Yamamoto eyed the black butterfly that came into his chamber, it had been there when he entered his office. The only reason one would be in his office specifically is if there was an order from the Soul King.

Approaching the Hell Butterfly, the Head Captain made his presence known so that he could listen to the message.

"Head Captain Yamamoto, I understand that recent events have left the Gotei 13 in some disarray. However, I am sending two of my Royal Guard to you with orders directly from myself. Bear in mind that their authority is an extension of mine, so I expect them to be treated with respect. They will arrive shortly."

Then in a flash, the butterfly was replaced by two people. A spiky haired blond man and a redheaded woman, both in the garb of the Royal Guard of the Soul King.

"I'll never get used to that," the redheaded woman grumbled.

"It definitely feels weirder than traveling with my Hiraishin," the man commented in reply before turning to the Head Captain. "Ah, Yamamoto-san. Thank you for allowing us into your office. My name is Minato Namikaze, and this is my wife and partner, Kushina Uzumaki."

"We were sent here so that we, along with you and your subordinates, could look over this," Kushina continued, presenting a book with the distinct image of a Hollow's mask on the cover.

While confused, the Head Captain nodded in understanding. "Of course," the elderly looking Shinigami replied. "Orders from the Soul King must not be ignored. What do we need to do?"

"Gather the Captains, and in the case of Squads whose Captains have turned traitors, their Lieutenants," Minato spoke up. "Along with them, the Soul King has informed us to have you gather the Ryoka and Shihōin-san as well."

His confusion lingered, but Yamamoto replied, "I shall gather them all shortly. I assume we'll need some way to view the contents of this book?"

"Yep. Got anything that can display the book as visual imagery?" Kushina asked, earning a nod.

"We'll take care of it."


"Huh… Weird device," the Uzumaki woman commented, staring at the recently finished viewing instrument that had been set up for the book.

The instrument in question had a monitor screen that was black and held static, showing that it was trying to get a signal. The casing for the monitor looked oddly organic, made of a purplish material that one could compare to the fleshy walls of the Dangai and the "Sweeper" that cleaned it. Most of the wiring was covered in the odd material, but everyone there could sense the stable energy running through it; providing the monitor with a steady source of power. As for the size, the screen easily covered most of the wall, with the edges covered in the same material and attached to the wall itself to prevent the monitor from falling over.

"This should work out nicely," Minato stated, taking the book from his wife and setting it on the scanner connected to the machine.

"A book? Are you kid-?!" Kenpachi started to say, but was cut off by a fierce look from Kushina. While momentarily quelled, the man couldn't fight the excited grin from forming on his face. He could tell that this woman was strong; very strong.

"There is more to this book than you all know," she informed the gathered group of people. "What I'm about to tell you was told to us directly from the Soul King himself."

The Shinigami of the Gotei 13 and Yoruichi looked stunned at that while Ichigo and the others were lost. However, they didn't comment on their confusion, believing that their unspoken question would be answered.

"The Soul King has a responsibility beyond that of governing the Soul Society. He observes various timelines, or realities, beyond our own; keeping watch for any that could lead to an imbalance between the worlds that could lead to disaster," Kushina began.

"Realities…?" Nemu spoke up, sounding intrigued. "You mean to say that this book is another reality put on paper?"

"It's only that way because seeing another reality in it's truest and uncensored form would be too much for any mind to comprehend; besides that of the Soul King, of course," Minato explained. "If you tried to see it, you would only see something that cannot be seen. The mind would shatter from trying to make sense of it all."

"So, this book allows us to view this other reality safely then?" Nemu questioned once more.

"Yes," both Royal Guard members said as one, getting amazed and slightly anxious looks from the others.

However, Rukia, looking at the book, balked at the title and imagery on its cover. "Wait a minute! Hollow?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Please, Kuchiki-san," Minato spoke up calmingly. "The title doesn't signify that we'll be focusing on Hollows."

"We'll need to look this over from start to finish," Kushina continued. "According to the Soul King, it showcases a bit of what to expect from the three who proved that the Gotei 10 — oh, I'm sorry, 13 — are a bunch of idiots as far as not knowing what they were up to by looking at an alternative timeline."

At that, the Captains all looked miffed. Sure, they had really screwed up badly, but did this woman have to rub it in?!

"Sorry about that," Minato apologized sheepishly while Kushina looked totally unapologetic. "My wife's past experiences have left her…distasteful towards people who never ask questions or anything like that and simply take things at face value. It's a long, and rather personal story. Can we just start with the book?"

Kushina nodded thankfully as the screen came to life. She knew that her husband was referring to her time as a Jinchūriki and how anyone made into one had to live because people never bothered to tell the difference between the human and the Tailed Beasts they held.

"I'll go first, then" Unohana offered, hoping to defuse the tension in the air. The others nodded and she was then passed the book. Opening it up, she looked to the title of the first chapter and began to read.

Chapter 1: Their First Meetings

"Wonder who's meeting whom?" Orihime mused, a cute thinking expression on her face.

"If you let me read, we can all find out, Inoue-san," Unohana calmly admonished, a kind smile on her face as she cleared her throat and began to read.

A blonde teen gazed at the rundown building that had belonged to his ancestors when they had allied with the Hidden Leaf.

"It's about Naruto?" Kushina asked in slight surprise, both she and Minato looking interested in how their child was involved.

"And Naruto would be...?" Soifon questioned with a raised brow.

"Our son," Minato answered simply.

"What I'm wondering is why he's staring at the Mask Storage Temple..." Kushina muttered with a faint frown.

It carried an artifact of great power, one that was meant to be guarded for as long as time stood. It was both fortunate and unfortunate that this place had fallen so far under everyone's radar that it was unheard of for many years.

"What artifact would this be?" Nemu asked, Being the daughter of Mayuri, they share several similar traits, such as her curiosity. Besides, if she didn't get the proper information, Mayuri would be furious and she knew what would happen then...

"You don't think..." Minato began, eyes wide.

"No doubt, it's THAT mask," Kushina confirmed.

If he had to guess, maybe a handful of people knew about this location besides himself; most of those people being dead anyway. Not that death could truly stop someone. He knew that firsthand the moment he discovered this place as a boy.

Due to their nature as Shinigami or their relationship with the concept of "Death", those present had an idea what the book was getting at.

"Back again, child?" a gentle voice spoke, prompting him to turn his blue eyes over to the speaker.

She was a woman of noble beauty and grace that had red hair styled into twin buns atop her head. Her eyes were pupiless and shaded a dark violet, and her kimono looked to be of the finest quality. Acting as earrings were a pair of sealing tags while the insignia of the Uzumaki Clan rested on the back and heart of her clothes.

