Disclaimer: I own Bleach.
-knock knock-
-stops drawing chapter 310 of Bleach to answer door-
"What? I don't own Bleach...?! But I've been sending Kubotite my ideas for years! ...They own Bleach?! When did this happen?! Grr...I don't own Bleach.
-shakes fist at Kubotite-
-puts away Bleach chapter 310 which consists of stick figures-
A/N: Yay, it's xBrokenSin here again and I want to thank everyone who checked out this story and what not!
I've actually had this chapter finished for a while but I was like, "No, I must wait till Friday!". Then I just decided, screw it! I was to excited so I decided to update.
Though I updated in four days, the next update won't be for a week.
Okay, some things in one of my reviews "they" raised up the point of me not using "they" to meen two people. Well "they" can also be used to refer to a single person whose gender you don't know. Therefore, I win!
Now for the serious stuff, in this chapter I really wanted to dig into Naruto's character, but I think I dug too deep, if that makes any sense. Also, in this chapter Naruto may seem too mature for his age, but let me remind you. A 1,000 year old soul has just fused with his, so I think hes entitled to a little maturity.
One more thing, This story takes place 80 years before the Bleach storyline so there will be alot of time skips. None in this chapter, but in the next one, there will be a 20 year time skip!
Read and review pl0x!
xXx
Chapter 1:
Hold on and Never Let Go
xXx
The sun shined brightly overhead, even though when he died it had been night time. Men and women alike walked down the dirt road, chatting among themselves or browsing the many shops that paved the road.
The people, he noticed with interest, were wearing different colored yukata instead of the more modern clothes he was used to when he was alive. He pondered this for a moment. How could people who have been living longer than most humans, be living in the more primitive times?
His sandaled feet made not a noise as he and his escort walked down the street. When people caught sight of them, they immediately stepped out of the way and bowed. His bespectacled guide chuckled in amusement.
"This is Rukongai, the largest part of Soul Society where all the normal souls live. We're heading to Seireitei, where the shinigami live, but I just wanted to check on someone before we head there."
Naruto nodded mutely, wondering exactly why everyone peeked out of their wooden huts just to get a look at them.
Up ahead a girl wearing a pink yukata sitting on a porch squealed. Her brown hair was tied up into a bun and she flashed one of the largest smiles Naruto had ever seen. "Aizen-sama!" She put down the watermelon she was eating beside a small white haired boy and ran over to them. She bowed and when she looked up she blushed prettily. Naruto guessed she was a couple years older than him.
"Aizen-sama! It's been so long since I've seen you," she smiled and turned her head away to look at Naruto. "Oh, aren't you just cute! Have you come to live in Rukongai?" she paused and eyed his clothes and titled her head slightly. "But . . . you're wearing shinigami garb . . ."
Aizen placed a hand on the young girl's head, effectively cutting off her voiced musings. She looked up and blushed slightly when she met the older shinigami's eyes. "Hinamori-chan, this young boy here is Naruto. And no, he isn't going to be living in Rukongai. Quite the contrary, he will be living in Seireitei."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. He didn't understand exactly what was going on, but apparently it was surprising for someone as young as him to become shinigami. Another eyebrow rose. He wondered if the only way to be a shinigami was to die and be 'reborn' one.
Hinamori turned to him and bowed slightly. "Hello," she beamed. "My name is Hinamori Momo! You're so lucky!" she gushed. "I won't be able to go to the academy for a couple more years, but when I graduate, I want to be in Aizen-sama's division! Then I'll grow up to be his fukutaichou!"
The hanyou shinigami had no idea what exactly the hyperactive girl was talking about, so he just nodded politely. He wondered if she had been eating too many watermelons. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto," he said, somewhat shyly. She was being very bubbly and outgoing and he wasn't used to someone talking to him so nicely. When he was alive, whenever he had the chance to talk to someone and maybe become their friend, an adult would drag them away and tell them not to play with him. It had always hurt when they did so and he wondered if people here would be the same way if they knew some of his dark secrets.
She shocked him when she ran over and grabbed him in a big hug and squealed in his rather sensitive ears. "You're just so cute! You remind me so much of Shiro-chan when we first met!"
Naruto raised a helpless eyebrow to Aizen who was watching with amusement.
Naruto patted her back somewhat awkwardly. "Thanks?"
She began to ramble on enthusiastically about everything and nothing while not releasing him from her death grip.
Aizen coughed and Hinamori sprang back as if she had been burned and Naruto found himself somewhat missing the warmth even though the sun was shining brightly. The bespectacled shinigami ruffled her brown hair again and she pouted cutely. "We have to leave now Hinamori, but we'll see you later, okay?"
