A/N:

Wow. Just wow. I didn't think I'd get so many reviews, favourites and follows. I'd like to thank you guys so much for this. I'm sorry that it took so long, this is just whenever I have a bit of spare time I'll write a bit. I'm not going to update as frequently as some authors, sorry.

I hope the following chapter answers some questions.

"talking"

'thinking'

"Zanpakuto talking"

'Zanpakuto thinking'

"Now that that's done, I would like to see you, training ground 9 at 6:50 A.M sharp." Asuma cut the group off before they could say anything.

"Shino and Kiba Dismissed, Naruto come with me." This confused the two who were dismissed and scared Naruto. Did he hate him because of Kyuubi? Was he in trouble? These two were some of the questions that went through his head. Once the other two had left Asuma got up, paid and moved his hand in a 'come with me' motion.

"Naruto, I know what you're thinking and no I don't hate you because of the demon. It's what you talked about during your introduction that caught my attention as your jounin Sensei it is my job to look after you and help your growth." Asuma began his speech to the boy, calming the jinchuurki's fears. Walking into a nearby park, he didn't even look at the boy.

"Since my father is the Hokage I am privy too more information than other jounin, including the powers that you recently awakened. I'm simply wondering if they had anything to do with what you talked about in your introduction." The smoking jounin asked, lighting a cigarette.

"This is something that I don't feel like I trust you enough to talk about right now" was all he got. Before turning around to see the boy stride away

-Timeskip-

It had been two months since team 8 had been formed and Naruto still hadn't opened up to his teammates. It had taken them a long time to get used to the new calm, collected Naruto but nevertheless they had been the first team to get a C- Rank mission. Currently they were on a mission to a small town called Chisana Mizumi on the costal border of Kawa No Kuni and Hi No Kuni, near Nami No Kuni. It was meant to be simple delivery of a scroll to the town, what they didn't expect was to find the town in ruins, a white masked monster standing over a survivor with red saliva pouring out of its mouth, colored by the blood of others it had eaten. It was about the size of a small house and stood on two legs with long arms and large claws. Skidding to a halt Naruto stared at the beast in shock.

"No way! Your kind was meant to have disappeared entirely!" Naruto screamed as he drew Wabisuke.

"You know what that thing is?" was Kiba's shocked shout.

"Fight now! Talk later!" was Naruto's reply "Right now we have a hollow to deal with!"

'Hollow? Is that what this thing is' Asuma thought.

"Ryodan!" slashing down with Wabisuke Naruto aimed to slash the hollow in two, but was surprised when it only left a minor cut. Lifting its arm the hollow threw Naruto backwards, before charging and at the downed boy. As the beast attempted to kill the child it was shocked when its claws were stopped by two chakra enhanced trench knives.

"Now!" Asuma called to Kiba

"Gatsuuga!" Two white, grey, brown and black tornado's crashed into the beast, one from each side before they stopped showing large grazes on the hollows sides.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!" Came Naruto's Shikai state command. Running under the being that was still clashing against the jounin's trench knives. Slashing one of its legs he slid out behind it.

"Sensei, disengage!" trusting his students judgement he jumped away.

"Hijutsu: Mushidama" Shino's calm voice commanded his bugs they sapped a small amount of Reiryoku before being thrown off. Taking advantage of the distraction Naruto slashed the beast multiple times, bringing the beast to its knees. Walking towards the head of the beast he was surprised when, in a last ditch effort it grabbed a nearby survivor who was trapped under a rock, before consuming them. Emitting a large pillar of reiatsu and a guttural roar that made the eyes of a certain blond observer widen as he adjusted his bucket hat. 'no way! Its already a transforming into a Gillian!'

When the pillar disappeared it showed an average looking Gillian.

"Crap! It evolved!" Naruto shouted. "we could barely beat it be-"

*Slash* Before Naruto could continue the hollow fell in half in front of his eyes, creating a large dust cloud. When said cloud cleared it showed an average looking man a black kimono with a green trim.

"Who are you!?" Naruto called to the man.

"Me?" the man replied "I'm just a handsome and perverted storekeeper." He said while he fanned himself with a fan he pulled out of the obi keeping his kimono tight.

