There were people asking "What happened to chapter ten?" and my answer is, there was no chapter ten before this one. It was a test, and apparently, the site had already fixed what I was testing for when it switched to all the new stuff.
One of the reviews I got said "I liked your variation on Kakashi's test of teamwork." And I swear, my train of thought was 'Wait, I didn't do anything like… OH WAIT! That wasn't that!' …Anyway, the thing with Tatsuki wasn't meant to be ANYTHING like Kakashi's test. Naruto was just trying to get Orihime pissed enough to be react violently.
Also, another pointed out that, apparently, (I didn't go back and check, you see) when Yugito's demon was sealed, more than one eye was already open on the statue, thus, they wouldn't need to be in order in canon. Another noted that I wasn't wrong, per se, in that Itachi said somewhere (again, I didn't check) that regardless, the nine tails needed to be sealed last.
I honestly don't care.
As long as everything in my fic makes sense to ME, I'm happy. I'll try and explain all the little details to you, but I'm not going to sacrifice plot for the sake of idiots. (I'm not calling the people who said those things idiots. In fact, a great many of you are looking too far into some of the things I put into the plot… The people like that are just along for my rant) I happen to like thinking my plots are complicated, so… well, just don't burst my bubble, and everyone's happy. XD
Another interesting reply told me that, although the last chapter was a lot of words describing very little happening, it was very enjoyable. To this I reply "It is better to have five hundred words of story played out over five thousand than for five thousand words of story butchered to fit a single page." (I can fit about 500 words on a page, and last chapter was about 5000 words long, just to put that saying into context)
Truth was, I had a nasty case of writer's block while working on this, and with Wrath of the Lich King and Persona 4 coming out while I was working on it… well, the fic took a bit of a back seat. The sad thing is, I'm not really sorry at all about not updating. I only have one level 80 character (my Blood Elf Paladin), and I'm not even halfway through P4. Really, you should feel glad I finished this as soon as I did.
Anyway, I hope most of you had a happy holiday season, and that you enjoy this chapter.
"Everyone that decides to travel to Soul Society will never be able to use Chakra again."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, while the others shared expressions of confusion, outrage, and a myriad of other emotions. "Explain." The blonde growled sternly through the indignant shouts of the others, silencing them instantly.
Kisuke returned the other blonde's gaze in kind, while his voice was much more calmly controlled. "How long were you who use Chakra, in Soul Society while 'passing through'?"
Anko, as the senior among the Shinobi present, answered for them. "About an hour, give or take a few minutes."
"Do you know why you were hurried through to the other side?" The man continued, but only received heads shaking in the negative as his reply. "The answer is simple… and he is it." He added, pointing at Naruto.
"Me?" The younger blonde asked curiously through his irate tone.
Urahara nodded. "The more time a being spends without Chakra, the more their body acclimates to this new state of being. Even if the rescue only took a week to pull off, there is no guarantee you would be able to return and retain your abilities. Furthermore, taking into account the time that would be needed to escape back to this world after Rukia's rescue, the rescue party would undoubtedly be in Soul Society for at least two weeks."
His eyes narrowed further as he continued. "If you remain in Soul Society for ten days, I guarantee that you will never be capable of using Chakra ever again."
The entire room was silent until Naruto gave a slow nod, and turned back to face the shinobi. "So, who still wants to go?"
Every one of them stepped forward.
"…Every single one of you is an idiot." He practically spat. "Even just listening to him speak, I still gathered the basics of the mission parameters… So long as you are in Soul Society, you will be like me; incapable of using any techniques that require handseals." He paused to let it sink in. "Here in this world, you are easily the strongest of our little troupe. But take away our precious Ninjutsu, and the lot of you are going to be nothing but weak links."
"B-but… N-Naruto-k-kun…"
The bewhiskered blonde sent Hinata a sharp glare.
She flinched away, but knew what was upsetting him. She took a deep breath, and tried again. "Most of my techniques, including the Hyuuga styles, do not require seals."
"It's the same with me and my wind Jutsu." Temari chimed in.
