Chapter Two ~ Death Water

"Naruto," Shisui stared hard at the boy. His clothes were in rags, in desperate need of a haircut, and he had weird whisker markings on his face. The fact that he actually posed a threat though made him smile, he didn't even have a weapon, "Well my name is Uchiha Shisui." He would at least introduce himself before they exchanged blows.

'Uchiha,' Naruto's mind sat on that name for a long time, being so distracted that he barely avoided being slashed across the chest. He leapt backward and Shisui disappeared from his immediate line of vision, and once again he was forced on the defensive from a slash that came from behind him. 'Damn he's fast,' Naruto rolled forward faster than Shisui anticipated and kicked his katana out of his hand. As the sword was in the air, Naruto twisted his body and shot back at Shisui who was just now getting used to how fast Naruto moved.

They exchanged a few hand to hand shots, their styles contrasting, and both ended up punching each other in the face. Both of them stumbled away from each after nearly breaking one another's nose and grinned at each other. Naruto placed a hand over his nose that was starting to spout out blood, "Jeez, you hit harder than I thought." His mind was already jumbled, but the punch made it even worse. He was struggling to remember just what he was good at.

What made matters worse was that he wasn't even supposed to remember what he was good at. There weren't supposed to be any memories of his past life at all, but as Shisui's sword fell conveniently into his grasp; he was forced to go back to coming up with things on the fly. There were a lot of techniques and seals burned into his brain, but he couldn't connect to the ones that he remembered being his.

Shisui moved in and stabbed at Naruto from multiple angles, but the boy was proving to be quicker than an untrained traveler was supposed to be, "Come on kid, just give up," He tried to convince the stubborn Naruto, and the boy jumped away from the exchange, skidding across the water as he did so. The Uchiha twisted his sword in his grasp and sighed, "You're a knucklehead, you know that?" Naruto wasn't making this any kind of easy, and he wanted it to be over with. He had other things to deal with.

"Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead actually," Naruto said out of instinct, and then covered his mouth in surprise when his lips moved on their own. Why the hell did he just say that? When was he ever the #1 Knucklehead? Why did he pride himself on that? He needed to get a grasp on his mind again, "I'm not going down without a fight, 'ttebayo!" Naruto grinned for a moment, but then his smile fell the moment he realized what he just said. Something was terribly wrong. He'd get to the bottom of it once he was done with Shisui.

"I don't really want to fight you," Shisui admitted, "just come with me to Seireitei."

"No."

The messy-haired Uchiha then disappeared so blindingly fast that Naruto stumbled back. The water from the river was kicked up high and started to form a circle around him. He had to block a few feint strikes from multiple copies of Shisui appearing through the barrier of water, but the moment he tried to strike back the copy faded into non-existence. He rolled out of the way of even more possibly fatal slashes, but at the speed Shisui was moving; he couldn't match it. The first cut appeared on his cheek, then on his arm, and then another appeared on his leg. As another Shisui appeared, he tried covering his chest with his forearms to block a fatal slash, and blood splashed into the water.

He tumbled across the river and out of the spinning vortex of water Shisui created, and was forced to dodge yet another stab by jumping high into the air. Shisui was way too damn fast to engage with in direct combat, and he had the advantage of a sword to deliver more lethal strikes on top of his already untraceable speed. 'How the hell am I supposed to beat this gu-' Naruto caught the sight of Shisui in his peripheral, bringing his blade down and cutting out a chunk of his shoulder.

The blonde was slammed back against the surface of the water; the only thing keeping him from going under was his own energy. His eyes averted upward and he saw Shisui mumbling something under his breath. After seeing the shinigami bolster his speed to another level, he didn't want to know what else he had up his sleeve, and tried to scramble to a stand, but fell back down. All the hits he had taken from Shisui were starting to add up.

As Shisui fell back to the ground gracefully, he was muttering an incantation, which he had now finished. Crackling yellow energy began to form around his free hand and he narrowed his eyes to focus on Naruto, "Bakudō #4: Hainawa!" The Uchiha threw his hand forward and the rope snapped out at Naruto, and the blonde tried so desperately to escape. It wrapped around his ankle and dragged him to Shisui's feet, and gradually wrapped around his entire body, "You surprised me, being able to fight against a hollow and not die, but you're still a far cry from what a shinigami is capable of. Don't fret though, if you return to Seireitei with me you can acquire this strength."

