Breaking the Boundaries

A/N.

Nice to receive some of those reviews and luckily I have lots of time on my hands, in the next week anyways, to update this little fic of mine. Revisited to correct the mistakes of the past.

Thank you, Juopunumies.

Dialogue normal/external speech
Dialogue inner thoughts
Dialogue Kyuubi speaking aloud
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners.

Chapter started: 18Jan08
Chapter edited: 23Mar08
Chapter revisited: 15Nov08

Chapter Two

Days spent in darkness

Konoha
Central District

People usually greet the end of a day with some degree of happiness. Either because work is over, the day is done and a new one can arise again, or that it was time to relax in the comfort of ones home, with family and loved ones. For Uzumaki Naruto, he had none of those things to look forward to.

Making the long walk back to his apartment, he couldn't help but notice the veiled glances, the hardening of people's eyes, and the insidious whispers floating around him. By his side was a tattered teddy bear that had seen much better days. And if you were to pay close attention, you could see it being clenched tightly by its ears as it was dragged along the ground.

Trying the best to ignore what was happening around him, Naruto did what he normally did in these circumstances. He retreated into himself, into his private world where no one stared at him; no one said harsh and cruel things just at the edge of his hearing. A place where he was left alone, free from the reality that ever awaited him. Unfortunately, he still was alone, even in his own mind.

Like a person following a standard routine, he managed to make his way into a small, dank complex and into his apartment. He noted with dull fascination that there was new graffiti on his door, and someone had left a noose around the handle. He looked at it for a moment before taking it off and throwing it over his shoulder. For the last few months he had been expecting things such as that, to the extent that it rarely ever fazed him anymore.

Naruto unlocked the door and went into the living room. He saw that the clock read seven o'clock and decided to eat. He went to his kitchen and rummaged around in his pantry.

Instant ramen, more instant ramen; I love the stuff, but day after day it gets so boring… He sighed to himself. It's not like I can afford anything better, and even if I could, I can only seem to buy things that are expired, or look like they have been opened already…

He placed a kettle on to boil, and sat down, watching the steam slowly accumulate as the water reached its boiling point. It wasn't as if there was much for him to do while waiting. His apartment was rather empty, only being furnished with some seats, an empty bookcase and a simple futon in his bedroom. It was functional and cold, utterly sterile.

Once the water was done, he poured it into the container and started eating. Cleaning up was easy, he merely threw the cup away and made his way into bed. He didn't even bother to take his clothes off before collapsing into bed. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep, with one thought on his mind.

Kaa-san, where are you? Why did you leave me?

Flashback

She said that she was just taking a trip away to see an old friend.

Of course, he begged her to let him come along, but she said that he had to be a good boy and stay in the village. Apparently it was too dangerous to take a little boy out into the open country. She promised him that she would come back with a present for him, but only if he was good and did what he was told.

"Now Naruto-kun, I need you to stay in this house and look after it while I am gone, do you understand? Don't worry now, I will get someone to check up on you and I will come back as soon as I can," she promised with a brittle smile.

Most kids would have believed in their parents. But Naruto wasn't like most kids, not even at his precocious age. He had an awful feeling that something bad was about to happen, and that he wanted to be with his mother if it did occur. But in the end, he stayed silent and smiled at her. She was his mother; she wouldn't do anything that would hurt him, right?

As Kushina saw her child smile at her, her heart was torn into slightly smaller pieces. Emotions were warring within her, the primary ones being guilt and anger. Guilt that she was abandoning her child to a village that would turn on him, guilt that she wasn't strong enough to be the mother that Naruto needed, and anger at the entire situation that they were placed in.

For the last six years Kushina had been living more of an existence than a life. After losing her lover she had problems readjusting to reality. Life goes on, regardless of the personal tragedies that occur, and living in the past only gives rise to regret. Such platitudes are easy to say, but when faced with the situation personally…

It was hard for her to move on when every time she saw her son, she saw the face of his father; the same facial structure, the same spiky blond hair. It was like she was being mocked by her loss by some sick twist of karma. To add insult to her injury, three whisker-like marks had formed on Naruto's face as a result of the sealing. There were times when she was washing Naruto that she had vigorously, even maniacally, tried to scrub them off his face; as if she could remove the 'taint' from his body, until his cries brought her back. This in part lead to Naruto becoming more subconsciously independent as she realised that she could not always control her actions around her son.

Even after six years, if someone were to ask her if she loved her son, she would be hard pressed to give an answer. Her head said that Naruto was her son, no more and no less than that. But deep in her, there was a seed of resentment that she desperately tried to deny. The more she ignored it, the greater it grew until one day she found herself over Naruto while he was sleeping. In her hand was a kunai that she gripped until her knuckles were white with the pressure.

Desperately afraid, she ran back into her room, panting with fear with what she had almost done. She tried to convince herself that it wouldn't happen again, that it was just something she had no control over. But, over time, as she kept waking up in the same situation over and over again, she realized that she had to do something.

As she was moving away, she turned back and saw Naruto jumping up and down, waving his arms to get her attention

"Kaa-san, come back quickly please! Remember to write to me, and don't forget to get my present when you come back! I love you!"

With those last words cutting into her, she managed to fake a smile and wave back at him before she turned and hurried off to the gates.

