Minato: Life After the Sealing Rewrite
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (Masasi Kisimoto) or BLEACH (Tite Kubo); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.
Please remember to visit my profile to vote on the pairing for Ichigo. If you have an idea for someone that isn't included, just send me a message with the character and a reason and I will take it into consideration. No Rukia/Ichigo though, read the corresponding section from last chapter for my reason.
The cover of this story has printed in large, bold, friendly letters the words Don't Panic. So chill.
Chapter VI- The Princess and the Giant Part 3
—Roof of Karakura Kotogakko—
"Wow." Ichigo said. "That hairline fracture I got after getting knocked through the wall healed up really well! Not even a blemish!"
"You're still surprised?" Rukia asked conceitedly. "What did you expect? My kido (demon arts) grades were top of my class. Healing wounds like that is nothing."
They were conversing atop Ichigo's school. It was currently lunch break.
"Grades? What, there's a shinigami school?"
"Hm? Well, something like that. Anyway Ichigo… How do I drink this?" Rukia asked, holding an ordinary juice box up to Ichigo.
"Wha-? of course you stick the straw in." Ichigo said.
"Straw?"
"What's this?" came a voice from the door to the stairwell. Approaching them with his lunch in his hands was a boy with black hair and dark eyes his uniform was zipped all the way up. "You guys are together again. You two sure get along well."
"Mizuiro." Ichigo said, acknowledging the newcomer. "Dumbass, does this look like we get along well?"
"You don't? Well, if you say so. But don't you think about the impression you're giving to those around you? You're kind of dense about that."
"Idiot. If I were worried about what others thought, I'd have dyed my hair a normal color, like black, a long time ago."
"That's true. Hello Kuchiki-san!" Mizuiro greeted, completely unaware of Rukia's plight concerning the juice.
"Hello, umm… Kojima-kun?" she greeted.
"Bingo! You remembered me even though we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Kojima Mizuiro, age 15. My hobby is—"
"Womanizing." Ichigo cut in.
"Huh!? N… No it isn't. You're horrible!!"
"With this face, yet he's all over them. Watch out."
"Stop it." Mizuiro whined. "You're ruining my reputation. Besides, I only go after older women, you know that!"
"That's why I told her to watch out."
"Hey!" called a second boy, this one with brown hair and dark eyes. "Can I join you guys?"
"Hey Keigo. Go ahead."
"Huh? Chad's not here?" Keigo asked.
"Nope."
"Oh yeah, I haven't seen him." Mizuiro interjected.
"That's weird. Where'd he go?" Keigo asked. Then he took notice of Rukia, and launched into a series of overdramatic actions and overzealous introductions. He was cut off by a sharp knee to the back.
"Yo, Kurosaki." came the thick, unintelligent voice of the owner of the knee.
"O… Ooshima" Keigo stammered. "They lifted your suspension…"
"I'm not talking to you." the assailant said. "Hey Kurosaki, when are you gonna dye your hair? With that bleached hair and drooping eyes, you're copying me."
"Shut up." Ichigo snapped. "How many times do I have to tell you, this is the natural color of my hair. I'm not copying you. Do something about your own hair, chicken-head. Lay any eggs lately?"
"Chick—!! You bastard!!" Ooshima reached into his jacket and pulled out a set of 'iron knuckles.' "I'm gonna kick yur arse!!" he shouted, unintentionally making a fool of himself.
"Yur arse? You know how stupid you sound. It's said 'I'm going to kick your ass' dipshit." Ichigo scoffed.
"Heh… It's too late to late to apolo—" he was cut off by someone striking him from behind with a very heavy blow, sending him flying. "…gize?" he finished, confused.
"Ch… Chad!" Keigo exclaimed, relieved. He received a non-committal grunt as a reply. "Be more careful, you could've killed Ooshima. You did save us though." His thanks were again responded to with a non-committal grunt. Then Ichigo saw the bandages.
"You're injured? What happened?" he asked, getting Chad's attention.
"…My head… from yesterday. Steel beam fell from above." This was met with multiple cries of "steel beam" before he continued. "My hand and stuff is from when I went to buy bread… I collided with a motorcycle. The guy on the bike was seriously injured so… I took him to the hospital…" he explained his reason for tardiness in his deep, quiet baritone voice. He then moved to set a birdcage that was slung over his shoulder down, ignoring Ichigo's less than polite remark about his sturdiness. This caught Keigo's attention.