Kushina and Minato both looked shocked at the image of someone so revered amongst the Hidden Leaf and the Uzumaki Clan. The others took notice of their shock, but they withheld their questions since the book looked ready to identify the woman.

Finishing off her look was her form being visibly transparent and a thick chain that tethered her form to that of the rundown building.

Memories of his first encounter with a Tethered Spirit made Ichigo wince. That idiot Don Kanonji made things WAY more complicated than they needed to be. His friends and Rukia, having also been in the vicinity, also paid closer attention.

This was Mito Uzumaki, a deceased member of the Uzumaki Clan whose spirit had refused to leave the mortal plane out of an impeccable sense of duty to her people.

Kushina sighed at that, smiling sadly. "Mito-sama really was like that; putting her duties to our clan and the village before her own well-being. She more than deserves to pass on, but she's once again putting duty before herself."

Yamamoto hummed at that, respecting this Mito for her attitude towards "responsibility" and "duty". It was how he ran the Gotei 13, and the Soul Society as a whole, after all.

She once held the greatest of the Bijuu within her; the Kyuubi. She was the first to act as the beast's prison while the young man before her was currently the third.

"Who was the second?" Ukitake asked, silently appalled at the idea of Humans becoming living prisons for great beasts.

"Probably the pretty lady related to the woman we're seeing," guessed Kyoraku, nodding his head to Kushina.

She in turn nodded her confirmation. "I was given the Kyuubi from Mito-sama safely. Naruto was...forced into his current position as the third jailor."

The way she said that let the others know that there was a deeper story involved. But, they let it be in exchange for continuing the book since the woman was obviously in no mood to tell it.

A soft smile graced the blonde's face at her question. He never understood how he was able to see those who had died, but he didn't question it. In his eyes, speaking with the dearly departed helped stave off the bitter loneliness he suffered for most of his life.

"A lonely life...?" Hitsugaya repeated. "Is holding a 'Bijuu' really such an ostracizing life?"

"Yes," both former shinobi answered bitterly.

"I was lucky to have my status as Jinchuuriki mostly under wraps," Kushina continued. "But, I wouldn't put it past the higher-ups of the Leaf to have practically let the world know that my boy became the next Jinchuuriki."

"Power of Human Sacrifice..." Nemu translated, jotting some notes down as she heard more information about this Naruto and the Bijuu. No doubt Mayuri-sama would want this kind of information.

Most of the Captains turned to the lieutenant of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13, frowning disapprovingly at the idea of Mayuri learning any of this. To force something like a Bijuu onto a living person, whether they were Human or a Soul, was too cruel for them to condone.

Mito being a member of his family only further pushed back those lonely thoughts.

"I just wanted to say goodbye before I left with Pervy Sage on our training trip. I don't know how long we'll be gone, so…"

"Jiraiya-sensei became his teacher, huh?" Minato mused.

"He better not have corrupted my boy..." growled Kushina, her hair floating in nine places reminiscent of a certain Bijuu.

Mito gave him a warm smile as he trailed off, already used to seeing him act this way around her. It saddened her just how much hatred had taken a role in her younger clansmen's life, especially when she knew that Love was the key to holding back the influence of the beast he carried; she knew this better than anyone.

He was hated for it when it wasn't his fault?" Ichigo demanded, "That's utter bullshit! Shouldn't have had to go through that!"

"Ichigo...I hear and understand that loud and clear, " Renji sighed, "but knowing is different than caring. The people around him knew it was forced of this Naruto kid, but they didn't care. And when things went wrong because of him getting nothing but the opposite of what he needed blew up, the ones who cause it blame him." this was bringing back memories of growing up in the Rukongai's 79th district, Kusajishi. And it pissed. Him. Off!

"But...!" Ichigo sputtered.

"We understand what you're saying, Ichigo; and we agree. But what can we do about it?" Yoruichi sighed unhappily at her own point.

"Very good guy." Kushina noted, looking at Ichigo, her husband nodding.

"I see. Well, be sure to continue your fūinjutsu studies, dear child. I would hate for you to come back without something new to present to me; especially when you've been such a wonderful student over the years."

Kushina whistled. Learning fūinjutsu under Mito…her son, at least in the story, was lucky in that regard!

He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, his closed eyes missing her brows furrow briefly. "I promise," he replied.

When he opened his eyes again, he gave her a sad smile and moved in to embrace her, catching her slightly by surprise since he had never done that before. What was more surprising was how she could actually feel him, and she could tell that the experience went both ways.

"I'm gonna miss you, ttebayo…"

She chuckled softly as she returned his embrace. "Kushina-chan will throw a fit if she ever finds out you inherited her little tic."

"Not. A. Word..." Kushina said tightly, her brow twitching. She hated that verbal tic!

"I'm just glad that I have another thing to remind me of her," he mused, stepping away from the hug while a hand rested on the scarf neatly wrapped over his shoulders.

Kushina's eyes widened and she beamed! That was...!

Konohamaru had found it for Naruto after Tsunade had given the boy his grandfather's belongings he had left in the Hokage Office prior to his death. Along with said scarf was an envelope addressed to the blonde, which held a photo of two people; his parents.

"WHAT?! Sarutobi...! He...he KEPT those from...!?"

"Uh...better keep reading..." Uryu said, seeing a parental meltdown coming, "Also, if this person you're so mad at is dead, what's to stop you from tracking them down here in the soul society?" The now Ex-Quincy said, adjusting his glasses.

At the words of the disempowered teen, Minato and Kushina fumed, but reined in their tempers. It was a good point. Track Sarutobi down later and make him pay...

It was such an emotional blow that he had stayed with Mito's spirit for a week before he returned to the village, no one knowing where he was due to the ignorance of the Uzumaki Mask Shrine. Mito was an emotional pillar for him, as well as a mentor who guided him through the methods of the infamous Uzumaki fūinjutsu.

Soifon blinked. Knowing what hurt like that must have felt like, having gone through something similar with when Yoruichi left the Soul Society. Difference being, she'd had no support at that time. "I take it you Uzumaki are skilled with sealing arts?" she asked, voicing that as opposed to her actual thoughts.

Kushina nodded.

Before he grew close to Tsunade – who Mito revealed to him was her granddaughter – Mito had begun to fill the void that had been placed in his heart the day he realized he had no parents.

"She did a fine job with that," Mito praised, fixing the loose knot that Naruto had tied to keep the scarf in place. "Be sure to take good care of it, Naruto."

Kushina smiled. It made her feel warm knowing the scarf she'd made meant so much to her son.

Chad, for his part, fingered the old Mexican coin his abuelo had given him so long ago. He understood why the scarf meant so much to Naruto. It made him smile. He knew the Uzumaki kid would take care of it, protect it with his life. Good for him.