"Bull. No one could just cut down a Gillian, not to mention the fact that you used a zanpakuto!" Naruto shot at him

"what's a zanpakuto?" Kiba asked, his teammates turning towards him.

"Later!" Was his reply from Naruto. Turning towards the man the jinchuurki was surprised to see the man gone, feeling a small weight in his jackets pocket he reached into said pocket and pulled a small piece of paper with a rock attached to it, probably to make sure he noticed it. It said:

"Meet me at Urahara shop"

(#)(#)(#)

"So that's what happened?" the aged Hokage asked, sceptical of his son's report.

"Yes sir" was the jounin's reply.

"Dismissed!" The aged leader said as he sent the team out of his office.

Once they were out Asuma spoke,

"Now Naruto, I believe you owe us an explanation."

"Fine, follow me." He said as he walked outside and jumped onto a nearby roof.

(#)(#)(#)

Once they arrived Naruto's house guided them into his living room, sitting down on a chair across from the couch that the others were sitting it on.

"Where should I start?"

"What was that thing we fought?"

At this Naruto started explaining what a hollow was.

"… Hollows are generally fought using zanpakuto, like Wabisuke here" he said as he presented his blade, and partner to the group as he remembered his first meeting with his partner.

-Flashback-

"Do you really want to protect your sensei?" a voice seemingly from the sword his Jiji had given him when he was Six asked.

-In Naruto's inner world-

Waking up to find himself in a large sewer Naruto found that despite the fact that he was knee deep in water he was still completely dry. Looking around he saw he was at a crossroads, one tunnel led to a darker, drearier area while the other turned into a dirt path further up. Deciding to take the dirt path he walked for a few minutes before coming to what seemed like an Egyptian pyramid that he had read about. Hearing a rattling noise he walked over to see shirtless man. He had long black hair with read ropes over the top of his head covering his eyes and chains all around the makeshift hakama, all convening in one golden circle. He was very thin, you could see his bones from under his skin but it looked like this didn't bother him, if the giant weight's he was carrying said anything.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Naruto asked, curious.

*Clang,clang* all he got was a shake of the man's chain. At first Naruto was angry, but then he was hit by a much more important thought

"Please! I need to help my sensei! Was it you who called to me?" Naruto asked franticly.

Again he got a shake of the chain, but this time he could understand what it meant.

"Yes. I can help you." Was what the emancipated man said.

"What do I have to do?" Naruto asked

"Come here to this gloomy place later. Right now all you have to do is call my name it's …" the man was cut off before Naruto could hear his name by a static sound.

"Please! I need to help Iruka-sensei! I'm begging you!" Naruto's eyes were watering as he fell to his knees; here he was so close to being able to save Iruka-sensei but he was cut off at the last hurdle.

"You have passed the test, now call my name, I will give knowledge on how to help your sensei"

-Real world-

"I see." Naruto cried "Raise your head, WABISUKE!"

-Flashback over-

After he had finished showing the group Wabisuke he started explaining what he knew of all other shinigami related topics from what Wabisuke had told him.

"So what you're saying is that thousands of years ago beasts like that were common." Asuma summed up

"Yep"

"And beings with similar swords to yours fought them for thousands of years"

"Correct"

"Then one of these beings with strength matching that of the sage of six paths was said to have, fought an opponent of similar power, the reirkyoku-"

"Reitatsu" Naruto corrected

"Reitatsu that was emitted allowed normal beings to see hollows and spirits to go straight to this soul society without the use of a konso?"

"Yes"

"And thus the need for these shingami died out because no spirit stayed on earth long enough to be a hollow."

"Right!"

"Then the sage of six paths, who was real, figured out how to harness the reirkyoku along with his physical energy and thus creating chakra?"

"that's about it" Naruto answered

"now that's a pretty farfetched story but I think I'll give you the benefit of the doubt"

A/N: And that's a wrap! I couldn't really find a way to end this, I'm sorry. But I hope this answers some of your questions about this,

Next chapter will be Naruto meeting Urahara and the beginning of the wave arc.