Summary: After things went different from what was planned Naruto had to go with Plan B with him sealing Kaguya inside of him only for her to make her energy explode inside him as a final act of revenge to try and kill him. Only someone was looking out for Naruto and with his intervention Naruto is revived and now has a purpose far bigger than himself to prepare for.
Pairing: Harem (Full List at the End)
Soul King in the Making
Chapter 1
Everything had started to spiral downwards rather quickly to a point where Naruto was in a terrible spot.
The fight with Kaguya was supposed to be somewhat simple. All he and Sasuke had to do was slap their marks onto her and then she gets sealed away and the war is over. But everything started to spiral out of control once Sasuke started to get out of sync with him.
He didn't know if it was because of that loner personality of his or something in his mind that made him think he could do a bit more on his own without them fighting her together but now they were possibly screwed as Sasuke had charged Kaguya before Naruto could tell him to wait up.
The end result was Kaguya catching Sasuke off guard, piercing him with a Dead Bone Pulse the second he swapped. Naruto tried his best to save him but, just like with Obito, his Sun Mark couldn't undo the effects of her Dead Bone Pulse.
"Sakura, this isn't the time to cry over Sasuke, we have to finish her off" Naruto said as he quickly laid down the slowly disintegrating Sasuke.
"Naruto! How are we exactly supposed to do that!? Obito is dead, Sasuke is barely holding on and you two were supposed to use your marks to stop her" Sakura said as Naruto frowned, keeping his eyes on Kaguya as she merely smiled at them, seemingly stopping her attacks on them to almost toy with them now that she knew they couldn't seal her away.
"I know but Old Man Sage told me of a last resort if something like this happened. He doesn't know what will happen and honestly neither do I but it's either this or the whole world dies. He promised me he'd free the others in case it ended up like this so at least the others will be saved in the end" Naruto said in a tone that made Sakura start to worry.
"Okay, so what do I do to help?" Sakura asked, hoping to be able to help.
"Nothing. This is something only I can do. I'm sorry Sakura" he said solemnly before he cracked his neck, a bit nervous about how this would go since he only just got this power from the Sage, something he awakened in him.
"Oh my, you still have some fight left in you? I killed your friend and destroyed his mark so what do you expect to do?" Kaguya asked as she made two new bone spikes grow out from her palms.
"Honestly I don't know but I've always been proud of my unpredictability" Naruto said as he launched forward with a powerful burst of speed.
Kaguya laughed at the idiocy of the Asura reincarnation as she easily followed his speed. She smiled viciously as she stabbed her spikes forward, expecting him to dodge only for him to run into them, grabbing her shoulders with a massive grin that slightly made her own smile falter.
"Right on cue," he said hoarsely, coughing up some blood as his back started to glow even more "you were so sure I'd dodge but what if I needed to get close to get something of yours in me like this so I could do this!" he yelled as Kaguya and the shocked Sakura and Kakashi watched hundreds of chakra chains burst from his back.
"You see if I can't seal you away in a Chibaku Tensei then how about I seal you away in the empty cage I have inside me!" he said, blood slightly leaking from his mouth as he watched hundreds of chains pierce her and wrap around every part of her, even binding Zetsu in her sleeve.
"You idiot! You will still die from my Ash Killing Bones and I will reform again with the Shinju's power! This does nothing!" Kaguya yelled as Naruto smiled, unshaken as he looked her dead in the eyes.
"If Kurama would have taken over a few hundred years to reform I wonder how long you'll take" he said with a grin as the design on his stomach started to grow and darken before the chains moved from his back over his shoulders and down to his stomach. With one final push and a cough of blood he pulled Kaguya into Kurama's empty cage, falling to his knees as the other Bijuu worked to keep the doors closed.
"Naruto! Y-You idiot! Why did you decide to sacrifice yourself like this!?" Sakura yelled as she rushed to his side, tears streaking down her cheeks as she started to try and heal him.
"Because there was no other way…I know it's selfish but she wouldn't have been beaten any other real way. The old man awoke my mom's chains in me to seal her away if something like this happened. He knew she wouldn't go down peacefully so I figured taking her down with me would be the best way" he said, coughing up more blood as Sakura's attempts to heal him were wasted, Kakashi putting his hand on her shoulder to get her to stop which only make her clench her fists harder in frustration.
'I'm just sorry I'm taking you all down with me. I still have time to eject you if you all want' he told the Bijuu as they chuckled in his head despite the battle he could feel to keep the cage closed.
"Kid, there's no other place we'd rather be than ensuring we can at least be by your side. We'll reform, we're just sorry we can't help" Kurama said, speaking for all the Bijuu as the others nodded along.
