Chapter 10

It has been a week since Naruto disappeared with his house in a bang. He was not the only one to have disappeared, Shutara also disappeared. The explosion that had set off in his house had turned everything to ash - this left nothing but a crater in the place what used to be the blond's house.

It had taken much to create the house, she knew it. The house could not be easily be destroyed by anything. Naruto had ensured that his house was strong. He had made it in such a manner that even Quincies could not absorb the spirit particles that created it. Since everything within soul society was made of spirit particles, Quinces' were able to use their abilities to absorb everything to use their weapons or empower themselves. And since Naruto held a certain amount of dislike to the Quincy, he had ensured that they could not absorb the spirit particles in his house.

The place that Naruto's house used to be located had been locked away in a barrier. Yamamoto did not want anyone playing within the area. There was the fact that after the explosion, the Royal Guard had come to inspect on a few things. They did not say much about what they were doing, they only talked to Yamamoto, before leaving again to the Soul King's dimension.

It had been a surprise to see the Royal Guard appear to investigate the matter after the explosion had occurred. They rarely involved themselves in this kind of matter. But then again, anything that had to do with Naruto had to include them since the blond did things that concerned every living creature. They had investigated the scene thoroughly before anyone could. Not even the 12th division was allowed in the scene as they did their investigation.

The area had been quarantined because the atmosphere had been unstable for a few days. There were worm holes opening up consistently. Anyone could get caught in them, and it was discovered that once swallowed within one of them, there was no return. To avoid losing anyone unnecessarily, the area had been sealed. Only those given permission by Yamamoto could enter. But the atmosphere had regained its stability after a week.

Nonetheless, Yamamoto still had the place sealed as Mayuri was still doing his research. He did not want any evidence being lost or disturbed by anything or anyone. Urahara had also come and done some test on the area.

They were all able to conclude that Shutara had been in the area when the explosion went off. She was most likely caught within the blast. Because of the range and destructiveness of the blast, they did not believe that she had survived. There was no trace of her surviving the blast. There was also evidence that the blast was created by Naruto's reaitsu. It seemed that it had just exploded within him resulting in the explosion.

Most likely, he should have died, but no one was sure if he was dead or alive. But what was given was that even if he had survived, he would never be the same again. He definitely could've not escaped unscratched. By all accounts, he should have died, but with Naruto, you could never know.

Unohana was sure he was still alive. He had to be. But she was sure that the explosion was not in his plans. She was sure that Shutara was supposed to be alive. If he was still alive, the mood and attitude he will return in will be nasty. If things had gone so bad that he was nearly killed, he was certainly going to be in a foul mood. Not to mention that Shutara was probably dead. She was not sure of that. But Naruto alone could have survived the blast.

Just before the explosion set off, Unohana had been here at this place, she was talking to both Naruto and Shutara. Naruto seemed like he was busy going to do something good, something that made him happy. She didn't think that this was the results of it all. If Naruto had not sent her away, she may have been most likely caught in the explosion.

Unohana feared for the safety of the world if someone had tried to kill him. Naruto had much control over his Reiatsu, even if he didn't have complete over it, he would never lose control over it. And something as it exploding within him would never be his cause. He could never make a mistake that would result in such a thing. Even if he had made one, the aftermath would have been calculated to make sure that he escaped unscathed and everyone close to the area was safe.

But with all these, Unohana assumed that someone had tried to kill him. And she guessed, the Soul King knew something about it. The Royal Guard was very secretive about their investigation. Not even Yamamoto was told anything about it. Normally, after such an occurrence, they would have said something about the matter, or even share their findings to help them deal with the problem and understand what really happened. But they seemed to be in a hurry to report to the Soul King.

Naruto had also mentioned that the Spirit King wanted to kill him, but he had mentioned a different way. But could this have resulted in the Soul King's intervention? Unohana did not know what to make of it. The only one who could fill her in was Naruto himself. But she did not know where he was. She had even used the little trick Naruto taught her to travel to Hueco Mundo to look for him, but she did not find him anywhere.

What made it worse was that she was unable to see anything within the Forest of Death. The forest seemed empty, there were no hollows creeping by. The whole forest just reeked of death. The feeling made her uneasy when she had been searching. But her searches were fruitless, as she was unable to get anything.

Whoever that had tried to kill him would surely pay. The death of Shutara was not something that the blond would contend with, either. It would have been fine if it had been him who killed her, but someone had interfered in Naruto's process of releasing his full power. Had he been successful in his adventure, he would have been at his full power and lacking only Amaterasu. Without the blade, he would not have been to access some of his power despite it being available. The blade he held now was nothing compared to his original sword. He had said it so himself.

Then again, Naruto says a lot of things that aren't true.

''You are worried about Naruto,'' Shunsui said as he entered Unohana's office within squad four barracks. The woman had a thoughtful look on her face. She seemed to be busy contemplating something. It had been like this over the past days. He knew how close she was to the blond.

Unohana shook her head. ''I am not so much worried about what him, per say. I am much more worried about what he will do when he returns from wherever he is.''