"I will." He gave the spirit one last embrace before he headed back to the village to meet Jiraiya at the gates. "I'll be back stronger than ever, Mito-baa-chan! Count on it!"

When he was no longer in sight, she whispered aloud, "I know you will, child…"

"Yeah...no. Sorry son, but with Jiraiya's methods..." Minato sighed, rubbing his temples as memories bubbled to the forefront of his mind. "I'm speaking from first-hand experience, there. Not saying Jiraiya's a bad guy. But being a good person and being a good teacher are two different things. Good man, and as a shinobi he could face death and battle, but he's got a phobia of responsibility and the disposition of a child with an overly-eccentric and boisterous personality. When I was his student myself, I often wondered what I ever did to be damned to be forced to have to work under the most worthless member of the Sannin who seemed to get by solely on reputation alone when it was earned by his teammates' exploits rather than his. How I saw him got better as time passed, but.. "

"He's that bad?" Shunsui asked, brow cocked.

"As a fighter, Jiraiya-sensei's competent, but as a mentor..." Minato left it hanging as everyone winced.


"I suppose that you might consider this another form of bestial act," a very tall and light-skinned man asked as he held up an unconscious and bleeding woman by the front of her clothes. "Maybe it is, Neliel," he continued, "but at least it finally took care of you and your annoying ideals."

Everyone frowned at that. The way the guy was talking made it obvious he had attacked her.

A bit away from him was a pink-haired man with amber eyes, messing with a small device in his hands. "Are you finished, Nnoitra-san? The woman is defeated, and your posturing is bordering on foolish."

The Eighth Espada of Hueco Mundo sneered at the scientific Arrancar. "I'd watch your tone, Szayelaporro, considering how you're not even being suggested for an Espada seat. Just finish setting up that damn thing and let's get this over with." His sneer was aimed at the unconscious woman once more. "I'm already sick of looking at this trash."

"Espada?" Toshiro asked, "What's that...sounds like a rank..."

"When a sufficiently powerful enough Hollow removes their mask, they gain humanoid bodies and powers similar to Shinigami Powerful, too. First Arrancar to ever exist was named Arturo Plateado, and he nearly single-handily destroyed the Soul Society all on his own...was too powerful to actually kill, he had to be sealed away..." Yamamoto said darkly. "It's been at least a thousand years since any of them have been seen sense."

Everyone gawked. Horrified at that information.

"...And there's MORE of these things?!" Kenpachi demanded, then broke out laughing, "This is GREAT! Can't wait to take them on!"

Everyone stared at him. He wanted to have there be more of these Arrancar guys running around?! Loving battle was one thing, but was this man actually that insane?!

Szayelaporro sniffed dismissively as he finished the final touches on his device. "It's ready," he announced, gathering some of his reiatsu and pouring it into the device.

Lazily, he tossed it in front of himself and observed as a Garganta was formed; though this one didn't look even half as stable as a standard one.

"Garganta?" Ichigo repeated.

"Those portals Hollows make to come to the living world." Ukitake offered in explanation.

"Hurry and toss her through," the scientist sniped, clipping a bracelet around Neliel's left wrist. "That should allow me to record what happens with this experimental Garganta. I must know if we're only connected to the Land of the Living and the Seireitei…"

At that, everyone, Save Nemu, scowled or frowned. Oh, just great...a second Mayuri!

"Don't presume to order me around," Nnoitra snarled out as he dropped Neliel carelessly onto the ground before brutally kicking her in her stomach and through the Garganta.

Right as she was passing through, a flash of pink light blinded the two Arrancar for a moment. When it cleared, they saw a young child that resembled Neliel get swallowed by the Garganta before the whole thing collapsed on itself. The moment made Nnoitra smile maliciously as he turned away and started heading back to Las Noches followed by Szayelaporro.

"...Wait..."Las Noches"?" Sajin repeated, frowning, "Think that might be where Aizen uses as a base?"

At that, everyone stared. But the more they thought on it, the more sense it made. Aizen HAD escaped into Hueco Mundo, after all. He had to have somewhere for his base of opperations. This was the kind of information they needed!

Unknown to them, Neliel's Fracción had crawled back to where their leader had been defeated. All they saw was a splash of blood that they knew belonged to her and some strands of her beautiful turquoise hair.

"What now, Pesche?" the larger of the two asked. "Neliel-sama is gone, don'tcha know…"

Pesche grit his teeth and clenched his fists in shame for not being able to protect their leader from harm and possible death. "Nnoitra and Szayelaporro…" he ground out, his self-shame feeding his growing rage. "We'll be back to avenge Neliel-sama's cruel defeat at your hands. I swear it!" Getting to his feet with a hiss of agony, he turned away from the sight of Neliel's blood and stated, "Let's go, Dondochakka. We need to make ourselves scarce in case one of them comes back."

The larger one gave a sad sigh at his friend's words, reaching down to gingerly grab the strands of hair before he too stood up painfully. He took a moment to weave the strands into two small rings before handing one to Pesche. The two put them on their dominant hands before they staggered away from Las Noches towards the seemingly endless desert that was Hueco Mundo.

They would use the following years to become stronger than ever before, all in the name of avenging their closest friend and leader.

"Poor guys..." Ichigo winced. While the stuff he'd heard about these "Arrancar" guys sounded pretty bad, he couldn't help feeling sorry for these two. He knew what it felt like feeling you failed to protect the ones that mattered to you most when his mother had been killed by Grand Fisher when he was younger...


"Stupid pervert," grumbled a sixteen-year-old Naruto as he looked over a sealing formula he had been designing for the past two weeks. "I told him I wasn't ready for that much of the fox's chakra…"

"Jiraiya forced him to use the fox's chakra?!" Kushina raged, her spiritual power growing in response.

"Uzumaki-san! Control yourself!" Yamamoto declared, feeling the weight of her power for himself and noticing that everyone else, save for his students, Retsu, Kenpachi, and Minato were affected as well.

"Now, that's some seriously NICE reiatsu!" the battle-crazed Captain stated with a hungry grin.

Minato calmly took his wife's hand into his own. "Easy now, dear..."

Taking a few breaths, the redheaded woman reeled back her spiritual power; but she still looked noticeably upset.

He was in the last quarter of the second year of his training trip, a month passed his birthday.

"Sixteen years old... He's grown so much," Minato mused sadly, bitter about not being a more integral part of Naruto's life.

"At least in this timeline, he had Mito-sama to guide him," Kushina noted, trying to cheer them both up. The two shared a somber smile as they held the other's hand, and the others couldn't help feeling a sense of pity for the parents forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for their only child.

So far, the trip itself had been very underwhelming for the blonde Uzumaki who was expecting to learn most of the tricks and skills that the Toad Sage was capable of using.