"We'll make sure everyone knows of your sacrifice and I'm sure those two will as well" Gyuki said as Naruto's vision started to blur before they were called back to their original world.
"Naruto…I'm sorry I couldn't help you…I was useless and let you and Sasuke die" Sakura said as she sat beside him, eyes closed and head down as she continued to cry before he put his hand on her fist, getting her loosen her fist and look up at him.
"You weren't useless Sakura. You helped so much in this war. Sasuke made his choice to rush ahead just as I made my choice to sacrifice myself. Don't let this discourage you, you are an utterly amazing medic and an incredibly powerful kunoichi. Who knows, you could probably be the second medic Hokage only not as lazy as the first" he said, smiling as he joked with a laugh that turned out more like a fit of coughs while Sakura smiled as best as she could as she still cried.
"Naruto, I am so sorry for this pain you are going through. I assure you that you will find peace in the afterlife. I also will use the last bit of my power to free everyone from my mother's technique" the old man sage said as Naruto looked up to him as he and his father walked over to them with his dad going to his knees with tears in his undead eyes while he moved on to free the others.
"Son, you did so amazing. Your mother and I are so proud of you, I am just sorry you are dying on your birthday of all days" Minato said while Naruto shook his head with a weak smile as he noticed the hand he was using to prop himself start to turn to dust before his dad helped keep him up.
"It's fine dad…I might not have become Hokage but I think everyone acknowledged me at least and I made a lot of friends" Naruto said as he felt more of his body turn to dust, his eyes slowly closing as he squeezed Sakura's hand with all his strength just as his father, Hagoromo, and the other spirits faded away around them.
"Don't be so content to die my boy for I name you 'The boy who will live and become King'!" a loud boisterous voice said as Naruto started to glow bright before, once the light died down, revealed Naruto's body to be back to normal with shock on his and everyone's faces.
Naruto shakily pushed himself up, looking over to Sakura before their eyes turned towards where the voice came from to see a rather large man walking their way.
The man was very large and broad with a bald head, red eyes, rather bushy eyebrows and a long black beard. He wore a black outfit under a white long sleeved haori with a large set of red prayer beads around his neck as he stood atop his single toothed tengu geta. His smile made him feel friendly despite Naruto sensing great power inside of him.
"W-Who are you?" Naruto asked him, standing up with Sakura's help while the man looked him over as if appraising him before he smiled largely again and patted him hard on the back that almost knocked him over.
"The name is Ichibe Hyosube my boy and I was sent here to save you and bring you back to talk with someone who really wants to meet you. Someone far beyond the Rabbit Princess inside you" Ichibe said before a pitch-black circle appeared behind him. "Best not to keep him waiting" he added as Naruto, while suspicious and on guard, felt like the man was trustworthy given he had just somehow saved him from Kaguya's Dead Bone Pulse technique.
"Go Naruto I'll explain things to everyone but I have to ask you Ichibe," Kakashi said as he stepped to his side and looked up to the large man "will Naruto come back?" he asked before Ichibe rubbed his chin.
"Yes but how long he stays depends on what Naruto's answer to a coming question is" Ichibe said, making Kakashi nod and turn.
"Then I'll leave it to him as he generally makes the right choice in things" Kakashi said, patting Naruto on the back with his trademark eye smile before looking at Sakura, silently asking if she was coming with him only for her to shake her head.
"No Kakashi-sensei, I'm going with Naruto" she said with conviction in her tone as she looked towards Ichibe who looked with a raised eyebrow before letting out a boisterous laugh with a large smile.
"Fiery! I like it! Sure she can come but she can't be there when you meet with who is waiting for us. She'll have to wait outside the throne room" Ichibe said before Sakura frowned but, as Naruto slid his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze she nodded showing she was okay with it.
"Well? Let's get going!" Ichibe said with a smile before smacking them both on the back with one large hand and sent them flying through the portal with him right behind them.
As they came out the other side Naruto was amazed by the odd sight. "A floating city?" Naruto asked as he saw a floating cylinder with two floating platforms on either side of it with cities on each massive platform.
"That's exactly what it is, welcome to the Soul King's Palace!" Ichibe said as he exited the portal behind them with a smile and held out his hands to almost present it to them. "The Soul King lives in the floating palace while myself and another of his Royal Guard each have a floating city to ourselves" he said, making Naruto widen his eyes at.
"Wait, you and someone else each have an entire city to yourself?" Naruto asked as Ichibe nodded with a smile.
"Yes but that is unimportant as the Soul King has been waiting for you to grow to a point where you could be welcomed here to fulfill something he's had in mind for you for many, many years" he explained, walking ahead of them and ignoring their confusion and shock for the most part.