''When he returns? You believe he is still alive?'' Shunsui questioned as he took a seat. He looked at the captain straight in her face. He did not know what to believe in the matter. There was still a chance that the blond might still be alive, but there was no evidence that he had survived the blast.

''I believe he is. If he was dead, I would know it.'' She had known him for over two thousand years. Had he been dead, she would definitely know. He would not have died without telling her. And even if he had died, from what she knows from him, he would find a way to come back to life. He always had plans as precautions should things go wrong. But still, this time things had gone quite awry, she was sure even he had not expected such a thing to occur.

''I had a feeling that he was still alive too,'' Shunsui said in a resigned tone. He could never picture the blond being killed by anything. He had seemed to be impossible to kill. The only he knew could keep him down was to seal him. ''I would not be surprised even if he just suddenly returns,'' the captain of the 8th division admitted.

''While I do not doubt that he survived, I know that he did not survive without a scratch,'' Unohana stated. That was the truth. No matter how powerful Naruto was, he could not have survived that blast without suffering some sort of injury or anything threatening. It was probably the first that he experienced something that actually threatened his life, seriously.

Shunsui nodded. ''Central 46 is already thinking of putting him down if he does return. But the decision is not yet final. Since they are entertaining the fact that he may still be alive, they want to know his state of power if he does return.''

Unohana did not comment on that - she remained quiet. Naruto would surely not lie down to be played given the irritable mood is surely going to have.

''How do you think that will end?'' Unohana finally responded with a question. Knowing that Naruto wasn't going to lie down, there was surely going to be chaos that would erupt if Central 46 decides to order them to get rid of Naruto.

''Not good, I guess. Regardless of what may have happened to him, Naruto is Naruto, and with him, you can never know.'' Shunsui shook his head. ''I wouldn't even be surprised if he comes back like nothing occurred.''

''I wouldn't think that,'' Retsu said. Even if it was him, there was no way he was going to come back unscathed. ''Why did you come here?'' The elder captain questioned knowing full well that this man had come here for a reason.

''Depending on what central 46 says and how Naruto will be like when he returns, we may be forced to pick up our Zanpakutou to fight him. However, in doing so, we risk an attack from Aizen and his hollows,'' Shunsui started. ''I would rather not fight Naruto if it can't be helped.''

''You've yet to state your reasons for coming here, Kyoraku Taicho,' Unohana said.

''Aside from anyone I know, you're the only who has a special relationship with him, how will you feel when we're forced to fight him?''

There was a high chance that he may return in a much weakened condition, if it is so, Central 46 won't waste the opportunity to put him down. In a weakened state than he was already, the likely outcome is his death or sealing. Shunsui was questioning what Unohana would do if things did not favor Naruto.

''Are you questioning my loyalty to Soul Society, Kyoraku taicho?'' Unohana questioned in that sweet tone of hers.

''N-no, not at all,'' Shunsui said with a nervous smile on his face. ''I have no doubt about your loyalty towards Soul Society. I just want to know what you'll do. Naruto hasn't done anything wrong towards Soul Society that warrants his death. Even before, he never threatened the safety of this place.''

''I see,'' Retsu paused for a moment. ''Because Naruto hasn't threatened the safety of this place and has never done so, you believe it wouldn't be right to do anything to him.''

Shunsui nodded. ''But I don't know how Naruto will react if they choose to put him down.''

''Execution won't do - but before that they'll have to catch him first, which won't be easy to accomplish. There likely choice is that they'll seal him in a prison of his own for all eternity,'' Unohana shook her head slightly. ''Do what you believe is right, while thinking for the safety of Soul Society.''

Las Noches

It has been a boring week in the home of the strongest beings currently living within the palace of the king. Hollows had branded Aizen as the king of Hueco Mundo. There was also the fact that this place was once ruled by Baraggan before Aizen robbed him of his crown and throne.

Gin had never been so bored in his life. There was nothing better to do. If the Espadas had been active, it would have been better since he would amuse himself by watching Aizen easily manipulate them. But there was nothing of that sort in these days. It was getting annoying to live in this place given that Aizen had put on hold all his plans. The Hollow activity had been slow over the past days as the ones that were experiment on by Aizen were kept locked.

He was even thinking to going to Soul Society just to relieve himself on his boredom.

Turning around, Gin saw Aizen walking towards him with that same sly smile he always wore. If he had been someone else, he would have been unnerved just by looking at the smile. But he had his own smile, thus he merely grinned as the former captain got closer to him. ''Why are you so interested in seeing in Uchiha taicho is still alive, Aizen taicho?''

''Aren't you also interested, Gin?'' Aizen asked quietly, looking straight at his subordinate, his smile never leaving his face.

''I am,'' Gin admitted with a quick nod. ''But my interest in him would not have been enough to stop everything I was doing like you have.'' Aizen had put on hold all his plans as he waited to find out more about Naruto. No one has currently been able to find anything. But there is a wind flying about that the man survived the explosion. Gin did not think that anyone would have survived an explosion of that magnitude. After seeing its destruction, he doubted that anyone would have survived. But Aizen has said that he believes the older Shinigami may still be alive.

