide hat with material dangling down the back and sides. His two flunkies wore the same things; a flak jacket, black clothing, masks and pouches on their thighs. Angau was about to speak when he was cut off by Naruto, who leapt eagerly at the old man.

"Jii-san, you're here!" He cried happily as he flung his arms around the old man, injuries forgotten. The display caught Angau off guard and he raised an eyebrow at the scene. The old man placed a hand on top of Naruto's head, still glaring at Angau and the warrior felt something wrap around him which he assumed was the old man's killing intent. Angau stood and brushed it off as if it were just a warm summer breeze.

"That's some KI you've got there, old man, though it's kinda pathetic compared to what I'm used to." He chuckled warmly, smiling at the old man, who stared back in shock.

"Who are you?" He asked again. Angau almost palmed his face as he groaned.

"That's right; we were doing introductions." He sighed as he rubbed his head. "The name's Angau, I've been sent here by otherworldly powers to look after, raise and teach all I know to a young boy by the name Uzumaki Naruto." He informed them in a light tone, topped off with a charming smile. He raised his hand and pointed at the boy clutching the robes of the old man. "I believe it's that kid you have right there."

"You expect us to believe that?" The old man growled at Angau, who just sighed in exasperation.

"Look, I don't care whether you believe me or not; no one is gonna stand between me and my job. Anyone tries; they're gonna die." He said, indicating the corpse of the civilian with his sword still embedded in it. The old man looked and frowned at the sight before returning his gaze to the man before him. "I don't mean the kid any harm; I just want to make sure he grows up properly with good memories to outshine the bad ones…" Angau trailed off, averting his eyes and staring at the ground as unpleasant memories assaulted his mind. He closed his eyes, which at that moment made him seem older that he appeared, to rid himself of the memories, opening them again once this had been accomplished, bringing his eyes up to Naruto, whose bright blue eyes seemed to lift his spirits somewhat. Angau looked back at the old man again. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've introduced myself, shouldn't you return the gesture?" This seemed to catch the old man by surprise.

"I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha." He introduced with an odd look on his face, almost as if expecting Angau to know that already. Angau just stared at him for a moment.

"Okay, Sarutobi Hiruzen, what the hell is 'Hokage' and 'Konoha'?" He asked confusedly, shocking him even further.

"You mean you don't know…?" The Hokage asked in a confused tone drawing out a groan of annoyance from Angau.

"Don't tell me your memory is so bad you can't recall my introduction." He spoke as he palmed his face. "I'm from a different world, so of course I don't know your terms… Though I don't know how we're speaking the same language… I s'pose it's some sort of translating magic." He trailed off, seemingly going into his own world, working out what he could from the information he currently held. He brought his eyes up to the Hokage and stared calculatingly at him. "You're one of the only people here that are kind to this kid, and from the way you talk you seem to be the leader of this village… Would you mind filling me in about this world?" He finally asked. Hiruzen looked at him speculatively, summing up the man before him before deciding on a response.

"I'll tell you all I know if you allow us to check your memories and mind for any traces of lies beforehand." Sarutobi responded, thinking he had cornered a fake and would be able to deal with him accordingly. However, he was not expecting the reply he got.

"Sure, I don't mind." Angau replied almost instantly, retrieving his blade and sheathing it before turning back to the old man in a relaxed posture. "Just make sure that the one looking has a strong mind." He told him offhandedly.

Sarutobi sat in his office with the newcomer and Naruto, the latter had been healed by a medic, the former had already had his mind scanned by Inoichi, who reported that everything he spoke was the truth and some very interesting things about the man, including his use of jutsu without any hand seals, able to control his chakra perfectly and use all the different elements bar lightening. He was able to combine the elements and focused mainly on kenjutsu, taijutsu and his impressive display of ninjutsu, also being unable to perform genjutsu and fuuinjutsu. The man seemed formidable by anyone's standards; he even seemed have the ability, strength, speed, power and intelligence to take on one or two Kage, and give them a good run, while he wouldn't be able to beat them, that was still quite the feat in the eyes of Sarutobi. The world had just been explained to the man and he was just awaiting a response to his question.

'If I gain his loyalty and train him, he'd be able to take my place without a doubt, and his potential doesn't stop there either, he could become more powerful than all the Kage in shinobi history. That's some frightening potential.' Sarutobi thought as he continued to analyse what benefits and consequences getting him to join the village will entail. 'And then there's THAT jutsu Inoichi told me he used… Perhaps I could use that as bargaining chip to get the council's approval.' Sarutobi sighed deeply as he looked at Angau, who stared back calculatingly, as if he was deciding upon his next move should this plan fail. 'There's also the matter of the memories that were unattainable for Inoichi, I should ask him about them.'