"Wait Soul King? Plan? What is exactly going on here?" Sakura asked, cursing that she didn't ask questions before following Ichibe but something about the man made her initially not want to keep him waiting as she might not be a sensor she could tell the man was immensely powerful.
"Ah, I probably should have explained it more before bringing you here but with the Chokaimon being open we didn't exactly have much time" the large man said as he rubbed his chin before waving it off. "For now I shall explain as we walk" he told them, motioning for them to follow as he continued walking down the path ahead of them.
"The Soul King, I guess would best be described as what humans consider as a god. He did not create the world but his very existence keeps everything stable. He oversees the flow of souls in and out of the Soul Society, the afterlife, and is the linchpin of balance and existence" Ichibe said, looking over his shoulder at them with a smile before he nodded as he seemingly understood their shocked expressions. "As for why he wants you Naruto is because you passed a major test" he added, making Sakura clear her throat, trying to politely get his attention.
"Yes Sakura?" he asked, surprising her that he knew her name as she hadn't introduced herself yet.
"What test did Naruto pass exactly? Cause, no offense Naruto, but he isn't too good at those" she said as she looked at him with a half-smile while squeezing his hand while he dryly chuckled since he knew she was right for the most part.
She was the smarter one of the two of them for sure and he definitely knew that.
"He passed a test the King gave to the Otsutsuki long, long ago" Ichibe said after a bout of laughter brought upon from Sakura's comment. "The Shinju tree, the true one that Kaguya escaped with so long ago, was said to be the King's trial. If one could draw in that being's power with pure intention then they would be the one to be King or Queen. The Otsutsuki though were quickly tainted by power, creating false seeds to get power for the hell of it with them all thinking their intentions were pure as long as they convinced themselves they were" Ichibe said, sighing as if upset at what the Otsutsuki had done before he stopped at the end of the walkway, arriving at a massive empty area.
"Naruto here drew in that power in the form of drawing in Kaguya for one reason" Ichibe said, turning around and pointing a finger at Sakura with a kind and warm smile. "You. He drew it in to save you and everyone else, he was fully intent on dying if that meant you and everyone else was safe. Now of course the King knew this would be the outcome, hence why he had me waiting to save you which is why we are here now" Ichibe told them as he clapped his hands.
"So because Naruto was his reckless self he passed a test to…become King?" Sakura asked while Ichibe nodded with a smile.
"Well King in time, it all depends on his answer to Reio's question which he will answer soon" Ichibe said before motioning to a white platform behind him. "Now if you would so kindly stand there so you may go to see Reio" he asked, making Naruto look at Sakura with a frown before she nodded with a smile.
"See what he has to say and don't be your usual self and piss him off since he kind of is a god" Sakura told him as she surprised him and kissed his cheek, making him blush and grow a million watt smile. "Now I'll be safe here with Ichibe, right?" she asked as Ichibe nodded and gave an 'ok' sign with his hand.
"Okay, I'll be back and do my best" Naruto said, still smiling at the kiss from Sakura as he stood on the platform. "So what is this? Like a floating platform thing that will take me there?" he asked Ichibe before the man shook his head with a smile.
"Nope, it's a launch pad!" Ichibe said before slamming his foot on a raised tube, sending the platform he was standing on launching up and sending him into the sky and rocketing towards the massive cylinder in the sky.
'Crap! I already almost died once! I don't want to die again!' Naruto thought as he grit his teeth while he flew through the air towards the massive palace.
"Naruto! You still have access to Six Paths Senjutsu! Ichibe healed and rejuvenated you when he saved you! You can fly!" Kurama yelled, reminding Naruto who smiled, glad the Bijuu were still around to remind him of things like this.
'Got it!' Naruto thought as his body quickly became engulfed in the familiar golden flames and skidded on solid air moments before he hit the ground, quickly stopping his momentum with an energy arm that dug into the ground.
"Whew~ That was a bit close" he sighed, as he flickered out of his Six Paths Sage Mode. 'How is everyone in there by the way? Is Kaguya giving you all trouble?' he asked, worried about how the cage was dealing with Kaguya since she was stronger than Kurama and potentially the other Bijuu combined as well.
"Do not worry about the Rabbit Princess. Ichibe's revival of you tamed her inside of you. He is the head of my guard so as a Shinigami empowering a seal like yours is simple given a false reaper was used to help make that seal in a sense. Now please come inside" a voice that was neither Kaguya's nor any of the Bijuu's said in his head before the massive doors behind him at the top of the stairs opened up.
Normally Naruto wasn't one to trust odd voices but given everything that had happened to him in the last few days with the war and Kaguya, he felt inclined to listen since this 'Soul King' had sent Ichibe to save him.
As he made his way through the massive doorway at the top of the stairs he was stunned at the extravagant yet simple throne room of sorts. He was even more stunned at the man trapped in a massive crystal that was held up by chains.