When she was out of his sight, Naruto stopped waving and felt a shiver come over him. Brushing it off as nothing more than an errant breeze, he started walking back to his home, counting down the time until she would return home.

Little did he know that he was in for a hell of a countdown.

End Flashback

Naruto slowly woke up when the sun's rays flashed upon his face. Giving a tired yawn, he got up lethargically and went to the bathroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he was brushing his teeth, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and wondered what the hell he was going to do today. After his mother had left and did not return, he was shifted into various foster homes, each of them reluctantly taking him in before kicking him out again.

The excuses were all the same. They were unable to care for Naruto due to his 'special needs' and that he would be better cared by another family, any family as long as it wasn't theirs.

What do they mean by special needs? There is nothing wrong with me, is there?

After so many attempts, it was decided that Naruto was to be placed into an orphanage. While that had worked for a while, his location was discovered by others, and there were times at night when people would come and demand loudly for Naruto to come out and face them. Rocks were thrown, windows broken and there were serious fears that they would one day storm the orphanage. He remembered those dark times where he was hiding in his room, trying to ignore what was happening around him by wrapping his blanket around him, praying for the sun to rise again.

It's all going to be alright in the morning. Just a little bit longer…

This became his mantra for the long nights ahead of him. After this had happened, what friendships Naruto had with the orphans crumbled. All of them were afraid of him, afraid that the men in the dark would hurt them if they stayed close to him. And most of all, they were afraid that no foster family would take them in if they were friends with him. It was the most poignant introduction to negative emotions, at such a young age, that most kids his age didn't have to face.

Throughout his life Naruto had always noticed that he was treated differently, that others always seemed to go out of their way to make him feel miserable. While his mother was still with him, it was not as noticeable, but when she left, it seemed that someone had called open season on Uzumaki Naruto. First of all his house was forcibly sold by the bank when no one made the payments to the mortgage. His mother's bank accounts were also mysteriously empty, leaving him with nothing but an allowance given by the Hokage to live off. Whenever he asked the old man why these things happened to him, he would never get a proper explanation.

It would always be something on the lines of:

"It's something that you will understand when you're older, Naruto."

"Its not you, Naruto, it's just that they can't seem to see what a great child you actually are, Naruto."

"It is nothing that you have done. Don't worry; it will get better in the future."

After a series of contradictory and useless explanations, he gave up on asking the Sandaime for reasons. Though he didn't show it, Sarutobi was inwardly glad that he didn't have to answer those awkward questions, and prayed that things would get better.

All of this had an effect on the young blond. Before hand he was a happy enough child, oblivious to the things around him and had the attention, if lukewarm love, of his mother. After she had left, he was exposed to world around him, and he finally saw and experienced something no child ever should.

Loneliness. Neglect. Hate. Indifference. Fear. Longing. Despair. Hopelessness.

After being told to leave by the orphanage, Sarutobi reluctantly agreed and managed to get a small apartment for him, as well as a small allowance for living expenses. He had been living there for the last few months, and in that short amount of time, he gained a small measure of independence. But a six year old could hardly be expected to cook for himself and clean an entire house, something which even adults have trouble with.

Given no direction and loneliness being his constant companion, Naruto was literally an island unto himself. With the lack of guidance, he spent most of his time in the park, looking at happy families playing with each other. It was just a stark reminder of something he never really had. And he saw children oblivious to the reality of the world around them. He hated them for that. And how he envied them for that as well.

Everyday would follow the same meaningless routine, and every day he would lose a bit more strength, a bit more of his will. And all of this went unnoticed among those living in the village hidden in the leaves.

Soul society
Twelfth division headquarters

I wonder, it all seemed a bit easy. thought Urahara Kisuke.

The fallout from the sealing turned out to be very anticlimactic for the three captains of Sereitei. When he came back to Soul Society, he discovered that only a few minutes had passed by while he was in that strange new world. It made things much easier to cover up, err, explain to anyone who asked.

His friends just pushed the blame onto him, saying that if anyone asked them what had happened; they would say that he had summoned them as a joke, before saying that they had some paperwork to catch up on and leave in a hurry. He wasn't that impressed that his friends would ditch him like that, but luckily no one really noted their absence at all.

Point one, time in that place seems to be displaced in comparison to ours. But I wonder what the time dilation factor actually is between here and there?

Pushing that to the back of his mind, he sat back and thought back on what he had just seen. And more importantly what he had just created. Kisuke had an unabashed love of experimenting and creating things that most people would have left alone. Why he did it, well, not even he could give an answer to that question. It usually revolved along the lines of being:

It would have some use, by some one, in some time, some where. Making the shinigami stronger can hardly be a bad thing, right?

Or more directly, why not?

Usually his friends and colleagues could give him an ever growing list of why he shouldn't actually do it, but that was nothing compared to the agony he felt when the Shinigami Woman Society came and complained that the names that he gave to his beloved creations were not 'cute enough'.

Why can't they be thankful that I made their lives slightly easier, or more interesting? he lamented with a sigh.

He looked at the black sphere lying on his desk and gave another sigh. I get the feeling this will be the greatest thing I have ever created, or the worst. A part of him was afraid for the blond baby that had his entire being changed that night. Kisuke had no idea what the hell could have happened, and whether his power was stable enough to control that damned fox.

