Those who are born to protect

Chapter two

Please note, I do not own bleach or naruto, the only things in this that I own is the OCs

"Talking"

"Thinking/inner speech"

"Dark voices"

"Hey, Samuel?" Luke call out, "What is it?" Samuel replied, "I just remembered something, could you wait here for a minute?" Luke responded, "Fine, just don't take forever, Ok?" and with that, Samuel jump down off the building he was on and landed neatly in the main market Square.

Luke took off to his home because he had just remembered that he left his Zanpakutō in his room as well as his black haori, so he went to retrieve them. He walked in to his room and went to his wardrobe, opened it and grabbed his haori, the combat belt that was attached to the haori from the waist height and from that, his Sealed Zanpakutō, A wakizashi-type Blade with a circular hilt with six rectangles going from the hilt to the inside of the handle that hung sideways from the belt.

He put his haori on, this Zanpakutō he got because he was chosen to become the village's Soul Reaper; he knew that the other element nations had a soul reaper in charge of the village, but with the village hidden between heaven and earth being so big with over 100,000 souls and the fact that he couldn't be around all the time because of his missions, the village council had chosen another ninja to become a Soul Reaper, this was Samuel Venti, Luke knew this, but because he had been away on assignment, he never got to see him in action and also he didn't know if he had Shikai or not.

Luke returned to his Teammate who was impatiently wait next to a water balloon shop, "About time you show up, do you know how long I been waiting?" Samuel ask Luke as he approach him, "Sorry, I not used to having anyone wait for me, so I may have taken longer then I thought" Luke said with hand behind his head and a half-smile that felt rusty on his face for not getting many chances to smile a lot. "Wait, is that..." Samuel ask, pointing to Luke's Zanpakutō on his back, "Yeah, it's my Zanpakutō, I was the original Soul Reaper before I was too occupied by my ninja missions to do it consistently" Luke stated to him, "Come on, let's walk to the gates" Luke ask Samuel, "Yeah, sure" Samuel said half-heartedly and so, they start their walk to the gates.

#page break#

Kakashi noticed that Naruto wasn't his normal "Happy-go-lucky" self, his look was more serious than normal, something Kakashi had pick up on before Sakura little rage/fangirl mode and he was training against his own shadow clones, three of them at once, "Naruto, Stop for a minute, would you kindly?" Kakashi shouted to Naruto, all four turn to face him, the real Naruto then released his clones to go talk to Kakashi, "Yes, Kakashi sensei?" Naruto ask him when he was face-to-face with Kakashi, "You look distracted, is there something the matter?" Kakashi ask him in that calm but serious voice, "Well, Kakashi Sensei, I had a…weird dream last night" Kakashi was kneeling down so Naruto would feel more comfortable speak, but he was also thinking, "I wonder if the Kyūbi was speaking to him again, it would explain his quietness but not his look of fear on his face", during the time that Naruto had been made into a Jinchuriki by his late father, the village council had decided that when he was six years of age, he would learn to control the Kyūbi's power, this process took two-and-a-half years to perfect but after that time, Naruto would sometimes be looking down and speaking to something that wasn't there, making it ironic that he has a fear of ghosts, but who Naruto was talking to was the Kyūbi but like a chibi style fox, all cute and fluffy and transparent.

"Kakashi sensei, are you paying attention" Naruto ask, breaking Kakashi's train of thought, "Oh err…yes Naruto, go on" Naruto gave a depressed sign and continued, "well, I was in a dark place, a void practically and then this Dark and sinister voice came out of nowhere, it said that it was coming here, to Konoha, but I don't know what it means" Naruto cried out, Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's head and rubbed it, "Don't worry, it be ok, I'm glad that you told this, I think of something to help but in the meantime that I doing that, continue to train and forge your path to Hokage" Kakashi spoke with his "serious Sweet-talk" voice and Naruto smile like he normally does, "Yes, Kakashi sensei, I will because I Will be Hokage someday!" and with that, Naruto when off to resume training with his clones.

#page break#

While the two were walking to the gates of the village, Luke could see Samuel's appearance more clearly; his face was Patten with green Celtic-like symbols that looked like two Chinese dragons, with their mouths open at the tips of Samuel's lips and the tails curving just underneath his hair and a strand of his hair neatly went across his face, reaching to the tip of his left eye.