The man had very short black hair and strange eyes with black sclera and almost diamond shaped eyes which were, in reality, four pupils and irises in each corner of his eye while being completely naked but with the crystal encasing him everything below his chest was obscured.
"Welcome Naruto Uzumaki, the man who passed my test that thousands of Otsutsuki over several thousands of years could not" the same voice that spoke before said as Naruto looked at the figure inside the crystal.
"Wait, is that you?" Naruto asked, stepping towards the man inside the crystal before he heard a chuckling inside his head.
"Yes I am Reio, the Soul King and the man who sent Ichibe to save you as I foresaw you might need his help" the Soul King said as Naruto stopped at the base of the small few steps that led to the Soul King.
"So what, you're saying you could see the future and that things would end up this way?" Naruto asked, hoping it wasn't the case as if that was true and they still just sat on their asses he'd be incredibly pissed.
"I saw this as a possible outcome as you have an immense power Naruto. Normally what I see is how it always happens but you, you change everything around you. I do not know if it is the Bijuu or your strong will but for me not to know is a testament to just how powerful that is" the Soul King explained, making Naruto frown a bit but nod as he could accept that.
"You being an enigma aside you are here because I wanted to offer you something, a job of sorts" the Soul King added making Naruto raise an eyebrow at.
"What is the job first?" Naruto asked as he knew better than to agree to something without hearing what it is.
"The job is to fill my role in time once I die" the Soul King said, as if talking about his death was like talking about the weather. "I have long since foreseen my death and now with the Shinju tamed I have someone to take my place. I wish to have you trained and have you live here with a city of your own to become the next Soul King, a god tied to the very existence of the world" he told him, Naruto frowning as this all sounded too good and too odd.
"Okay but how can you be so sure I'm the right choice for this thing? I mean I'm not the smartest guy, as I'm sure you know, so do you really want to put your eggs in my basket considering how important the egg is? Also what is the catch, something like this has to have a catch" Naruto said, pointing out the main couple concerns he had right away, hoping that him rattling off questions didn't potentially piss him off.
"You might not be the traditional version of smarts but you are a different kind and you know it. I know you are the right person due to your willingness to bring her down with you if that meant saving everyone else. That and you have an ability more powerful than the Bijuu or Shinju, your ability to change people's hearts like no other. That is how I know you are the perfect choice" he said before Naruto cleared his throat and crossed his arms at him.
"And the catch?" Naruto asked impatiently, making the Soul King chuckle in his head a bit.
"I assure you, on all that I am, that there is no catch other than you will have to live here. Here you will be trained to harness new powers to grow even stronger to become my successor. As you saw when you arrived, you will be given a city of your own and in time you will be able to invite anyone you want once they have passed on, to be a member of command" the Reio told him, making Naruto frown as the prospect of leaving his home behind felt impossible.
"What about Sakura!? Am I just supposed to ditch her?! I can't do that! I love her!" Naruto yelled, refusing to even consider the thought of ditching her and his friends for some fancy new title.
"Then how about this, you will be given free range of traveling back and forth from this world and to the human world but your main residence will be here. You may invite others over but unless they are with you romantically they cannot stay long term or permanently until they pass over which then I will personally revert them to their prime so they may be of use to you" the Soul King bartered as Naruto's frown lessened, his arms uncrossing but still unsure about it.
'What about it, what do you guys think?' Naruto thought, asking the Bijuu as they were a part of things given they were inside him for the time being.
"I say accept it Naruto. This guy is more of a god than Kaguya was and he's offering you to be one after he dies as well as giving you a lot for very little in return. Plus he allowed you to be with Sakura and still visit your home. There is very little downside to his offer" Kurama said, the other Bijuu agreeing with him before Naruto smirked and looked the Soul King in the eyes.
"Then I guess you have yourself a deal Soul King" Naruto said, holding out his hand as a symbolic gesture given the man was pretty much frozen in a massive crystal. Though even with that he swore the man inside the crystal's mouth moved up ever so slightly as if he was trying to smile.
-Several Thousands of Years Later-
Over the years so much had changed, not only in the world outside the Royal Palace but with him as well. His training had been intense nearly nonstop over the years to gain control of his new powers as a Shinigami that he had been granted by the Reio himself once their deal was made.
He also changed appearance wise, growing older to the appearance of his late 20s due to how slow he aged and being allowed to somewhat choose what age he looked. His hair was still his classic gravity defying spikes but it had grown a bit with the extra length in the back wrapped up in a ponytail.
He had started to wear the same uniform as the other Royal Guard members with two cloaks resting on top of one another on his shoulders. The first was a long sleeved white one with a black rhombus on the back that had the design of four black White Daphne flowers in it and over that was his red sage cloak that he had gotten from the Toad Sages all those years ago.
