A/N
It's alive! There you have it, Define a Destiny is going to happen once more. I have to study the Bleach universe once more, but I think a refresher is all I need.
Chapter 3: Cultivating the Future
A new wind blew in Suna. The two gate guards that stood patrol realized it wasn't going to be a groundhog day. "Hey, check it out! Those are Leaf ninja, right?" The more alert of the two nudged the half-asleep guard to look that direction.
His squinted eyes grew large. "Ah, you're right! They look pretty banged up, too." His partner nodded in agreement.
He could see the blond hero draped over a dog. "I need to inform the Kazekage immediately." He swiftly pointed to the hospital. "Go get a medical team out there as soon as possible!"
The Leaf ninja struggled to a halt. "We made it. Everyone hold position, you've earned the rest." The ANBU sat down and let his fatigue take the better of him. The sand nin team approached them, and the Kazekage himself led the way.
Garaa looked over the men with shock. "What's going on? I wasn't informed of your…" His eyes focused on Naruto and his body froze. Shikaku noted the man's posture and sighed.
"We don't wish to be the harbingers of despair, but our situation is dire, Kazekage. Konoha was attacked by a powerful enemy of Akatsuki named Pein. He destroyed everything; the buildings, the civilians, even the Fifth Hokage. Naruto returned and fought Pein well." Kiba stepped forward now.
"I could tell it was a gruesome fight, but Pein's real arms were destroyed by Naruto." He looked down and shook in anger. "I assume Naruto did that seconds before he…died."
Garaa walked past the survivors and looked at his first true friend. He could see the body was pale, but none-the-less, a smile dawned on his face. No way. This is the same guy that defied the impossible for fun. He placed a hand on Naruto's forehead and his jaw dropped. This…isn't a fake. It's Naruto… An uncontrollable tear ran down his cheek as his siblings stared in shock. Naruto's generation bowed their heads and a somber silence coated the area.
Garaa stood as tall as he could and spoke without turning to the group. "This group…are there anymore survivors?" After a quiet pause, he knew the answer. "I see…the Sand owes the Leaf more than we can ever repay. My home is your home." The Kazekage turned to Sakura and sighed in frustration. "We should give him a safe and honorable burial. Even at his age, his accomplishments were still world changing. I only hope to carry on his will for peace." With this, Sakura's eyes watered up as she nodded. The medical team brought the refugees in and began healing the battered ninja, but no medical ninjutsu could ever repair the emotional scars they now had to endure.
OoOoOoOo
"And I'm supposed to care?" Sasuke was given the information about his former village. While he played off the most masterful poker face, inside he was torn. Naruto? Konoha? That was MY vendetta, MY revenge! Even then…dead? No way, he wouldn't be the type to go down that way. "I'm only interested in restoring my clan. Go tell your master I'm ready to receive the eyes that rightfully belong to me. Leave." Zetsu observed him carefully, but could see no signs of hesitation or remorse in his tone. Zetsu smirked, fading into the ground.
Sasuke observed the lack of presence and sat on a nearby boulder in thought. Now his face was more passionate, clearly upset by the revelation. "That idiot. Why give your life up against an unbeatable foe?" He facepalmed. "Of course he would! It's the way that loser was made!" A tear unknowingly drifted down his face, shocking him. His grand scheme had been thwarted by a man he never knew. What was his goal in life? There was no one left who he wished to extract revenge on. "No…" His mind drifted to the thoughts of the man calling the shots that was directly responsible for stealing his revenge. "Madara…Everything has been his fault! Itachi, Konoha…" A wicked smile came across his face, but this time, it wasn't revenge he felt surge through his body: no, this was justice. A way to final retribution for his clan.
OoOoOoOo
"I regret not knowing more, but that's all we have, Kazekage-sama." Shikaku finished his debrief at the meeting room table with Gaara. The young leader leaned back and ruffled his hair.
"So, Pein's arms have been destroyed. That's good, but now these strange beast are appearing everywhere?" He looked back to the intellectual. "And they only have the spiritual half of chakra. Yet we are capable of landing physical blows against them as well?" He nodded. "No, you've discovered plenty about them. We need to-"
A loud noise appeared in the center of the table and from nothing, a red-haired man with a sword stepped through. Renji glanced around the table to find everyone staring slack-jawed at him. His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me…you guys can see me, can't you?"