Also Luke noticed that his Karate gear had be replace by black lose fitting trousers with a green dragon going upwards on each side and a T-shirt with green lining and which featured a green dragon on the left side, its head curve near the top so it looked like the eye of the dragon was looking right at you, his coat was the same though; and his Zanpakutō had black Wrapping round the hilt and a octangular tsuba guard that hung from a green sash that went round his waist.

"Hey, Samuel, What's with the new look?" Luke asked Samuel, he look down and laughed, "oh yeah, I forgot, I just wear the official gear for meeting important people like the Hikarikage, but this is my normal outfit, pretty cool, don't you think?" Luke gave another half-smile and nodded, by this time, they had reached the giant gate to the village, the Seishinmon (Spirit gate), the gate that allows the ninja of the village to travel to the element nations, the Seishinmon was needed because the village hidden between heaven and earth floats above the cloud level and the gate was constructed to teleport ninja to ground level, well below the village.

Luke & Samuel walk up to the guard station next to the gates, there were two jōnin at the post, one call out to Luke as they walked up, "Hey, Luke, off on another mission again, oh, you have a new partner I see, but really, can the Hikarikage's library of Justu get any bigger? He already got most of the Justus of nearly all the element nations apart from the leaf, isn't that were you're going?" The jōnin asked, "Yeah, you know all too well my normal M.O, but really, you talk way too much" at this remark, the jōnin put his head down and felt depressed, "err…wait that came out wrong, sorry "the other jōnin chose that time to speak, "sorry about that, Luke, you know what he's like, he gets depressed very easily but he come around later, you see, anyway, good luck on you mission" the jōnin then made the Release hand-sign, "I, the guard of the Seishinmon, Allow Luke Yasenha and Samuel Venti to pass" and with that, the great Seishinmon opened, a bright, white light filled the gateway and then, without a moment's hesitation, the two high-level genin walk into the light.

#page break#

(At the forest of dead trees, sometime after dark)

A bright light filled the night as a Shōji appeared from nowhere; they parted ways to reveal a two-part circular door that opened as well, producing more light from its light-filled doorway.

Luke & Samuel walk out of the doorway, once they were out, the Seishinmon closed behind them, disappearing like it never even existed. The two then went to make a start on the long walk to Konoha but just before they left the barrier of the center of the forest of dead trees, that heard a familiar roar, "great, Hollows" Luke call out aloud, "Just what we don't need right now, we on a mission, we can't have delays like this" "Well, I suggest that we be rid of them quickly and move on" Samuel replied, drawing his Zanpakutō from its sheath, Luke did the same and then, attacked the group of hollows.

#page break#

Naruto suddenly awoke, feeling some unknown strong spiritual pressures, but it lasted only for a moment and died out, Naruto look over at his bedside table, where a small tri-pronged kunai with a paper tag wrapped round the handle with its well-known seal formula, but that wasn't the half of it, it was also his late father's Zanpakutō.

#page break#

Luke & Samuel sheathed their Zanpakutō as the large group of hollows disintegrated, "Well, that was amusing" Samuel said sarcastically, "come on, we wasted too much time taking care of these hollows, let's get moving" Luke responded coldly as he started walking towards the forest that was just before Konoha, "Hey! Wait up" Samuel shout as he went to catch up with him, "sheesh, I didn't know you could be that cold about it, I got to say, you one big piece of work, Luke" Samuel thought as he joined up with Luke to continue on their way to Konoha.

#page break#

(About half ten in the morning the day after)

Naruto was pumped and ready to start the next part of the exam, the forest of death, which wasn't the most comforting name he had ever heard, Sasuke was hanging around with his "I don't care" face with Sakura feeble attempts at seducing him, "Ok, let's go! Dattebayo" Naruto called out loud in his usual over-the-top manner, but just as he was happily walk towards the forest suddenly a strange but unusually familiar voice rang out, "hey, I hope we aren't too late to join the party", Naruto looked round to see two leaf genin, one with a black Haori and one with a black shihakushō with ragged ends, But Naruto could a familiar presence coming from the one with the Haori, his chakra felt dark and heavy and his shadow that was being cast on the floor was clear, unlike the others, but the worst thing was that the new guy's shadow looked like it had a mind of its own, because we he got closer, Naruto could see tentacles coming off his shadow, but the wasn't any coming from the guy he was looking at.