The trapped Naruto looked up at Shisui and locked eyes with him. That same familiar feeling he got from Deidara was flowing through his body when he met eyes with the Uchiha, "Dragging me back like a prisoner isn't a convincing way to recruit, Uchiha-teme." Another verbal tic made Naruto mentally cringe, but he was trying to make a point here. "I can figure out my power on my own, I don't need your help."

Shisui stared at Naruto impassively, "I tried giving you options, kid." He yanked on his end of the rope to make the bind on Naruto's body tighter, but the moment he did that; Naruto… popped? A small cloud of smoke came up and revealed a log in his place. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes and looked around, not finding Naruto anywhere. "Are you serious?"

"Ha! Now take this!"

XxX

(In The Forest – With Deidara & Sui-Feng)

A huge gust of wind ravaged through the forest, and Deidara was nearly blown away from the force of the sudden winds. Through the small wind storm that came out of no where, he still kept a firm grip on the handle of his bucket. He'd be damned if he let Mother Nature take away the fish Naruto so generously collected for him.

Sui-feng had to block her face from the strong winds that were kicked up out of no where. She grit her teeth while standing on a branch, across from Deidara. First sweltering heat, then windstorms, and to add the icing to the cake Deidara was barely acknowledging her as a worthy opponent. As far as she knew, he was just like Naruto and nothing more than a dweller out in the 62nd district looking for his, how dare he undermine her.

"I don't have anything to do with this, un!" Deidara was getting extremely annoyed by the winds that were not ceasing, and the fact that his path was being blocked by a girl that was smaller than him. He held up his bucket of fish, "I'm just a fisherman for hire, not some damn monster!" Deidara knew what shinigami were, and what they were meant to fight against. He didn't fit the criteria of any of those things by a long shot.

Sui-feng shot off of the branch and tried to land a quick punch on Deidara, but he blocked the strike with his bucket, which now a large dent in it. She followed it up with another punch that he blocked once more with his trusty bucket, and the girl growled. She was being held off by a peasant and a bucket, there was no way he was this skilled at anything combat related. Sui-feng tried to hit him with a high-arcing kick, but Deidara ducked under her leg and managed to land a quick punch to her gut.

The blonde followed his lucky punch up by smashing his wooden bucket against Sui-feng's head and subsequently she was smacked in the face by a moist fish. Deidara leapt from the tree branch and tumbled onto the ground, "See what you made me do!?" He saved the stray fish that were about to hit the ground and hugged them against his chest. The boy tried to make a run for it after that, but his path was cut off once more.

Sui-feng appeared in front of Deidara, he already had too much momentum so he couldn't do anything about her striking him in the face and putting him on his ass. The girl looked highly irritated, "I knew I recognized you." A bead of sweat rolled down Deidara's face when she said that, and she shook her head, "You're the one who was caught snooping around Shihōin compound not too long ago. I can't let you leave."

"Heh, caught but not captured," Deidara joked but yelped in surprise when Sui-feng quickly drew her sword and tried to slash on his downed body. He lifted his feet and trapped the blade between his geta and jerked her forward. Sui-feng furrowed her brow and continued to try and inch the blade closer to Deidara's chest, but only received a few shaves of wood from his geta for her cause.

With only his feet he threw her off balance, and rolled out of the way when she gained her bearings and tried a hack away a limb to ease her mind. He still had the rare koi fish hugged against his chest, so the only option he had was to dance around her attacks with impeccable footwork and only further irritate Sui-feng. She growled lowly as he managed to avoid all her attempts to cut him, "I hope you value your life more than those fish!" Sui-feng stabbed her blade forward with great speed and Deidara's eyes went wide. The only way he could avoid it was bend backwards, the tip of the wakizashi nearly stabbing through his nose, and groaning in pain when he felt a crack in his back.

She held her position, the sword still hovering over Deidara's body, while he was still bending backwards like he was trying to set a record in limbo. It went silent for a few seconds and she chuckled quietly, "I know you can't hold that stance for long." With no hands to support him, he could either try and stand up, or fall to the ground. Either way was a win for Sui-feng, since the moment he tried to straighten his posture; she could drive her sword right through him, and if he fell down she could readjust her position much faster than he could his.

Deidara was breathing heavily after expending so much energy, and right now his view consisted of a deadly sword hovering above his head, so that certainly didn't help. She was right to assume that he would tire his back out after too long, and his options sure were limited as far as maneuvering her blade. 'Am I going to have to let go of these fish?' He asked himself, but couldn't commit to the idea. He traveled too far to let himself be captured and his fish destroyed by Sui-feng.