"Oh? What's with the bird?" he inquired. That was when the bird, a parakeet, decided to display it's vocabulary.
"Hello!" it said in a small, happy voice. "My name is Shibata Yuuichi! What are your names?" Ichigo suddenly felt the presence of a spirit, which concerned him greatly.
"Oh, wow!" Keigo exclaimed. "He speaks so well! My name is Asano Keigo! Say it? Asano?" Keigo continued speaking with the parakeet, degrading into meaningless and rather comedic banter.
"Chad…" Ichigo started, concern barely hidden. "where'd you get the parakeet?"
"Yesterday… I got it." With that, Chad was forced to defend himself from the indignant tirade Keigo launched into at hearing his lack-luster explanation.
On a rooftop near the school, within earshot of the group (for a sinobi), sat a blonde-haired man with a white cloak. He had been following Chad since just after the motorbike accident, he could tell that the spirit in the parakeet was rather innocuous, but felt the taint of a hollow coming from the wounds.
I should keep an eye on him, whatever's going on, that boy's life is in danger. Unseen to the group atop Karakura Kotogakko, the man disappeared in a flash of golden light.
—15:23 Kurosaki Clinic—
Ichigo walked in the door, and within ten seconds, he was being shouted at by an urgent Yuzu.
"Move out of the way, Brother!" she cried, rushing by in a nurse outfit.
"What's the rush, Yuzu?" he asked, just before Karin bolted by dragging a gurney, yelling "move it."
"What's going on here?" Ichigo asked, spooked.
"An accident! There was a car wreck a the intersection!" Yuzu shouted back, before dashing out the door.
"What!!" came a frustrated shout form his father's office. "I said I need four beds! …You can't accept that many? Do something! We don't have the equipment to help these people! Listen tell the manager that this is a request from Kurosaki, then tons of beds will open up! Damn these lower-level fools!" Isshin growled, slamming down the phone.
"Anything I can help with?" Ichigo asked tentatively.
"No. Stay in the corner and stay out of the way!"
—Several minutes later—
"Whoa, a big one has arrived!" Isshin said as a man was dragged into the clinic on the back of Minato. "Ichigo, a job for you! Help carry him!"
Responding quickly, Ichigo rushed to help, nearly freezing up when he saw who was slung over Minato's shoulder. "Chad!?"
"…Ichigo?"
As this exchange was taking place, Karin was staring at the parakeet with a severely disturbed expression on her face, something that was not lost on Minato. While no one was paying attention, Minato slipped a small paper tag into the back of Chad's shirt.
Isshin caught his eye, letting Minato know that he had seen, and wanted an explanation. Signaling that he would tell him later, Minato and Ichigo lugged Chad to a recovery room for examination.
When they took off Chad's shirt, Minato noticed two things, one of which would help identify Chad later. The first was a tattoo of a winged heart wrapped by a snake with a banner with the words amore e morte (love and death) on his left arm. The second was a very large, palm-shaped burn on his back that was bleeding profusely.
"This is terrible. Looks like a burn. Plus, it's bleeding all over." Isshin said. "You'll have to remain here…"
"No." Chad cut him off. "I… I'm fine now."
"Don't be stupid!" Isshin cried. "As much blood as you've lost, you couldn't be! See!" he said as Chad collapsed. "Yuzu, Karin! Get him into a bed!"
With that Ichigo, went back to his room, and Minato followed Isshin to his office. Once there, Isshin closed the door, went over to a cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of sake and two saucers.
"Now, tell me exactly what that thing you slipped into his shirt was." Isshin said, pouring himself some sake before offering some to Minato, who politely declined.
"I understand your concern Isshin, but that tag will not bring any harm to Sado. That was a seal formula tag that is an exact replica of the seals on my tri-pronged Hiraishin kunai, which will allow me to get to his location immediately, should he need my assistance. Inoue and Arisawa already have similar seals painted on the backs of their necks, above the hairline, which I placed upon them while both were unconscious after Sora's attack.
This is for the same reason I slipped that tag on Sado. I'll put a more permanent seal on him after the hollow responsible for that pile-up is dead." Minato explained. "Keep an eye on Karin. What ever she saw from that parakeet, it's tearing her up. It might have to do with Shibata's death."