''I have not quite stopped everything, Gin,'' Aizen corrected, drawing the former captain of the Gotei 13 attention to him. But the former fifth division captain only said a few words to elaborate. ''I have been doing more work on my own. You also are aware that the Royal Guard was in Soul Society to investigate the matter. Who is to say that they won't show up when he returns? The Hogyoku has also not fully awakened, so there is no need to rush things.'' Well, that wasn't entirely true, but Gin didn't need to know that.

Okay, maybe those were not few words.

''What have you been planning Aizen taicho?'' Gin asked with narrowed eyes. But Aizen could not see that, possibly he could feel it, since he was no longer looking straight at Gin. The man had turned his eyes somewhere else.

Aizen merely gave that smile that always told you that you were not going to be told anything. ''Nothing to worry about, Gin.''

Sighing, Gin questioned the former captain again. ''Why are you so confident that he will return?''

''Because I know he survived. That man is always prepared for anything. There is no one in Soul Society who can plot his downfall. He is very different from Yamamoto who usually uses brute force to enforce things. That man rarely draws out his sword; he uses his mind more than his blade. I know that even if we had attempted to kill him when he had come here, he would have left without an injury, or revealing much about his abilities,'' Aizen explained. ''I doubt even the senior captains believe he is dead.''

''What will his return benefit you?''

Aizen merely turned to give Gin a smile, but he turned around to leave. ''You shall see, Gin. When he returns, he will take more interest in my plans than he had been,'' the man responded as he left, but Gin followed him from behind.

''What makes you say that Aizen taicho?'' Well it would be more interesting to him, Gin, if the man somehow survived the impossible. Even though he doubted that he could've have survived, a part of him wished he survived. But he was more interested in what Aizen was planning.

''Central 46 will most likely try to imprison him when he returns. No, they will try to do it. But he won't allow them to do so. Depending on his state when he does return, he will either leave after some trouble or smoothly.'' Aizen explained as he made his way towards the room the Hogyoku was located.

''So the captains will be after him. That means that he will no longer move freely in Soul Society. But he can do as he pleases in the human world as they are not always crawling there, the Shinigami I mean,'' Gin said.

Aizen nodded. ''However, the human world is not the likely destination for him. Hueco Mundo has always been his home, and since his own home in this world disappeared, he will have to come here. We may even have to prepare a room for him.''

''Do you think he will actually join you?''

''Not at all,'' Aizen said smiling. ''The explosion must have left him weakened, and he will most likely come here to regain his strength. However, regaining his strength will be what he is after when coming here.''

''And?''

''The Hogyoku reacted strongly to his presence when he came here. I'm more interested on how it will react to his presence again, and that man can make things easy for me.''

''Aren't you playing it a bit dangerously, Aizen taicho? Won't he steal it if he gets close to it?'' Gin questioned. Aizen was gambling here. If that man wanted to restore himself and the Hogyoku was his ticket, then he would definitely try to take it.

Aizen merely smiled. ''I never said anything about getting him that close to the Hogyoku...''

Unknown location

He had never thought that he would ever find himself in that kind of situation. He had never experienced fear in this life. But yet he felt it. Death had been grinning at him madly. It had its fangs all over him, yet he survived.

He was surely not meant to survive the blast. This was the second time that woman had cursed his life, the second time she had screwed him. Each time he could do nothing against her. The first time had been because he had hesitated to do anything against her. He certainly had the power to fend her off. But this time, he had been powerless. How could she have so much power over him when he was stronger than her?

Questions aside, the cursed death had been defeated, yet again. Yes, he had defeated death, even when it had him locked in a corner, its fangs draining out his life forced. He had survived!

Snapping his eyes open, Naruto quickly noticed that his right eye was not functioning. There was no doubt about it. He also could not feel anything in the eye socket. It was like there was nothing there. He placed his right hand there. But he only found a soft fabric bandaging his hand, even his fingers. He could not see his skin. He quickly scanned his body. That is when he realized that his entire body had been covered in bandages. He could not see his skin. Still, all his limbs had regrown.

He turned to look at the figures beside the bed he was lying on. ''What happened?'' He demanded in a firm tone.

''After the explosion, we retrieved you, what was left of you rather. We then took you to Eden, but there was nothing there. The well had disappeared along with Shi. With the well gone, we brought you to this dimension and tended to you while you regenerated.''

''How long?''

''A full week in Soul Society time, but a full month in the time of this dimension.''

''Why am I still in bandages?''

''Your regeneration had been slow. And when you had fully regenerated, your body was still covered in fourth degree burns. We do not understand why your body regenerated like that. But we believe that after some time, you will recover fully. The only thing you need is the right energy.''

Naruto sat up from his bed. He looked around the place before nodding to himself inwardly. The Fountain of life was gone... He could not understand how that came to be. Could it be that he has lost too much power? Could it be that it was gone because of his near death? Whatever the reason was, it held little importance since the well was already gone.

Given how weak he felt, he could not recreate it. It was impossible for him to create it again. But if it had been there, his body would have recovered. His soul was complete, but given the circumstances, regaining his power looked to be a daunting task, even for him. The power he had lost could not be regained easily. A hundred years long sleep would replenish all the blown up energy he'd lost.