And that led him to think about what that fox actually was. And what the hell was chakra really? He thought it was physical and mental energy of a living being, but on closer examination, he realized that there was something wrong with that explanation. He just didn't know what, but if he were to trust his instincts on this one, it would seem that the mental component of chakra seemed to be like reiatsu… Was the spiritual energy of a dead person and a living being comparable to each other?

Filing those thoughts away for future contemplation, he realised that the time he spent here meant that Naruto would have aged by a significant amount of time already. Convinced that he needed more data and observation on the younger blond, he planned to make a trip to see how things were progressing.

Being cautious, he pulled out an experimental gigai and implanted a pre production gikongan into it. He had managed to create one that could act as a decoy, useful when he needed a distraction, or he wanted to avoid long boring meetings. He once used it to do paperwork, but seeing that it was programmed to mirror his personality, the gigai tried to create other ones to do it for him. This led to so many bodies being created after another until Kisuke came back and destroyed them all. As much as he hated to admit it, having more than one of him was probably a bad thing.

"Pretend to be me until I come back. If anything important happens, just stall for time okay?"

The faux body nodded dutifully, "Got it boss"

With that done, he went off to get a few more things for his trip. If Naruto was really a shinigami, then he would need a certain something…

Konoha
Hokage's Office

I'm getting too old for this shit.

It wasn't the first time that thought came up, and during the last few months, he had felt all of his six decades of life bear down upon him.

Is there a sin worse than failure? He gave a bitter laugh. Yes, having those failures stare back at me.

The shinobi known as 'The Professor' sighed when he looked at his scrying orb.

The fates were never kind to you Naruto, and the way things are going, I am really not sure of what to do.

Being called to serve after the Yondaime's demise, he hoped to only be a caretaker before some other worthy candidate could be found. The simple fact was that the vaunted 'will of fire' in him was slowly burning out, and somebody needed to take over his position.

Make no mistake, the Sandaime would protect his beloved village with his life, but certain events have shaken his belief in Konoha. He stood up and looked at the massive stone monument where each Hokage had their visage carved upon that massive rock face.

Ah Minato. If you were looking down on us, how would you feel? Hell, you didn't even expect your child to survive that night, so maybe you didn't even care. More importantly, if you were here, what the hell would you do about this problem? What would you think of your wife who abandoned your son to his fate?

Once again he cursed Kushina's actions. Naruto was always a happy and lively child, but after the events he was less lively, smiled less and stopped interacting in the world. It was really unhealthy that all he did was stare at families all day. Nothing good would ever come from it, but he was reluctant to interfere. He was at a loss to deny him that, but if Naruto was going down the path that he was currently heading down, he could only really see two branches from the cardinal root.

Suicide.

Voluntary exile.

Both options were unacceptable. With those thoughts in mind, he looked down at a piece of paper that could solve this problem. It wasn't a great solution, but it was a solution nonetheless. If nothing else came up, then it might be lesser evil.

He grimaced at that thought.

Konoha
Outskirts near the Fall of the Kyuubi no Yoko

A small tear opened up near a clearing, where the air seemed to part, and the fabric of the world was twisted and gave way to darkness. Out came a smiling blond man with a bucket hat that cast a shadow over his eyes. Twirling a cane, he closed the portal behind him and observed his surroundings.

I wonder how much time has passed since I was last here?

He saw that a shrine had been erected in a clearing to his south, and as he got closer to it, it portrayed a fallen nine tailed fox with a massive toad standing triumphant over it.

Well, that wasn't what really happened… more correctly, it was Isshin and Yoruichi unleashing their bankais, with me and Minato using the hogyoku. Then again, we were not in our gigais so no one really saw what happened, besides one hell of a light show and a dying leader.

He walked over to a seemingly random spot and approached an oddly shaped rock. He waved his hand and the rock changed back its true shape, which was a summoning stone he left before he opened a portal back to Soul Society.

With one of these here, it will act as a waypoint so only I can get to this place.

Urahara was rather jealous and protective of new findings, and he wasn't going to let some pesky underling come and take it away from him.

He had the vague feeling that people who could channel chakra would be able to see his shinigami self, if his theories about chakra were correct. But just to be safe, he came in a gigai through the portal. Popping a gikongan into his mouth, he left the medium and decided to enter the main village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Konoha
Main city

What he saw did not really impress him.

Woah, if that's how they treat their heroes, I wonder how they treat their traitors? Better not ask. After following Naruto around during the day, he came to a few conclusions.

The first was that this village was expressing its gratitude to the blond container in a very cruel manner reminiscent of Spartan days.

The second was that there were a few things wrong with Naruto.

The first was that he did not seem to be as healthy as a boy his age should have been. His height and weight were way below the average, and it seemed as if his clothes had not been washed for a while, like he slept in them.

The second one was that he could not detect any reiatsu from him. Well, more correctly; it was there, but it was very much diminished from the night of the sealing. It was a wonder that the Kyuubi's chakra was actually balanced at all. The closer he looked, the more he realised that there was a problem.

The reiatsu wasn't actually exerting enough pressure on the foreign chakra. This was bad. Really bad. He needed to see someone in charge, otherwise in under a year they would be dealing with one hell of a pissed off demon with an axe to grind.

And after seeing the state of Naruto's treatment, he wasn't so inclined to help out next time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Konoha
Hokage's Office

Retrieving his gigai, Urahara decided that he needed to make a good impression on the leader. After making some small talk with the villagers, he determined that the leader was the Sandaime and that his office was located in the Hokage Tower. Thinking of the best way to convince him that he was a shinigami, he decided that a flashy entrance was in order.

