Chapter 3
"The Soutaicho will see you now."
As the vice-captain of the 1st division led them in, Naruto thought about what he had been told of the situation.
'So Nanao is attached to me? Does that mean she has to follow me around and stuff? Does that mean I won't be able to go to Shinigami School, or will she have to come along?'
He wasn't sure of much that was going on, but none of it seemed to be THAT bad. After all, it didn't sound like either of them was dying, or something.
Naruto nearly laughed at that. 'Heh... How bad can dying be, when you're already dead?'
The first thing that Naruto thought when he saw Yamamoto was 'That guys old!'
"Yama-ji, how are you doing?"
And apparently it was ok to address him informally. Naruto was in the habit of addressing figures of authority in very informal manners, so that wasn't a problem.
But then again, Shunsui was probably the ONLY person in all of Soul Society to actually call Yamamoto that, so perhaps Naruto was misunderstanding the situation a little.
After Shunsui and Yamamoto exchanged pleasantries, they got down to business.
Nanao stepped forward, and briefly described the problem.
"... And after performing konso, I found myself being dragged along behind him."
Yamamoto turned, and stared at Naruto.
To Naruto, the tension just seemed to thicken... He felt the need to break it… Especially because all the focus seemed to be on him.
So he asked a question that had been bothering him for a while.
"Hey, Yama-ji... Why isn't there a problem with me having the Kyuubi's reishi? Isn't it Hollow reishi? Wouldn't that be bad?"
Of course, Nanao hit HIM on the nose with her fan, for daring to address the Soutaicho so informally. Shunsui burst out laughing, and the ice was clearly broken between him and 'Old Man Yamamoto'.
"Well, Naruto, yes, that would normally be a problem. However, the sealing process you underwent was a magnificent thing, specially crafted to filter the Kyuubi's reishi into that of whoever bore the seal. It has its downsides, though, especially when one is still alive... Or when the seal in question gets damaged, as has seemingly occurred. Even more shocking is that it was created by a human, yet requires a Shinigami to enforce it..."
Just as the old man finished his explanation, his door burst open.
In walked what had to be one scariest people Naruto had ever seen, with a little pink haired girl attached to his shoulder.
"Look, Ken-chan, we made it! I told you we should have turned left earlier!"
"Yeah, you were right, Yachiru. So, what did ya summon us for, Taicho?"
And thus Naruto was introduced to Kenpachi and Yachiru. It was odd... Naruto could honestly say he had never met a single person in his entire life like Kenpachi. Even at first sight, he knew that.
If Naruto could vaguely sense Shunsui's reishi, he thought he was going to be burned by the blaze that Kenpachi casually put out.
Of course, Naruto wasn't the type to be easily intimidated. Or threatened.
In fact, it didn't even feel like intimidation, or a threat. No, it felt like Kenpachi meant it as a challenge.
And Uzumaki Naruto never loses.
So as Kenpachi greeted the Soutaicho, Naruto began calling on his own reishi…
… Causing Kenpachi to cut himself off mid-sentence, to swivel his head down at the kid to the side.
"Who's the kid, Taicho? He seems... interesting."
Naruto watched as the small pink-haired girl dropped off the huge man's back.
And walk over to him.
For the third time since he had entered Soul Society today, he had the distinct feeling he was being judged... This time it was the most overt, as Yachiru was clearly studying him.
When she reached over to his mouth, to try and check out his teeth (or at least Naruto hoped that was what she was doing), Naruto had enough.
That was also when Yachiru decided she had finished studying Naruto.
"Are you here to fight Ken-chan? I think you're a little small for that, Kiroi-kiroi!"
"Who are you calling too small, girl? I'm at least a foot taller then you!"
Before the scene could devolve into any more madness (read: Before Kenpachi decided to step in and stomp on the boy insulting Yachiru), Yamamoto cleared his throat.
And gained everyone's immediate attention.
Well, everyone's but Naruto... But when he noticed that everyone else turned to face the old man, he did too.
"Ahem... Kenpachi, do you remember a little while back when you and Yachiru were sent on the mission to seal the Hollow, Kyuubi no Kitsune?"
"Yes! Ken-chan had so much fun beating up the big ol' fox!"