Immediately swords and kunai were drawn to his neck and Renji stuck his hands up. Shikaku was quick to capture the threats shadow. "Who are you, Akatsuki? What village are you from?"
Renji smirked. "Village? I guess it would be Soul Society. You don't want to make an enemy of us."
Shikaku maintained his jutsu as Garaa signaled everyone to lower their weapons. "What is the meaning of this? First, white beast attack from nowhere, and now you show up form 'Soul Society'? Forgive me for not believing you're our friend."
Renji let out a sigh. "I am a spirit, so I didn't think you'd actually see me. I guess that theory is shot. Those 'white beast' as you call them are known as hollows. They were once spirits of people, turned and twisted by their own thoughts and the corruption of death. I'm known as a shinigami; my job is to exterminate those hollows and guide their souls down the right path." Shikaku broke out in sweat, realizing it was more difficult to hold the suspect in place. Garaa approved of letting the man free.
"Hollows, you say? Yes, it does make sense. They only just now began to appear, but why now?"
Renji crossed his arms in thought. "That's what I've been sent here to find out. Our worlds were never linked until recently. Renji thought quickly in his head. "There's a major time differential between our worlds, but did an incident occur here within the last twenty-four hours?"
Shikaku's face saddened, but was quick to render an answer. "Hundreds of civilians and ninja were obliterated. My home along with them. The culprit was a powerful man who possessed the rinnegan." Renji clearly didn't understand what that was, but showed sympathy towards the man. Shikaku had a troubling thought. "This is an eye technique that is said to possess endless potential. The wielder could make the imaginary reality at a whim. Perhaps if one were to be presented with extreme trauma, the eye was even capable of linking our worlds together."
The captain grew intrigued with his eyes. "What an interesting world. Ninjas, huh? However, this man seems like a serious issue. Where's this man now?"
Garaa was the next to respond. "Evidently, he is no longer a threat. My greatest friend died destroying his arms. As far as I can tell, he won't be doing any jutsu ever again." Renji made a quick assessment of Garaa's age and became even more serious.
"This friend…can you describe him for me?"
Garaa began to leave the room. "Follow me. He was a very important person to our world, so you can just see his body for yourself."
OoOo
"Here you are, Kazekage-sama!" The local mortician left the room and allowed Garaa and Renji time alone. He quickly pulled the cover off the body and revealed a smirking blond Renji knew well. The revelation both shocked and confirmed his speculation.
"His name was Uzumaki Naruto. He was loud, a bit slow, and knew how to get under your skin. Despite that, he was the most honest, head-strong, and unpredictable ninja that never gave up on anyone or his word. Truly, the one you could count on, and the last you'd expect to die." Garaa closed his eyes for a moment and covered the body back up.
Renji shook his head, feeling sorry for Naruto's fate. "Uzumaki, huh?" Garaa gave him a questioning glare. Renji bit his lip. This is a rough position. Should I tell him about Naruto, or not? Renji sighed one more time. "Sounds like a good man. We should work together to make his sacrifice mean something." Garaa nodded, signaling the mortician back. It wouldn't be fair to tell them yet. Eventually, I'll let Naruto tell them himself.
OoOoOoOo
"So, this is what these things are. Spiritual being from another dimension, capable of turning out dead spirits into similar beast as well." A snake-like man grew a wild smirk and began cackling. "You really did have an untimely demise, Orochimaru-sama. Just look at these wonderful specimens!"
OoOoOoOo
Renji gritted his teeth. "This is a lot of information…Ninjas are more complicated than I thought." He had sat down and been reading scroll after scroll, trying to brush up on as much information as possible in twenty-four hours. It has already been twelve and he was feeling the boredom. I guess this may explain those three promising recruits though. After all this, they would definitely be adept at being shinigami.
A loud crash shook the ground and Renji already knew what was coming. It felt like hundreds of them! "Catain Renji, what is that?" Garaa and Shikaku questioned as they ran outside.
"Bad news, that's what." What they witnessed was an ocean of hollows. Alarms rang loud and the ninja braced the gates in panic. They were not prepared for the speed the hollows could travel, or the ceros. As they blasted at the massive fortress that was Suna, ninja froze in place. Garaa was above them on his sand. They looked to him with renewed hope. Surely, he would protect them. Renji fastened his hair and grunted. "I guess I should do something then."