The girl groaned in displeasure but she nodded and stepped aside. The hanyou vizard turned his head to stare at the white-haired boy who looked at him as he ate his watermelon. He glared at Naruto with icy blue eyes and Naruto turned away quickly. "Bye Aizen-sama, bye Naruto-kun! Come back and visit sometime Naruto-kun, then I can introduce you to Shiro-kun!"
The young shinigami smiled at her bashfully before turning his attention back to the road ahead and began walking with Aizen. She sure was bright and bubbly. He thought back on their conversation and realized that he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself involved in. And if there was one thing Naruto didn't like, it was the unknown.
"Aizen-san," he began quietly. He didn't know if he should be formal or informal with him, but relaxed slightly when he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "How come not everyone who dies becomes a shinigami?"
Aizen seemed to ponder the question for a second before he spoke. "Well, first of all, not everyone has enough reiatsu, which is spiritual energy, to become shinigami. But for you, I guess you're a special case. You were transforming into a hollow, and the only way to stop the transformation was to become a shinigami, and that was what you did. There are people in Rukongai that can become shinigami of course, but they have to go to an academy for six years before it's official."
Naruto nodded. He guessed that made sense, even though all he knew about hollows were that they were monsters. "What does a shinigami do?"
Aizen smiled softly and placed a hand on Naruto's head. The young shinigami found that the touch felt weird. But weird in a good while. When Hinamori had hugged him, it had warmed his body in a special kind of way, but with Aizen, it seemed to warm something in his heart. The young shinigami wondered if that was how a son felt around his father. "A shinigami is like a ninja of your old world. Although our main purpose is to fight hollows, we also have to help spirits pass over to the afterlife. Kind of like what I did with you."
The vizard found he couldn't help the smile that rose on his face. He had always wanted to be a ninja, that way he could protect everyone in the village and show them how worthy he was of their admiration and respect. Although he couldn't live that exact dream, he could still try his best to protect Soul Society. Although he didn't have anyone important to him yet, he guessed he could say that his first friend would be Hinamori and Aizen somewhat.
As they walked toward the gate of Seireitei, Naruto pondered other questions that had been on his mind. Even though he was already a shinigami, would he have to go to the academy? Another question he had was about the divisions that Hinamori had talked about.
"Do I have to go to the academy to become a shinigami?" he asked. When he went to the ninja academy; nobody took him seriously. All the teachers would ask him questions that he couldn't answer and would sabotage his test's making him the dead last of the class. The student's would pick on him, causing him to skip certain classes or play pranks on the teachers who got under his skin. He didn't want to have to go to another academy. And if he did, he hoped that the teachers would at least be fair. He knew from what Hinamori said that the students probably would make fun of him because he was younger than most students who went.
"No," he said simply and Naruto raised an eyebrow and frowned. Aizen glanced at him and noticed the frown on his ward's face so he continued. "I will personally train you. You will be my apprentice."
This time, both of Naruto's eyebrows rose, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. He remembered Hinamori saying something about being his fukutaichou and guessed that would make him a taichou. So would that mean he was a captain of a division? If so, that would mean he was pretty powerful.
"How many division's are there?" Naruto asked after he got over his shock.
Aizen looked amused. "There are thirteen, each led by the strongest and smartest member of the division who is the captain. I am the taichou of the fifth division."
Naruto was impressed. All his life he had dreamed of being the hokage of his village that way he could earn everyone's respect. The bespectacled man was basically a miniature version of a hokage in his eyes, and he guessed he was worthy of the respect and admiration he received. The small shinigami found himself having a new dream. To become a powerful shinigami, and maybe one day a taichou.
xXx
When the giant gate separating Rukongai from Seireitei came into view, Naruto was in awe. The wall was at least forty feet high and it was as wide as he could see. It looked to be made of a stone of some sort and Naruto wondered how someone could possibly open something so big. It had to weigh a ton!
A massive figure dropped out of the sky and for a second, Naruto was afraid a meteor was falling. The figure landed with on the ground with a boom that threw up a large cloud of dust that was instantly knocked away by the winds created from the giant landing. When the dust cleared, a man at least ten times the normal size stood there in oddly tight shinigami clothes and a red hat on his head.
Naruto instantly took a couple steps behind a calm Aizen. "Jidanbou! Open the gate for me and my young ward!" he called up to the large shinigami.
The giant chuckled as he grabbed the edge of the gate. "Visiting Hinamori-chan?" he asked then grunted as he begin to lift the gate off the ground. The gate began to rumble slightly as it lifted a couple inches off the ground, dust falling from the gate as if it had not been used in years.
