All right, now they were curious.

Kakashi had dismissed Kid's and Naruto's claims about their familiarity to the Shinigami with a wave of the hand and the roll of his eyes (or at least, the roll of his exposed eye. No one was even sure if there is another eye hidden on the left side of his face beneath the lowered headband), but Sakura constantly badgered Naruto for details, at least until Naruto let it slip that he contacted the Death God through his mirror.

Now Sakura was pestering Naruto to arrange a meeting between the Genin and Shinigami, and Naruto resisted fiercely. Sasuke, although not resorting to Sakura's stubborn bickering, too expressed interest. He wasn't as believing as Sakura, but, seeing the circumstances, and knowing Naruto, there had to be credence to the story. It wasn't that Naruto would never lie, but that Naruto could never lie well. It was easier for Naruto to keep a secret than cover one up, and Naruto's insistence on that he was truthful was uncharacteristically convincing.

"I don't think it is a good idea," Naruto said. "He's the freaking Lord of freaking Death. You don't just waltz up and say 'How to you do'! He's got more important things to do!"

"Like?" Sakura asked.

"He's the Lord of Death!" Naruto repeated, putting emphasis on the last three syllables. "You can probably guess what he's busy doing. Otherwise, I don't know, and I would sooner not want to find out."

"But you've met him," Sakura went on. "What's he like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Personality-wise. I mean, when I think of the Shinigami, I think of some vengeful god who lusts for nothing other than to rip the souls out of people and make them suffer for all eternity."

Naruto grimaced at that image. He, nonetheless, agreed that the viewpoint was pretty common, at least among those who have not (and, by some standard, were fortunate enough to have not) met the Shinigami in person. However, Naruto had the perfect explanation. "Sakura-chan, what is Kid like?"

To Naruto's disgust, Sakura's eyes suddenly went dreamy. It was like her pursuits for Sasuke all over again, just slightly less so. Perhaps the only reason she wasn't like this twenty-four-seven was not to embarrass herself in front of her crush. "He's cool, calm, collective, authoritative, mature, and, honestly a little intimidating."

"Perfect," Naruto said. "Now, the only thing you need to do to understand the Shinigami is to remember that he is the exact opposite."

Sakura balked. "What?"

Even Sasuke blanched, even if only for an instant.

Naruto breathed heavily, sighed, and started his explanation. "From what I learned from Raijin, he wasn't always like this. About a millennium ago, that's a thousand years…" That smart remark earned Naruto a painful pound to the head. He nonetheless continued undaunted. "The Shinigami was much darker. Not evil, but cold and ruthless. He even ripped off the skin of one of his comrades, formed it into a giant bag, and put the rest of him inside of it to stave off the madness that he had and that was infecting everyone around him."

"Gruesome," Sasuke replied.

"He got so dangerous, that the Shinigami sealed him underground, and an entire city was built on top of it to make sure he didn't get out. He got out a few years ago, but someone finally beat him for good. Shinigami's soul remains bound to the city, though, at least until either everyone moves out or the Shinigami finally is able to separate himself from Death City; in either case, it will be hundreds of years before he can travel again."

"If he can't move from Death City," Sasuke replied, "then how was this Asura person defeated?"

"In Death City, there's place that trains kids our age to fight: the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Basically, stop people like Asura, kishin that spread madness and whatnot all over the place."

The four of them simply sat, along with the drivers of the two boats that would be taking them into town. They had made good time; the sun was still hanging over the horizon, meaning the trip took a full half-hour less time than expected. Their couriers were not scheduled to leave until at least an hour after sundown, allowing for any unexpected surprises. The rosy red assassin was about as unexpected and surprising as they got.

Fortunately, Raijin and Kid, the later whom was trailed by Liz and Patty, arrived just as the sun set, and the seven of them, as well as the two sailors, took off in swift fashion. At this point, it was better to have the engine running at full power and outrun the shipping blockades than to try to sneak past. Gato's patrols were wide, but most were suited to taking down merchant ships, not small and nimble fishing boats, and the shinobi were thusly ignored. Kakashi, for good measure, had his head in a paper bag, while the Genin removed and hid their hitaite. Those that suspected Raijin quickly retracted their thoughts when they discovered that the mask he wore was round, porcelain, and more suited for filling one's face with food than covering it up, and they went merrily on their way.

Raijin's madness had a reason to it after all.

"So, how often do you talk to the God of Death?" Sakura whispered. It was fortunate to her, and most unfortunate to Naruto, that they got the same boat, along with Kid and his weapons, while the others road in another vessel alongside. It allowed more opportunity for pestering.