Yamamoto looked down at Yachiru, and smiled.
"Fukutaicho... Do you happen to remember what you were doing on the mission?"
"Well... I was cheering Ken-chan on... And I was drawing some doodles with my stencils on the baby I was told to watch!"
"... Stencils?"
"Wait a second! Are you saying SHE drew the seal on me? She's can't be older then 8!"
Naruto was shocked. That little kid drew his seal? There ain't no way that was true!
Nanao spoke up. "Naruto... Yachiru-fukutaicho is older then I am."
At Naruto's gasp of surprise, Nanao continued.
"If you recall, I told you that people with reishi aged slower then those without... Yachiru-fukutaicho has actively trained reishi since she could crawl."
"So you better remember that, Kiroi-kiroi! Or I'll send you to your room, or something!"
"My name's not Kiroi-kiroi, damnit! It's Naruto!"
"Ahem... Yachiru, you said something about a stencil?"
"Oh, yeah... Well, I wanted the seal to look pretty, and the human who contracted us didn't specify what he wanted it to look like... So I just took out one of my stencils and drew it on!"
'... My seal was traced on by a hyperactive 8 year old? Who's actually like 20 something?'
Naruto looked down at his stomach; the seal that had been applied, apparently via crayon and stencil, had begun to fade immediately after Nanao had removed the Kyuubi. Not because it wasn't there... But because he know longer had the body component of his chakra. Without that, he couldn't mold any chakra, and that thus couldn't make the seal visible.
Or so Nanao had told him. He just took her word for it.
But because of that... Those stencils were of the highest priorities. Without them, anyone working with the seal would be flying blind.
"Do you still have those stencils?"
"Nope! I lost them last year, in that, err, freak accident fire that burned down part of the 11th division head quarters. The one that I most definitely did not cause. Especially not with an oven. Or cookies, that I might have been making for a Women's Society meeting-"
"I understand, Yachiru. Well, this is most certainly a dilemma."
With that, Yamamoto gave Kenpachi a bare bones version of what had happened.
Immediately after, Kenpachi began to laugh.
"Getting yourself stuck to a girl so young, eh? That's moving fast!"
"That's what I told him too, Kenpachi. Especially with my Nanao-chan..."
Nanao sighed.
Naruto got flustered.
"This isn't my fault! I didn't mean to do that! You take that back!"
And unconsciously started flexing more of his reishi.
A lot more. Especially because the Kyuubi's reishi was now his reishi... There was a whole lot more then even Naruto was used to.
Kenpachi grinned...
"Well, kid... You've got the reishi... But do ya got the skill?"
... And began to draw his sword.
"None of that in here, Kenpachi..."
Nanao sighed again, thankful that at least the Soutaicho could keep Kenpachi out of trouble.
"Then we'll take this outside, one eye!"
'Uh oh.'
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Nothing seemed to work.
After a succesfull opening attack (which Kenpachi outright LET him have), Naruto was immediately put on the defensive.
He had to dodge... It was dodge or die.
Because One-Eye seemed pretty keen on hitting him, with that jagged sword of his.
'Damn, this guy's crazy!'
So Naruto drew on his reishi, attempting to use it the same way he would chakra. Using it to power up his movements wasn't nearly as effective as he thought it should be, though it DID work.
He kept on trying to use Kage Bunshin, forgetting that it wouldn't work.
Naruto didn't realize how damn good of a job he was doing. There was no one in Soul Society he could take Kenpachi on, using solely Hakudo... Not at the moment, at least. And the number that could actually connect with his body with their attacks, piercing through his aura of reishi to the body within... That number was essentially limited to Captains and Vice-captains, and Kenpachi's own 3rd and 5th seat.
Naruto was definitely impressing Kenpachi.
Which would only lead to trouble for Nanao.
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'At least they made it here quickly...'
Nanao was used to Yachiru's little quirks, especially since she was the newly elected vice-president of Yachiru's 'Shinigami Women's Association'. The girl was cute and excitable, and very funny to watch... As long as she wasn't focused on you.
Kenpachi... Not so much.
Nanao wasn't that surprised at Yachiru's immediate nick-naming of Naruto. Yachiru did that to most everyone, at least once.