Retrieving Amaterasu would help him. With Amaterasu, he could go to "heaven" – time moved a little faster that than this dimension. But he didn't want to wait a hundred years to recover, he wanted his recovery to be quickly and he WOULD recover quickly.

"Master, if I may – how did you survive that explosion?"

''I should have died; that woman wanted to erase my soul from existence, but she made two mistakes; she used my own reiatsu to create the explosion and she also brought my other half close to me. I was the only one who was immobile, not my other half. When the explosion started, it tore through the shackles that were binding him, freeing him. Since he wasn't restricted by anything, contact with me united us – you can say for a brief second I had returned to my prime. But I still could use my power, so I sacrificed my right eye to save my soul.'' Naruto said stretching out his hands. ''If my other half had been further away from me, all my reaitsu would've disappeared along with the explosion, and even if I had survived, I would've lost the ability to produce spiritual energy – I would've become a normal human without the "well" to restore me."

He guessed this is what she meant that he wouldn't be able to use his power even if he did survive and that he would only live for a short time. Even though he sacrificed his right eye to protect his soul, he had lost much already.

The blond then looked at the figures before him. ''Have you located Amaterasu?''

''Yes, The Soul King has decided to return to his cage and sleep after the explosion. The Royal guards, who have been overseeing her since your return, had left his dimension, so we were able to use this to our advantage and take it away while they were away."

''Still, that fool should've known you entered his dimension… I see, he allowed you to take it. The fool has grown some balls to allow something like that to happen. Does he feel strong enough to think he can defeat me at my full power?'' Naruto responded said sounding amused. ''But given my state, the children will certainly embarrass me – that is if I don't get any energy.''

He sat down at the bed and examined his body further before a foreign expression settled on his face; a frown.

Was this all because of his arrogance?

''You need not to worry about that, master. We have prepared a meal for you. However given your state, it is highly unlikely that you will consume it all. But what you will eat will be enough to avoid any humiliation in the hands of children.''

''No, I don't need to consume any of it,'' Naruto said hiding his left eye with his right hand. ''I will turn all the Reiatsu as a form of a charger to replenish my reaitsu. When I do that, I will speed up the recovery of my body.''

"Should you be using your body if you want it to recover?"

"It makes no difference if I use it or not. If I replenish a small portion of my energy, and I will recover to a level that is acceptable. Besides, it is good to allow everyone to think that I can't hold a candle against Yamamoto."

Soul Society

Naruto looked down at the large crater with an impassive look on his face. This was the place his house once was laid upon. He had spent many nights in the place. All the research and important things had been within the place in his underground laboratory. This was not only his lost entries, everything in Eden was gone. Everything that was left now was his mind and his will.

He still possessed the knowledge within his mind, but given how long he has lived, he had preferred to keep some things in writing to avoid getting a headache while trying to recall things hidden some other memories. It was quite remarkable that he had survived. He could see it with his own eyes. The pain had been extreme. His own reaitsu had blown him up from inside, that had to be painful.

It was a pity that the engineer of the blast was 'dead'. It would also take some time for him to get her back to the living. But he knew people from the Royal family always left something behind. If it had been anyone, it would have been near impossible to bring her back to life. He would not be even thinking about it. But because she is from that line and her majestic knowledge in Kidou, he knew he could recreate her soul.

She would answer to him. He had hated her when the memories came to him, when he remembered that she sealed him and shipped him here. He hated her even more when he learned that she had sealed some of his power. But he had never thought of tearing her body into pieces. Perhaps he had finally reached the limit. She has done some unforgivable things towards him that even her late husband did not and could not.

The thing that made it even worse back then was that he couldn't even remember her name back then. But it came back to him and all the time he spent with her.

That woman had killed Shutara and left him knocking in the doors of death. Such an act was unforgivable. He could not forgive her. He did not care for her reasons. Brining him to this kind of situation was blasphemy. He knew that the woman could do anything she set her mind to do. But he had never thought she would do something like that to him, not after everything. He should have expected it though. She had smiled at him - sadly - when she sealed him the first time, she had promised to do it again if they met again. Though she did not seal him, she nearly killed him. Even when it pained her, she almost killed him.

That woman was anything but cruel. She had always worn a warm smile and was full of kindness. He had never seen anyone so kindhearted in all his life before he met her. She could not even kill a fly. He doubted there was anyone who could match the warmth she always carried. Even his cold and lifeless eyes had gained life upon interacting with her a bit more.

She taught him to love. He could never get mad at her during those days. But she did it to him anyway. She also killed someone while doing it, just so she could erase his existence. Did she really feel that threatened by his power that she did not wish to see him live further? No that was not it. She knew him better, even better than Unohana. She could read him even when everyone failed to do so.