"Every Saturday morning," Naruto replied. "He always asks me about my training, always tells me to look after Raijin and Kid. I'm not their babysitter. I end up always talking about my team, my training, how much Kakashi can NOT keep his nose out of that book of his. I do not want to get in between Kakashi and Shinigami when that comes up."

"Are you sure?"

Naruto paused. "I take that back. I would love to see Shinigami rip Kakashi a new one."

"Oh yes, today is Friday. That means you'll miss your conference with him."

"Nope," Naruto said, holding up the purple crayon that Raijin had given him so long ago. "I said that I contact him through my mirror, but the truth is, it works with any mirror. You just have to have the right password."

"And those are?"

"Forty-two, forty-two, five-six-four, whenever you want to knock on Death's door," Naruto replied. "It's supposed to work on any reflective surface, and I shouldn't even need the crayon, but Raijin says the reception here is really bad, whatever that means, so this is the only way to call him for now."

"So you are going to go to another mirror and call him from there," Sakura said. "In that case, I'm going to talk to him as well."

"I, uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Naruto stammered.

Sakura was beginning to protest, but Kid, who was standing at the bow of the boat, interjected. "Father would actually prefer it if you introduced your friends, Uzumaki. Since you are training under Raijin, Father regards you as a student of the DWMA, although you are not officially one yet. Even Sid has taking a liking to you."

"Sid?" Sakura asked.

Liz replied, "One of the teachers at the academy; a trained assassin, survivalist, and physical education guru. If you need to gain battle skills, he is the best one to ask."

"He uses all sorts of cool weapons and blows stuff up!" Patty cheered, as all the other members, boat operator included, shushed for her to keep her volume down. She sat back down, quiet but totally and completely unashamed.

Kid nodded his head. "Naruto has spoken with him a few times."

"He's really a good guy," Naruto said. "I mean, he can look intimidating, with the dreadlocks and the battle clothes he always wears, but he's really approachable."

"He sounds a lot more normal than Shinigami," Sakura stated.

"Not by much," Kid explained, "considering that he actually died four years ago, and the only reason he still teaches is that Doctor Stein turned him into a zombie. If you have any doubt, his blue skin and the hole in his head are dead giveaways." Kid grimaced at his own unintentional pun.

Naruto grinned. "Don't you mean undead giveaways?"

Sakura shivered. "I take that back. Maybe I don't want to meet him."

Naruto suddenly had an idea come to his head. "What happened to the freaky looking guy you guys fought?"

"He put up a good fight," Kid replied, "but before Raijin and I began fighting in earnest, he simply up and left. Slippery bastard, too; we lost his trail in moments. It's too bad neither of us are good trackers, and he somehow concealed his soul in the process. No doubt we'll see him again."

# # #

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kid, and Raijin all gathered in the main room of Tazuna's house. It was a quaint place, small, with carved wood furnishings and a fireplace with a small flame lit. The Genin had spent the night here while the others, save for the homeowner and his family, had spent the night sleeping under the stars. While Raijin had convinced Kid to also spend the night outside, both of them were regretting it, as an unexpected cold front swept through the region overnight, dropping temperatures to well below t-shirt weather, an unusual occurrence in the middle of August, and the misty fog did nothing to ease the coughing fits that the two of them received.

Kid, in the most serious and dire tone that his mucus-filled voicebox could muster, said he would kill Raijin as soon as the mission came to its conclusion.

But here, the five of them stood around, as Naruto used his crayon to draw "42-42-564" on the mirror hanging on the wall. As usual, there was a long pause before the mirror flashed. When the light died down, sure enough, there was the black-robed, white-masked Shinigami standing on the other side.

Sakura and Sasuke both had to do a double take. Sakura even went ahead as to attempt to dispel the image like an illusion, much like Naruto had done the first time. Sasuke, on the other hand, just sighed to himself. Things were about to get really complicated.

"So these must be your two teammates," the Shinigami began. "Is it correct to say that the black-haired one is Sakura?"

The reaction was varied and quite swift. Raijin and Kid simply deadpanned and sighed. Sakura balked and, almost comically, stumbled in place, before glaring at Shinigami with an impressive amount of murderous intent for someone so young over a topic so shallow. Sasuke suddenly thought that there was something caught in his throat, if the desperate hacking and coughing was any indication. Naruto's palm went straight to his forehead.

"Shinigami…"

The Lord of Death simply shrugged. "Sorry, had to break the ice somehow, ya' know. So, this is your team? You seem to be missing your sensei."

"Kakashi-sensei is out," Sasuke replied. "He should be here momentarily."