Hmm, a flashy entrance. How would Kyoraku Shunsui do this…

The Sandaime was sitting at his desk, going through all the administrative paperwork that plague bureaucracies across time and space. Requisitions, approvals, license dispensations; all of it was enough to give him a headache. As he was about to reach a new drawer he felt a disturbance in the centre of his office. Looking up, he saw an odd sight.

Two sparks of light appeared in the middle of the room, before they moved in opposite directions, leaving a trail of light and traced a circle that was suspended in air. The space inside the circle started to shimmer and disappear, before there was a strong wind that blew outwards. Sakura petals then flew from that void and fluttered everywhere, creating a mess, before a blond haired shinigami came out twirling a cane in his hand.

"Crap, the petals were supposed to gently flow behind me after I entered the room. And float in the air as well. Maybe I should ask Kuchiki Byakuya how he does it…"

Sarutobi didn't know whether to feel amused at the sight in front of him or alarmed that someone had penetrated the seals that should have prevented people from entering his office unharmed. Though he had to admit, there was an element of style in such an entrance.

"Well, that's not something I have ever seen before. Who might you be?" Sarutobi said with a calm voice, though he discreetly moved his hand to a panic button that would have summoned ANBU immediately if the blond proved to be a threat.

Kisuke produced a fan and gave a small laugh, "Oh, I'm just a handsome and perverted scientist that has a few things to discuss with you."

The Sandaime was not impressed. It was a long day, and having a stranger just portal into his office to speak nonsense was not something he was looking forward to.

What the hell is a scientist? Orochimaru....

"You know, entering into my office unannounced and without reason gives me enough cause to arrest and detain you, until I have a certain someone from the Torture and Interrogation division come and have a chat," he said in a dry voice. He hadn't lived this long by being foolhardy, and he rarely underestimated people.

Kisuke chuckled before smirking, "You have nothing to worry about from me, if I wanted to do you harm would I really have done such an elaborate entrance?"

Sarutobi had to concede that point. "So then, who are you and what do you want?"

The blond took off his hat with a flourish and gave a slight bow, "Well, first things first. My name is Urahara Kisuke. I'm also a shinigami."

The old man tensed at those words.

Was that some kind of implied threat?

Seeing the reaction at his words, Kisuke laughed and continued, "No, I'm not here to kill you, or deliver your soul; or whatever it is that you think shinigami do. But we do have a mutual problem that needs to be dealt with. He's blond, about 5 to 6 years old, has a demon fox sealed into him. You know who I'm talking about?" he drawled laconically.

"How do you know about the sealing? That is considered to be an S class secret of this village," Sarutobi asked with suspicion in his voice.

Urahara gave a slight smile and replied, "Why, I was there when it happened. In fact, you can thank me for what occurred that night."

He then proceeded to explain what actually happened on the night, where the sealing went wrong and how Naruto was transformed into something unexpected. The Sandaime ran the thoughts in his head. It all made logical sense, though there were parts where he wanted more clarification on. Specifically the process that changed Naruto with that black sphere…

The old man stroked his beard before nodding thoughtfully, "Well, that's a better explanation than what Minato left us in his letter, but I will need some verification of the truth."

"How about this?" asked Urahara, reaching into his robes to take out kunai. Giving it a twirl, he came forward and dropped it on the desk. The Sandaime would have recognised it anywhere. Anyone familiar with it would have as well by sight alone.

It was a three tipped kunai laced with a seal array; the vital component of a jutsu that could decimate an entire battalion in mere moments. A part of what made Namikaze Minato a legend.

"Hiraishin no jutsu…" The technique that was the signature move of only one person. During the Third Shinobi War, Iwa placed huge bounties on those kunai, but they were jealously and effectively protected by the Fourth. In fact, after the battle with the Kyuubi, there were desperate attempts by the ANBU to retrieve all of them, lest they were sold and the seal deconstructed by a fuuinjutsu master. It was not a risk Konoha was willing to take. After the cleanup efforts were conducted, they thought that they had retrieved the complete set.

But here was another one. And it was not just any kunai; it was the original one that Minato slaved over until he perfected his jutsu. He never used it in combat, and every other kunai he used from then on was a copy of that original. It was thought that it was hidden away in a sealed vault in the Namikaze estate. But here it lay on the Hokage's desk.

With a dry mouth at seeing the invaluable treasure, he took it in his hand and looked at Urahara in the eyes, "Ok, I believe you. I doubt you would have given me this if you were not telling the truth."

At that, Kisuke gave an enigmatic smile. While the Hiraishin no jutsu was impressive, he rather preferred the Shunpo technique used by the Shinigami. Sure the Hiraishin might be faster, but you were dependant on those kunai, and it wasn't worth the effort to replicate the damn things. His portals handled long range transportation after all.

"Well, we have much to talk about. Let's start off with why Naruto is treated like a leper." Before all of this, the blonde shinigami was speaking in a light hearted voice, but his voice suddenly hardened. There was no doubt that the transition into seriousness meant business.

The Sandaime explained everything to him. It was funny in a way; when it all came out and examined objectively, how stupid the situation was.

