Naruto and Sakura sat by the camp fire in a strange awkward silence. Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the ring, it was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
"Naruto… when did you?"
"Yesterday, before Shino came back. I already asked Hinata's father."
"Oh. Wow." She didn't know what to say, they didn't even know if Hinata was still alive but Naruto was preparing to propose to her.
"Sakura, when did you realise that…I had feelings for Hinata?" He asked. Sakura thought this was strange, it was rare to see Naruto so serious, even the first time they talked about Hinata Naruto had that strange clueless way about him, but not now.
"The war, when Neji died. Why do you ask?"
"I didn't realise until the mission on the moon, but the more that I think about it there have been a lot of signs. Signs that I was too dumb to see."
"Yeah, it was really obvious how she cared for you." Sakura sat down next to him.
"That's not what I mean, I mean there was signs about how I cared for her."
"What do you mean?"
"When Pain nearly killed her… I gave Kurama control. Willingly. I didn't care if I died. I just wanted Kurama to kill him, I wanted him to pay for what he did to Hinata. And when I said good bye to my father… I talked about the last words my mom said to me and I didn't even notice I did it, but I hesitated when talking to him about girls. Mom told me to meet someone like her and now that I think about it, Hinata isn't anything like her and I think that's why I hesitated. When the infinite Tsukuyomi started, I was still connected to Ino's technique and through all the scared and frantic voices, I could hear hers so clearly."
"Naruto…"
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about any of that, and then there is Neji…. I was ready to give up Sakura. I truly was. But she stopped me, again."
"Again?" Sakura was shocked, she had no idea what he meant.
"The day of the chunin exams… I ran into Hinata. And I don't know why I did it, but I told her that I didn't think I could beat Neji, and that I thought I was a failure deep down."
"You actually felt like that? You never said…."
"To you? I know, I didn't tell anyone that. Except Hinata. That's why I need to get her back." Naruto closed the ring box, clenching his other fist tightly.
"So, what did you find out?" Shikaku asked his blonde colleague.
"Well, we are dead. And we are in a afterlife, just not our afterlife. Somehow, this universe has begun to collide with this universe on every level, that's why these beings called us foreign souls."
"I see, and why were they trying to contain us?"
"This man is apparently a low ranked officer in this army, it's likely a higher ranked member will possess the answer to that. Their leaders are meeting soon." He explained, as he signalled to his friend to follow him.
"Where are we going?"
"To see one of their leaders, their powers comes from a different kind of energy so they won't be able to sense us."
The leader of the first squad, and the entire soul reaper army sat in his office reading a report given to him by Capatin Kurotsuchi. He read the same section of the report continuously, the report of the foreign soul's power. It wasn't due to a lack of understanding but rather a large amount of concern. While reading, he heard the noises of battle outside his office, the clashing of steel.
"Who goes there?!" He barked, receiving no answer as his door slowly opened. He seen a boy, one who couldn't have been much older than Ichigo Kurosaki whose eyes did not match and neither was normal. One eye was red, possessing a strange star like pattern and the other was purple with a ripple like pattern.
"My name is Hideyoshi Yuto but I doubt you have heard of me. Head Captain Yamamoto."
"You…. You are from this other world? What reason could you have for attacking me?" The man in Sasuke's body sniggered mockingly.
"I have been watching this world for some time, you know the answer to that question. Don't disrespect me by asking me to verify what you already know."
"So… you are a soul reaper out casted by the royal family." He said, opening his eyes.
"Yes, this body however is from the other universe."
"And you have taken it due to the fact that as long as we are in a spirit realm you possess infinite energy."
"Hm. Yes, the energy these ninja use to derive their abilities, chakra, is a mixture of both spiritual and physical energy allowing anyone wields it to create an infinite amount of chakra as long as they are here."
"Tell me, how did you find your way back here?"