He nodded in response. "Which makes you two the most useful of the Ninja here…" Naruto stated. "Buuut…" He turned back to Urahara, with a finger pointing towards Hinata, indicating her as the subject of his next inquisition. "Chakra-fueled genetic traits… what would their reaction be to Soul Society?"
The man shrugged. "Honestly, it simply shouldn't work. She might try it, and blow out her eyes, or her whole head might explode. I've never heard of anyone trying such a thing." He seemed to think on it for a moment, before continuing. "But… I do know that there are people who've died, but had such traits in life. All of them were incapable of them in death… It seems like it's entirely tied to the physical body."
Naruto nodded. "Byakugan, bad… got it." He turned back to Hinata. "Which renders most of the Hyuuga Taijutsu useless."
The pale-eyed girl hung her head solemnly in response.
In the end, Naruto sighed. "You all still missed the point, didn't you?"
They all looked up at him in confusion.
"This simply means that you have ten days to train as many abilities to a seal-less state as possible." He said with a smirk that quickly faded. "But if you're still useless, you're staying behind, got that?"
A look of realization washed over them, before each gave a deft nod.
"Good. So, since you each get it now, I'll make some clones to help you with that." He turned back to Urahara. "We are supposed to be training after all, yes?"
The shopkeep smiled brightly, nodding his support. "This training area is yours to do with as you will. Just remember that I need to train Ichigo myself, and if any of you wind up in my way…" His eyes narrowed, and his tone darkened. "I'll kill you."
Many of the younger people there couldn't help but swallow reflexively at the killing intent he'd leveled upon them, and nodded fervently. Anko and Naruto could only return his glare, and await his reaction.
"Okay then!" Kisuke chimed happily. "Let's get to it, shall we? Day one of training starts now!"
---
Naruto sighed as he stared out at the twenty clones of himself. He'd had every intention to make more, and he was getting better at it, but it wouldn't be a good idea to overtax himself. After all, he wanted to train too.
He waved his hand, sending the clones off to their tasks. Half of them went off to assist the other ninja in their training, while the other ten stayed to continue training his proficiency with Kage Bunshin, and to find out which of, if any, his other techniques he could still use.
Closing his eyes, Naruto sat back against the stone wall that rose up into the dome of false sky. Temari was fine. Most of her skills were elemental, and already nearly seal-less. Anko was an experienced Jounin. She'd be able to prioritize her skills, and he wouldn't put it past the woman to already have half a dozen skills that she could still use without seals. Hinata worried him a little, but still, she was Hinata. How could he not be worried about her? She was much like Orihime… too kind for her own good, but still, a Kunoichi was a career killer. Still much better off than the orange-headed girl. Kiba… was an issue he'd deal with later.
The explosions off in the distance that signified Ichigo's training to regain his Shinigami powers was distracting, but he trusted the stubborn boy to tough it out. He was just as sure that it was more of a diversion for everyone else than it was for him.
Naruto took a deep breath, and relaxed himself. It was time to do something he'd been putting off for far too long…
He was going to talk to the Kyuubi.
---
The blonde's mind was admittedly a dark and dank place… it's no wonder his 'other self' was so confounded by it… it was his mind, not that imitation's.
…he still wanted to know why it was a sewer, though.
Regardless, he trudged through the sludge until he found himself in front of the fox's cage.
"So, you're finally back…" The fox mused. "I'd wondered how long it'd take."
Naruto craned his neck up at the massive beast, which was laying down with its head on its paws, honestly looking bored out of its mind. "You sound like you were expecting me…"
"Well, of course I was. A tiny little gnat like you, out in the world all by yourself? I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did." It scoffed.
"A little gnat came home to play, never again in the light of day…"
Naruto spun around, glaring into the darkness of the halls behind him, from whence the new voice came. "What are you?"
A chuckle was heard. "What am I? What are you? Consider all you know to be true."
Naruto quirked an eyebrow, and thought for a moment. "You're my Zanpakuto, aren't you?"
"At last! A light within the dark! A spark of hope for this little lark..."
Naruto was confused by this… A lark was a type of bird, and a songbird at that. This voice was deep and feral. Not unlike the Kyuubi's own as it resounded through the chamber.