Shikaku's eye's widened as Renji flash-stepped next to Garaa and floated in the air. The Kazekage turned to him in mild shock. "Renji-san? You don't need to interfere and get hurt."
With a cool head, Renji turned to him and said, "Why let people die when I can solve this in a few seconds?" Before the young man could question him, only the white garb fell as hundreds of foes turned into nothingness in less than a minute. Needless to say, when he reappeared and caught his jacket before it touched the ground, not a single person could budge a muscle. Shikaku himself let his jaw slack. To think…we held swords to this man's throat. That was like the flying thunder god without using seals!
Renji didn't even break a sweat or seem too amused. "Looks like I know what to do with the remainder of my time…These guys need some training on how to fight a hollow."
OoOoOoOo
"Yo! I actually did it, Yasu!" She woke up with paper stuck to her face and saw Naruto staring at her for a moment. It didn't take too long for him to start laughing his ass off. "Is that what they teach lieutenants to do? Oh wait! You were trying to make the day less boring, so you were going to eat the paper. Am I right?" He quickly dodged her zanpakuto as she chucked it at him.
"I don't want to hear it! You try doing all this crap!" Before she vented further, she scrunched her face. "What do you mean, 'did it'? Did what?" Naruto stood tall and proud.
"I graduated already!" Her jaw shot open.
"You've got to be kidding me! They let you do it? What division did you join?" As if she didn't already guess.
"I joined the Sixth Division. Looks like we work together now!"
Yasu narrowed her eyes, mostly interested in his thought process. "Why, dare I ask, is that? Did you even consider another division?" Naruto sat on the couch and kicked his feet up.
"Of course I did!" She put her hands on her hips and gave him a glare. Naruto scoffed. "First division was taken by my secondary rival, Second Division was where my primary rival went. Third doesn't seem very serious, Fourth…I'm no healer! Fifth seems boring, and for smart people. Sixth Division stands for peace and order, while maintaining good moral. Seventh Division was probably third on my list; Loyalty, honoring obligations, and valuing friendship. However, rumor was it wasn't really like that anymore since Captain Komamura stepped down. Eighth Division is confusing: It has the really perverted captain and a very strict vice-captain. Ninth is too artsy. Tenth seems like too much of a party. Now Eleventh, I'd like to join. However, the way you make captain there is way too wrong. Twelth…creepy. Last but not least, Thirteenth. Very peaceful, almost too quiet there." He inhaled and breathed out at the winded summary before continuing. "So, it was between Sixth, Seventh, and Eleventh. And I knew I could trust the leaders of Sixth division, so that was the final decider. Besides, it seems like a well-rounded combat style, with no clear preference on how to fight. I guess I appreciate that kind of variation."
"Oh…" Yasu stared at him in surprise. I knew he was powerful, but he seems to be very capable of making decisions that satisfy his guts and his brain. "Well, I guess I would have already known if I did all the paperwork." A thought came across her head. "But still, it's not what I expected at all. Even the genius Captain Hitsugaya graduated at the speedy rate of one year. Seriously, I can't believe they let you graduate already." Sifting through the papers, sure enough, his record was shown and awaiting approval. No way, most everything here is perfect, save for some written test. What an insane amount to go through in such little time.
"Don't give me too much credit. I got a lot advice from you and my rivals. It only took Minato-San three weeks to complete the course, and he never told me his name, but the silver-haired bastard graduated yesterday. Both of them had perfect marks…" At this point, Yasu became interested in the other two as well. She was aware there were two others besides Naruto, but had no idea they were that good.
Yasu sighed in relief. He had picked the division he wanted, and the Sixth Division promised to have more of a spark to it now.
OoOoOoOo
Renji rubbed his eyes. It had been rigorous training all these ninja's how to exploit basic hollow weaknesses, but they had performed quite well. It was time for him to take his leave, but not before he established final words with the Kazekage. Before that, the ANBU captain approached him, taking off his mask.