"I know better than to count on that, Sasuke. I am well aware of his chronic tardiness, as well as his habits involving, well, less appropriate literature. If you ever see him, let him know that, if I spot him reading that book near minors, I will not hesitate to order Kiddo and Raijin here to take appropriate action, and that I'll let them decide on exactly what constitutes appropriate. Anyhoo, we have more urgent topics to discuss. Kid, you contacted me earlier about the swordsman you saw earlier. I believe I may know his identity."

"Are you certain?" Kid asked.

"Yes. Now, Naruto, how is your training coming along?"

Naruto had no chance to reply, as Raijin interrupted. "Please, Shinigami, can you stay on topic? I have reason to suspect that he is related to our current mission."

"Ah, yes, the one assigned to you by Hiruzen. Now, where do I start?" A brief pause. "Ah, that will do nicely." Clearing his throat, he began.

"His name is Shiratoma. Several generations ago, he was one of my best students, a meister of unmatched intellect and skill with a specialty in short swords and knives. He especially was good at sabotage and stealth missions, so much so that I earnestly believe he originated from the elemental nations some time ago."

"So he is very old," Naruto asked.

"A hundred and thirty six years old, give or take a year or two. You see, after working for the DWMA for about twenty years, he disappeared, never to return. However, what is important is that, during the last months of his life here, he was caught experimenting with black matter which eventually led to his expulsion from the academy."

"You mean, like black blood?" Kid asked.

"Black blood?" Naruto and Sakura both asked.

Shinigami explained. "Black blood is an artificial substance that can replace a person's normal blood. It vastly improves the patient's lifespan, physical prowess, and possibly even intellect if certain compatibility criteria are met. However, the real purpose of black blood is threefold: to drive a person mad, to instill an insatiable urge for power, and cause the person to hunt and devour human souls to obtain that power. Black matter is the predecessor to black blood. It is much simpler, both in principle, composition, and in purpose: it simply instills increased physical abilities and a greater lifespan at the cost of one's sanity, and is potent at much lower doses. It is this reason that he is still alive, and still has the body of someone in his early thirties."

Raijin cleared his throat. "If his fighting is to be believed, he would be classed as a two, possibly three-star meister even without the black matter. He fights purely on instinct, but his moves were precise, deceptive, and swift, if somewhat rambunctious and inefficient. On top of that, it would not surprise me of Gato bolstered his forces since the last time Leaf shinobi were involved. We'll have to pick our fights carefully."

Seeing the slightly lost looks on his two teammates, Naruto explained. "A three-star meister is the highest rank weapon weilder, limited mostly to senior-level instructors and Death Scythe wielders. In other words, if you see a three-star meister, run."

"Correct," Shinigami replied. "Yes, speaking of that, you two, Raijin, Kid, should you find Shiratoma again, you are authorized and ordered to eliminate him and acquire his soul. Use discretion, but use whatever means necessary to complete your task when the opportunity arises. Now, leave, I want to talk to these three alone, and I don't want interference from either of you. Got it?"

"Understood." Both acknowledged the request and swiftly left the premises.

"Good, now there's something I need you three to understand. Naruto, you are undergoing Soul Resonance training with Raijin, am I correct?"

"Yes, Shinigami," Naruto replied.

"Now, I am sorry to do this, but although the information I am going to give is of great importance, I believe it is in the best interest for the entire team to hear and understand what I am about to say. However, I will not go through with it without your consent, Naruto, as it involves the day you were born, Naruto, and what transpired that day."

The day that Naruto was born was the day that the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the Leaf Village and was ultimately sealed. The only reason that his teammates were not likely to make the connection was that Naruto never bothered to tell anyone, other than a few of his teachers, what day his birthday was on. He never got close to anyone else other than the Hokage, and the old man already knew what the day was. Also, most of the younger generation only knew that the Nine-Tailed Fox was defeated, not that it was sealed rather than destroyed.

"I-I'm not so sure," Naruto studdered.

"Whatever secret you hold, I doubt that it is that big of a deal," Sasuke consoled, in whatever way he could. Still, it came off more out of apathy or even arrogance, like holding the biggest secret was some sort of bragging right.

"Yeah," Sakura chimed in. Whether she agreed with Sasuke because it seemed right or because it was Sasuke she was agreeing with was difficult to discern. Then again, it usually was.

"It's not so simple, I'm afraid," Shinigami interrupted. "If Naruto is to give his secret, it must be in the confidence that you tell absolutely no one else, save for the Hokage and Kakashi Hatake, that you were given this information. Revealing this information to anyone your age may result in your execution under the law of the Leaf."

"Damn," Sasuke swore. "I don't care, though. As much as we may not get along, we are a team, and we must work together."