Nor was she surprised at Naruto's reaction to it. Yachiru's nicknames tended to leave a lot to be desired, in the creativity department.
'And, of course, she doesn't still have the stencils.'
She didn't expect Yachiru to, but she could hope. Now with that hope killed, Nanao began to think of all the implications.
'I seem to be attached to the seal, and it dragged me along after him when he was sent to Soul Society. Perhaps that means I won't be able to leave for the living world? Or maybe he'd be dragged a long behind me?
'Either way... He won't be able to attend the Academy. I need the freedom of movement that he being perched in a classroom won't allow. But he also must be taught how to be a Shinigami... Has something like this ever happened before?'
Of course, before Nanao could speak up, she was brought back to the present by Naruto and Kenpachi's argument.
"Well, kid... You've got the reishi... But do ya got the skill?"
"None of that in here, Kenpachi..."
Nanao sighed again, thankful that at least the Soutaicho could keep Kenpachi out of trouble.
"Then we'll take this outside, one eye!"
'Uh-oh'.
Nanao could only palm her face, thinking of how the situation had managed to devolve so quickly.
'Does anyone even bother to follow the rules anymore?'
What made it worse was how both her Taicho and the Soutaicho seemed to be so amused about it.
And so Nanao followed the group out, not stopping the situation because both of her superiors seemed content to let it play out.
And there was no way that Nanao was going to get between Kenpachi and anything he wanted to fight.
'Besides... We aren't that far from the fourth division... We can get Naruto there quickly enough, once this is done.'
Nanao didn't expect it to last that long. Heck, she didn't expect Naruto to be able to HIT Kenpachi. Most people couldn't damage him, even with their Zanpakutos.
And Naruto didn't even have one of those... Only his fists.
So it was, out in front of the first division headquarters, that Zaraki Kenpachi and Uzumaki Naruto stood facing each other, ready to fight.
"Heh, kid. You got guts. I'll even let ya get the first hit in... See if ya can even hurt me."
'That man needs some serious help... Some counseling, at the least. It's no wonder that the 11th division has the reputation that it does with that man leading it.'
"You don't need to give me any advantages! Uzumaki Naruto doesn't give up... Believe it!"
And with that, he rushed forward... A lot faster then Nanao had expected.
It wasn't shunpo fast... But it was as fast as a seasoned Shinigami could move without resorting to the Flash Step.
Nanao was also surprised at something else... Reishi seemed to be pouring off Naruto, the same way that it did Kenpachi. Nanao expected that it had something to do with both his former occupation, and the presence of so much reishi in his system.
And she was even more shocked when not only did Naruto's blow connect... It connected right with Kenpachi's nose.
Of course, Naruto was probably the most surprised one, as Kenpachi's smile grew even bigger, and he started to laugh.
"Ooohh, Ken-chan looks like he's gonna have some fun!"
Nanao looked down to see Yachiru next to her, cheering on Kenpachi as she usually did.
Even as Yachiru said that, Kenpachi rushed forward to begin the fight in earnest... Zanpakuto held at the ready.
Nanao stood silently, watching the battle, even as Yachiru chattered on.
"Poor boy, having to fight Ken-chan before even getting a sword! But he seems to be doing a good job dodging!"
'Dodging... He's fleeing for his life!'
Naruto looked more then a little freaked out, as he quickly backpedaled away from the madman, who was cackling even as he swung his sword about.
Unfortunately, the more Naruto dodged, the angrier Kenpachi got.
"Is that all you got, boy? I've seen little girls who put up better fights then you!"
Which pissed Naruto off again.
"You ain't seen nothing, One-eye!"
Nanao wasn't quite sure what Naruto was planning... She had made it clear to him, when he asked, that none of his old techniques would work. All of his old techniques required chakra, and sine he was dead, he could no longer use chakra. Lacking the body half of his energy meant that they would all be unusable.
Of course, Naruto seemed to be more then decent with Hakudo, and rather fast even without shunpo.
There was also the fact that he had an almost palpable aura of reishi surrounding him, which was probably the result of him trying to utilize reishi to power up his body the same way that on would use chakra to speed one up or power up blows.
