Chapter 2

The morning light crept in through the windows and stained the blonde haired boy in its glorious light. Naruto opened his eyes to see the ceiling he'd grown accustomed to. It was the ceiling of his own apartment that he'd lived in since he was removed from the orphanage. He sighed and rubbed his eyes of their drowsiness. He'd had a nightmare again, but it ended on an OK note this time. At least he'd been saved. He threw the thin, ragged sheets off his young body and swung his feet over the side. He was clad only in a pair of green boxers that were way too big for him; his other option was a pair of boxers that were way too small for him, and he didn't quite like those, but he couldn't afford to throw them out.

But just as he was getting up to stand, he felt an intense flare of pain from his left leg. He fell to one knee while he gripped the stinging limb. He looked at it carefully. Nothing looked wrong with it. Maybe it was just a joint cracking or something.

Standing up, ignoring the pain, he moved over to the bedroom door and opened it, walking into his empty kitchen. It was small and cramped, with broken dishes and tableware lying around. He knew he'd need to clean it up eventually, but he kept on putting it off.

His stomach growled. 'I know I know. You're hungry. But I don' have any food…' He looked around for any sort of scrap of food and saw nothing. He sighed I disappointment. He'd need to forage again today. He went back to his room and took his cloths from where they were folded on the floor and put them on, not realizing the fact that he never folded his cloths. He walked over to the front door and opened it wincing at the bright sun on the horizon.

'Now where do I look for breakfast today?'

"My my, you're up early." A voice said casually from beside him. Naruto blinked in surprised and looked to his right to see a man dressed fully in white, silver-purple hair and a permanent smile on his face, and squinting eyes that could probably pierce metal.

"G-Gin-san?" He nearly shouted in surprise as he stumbled back.

Gin smiled wider and laughed. "Yup! It's me."

Naruto suddenly realized his dream that night wasn't a dream at all, but rather areal event. Taking all this in, all he could ask was, "W-why are you here, Gin-san?"

Gin looked out to the sunrise and brushed the seriousness of the boy off nonchalantly. "Ah nothin'! Just makin' sure you got a good night's sleep, considerin' your exciting day yesterday."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "S-so you stayed up all night standing outside? Just to protect me…?"

Gin looked at him again and smiled… wider anyways. "That a problem?"

"W-well, n-not really. But didn't you even sleep a little bit?" Naruto asked. While the man's presence felt familiar and reassuring for some reason, Naruto still felt somewhat intimidated by… well, he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was scary about him. It was almost as if he was familiar and intimidating at the same time.

Gin shrugged. "Sleep? What's that?" Naruto didn't know what to say to that, so his stomach took over, speaking in the only way it knew how; it growled loudly. Naruto's face went red from embarrassment and he looked away.

Gin only laughed and stepped over to the boy, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "If my instincts are right, I'd be guessing you're hungry, right?" he questioned playfully. Naruto sheepishly nodded his head.

"Well, let's get you something to eat then. Know any good places? " He gestured for Naruto to lead them both, but the boy was hesitant. Gin noticed. "What's wrong?" He asked, his smile turning into a confused frown as he bet over to be on eyelevel with the blonde.

Naruto unconsciously gripped the bicep of his left arm with the hand of his right. "Well… I do know a few places that seem nice, but that's only because they never let me in them."

Gin's frown seemed to deepen at this. There was a pregnant silence for a moment before Gin straightened and slapped Naruto lightly on the shoulder. "C'mon, anywhere you wanna go! My treat!"

Naruto looked blank for a moment before his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "R-really? You really mean it?"

"Hehe, you betcha!" Gin said tucking his hands into the opposite sleeve of his robes.

Naruto was ecstatic with joy, which is why when he grabbed Gin's sleeve to lead them to the dining street of the village, Gin's smile turned into a scowl. 'Why should a kid be excited about going to a simple restaurant? I guess what the Hokage said was true… '

He recalled that part of the talk he'd had with the old man the other day.

Flashback

"Gin-san, you'll find that Naruto, while rambunctious and happy, really isn't so." The old man's face was set in a sad sort of state. Gin's expression as one of surprise and curiosity.

"Wuddya mean Hokage-han*?"