Over the years of his training as a Soul Reaper the Soul King had stayed true to his word in allowing Sakura, one of his wives – as odd as that was to say – to stay by his side through it all. He had also been able to visit Konoha until times shifted and everyone he really knew and cared for was now inside his own floating city which was one of six.
It also helped that, through the Soul King, everyone was returned to their prime once they passed over and moved into his city which definitely helped.
Before he had joined, Ichibe and another man named Oetsu Nimaiya had been the only other members until a man called Tenjiro Kirinji and a woman named Senjumaru Shutara joined sometime after him.
Nine years ago though they had even gotten another new member, another woman named Kirio Hikifune. She, like the others who had joined, was nice and very strong but when she joined he felt like something was about to go down. Though he knew it wasn't anything at the Palace but more at the Soul Society most likely from what his gut was telling him.
"Naruto? Are you up there?" a familiar voice asked as Naruto looked over his shoulder to see three women walking up onto the roof of his house that he was currently sitting on and looking out into the distance.
The first was Sakura who, in his eyes, had only grown more and more beautiful over the years even with the fact she too stopped aging around her late 20s like he did. Her figure had definitely blossomed with her chest growing to a massive L cup - a side effect of truly mastering Tsunade's techniques that the woman had kept secret until Sakura achieved it - while she had grown out her hair again, it going down to a bit past her butt with it tied in a low ponytail a bit past shoulder level.
Her outfit had also changed to a sleeveless red shirt with white linings that was almost akin to a cloak with its length and design, only being closed by two buttons that started below her breasts, allowing for a lot of cleavage to be on display as well as her stomach. Beyond that she stuck with a pair of cream pants and black heeled sandals to finish off her regular outfit.
The second was Temari, another of his wives. Her confession a year or so after the war seriously caught him off guard as everyone thought she and Shikamaru were a 'thing' but apparently that wasn't the case per se.
Apparently it was something she had tried to make work to forget about him due to his feelings for Sakura but never got past the 'try and make it work' stages - not that Shikamaru minded as he also felt Temari was forcing herself a bit. Which was why, after talking to Sakura, both of them helped give Temari a shove to have her confess.
Temari was a beautiful woman back then and her beauty definitely grew with her as she still had that elegant and mature vibe to her as she grew over the years and stopped at the same age range as him.
Her appearance hadn't changed as drastically as Sakura's, her hair no longer being done four ponytails but now only two with her bangs falling to the right of her face. Her outfit now being a black short sleeved kimono that went down to a bit above her ankles with a very long slit that went up to the red obi around her waist. The kimono really did well to show off her figure, her chest now around a sizable F cup.
The third, of what Sakura teasingly called his Elemental Wives, was Ino who was quite the surprise given her strong feelings for Sasuke and Sai. Turned out he had won her over throughout the years after Pain and the war against Kaguya and Sai had found love with a girl named Yakumo who was also a painter.
At first he took her flirting as Ino just being Ino until she seemingly got fed up and full on frenched him one day in the middle of the street. Safe to say, after that, he took her feelings seriously and the rest was history from there.
Ino, obviously, became a stunning beauty - no surprise there - as she had grown even more so with her blonde hair now reaching down to her calves and almost to her ankles with her bangs covering her right eye. Her outfit was now a sleeveless high collared purple top that was somewhat tight around her easily G cup chest and exposed her midriff entirely due to her purple skirt that sat low on her hips - to the point it made others question if she was wearing panties - but went all the way down to her ankles with a pair of black high heeled sandals.
"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, frowning as she - like the other two - could easily tell something was up after one look at him as a few thousands of years of marriage allowed them all to be able to read him like a book…well read him better as Sakura specifically had always been able to.
"I'm not sure, something just feels up. Kind of like a storm is about to hit" Naruto said, frowning as he looked out into the distance while Sakura and Ino sat on either side of him and Temari leaning over a bit with her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Then check around with the other Royal Guards, if nothing seems up then tell Ichibe, he trusts your gut just like you do. He'll probably suggest talking to the Soul King so it's up to you" Temari suggested as Sakura entwined her hand with his, giving it a squeeze while Ino hugged his other arm, all somewhat silently worried as Naruto's gut instinct was always incredibly accurate when it came to trouble.
"And if something isn't up then I'm sure no one will get upset with you asking around as it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your 'feelings'" Ino assured him as she rested her head on his shoulder, hoping to ease his tension a bit.
"You all are right, as always" he said with a chuckle, smiling as he leaned over to kiss both Sakura and Ino on the cheek with a smile before looking up so he could give one to Temari, giving Ino and Sakura's hand a squeeze as well. "I'll try not to be gone for too long, I just hope this is a false alarm" Naruto said as he stood up and helped Ino and Sakura up.