Perhaps there was something else she saw. But he did not care for that. She was dead...for the moment. He could care less for her reasons. The thing was that she had attempted to kill him and also killed Shutara. The thing that mattered was that she had betrayed his trust, no once but twice. He had no doubt that she would do it again if given the chance. But when he does bring her back to life, he would not give her that chance. He would bring to her about a proper punishment for her betrayal. Now that he thought of it, she was not afraid of dead. Tearing every part of her body apart would not do it.

''This is a rare sight...'' a voice stated coming from behind him.

''Unohana,'' Naruto acknowledged with a tone of indifference. Unohana was quick to notice that. He also rarely called her Unohana. It was always Retsu, and Yachiru. And when he turned around to face her, she quickly noticed that his entire body, up until his neck was bandaged except for his left eye - which also looked different. It also seemed a lot colder than usual. Other than that she could not read anything from his face given the impassiveness that glorified it. There was also that he was wearing a white cloak, with bandages underneath it. She was quick to conclude that they were all over his body. He was not wearing his captain's haori. She did not dwell on the thought though.

''I have never seen you stare at a single place for that long,'' Unohana continued from her previous sentence. Her tone did not suggest anything. Neither was her expression. But the usual smile she always wore was nothing but a memory now.

Naruto was silent for a few moments. He had not realized that he had been staring at the large crater beneath him. She must have noticed his presence when he entered the barrier around the crater. He could see that the barrier was her work. She was far more adept to Kido and Hado than anyone else in Soul Society. ''You are not surprised about my survival. You seem to have been expecting my return. The moment you saw that the bandages were all over my body, your smile disappeared,'' he walked closer to her until he was just a few inches away from her. ''I did not know that you worried about me like that, Yachiru.''

He did not even sound amused by that. There was nothing but coldness in his tone. It was just contradicting his statement. He had never spoken to her like that. If Unohana was not worried before, now she was worried. ''I am not the only one who believed you were still alive,'' she then noticed something she had missed. He was carrying a katana she recognized. But her eyes refused to widen in surprise. She also did not comment on it.

''I would imagine so,'' Naruto responded calmly, keeping the short distance between him and Unohana.

''What happened?'' She got to what was bothering her carefully. It was best to question it since the blond did not seem like he was going to share it with her. She did not bother with questions like where he was and how he is doing. She could perfectly see how well he is. She could clearly feel that he was not ''well'' by his standards.

''A woman I trusted, even more than you tried to kill me. It is a pity that Shutara was caught in the middle of it,'' he sounded so indifferent like he was not concerned or bitter about it. ''I wonder though, if you will betray me like she did.''

She did not know this other woman. It was definitely not Shutara. That woman would never attempt to end Naruto's life. Sealing him and ending his life were two different things, and she knew that Shutara would never follow the latter. Unohana could not even guess who this other woman was. She did not know there was someone that Naruto trusted except for her and the dead Shutara. Who could this woman be to bring the blond in such a state?

''It is indeed a pity,'' Unohana said, commenting on Shutara. Now it was clear. Naruto had not made a miscalculation in his plans to free himself. Someone had tried to kill him while doing so. It was also difficult to tell how he felt about the death of his love. But one thing was obvious to her; Naruto was not a happy person. ''So you were not able to recover fully. But it seems that you have your Zanpakutou back.''

Naruto's eye seemed to get a little darker. ''Yes, Amaterasu was retrieved,'' the blond then paused for a moment. ''I will take my leave now, Unohana. But I will see you tomorrow - emergency calls." He was gone after that.

The following day

Things have changed so drastically. It had been a long time since he felt so empty. Naruto had never thought that he would ever experience such emptiness again in his life. He had experienced it before. The feeling felt foreign, but it was real. He was experiencing it; all because he had trusted her. When he saw her, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Even his cold heart that knew not love began to like her. The heart that cared for nothing learned to care because of her. Ironic that she was the one to give him all these emotions and be the one to take them away.

Perhaps it was some punishment for falling in love and sleeping the mother of the child you were supposed to look after and the wife of someone who took you up to his own family and gave you his name. The Soul King must have been rejoicing knowing that his mother finally hurt him severely. She had seemed to be incapable of doing it back in those days.

He still remembered the look that fool gave him when he found him in his mother's bed. He was furious; perhaps it was because he had been a mere child back then. Yes, he was a gaki who could not understand how his older ''brother'' could sleep with their mother. There was also the fact that Amaya spent much time with him than her own son.

The fool had held a grudge against him since then. But it disappeared as the fool matured and he basically stopped carrying about what his mother did. After that, they got along fairly well. The Soul King's father had already died before that. The man took him to his family when he was lying in a death bed. He had used some technique to direct him to his family.

He did not live for long after that. The last thing he had requested for him was to take care of his family. He did take care of the royal family back then. But things changed when both mother and son saw the extent of his power. Naruto never did fight with them, even when the son stopped smiling as he usually did after he, Naruto, had ascended to glory.

He could never deny that the fool was the rightful owner of the glory. But he was weak and foolish. And the previous owner had elected him to occupy the place until he felt that the fool was ready for the responsibility. So much for everything he had gone through with the royal family. But he was not crying, he would reunite mother and son again.

That Amaya, he smiled bitterly at the thought.