Naruto was so preoccupied with this that he didn't notice Anko, the proctor for the second exam, sneak up behind him with a kunai brandish, she made a swift cut to his cheek, blood came out and she licked up Naruto's blood like she had hematolagnia, but just as she move her face away, licking her face with a snake-like tongue, a cut suddenly appeared on Anko's face, the figure stand behind was lick Anko's blood from a black-and-red tri-pronged kunai knife, like Minato's only with think black wrapping around the hilt and no seal formula.

Luke couldn't help himself, he found it a rather unpleasing habit, but with working with Shadow for so many years and because of his connection with him, he had developed Shadow's taste for fresh blood, so when he saw the female jōnin cut at Naruto's face and lick his blood, that part of him took over and he used Shunpo to cut her face with his kunai, then preceded to lick the blood off the kunai.

Anko managed to turn around and speak, "Wait, who are you guys? What squad are you with?" there was a short pause before Luke answered, "Well, you see, we just arrived from training and we had invitations to join the chunin exam, Oh yeah, just before I forget" Luke handed Anko some document scrolls, "we finished talking with the third Hokage and he said for now, we join squad seven for the duration of the exam" Luke said happily with his left hand behind his head, Samuel looked at his teammate, noticing the difference is his teammate's mannerisms since the night before.

#page break#

(The night before, ten hours before present time)

Luke charged all eight of the hollows that came forward with his Zanpakutō out in his right hand, "Hitotsume: Nadegiri" Luke call out, ending up behind the group of hollows, he then sheathed his Zanpakutō, the eight hollows that were behind him all became split in two from the head down and disintegrated before they could even think, Samuel then followed suit, charging his eight hollows with his Zanpakutō brandished, "Senmaioroshi" Samuel call out, making so many cuts in the air, Luke found it hard to count them all, Samuel also sheathed his Zanpakutō, then the hollows Samuel was dealing turn into ribbons and whatever was left disintegrated.

(About five hours later)

The two slept in the forest, then pack up and walk to the gates but just enough that they were out of sight, then Luke and Samuel put a finger on their Headbands, applied charka to it so the Yin-yang symbol of the village hidden between heaven and earth became the leaf symbol of Konoha, just after that they walked in to Konoha.

(Another hour later)

"Well, that's everything sorted out" Samuel replied cheerfully, "you know, you really are good at convincing people, even someone like the third Hokage" Luke just nodding, "yeah, I had to learn but it comes in useful sometimes, but Samuel, can I ask you to do me a favor?" Luke asked, "Ok, what is it?" Samuel ask, intrigued by what his colleague had to say, "Would you let me do the talk when he get to this "forest of death" place, please?" Luke asked, and then Samuel gave a look that was a mix of shock and annoyance, "Really! Come on, can't I say anything! Come on, can't I say at least something to them" Luke look at his partner, "Well, I just better at explaining things and besides, you can talk with the squad members when we get there, Ok?" Samuel gave a defeated sign, "Ok, fine" and so, the two continued to walk towards the forest of death area.

#page break#

(Back to present day)

Anko was busy looking at the document scrolls, finally, she put them away and signed, "Ok, you two are free to join this part of the exam" Samuel breathed a sigh of relief, then Anko when to stand in front of the squads that were there, after giving the explanation of the exam and the purpose of the heaven and earth scrolls (which Luke thought of as being like-of Ironic), all the squads moved forward to the entrance of the forest of death.

Naruto was keeping his eye on Luke, after they introduced themselves, Naruto found it very hard to go near Luke, like some sort of basic instinct inside him told him to keep away, Suddenly the Kyūbi spoke from within his mind, "Was it him you told me about, the man with the dark chakra?""Yeah, what should I do about him?" there was a small pause before the Kyūbi answered, "We just have to watch and see what happens" Naruto nodded then when to join Sasuke and the others at the registration post where they received the heaven scroll.

"Ok, gather round" Kakashi call the other squad members, "I know this will be dangerous but please promise me that you do your best, Ok?" "Yes, Kakashi sensei" all of squad seven replied, and with that, they walked off, into the forest of death.

Ok, that's it for now, I still waiting for any pairings I can use in the story, hopefully, I'll continue this for a while because I got a lot of ideas include some lemon or some harem-type stuff, I not too sure if I should but it be interesting to write it when I get to it.

Don't worry, I make it more action pack next chapter and explore Luke's and Samuel Justus and powers a lot more.

Next chapter: Welcome to the forest of Hollows! One's true form unleashed!