Just as she had anticipated, Deidara fell to the ground, and she tumble-rolled right on top of him. She poked the tip of her sword at his neck and faintly smiled when blood started to trickle down, "This is the end of you." Just as she was about deliver the finishing blow, she let out a girly squeak when something poked her in her knee and he managed to move his head out of the way from being stabbed.

Deidara mustered enough strength to lean his body forward and smash his forehead into Sui-feng's and she was sent flying across the forest floor. He was still breathing heavily, fish still nestled to his chest, and he slowly pushed himself off of the ground, "Sorry I had to poke you there, but you were making it really hard for me, un." He said offhandedly and the girl growled as she got up off of the ground.

Her cheeks were suddenly flushed with blood when she realized what just happened. Sui-feng's eyes caught sight of a bulge in Deidara's pants that he had somehow used to his advantage. He was definitely going to pay now, "How dare you?"

"Hey, you were swinging your sword around, I think it's only fair I use mine," Deidara moved one of his hands and readjusted his boxers while Sui-feng continued to stare at him with nothing but hate in her eyes. She obviously couldn't appreciate his tactics, but that was fine, "I've had fun, but I think I'll take my leave now, un." Despite saying that, he didn't move a muscle because of how intensely Sui-feng was looking at him, and he knew she outclassed in him speed, so really he was just talking to piss her off.

Growing tired of Deidara's games, Sui-feng gripped her blade tightly and pointed it at the blonde, "Sting all enemies to death." Her sword was encased in a blinding white light that Deidara had to shield his eyes from.

He didn't want to see what happened next, so he decided to use the opportunity of her powering up to get a head start on running away.

XxX

(Naruto v. Shisui)

"Take this!" The real Naruto was behind Shisui with his hands held out. His hands were covered in blue energy that started creating a vacuum torrent of wind. Everything in front of him was currently being attracted to him like a magnet, and even Shisui couldn't move fast enough to escape the range of his technique. Trees threatened to uproot from Naruto's force and pieces of debris flew past the Uchiha was being dragged against his will in Naruto's direction.

To add insult to injury, Naruto's wind was cutting him at a rapid rate. His shihakushō was being torn to shreds and the subtle nicks at his skin were starting to annoy him. He could barely move his body, and he was being dragged right into the brunt of Naruto's attack, so he had to think fast unless he wanted to see Naruto had in store for a follow up. Shisui shut his eyes and sighed, 'Are you really about to make me do this?'

Naruto smirked, finally having the upper hand between him and Shisui, holding his vacuum wave up so he could reel the boy in and knock him out with one final blow. As of right now, he was simply mimicking techniques that were in his brain until he could remember what he was truly capable of, and so far it was working. Naruto's own cut up face twitched when he saw Shisui trying to reposition himself.

"Hado #4: Byakurai!" He stopped resisting Naruto's highly effective wind vacuum and sent himself flying toward the boy with his index finger facing Naruto. There was pale blue energy crackling around his hand, that was only getting stronger as time went on.

Since he was willing Shisui toward him, the boy had momentum on his side, and there was no way he could avoid the human bullet that was Uchiha Shisui. He instantly dropped the technique he was using to suck Shisui toward him, but wasn't fast enough to completely avoid being hit with the spell. Naruto leapt out of the way, but the beam of compressed lightning still shot through his lower left abdomen and he instantly clutched at his stomach that was now freely leaking blood.

Naruto couldn't stand up on his own any longer, while Shisui was still flying in toward him with sword drawn. 'Shit,' He thought to himself when he saw Shisui trying to cut him down and tried to think of a way out of this. Naruto was exhausted, while the messy-haired shinigami looked like he could go for a few more rounds. 'I need some defense, c'mon, think of—' All of this was happening in a split second, and before he could even react to being slashed; his body reacted for him, and a compressed shield of wind came into existence right before him.

The Uchiha found himself clashing with Naruto's fast reacting wind and frowned, "That wind is pretty versatile, Naruto." He complimented but still held the distaste on his face. Every time he was about knock the roaming blonde out, the boy came up with a counter, and by the looks on his face when he does it; he didn't even know he could do such things. "Give up, Naruto; you can't outlast me in a battle of attrition." He was growing tired of going back and forth with the boy, even though for the most part he had done more damage than Naruto did to him.