"I hope so too as trouble is definitely never good but with you, you always seem to attract it" Temari said with a frown as she patted him on the cheek, getting a sheepish look from him as he knew she was right.
"Though the last time he tried to help out like a thousand or so years ago he was denied so who knows, could be something serious he isn't allowed to take part in again" Ino reminded them, bringing up one of the very rare times where he wasn't allowed to act freely.
"Look if you are going to visit the others you already know who to visit first as if you go there first she'll keep you in line if I can't, got it?" Sakura told him, holding his chin softly as she looked in his eyes before he nodded with a chuckle and a smile as he knew who she was talking about given she was very much like Sakura in terms of keeping him in line.
"Okay and again, I'll try not to be too long" he told them all before kissing each of them softly on the lips and disappearing in a burst of speed towards one of the other floating cities.
As he landed back on the ground he looked around at the palace he arrived at, given he had gone straight there instead of walking through the city like he normally did. The palace itself was extravagant with sheets of fabric that draped down from above and continued on down to the ground and even further on. At the top of the steps was a medium sized cushioned seat made out of wooden bars and on the seat was a woman sitting with one leg crossed over the other with a look on her face that said as if she was expecting him.
The woman was a stunning elegant type beauty with fair skin and long black hair, her bangs covering her forehead as a large golden crescent moon hair ornament that had numerous small lines radiating out behind it worn behind her head.
She wore a standard Shinigami uniform of a black kimono beneath a white long-sleeved haori with another white robe fastened at the front near the center of her rather supple high B cup breasts.
Her name was Senjumaru Shutara and one of the Royal Guard members that had achieved several things before she became a member of the Royal Guard. She not only created countless Kido, the portals that the Shinigami used to enter the human world – save for the one the Royal Guard used – and the uniform of the Shinigami which had all gotten the Soul King's attention.
"I was waiting for you, I could feel your spiritual energy getting fuzzy which happens when you are worried about something. What's wrong?" Senjumaru asked as one of her many skeletal hands reached out towards him as he walked up the steps, cupping his cheek as he got in range of it.
Senjumaru was another of his wives, having grown close to her over the years since her becoming a Royal Guard. He remembered how things had started with them, it still made him chuckle since she was so stiff and all business until he wormed his way through her thick outer walls she had around her despite her joining the Royal Guard merely a few years after he did.
"Nothing right now but we'll see Sen-chan. I wanted to check in on everyone, see if there was anything going on. Sakura-chan told me to go to you first since you are the one who might know the most other than Ichibe" Naruto said as he put his hand over hers and squeezed it softly, knowing she could feel what her artificial hands felt. "I just feel on edge about something and I don't know what's the cause" he said making her frown but stand up.
"I can't say I've noticed anything but I have been busy with my work and I tend to be very focused when working. I'll go with you to check on the others if you want" she said as he nodded with a smile at the prospect of her coming along with him.
"I'd like that as it does give me an excuse to spend time with you" Naruto said, smiling as he appeared behind her, surprising her as he picked her up in a bridal carry before they disappeared in a burst of speed.
He was quick to set her down once they arrived and even quicker to move out of the range of her hands as they went to swat at him, a cute but annoyed blush on Senjumaru's face as she glared at him.
"You did not have to do that, I can walk here on my own" Senjumaru 'scolded' as she 'glared' at him, Naruto knowing she wasn't actually mad at him but more just embarrassed as even after all these years Senjumaru was very private about things. To this day she was still only comfortable showing affection when others weren't around but he didn't mind as she was cute when she was alone or with others she felt comfortable around.
That didn't mean he didn't tease her with little moments like these here and there to get a cute reaction out of her.
"Sorry, couldn't help it as I rarely get to pick you up and you're such a cute size" he told her, chuckling as he avoided more swats as she calmly walked towards him, a blush still on her face while she glared.
"If you love birds are going to flirt I'm pretty sure it could've been done at one of your Palaces" a male voice spoke out, Naruto looking over towards it while still being able to backstep in time to avoid being hit.
The man was his fellow Royal Guard member Tenjiro Kirinji and was actually the one to join a few years after him for his creation of intensely powerful healing springs as well as other healing arts.
He was an interesting man both in personality and in looks as he always looked a bit angry with the large pompadour, tapered sideburns and long stick he frequently chewed on gave him a gruff appearance. He also didn't wear a normal uniform, consisting of a waist length white jacket that left his chest exposed and bore the Royal Guard emblem on the back with black hakama pants, a yellow sash around his waist and a pair of sandals.