"What would you say those 'tricks' are, Namikaze-san?" Ukitake queried curiously.

"Sensei was known for three things; though the last isn't common knowledge. He's a Toad Summoner, having learned how to fight alongside a Toad of any size for various situations. He's proficient in Sealing Arts; though comparing him to the Uzumaki Clan is a fool's errand. And he learned to tap into natural energy of the world around him and channel it through himself, becoming a Sage. However, sensei never fully grasped that ability and needs the help of Ma and Pa Toad to enter Sage Mode." He looked embarrassed as he added, "I myself can use senjutsu; but it takes far too long and barely lasts for me. My son, in our natural timeline, is a genuine Toad Sage; having mastered it far beyond what I or sensei could hope to achieve. At least from what I've managed to learn."

The Captain of Squad 13 looked rightfully impressed with this knowledge, as did many of the other Captains. Ichigo and his friends looked a little lost on what was being explained.

Unseen by everyone except for Kushina, Nemu looked intrigued when Minato spoke of Naruto's accomplishment; a small glint seen in her normally apathetic gaze.

That wasn't the case.

Instead, the first year was devoted solely to mastering basics that should've been gone over by Kakashi; his official teacher since he had been assigned to Team 7.

"Hold on," Soifon spoke up, looking rather annoyed. "You mean to tell me that your son was forced to get by with misused basics; let alone proper instruction?"

When Naruto's parents nodded, the Second Squad Captain growled angrily. As leader of the Stealth Force, she felt that she was probably the closest to understanding what it meant to be a shinobi; so she knew EXACTLY how vital it was to understand the basics. They were the foundation of all future study and training.

"When this Kakashi dies, I think I'll personally see to his konso..." the woman muttered.

Giving a sideways glance at her former protégé, Yoruichi had only one thought, spawned from how well she knew Soifon: Kakashi was screwed once he was worm chow!

His taijutsu had been smoothed out so that he didn't fight like some common brawler, his chakra control exercises had increased in difficulty, and he had finally learned how to dispel genjutsu.

At the mention of genjutsu, which translated to illusion arts, many of the Shinigami looked understandably bothered. After all, illusionary arts were the specialty of Aizen; and they all fell for his tricks.

It bothered him that it took an entire year to fix those concerns when Kakashi should've noticed them much sooner. No doubt he helped Sasuke figure out his own issues while he was teaching the Uchiha that damnable Chidori.

Her fingers and and eye twitching angrily, Soifon muttered to herself again about getting her hands on Kakashi. The idea of him helping one student while seeing the struggles of another yet choosing to do nothing about it making her furious.

"Chidori...?" Ichigo repeated.

"Picture lightning encasing your hand, giving it unstoppable piercing power as it gives off the sound of nearly a thousand chirping birds," Minato explained. "My son...experienced that piercing power firsthand."

Ichigo and his friends cringed at the mental image while Kushina's hair began floating dangerously.

He was going to hold onto that grudge for a while, considering how he had suffered being run through by that jutsu twice during his fight with Sasuke.

Kushina needed to be calmed down by her husband again at this point.

The second year had Naruto practice with his Rasengan while also trying to develop one that was larger; thereby giving it more power.

"So...basically what he had before this training trip," Kushina sarcastically commented to herself as Minato took a moment to explain the workings of his signature jutsu to everyone else. "Naruto... Just how much were you forced to struggle just to have a fighting chance...?"

While he had improved greatly in his chakra control, he couldn't make the larger Rasengan without the assistance of a clone. Thankfully, though, he was finally able to use a standard Rasengan one-handed.

"It took me almost three years to develop the Rasengan," Minato explained. "Sensei took months to learn it when I was teaching him. Naruto, with little guidance, figured a workaround for it in about two weeks. Using a Clone for a BASIC Rasengan was his workaround, and hearing that it took an extra couple of years to master the BASIC Rasengan is upsetting to me. Sensei should've been more active in teaching him my jutsu; it's his birthright, after all."

"Still," Nemu spoke up from her making notes, surprising many, "the fact that Naruto-san was able to develop his own method for using your technique speaks volumes for his ingenuity. Hearing about it is one thing, but it would've been worthwhile to have had the chance to witness it firsthand."

Many of the others could agree with her conclusion, but Kushina and Yoruichi were able to see that there was an undertone of something else in Nemu's voice; something they doubted even SHE noticed. Knowing what it could be made the two women smirk to themselves.

It was halfway through the second year that Jiraiya decided to start the real training. To Naruto's dismay, the Toad Sage felt that the best training Naruto could do was practice using the Kyuubi chakra; which he honestly hated to use.

Sure, the power boost was phenomenal; but the aftermath of the chakra was not a fair trade in his eyes. His body was left weak, and his chakra coils would practically rage with pain due to the corrosive chakra being pumped through them. Being the Jinchūriki of the chakra helped, but only by so much.

"That sounds awfully familiar..." Yoruichi noted, looking a bit disturbed at the thought. To her, using the chakra of a Bijuu sounded almost exactly like the Vizards' first getting the hang of using their Inner Hollows; a massive boost in overall ability, but a major drain on stamina and health as payment. 'Kisuke would've loved to study these Jinchūriki,' she thought to herself.

And then, around one week ago, Jiraiya had the brilliant idea of loosening the seal so that more of that twisted chakra could be accessed. The result was Naruto quickly losing control and shifting into a Four-Tailed state, going into a berserker rage that could've wrecked the town just a couple miles away from their position.

"He WHAT?!" Minato and Kushina screamed.

Yoruichi AND Ichigo winced at that. Both had experience with that sort of consequence.

Luckily, Jiraiya had some Suppression Seals on hand; something Naruto immediately started working on as soon as he recovered from the strain of the Bijuu chakra.

"Good to see that he's preparing himself for negative outcomes; but it's rather upsetting that it took the mistake of someone else for your son to do so," Retsu commented softly, feeling sorry for Naruto that he had to put his training on hold just to make some fail-safes for a power he never asked for.

He had just finished making a successful one the other day, which allowed him to resume his theoretical seal.

Currently, he was seated atop the hotel building he and Jiraiya were staying at, waiting for the pervert to return from his daily session of spying on women.

Many of the female readers looked ready to hit something (or, more accurately, someONE) at that.

If there was one thing Naruto was most disappointed about concerning this trip, it was how the Toad Sage focused more on his "research" than actually training his so-called apprentice.

"If those are his priorities, then what was the point of even taking an apprentice at all?!" Toshiro scowled, voicing the thoughts of many of the others in the room.

He sighed, feeling depressed about the lack of real value this trip had. He was hoping to show Mito how much he had grown over the years, but the time away from the Hidden Leaf was being wasted in his eyes. Everything he had done – barring the use of the Kyuubi's chakra – could've easily been done within the village walls.