"There's no longer any point to keeping my identity secret anyways. My name is Ichiraku, Renji-San. I want to thank you for the way you saved these people." The older looking man smiled, but returned to a serious demeanor. "My only job was to protect a certain someone, and I failed, so I guess I didn't care if I died or lived." This stopped Renji, rather than just shrug this guy off, he'd give him a chance. "I lost my only daughter in that fight, and my best friends son gave his life so that I may live." The man was clearly frustrated to get to the point. "Look, I just wanted to give you unique information on Konoha. I noticed you moved a lot like Minato Namikaze, The Fourth Hokage. Like I said, no one has ever known that Naruto was his son. But…I guess all's I'm saying is, if you see any of them in your world, tell them Ichiraku will get them a hot bowl of ramen the next time we meet." The man smiled, content with himself and tears drifting down his face. Renji tilted his head in respect and moved on to Garaa's office. The man watched as he left without a word. Something tells me he's already met one of them. This made him smile wide.
"Ichiraku-San?" Kiba had been frozen in place, staring at the old ramen guy. Ichiraku began sweating. Ah, maybe I'm not ready for this! I shouldn't have taken the mask off!
OoOo
"I've got to be frank with you, Garaa. It's going to be some time before we return here." The leader nodded in understanding. "The time difference is just too risky for our forces right now. We'll do what we can to keep hollows from invading into your realm. Do you mind if we use your village as a primary entry point here?"
Garaa didn't even have to think about it. "You've done more than enough on our behalf, Renji-San. We welcome the shinigami here with open arms. Thank you, once again." Renji opened a door and stopped himself before he left. Everything in him told him to just leave, but this kid was important to this village. His morale was clearly crushed by Naruto's death. Damn it…
"Listen up, Garaa. What I'm about to tell you is absolutely top secret. We will have to kill you if you leak this information." Clearly, the young man grew very intrigued. Renji closed his eyes, almost pissed off at himself. "I know Naruto." Garaa's heart burst in adrenaline. He couldn't much move at the revelation. "He's training as a shinigami right now. That dumbass really likes to be annoying. However, he has a lot of hesitation in his heart, and I can see why. However, there's no way he could remember you, or any of his friends. Don't worry though; he was actually just adopted into a family." Garaa was on the border of shock and happiness for Naruto. Renji felt pretty good with that. "This time difference may be a blessing. With all the hollows here, maybe you'll see him down the road!" Renji walked through the gate. Garaa reached out, as if trying to stop him. "Good luck, Kazekage."
Garaa dipped his head, but this time held a smile. "That's just like you, Naruto. I hope we meet again soon. The ninja world still needs you."
OoOoOoOo
"Welcome back, Renji!" Her voice scared the daylights out of him. He tried to regain his composure, but it was too late. "Aww, did I make you pee yourself?"
He scoffed. "Rukia, what are you doing here? And no, I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
She snickered and patted him on the head, which pissed him off more. "Oh, of course. Tired." She crossed her arms with another smirk. "I was told to wait for you, and you showed up. That's why I'm here, duh!" The red head grew more irked. "I hope you have a lot of information. Everyone's waiting for you." She began walking, making Renji dip his head in fatigue. Man, give me a break.
They finally sat in a meeting room and awaited Renji's debrief. He spared no detail, explaining first the incident that likely opened the gate, all the way to chakra. While he retained a pretty impressive amount of information, it led to a very long session. Zaraki Kenpachi had already left. Of course, the research division's captain was more than intrigued by these 'specimens.' Ichigo struggled to keep his eyes open, but managed to outlast the boredom.
"We'll have to get all of this in the records. I've got to admit, that was more knowledge than I thought you could even attain." Renji smirked at first, but realized later he was being made fun of. Ichigo raised his hands and changed the subject. "It sounds like this world genuinely needs help as soon as possible. I hate waiting, but Urahara-San is working diligently for a way to synchronize the time difference. Did you confirm any of the identities?" Renji nodded, almost somber about it.
"Yeah, Naruto just died there a couple days ago their time. It was him who fought the man who destroyed Konoha. He was the one that destroyed Pein's arms and likely made the Rinnegan spaz out and bridge our worlds. Naruto was the hero of that world; immensely powerful in body and heart." This, most every captain was quite interested in. "Believe me, once I found this out, I dug as deep as I could through his life. What was left of his friends were too depressed to talk about him, but I sat down with the smartest man from Konoha and learned the history of Naruto and the village itself. From my conclusion, I'd say he's going to be quite the asset here. However, it is a little off putting this world is being assaulted by hollows." Renji eyed Ichigo, who shook his head.