Sarutobi took a long inhale from his pipe and continued. "Seeing how things are now, I suppose it's fine for you to know. Naruto has a… a creature of mass destruction sealed within him. You might know it as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. An unfortunate accident happened the day he was born that claimed the life of both his mother and father. That was the sudden appearance of the Kyuubi. It attacked the village and through the sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage, the beast was sealed inside Naruto to protect the village. The Kyuubi is a Bijuu, and the strongest there is to boot. Most can be sealed away temporarily in special objects, but not the Kyuubi. It has to have a human container. Naruto just happened to be born on that day and he was the prime subject for it. He would be able to grow with the demon and develop a type of symbiotic relationship with it. At least, that was the thinking of the Yondaime. Unfortunately the people of the village remember the attack, and condemn him for holding the thing responsible for it. All the deaths, all the emotional pain, all the damages… they pin it all on Naruto now…" His eyes were closed at that point.

He looked sad right then. Maybe it was Gin, but he could have sworn that a shadow of regret passed over the man's face. "…I see. So that's why he was attacked."

"Most likely. There are a few other reasons that can't be ruled out, especially at his age, but they are less likely."

" His age? "

The Hokage looked back at Gin. "Ah, right, you wouldn't know. Naruto is of the age where he could join the Ninja Academy. In other words, he's ready for training. There are many parties in the village would want him purely for his potential as a killing and destructive machine."

Gin didn't say anything to that. Both were silent for a while before Sarutobi brought a smile to his face before continuing. "I'm glad to know you'll be taking good care of him."

Gin didn't smile now. There was no possible way he could. "I owe it to 'im. After all, I was the one who-…"

"We're here Gin-san!"

Gin was shaken from his memories by Naruto's cheerful voice. They were standing in the middle of a large street with eateries on either side of them for the whole length of the road. Gin was somewhat amazed. There were so many choices that Gin couldn't believe it. There were nearly twenty food shops within sight alone.

"Eheh… Which one is it?" Gin asked, sweat-dropping at the strangeness of the scene. Naruto still looked a bit unsure about going near them, but with Gin by his side, he felt empowered.

"That one! It always smelled good when I went by it." He pointed to a fancy looking restaurant and Gin nodded.

"Well, let's not be waitin'! Get in there!" Gin said, giving Naruto a small nudge. He had an inkling as to what was going to happen now as he followed behind the boy. And he wasn't incorrect. As soon as Naruto go within ten feet of the entrance, a man standing outside, the man who took parties and seated them, started yelling at Naruto.

"Hey! You brat, how many times do we have to kick you out? We've told you to scram!" Naruto saw something metal flash behind the waiter and he saw a sort of baton used to quell riots when lethal force wasn't permitted. Naruto about jumped back and ran away when Gin stepped up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go on in," he said as if he'd not even noticed the waiter standing there. Naruto looked at him uncertainly, but nodded as he saw Gin's smiling face. He hesitantly stepped inside while the waiter was distracted by Gin's presence.

"Hey you little shit! Get back out here!" he screamed at the blonde child. But he'd already gone inside. The waiter took the baton and made after him, but Gin stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

"Ya don't wanna do that."

The man brushed his hand off glared at him. "No, I'm pretty sure I do."

"Your funeral," Gin said simply. Shoving his hands into his pockets, his grin somehow taking on a smug appearance.

The man made to go inside after Naruto, but paused for a moment before looking back at Gin. "…Why don't I want to be doing it?" He asked suspiciously.

"Ah, well that's the clincher." Gin withdrew his right hand and with it came a scroll he had been given by the Hokage. With a small flick of his wrist, the scroll was tossed to the waiter. He caught it easily enough and opened it, reading what was written within. The man's scowl grew in intensity before he looked that man with wide eyes. "…You…?"

Gin smirked and brought a finger up to his lips. "That's not somethin' you want to be sharin' either. Keep it to yourself. But the first part of that letter, by all means, spread that around."

The man looked at Gin dazed. As if in disbelief, he looked at the scroll again and then back at Gin. Gin simply walked past him, plucking the scroll from the man's stunned hands and going inside. Within, Naruto wasn't getting a much better treatment. People were glaring at him, though when Gin walked up and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and looked at them, they instantly went back to their meals. The waiter from outside came in and directed them to their seats. "M-my name is Zoshi, I'll be taking care of you this evening. Order whenever you're ready," he said while handing them both a menu.

Gin took it and flipped through it. Looking over the edge, he could see Naruto was having some trouble. "We're gonna need a few minutes," Gin told Zoshi, who nodded, bowed at the waist, and took his leave.

Gin looked at his menu and decided on some eggs and a simple salad. Naruto seemed to scrunch his eyes are his menu, as if he were having trouble reading it, which he was.

"What's wrong there Naruto?"

Naruto looked at Gin with an embarrassed and frustrated expression. "I don't understand what half of these are…"

"Oh, we'll just read the little description that tells you what's in it."

Naruto looked back at the menu and saw that there was indeed, in smaller print, a description of what each meal contained. The waiter came back and took Gin's order. Then he turned to Naruto who ordered ramen with a side of red bean paste.