Reishi didn't quite work like that... Using reishi as Naruto did was far too inefficient to be cost-effective, and used up too much reishi to be worth it. He was just pouring it off himself in waves, perhaps attempting to emulate Kenpachi's aura of reishi.
'Of course... Most also do not have as impressive of reiatsu as Naruto seems to have.'
And of the few who did... The man he was fighting was the only one who flaunted it.
Nanao could feel the beginnings of a head-ache coming on... Kenpachi did that to her, with how much he put out. Naruto doing the same wasn't helping any, or so she thought.
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"Stop dodging, kid, and fight!"
As far as Nanao could see, Naruto was frustrated about something. Probably a lack of his usual abilities... Most of those who trained to be Shinigami were dead long enough that they had forgotten a lot about their past life. Naruto, though... He was fresh. From a life that had apparently been based on fighting.
So it was understandable that he kept on reaching for his old techniques, forgetting that they wouldn't work.
"That's it! I don't care if I can't use my ninjutsu anymore... I'll kick your ass anyway!"
And with that, Naruto leapt forward, straight into Kenpachi's face.
Only to be swatted away, again.
"You got potential, kid! Everyone else here is to big a pansy to fight me straight up... You don't even have a zanpakuto yet to fight with, and you still attack."
"Just gimme time and I'll kick your ass!"
But it was clear, even to Naruto that he wasn't. Not yet, at least.
Nanao's mind was still racing across the possibilities of the future... If Naruto could not be sent to the Shinigami Academy, not without dragging her along... He would probably have to be taught by her. But due to her responsibilities, Nanao couldn't teach fulltime... Which would mean someone else would also have to teach him.
Especially in fields that Nanao didn't specialize in... Like Zanjutsu.
And frankly, if Nanao had to choose... She'd put ANYONE in, say, Shunsui's hands, before putting them with Kenpachi.
And she didn't trust Shunsui to do basic paperwork...
The Soutaichi stepped forward.
"Kenpachi... That's enough. I think we've all seen what Naruto can do... And without any training in how to do it, either. There's one last thing I need to know before any decision can be made."
Yamamoto gestured Shunsui forward, even as Nanao thought, 'He let Naruto get beat up... for a test?'
"See how far away you can get Naruto, Shunsui."
Shunsui grinned, walked over to the panting Naruto, and slung him over his shoulder.
And began to walk away.
Nanao could literally FEEL Naruto getting farther away... Her reishi began to feel stretched, almost like a bungee cord.
And when Naruto got about 100 yards away, Nanao's reishi 'snapped', and she disappeared, to reappear at Shunsui's side.
When the three got back, and Naruto finally got Shunsui to release him, Yamamoto sighed.
"Well... If Naruto can't be over a 100 yards away from you, Fukutaicho... He won't be able to attend the Academy without you being there. I assume you would have objections to becoming a teacher there?"
Before Nanao could even respond, Yamamoto continued.
"No... It's been quite a long time since it's been done, but it seems that Naruto will have to be taught outside of the Academy. And it seems that you would be the most likely teacher, would it not?"
Naruto looked over at Nanao, a little stunned, a little confused.
Nanao had seen it coming, though. And knew there was only one real response she could think up.
"Yes it would, Soutaicho."
"Bah, let me have the kid! I'd turn him into a first rate fighter, no problem!"
'What?!'
Nanao hadn't expected Kenpachi to speak up... And frankly, that sounded like the worst possible scenario. If Naruto was around Kenpachi... That'd mean she was around Kenpachi. And Soul Society did not need ANOTHER Kenpachi running around.
And what scared Nanao even more, was the thoughtful expression Naruto had on his face...
So, panicked, Nanao spoke up.
"No, uh, that won't be necessary. I'll teach him what he needs to know."
"Hah! I've seen your zanjutsu... It's barely at the level of a seated officer! This kid definitely ain't a kido type!"
'Why won't he drop it?!'
And now even the Soutaicho seemed to be considering it!
So Nanao had to play her desperation move...
"Well, Kyoraku-taicho can handle any teaching that I can't."
... Because even teaching the kid to act like Shunsui was far more preferable then having him act like Kenpachi.