In Chad's room, there nothing but an empty bed and an open window.
—Streets of Karakura, after Ichigo discovers Chad's disappearance—
Ichigo was sprinting down the road, looking down side streets as he searched.
"Ichigo!" came Rukia's cry.
"Chad's missing, we need to find him! If that wound really was caused by a hollow, his life is in danger!"
"How are we going to find him! I do not sense a hollow's presence, meaning we can't track him that way."
"What about tracking that boy's spirit, the one in the parakeet."
"Impossible, the spirit is weak, and is also overshadowed by the soul of the parake— Are you listening to me Ichigo?"
Ichigo didn't respond, his eyes were closed. He seemed deep in concentration. Suddenly, Rukia's eyes widened as a large number of white ribbons sprouted from nowhere. After a few seconds, Ichigo shouted triumphantly and grabbed a specific ribbon before opening his eyes and sprinting off, shouting "This way!"
'Those were reiraku (spirit ribbons), a high-level skill that even I am not able to perform! He is progressing quickly indeed.'
—Unknown warehouse—
Chad was huddled underneath a tarp with the parakeet in his arms. 'I think I lost it for now.' His thought were interrupted by a loud crash from above. Before he could react, there was a blinding flash of yellow, and he felt himself being carried out of the building. He looked into the face of his savior.
He saw a man with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, the same one who had carried him into the Kurosaki clinic.
"Keep a hold of the bird. I'll get us away from the hollow. Hopefully it will follow us long enough for Ichigo to find it and kill it." The man said.
"Hey! Minato!" came Ichigo's voice from the left at a three-way intersection.
"Ichigo! Keep following me. The bastard's right on our tail! I'll act as the decoy so you two can kill his ugly ass." Minato shouted as he sprinted to the right.
"…Ichi…" came the weak voice of Ichigo's sister, Karin. Worried for her well being, Ichigo went to carry her home, sending Rukia alone after Minato and Chad.
After a few minutes of running, Minato and Chad herd a loud crash from Rukia's direction. Minato cursed.
"Damn. Rukia's fighting that thing alone! She hasn't recovered enough to beat even the lowest level hollow! Chad, take the bird and run, I'll deal with that thing. That bastard probably has a ranged ace in the hole. It probably involves these leech things."
"What leech things?" Chad asked.
"Damn it! I forgot you couldn't see them. I guess Rukia's on her own until Ichigo gets there. Wait, I'll give you a clone escort. They'll let you know where there are threats so you can get out of here. Head to the school, we'll meet you there once we're done with bat boy." Minato ordered before sprinting off towards the explosion.
Rukia had just dodged another strike from the bat-like hollow that had ambushed her. She was having difficulty due the limitations of her gigai, and had taken some injuries. Her hollow opponent was cackling like a mad man.
This continued for several seconds, and Rukia found herself backed up against the fence borders of the alleyway. Just as the hollow was about to strike, he was knocked aside by a heavy blow to the face.
After skidding some distance, he recovered and looked at his assailant. His eyes widened when he saw a man dressed in strange combat gear with a white cloak over top standing in front of Rukia in a defensive stance, looking straight at him.
"M-Minato." Rukia said.
"Take a break, Rukia. You're not recovered enough to be fighting this asshole." Minato said without taking his eyes off of the hollow.
"You can see me." the hollow said, its eyes narrowing. "You must have a pretty strong soul. Also, your eyes. You've killed other humans before, haven't you?"
"Yes, but not because I wanted to. I am a sinobi, it was my job. And now it's my job to end your existence." Minato said, ejecting from his body. The hollow's eyes widened at not only this, but Minato's appearance.
'From any other view, I might confuse this man for a captain, he certainly has the reiatsu for it, but he is dressed exactly like he normally is. The only difference is the zanpakuto he wields, and even that is different from the norm.' the hollow thought to itself. "Intriguing. You have the abilities of a shinigami yet you do not look like one."
"I am a 'substitute' shinigami, though I have different fighting methods than those you are used to fighting. The fact that my normal everyday/combat attire carried over is good. It allows me to fight comfortably." Minato said, drawing his zanpakuto and beckoning the hollow to attack.
"It doesn't matter. You, just like the rest of my shinigami opponents have underestimated me. Did you assume I didn't have friends?"