'Not the healthiest meal he coulda chosen…' Gin thought.

The waiter took their menus and left. Gin rested his chin on his hands, on folded under the other and stared intently at the boy. Naruto looked nervous, not so much from Gin's attention but from something else entirely. He kept looking around at his surroundings and fidgeting. He rubbed his hands together in between his legs as he did so.

Gin decided he would try and get Naruto talking; he remembered the Hokage saying Naruto was more at peace when he talked. "So Naruto, tell me about yourself. You got any hobbies?"

Naruto looked at him for a moment before shrugging. "Not really… I'm sure there are things I would like, but I don't know what they are."

Gin "hmm"-ed and scratched the side of his head. Then he thought of something. "The Hokage also said yer scared of ninja."

Naruto looked surprised but nodded solemnly. "They scare me…"

Gin smiled at the boy reassuringly. "Well, I've learned two things in my life. One, face yer fears." Naruto looked at him, knowing what he meant. Hokage-jiji had said something similar a long time ago.

"An' two…" Gin began, an image of Aizen flashing through his mind. "…know your enemy as yerself."

Naruto looked up at him surprised. He'd never heard that saying before. "What does that mean?"

"It's simple." Gin said in a light tone. "The best way to know your enemy…" He reached over and placed a hand on the blond boys' messy blonde hair. "Is to become yer enemy."

Naruto sat shocked for a moment before realizing the gravity of Gin's words. "Y-y-you mean I s-should become a n-ninja?"

Gin only smiled wider in response. He retracted his hand and leaned back in the booth. "Just givin' ya some friendly advice. What you do with it is up ta you."

Naruto thought about it for a minute. Sure he was scared of ninja, and becoming one was a scary thought too. But becoming a ninja meant that he would be afraid of himself. 'But you can't be afraid of yourself… can you? You'd have to not be scared of yourself to get anything done.' Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.' That's right… If I become a ninja, then I won't be scared of them anymore!' His face lit up like a light.

Gin saw it and knew what it meant. Sure there were other ways of getting Naruto over his fears of ninja, but this was the most direct way. Plus, he would need boy to be able to take care of himself when he wasn't here.

By this time the food came. And they happily dug in. Naruto seemed to gobble it down heartily, and it made Gin want to laugh at how the boy was loving it all. When they had finished, Naruto sat back and sighed in contentment. "That was the most I've eaten in a month!"

Gin did not let that comment escape his realization, considering Naruto only ordered one meal. 'One meal a month, huh?' He didn't voice it, but that was pathetic by anyone's standards. Gin let them both sit for a while to digest the food before playing some money on the table and motioning Naruto to follow him out. The glares they received were easily ignored, since Naruto was so happy.

They stepped back out into the street and Gin looked at the sky. It was probably around nine or ten o'clock in the morning. 'Oh yea this place has watches down they? I should probably get one,' He mused as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Ano, Gin-san…?"

Gin looked down from where he was staring at the sky to see Naruto fidgeting again. But now he did seem uncomfortable with the ex-Third captain. "Nani?"

"Well… Um… I-if you don't mind me asking…" the young child began, not looking Gin in the eyes, but rather finding his feet more interesting to look at as he brushed them one over the other. "…Why are you being so n-nice to m-me?"

Gin had expected this question, but at the same time, was not completely prepared to answer it. "Well…" Gin began after a tense moment of silence. "Ahh… Hell wit' it. I asked the Hokage to become yer guardian."

Naruto's eyes suddenly shot up and looked at the smiling man. "Y-you mean you'll be l-like my dad…?" Naruto asked almost afraid the answer would be no.

Gin started in surprise as he thought about that, his uncanny smile vanishing. "Y-yeah, I guess I kinda will be." He hadn't thought about it like that. But it wasn't a bad thing. He hadn't thought about how Naruto might take it; at least, not like that.

All of a sudden, a great force smashed into Gin. He "oof"-ed loudly in surprise before he realized that the force was the little blonde boy who had his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He was crying softly, small shining tears sliding down his cheeks.

"T-thank you s-sooo m-m-much!" Naruto managed to cry out between sobs of happiness.

Gin was taken quite aback by this. He hesitantly, more out of uncertainty than anything, placed his left hand atop the boy's head, which barely reached his neck and the other over the boy's back.

"Hey hey, it's ok kid. Ain't no need to cry on me," he joked aloud, as he ruffled the boy's hair soothingly.