The young shinigami just stood there in shock as the monster of a man lifted the gate over his head and held it for them with a cry fit for a sumo wrestler. Inside, Naruto could see white stone building's with black roof tops and the occasional shinigami walking around.
Aizen began to walk forward and raised a lazy hand to the giant and smiled. "Yeah, I wanted her to meet my new apprentice. By the way, this is Naruto. Naruto, meet Jidanbou."
Jidanbou, who was still holding the gate, nodded his head toward Naruto and smiled. The blond did the same before scuttling after his new sensei who had began to walk away. After they passed through the gate, Naruto had to force himself from gasping and turning around as it closed behind them with a bang.
xXx
As Naruto and Aizen walked through the door of a large white building, Naruto reflected back on the walk he had with Aizen. As they had walked down the streets of Seireitei, Naruto thought that they gave him the same respect of a hokage. Bowing their heads as he walked by as if it were a great honor that he would bestow them with his presence. Having so much respect directed his direction, Naruto couldn't help but puff out his chest and stand up a little straighter. It felt good to not be considered dirt.
Inside the large building, shinigami's of all shapes and genders wandered around with folders and stacks of papers that they delivered to various rooms. Naruto wasn't sure where they were exactly, but he guessed that they were at the central office of sorts.
They kept walking, not even bothering to stop and talk to a secretary as they walked by and headed into a room with an old man sitting behind a desk. The old man had a bald head with a cross scar on it, long, white eyebrows and mustache, and a beard that disappeared behind his desk. He wore the usual shinigami garbs, but his were at least two sizes too big and he wore a large white haori draped over his back like a cape.
His eyes, which were closed, turned toward them, and Naruto immediately got the impression that this man was very important. He stood up a little straighter and puffed his chest out slightly. He didn't know why, but he felt he needed to prove something to this man.
Aizen spoke first. "Yamamoto-toutaichou," he said respectfully, and bowed. Naruto followed suit and bowed also. Anyone who was powerful enough to demand respect from captains definitely had his respect.
The old man chuckled gruffly. "Aizen-taichou," he said and nodded toward him. He looked at Naruto. "And who's this young fellow?" The old man asked, regarding Naruto with a bushy eyebrow.
Aizen placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "This is the boy I've been speaking to you about." His tone had a hint of pride and though Naruto didn't know exactly what he had done, it made him feel good to have someone talk about him like that.
The old shinigami opened his eyes and Naruto almost gasped from the intensity of the glance that was sent his way. As soon as it began, the man closed his eyes and Naruto felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of him. The old make spoke.
"What is your name, son?"
Naruto started slighty. "Uzumaki Naruto, sir."
The old shinigami chuckled as if Naruto had some something funny. "Well my name is Yamamoto-Genryuusai." He turned to Aizen. "Yes, I sense great power coming from him. With training he will grow to be very strong."
Naruto felt a sense of pride began to bubble in his chest. He had not recieved many compliments in his lifetime, and when he did, he took them to heart.
Aizen nodded. "I think so too, and that as why I want to make him my apprentice, if you will let him of course."
Yamamoto seemed to think for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. How long will you train him for?"
Aizen turned toward Naruto and regarded him with serious brown eyes. "Hmm . . . twenty years should do well. And then he can become a normal shinigami, free to choose whichever division he wants."
The old man nodded. "Fair enough. Until then he will take up residence at the fifth division. Is that all?"
Aizen nodded. "Yes,"
With another bow that Naruto quickly copied they turned to take their leave. Turning to look at his sensei Naruto was somewhat surprised to find a pleased smirk gracing his usually gentle features.
Naruto raised a curious eyebrow but decided not to question the unusual change in behavior. He pondered the old man, who reminded him of the hokage of Konoha. "Aizen-sensei," he paused and gauged the man on his reaction to the title and was relieved when he didn't seem displeased. "Can you tell me more about . . . Yamato-genyuusai?"
Aizen chuckled. "Yamamoto-Genryuusai," he corrected a slightly flustered Naruto. "Yamamoto-toutaichou is actually one of the oldest and most powerful shinigami in Seireitei. He's two-thousand years old and was the one that started the shinigami academy."
Naruto listened with rapt attention as Aizen went on to explain some of Yamamoto's accomplishments and the young shinigami began to see the old man in a new light.
xXx
When they arrived at the fifth division, Naruto was somewhat surprised at the warm welcome they received. Naruto was sure that Aizen was a well-liked shinigami, but he wasn't sure how much until that moment. As they walked down the halls of the fifth division, Aizen received many bows, smiles, and warm greetings. Although they regarded the child shinigami curiously, they offered him a warm smile which Naruto returned somewhat timidly.