"I've had to put up with this shit for days…" The fox grumbled.
Naruto, however, completely ignored the caged Bijuu behind him. "What do you mean by that?" The blonde asked into the dark.
"A joke, a jest; I am as you made… now let us end our little charade…"
A pair of eyes opened wide in the dark, shining a sickly green. The first thing Naruto identified about them was that they simply weren't human. The shape was wrong… not to mention the fact that they were too large, and spaced just over a foot apart, eight feet up…
Yes, he instantly saw that it was very, very, not human.
And from the looks of those eyes, the rest of its face was twisted into a carnivorous grin.
"You and I, we are both the same… And you are the only one to blame. I sit here for days, waiting for naught. If only someone knew what he had wrought… This world is dead, and you are to blame. You think that this is some sort of game!?"
The beast in the dark huffed in heaving breaths as it paused.
"…you used 'blame' twice." Naruto noted.
While both Naruto and the fox expected the spirit to be incensed, or at least a bit perturbed, they were thoroughly shocked when it began to cackle. "Caught that, did you? Oh well, it's true."
The blonde blinked. "You're not quite right in the head, are you?"
Oddly, it was the fox who answered. "If you'd had to listen to him for as long as I have, you'd know that's an understatement, brat."
A high-pitched shrieking emanated from the shadows, which Naruto soon realized was cackling. "I'm not sane? That's a shame… you must know we're both the same…"
His reply was narrowed eyes and a hushed tone. "We're the same? How?"
"I am you, and you are me. Surely even you can see…"
Naruto sighed. His Zanpakuto was simply infuriating. "No, I don't."
This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as a bestial roar echoed through the halls. "MONSTER! Beast! Demons are we!" A short moment passed, and he chuckled. "I guess that means we match, us three…"
"You're not making any sense…" The blonde growled in turn.
"He never does…" The fox grumbled.
Naruto sighed, but pressed on. "You are my Zanpakuto spirit, yes? That means you should know more about the powers of the Shinigami, and how to better arm myself against them." He took a few steps towards the shadows containing the eyes. "I want you to teach me."
"Power? That is all you want? And I thought of you like a savant… I have might that I could lend, but what would that bring in the end?" As silence was his answer, he snorted and continued. "If all you care about is might, then yours is a sad and endless plight."
"I need power and information to save someone important to me." Naruto answered.
"You want me to help? Insignificant whelp…" The spirit spat.
"If you're not going to be of use, then leave." The blonde replied. "I had my doubts about you knowing how to deal with a Shinigami, anyway."
The eyes turned away from them for a moment. They could tell it'd turned around, but the eyes appeared again, as if it were peering over its shoulder at them. "The dead should die… it's what they do…" The eyes narrowed. "And soon enough, I'll kill you, too."
This time, they turned away, and were gone. Both Naruto and the Kyuubi could tell the Zanpakuto spirit wasn't nearby any longer.
"Well, that was frustrating…" Naruto muttered as he turned back to the fox. "Now, down to business… If there's even a chance you'll know, I have to ask. Why aren't my powers and abilities like Sado and Orihime's? Why are they like those of the Shinigami?"
"How the fuck should I know?" The fox answered bluntly. "I've slaughtered thousands of Shinigami and Shinobi alike, but I've never seen anyone survive long enough to tell if they were anything else. You're all just hairless apes to me."
Naruto nodded. This was already more than he'd expected from the Kyuubi, after all. "Which were more powerful, in your experience? Shinobi or Shinigami?"
The fox narrowed its eyes, glaring down at the blonde before turning away, and merging with the darkness of its cage.
Naruto sighed, and opened his eyes. The explosions in the distance had stopped, but the sounds of combat were still evident in the pairs and occasional trio training nearby.
'It's obvious that Shinigami are the more dangerous enemy… they have centuries to master their skills. But is it so wrong to wonder which one hits harder?' He contemplated, before sighing again, and rising to his feet.
It just wouldn't do to let his own skills rust, would it?
---
Naruto was walking between the training sessions, checking in with his clones five hours after he'd begun his own exercises.