Naruto slowly pulled back and wiped the tears away while continuing to sob. He didn't know where the emotion came from all of a sudden. All he knew was that he couldn't stop them. "I-I'm s-sorry Gin-s-san… I c-couldn't h-help it…" He continued to try and clear his eyes of tears. "I-it's just that n-nobody's ever e-ever tried to be my f-friend, let alone t-t-this..." He sniffled in joy and disbelief.

Gin took on an understanding look and smiled softly. He bent down to the boy's level. "Hey, look at me…" He brought Naruto's chin up to look him in the eyes. "… no one deserves ta be alone. Don'tcha think?" He grinned as Naruto's eyes widened a little. But he recovered and jumped into Gin's arms again, now wrapping them around the man's neck. They stayed like that for several minutes, ignoring the strange stares they received. Gin personally was well beyond his comfortable level, but Naruto needed this, so he wouldn't deny him.

But all things come to an end. He broke from the weeping child and smiled at him. "That's enough cryin' fer now. We got a day ta spend!"

"O-ok…" He wiped the last of the tears from his face. When he once again looked Gin in the eyes, the Shinigami could literally see the joy in them. "So what are we gonna do?"

Gin put a hand to his chin in thought. He looked down at Naruto. He had an idea. He snapped his fingers and made a face, standing up to full height. "We're goin' shoppin'."

Naruto blinked at him in surprise. "…Huh?"

Gin chuckled at the boy. "You, me, a whole day of getting what YOU want and need. You up fo' that?"

Naruto beamed at his new guardian and nodded fervently. "You bet Gin-san!"

"Hehe, just Gin," the silver haired man said.

Naruto nodded readily. "You bet Gin!"

Gin ruffled his hair and patted him on the back, leading them both to the shopping area of Konoha's main street. The nice thing about living in Soul Society for so long is that the great wealth as a captain meant a whole lot more in this world. The SS currency compared to this one had a 1:3 ratio. So gin was essentially paid triple what anyone in this world was. He had average captain-class income, but here that was like king's money.

It came in handy often. The shopping street had tons of stores, and Gin headed straight for one of the clothing stores. "Why do e have to shop for cloths first Gin-nii-san?"

Gin looked at him curiously. 'Nii-san? Well, it's better than tou-san... Don't think I'd ever get used to that.' He smiled as he held the door open for the child. "We'll get the boring part over and done wit' first. Then we can do more fun shoppin' after, 'k?"

Naruto nodded his head fervently and stepped inside.


Naruto and Gin both walked out of the final store, each holding several boxes. Naruto was grinning ear to ear with a smile Gin would envy. But it made the former captain happy that he was having so much fun. He probably hadn't been given anything of worth in months, maybe even years. They'd bought tons more clothes for the six year old to wear, considering the only thing he had was those weird orange and blue shirt and shorts.

Naruto couldn't wait until tomorrow to try the new clothes on. Of course they'd done more than clothes shopping; they also bought some new furniture for his apartment, thought they would have to move them in some other day.

The sun was beginning to disappear behind the horizon by the time they got back to Naruto's apartment. Naruto set a handful of bags down and opened the door for his new protector. He managed to force his open and ran inside with his things. Gin wasn't far behind and he deposited the bags on the small table.

Naruto began pulling out and putting away the series of clothing he'd been bought. Gin had definitely had an amusing day that was for sure. The sheer joy on Naruto's face as he looked through the store for something he'd wear, while Gin showed the owner the same scroll he'd shown the waiter. It contained information, or rather orders from the Hokage to allow Naruto and anyone with him to shop for free. Gin however decided to pay them anyway. There was no need to piss off the shopkeepers too much. That mostly applied were Gin not there. Hiruzen had told him that the two elders who acted as a council would probably not approve of that action. But he wasn't Hokage for nothing.

Gin watched as Naruto disrobed completely, even taking off his boxers in his haste.

"Haha, Whoa trigger, no need to hurry," Gin laughed out in amusement as Naruto pulled out a pair of brand new clothes. He slipped on some new boxers, ones that fit him properly now, a new black shirt and some green sweatpants. He rushed into his room where there was a full length mirror hidden inside his closet. Opening the door, he admired his new attire. He literally shined with happiness.

"These cloths are awesome! They actually fit me, and they're clean and everything!" He shouted out with enthusiasm. Gin continued to watch the boy with interest, a small grin forming on his face (added onto his normal one). But he wasn't entirely happy. 'A kid shouldn't be that happy when getting somthin' as boring as cloths. They should be complainin' and makin' a big fuss. Only the absolutely desperate should act as happy as he is.' It was a sad thought, that Naruto was absolutely desperate.

All the more reason Gin was doing what he was doing.