As they rounded a corner and stood outside a door Aizen turned to face a somewhat startled Naruto from the abrupt stop. "Naruto, I want you to meet my fukutaichou." Naruto nodded and Aizen smiled reassuringly before turning and opening the door.
Inside, the room was pretty plain. It was bare of much of anything except a desk and a window which a man with silver hair looked outside of. The bespectacled shinigami cleared his throat before he spoke. "Naruto, I want you to meet my fukutaichou, Ichimaru Gin."
When Ichimaru turned around Naruto tried to flash a smile but it froze as soon as he saw the man's face. His face was somewhat sharp and his eyes slitted, but what froze Naruto was the wide smile that stretched the man's face. It was just plain creepy. "Hello, Naruto-kun."
Naruto shuddered. He didn't know why, but he felt like he should run; run away and hide. Although his voice was pleasant and smooth it reminded Naruto of the sound of a rattlesnake made when someone came to close. It sounded innocent enough, but it had an underlying meaning. Naruto didn't know what the meaning was he got from Ichimaru, but it was enough to make his hair stand on end.
Naruto could only scoot closer to an amused Aizen and nod in greeting. It felt as if just looking at those slanted eyes was enough to choke the life out of him. The blond shinigami definitely didn't want to be around if he decided he wanted to open his eyes and glare at him. He was sure he'd piss his pants.
Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have considered the man somewhat handsome, but it was canceled out by the . . . evilness that surrounded him.
"Naruto, can you wait outside please?"
The young shinigami nodded and hurridly left, relieved for any reason to get out of the pressence of the man who reminded him of slithering snakes.
xXx
"So, how is the plan going so far?"
"Perfectly. It's supprisingly easy. Almost to the point of boredom."
"Oh?"
"Yes, he's pratically putty in my hands."
"Heh, that's good. But I was hoping he could have been a little more challenging so we could have fun . . . breaking him."
"Oh, don't worry. When we're finished with him, he will be nothing more than a broken puppet with his strings cut off."
"I can't wait . . . "
xXx
When the two shinigami had finished there discussion they led Naruto through the division compound and into a couryard.
By now, the sun was setting and the sky was alive with colors. Pinks, blues, and oranges painted the sky overhead while on the ground, the grass was a lush green and cherry blossoms were spaced around the edge like a border.
Ichimaru stood next to a reluctant Naruto and they boy began to wonder if he should have paid more attention to the conversation as shinigami began to come outside and line up horizontally. One shinigami stood out in particular to him. He was a dark-skinned man with purple locks that hung down his back tied in a ponytail. He wore his shinigami kimono, which was tied with a purple obi, with his sleeves rolled up. Fingerless gloves were on his hands and he wore a pair of boots. Covering his eyes was a clear visor.
Ichimaru put a hand on his shoulder and smiled what he apparently thought was reassuringly, but to Naruto, it was rather creepy. "That guy with the clear visor is the third seat, Kaname Tousen. It's a level under fukutaichou." Ichimaru leaned down, his breath ghosting over Naruto's ear. "He's blind, so watch what you say, neh?" he whispered in a playful tone.
Naruto shivered involuntarily at being in such proximity with the fukutaichou.
Tousen nodded toward him, which surprised Naruto because he was supposedly blind. The blond hesitated briefly before nodding back.
Aizen quickly called everyone to attention and Naruto was glad when Ichimaru backed away to stand next to his taichou. "Everyone, listen up. This boy here is Uzumaki Naruto, the youngest to become a shinigami ever, and he will be my new apprentice."
Naruto was quite surprised by this piece of information. He knew he was young compared to most shinigami who all appeared to be in their late teens at least. He had no clue that he was the youngest to become a shinigami ever.
Murmurs broke out in the crowd and Aizen let them talk amongst themselves until they quieted. "He will be staying in this division for a couple of years as he trains, so treat him with the same respect you would treat me."
There was a chorus of "Hai, Aizen-taichou" before Aizen dismissed them. The crowd began to thin, the shinigami talking excitedly amongst themselves as they left. Naruto wondered briefly if all of Soul Society would know that the youngest shinigami was an apprentice to a taichou by tomorrow. After everyone left except for Tousen, the three began to talk amongst themselves, leaving Naruto to feel like he was the kid who sat quietly while his parents entertained guests. After a while they broke apart and Aizen and Tousen walked over to him. The taichou spoke, "Naruto, this is my third seat, Kaname Tousen."