But still, Kisuke was hardly impressed, "Ok, I guess bits of it were understandable. Since Naruto survived the sealing, which wasn't really expected, the villagers believed that something went wrong and that the fox didn't die along with him?"

"Well yes, that's pretty much it," admitted Sarutobi.

Urahara winced at the perverse situation before sighing, "Who would have thought that surviving a suicide technique would come to this, but nonetheless. Does he know that the fox is within him?"

The Hokage shook his head emphatically, "No, he doesn't. I don't think that it is something that he is ready to learn at this moment in time. To prevent others from doing it, I passed a law with my emergency powers to make it a crime for others to reveal the Kyuubi's existence in Naruto to anyone".

Though made with good intentions, the main reason why the council agreed with it was that they didn't want the other villages to know of the jinchuuriki's existence. If that power was ever turned against Konoha…

Kisuke appreciated that gesture, but to him it was still unacceptable, "But that doesn't explain why they would try and harm him. If they think that he is the fox, wouldn't they want to placate and make him loyal to your village?"

Hearing it being said so bluntly and logically the old man shook his head sorrowfully, "Which comes down to the heart of it. They are so blinded by their hatred and fear of the unknown that they would rather kill him than consider the problem rationally. It's like some sort of mass hysteria, but no one seems to willing to listen to reason. Changing the hearts of others… it's a hard task…"

Urahara lowered his head until his eyes were shadowed, "What! Are you telling me that your villagers would plan the death of a small child?! He is the only thing that is keeping that fox at bay!"

"I have a few of my Dignitary Protection ANBU looking after him to prevent any overt attempts. Wait, what do you mean by your last sentence?" asked the suddenly alarmed shinobi.

The shinigami gave a sigh. The truth was rarely pleasant, even less so in this case. He explained that if Naruto dies at this moment in time, or in the near future, the bijuu would be released from its physical medium. The seal that Minato managed to graft on Naruto was never planned to hold the Kyuubi, but was to keep the reiatsu and chakra in balance with each other. This balance would prevent the Kyuubi from forcibly escaping the medium that it was trapped within. He theorised that given enough time, Naruto's reiatsu would reach a level that would dominate over the foreign chakra so that the Kyuubi would be sealed until his natural death. When that happened, well, he didn't seem to know, but that was a question left for another time. A human shinigami might prove to live indefinitely.

The more important and pressing issue was that the reiatsu wasn't exerting sufficient pressure to keep the balance.

Noting a few inconsistencies with the explanation he asked another question, "And another thing, where the hell is his mother?"

And that led to another sorry tale. Kisuke was left with shock at how bad life could get for some people. Hell, there were less deserving people living better lives than Naruto. He was not impressed with the situation and made that awfully clear to the Hokage.

"You know, for the supposed military leader of a shinobi village, you don't seem to be doing much for his well being," the accusation crystal clear in his voice

Sarutobi gave a bitter laugh and walked over to his window. He gazed out into the village that he served for so long and clenched his fists.

"Don't think that I would have left him to suffer if I could have done anything about it. Minato was… loved by all of us. He would have been ashamed to see this all happen. But what is done is done and things have only turned out this way after Kushina left …"

Turning slowly back to face Kisuke, he ran his fingers through the remains of his hair and sighed. "The point is that after the rampage, we had to rebuild. Never had we suffered such a loss close to home. As a part of rebuilding, power was transferred over to the civilian council."

"Everywhere we looked, enemies seemed to be looking at us, seeing if we were weak enough to attack. Iwa looked murderous, along with Kumo. Even Suna was looking at us like wounded prey. We needed to rebuild the infrastructure and the economy. If we could attract more people to live in Konoha, we could repopulate our forces. Naruto had his mother to protect him, and normally that would have been enough."

"But that's the point; she is as good as dead now," retorted Kisuke in exasperation.

The Sandaime hesitated before agreeing, "True, but to repopulate our forces, we would need at least 18 years before the next generation could rise up and do the job. With all the uncertainty over the seal, I just couldn't risk a civil war to give Naruto any more protection than he already had. Even now, Danzo is calling for me to give the child over. And the council just may well give into that …"

Kisuke shook his head in disgust before narrowing his eyes once more, "Look, I don't care about your internal politics. I really don't. All I see is that your power is slowly being eroded away, and you are avoiding the issue and trying to take the responsibility off your hands by not doing anything. Enough of that, we need solutions."

"Well the fact is that I have control over shinobi affairs, but Naruto is not a shinobi."

"Why doesn't he become a shinobi? Make him one."

"He is too young at the moment, and he requires the consent of his mother, who is missing at the moment. I can give my permission in her place, but…

The shinigami felt somewhat offended at the hesitation, "He is not going to be left like he is, dammit. He deserves better, and if you fail him, then the entire village will pay for it."

Everything that Urahara had said to him was true. He was getting along the years, and he had let too much slide during his tenure. Thinking back, if it became a contest of wills between him and the council, he doubted that they wouldn't back down. They needed his experience, but his tendency to try and placate them was misguided. While he was a firm advocate of peace, as a shinobi he knew that some things could never be settled by reason alone. A step had to be taken, a line drawn. And thankfully Kisuke was there to open his eyes.