Yamamoto turned towards Shunsui.
"Would you be willing to help teach the child?"
"Oh, Nanao-chan, what faith you have in me! How can I say no to such a request?"
Nanao sighed. At least that seemed to be over...
"Are you sure? I think One-Eye over there would be a better teacher then Flower-taicho..."
... Even the boy was against her in this!
"... Naruto, you doubt my teaching abilities? I was the personal student to Yama-ji... I will teach you to be the strongest Shinigami you can be!"
Nanao sighed. Thank GOD for Shunsui's pride.
So it was decided, by decree of the Soutaicho... Uzumaki Naruto would be a student attached to the 8th division, until such a time that he could pass the graduation tests as given by the Shinigami Academy.
"Boy, if you ever want a fight, or REALLY want to learn how to, come find me... I'll be looking for you, that's for sure!"
"Yeah, shrimpy! Come on by, and Ken-chan will teach you how to kick ass!"
"Oi! Shrimpy? You're shorter then me!"
"But I'm older then you! You should respect your elders!"
"Make me, Pinky!"
As the scene degenerated into a shouting match between Naruto and Yachiru, the Soutaicho motioned Nanao aside.
"Fukutaicho... This is a serious matter. With the sheer reiatsu that Naruto put off in that... scuffle... it is obvious that he has high potential. Make sure he spends time learning Zanjutsu and Shunpo... Both take advantage of higher reishi more then Kido does, which requires finer control."
Nanao looked over, to where Kenpachi had stepped into the fight, clearly threatening Naruto. In fact, the only thing that was stopping it from descending into a brawl (again) was Shunsui holding Naruto back.
"I understand, Taicho."
Yamamoto sighed.
"Fukutaicho... It is always best to stand vigilant. There are reports of stirrings among the Menos... Reports that I do not like. Suffice to say, in the coming days Soul Society will need all the strength it can muster. Do not let your pride force you to not turn to others to help you teach... Already I can tell that Naruto will be strong one day. He just needs direction..."
Yamamoto petered off, continuing to watch Naruto flail about in Shunsui's grasp. It seemed that Yachiru had taken advantage of him being held back, and was currently pinching his cheeks, telling him how cute a baby he was.
"Yes, Soutaicho... I'll make sure he learns everything he can."
'But there's no way that I'm going to encourage him to seek out Kenpachi... Even if that means ensuring that he learns from Shunsui.'
Author's Notes: This is pretty much the end of the groundwork. There'll be a chapter or three about Naruto's training, and life in SS. There'll be time skips and the like, and after that's all done, it'll skip forward to the start of Bleach.
I think I'm going to do a Naruto Zanpakuto along the lines of his trickster side. It'll definitely involve confusion, but I need to make it so it's not too similar to Aizen's supposed sword. It will be inevitable that it would be similar, as it's hard to think up a power that involves confusion and misdirection that ISN'T similar to what Aizen said his sword did... But it makes the most sense. Zanpakuto's always seem, at their core, to be similar to their users. Some aspect of their personality is manifested, and the most appropriate (and useful) for Naruto that I can think of is his pranking side. So something that can support that, or is a reflection of that, makes the most sense.
Suggestions on that would be very much welcome. Idea's on powers, names, and the like would be appreciated.
I hoped the Kenpachi/Naruto fight went down realistically... Basically, it was Kenpachi screwing around with Naruto. Naruto, at the moment, stands zero chance against him... But then, the fight showed Naruto that Kenpachi totally kicks ass. And would perhaps make a good teacher...
There will also be a lot more Naruto/Yachiru interaction, as well. Which will lead to more Naruto/Kenpachi interaction, whih will lead to much frustration for Nanao.
Those will be the main influences on Naruto's afterlife... Nanao, Shunsui, Kenpachi, and Yachiru. And maybe Ukitake... He'll definitely meet Ukitake. But, Naruto being Naruto, might not appreciate the man so much when he first meets him, with Ukitake being sick and all. But perhaps he will more, later on... Much later on...
More will come to light about the specifics of the seals effects on the two, and it won't be fading anytime soon. Nothing major... But it'll definitely be noticed.
Comments? Criticism? Leave Reviews!
