"He saved you?"

Gaara nodded as he continued to look out at the blowing sand. "He has a great sense of what is right and wrong. And a drive for justice that is unlike anything I have ever known. While it was not his fault, he blames himself daily for what happened to Konohamaru. And has gotten stronger yet since that day. Knowing what Sasuke wants to use your friend for will kick in both of them."

With a sigh Ichigo pulled out Orihime's berets and looked at them. "I just get tired of feeling useless when it comes trying to protect her."

"How so?"

Putting her berets back in his sleeve he crossed his arms as he looked up. "I swore to her when I rescued her not too long ago from a guy we keep fighting against called Aizen, that I would never let anything happen to her. I didn't stop her from getting kidnapped that time. I couldn't stop it this time around. Sometimes I wish I could have never seen ghosts at all. Then maybe she wouldn't have been in the danger she has been in."

"Ghosts?" Kankuro was on the verge of near hysteria now. "You mean to tell me that you actually believe in that crap?"

With a glare Renji crossed his arms. "Souls is a better word. And both Hat 'N Clogs over there and I are both souls, the body you see us in is called a gigai that lets you see us."

"I say you are full of it."

"You wanna go!?"

"Sure, someone who can't hurt me in a fight hell yeah!"

"Wise ass!"

"Enough!" Both Ichigo and Gaara glared at Renji and Kankuro. Ichigo stood up and held his hand out to Kisuke. "Give me some."

"Some what?"

"Soul Candy? Cause I am not using the one in the bastard on my back. Hell no am I giving him anything but what he is in."

"Why do you want to leave your gigai? They won't be able to see you."

"I bet they will."

"How so?"

"That Sasuke bastard did. Soon as they showed up and said they wanted Orihime I left my body he was still fighting with me and yelling back and forth with me remember?"

"That's right." Kisuke then pulled out a vile and tossed him a soul candy. "That is a blank one, all it will do is kick your soul out, and then I can pack up the gigai."

Temari sighed as she slumped back to sit on the bottom of the cave floor. "I swear these guys are crazy!"

Ichigo laughed. "Call me crazy after this." When she looked up he swallowed the pill then sighed as he felt himself leaving the gigai. Throwing his arm around in a circle he dropped his head. "Now I see why you guys don't like these things."

Taking one of the candies himself Renji smiled as he was thrust out of the gigai. "I told you those damn things are uncomfortable."

Temari and Kankuro looked at all the other shocked faces, Gaara's included then at each other. "What just happened?"

"You see they are not used to wearing gigais. Ichigo more so since he is actually human. But Renji there is the truest form of a Soul Reaper."

Moegi turned wide eyes to Kisuke. "So what exactly does a Soul Reaper do anyway?"

"Well I am glad you asked…" But is cut off when Ichigo kicks him in the head.

Glaring as he crossed his arms Ichigo kept his foot on Keisuke's head. "Your explanations would just confused her."

Nodding in agreement Renji looked over at her and sighed. "There are monsters called hollows where we come from. They eat human souls. Our job is to kill the demons and then help existing souls to pass on to the Soul Society before they turn into one of the monsters. That simple."

With a sigh Gaara stood up as well. "The sand storm is nearly over. But there is one thing that you all need to remember here."

"What's that?"

"That your power is useless in this world. You have to hope you can use our kind of power or you won't be able to do anything."

X

"Orihime. Come on its time to wake up and get going."

Blinking Orihime sat up and stretched then rubbed her eyes. "It is still dark out."

"I know. We are going now so we can get going faster. In about a week and a half we will reach a village that I was at when I was younger. We will be able to stay there a few days." Naruto smiled as he helped her up. "Are you hungry?"

"No I am….." Then she gasped and hid her head as she covered her stomach. "Sorry."

"Here eat this."

Opening her eyes to see him holding a small pill. "What is it?"

"It's a food pill. Ninja use it so we can go longer without eating actual food. It should work for you too since you have chakra."

Taking the pill Orihime sighed as she put it in her mouth and swallowed it then her eyes went wide. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. "It worked. I am not hungry anymore."

Pulling another gasp from her Naruto smiled as he lifted her into his arms. "Then lets get going shall we? The ot….." Then he glared as he spun around, dropping her legs to stand just behind him as his other arm stayed on her waist. Blocking a barrage of shuriken that was aimed right at her. He glared in the direction that they came as he held his kunai up. "Whose there?"

Kogaku walked out of the shadows with an evil smile. "You see, I am actually not supposed to be doing this. Lord Sasuke wanted to be the one to rip her from your arms. But I gather a video of him defiling her to send to you will work just as well."

Orihime gasped as she gripped Naruto's back with all she had. 'Not this again!'