"Such a waste of time," Sajin commented with a shake of his head. "It must be incredibly frustrating for him to think that this supposed trip to make himself stronger proved to be built on false hope."

"I would've left the geezer," Shunsui added with a sigh, covering the top half of his face with his hat to hide his irritation. "There's only so much one can take before they decide to drop everything and start something new."

"What's she going to think when I come back barely any stronger?" he mused sadly, afraid of disappointing his earliest mentor figure.

"Upsetting someone you deeply respect," Rukia said sadly, thinking of her brother and of Kaien. "I know the feeling... It hurts more than we admit..."

Those who studied under a master of certain arts all agreed with her assessment. To have learned from someone, taken what they had to offer and leaving with the promise of returning better...only to return almost the same as when you left. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

He was broken from his thoughts when he felt a strange pressure bearing down over his form. Frowning, he pocketed his notes and stood up, looking around for the source. The sound of something being forcibly stretched had him turn his gaze upward, and his eyes widened when he saw the space within the evening sky gain a crack before stretching open like a cavernous entrance.

What the...?!" Ichigo yelped at hearing that.

The surprises didn't stop there, for he saw a bundle fall through the opening and start plummeting towards the ground about a mile off from the small town. Officially worried, Naruto pumped as much chakra as possible into his legs and raced off in the direction of the descending bundle. He kicked off trees as soon as he was around them, using them to propel him forward while never losing sight of the bundle.

Wait...the one that Neliel woman was tossed through?!" Uryu demanded.

"Seems that way. It did say the one she was tossed through was experimental and unstable, after all," Shunsui nodded.

As he drew closer, he saw long, turquoise strands flailing behind the bundle like a makeshift tail. His eyes narrowed, and he unconsciously added some of the fox's chakra to his legs as he kicked off another tree. This time, the kickoff sent him hurtling towards the bundle and he caught it before flipping to his feet and landing safely back on the ground.

"Hmmm...not bad moves," Yoruichi commented critically. Would have been more impressive if he hadn't used some of that fox creature's power, but it was done subconsciously, and everyone knew it was actually a person he'd saved, so she'd forgive it.

Looking back up, he saw the strange spatial opening close and the sky returned to normal. He frowned at it for a few more moments before he looked down at the bundle in his arms. Carefully adjusting his grip, he pulled back the cloth and gasped softly at the sight of a small child with a terrible head wound that cracked the bone-looking mask on her head and left a nasty gash on her forehead.

"Well...guess we know whose "First Meeting" this is, Orihime." Rukia said, turning to look at her human friend as she recalled her question at the start.

"What I want to know was how that Neliel woman's injury caused her to regress to that child state..." Ukitake frowned.

To his relief, the blood had dried and wasn't flowing; which meant that she should be safe from bleeding out. However, she could still have other major issues with a wound like that. He adjusted his grip on her again so that he wouldn't jostle her too much, and then rushed off back to the town.

With luck, he'd be able to find a healer for the injured child.


"She just…fell through some rip in the sky?" the nurse repeated as she looked over the unconscious child.

"I'd be rather skeptical of that, as well," Retsu confessed. "Something like that just doesn't happen enough to be considered common."

"I think that anything 'common' might be tossed out the window whenever this Naruto kid is involved," Yoruichi joked.

"Actually...that is the case." Minato sighed with a hapless smile and a shake of his head.

To make the procedure easier, she had cut the child's hair short so that its length wouldn't get in the way.

"Yeah. I was just on a hotel roof when I felt this odd energy spike and then I saw a rip form in the sky," Naruto explained once more. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Quick explanation followed by immediate concern. Sounds about right," Shunsui noted with a nod, earning a chuckle from his friend.

The nurse hummed in concern as she cleaned up the blood and closed off the wound on the girl's head. What was odd to her was that the child's mask wouldn't come off; almost as if it were attached to the girl.

"She hasn't lost too much blood, and I'm having some tested so we can replenish whatever she has lost. This head wound, though, is particularly concerning."

"As any head wound should be," Retsu spoke up again.

"Was it deep?" Naruto asked with a cringe.

"It was deep enough for me to note that this girl could suffer some serious mental damage; the most likely case being lost memories. What's also concerning is how this mask," she gestured to the cartoonish looking piece, "is attached to her. I can't remove it unless I would wish to hurt her more; and I wouldn't."

Orihime, remembering the night her Hollowfied brother almost killed her, cringed when she recalled how Sora had ripped off his own mask so that he could look at her with his own eyes.

Ichigo, seeing that Orihime was looking depressed, reached out and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. While she initially jumped at the unexpected contact, she blushed faintly and smiled gratefully at his concern for her.

"You think it could be linked to some undiscovered bloodline?"

"Possibly. We can test her blood against other bloodlines that we have on file. Thankfully the medical centers in the Land of Fire stay up to date with one another," the nurse noted with a faint smile.

"That was something Tsunade insisted upon when she became a renowned Medical Kunoichi," Kushina explained. "She wanted all of the Land of Fire's medical facilities to stay in touch with one another so that they could exchange needed supplies and newly discovered practices."

Hearing that, Retsu nodded. As the leader of the medical division, she both understood and respected what this Tsunade woman had done.

"So…what happens now?"

"Now? We let her rest and have her on fluids. If you wish, you could stay with her until she wakes… That is, assuming she will wake up. As I said, her head wound was very concerning."

"Based on that knowledge, but also taking into account how quickly Hollows can regenerate, I'd wager she'll be unconscious for the night," Uryu deduced, which got Retsu to nod in agreement.

Nodding in understanding, Naruto formed a clone to inform Jiraiya of his whereabouts before he grabbed a chair and took a seat next to the girl's bed. He looked to her unconscious face and frowned sadly at something like this happening to a child.

"Hang in there," he whispered, gently grasping her smaller hand. "You'll pull through…"

Both of Naruto's parents smiled as they saw their son taking responsibility for the life he saved. Despite everything else he was dealing With, he still put the well-being of a stranger above his own. It was a trait that made them proud, but it also showed just how willing he was to put his own well-being aside.


Her head was swimming with muddled voices and blurry images that she couldn't connect. Her eyes clenched a few times before cracking open, revealing wide hazel orbs to the world. They blinked to regain their focus before she frowned in confusion.

"W…Where is Nel…?" she asked hoarsely before coughing.

The shortening of her own name, as well as the referral to herself in third-person, showed everyone just how much the wound to her head had affected Neliel.

The coughing stirred Naruto from his sleep and he blinked in surprise at seeing the little girl awake after only a few hours.

"Oh my," Retsu spoke up in equal surprise to Story-Naruto. "I suppose the healing capabilities of the Arrancar are more pronounced than their standard counterparts."