"I know, but we can't interfere too heavily in their conflicts; it's not our place." Renji went to interject, but the orange haired leader made himself clear. "If these ninja are as capable as you claim, then they will utilize the training you've given them. Let it be until we can properly synchronize the path. In the meantime, there's nothing stopping us from entering the hollow realm to counter the flow into their world. Right?"
Renji tilted his head back, seeing the sense Ichigo spoke. "Very well. I'll have my division investigate."
Ichigo took the meeting to a closure. "That's all for now. You should get a debriefing from Vice-Captain Yasu before you retire." Ichigo eyed the rest of the group. "I'll arrange a meeting with the Arrancar leader in order to isolate the new entry point. Until then, I want us to focus on getting our units strengthened if need be. We're done here." The groups left in an orderly fashion, leaving Ichigo to close his eyes in deep thought. Hearing that, it's clear all three of them came from this realm. Ichigo opened his eyes. This is a land in conflict. Powerful people who do not become shinigamis…
-Yamazaki residents-
Naruto and Yasu finished up their meal just as a knock came on the door. Yasu pulled her hair into a ponytail. "Who is it now?" She slid open the door in annoyance. "Look, I don't want what you're..."
Renji stared her down for a long while as both of them let out a sweat. Renji cleared his throat. "Nice to see you've lightened up in the past couple months."
Yasu went to her knees, bowing adamantly. "Please forgive me, Captain! I had no idea you were back."
Renji shook his head. "Come on, you're making it more awkward like this." His eyes drifted to Naruto, who was finishing the scraps off each plate. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. "There are two extremes here..."
Naruto smirked, looking to the captain. "Oi, pepper! I made it through the academy, just like I said. I win this bet!"
Renji shook internally at the latest nickname. Pepper?! Renji shook it off. "We didn't even make a bet, but no, I don't believe you."
Yasu glared at Naruto, signaling him to shut his mouth. "I'm afraid it's true, Renji-san." She handed him the enrollment documents as well as his mark sheet. "There were three people who graduated in record-breaking fashion. Naruto was among them."
Renji blinked a few times, sifting through the stack of papers on Yasu's desk. He narrowed his eyes, turning to her. "Your work area is a mess, you know." He lifted a page, seeing smudgy marks. It was a clear indication of droll. "Seriously? You couldn't just take a nap?"
Yasu crossed her arms in anger. "Is that really what you went over there to do?"
Renji shook his head, seeing the scores of the three. His eyes widened. Three weeks? That's… The red haid shook himself to relax. "Perfect marks for all of them..." He turned his head to Naruto in a playful manner. "Except for you. Guess you should have studied more."
Naruto ticked in anger, pointing aggressively. "Half of those questions are useless in a combative scenario in the first place! It's not like I did poorly on it either!"
Renji tucked the documents back into the stack of paperwork before returning to the argument. "How does it feel to know that someone beat you by one day?"
Naruto scoffed, turning it into a smirk. "Go ahead, laugh if you're going to. I'll be stronger than those two in no time!"
Renji turned to him, crossing his arms seriously. "You better! The Sixth Division has gone through changes since I became Captain. If you're going to where our uniform, I expect that you're always ready to unleash your full potential!"
Yasu looked between the two men, detecting an unspoken understanding between them. She cleared her throat. "Naruto really isn't ordinary, Captain. He'll be our third-seat in no time flat."
Renji turned to her, shedding a smile. After that, he nodded to Naruto, taking his leave. "I know he will. I'm going to rest up, but come next week, I'll have a task for you two. I want both of you to be ready."
Yasu sighed, rubbing her head. "I imagine it's not going to be picking flowers then..." Yasu tilted her head to Naruto. "Alright, you heard. We're going to go through more advanced training, Naruto."
Naruto pumped his fist in excitement. "Finally! We should start as soon as possible!"
Yasu groaned. "Honestly, where is your off button?"
-Hidden area: Ninja World-
The fatigued man coughed up blood, terribly weakened. Konan pulled back, seeing Nagato compose himself. The man sat up. "The mission is over...I failed in my task."
Konan grunted, looking to the side. "That boy took everything from us." She clinched her fist, but strength didn't seem to call forth.
Nagato glanced to her, looking down after seeing her stature. "You know it's not true, that is why you feel weak."
Konan scoffed, turning away. "That masked man should have been here by now. I've been preparing for this for this moment for longer than you could know."
Nagato looked around, assessing the world with his Rennegan. With his eyes, he was able to feel a heinous threat leaking into their world. His head dropped once more. "I've been in this to finally craft a form of piece in this world...but I've made it worse."