"I never once made that assumption, Ugly. It is you who has underestimated me. As a shinobi I was trained to look underneath the underneath, to plan for every possible scenario before entering a fight. I admit I am still slightly impulsive, but this time, I hold the better hand. Look around you."
The hollow did, and saw hundreds of seal formula tags around them, covering the entire range his leech carriers could shoot. He didn't know what the tags did, but he knew that if his carriers got too close, they would be slaughtered.
"I also took into account the possibility of you using your quarry as a hostage and provided an escort for him. Now you are limited to one front of attack, and I can guarantee you will not defeat me in one-on-one combat, from any angle. I should let you know that from where I am from, I was well known for singlehandedly killing nearly two hundred people, an entire army, with a single technique, in one battle." Minato finished.
The hollow was looking visibly nervous now. Then Minato did something that surprised both him and Rukia. He sheathed his zanpakuto.
"Fool! Why did you do that?"
"Because your real opponent is behind you, and he seems quite pissed off." Minato said. The hollow looked confused for a second, then was slammed face-first into the ground by a powerful kick from behind.
"You bastard." Ichigo said dangerously quietly. "You made Karin cry, and I don't appreciate that. Furthermore, how did you get it into Shibata's head that you could bring his mom back? You're the one that killed her in the first place! No matter, your sick game ends now! Rukia!"
Nodding, Rukia pushed Ichigo's soul out of his body. Shinigami Ichigo spun toward the hollow, then swung his sword faster than anyone except Minato could follow and bisected his opponent. This somehow caused his bomb-carrier minions to explode, blowing large chunks of flesh out of the dying hollow.
Suddenly, as the hollow screamed in agony, a set of gigantic double doors appeared behind the hollow, the gap centered behind Ichigo's cut. On the doors were a pair of skeletons with chains draping over much of the doors. The doors burst open and the hollow was immediately skewered on a giant butcher knife-like zanpakuto.
As the hollow was dragged into the fiery world beyond the door, a figure Minato never thought he'd see again walked through. The ghostly figure was tall, easily four to five times Minato's height. It was garbed in all white, and had a large mass of white hair, with two purple horns sticking through. What could be seen of its skin was also purple.
"Shi-Shinigami-sama." Minato stammered.
"Heheheh. Surprised to see me? Do not worry, I am not here to drag you to hell. You see, I sent you here to fulfill a purpose. I can talk freely to you as the others cannot hear us, though they know we are speaking. I brought you here to aid Kurosaki in defeating one Sosuke Aizen, who plans to attempt overthrowing Kami.
You were brought here after being assigned to Zero Division, what most consider the Royal Guard. In actuality, Zero Division is more of a SWAT division, much like your ANBU. It is comprised of beings from many dimensions. You are here as a representative from this division, but you cannot let anyone know of your involvement in it.
Expect help from unlikely places and people Minato. Farewell, I cannot keep the gateway to Hell open any longer. When you see him, give Yamamoto-kun my regards. It's been so long since I saw my otouto." With that, the spectral being returned to the depths of Hell. The doors closed behind him, and then exploded in a shower of red shards.
—Sunset, Karakura Kotogakko—
Ichigo, Minato and Rukia met Chad at the designated place. After explaining that it was of the utmost importance that Chad remain tight-lipped about this, Shibata underwent konso. As Shibata disappeared into the disk of blue light, Minato looked out over Karakura, pondering what the Shinigami had told him.
End The Princess and the Giant arc
Notes
First, kotogakko is Japanese for high school, and schools are named by their region in Japan.
Second, Ichigo may seem more intelligent then he is supposed to be, but remember the guy has excellent grades, and quite frankly, this allows him to be more condescending towards the bully.
Third, Minato placing Hiraishin seals on important characters is no different then him giving the kunai to Kakashi in Kakashi Gaiden. It's just him looking out for those close to him.
Last, the Shinigami of Naruto is a hellish-looking being, ne? Also the bit about Zero Division being a SWAT unit makes sense in my eyes. Why would "Spirit King" need protection? Plus this way, if I think I really want a character from another series, it's easy to incorporate them as back up for Minato's fights.
Alright! Next chapter marks the debut of everyone's favorite stuffed lion, Kon! Expect hilarity and perverted antics perpetrated by the body-stealing mod-soul to ensue.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
-Kyuubi799