"That, or the ones made by Aizen are just that much more durable," Yamamoto suggested, his tone showing concern for potential future adversaries.

He pushed down his surprise in favor of grabbing a paper cup and filling it with water for the girl.

Moving over to her, he used one hand to gently pat her back while the other offered her the cup. "Here, drink this."

She didn't notice who handed her the cup. All she knew was that there was water in it and that she was very thirsty. Taking it, she took a greedy drink to rinse her throat before coughing again; this time from drinking too fast.

"I'd probably have done the same if I were in her position," Renji admitted. "I wouldn't take drinking too quickly into account for just getting some water for my throat..."

"Easy now," Naruto gently urged, taking the cup to refill it. When he returned to her side, he helped her take sips of the water so that she wouldn't choke again. After the cup was emptied again, he set it aside and asked, "Are you alright?"

Breathing better, the girl turned to the blonde and met his blue eyes with her hazel ones. With a bright smile, she answered, "Yes. Nel is fine. Nel was just really thirsty."

"Interesting how all she's currently feeling is a parched throat and a headache," Nemu spoke up, watching the interaction between Naruto and Nel intently.

'Huh… At least she hasn't forgotten her name,' he mused internally.

He noticed Nel look around in confusion before asking, "Where is Nel, anyway?"

"You're in a medical ward. You had a really big cut on your head and you fell from the sky."

"R-Really?!" Nel asked in surprise. "But, Nel doesn't remember getting hurt or falling at all!"

"There's the memory loss," Chad spoke up.

"Poor Nel-chan," Orihime added, showing concern for the de-aged Arrancar.

He gently placed a hand on one of her shoulders to keep her in place. "Easy. You don't want to accidentally reopen your cut. Trust me; that hurts."

"I'm not sure how mad I should be that he knows that first-hand," Kushina muttered with a twitch of her brow, Minato chuckling awkwardly.

She looked to him and saw that he was smiling down at her. This helped her slowly relax, though her anxiety was still there. "Do you know what happened to Nel?"

He shook his head sadly. "No, I don't. I caught you before you hit the ground and brought you here, but I didn't see anything that hurt you."

"Oh…"

"Your bracelet is next to you, by the way."

Nemu readied her notes once more, intrigued by how the bracelet could act as a recording device; despite knowing Mayuri had recording bacteria placed into the depowered Quincy nearby.

She blinked before looked to the small stand, spotting the white bracelet in question. Her brows furrowed faintly, and she replied, "Nel…doesn't remember seeing that before."

"You were wearing it when I caught you," Naruto explained.

She frowned at nothing before looking to him. "Nel doesn't know what that bracelet is. Nel has never seen it before."

The sureness in her voice made Naruto nod at her in response. "Okay then. I'll just toss it for you, alright?"

At her nod, he grabbed the item and moved over to the waste bin. Just as he was about to toss it, he felt it twitch in his grip and a blurry image flashed in his mind. He couldn't clearly make out what it was, save for it being a silhouette of something or someone.

Many of the Shinigami looked impressed with how Naruto's still untapped spiritual power could react to the device; Nemu taking notes once again.

Blinking back into focus, he looked to the bracelet resting on his palm with a frown. Something told him that the bracelet was more than it seemed; something darker. His frown deepened before he used chakra to grip and crush the bracelet, dropping the broken pieces into the trash bin.

"Chakra... A mix of spiritual AND physical energy," Minato spoke up. "It's not surprising that it could damage a device made of just spiritual energy."

"My baby's as awesome as me, ttebane!" Kushina cheered before going embarrassed at her verbal tic.

Turning to Nel, he made sure to give her a smile as he declared, "There we go. In the trash."

She smiled back as he sat beside her once again. "So…who are you?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf."

"Ruto?" she asked, shortening his name.

Orihime giggled at that, being reminded of Yachiru and her penchant for giving people nicknames too.

He chuckled at that and simply nodded. "You can call me that if you want, Nel-chan."

Her smile returned just as the nurse came in, and Naruto fought a snicker at how shocked she looked at the girl being awake and alert. With any luck, he'd be able to get her out of the medical ward by morning.

"My money's on that happening," Shunsui spoke up, holding some currency in the hopes of starting a small betting pool.

When nobody else offered up their own bets, he gave a childish pout before pocketing his money.


Szayelaporro frowned when he noticed that the tracer he had placed on Neliel vanished from the screen had kept on for the past century. "I was wondering how long this would last," he mused as he started to work with the screen and study the results of the tracer.

"Ha! Glad the kid's pissing this guy off!" Ichigo smirked, getting nods of agreement with his words from the others

From what he could read from the data, the experimental Garganta he had Nnoitra kick Neliel into had a greater exposure to spacetime displacement. This meant that time acted differently inside of it compared to the outside worlds. What that also meant was that Neliel could be in a world where only a minimal amount of time had passed compared to the century Hueco Mundo just went through.

Nemu made sure to write all of that down.

Making sure to gather everything he could on his findings, the current Eighth Espada left his personal area of Las Noches in search of Aizen. The man would no doubt be very interested in what had happened.

Everyone stared. AIZEN?!

"He's been making these guys?! All along?!" Toshiro shouted.

"Seems that way...might be why he was after the Hôgyoku...way to make them even more powerful. And they're bound to be familiar with everyone here since Aizen could show them who we all are and what we can all do...he had years of being in the Soul Society's ranks and access to the Daireishokairō archives while posing as Central 46 Using his sword's hypnotism illusions, after all." Yoruichi frowned, eyes narrowed.

"So he's in this Las Noches place, making his own twisted mockery of the Gotei 13, preparing to fight us..." Soifon snarled. This wasn't good!

Everyone was utterly horrified at that. If that was indeed the case, they were already at a disadvantage!

"...Wait!" Kushina shouted, eyes lit with realization, "THAT'S what this is about! Information! We can try and even the playing field by this book telling us whose in Aizen's forces and what they can do!"

At that, everyone turned to the redhead, then almost instantly turned back to the book. It wasn't much, but the idea was all they had right now. The possibility of seeing what Aizen's army could do and ways to counter them. It was the only hope they had right now. And even if he knew it or not... "...We're all counting on you, Naruto..." Soifon nodded.

Everyone nodded in agreement, though his parents looked terrified. It was understandable. They were being forced to find out their son in the story was, for all intents and purposes, a guinea pig against a madman and his army of soldiers made from soul-devouring monsters for a war he wasn't even part of!

"We gotta help him!" Rukia declared, eyes blazing and a scowl on her face.

"How?! Jump into the book?!" Sanjin demanded.

"...But...!" Rukia started to say.