"Yeah, I know," Naruto had no problem admitting. He could see that Shisui was clearly stronger than him, and more experienced. As far as his memory knew, this was his first real fight with an intelligent being since he arrived in Soul Society and he was operating on pure muscle memory he didn't know he had and creativity from the clouded memories of his past life. Tapping into said clouded memories, Naruto manipulated the shield into a smaller scale version of the vacuum and brought Shisui forth.

The Uchiha was caught off guard and prepared to move out of the way, but the moment Naruto sucked him in; he once again changed the wind and sent him flying across the river before he could even process what was going on. After previously admitting he knew Shisui was stronger than him, Naruto used this opening to dash across the river and into the thick of the forest. He'd be damned if he let this fight go on any longer.

XxX

(Deidara v. Sui-feng)

Deidara had never seen a shinigami's shikai in his life, and he didn't want to know its abilities, but Sui-feng seemed insistent on educating him. His eyes were locked on the black and gold gauntlet that was wrapped around her arm, his eyes following the chain that was linked to a blade on her middle finger. If that didn't say 'fuck you' he didn't know what did, and he was now backpedaling away from her advance after being cut off.

Judging by the way she was striking, and her already great speed; she was trying to end this fast. The blonde knew she was very capable of doing so, yet still clung onto the fish in his endeavor to run away. Sui-feng moved in at high speeds, planting a kick in Deidara's face that made him skid backwards through the dirt, but still held his footing. The girl ran in once more, charging at Deidara with a series of high and low kicks that he was deftly avoid, all while hugging the koi to his chest.

They danced along the forest floor, Sui-feng smiling much to Deidara's chagrin, while his face was focused on not being swept off of his feet. Through the series of kicks, Sui-feng snuck in a quick stab from her bladed finger that made an incision right above his ribs. She moved to follow up for another stab to the same spot, but he blocked the strike with his forearm, which much to her delight made him drop the fish to the ground, "So you're finally taking this serious?"

"I didn't like the way that first stab felt, un," Deidara had her in his range and managed to land a punch to her face that made her breakaway from their brief bout. She didn't seem too rattled by it though, an amused laugh when she saw him look at the two wounds she just created were covered by butterfly shaped stamps, "What the hell did you do?"

"A scum like you has no right to know," Sui-feng smirked at his troubled expression. She wouldn't give away her secrets just yet, since she would much rather surprise Deidara with the effects of her abilities.

Deidara grinded his teeth together as he braced himself for actual battle with Sui-feng. He had only fought hollows during his time in Rukongai, and they were for the most part brainless. Sui-feng on the other hand was smart, fast, and dangerous. The fact that he had gotten her to this point made himself mentally pat on his own back, since he had just now freed his hands for this fight. If he had any talents in any areas, it was definitely pissing people off with his words, and he pissed off Sui-feng enough for her to activate her shikai.

Now it was time to show his actual abilities.

Sui-feng started to charge in, but before she could advance a compressed blast of wind smashed right into her and sent her flying across the forest, a few trees falling down from the impact.

Ok maybe he wouldn't have to.

Deidara turned around to see a profusely bleeding Naruto running in from the river at high speeds. The fisherman couldn't fight back his grin, "Ha, kouhai, you look like shit!" Deidara's jaw dropped when Naruto grabbed him with surprising strength and now they were both running away from the forest.

"You look like shit too asshole," Naruto poked back as they ran through the forest, and he looked over his shoulder where he felt the rieatsu of Uchiha Shisui getting closer with every step he took. He remembered Deidara saying he was rich before they got into this whole mess, "Sensei, you said you were rich, doesn't that mean you should have a house we can hideout at."

"Do you know how far that is, un!?" Deidara shook his head in disappointment. He was offended that Naruto thought he had any kind of property in the 62nd district, or anything close to it. After getting over that fact, he actually came up with an idea, "My asshole grandma actually doesn't live too far from here. If we can outlast these dickwads, I think we'll be able to hide out there."

Naruto nodded, letting Deidara lead the way, but something fading in and out of his ears made him wary as he ran. From what he figured out during their fight, Shisui was faster than all hell, and it seemed like the death god was holding back to save energy. Who knows what else the messy-haired shinigami had up his sleeve?

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"

Fuck.

XxX

Deidara has a grandma? Naruto's stealing everybody's moves? Yeah, it's the afterlife; anything goes. Next Chapter: Die The Fastest!