Sakura went pale. The thought of carrying a secret, especially one she had to defend with her life, felt like a daunting task for one as willing to gossip as she was. Granted, Ino Yamanaka, her eternal rival, was worse yet, but, then again, Ino was the biggest gossip on the block and held that title with pride and honor. Ultimately, though, she found her resolve. "I agree. We are a team, and we cannot keep secrets from each other."

"All right, Naruto, do you want to say it, or should I?" Shinigami waited patiently for the answer.

"I will," Naruto said. "Sasuke, Sakura, the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't killed on the day it attacked our village; it was sealed away."

"All right," Sasuke said after a moment's notice. "I understand that we don't want other villages in on this information, but why the secrecy between us, and why is it grounds for execution if it gets out?"

"It isn't," Shinigami said. "It isn't that the fox is sealed, it is where. Naruto, I think the best explanation is to simply show them."

Naruto hesitated, but ultimately complied, lifting up his shirt and showing his abdomen for all to see. A swirl mark, circumscribed with small, illegible glyphs at eight distinct points, was drawn on his skin like a tattoo.

"Good, now that that is out of the way," Shinigami said jovially.

"Wait," Sakura interrupted, "too fast. You mean that tattoo is the only thing separating us from another disaster? And why is it that it is in you, rather than an adult? What does it feel like?"

Naruto reeled. "Too many questions. Well, a baby was necessary for the sealing, and I was born on the same day that the fox attacked. And, yes, the seal is what's holding it back, but it won't budge."

"Good, now that's out of the way." Shinigami repeated clasped his hands together.

"One more question," Sasuke interrupted. "Is this the reason that some of the villagers…"

"Hate me, yes," Naruto admitted. "More accurately, a few of them fear me, but I think a lot of them are just annoyed that they have to keep it a secret, and are frustrated with it all. At least, that's what Raijin told me."

"All right, are you all finished?" Shinigami asked. Noting no response in the negative, he sighed. "All right, now that everything is finally out of the way…"

"Shinigami, sir." The voice originated from the other side of the mirror.

"NOW WHAT!" The usually cheerful voice of the Shinigami was now deep, gravelly, and menacing, so much so that all three Genin instinctively took a step back. Meanwhile, Shinigami disappeared from the mirror, presumably off to address whomever interrupted their call. Fortunately, the scary-sounding voice didn't remain much longer. "Oh, I'll have to see to that, Spirit. Give Doctor Stein my regards on the matter, and tell him that he has absolute freedom to research the theory further. Tell him that him to personally give me a progress report by next Friday evening. Tally-ho."

"Who was that?" Sakura asked Naruto. With Shinigami out of visual range, and the four representatives of the DWMA, Kid's two guns included, left to their own devices, Naruto was naturally the only one left who had a remote clue as to what the heck was going on.

"One of the death scythes, Spirit Albain, and one who stays at the Academy alongside Death. Most of the other death scythes are stationed around the world." Just as Naruto finished, the Shinigami reappeared.

"Now, the issue regarding your soul resonance training. Raijin has confirmed that your training is actually weakening the fox inside of you significantly. No, it is more accurate to say that the fox's soul is literally breaking apart under the force of resonance."

"That's doesn't even seem possible," Naruto replied.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, but while the fox itself may be powerful, its soul is incredibly volatile and tense, like a balloon almost ready to burst. More accurately, it is so full of evil and bloodlust, accumulated over perhaps hundreds of years, that its soul is barely able to contain it: there is precedence for that, and rather recently, too. If it bursts, the fox will likely cease to exist, but all that pent-up darkness will be released into your body. What happens then is anybody's guess. Under most circumstances, it will simply leave your body as quickly as it arrived, but it may also linger for months or even years. Sasuke, Sakura, you and your sensei will have to be responsible for helping Naruto keep that in check. Worst case, you will have to leave Naruto plenty of space to vent, in more ways than one.

"Lastly, do not miss the next meeting. Spirit has just told me that Stein has just made a breakthrough in regards to the effects of Soul Resonance in regards to your tenant, Naruto, but I want to make sure that the results are confirmed first. No use giving unreliable information is there?"

"Actually, there may be," Sasuke said.

"Let me repeat myself: there is no use giving unreliable information, is there?" Shinigami asked again. Apparently, the question was rhetorical, and the three of them caved in, not because he was correct, but because of three other reasons. One, he was the God of Death. Two, he can be quite stubborn. Three, being the God of Death and stubborn was not a pleasant combination. "Good, dismissed." With that, the mirror flashed, and the Shinigami was replaced with the reflection of the three Genin, and the reflection of one Jōnin who happened to walk in at just the right time, with offending literary materials in his hand.

"Did I miss something?"

All three of the Genin were going through the same emotion: disappointment that Kakashi's tardiness had probably spared his life.