With a glare Kogaku watched as the rest of his team flew to his aid. "I did so wish not to have to fight you all."

Naruto closed his eyes as he clenched his fists. Konohamaru's eyes as he looked up at him with a smile telling him how happy he was to have known him. Then his burial. It was all because of Sasuke and this guy worked for him! He looked over his shoulder at the way Orihime was shaking as she clung to him. "I promised you remember."

Looking up at him as tears fell from her eyes Orihime gasped. "Huh?"

"I promised you that myself, and no one here would hurt you or let anyone else touch you ever again you remember that?"

"Yeah."

"I always keep my promises. For right now I need you to stay with Kakashi and Jiraiya. Don't worry, he is a pervert but at a time like this he won't try anything and will protect you."

Her eyes pleading she looked up at him. "But…."

"I will be just fine. Sasuke doesn't know half of what I can do now and this guy is going to see one of the things I have done in the last year. I will be just fine okay?"

Orihime nodded and let go of him as Kakashi and Jiraiya walked up to stand beside her on either side. The rest of them making a circle around her. 'Be careful.'

Naruto stepped out of the circle and crossed his arms. "Too bad neither you nor Sasuke will ever get your hands on her."

"Even if you send her back to her time, we will simply go and get her again."

"Not if I kill you both before she goes."

"Please a worthless plebe like you that couldn't even save someone who was 'like a brother' to you?"

The mention of Konohamaru set a resolve that leapt into Naruto's eyes. That was when he noticed that this wasn't really a man but a clone! He smiled as he spread his legs, bent his knees and clapped his hands together. "Tell yourself to tell Sasuke that I tamed the power within me. Now I have his chakra at my disposal as well as my own."

"You tamed the nine tails? That is a lie if I ever heard one."

A smug smirk on his face Naruto felt the pressure around him start to whip. "Then tell me how I can do this."

Kogaku watched as Naruto started to turn yellow from his feet up. Everywhere that he turned yellow it was like he was on fire with pure colored chakra! His eyes went wide when Naruto stood straight back up and opened his eyes to reveal slits of blue in the shape of a fox's eye. "What the hell are you?"

"I am the Jinchuruki of the Hidden Leaf Naruto Uzumaki. Son of the Fourth Hokage the Yellow Flash and the princess of the Uzumaki Clan of the Hidden Eddy Village of old. Tell yourself to tell Sasuke this."

"Myself?"

"I know you are nothing more than a shadow clone. Technique I mastered way before Sasuke was able to do it."

Taking a stance Kogau smiled. "I may be a clone but in this state or not I can still take a plebe like you down without thought!"

Holding his right hand out a large ball of chakra formed. "Know what this is?"

"The Rasengan. What of it?"

Naruto smiled as he did the same in his left hand. "Lets see how a clone of Sasuke's lackey handles it!"

Kogaku started to throw his sword up to guard but instead felt the jutsu breaking as Naruto slammed both of them into his back. He turned and looked at him. "Damnit!"

Letting his hold of the nine tails chakra fade, Naruto turned just in time to catch Orihime as she ran to him, burring her face in his chest. He hugged her and sighed. "See. That is only scratching the surface of how far I have come once I gave up on him. I can and will protect you."

"Thank you."

X

Kogaku gasped as his head jerked up. "It can't be."

"What?"

"Did you ever know who Naruto's parents were?"

"No. It was common knowledge that they died the night the nine tails attacked the village when he was born. Why?"

"Naruto knows the Flying Thunder God Techinque. He can make Rasengan in both hands without the need of a clone. And according to him, he is the son of the Fourth Hokage the Yellow Flash, and the princess of the Uzumaki Clan of the Hidden Eddy Village."

"Lies is at all it is. There is no way he is the son of the Fourth Hokage. And the only Uzumaki I have ever heard of is him."

His eyes wide Kogaku sighed. "I heard of one other one. In my village, it was said that when the Leaf Village was first created that The first Hokage took a wife. Of the Uzumaki clan of the Eddy. If Naruto's mother was part of that clan, and if he is part of that clan you may want to rethink your plan of strategy."

"Why?"

"They have abilities unlike anything the Leaf had. The level of chakra that they were all predisposed to was outstanding. And a select few could use chakra chains in battle. The clan excelled at sealing jutsus as well."

"Naruto couldn't do a sealing jutsu if his life depended on it."

"I am telling you Sasuke. The Naruto that you are going to be going up against is not the Naruto you fought last time when you killed Konohamaru. He is much stronger."

"Ha. It was all merely a show. My plan goes on without question. Understood Kogaku?"

"Hai Lord Sasuke." Then he walked out of the room to sigh. 'He is going to have to learn this the hard way I think. I have to take steps so he does not die in this battle.'