"Hm, I have been searching the multiverse for every moment since my exile trying to find a way back. Through observing other interuniversal travellers I realised I needed two things in order to do so. One, I needed some kind of time space technique in order to choose this universe as my destination. Second I needed a power source large enough and dense enough that it could warp space time. I found many energy sources that fit this description, the philosopher's stone, etherion, the ryukamu and so much more. But as a soul, I needed to find a reality I could actually exist in. The 'shinobi' universe was the only one that satisfied all three conditions, although the time space technique I used was not the first choice I had from that reality."
"Hm, and what are your plans now that you have returned?"
"I have no plans for this universe, the act of my return will bring it to its end anyway. I need to find someone from the other universe, but I need to make sure that no one gets in my way."
"So… that's why you are here." The head captain pulled his sword from its sheath, as he did a massive fire ball rushed towards Yuto who brought his only arm up in defense.
"Almighty push." The flames were pushed apart by some invisible force, from behind the flames Yuto could see the head captain swinging his sword at him at close range. Yuto moved to the side, drawing Sasuke's sword beginning a sword duel between the two. Yamamoto jumped back, preparing to launch another ranged fire attack when he noticed Yuto widening his purple eye. Yamamoto suddenly found his arm engulfed in black fire, unimpressed he swiped his arm throwing the flames off but to his shock they did not extinguish. He quickly swiped his arm back, lauching more flames at Yuto but they were stopped by a wave of black flames. Somehow Yamamoto sensed the presence of the ninja behind him blocking yet another sword strike.
"It seems, that even the flames of Ryujin Jaka are unable to quell the Amaterasu." Yuto laughed.
"Ban-ugh!" Yamamoto prepared to release his bankai but he found himself impaled by an arm made of purple chakra which was joined to the end of Sasuke's missing flesh arm. Yamamoto fell to the ground, clutching his wound with his only arm. Looking up at the man he found the rest of his body engulfed in black flames.
"Hm, I thought it was fitting that we both only had one arm. Unfortunately unlike me, you can't create another arm can you? Genrusai Shikefuni Yamamoto."
"Damn you…." Yamamto grunted from the ground.
"Someone as powerful as you, you will probably survive these flames for some time to come. So you'll be alive when this universe is torn apart as it is sucked into the void."
Outside, a group of soul reapers captains and lieutenants alike rushed towards the head captain's office.
"Jushiro, you sensed that as well?" One soul reaper captain, wearing a pink komono over his standard soul reaper attire.
"Shunsui, yes. Ryujin Jaka." His dear friend, who unusually possessed white hair and black eye brows. Both captains had their respective lieutenants trailing behind them, Rukia Kuchiki and Nanao Ise. Arriving outside they were greeted by Rukia's older brother and his lieutenant, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai. Shortly, the other captains arrived on the scene.
"It's odd, I never sensed anyone fighting with him."
"It must have been one of the foreign souls." Captain Kurotsuchi joined the debate. The door to the barracks opened, causing all present to draw their swords. The warriors put their weapons back in their scabbards as they seen their colleague, Chōjirō Sasakibe.
"Chōjirō, where is old man yama?"
"…Captain Kyoraku… The head captain is dead." All of the soul reapers seemed to be both saddened and shocked by this, Jushiro and Shunsui being the most saddened.
"What happened?"
"One of the foreign souls broke in… and murdered him. I have already informed the central 46 and they have issued the order… we are to prepare the kido cannon. And destroy this other universe before it destroys us."
"You can't be serious… that is a whole universe filled with souls and living people!" Rukia spoke out, earning her disapproving, although not necessarily disagreeing looks.
"It isn't the first time the soul society has committed genocide for the greater good lieutenant Kuchiki." The captains looked amongst one another, before one by one leaving to deal with their new orders in their own way.
"Inoichi… did you hear that?" Shikaku said, he and Inochi were hiding on the other side of a wall from where the captains had their meeting.
"Yes… we need to get out of here and come up with a plan." The two shinobi quickly left to find a more secure location to discuss their situation.
Chōjirō hadn't moved since leaving the building, he just stared out into the open space.
"You are lucky, Hideyoshi Yuto. That my transformation jutsu was enough to fool those men."
"The fact that I can still hear your voice grows more annoying moment. Sasuke Uchiha."