'You know, it quite depressing seeing you think like this,' Amaterasu stated, sounding a little bored. Really, she had never seen the blond think like this. In all her times with him, he never thought bitterly. There was some anger towards Amaya, but he was never so bitter about her. She never did know his interactions with the woman. Naruto did not use a Zanpakutou before her. So she did not know everything.

'Depressing huh?' Naruto responded. His thought voice was just like the whisper of death. 'I never thought you would say such a word towards me,' the blond stated.

'Neither did I, but a lot of things have been happening that neither of us ever thought they would,' The Zanpakutou spirit responded coolly.

This was one that had gone really bad. Amaterasu never thought that Naruto would be brought to such a state given all the power he used to have. Perhaps this was the result of his ignorance. Though she would never say it aloud, there was no one who was ignorant as her wielder.

With Naruto, it stemmed from the fact that he was superior to any being. Since he had no equal, he felt that everyone else was below him and never considered anyone to be a threat. Calling other souls or beings 'children' wasn't because he was older than them; it was simply because he saw them as mere children when it came to power. If they were mere children, why the need to think highly of them?

Such was his problem. Well, it worked well for him back then because he used his mind more often than he does now. Perhaps it was because the Shinigami of that generation were seriously strong. The captains of today are nothing compared to the captains of those 'good' days. Perhaps Naruto felt that he didn't need to think because the level had dropped and he was still 'God.'

Things are bound to change after this experience that nearly killed him though.

'You are indeed right,' Naruto said with a sigh. Everything had spiraled out of his control. He took pride in being able to control things that happened around him. He had manipulated the events of the past to working well for him now. They had indeed, but there was one thing he did not expect. He couldn't control it; he couldn't do anything to stop it. That was the harsh reality.

The unexpected had occurred for the second time. The first time something happened to his body that was out of his control had worked well for him. He didn't complain much since it was basically 'him' who changed things. But this time, it was that woman and she had literally brought him to his knees.

'Instead of your depressing thoughts, how about we move on to how to get you to recover. You know that if your body remains as it is you won't be able to become any powerful. You now have limits, something you did not have before,' Amaterasu explained sounding a little serious about the matter. Naruto was her wielder; she liked him all mighty and powerful. She certainly would not be happy if he was being pushed back by beings he would not have even bothered to draw out his sword at in the old days.

'Everything is in motion, Amaterasu. You were still cut off from me when everything was set. My body is already recovering, and everything will be remedied soon, very soon. This time, there won't be anything standing in the way.'

'What of Shutara?' She was dead, Amaterasu knew it, but Naruto wasn't saying anything about it to her. Normally he would confine in her about such matters, but he wasn't saying anything. It was almost like he didn't care about what happened to her.

'Shutara is unexpectedly dead. There is nothing more or less to it. I can't do anything about her death anyway,' Naruto gave his response without so much as taking a second to think of a proper replay.

'Ah, you have 'closed' yourself again,' Amaterasu commented dryly. Naruto ignored the comment though.

The blond narrowed his eyes in all directions. He sensed that the captains were coming to him in all directions. He certainly could not outrun them all. And he could not fight them all. But he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. The problem was that his tricks had limits; it was not dangerous when his opponents did not know the limits. However, if they were to be aware of the limits, it would be dangerous for him.

Still, Naruto did not fear anything; they were mere children after all, what was there to fear?

One by one, the captains flashed around him and all stood still around him. Naruto made no attempt to move. He acted as though he did not feel their presence. He noticed that Unohana was among them. Normally she would not have bothered to venture in this party. Perhaps central 46 were behind her presence here. Those fools could be a little demanding and annoying at times.

However, the woman was not the one to cave in to pressure. In some regards, she was rather forceful like Shutara had been. He also noticed that Urahara was amongst the captains. It was no doubt that the strongest had been gathered to get to him. He could see the smirk on Soi-fon's face. She seemed rather pleased about something.

The children could smell blood. Naruto shook his head inwardly. When children smelled blood, they really got to his nerves as they were always relentless. Sometimes it made him feel like snapping their necks and be over with it. It was certain that this was going to be bothersome.

Yamamoto stepped up. ''Uchiha Naruto, by order of central 46, you are to come with us to be judged!''

Naruto did not move for a moment. He finally turned around to look at a stern faced Yamamoto. ''You are looking down on me because you feel you are more powerful than me. These foolish children now feel confident because they think they can actually defeat me.''

He could see that Yamamoto seemed happy about something, but even though they could smell blood, even though he was this weakened, Naruto couldn't be defeated that easily, especially not by mere children who only had a hundred years under their belt.

''We don't think we can defeat you. We know we can. But if you have difficulty in accepting that, we will have no trouble in showing it to you that you are weak and pathetic. There is nothing left of you other than your mouth, ego and pride. I might just step up and kick you down just to ensure that pride of yours is knocked down to the ground and you are kneeling before me,'' Soi-fon responded, ever so arrogantly. She believed she could take the blond on. He looked nothing more than a mummy.

''The little fly has now become a dog and is now barking...'' Naruto responded, not sounding the least amused. His words were just cold as steel. Yamamoto just let this continue to see how Naruto could react if Soi-fon continued to antagonize him further.