Tousen smiled at him and patted his head affectionately. "I like you. You have very little darkness in your spirit."
Naruto didn't exactly know how to respond to that so he did the next best thing. He flushed slightly and mumbled a thanks while Aizen chuckled. "Tousen will show you to your room and tomorrow we'll begin training after a tour of the division."
Naruto nodded at Aizen who retreated to Ichimaru before turning to Tousen. The young shinigami didn't exactly want to offend the blind shinigami, but he wondered how he would be able to lead him to his room if he was blind. As if sensing his thoughts, said shinigami chuckled. "Don't worry. Though I can't use my eyes to see, I can use my other senses to find my way just find."
xXx
Although Naruto was rather dubious at first, Tousen proved that he was indeed capable of navigating through the division without the aid of his eyes. After making it to his room without anyone bumping into anything, he left, heading to who knows where.
Naruto surveyed his quarters with a critical eye.
It was rather small. It only had four rooms: a living area, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Although it wasn't the life of luxuries, Naruto definitely couldn't complain. He was used to sleeping on an itchy mattress with bedsprings poking into his sides either uncomfortably or just the cold hard floor with nothing over his head but a box. From where he used to live, Naruto felt as if he moved into a mansion.
After removing his black kimono and hakama, Naruto was rather pleased to see that he wore clothes underneath. After taking off his white kosode he was left in nothing but his boxers.
He was about to fold his clothes when he noticed the scabbard hanging off his black kimono. He picked it up and was rather surprised to see that it had a sword hilt in it. Naruto had noticed that all the other shinigami had one and was wondering what had happened to his. Naruto pulled out the sword and was rather disappointed when it was revealed to be nothing but the guard and the broken remains of the sword.
He folded his clothes into neat squares and placed his scabbard and broken sword on top before taking care of his bodily functions and going to bed.
As Naruto lay in his surprisingly comfortable futon, he reflected on the rather active day he had.
Without all the events keeping him busy, the weight of everything slammed onto him and he literally had his breath taken away. It was, after all, a lot to take in all at once. First he learned he had the Kyuubi sealed inside him, then he died, then he learnt that he's a shinigami, and after everything he already had on his plate, he arrived in Soul Society and met a lot of new people. To put it simply, he was exhausted.
Having his soul fused with the Kyuubi, Naruto supposed he deserved the right to be a little shocked afterwards. It was like finding out your worst enemy was going to be connected to you in the worst way possible while you could do nothing to stop it. Even though Naruto hated the Kyuubi, would saying it now be like saying he hated himself? Naruto guessed that was how the villagers felt. That just because he was the only connection to the Kyuubi that by hurting him, they could somehow hurt the Kyuubi as well. Though Naruto could understand this, he still held a bit of hatred toward the citizens who made his life hell.
Back at Konoha, the kitsune-hanyou bet the villagers were going to make his death a national holiday. But not the type of holiday where they honor the good things you did in life, but the kind where they thank the heavens themselves that a great problem had been lifted from him.
The only thing Naruto would miss from Konoha was the old man at the ramen stop and the old hokage. Although Naruto felt a pang of guild and sadness at the thought; to be truthful, Naruto felt sort of happy that he died, for it allowed him to start a new life without the constant hatred.
Naruto remembered how he would shout to the rooftops his dreams and when he looked back on it, he felt a little foolish. Back then, when all he received was hate, he did anything he could in his power so they would look at him, and not the Kyuubi. Now that he was getting more attention, he felt that if he were to go screaming on rooftops he would appear foolish, and that was the last thing he wanted when he had a developing image.
He thought back to the one person who seemed to have made it possible.
Aizen Sousuke.
He was rather enigmatic to Naruto. When Naruto first met him, his instincts had been on guard, but afterwards they had calmed and he had felt a small bond form with the shinigami. He had done a lot for him and Naruto couldn't help but feel grateful.
Another person who stuck out to him was Ichimaru Gin. He was another case entirely. When he had firs met the man, his first instinct was to run screaming bloody murder. He wondered how someone like Aizen could stand to be around someone like Ichimaru. Naruto guessed if he spent enough time around him, then he would probably get used to the feeling of being crawled on by insects when he was around. Except the aura he gave off, he wasn't a bad man.
Naruto's eyes began to close on there own accord as his mind began to shut down for sleep, one last thought was acknowledged before he gave himself to the blissful darkness.
I've finally found someplace where I belong . . .
xXx
If he only knew what was being said in the darkended rooms of a certain taichou's office . . .
xXx