Konan turned back to him, putting a hand on his knees. "No, it's not your fault. We'll find another way...losing one tailed beast isn't the end of it, right?"
Nagato shook her off, standing up. "Sasuke failed to recover the eight-tails as well. Without those two, the weapon is useless." Nagato turned as Konan went on guard. They stared down a stray hollow that belched a scream their way. "And now, completing the weapon would doom humanity."
Konan grunted, shifting her eyes to Nagato. "What the hell is this creature?"
Nagato closed his eyes, upset with himself. "Whatever they are, the Rinnegan has caused it. It is a beast that was never meant to exist here." Nagato turned now, ready to face it. "Konan, there are far more of these beast than this one. They appear drawn to chakra, meaning you and I."
Konan cursed, turning her attention back to them. "Don't do anything reckless. I can handle this. You need to think of a way to restore your arms."
Nagato looked to what was left of his arms, cursing the situation. Damn that boy. I was still too soft in the end. Nagato closed his eyes in deeper thought. Yahiko…
-Madara's Hideout-
Zetsu pondered, looking over Sasuske's recovery. Finally, the masked man arrived. Zetsu carefully judged him. "Something interesting has happened, I see."
Madara ignored him, turning to Sasuke. "As luck would have it. Creatures of pure power are leaking into this world from another. With this change of events, progress has not hampered in the slightest." Madara crossed his arms, looking over the Uchiha. "His recovery is going faster than expected. It's going to speed things up having another sharingan to tame these beast."
Zetsu rubbed his chin in thought. "Nagato is still alive. No doubt with this turn in events, he may still prove useful."
Madara paused for a moment, finally turning to leave. "You're not wrong. Help Nagato recovery from his injury. Guage where his allegiance lies, and I will take care of the rest later. I've got a lot of things to figure out."
Zetsu nodded, melting into the ground. As soon as the coast was, Sasuke leaned forward. He grasped at his eyes, only able to see through a crack in the bandage. "It's about time. These eyes are still sensitive, but this is the only time I can get away." He walked over, fastening his blade and quickly destroying any scroll he could get his hands on.
Upon exiting, Sasuke noted the dark of the night with a smirk. He pulled his bandages back, taking in the stinging clarity once more. "I'm a wanted man anywhere I go, but Suna is one place I might be able to barter with." Sasuke put on a more serious face. "If there were survivors, that's exactly where they'd go." Sasuke turned to look behind him once more before finally taking off. "For now, I need to make sure I don't get caught or tracked by Madara or Zetsu."
What the? Sasuke was forced to evade a massive hand as it swung wildly at him. The uchiha placed a hand on his blade, assessing the beast. Hole in the chest, made mostly of spiritual energy...It's a match. The beast swung several times as Sasuke dodged around it. With a chuckle, he called it out. "You're not going to hit a sole like that."
The beast turned to him, blasting a massive beam of energy towards him. The Uchiha ducked it, swiftly cutting a massive gash in it's throat. "They certainly could pack a punch, I'll give them that." Suddenly, Sasuke was barely able to react as another blast whizzed by his head. He turned to the beast, seeing it fully regenerate it's body. Sasuke drew his blade once more. "Well, that's a new one..." His eyes shifted to the direction of Madara's base. I haven't made it very far. I can't afford to hang around with this thing. Sasuke looked back to the beast, analyzing the details. If the throat doesn't work, I'll just try have to dice it's brains up.
-Lightning Village-
"Lord Raikage!" The man turned to his the call out. C, one of his most trusted allies, bowed in respect. "We've located Bee. He is alive. But..."
The Raikage shifted in his seat. "But, what? Send a team to retrieve my brother."
C let out a sweat. "Konoha has been completely eradicated. Scouts report strange beast and a massive crater are the only things that remain of the Leaf."
The Raikage rose to his feet. "Then they were weak! Shore up our defenses. I'm going to get Bee myself." C nodded, knowing not to trifle in his leaders affairs. The Raikage looked off to the direction of the Leaf Village. No ordinary force would have been capable of destroying the leaf village in one fell swoop...Did the Leaf really grow that weak after losing the Uchiha and that cursed 4th Hokage?