Soi-fon held herself well. ''At least I am not reduced to a mummy. I do wonder what is under those bandages. Perhaps I am barking because I smell a cold steak under those bandages,'' her smug look never left her. It seemed that she had been practicing well.

''She makes fun of Uchiha Naruto. I don't like children who give me that attitude.'' he paused for a moment looking straight at Soi-fon. ''You have less than a month to live, child. I've decided, and nothing will change that. Not Yamamoto, not central 46, not even the Royal guard will stand in the way of your inevitable death."

It was not that Yamamoto enjoyed hearing Naruto threaten his subordinates. It was just that something about the blond disturbed him greatly.

No one spoke or moved when the blond was speaking. The tone Naruto used as so chilling that he could see that Soi-fon had frozen over the chilling sound of the voice. He did not doubt that most of the captains had felt chills run about their spines. He could feel that the blond very well intended to keep that threat. Perhaps it was not a good idea to allow Soi-fon to open her mouth. Still, Naruto had never resorted to such methods when insulted.

Insults were something he found to be amusing. Even when threatened, he found it all to be amusing. In all these thousand years Yamamoto had known Naruto, he'd never heard him make such a threat.

Despite the sudden chill in her, Soi-fon quickly shook off the coldness in her before taunting Naruto. ''I would like to see you try. You know what? You are welcome to try now, there is nothing stopping you from doing what you wish.''

Shunsui shook his head; Soi-fon was taking it too far and she did not want an angry Naruto to deal with. If she kept pushing, Naruto may very well attempt to kill her now. And if Naruto wanted her dead, she would die one way or the other. Well, not unless he could help it. ''Don't take it too far, Soi-fon taicho - you don't want to be faced with an angry Naruto.''

Although he was sure the younger captains may not be feeling it, Naruto's reaitsu felt much stronger than before, not even before he was sealed did it feel so powerful. It was powerful, but it wasn't that much, otherwise they could all feel it. This only raised questions inside Shunsui's head about the incident that occurred a week ago.

Another thing that made him cautious was the hilt of the blade around his waist; Shunsui knew which Zanpakutou it was. How Naruto came into possession of it was a mystery to him.

Soi-fon snorted. ''Even if he gets angry, what can he do?'' He didn't feel as strong as he was weeks ago. She felt it in her blood that she could toy with him and smack him around.

''You don't really want to find out,'' Ukitake said with a small smile on his face. An angry Naruto was something he'd only seen once, and he didn't to see him in that state again. It was rare to see him angry though, but when he did get mad, things tended to be nasty.

''I would like to see him mad just to see what h-'' Soi-fon was cut off when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her; the look on his face was nothing but plain impassiveness, and his left eye seemed to have gained a new glint as it was spinning slowly, hypnotically. His cold breath washed over her faced like an unwanted cold breeze.

The thing that scared Soi-fon was the dense Reiatsu that was strangling her. She started feeling it when his right hand touched the hilt of his Zanpakutou. ''I can always fast forward your inevitable death, if you so wish.'' He said. "Do you perhaps wish to test my flames?" A cloud of smoke begun to gather under, making Soi-fon move away from him.

''Enough of this!'' Yamamoto said firmly brining everyone to his attention.

He moved closer to Naruto before studying the blond carefully. He could fully well recognize the handle of Amaterasu. But that did not change the fact that the blond was weak. He was even tempted to humiliate the blond in front of the younger captains. But it would not end well if he did that. Such a thing would be blasphemy towards the blond.

But, even he could sense that Naruto's reaitsu had become even denser, much more than anything else. Knowing Naruto, he wouldn't even have come here in the open if he didn't trust himself. For this reason, Yamamoto was cautious. He was afraid to believe that Naruto was even more dangerous in this kind of situation.

Still, there was only one way to find out...

''Tempting is it not?'' Naruto questioned, having noticed that the captain commander was holding his staff firmly. He could only suspect that the man was tempted to humiliate him. But even he knew that it would not end well. Uchiha Naruto did not forgive such blasphemy.

''It is indeed. But I can wait,'' Yamamoto responded calmly. ''Now, will you follow me to central 46 or will you suffer the embarrassment of being dragged there like a foolish child?''

Naruto folded his hands across his chest. ''Lead the way.''

''A wise choice. Though, I must admit, I was looking forward to dragging you towards Central 46,'' Yamamoto admitted, but he was ignored by Naruto.

The other captains went their way as Naruto followed Yamamoto towards Central 46. They'd only been present to insure that Naruto went with Yamamoto as there was a chance that he would refuse. In case a scenario such as that occurred, they would've been forced to use force to drag the blond towards C46.

Central 46

''I trust you will behave,'' Yamamoto said, stern faced. He didn't want Naruto to do anything unnecessary that would only cause him a headache. He had enough problems dealing with the mess Naruto had created a week ago.

''I will do what I can,'' Naruto said as he entered the center of Central 46. His persecutors came into view, all looking at him coldly. Naruto stopped in the middle of the court, with Yamamoto a few feet away from him.