As he silently made his way to Kiba and Akamaru, though, he sighed. He shared a sad look with his clone, before he signaled the clone to bring the boy with them.
When they were far enough away, the blonde turned back, and the clone dispelled itself, with Kiba jogging up, Akamaru at his heels. "Yeah, Naruto? What's up?"
"Kiba… I don't want you coming with us." He said plainly.
"What!? Why?" Kiba responded in outrage.
The blonde simply pointed to the large dog behind him. "You and Akamaru can't fight properly without your clan techniques, and even then, it's a stretch…" He said, lowering his arm, only to bring it back up a second later to halt Kiba's protests. "I have more reasons than that, though…"
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Kiba scoffed.
"Hinata." Naruto replied, catching the boy's attention. "What happens if we all make it back, but none of us can use chakra? What if I don't come back? Who's going to protect her then? You know that someone is going to come after us. That's why we need at least one or two people to stay behind. To set things up so we have a place to hide when we get back, if that's even possible… I'll leave it to you and Urahara to figure out after we're gone."
Kiba couldn't refute the points, even if he knew the other boy was just making an excuse for him to stay behind. "So then, that's it, huh?" He asked, Akamaru whining behind him and nuzzling his hand.
"You'll still need the time to practice up if you're going to help us mount a defense." The blonde jabbed playfully. "It's our job to get Rukia. It's mostly your job to see that we keep her."
Kiba nodded. "Yeah, I get it… team's gotta' have a reserve."
Naruto nodded, placing his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Hey, enough feeling sorry for yourself, let's get back to training, yeah?"
The Inuzuka smirked as he brushed the hand away. "Is that a challenge?"
"You know I'd wipe the floor with you, mutt." The blonde scoffed, jumping to the side to avoid the slash of claws.
"Them's fightin' words, dobe!" Kiba yelled cheerfully, jumping after the other boy, Akamaru at his heels.
---
As the training concluded, everyone save Ichigo and Tessai, whom Naruto was told were busy with Ichigo's own training, were assembled in a semicircle around him and Urahara, with the odd cat Yoruichi between them.
Shortly before, Naruto's clones had all dispelled, giving him a minor headache, and also reason for him to be nodding like he was at the moment. "Yes… good. So far, the training is going well. It's a little too soon to tell who won't be able to go, but I've already made a few decisions regarding the matter." He said, glancing between all of them. "Regardless… we've all made excellent progress. Let's turn in for the night."
The shinobi all nodded, while Tatsuki, Orihime and Sado wondered how they could know it was night when it still looked like day within the cave.
"Tsuki-chan, I'd like to have a word with you…" Naruto added as everyone began to turn and walk away.
This earned him a few odd glances from the group, but the girl just nodded and walked over.
When he thought they were far enough from the others not to be overheard, he continued. "I don't want you coming with us."
Her reaction was instantaneous. "What? Why!?"
"I don't want you to get hurt." He replied.
"Well what about you? What about Orihime, and Ichigo, and everyone else?" She practically hissed.
The blonde sighed as he lowered his gaze. "I don't know if I can fight properly if I'm always worrying about you."
A sharp sound echoed through the cave. Naruto was wide-eyed as he turned his head back to her, a hand reflexively touching his now pink left cheek. "You don't trust me…" Tatsuki muttered, her eyes tearing up. "A relationship is based on trust. If you can't trust me to keep myself safe, then fine. But I refuse to be coddled like a child." She turned away from him, her fists clenched in repressed rage. "I'm going, and that's final." She added before stalking away.
Naruto watched sadly as she left, before finally noticing that everyone else seemed to be staring at him with mixed expressions. He sighed… he didn't want to deal with something like this right now.
He took one last glance around him, before disappearing in a flash of yellow.
---
Several hours had passed, over which Naruto had contemplated Tatsuki's words and reactions. He still couldn't quite comprehend everything, but he knew one thing with a certainty that made his chest tighten.
He hurt her.
Some boyfriend he was, making her cry like that…
And so, here he was, standing in front of her home, trying to gather his words for a proper apology.