"So, old man, what's your verdict?" Angau asked, being unable to wait any longer and deciding on a suitable back-up plan. Sarutobi glanced at Naruto, who sat in the chair across from Angau, noticing he was fidgeting nervously.

"You want to join the village to look after Naruto?" He asked, getting a nod of affirmation. "I'll need to convince the council to allow you to stay here and to do that, you need to prove that you will be of use to the village." Angau nodded in understanding.

"Understandable, it makes sense to do that in a ninja village such as this." He conceded. "What do I need to do?" Sarutobi winced, not liking what he was about to ask the man, but doing it anyway.

"From what Inoichi reported to me, you have a bloodline trait. I was thinking you could establish a clan here in Konoha." He informed the strange man before him, who seemed to be contemplating the offer. Angau frowned, thinking of what this would mean; he would have to set up a family here and they council may try to force him to have multiple wives to form the clan. Personally, he didn't like the idea of the latter, or even the former really, so he had to find out about other possibilities.

"I'll have to decline; I've had a bad experience with my enemies killing my family." Angau explained with a smile. Naruto and Hiruzen both donned expressions of surprise and pity, Naruto averted his eyes quickly. Angau noticed their looks and frowned. "Now, don't get me wrong; I don't want your pity. It happened quite a while ago, and I'm fine." He dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, are there any other choices for me to be able to join the village; wouldn't becoming a ninja here be enough?" He questioned curiously. Hiruzen sighed tiredly.

"Well, normally that would be the case; however there are a few things that prevent the normal situation from happening." He began. "Firstly, there's the fact that you came from a different world and are unfamiliar with our customs. Then there are the memories that Inoichi couldn't gain access to-"

"Those memories are private; I don't want others seeing them." Angau told him firmly, his tone resolute. Hiruzen nodded in understanding and continued.

"There's also the matter of the jutsu you are able to use, which is due to your bloodline, correct?" Angau nodded in response, having been informed of 'jutsu' earlier, though which 'jutsu' he was talking about was unknown to him. Suddenly an idea hit him.

"Hey, old man, what if you took me on as your personal student?" He asked curiously; Hiruzen raised a brow at the thought. "Would that bypass the problem?" Hiruzen nodded slowly, pondering the idea carefully. "The reason I ask is because I know nothing about being a ninja, and I'll need a teacher anyway."

"Yes, that would work nicely… However all decisions must be put off until after tomorrow." At Angau's and Naruto's confused stares he elaborated. "Ninja from Kumo are coming tomorrow to make peace between our villages." Angau nodded, but he clearly thought something was wrong with this picture. From what he decoded and inferred from what the Hokage told him about the world, Kumo were obsessed with obtaining the Byakugan, and this, to his eyes at least, was clearly a ploy to steal the secrets of the legendary dojutsu. 'Bah, what do I know; I'm just a newcomer here… Still, I'll guard the Hyuuga estate until I know for sure the threat has passed.'

"But, for the mean-time, I'll need somewhere to crash, any ideas?" The Sandaime nodded after a short pause.

"There's a house that's up for sale… Well, more of a mansion really… But nobody has even tried to buy it because of how expensive it is…" Angau nodded mutely. "Well, there's either that or you can stay with Naruto for a while until I can figure something out for you." Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of not living alone anymore, Angau saw this and sighed with a grin on his face.

"Well, as tempting as those offers are, I have a better idea," Naruto's eyes drooped and he lost his smile. "How about I buy that mansion and the kid and I live there instead of some crappy apartment building which is most likely falling apart." Once again, Naruto's eyes lit up and he sent Angau a huge, toothy grin, which Angau returned happily. Sarutobi had to smile at the scene before him, it was nice to see someone care about Naruto this much.

"It's quite expensive, how do you intend to pay it?" The wizened old man asked.

"Do you have gold coins in this world?" Angau asked, gaining a nod from Sarutobi. "How much is one gold coin worth?"

"100 ryu, where are you going with this?" Sarutobi questioned curiously, bringing a feral grin to Angau's face.

"How much is the mansion?"

"120,000 ryu."

"Then, there's no problem." Angau spoke as he lifted his hand over the desk. Suddenly, gold began falling from his hand in a waterfall, piling up on the desk and causing it to groan against the weight. Suddenly, the flow stopped and both Naruto and Hiruzen watched Angau in awe. "1,200 gold coins should cover the price, right?" He asked with the same feral grin on his face, acting like the amount he just handed over was nothing. Hiruzen nodded dumbly as he stared at the pile of coins.

"How did you do that?" He asked, having shaken himself out of his shock. Angau just chuckled before responding.

"I used a little time/space magic to summon this from my personal funds that I keep stashed away in a different dimension." He stated with a wave of his hand, brushing over the topic quickly. "Now if you don't mind, Naruto and I are gonna go get settled in the house."