"We didn't come here for that, trust me. We came here because Naruto feels like something is up and wanted to see if anyone else felt that way" Senjumaru told him, tearing her eyes away from Naruto to now sternly look at Tenjiro for the 'flirting' comment.
"Oh, your gut is yelling at you? That doesn't spell anything good" Tenjiro said with a bit of a frown as he and the other Royal Guard members had seen Naruto's intuition in action when it came to a few things. "I personally haven't heard anything going on down below but then again I don't interact or look down at it too much unlike everyone else" he said as he rubbed his chin before looking over to Naruto to see him sigh and nod.
"I figured but I feel covering all the bases might help before I potentially ask Reio" Naruto told them, getting a nod from Tenjiro since he knew among the guards Naruto was the one who could go in to talk to Reio even more freely than Ichibe.
"What do you think is going on?" Tenjiro asked as he pulled out the stick from his mouth before sitting down on a rock near the entrance to his hot springs.
"I'm….not sure. I just feel like a storm's about to hit down below. The feeling's been growing ever since Kirio-chan joined us and it's started to increase a lot recently" he told them, noticing Tenjiro and Senjumaru sharing a look before Tenjiro put the stick back in his mouth and shooed him off.
"Then get going and check on the others, the sooner you figure this out the better" Tenjiro said with a serious look in his eyes as Naruto nodded.
"Onto Oetsu next as maybe he might know something" Naruto told him before looking at Senjumaru who nodded to him to show she was ready to follow.
The next Palace, the 'Galaxy Phoenix Palace' was definitely flashy, it being more like a gameshow set with bright flashing lights and neon lights.
"Why did we have to come here? Can't we just go to the real Palace?" Senjumaru asked, a flat look on her face as she found this place to be beyond an eyesore.
"Can't, the only way there is through here" Naruto said with a bit of a sigh as he also found this entrance to be a pain on his eyes. As they walked in Naruto was thankful that Oetsu didn't do his usual shtick for visitors with the ear pounding music and super bright lights, though that didn't mean there wasn't still music playing.
"Naru-chan! It's so good to see you!" a woman's voice said before she and countless other buxom women rushed over to say hello and talk with him.
The women in question were Oetsu's 'Honey-chans', all buxom and beautiful women who in actuality are all Zanpakuto spirits that he kept around him. Whenever he visited they always were like this and he could tell, even without looking, that Senjumaru was not happy as they swarmed him.
"It's nice to see you all but I really need to talk with Oetsu, is he busy?" he asked them before he heard a loud scoff.
"Busy? That lazy ass is always slacking" a girl said from behind the crowd of Honey-chans before they parted to reveal the short red haired girl. The girl in fact was also a zanpakuto spirit and one of Oetsu's assistants named Mera and the one who you went to if you needed to find Oetsu. "For once I have him working so come on back since I doubt you came here just to shoot shit" she told him, motioning for him to follow her which got to Honey-chans leave him alone.
"Sorry everyone, kind of busy trying to figure something out" Naruto apologized to the Honey-chans as he walked past them with Senjumaru following behind him, the Honey-chans knowing just from the look in his eyes as he looked ahead.
As they followed Mera they finally arrived at Oetsu's real palace which was best described as a literal run down shack.
Oetsu was definitely an odd man as despite choosing this modest shack as his Palace he felt the need to make that flashy Palace as a front almost. He was an odd mix of flashy and modest that gave him whiplash when he first met the man.
"Ah! Naruto! What a surprise! What can I do for you?" Oetsu asked with a smile once he noticed him walk in, looking up from the sword he was inspecting before he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Senjumaru alongside him. "Okay, this changed from a friendly visit to potentially something more so really, what's up?" he asked, putting down the sword and standing up to head over towards them.
Oetsu Nimaiya was a tan skinned man with thick black hair that was shaved on the sides, which were then dyed green to match the green undershirt he wore under his white sleeveless puffer jacket that bore the Squad Zero emblem on it. His hakama were short to expose his lower legs with a pair of green slippers that were gold trimmed and looked a bit like shoes. His unique appearance was completed with a pair of gold framed sunglasses that were blue lensed to hide his eyes.
He was an odd man and it definitely reflected in his appearance though, as odd as he was, he was also serious about his job and was the man who had created the Asauchi which was the base of all Zanpakuto that all Shinigami used.
"He feels something is stirring and is checking up with the others" Senjumaru told him, getting a very rare serious look on Oetsu's face.
"Look, it's nothing serious. I just want to see if it's a false alarm or something" he said in an attempt to ease their worries before Oetsu scoffed.