He shook his head when he couldn't think of anything. He growled low in his throat. He hated it when he couldn't plan something out in advance…
His fist hit the door a little harder than he'd intended, but it left no damage, so he repeated the action, with a little less force, another three times.
The door opened a moment later, revealing the woman he usually dealt with at the Arisawa residence. Either she was a housewife, or he just had an uncanny knack for showing up when she happened to be home. "Oh, Arashi-kun… what brings you by today?" She asked with the same warm tone as always, though her eyes belied a soft enmity towards him.
Naruto lowered his head, and bent his waist in a bow. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'd like to speak with Tatsuki-chan." He couldn't see it, but he knew her eyes had narrowed at his statement. "I said something earlier that I didn't know she would take offense to, and I came here to apologize."
Her glare softened, and she let out a tired sigh. "She's been in her room since she came home. I can hear her crying from the hall. It's not like her. She's usually such a strong girl…" Naruto rose from his bow just in time to see the thoughtful expression she wore. "You make her stronger, but you also make her weak. That's the way it is in a real relationship. You hold her up, and carry each other through life's hardships… but one hurtful word from you is worse than a thousand from anyone else. Do you understand?"
Naruto was staring at the woman, his eyes somewhat wide, and his mouth partially agape. It took him all of an instant to compose himself, but he knew she'd still seen his reaction. "How did… I mean, how are you so intuitive?"
She shrugged with a smile. "It comes with being a mother. I'm sure Tatsuki will be the same when you two decide to give me some grandchildren."
The blonde couldn't help the flood of red across his cheeks as he processed the older woman's words. He was broken from his indignant reverie when he heard her giggle. "I'm sorry, but since you're Tatsuki-chan's first boyfriend, I haven't had a chance to play the embarrassing mother before, and I couldn't help it." She stopped when the boy in front of her let out a low rumble that could be perceived as a groan. "Oh stop it, you need to talk to Tatsuki-chan, yes?"
He nodded, and followed her into the house.
---
Tatsuki was not having a good day.
The training was fine, almost fun in fact, but then Naruto said that he wanted her to stay behind. She'd been so hurt by it, that she didn't even know why it hurt so much. At first, she thought that it was because he was looking down on her as a weak link in the group. She'd be among the first to admit she wasn't the strongest of them. She'd seen Anko slaughter Naruto clones, and Temari decimate a rock formation with a swing of her fan. Even the timid Hyuuga girl seemed to be stronger than her. But still… she refused to be considered the weakest, even if she couldn't think of a single person they'd trained with that she was undoubtedly superior to.
Then she'd thought that Naruto considered Rukia more important to him than she was… but the conversation she'd had with Orihime had made her question this.
"We both know that you're strong enough to come with us." She'd said. "That means that he must have some other reason for not wanting you to come with us… he loves you, and doesn't want to even chance you not making it back."
Tatsuki had felt like a real bitch after that… it'd been practically the same thing Naruto had said. Naruto was her boyfriend. He had every right to try and protect her. But, even as she realized all this, and had added onto herself the anguish at having struck Naruto simply for trying to protect her like a good boyfriend, there was a nagging pain in her chest that wouldn't stop. It'd taken her a little while to figure it out, but when she did, it only made more tears flow down her cheeks.
She wanted to stay with him. Even if it meant going into danger, she didn't want to leave his side. In the short time she'd known him, he'd become a part of her life that she didn't think she could live without. She'd laughed a little when she thought about it… she was just some love-struck brat that didn't want to stay home like a good little girl. She didn't know what she was getting into… she wasn't a soldier like Naruto or the other ninja… she was just a high school student. Other than what she'd learned from Naruto, and her martial arts, she really was just a kid…
Just then, there was a knock outside her room. "Tatsuki-chan… you have a visitor."
She swiftly went to work cleaning herself up before answering. "Thanks mom… who is it?"
The door opened to show Naruto thanking her mother, and stepping inside, before closing the door behind him. They both stood in silence for a moment before Naruto began to look around, idly scratching the back of his neck with one hand. "Wow… I've never been alone with a girl in her room before…"
It was such an obscenely offhanded comment, she couldn't help but laugh. Naruto looked on, wondering if he'd said something wrong, but she just kept on chuckling.