"Rukia! I get it! We ALL get it! But what can we actually do?! I know it's sick and wrong! But this is something we can't do anything about! I hate it, but this is the reality! No matter how much we want to help, we can't! And the hardest part of this job is you can't always save everyone...I hate saying that, but this isn't our choice if we can help him or not!" Renji said, feeling sick as he spoke.

Everyone felt disgust and horror eat at them at that point.

"...So all we can do is have faith in Naruto-san," Nemu spoke up, surprising the gathered readers, then she turned to the parents of said young man, "tell me...is Naruto-san the type of person where the more force you add, the harder it is to break, or even crack, him?"

Sighing, Minato and Kushina nodded,"...Yes...never one to back down either, especially if there was something he felt needed doing..." his father replied.

"...Note to self: Naruto would make a good Shinigami..." Shunsui said, getting nods from everyone.


"What makes you think I'll let you drag a kid along with us during this trip?" Jiraiya asked Naruto after he returned to the hotel room with Nel.

The little girl was wearing the green covering she had been found in, but it was reformed into a gown with a hood that covered her entire body; save for her bare feet. She was currently standing beside the blonde while holding onto his left hand with her right, her hazel eyes looking around the hotel room and the tall man in front of her and Ruto.

Looks like a kid and her big brother." Uryu commented, pushing his glasses up.

"I couldn't just leave her there, Pervy Sage," Naruto argued. "Besides, I was the one who found her; so, I'm choosing to be responsible for her."

"You really think you can handle that kind of responsibility?" the man challenged.

"Probably better than you," Naruto fired back with a slight frown.

"Burn!" Kushina laughed, everyone else either joining her in laughing outright or at least giggled, chuckled, or smirked.

"Anyway, I'm not going to back down on this. If you really are so against me bringing Nel along, then I'll take her back to the Hidden Leaf by myself."

The Toad Sage groaned as he palmed his forehead. "By the Sage, kid… You're really going to give me some early wrinkles. And the ladies hate wrinkles!"

"Hate dick-wagging assholes even more, so wrinkles won't matter for this guy..." Yoruichi scowled, wishing she could blast the pervert.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto took that complaint as him winning the argument and walked with Nel over to his bed. "You should probably get some more sleep, Nel-chan. I'll grab you something to eat for when you wake up."

"But Nel isn't tired," she replied with a pout before she failed to stifle a yawn.

Everyone smiled at the cute scene.

Naruto chuckled at her embarrassed blush. "I think you are. Just lie down and get some sleep, okay? I'll be here when you wake up."

"You promise?" he heard her ask tiredly, already starting to succumb to sleep.

He gave her another smile, this one truer than any he had showed his fellow ninja back home. "Yeah, I promise…" He waited for her to fully fall asleep before he gently patted the cracked part of her mask. "Sleep tight, Nel-chan."

Jiraiya silently watched the exchange and was surprised at how calmly Naruto had handled it. He also noted how Naruto seemed less tense and more relaxed around the green-covered brat. Humming softly in thought, he watched Naruto grab his toad wallet and create a clone before leaving the hotel room. The clone then decided to lie on the bed beside Nel, and she almost immediately turned towards him; more than likely for his natural warmth.

Kushina cooed at how cute that was. Her son was good at this!

The Toad Sage couldn't fight the small smile the formed. If he didn't know any better, he probably would've assumed that the two were siblings, if not a father and child. Deciding to let it be, he left the hotel room to write a letter.

No doubt Tsunade would want to hear about this.

"No fooling." Rukia nodded.


When the real Naruto returned, he noted that Nel was still sleeping while his clone was also snoozing. Rolling his eyes in amusement, he put away the food he bought before he swapped places with and dispelled his clone. He smiled at Nel snuggling against him and patted her mask again, this time letting his hand rest on the crack.

"It looks like Uzumaki-kun is already forming a bond with Nel-chan," Orihime spoke up with a smile that was shared by his parents.

"Naruto-kun was always able to easily connect with others; whether they're fellow ninja, total strangers, or even enemies," Kushina stated proudly.

"That 'power' of his helps prove our son to be a natural-born leader," Minato continued. "I have no doubt that Naruto will become Hokage in the future."

To his surprise, he felt his hand stick to the mask while a strangely fluid energy flowed from his chest and down his arm, leaking out from his hand and into the crack in Nel's mask. The eye holes of the mask then flashed a brilliant pink before the room was engulfed in pink smoke.

When it cleared, Naruto was left in speechless awe at the sight of a full-grown woman who looked so much like the little girl he saved. "N-Nel…?" he asked tentatively.

Shock was seen in the eyes of the Shinigami, excluding Ichigo. Retsu and Nemu were the most surprised, so much that Retsu couldn't form a sentence and Nemu actually dropped her notepad.

The green gown had stretched and ripped, thankfully in a manner that covered her modesty while her once short hair regained its original length and fullness. Her mask had also changed to a more goat-like appearance that greatly contrasted its once cartoonish look. She still had a scar and the crack in the mask, but a sheathed sword was now seen in her left hand while her right rested against her head.

"He... He actually healed her?" Sajin almost gasped out, asking the very question his fellow Shinigami struggled to.

Noticing that she was about to fall from the bed, Naruto quickly grabbed her shoulder to steady her. This got her attention and she opened her eyes to meet his own, allowing him to see familiar hazel eyes.

"Nel…is that you?"

She regarded him silently for a few moments, searching with her eyes and looking over his form. "You're…the human that saved me…" she murmured. "Naruto…Uzumaki, right?"

"At least she recognizes him," Ukitake commented with a small smile.

"But how...?" Rukia asked, at a loss.

He couldn't help but give an awkward chuckle. "You were calling me Ruto earlier; but yeah, I'm Naruto."

Facepalming, Minato spoke up, "Not the time for jokes, son..."

Kushina, on the other hand, giggled behind her hand.

She took a moment to look around the room before a flash of realization appeared in her eyes. "I was…ambushed. Baited into a fight by Nnoitra after he…" Her eyes widened in shock before turning back to Naruto. "Was there anyone else with me? Two other Hollows like myself, but with their masks torn off?!"

Nearly everyone cringed at the reminder of Pesche and Dondochakka.

She was in a panicked state, he could obviously see it. "I…didn't see anyone else come out of that rip in the sky, Nel… Just you…" He saw her lean back, looking both horrified and devastated. "I… I'm sorry…"

"Pesche… Dondochakka…" she whimpered as tears started to form in her eyes, memories of her defeat mixing in with the good times she had with her Fracción. "They were hurt…and I couldn't save them… I… I couldn't…"

Those who had dealt with failing others felt sympathy and kinship for Neliel. Kushina almost choked on some tears as she was reminded of the night she had and lost her precious boy.