They evening passed on, and Naruto went to sleep in his brand new pajamas, his comfortable snores reach Gin's ears, even from outside. Gin looked at the door, raised his hand to it, and with a shimmer, a defensive spell blinked into life, covering the whole doorframe. 'That should be enough fer now.'

With that he took his leave, and in the moonlight made his way to the Hokage's tower, his robes flowing in his wake. Gin rather enjoyed moonlit walks. He liked the night period. It was just his nature. His trip was uneventful; shops were closing for the night, while others were opening or changing shifts. The air was peaceful… content. It was very calm, with only the slight hum of voices from inside buildings and the light therein to light his way. The moon hung just above and slightly to the right of the tower ahead.

He opened one of the double doors in the front and stepped in. The cool air of the air conditioned interior washed over him and it was comforting from the humid, but not uncomfortable outside. The secretary was napping on her desk so Gin took the liberty to continue upstairs. He once again found the door to the office and knocked. The answer allowed him in and he closed the door behind him. He had some things to discuss with the Hokage.


The next morning came slowly to Naruto. He opened his eyes slowly, wincing as the bright sunlight shed itself on his face. He pulled the covers over his head and continued to sleep until his body finally woke up. Now, ready to get up, he pulled off the covers, and immediately became excited as he remembered his new cloths. He swiftly exited his bed and dashed over to his closet. He opened it up to see a whole assortment of clothing he'd been bought the other day. His smile reached from ear to ear as he gazed upon the assortment.

Once his reverie was over he began going through them to see what he would wear today.

It was about this time that Gin knocked on his bedroom door. "Just a second!" Naruto responded.

He finished pulling on his shirt and opened the door, standing proudly in his new outfit. Gin whistled in admiration. "Got some nice threads there don'tcha?" Naruto nodded excitedly.

He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with a green, unzipped vest along with tan pants and the normal sandal-shoes that most people wore. The shirt itself bore and orange spiral in the middle of his chest. "Well? I look awesome, right?" Naruto said with enthusiasm.

Gin chuckled and nodded, slipping his hands out of their opposite sleeves. "You look like the coolest kid in town! But even the coolest kids need to eat. C'mon, I got breakfast waitin' for ya." Naruto jumped into the kitchen at the thought of food. On the table he saw, to his pleasure, a whole family sized pack of steaming ramen. Naruto quickly sat in his seat and grabbed the chopsticks. Gin also sat down and opened his own smaller cup of ramen. "Itadakimasu!" Gin chanted and began eating. Naruto for his part dove in and began inhaling the noodles as if they were much needed air.

The meal was over in minutes. Naruto sat back in his seat full. Gin chucked his empty cup into the trashcan and leaned back. "Oi, Naruto…"

"What?"

"Remember what I said the oth'r day 'bout you becomin' a ninja?"

Naruto fidgeted at that but nodded.

"You thought about it?"

Naruto looked down a little. His face was slightly crestfallen, but he looked up and nodded. "Yeah, and I want to become a ninja!"

Gin was obviously pleased. But his next question surprised the blond. "Why?"

Naruto blinked at him, his determined face disappearing. He remained silent.

"Becomin' a shinobi ain't a bad thing. The question is, why do ya wanna become one? Just to face yer fears?"

Naruto looked at the Shinigami in surprise. Sure he did want to rid himself of his fear of ninja, but was there really another reason? "I don't know... If I become a ninja, I can protect myself." That was a good enough answer… wasn't it?

Gin leaned forward and looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "Yer pretty young, so I don't expect you to know, but then again, I don't mind tellin' ya. I was your age when I learned it. There is only one reason you should try and gain power…"

"R-really? What is it?"

Gin placed a hand on the Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. Naruto's eyes widened as Gin's opened for the first time since their meeting. They were sky blue, almost luminescent. The piercing orbs seemed to delve straight into Naruto's soul. Like a sword to paper, Gin's eyes seemed almost to able to pierce through any one's lies or deception.

"…to protect the one's you love."

Naruto thought about that for a moment. First of all, he didn't know what love was. Second of all, there was no body he wanted to protect, probably because there was no one who he needed to protect. Gin could see his confusion and chuckled. "Well, I s'ppose you'll understand it better when you're older. But in the mean time… " He reached into his cloak and pulled out a pair of green goggles. "…your academy classes start tomorrow." His grin widened as Naruto's eyes did the same. His small hand reached out to delicately pluck the goggles from Gin's hand.

"Y-you mean… I'm gonna be a ninja?" Naruto asked hesitantly. Sure he said he did, but that was totally different from knowing you were going to be one.

Gin only smiled, as he always did. "Yep, yer gonna be a ninja."