In truth, Tatsuki needed a good laugh to brighten up her spirit, but her mood was dampened when she heard Naruto mutter something. "Naruto…?"
"I said I'm sorry…" He repeated. "I had no idea that it'd hurt you so much to be left behind. If you want… then you can come." His face turned stern. "But you're staying out of the fighting, you hear me?"
She chuckled again. How could he be such a genius, and so damnably dense at the same time? "Come here." She said, patting her bed right next to her.
Naruto complied, and they sat in silence for a moment before he turned to her. "Tatsuki, I…"
He never finished what he was saying, as the girl beside him bodily tackled him down onto her bed, thrusting her tongue into his open mouth for good measure. Once she'd relented her passionate kiss, he stared up into her puffy, reddened eyes as she smiled down at him. "You're an idiot." She stated bluntly, before snuggling into his chest. "But you're my idiot."
And so they stayed in amicable silence, holding each other until Tatsuki drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
About an hour later, Tatsuki's mother came in to check on them, and smiled at the sight. "I thought you knew I was mostly joking about those grandbabies…"
Naruto could only muster a half-hearted glare at the woman. "Would you mind helping me here? I'd rather not wake her up…"
The woman nodded cheerfully, and slowly rolled the girl over onto her back.
"Thanks…" He muttered. "If you'd please remind her that we have plans tomorrow when she gets up, she'll know what you mean."
She nodded, and the boy silently left to get some sleep of his own.
---
Naruto sighed as they began training the following morning. He'd woken up in the middle of the night again, due to the recurring dream about his mother. In his childhood, he'd often had that dream, but the face was always blank or blurry, wreathed in bright red hair. Now that he had a face to go with the dream, it seemed to haunt him relentlessly.
Of course, once he got back to sleep, the dream usually didn't bother him. Last night in fact, he'd had another dream, this one centering on Tatsuki, who was beckoning to him from her bed, while wearing only the contents of a large bowl of ramen.
…It was a nice dream, if a bit odd…
He forced the tinge of pink from his cheeks long enough to register that his dream-girl was late.
Everyone else had already arrived, and taken a clone or two. Ichigo was still in his hole along with Tessai, and Urahara was… wherever he dissapears to.
He was thinking more on the subject when he heard his name called.
"Naruto! Hey, look who I found!" It was definitely Tatsuki's voice.
However, her calls were soon drowned out by a pair of bellowing, identical cries of "YOSHA!"
…It was going to be another long day.
Alright, next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long to finish, so go ahead and look forward to it if you must. XD
PS, a 'lark' is indeed a type of bird, but it's also a word meaning 'good-natured prank'.
I don't like writing for Tatsuki's parents, her mother in particular as the more important of them at the moment, because I know that as soon as I finalize her personality and everything, she'll be revealed in the manga to be either completely different, or dead…
Ugh, just thinking about that makes me all… bleh.
Because you KNOW Tatsuki is going to be important later on. She'd been hanging out with Ichigo longer than anyone else. I mean, Tatsuki is the one who introduced Ichigo to Orihime! And it's Orihime that gets the powers? Oh no… Tatsuki's probably got some OTHER super-powerful ability rivaling Orihime's that Kubo's just waiting to bring up. I can feel it.
Just so people know, I'm still looking for help with Japanese translations… Zanpakuto names and the like. I've been getting help from DarkHeroOrion, but additional input would be appreciated.
Also, I've heard from DarkHeroOrion about these little things called 'challenges' …admittedly, I had no idea what that had to do with fanfiction until he explained it. Anyway, I've been trying to pass on some old fic ideas, so I didn't feel bad about not writing them myself. If you'd like, you can take this as a challenge, to write one of my unwritten fics.
I still plan to finish the ones I've started posting already, but those are just the ones I've finished the first chapter of, and only account for about a quarter of my fics. So far, only one has been 'adopted', and I have yet to see a first chapter of it finished… so I don't know what to do with that, or if I'm even going about this the right way. Suggestions on this would also be greatly appreciated.