Hearing enough, Naruto grabbed her shoulder once again and pulled her into a comforting embrace. At first, she tensed and broke away, but he regripped both of her shoulders and had her look him in the eyes. Her teary gaze met his understanding one, and she stopped resisting before leaning into him and letting out a distraught wail of grief. As she wept, Naruto held her close to him, acting as her emotional pillar like Mito had done for most of his life.

"I'm so sorry…" he kept repeating in a whisper, hoping to comfort her more than he was currently able to.

"Sometimes," Orihime spoke up, wiping her own tears as she remembered the time she lost Sora, "all anyone needs is an understanding shoulder to cry on..."

Many of the others held sad smiles on their face, agreeing with the kindhearted young woman's comment.

He didn't know how long he held her, but she was the first to move away; gently pushing back from him as she wiped the lingering tears.

"…thank you…" she whispered softly, almost unheard by him.

"Anytime…" he replied, sitting across from her on the hotel bed. "So…you are Nel, right?"

"I suppose that's what my younger self was going by," she mused, grateful for Naruto's presence and his aid given to her childlike form. "My real name is Neliel Tu Oderschvank, and I am… I mean I was the Third Espada of Hueco Mundo."

"...how the hell do you even go about pronouncing that name?" Ichigo asked bluntly, earning a sharp elbow from Rukia for his trouble.

"Hueco Mundo?" Naruto repeated.

"It's also known as the Hollow World. It's where Hollows, like myself, reside. I'm a higher class of Hollow, since I'm much more humanlike in appearance save for my mask."

"…Is this something to do with spirits?" Naruto asked.

"Good deduction," Soifon spoke up. "It's not so obvious to most people, even with his experience with spirits."

She nodded, slightly impressed with his deduction. "Yes. But how did you…?" She stopped before her senses picked up the faint feeling of reiatsu coming from his abdomen area. "You're spiritually aware," she concluded. "Interesting."

"Yeah, I've been able to see and talk to spirits for as long as I could remember. But, no one else has been able to from what I've noticed; even when a spirit is right next to them." He then realized something and asked, "Wait… If you're a spirit, how come Pervy Sage and that nurse were able to see you?"

"I too am curious," Nemu spoke up, grabbing her dropped notepad.

She frowned at the question, thinking over what had happened after her defeat. "…After I was ambushed and beaten, I was sent through an experimental Garganta created by Szayelaporro Granz. My guess is that, since I reverted into a child form beforehand, the Garganta had an effect on my spiritual composition and made me closer to a human."

"…I'm a bit lost," Naruto admitted.

Ichigo scratched his head in confusion. "You and me both, Fishcake..."

"What was that, Strawberry Boy?" Kushina asked sweetly, turning to him as an aura of Death radiated from her.

Pale and covered in fearful sweat, the Strawberry in question whimpered out, "N-Nothing, Miss Kushina."

"Good boy," she replied, turning back around while Minato gave Ichigo an apologetic smile.

She smiled at his confession, once again thankful for his presence. It was helping her cope with everything that happened. "To keep it simple, I'm in a physical form that can interact with everyone; whether they can see spiritual beings or not."

"That sounds almost like the gigai," Rukia noted, earning nods from some of the Captains.

"Oh, that's easier to understand," he replied, bringing a fist into his palm.

Her smile remained before she felt a small spike of pain from her mask. "…It looks like I'm limited on time before I revert back into my younger state. My reiatsu is still too unstable to hold my true form for too long."

"So...her recovery is only temporary," Nemu noted. "Further study of Uzumaki-san may be required..."

Kushina was on the fence about that. While she admitted that Nemu was a beautiful girl and was happy she showed an interest in her son, the poor girl worked for a certified psycho that could pass as a second Orochimaru.

She looked him in the eye and continued, "I can see a great deal of compassion and understanding in you, Naruto Uzumaki. Please, take care of my younger self and keep trying to repair the crack in my mask. You have reiatsu, which is spiritual energy. You must learn how to call upon it to fix my mask."

"So, Uzumaki-kun is like medicine that Nel-chan needs to take occasionally?" Orihime guessed, earning a smile from Retsu.

"Looks that way, Inoue-chan. Very good guess," she praised, making the poor girl turn cherry red in embarrassment.

Her head lowered as her hands clenched the covers of the hotel bed. They trembled slightly before she took a breath to calm her raging emotions.

Looking back to him, she finished, "I hope to speak with you again soon. I find myself…enjoying your company."

And again, Naruto's parents smiled at how he could connect with others.

Unnoticed by them, Yamamoto had his eyes opened faintly so that he could get a better look at Naruto's image, mentally filing away everything he had heard about the young man so that the Seireitei could keep an eye out for him.

He looked surprised at her statement before he smiled brightly at her. "No worries, Neliel. I promise to do everything I can to help you; no matter what form you're in. And Naruto Uzumaki never backs down from a promise."

"Damned straight, son!" Kushina declared with a fist pump and bright grin, earning chuckles and giggled from the others at her excitability.

Neliel found herself impressed once more by the human before her. He had heart, and that heart was a driving force in his life; something she could both appreciate and admire. Just as the eyeholes of her mask flashed once more, Neliel gave him one last smile before another burst of pink smoke filled the room. Once it cleared, Nel was seen resting on the bed once again; her mask once more cartoonish looking, her hair once again short, and her sword missing.

"Huh… Must be related to her true form," Naruto mused before he helped Nel get more comfortable in the bed. Looking down at her sleeping form, his eyes burned in growing determination as he whispered, "Reiatsu… Spiritual energy… I have some serious training to do if I'm going to help you, Nel-chan…"

"That he does," Kenpachi spoke up seriously, much to the interest of the others. Their interested looks turned deadpan when the man grinned eagerly and added, "He's gonna need it if we ever fight in the future!"

"Figures..." Renji muttered.

He then smiled, closing his eyes and shaking his head with a chuckle. "I always wind up in crazy situations, don't I?"

"Understatement..." his parents deadpanned, getting awkwardly amused looks from the others.

Looking down, he gently grabbed his scarf and imagined the faces of his parents, Mito, and then Neliel.

"I've got a lot of promises to keep… No point in stopping now. I'll keep them all and make you guys proud," he declared softly.

"You already have, son," Minato stated with a voice full of pride.

"Hell yeah he has, ttebane!" Kushina agreed, blissfully ignoring her verbal tic showing itself again.

"I'm curious what Squad that Uzumaki-san would develop his potential the greatest with," Retsu spoke up, her expression thoughtful as the other Captains also mentally thought over the notion.

With his mind made up, he gathered his notebook on fūinjutsu and opened it up to a blank page. He had some more seals to draw out.

"Well...that's the end of this first chapter, who reads next?" Retsu asked.