-Day 65; Soul Society-
Naruto walked around, arms crossed behind his head. "Pfft. Patrol duty. So lame." The young Shinigami found out quick that newer recruits are usually stuck on patrol most of their shifts. His squad typically took to the southern reigions of Soul Society, of which Naruto enjoyed. After all, it was here where he first made his way to Soul Society.
Suddenly, a woman with red hair stepped out in front of him. Her arms were crossed and her expression was not so casual. Naruto awaited her move. "You're not like the others. Who are you?"
Naruto felt a similarity to her, aside from the fact she didn't know what he was. He relaxed. "Take it easy. Do you know where you are?"
The woman grunted, judging him carefully. "I don't have a clue. You've got a sword; that means you probably know what's going on." She narrowed her eyes, feeling her muscles relax upon observing him carefully. "Uh...have we met?"
Naruto scratched his head, unsure where to start. "You know, I don't really think so. Maybe you would know the other two..." Naruto shook his head, turning his attention back to her. "This is Soul Society. If you're here, that means you died in some fashion." The woman showed a hint of shock in her eyes, making Naruto wave his hands. "B-but hey, it's not that bad...really!" He quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, start with your name. What is your name?"
The woman looked back to the boy, judging his face carefully. "Kushina." She walked over, grabbing the shinigami. "Come here."
Naruto squirmed around as they ended up in a broken down house that held a fractured mirror. The shinigami shook himself free, composing himself. "Damn lady, what?"
Kushina flicked him on the nose, pointing to him in an aggressive manner. "It's Kushina! Speak with some form of respect!" Naruto dipped his head as she pulled back. Her thoughts ran wild. Where did that come from? She shook her head, pulling his face to the mirror and getting close to his. "Look."
Naruto's eyes grew wider after seeing them side by side. "What the..." There were some distinct differences, but their faces shared a striking resemblance. Naruto pulled back. "Whoa..." The two shared eye contact, staring in silence. Naruto judged her age. She doesn't really look much older than me. Naruto shook his head. "Wait...how long have you been here in Soul Society?"
Kushina shook her head. "I would say about a month. It took me some time just to find 'society' here."
Naruto nodded. "Hmm...quite unlucky. Soul Society is massive." His eyes glanced over to see a basic katana near the floor. Naruto shook his focus to a different subject. "Is that yours?"
Kushina shrugged. "It is now. I found it as I rummaged through a few houses. Why?"
Naruto kicked it up to his hands, tossing it her way. "Forgive me if you're harmed, but I'm going to test something really quick." Naruto began releasing spiritual pressure bit by bit.
Kushina's expression changed from confused to shocked in seconds. Suddenly, the gravity seemed to increase, pulling her to her knees. "What...what is this?"
The blond crossed his arms. "Come on! This is my spiritual pressure, Kushina. You can push back, I'm sure of it!"
The red head gritted her teeth, feeling something inside of her grant strength. Kushina pushed her self to one knee. Naruto increased the pressure further, but Kushina kept rising. Her blade began to glow as she made her way to a standing position. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, relaxing the two down to the normal level. Kushina felt winded, looking to the sword as it's glow slowly faded. "What was that?"
Naruto grinned. "It looks like you've got yourself a zanpakuto." Naruto let out a sweat, remembering a detail. "Oh, wow. I totally forgot my manners!" Naruto extended his hand to her. "The name's Yamazaki Naruto. I died sixty-five days ago. That's the same time a new portal opened up to this new world we can't access yet." Kushina blinked a couple times, accepting the handshake. Naruto nodded his head. "I think you and I came from that world, as well as two others." Naruto let out a sweat, looking at her face once again. "My sister is going to want to see this."
Kushina shied away for the first time since she'd been in Soul Society. "You mean...you want me to come with you?"
Naruto grabbed her hand that still held the katana in it and lifted with a cheeky grin. "So long as you don't try to run me through with this guy, of course!"
Kushina smiled warmly before putting on a smirk and a wink. "No guarantees, Naruto."
A/N
Say Whaaat? Yup, Kushina, Naruto's mother, still had her chakra sealed in Naruto when he died. She took longer to get to Soul Society because she was inherently tied to the Nine-tails. After about a half a day, that's when her chakra was released. I'll do my best to pump out new content on a weekly basis, but it may end up being a bi-weekly event.
I do my best to catch grammatical errors, but let me know if something is wrong. I will update the chapters and fix it ;)