"Tell me what needs to be done," Sarutobi said this with a reawakened fire in his eyes. Urahara was surprised at this sudden spark, and more pleased than anyone else. His first impressions were of an old man being burdened, giving more and more ground until he had nothing left to give. But this was a start. It may only be an ember, but if this 'will of fire' was to be something more than a metaphor, then it all had to start somewhere.

"He will need training. He will need to be cared for so that his body can handle the strain of all the energy in him. Most of all, he needs to be happy. If he is left in the darkness, well, people become the things that we create. Right now, he has the potential in him to be one of the strongest beings in your land. Give him enough reason and he could turn on you and it would not be pretty."

Thinking on it, if Naruto were to die right now, he would not be inclined to seal the fox again. If this was going to be the standard response, then he would have nothing of it. But if he were to survive and awaken all of his latent powers, Naruto might be a match for even Yamamoto-sotaicho and a few taichou of the Gotei Thirteen. Such power was unbelievable. But it was made possible by him. He didn't know if to be happy or afraid at that though.

That much power… needs restraint. And that is something he will need to learn now.

"Does Naruto know who his father is?" he asked with curiosity.

"No, no he doesn't."

"Why didn't you tell him? Or his mother?"

Sarutobi laughed with little humour, "Too many reasons to list. While many people know that he is the container, his parentage was only known to me and a few others present at the scene of the sealing. His father had many enemies who would have loved to torture and kill the son of their hated enemy. In time, I will tell him the truth."

Kisuke shrugged before continuing, "I don't necessarily agree with you there, and keeping secrets will just push him away from you. That's the last thing that you need old man."

"Before he can reclaim his legacy, he needs to be able to protect himself and the ones around him. I cannot let him become an even bigger target to the world before he is ready," justified the Hokage, unfazed by the snipe at his age.

Urahara left it at that. At least there was reason behind that. He wasn't so sure that Naruto didn't know, or had an idea of what was going on around him. The fact that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the Fourth would have alerted most people. Deciding that it wasn't an issue he had to deal with, he moved on,

"I have something for Naruto; it's something that all shinigami have, and some consider it to be the source of their power. It should create a connection to his reiatsu, and strengthen it."

"What is it exactly?"

Kisuke withdrew a bag off his shoulder, placed it on the floor and drew a long oblong package wrapped in silk from within. Unwrapping it, he unveiled a fairly ordinary looking katana. Expecting something more impressive, the Sandaime looked expectantly at him.

Compelled to give an explanation he obliged, "This is a zanpakuto. It's the spiritual weapon used by all shinigami. It's more of a blank than anything else right now, but once a connection is forged, it becomes a part of a shinigami's soul. Think of it as a nexus…"

Not wanting to get engaged in a philosophical question that still plagued academics he decided to continue, "The point is, the more he trains with it, the stronger his reiatsu becomes. So he will need a blade master to teach him the basics before he unseals the true form of his blade."

"His true form?"

"It's not something you need to worry about now. It won't happen for at least a few more years. Just make sure that he is happy, well fed and well trained. I'll be watching to make sure things are done properly, and if not, well you all will be the ones to suffer the consequences," promised the blond.

Not for the last time, Sarutobi cursed at the position of being Hokage. But behind that all, he was inwardly happy that he could finally do some good. It took the intervention of a death god, granted, but the determination in his eyes was unmistakable.

Konoha
Hokage's office

Gekkou Hayate was waiting outside the Hokage's office after receiving a summon delivered by a chuunin. He spoke to the secretary, who told him that the Sandaime was with someone else and he would just need to wait a short while. Nodding to that, he walked over to the seating area before sitting down.

To most people, Hayate did not seem to be the textbook picture of what a shinobi should be. With bags under his eyes and a perpetual cough, you could be forgiven for thinking that his position was either a political favour, or a mistake yet to be corrected by the Darwinian world that the shinobi lived in.

But behind that seemingly frail body laid a prodigy of the blade. While Konoha did not have a tradition of swordsmanship like Kirigakure, the few who manage to excel were regarded quite highly, enough to be placed on the Bingo Book of other nations, if only as a curiosity. Hayate was regarded as one of Konoha's kengos, and if his health was any better then he would have been titled a kensei.

As he sat back, he wondered why the Hokage wished to see him. He knew that he hadn't committed any crimes, or had done anything that merited a dressing down by the village's military leader. One does not ignore a request from the Hokage for a talk, not unless you wanted to be dragged against your will by the ANBU, who didn't take to such 'duties' with much amusement.

Though as he was here, he had to ponder about what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His sword skills were beyond reproach, and having achieved it by the age of sixteen was quite an accomplishment. Though compared to such prodigies such as Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi, he realized that he had specialized too much, and he was now stuck in a rut.

Due to his health, he couldn't really take on stealth or reconnaissance missions. His cough would give away his position, and he didn't have the stamina to lead assaults, nor the endurance to take on enemies for prolonged melees. Oddly, being a ninja does not really rely on using a sword. Information gathering, spying, intelligence and assassination was the name of the game. Using jutsus just enhanced a shinobi's repertoire of skills to get the job done.

That's not to discount his skills short. If it ever got to a close combat with another shinobi, a swordsman would usually win against his opponent. Hayate's signature style, the Dance of the Crescent Moons, was capable of taking out opponents with extreme speed and accuracy. Once the distance is closed, there is no time for hand seals or chakra moulding. Since most ninja's only seemed to carry kunai as their melee weapon, up against a katana there really is no contest.