''I see you didn't put a fight before coming here,'' one of the members of the court sad mildly. Honestly, he would have liked it if he had put up a fight so they could see just how powerful he was.

''There was no need to draw out my sword when I was only needed to appear before you...people,'' Naruto responded calmly.

''It could be that you just feared the might of the Gotei 13,'' another said aloud. ''It is a bit of a surprise to see you alive. I would have liked it if you'd just disappeared along with your house.''

A few nods of agreement followed after those words.

''It is ''unfortunate'' that I survived then,'' Naruto responded, surprising everyone. They weren't expecting him to give such a light comment. It was actually a surprise to Yamamoto that he'd yet sprout insults at central 46.

''Regardless, it appears you did not escape without a scratch,'' a wise mature voice stated calmly.

''Apparently,'' Naruto didn't deny anything. ''I believe you called me here to say something else other than this uninteresting subject. If I'm wrong, then you'll have to excuse me; I don't have the time and energy to entertain you.''

Naruto words were greeted by silence. It didn't last long as someone spoke. ''Explain to us what happened. What caused that explosion and where is Shutara?''

''The Royal Guard came here and investigated, yet they didn't tell you a thing. It must be frustrating for the likes of you to have been left out like that,'' Naruto only earned himself glares from the court. ''The fact that they didn't tell you anything only leads me to one conclusion; it is above your pay grade to know the details of the incidents.''

''Bastard! Do you know who you're talking to? You fool; we are Central 46 and rule over Soul Society! Nothing is above our pay grade!''

''Yes, you say that, but the reality is that they didn't tell you anything. Not a damn thing.''

Curses were thrown at Naruto before a smooth voice silenced the court. ''It is indeed true that the Royal Guard didn't tell us anything, but it could be that they knew we would force answers from you. Of course, for them to think like that they had to have assumed that you were still alive.''

Even he knew that it wasn't like that. But hoped to see how smart Naruto was. The member of C46 thought that the Royal Guard knew that even they tried to get answers from Naruto, the blond would only tell them what he wanted them to know. Still, what if Naruto told them things that made the royal Family look bad? What could they gain by allowing something like that to happen?

''Only speculation can only be made at this point,'' Naruto said. He then asked another question. ''Despite what you say, you asked them about their findings, and what was their response?''

No one spoke for a few moments.

''I see,'' Naruto said. ''So even when they refused to tell you anything, you still go behind the Royal family's back to get answers to satisfy your own curiosity. I do wonder what the ''Spirit King'' will do when he realizes that you're trying to get answers he hid from you.''

Silence settled in before someone spoke. ''Regardless, there was no specific order barring us from demanding answers from you. So there is no wrong in what we are doing. I also believe that the incident is important enough to warrant our need for answers.''

Naruto adopted a thinking pose before he responded. ''If you can give me a satisfying reason to this question, I will accept anything you say - Yamamoto says you want to judge me, so I must ask, what wrong have I done?''

''You have threatened the safety of Soul Society!''

''By doing what exactly?''

''This explosion that occurred recently; it threatened our safety and killed one of our captains. This is not the first incident you've caused, there was that one in the execution grounds, and your other actions have not benefited us with anything.''

''We've already dealt with the first explosion, and it wasn't a threat to anyone - you know this. The second explosion may have shaken Soul Society, but I can say that I wasn't the one who caused it. Someone old from the Royal family caused it, so technically, it is the Royal family who thr-''

''Do not dare blabber such nonsense!"

The atmosphere became tense and the air became heavy. Yamamoto got ready to act but Naruto didn't do anything, he just spoke. ''Shut up - I was still talking.'' Naruto said in a deathly silent tone. ''Do no refute what you do not know you foolish monkey. There only one speaking blasphemy is you saying I'm lying.'' Naruto paused for a moment before continuing. ''As I was saying; it is technically the royal family who threatened Soul Society and killed Shutara and I don't remember doing anything that has threaten the safety of this place.

If you believe I'm wrong, then show me exactly what I did wrong. If you can't, then perhaps, I should be the one to judge you!'' Naruto took out Amaterasu and held her in a vertical position in front of him; the tip of the blade pointing upwards; black flames begun to seep out of his blade...

The reaction to the last chapter was mixed, some reviews were amusing, and some reviewers felt that it was utter bullshit; some said I was going to lose some readers – I may have, I don't know for sure. So, I don't know what to do; either cry or just shrug it off. Well anyway, I thank everyone who reviewed and even those who thought this was complete shit.

No, I'm not being sarcastic.

I actually didn't know that Takemi is a woman's name.

You must be wondering what Naruto means when he says that he won't be able to recover his power even if his body does recover. I will say this; normally when a powerful being uses too much power, he/she usually takes hundreds of years to recover it all. The energy Naruto lost can't be replenished like how chakra is replenished. What Naruto is looking for is something that will grant him his wish and restore his power without the need to rest his body for years.

He couldn't save his reaitsu since the explosion had already started, hence he was only able to save his soul.

In three or four more chapters, I will be done with the story. I just hope that I will still be having readers by then.