Since his promotion to chuunin, he hadn't really been on many missions of note, and it seemed that his career may have already stalled. Maybe I could be a jounin instructor he mused. Though the likelihood of that was quite low. Not for the first time he cursed his ill heath. It was some defect in his lungs that caused them to contract too quickly, making breathing difficult. Caught in his thoughts, he didn't notice another person sit right next to him.

Uzuki Yuugao was another promising young chuunin on the road to bigger and better things. She had recently applied for a position in the ANBU, and hoped that this meeting would be confirmation of that. Finally, I can do it and show them what I am capable of.

The sad fact is that the culture of shinobi's was male dominated and orientated. Most kunoichi were not taken seriously. This was not helped by the fact that some girls only took the position as it seemed like a glamorous occupation, full of noble and heroic adventures. Or to get closer to a boy. While sometimes those missions came up, most of the time it involved dirty work that no one else wanted to do. Having their fantasies shredded up meant a high turnover rate, especially the nature of the physically demanding rate that most males could keep up with.

But remembering that a ninja specializes in stealth and evasion, it was a role that suited kunoichi quite well. Their small size, speed and agility were greater than their male counterparts', and they could do a job as effectively, if not more so than a man. It was this ingrained discrimination that many kunoichi fought against.

Throughout the academy, and during the genin years, Yuugao always felt that she had something to prove. Instead of making her bitter about it, she used it as motivation to reach greater heights. In a few short years, she managed to surpass her teammates, and there were rumours that she was being shortlisted for the ANBU program in a few years. At the moment she was on some mandatory leave and working on a few new jutsus she had manage to borrow from a few jounin instructors.

As she sat down, she noticed the person sitting next to her. Hmm, I have seen him around somewhere, wait … ah, so it is him. Hayate noticed that her eyes widened in recognition and he wondered how she would react. Not everyone took to prodigies well, bringing forth feelings of resentment and jealousy.

Yuugao merely gave him a cocky smirk before deliberately looking away from him. Well, that's a new one, thought Hayate. I usually get fawning, requests for a spar, or snide comments. Being ignored, hmm, not sure how to feel about that…

The kunoichi next to him didn't really feel any disdain towards the grey haired swordsman. She had long discovered that blind prejudices could get a woman killed, and tried to approach things with an open mind. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't enjoy messing around with him.

So the two of them sat next to each other, each playing a game to see if the other would initiate conversation. Minutes slowly dragged out, and neither of them was quite ready to break it until the other did. Luckily for both of them, the Hokage's door opened and out stormed a black robed figure with an icy expression on his face. He looked at both of them before dismissing them and headed towards the exit. They could not help but notice how scarred the man looked..

Before they could ponder it too deeply, they were invited into the office and they quickly entered. They both gave the village leader a salute before standing at attention. As chuunin, they didn't really have much interaction with the Hokage, beyond the allocation of missions. This was something new, and both of them wanted to make a good impression.

The Sandaime had a bitter expression on his face, and was twirling a fountain pen as he gazed off into space. That could have gone better, and there are too many questions left open. Seeing that his silence was making the two nervous, he gave a small sigh and smile.

"Stand easy the two of you and take a seat. I guess you are wondering why I called you here today. This village needs you to serve it," spoke Sarutobi in a grave voice.

The two in question looked at each other in surprise. The Hokage ignored it and continued.

"Some things... will be revealed to you. These are secrets that are S classed in nature. Once you hear them, a mission will be assigned to the two of you; it will be a prolonged assignment and will be one of the most important missions ever taken in Konoha. Before I can go forward, I need for you to make a commitment."

While the Sandaime could have easily ordered them to comply, he always felt that compulsion made for poor results. If they were willing and able to take on the mission, it would only mean better outcomes in the end.

Yuugao slowly raised her hand and asked a question, "What sort of commitment are you looking for Hokage-sama?"

He closed his eyes in thought before answering, "At least six years from now. A ranked status, with all the pay and benefits attached."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Most chuunin never took on missions above B. Even if they did, it was usually completed as part of a full cell. For protocol to be broken in this case, it had to be something special. While Hayate was still processing the information, Yuugao decided to press the initiative.

"I accept, Hokage-sama." While the two males looked at her with some surprise, it really was a no brainer for the kunoichi. She didn't reach her position by being timid. She knew what she wanted, and took the chances that were open to her. This was one hell of a chance to prove herself to her superiors, and would only help her chances of entering into the ANBU. She was confident that she had the skills to back up whatever needed to be done.

Hayate was feeling a bit abashed that Yuugao accepted so quickly. Looking at his options, he realized that he was at a plateau, and needed some direction in his life. Oh, why the hell not? My friends keep telling me to expand my horizons. And I'll be damned if I'm going to back down to her.

"I accept the assignment as well," Hayate ended that with a small bow of his head.

While he was slightly surprised that they accepted without more clarification, Sarutobi was very pleased to see such fire in his subordinates.

"Very well, let me tell you a story. It all began on a summer's night …"

Konoha
Naruto's apartment

As Naruto was about to enter into his home, he realized something was a bit off.

One, his door was left unlocked.

Two, there were sakura petals all over his floor.

Three, there was a blond haired man sitting on his couch.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at his door to double check that he had the right apartment. Okay, so this is my house, and I don't know this guy. What the hell?

Kisuke gave the other blond a smile and said, "Relax Naruto-kun, if I wanted to hurt you, wouldn't I have done that already instead of sitting on your couch?"

While that did make some sense, it wasn't proof, and could just be a part of a plan to lure him into a false sense of security. Urahara saw that the boy was edging away from him, and was about to make a run for it. Deciding that he needed to cut that short, he made a bit of a gamble.

"Do you ever wonder why your body isn't as healthy as it used to be? Why you have trouble breathing? Why things don't look as sharp as they used to? Why your headaches are getting worse and worse?" he asked candidly.

Naruto was surprised. While others didn't really care or notice that his health was failing, he always tried to cover it up. Letting others know of his self perceived weakness was something that he loathed, and he took steps to cover it up. It looks like he didn't do a good enough job. Then again, it's not like the doctors would do much for me in the hospital anyways…

But the fact that someone was looking out for him and observed it gave him some pause. Maybe I can trust this man, though I will have to get him to clean my floors. I'm pretty sure I don't have a sakura tree in my house …

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Urahara gave an open smile.

"My name is Urahara Kisuke. If you come in, I can explain a bit more about what is happening to you."

Naruto blinked before deadpanning, "Err… that's nice of you to invite me into my own house…"

Giving the boy an embarrassed laugh while rubbing the back of his head, he replied apologetically, "Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that, but I really needed to speak to you, and I couldn't really wait outside your door. You do get quite a few visitors," he finished darkly.

With a grimace, Naruto closed the door and sat down of the floor, looking up Urahara. There was a silence as both of them looked at each other. Kisuke noticed the strain in the others eyes, and the fact that he placed a lot of effort in keeping his body upright. This impressed him. He was just a six year old kid for crying out loud. He should be playing with his friends, running around and making a nuisance for his parents to sigh over. Damn, he shoulders this burden well. But then again, he didn't really choose this in the first place. That was part of the reason why he chose to explain everything to Naruto about the sealing and the consequences. Who his father was, well, that was something that he would leave in the hands of the Sandaime.

After hearing all of it, Naruto didn't know what to believe. It sounded all so fantastical and ludicrous, like a piece of fiction or a manga series… but it all seemed to make horrible, terrible sense. It explained nearly everything and for the first time in his life, his eyes were opened to the truth.

Unfortunately, this just raised more questions in his head.

Is this why kaa-san left?
Doesn't anyone know who my father is? I mean, anyone?!
Am I really the demon that they all say that I am?

But the more pressing question left him feeling more afraid.

Am I going to die?

While he didn't exactly have a great life, he didn't want to die just yet. There was so much he wanted to do, see and experience. This isn't fair! He railed in his head, it can't end like this, it just can't. I never even had the chance …

Seeing his face give into despair, Kisuke quickly intervened, "There is a way to fix this problem of yours."

That quickly brought Naruto out of his depression and he eagerly yelled out "Alright! What do I need to do then?"

The other blond simply took out a sheathed katana and held it out to him. "Touch this and all will be revealed," he answered rather mysteriously.

Grabbing the sheath, he looked at it with a smile on his face. It was a simple katana, unadorned with any decoration. Its guard was a simple piece of steel, with the hilt wrapped in sharkskin. Its sheath was made of black lacquered wood. It looked rather unassuming. Looking at Kisuke for confirmation, he slowly unsheathed the blade.

The blade was a rather simple affair. With a length of one meter, it was simple but precisely forged. Admiring its beauty, he couldn't help but notice the fine grain of the steel, the result of it being folded over many times until it had a slight rippled surface.

For some reason that he could not explain, the blade just felt right in his hands. It was like he was reunited with something that was missing from him that he never knew about. As he was about to give it an experimental swing, something happened.

Something unexpected.

Naruto's body seized up, and slowly folded into itself. His eyes glazed over and his face went slack. Urahara quickly flash stepped to catch Naruto before he fell and cut himself with the blade. As he held onto the comatose boy, he was wide eyed and was using his reiatsu to see if he was injured.

What the hell?! What just happened? No one has ever had a reaction like this just by drawing out a blank zanpakuto. There are no obvious wounds, no trace of poison or any other substances. Am I too late? Is the damned fox taking over?!

As Kisuke was running scenarios in his head, Naruto found himself in a very odd place. It looked like he was in the main streets of Konoha. It was daytime and a slight breeze was blowing against his face. But there were a few things odd about the picture.

It was midday and the streets were completely empty
He was dressed in black robes that he did not own.
He was also pretty sure that he was in his apartment just a few moments ago and he had a sword.

Scrunching his face in thought, trying to process what was actually happening to him, he failed to notice a figure approach him from the end of the street. In fact, the only reason he noticed the figure was because its shadow washed over his face.

The figure gave a light lilting laugh before it spoke in a haunting, melodious voice.

"Hmm, isn't this a surprise. I wonder what you did to cause all this to happen. But I must say it's much better than where I was staying before. Thanks for that."

Naruto was too confused to actually make a response.

The other seemed to be amused by his silence.

"What's the matter? Fox got your tongue, kit?"

There we go, another chapter done. Things are progressing rather slowly on the writing front, and I will be off on holidays after this. I find that I have to read less Naruto and Bleach cross overs. It is making me lose direction in my story, incorporating too many elements that I won't have time to develop fully. As always, read and review.