"Kid, your gut doesn't get false alarms so in the end it's all a matter of how bad of an alarm it is" Oetsu told him before he looked over to the side and rubbed his chin, seemingly in thought. "The only odd thing I've really noticed recently is there are a lot of zanpakuto and asauchi being silenced and destroyed down in the Seireitei but who knows if it's just turbulent times or what" he told them which Naruto understood as while he really hasn't made many trips down there he knew it was quite hectic at times.
That didn't mean the news made his gut feeling lessen anything as, if anything, it made it worse….
"I'll keep that in mind….thanks" Naruto said, mulling it over as he walked out while deep in thought, completely missing Oetsu and Senjumaru looking at one another.
"You'd better keep up with him for now until he meets with Ichibe at least" Oetsu suggested as Senjumaru nodded, already planning on doing so as she followed after Naruto who thankfully hadn't left without her.
"We should head to Kirio next, given she's the most recent Royal Guard she could give you a feeling for how things were down there before she left" Senjumaru reminded him given Kirio was the most recent addition to the Royal Guard, having joined only nine years ago.
"Yeah, probably for the best before heading to Ichibe though I already know what he'll tell me…." Naruto replied with a sigh before he disappeared in a burst of speed with Senjumaru right behind as they headed off towards the next Palace.
As they arrived Naruto already could smell the scent of delicious food wafting out from inside which didn't surprise him as Kirio somehow always knew when she was going to have visitors.
"Best not keep her waiting" Senjumaru said before smirking as one of her arms wiped a bit of drool off the corner of his mouth. "I'm a bit hungry as well so this will be nice" she added before they headed inside, walking into a massive dining room with an incredibly long table with chairs lining down each side of it.
"I thought I felt you out and about, you dropped by just in time as I just finished a little feast for you two" a voice called out from behind some curtains that lead to the kitchen as the two of them sat next to each other on one side of the table.
"So, what do I owe for this visit? I'm always happy when you come and visit me Naru-chan but something tells me it isn't for a snack" she said, a pout heard in her tone as Naruto sighed.
"I feel like something is going to happen and I was curious, before you left the Seireitei, was there anything you felt was odd or off about it?" Naruto asked since it had only been nine years since she left.
"That doesn't sound good…." she muttered a bit from inside the kitchen. "As for anything odd around the Seireitei? Can't say I felt anything when I was there but I guess there is one thing, though I can't be too certain how genuine Shinji was about it" she wondered out loud, humming in thought before she walked through the curtain to tell him more.
Kirio Hikifune had long purple hair and swirl shaped marks on her cheeks alongside black lipstick that she wore at all times. She was an utterly stunning woman, not only in her achievements but also her figure as - despite it being something unheard of to him or anyone from his era - she was bustier than Tsunade at an O cup compared to Tsunade's N cup chest.
Her uniform was pretty much standard with no personal additions unlike Oetsu and Tenjiro but, due to her large chest, she had the top quite open to show off a whole hell of a lot of her cleavage. He always found that was an interesting trend among women with large chests but then again he doubted it'd be comfortable to constrain them in tight clothing.
He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head though as she set down the food, her seemingly still thinking things over.
"Shinji, the captain of the 5th Squad, always mentioned to me how he didn't trust his lieutenant and only promoted him to keep an eye on him. Shinji isn't the type to be paranoid so something could have happened in the nine years since my promotion…." Kirio told him, frowning as Naruto looked deep in thought before she and Senjumaru shared a look.
"I'll see what Ichibe has to say about it….but right now some of your delicious food sounds amazing!" Naruto told her, brightening up after a brief pause as he smiled at her and the food in front of them.
"Aw sweetie, you know you only need to ask and I'll always be happy to cook you up whatever you want" Kirio told him with a bright smile, leaning over by his side to give him a kiss on his cheek before she went back to get more for them.
Kirio was a very cheery and sweet woman, something she kept up even while reprimanding others like Tenjiro and Oetsu with hard hits on the head when they acted out, which was rather often.
After she joined it didn't take long for them to get along and to click, Kirio quickly learning of his situation with multiple wives and was quite into the idea of it with her getting along amazingly with the others with her and Sakura being the closest as it was her who helped Kirio with an issue of hers.
After a year or so of training up here Kirio found out, to use her full potential in cooking and in battle, she needed a lot of reiatsu which involved bulking up in weight only to burn through it quickly.
Sakura was the one who realized, since she was using reiatsu and not carbs like an Akimichi, that the Strength of a Hundred seal would be able to help her out. Kirio didn't need the full technique, just the stockpiling aspect of it to help her stop from putting a strain on her body from the constant bulking up and slimming down.
She didn't even need to do much as she already had 'marks' she could put the reiatsu into which were the two marks on her cheeks.
From there Kirio wound up getting closer and closer with him until, one night while Kirio was out drinking with Sakura, the two of them hatched a plan for Kirio to get with him. It was a rather intense night but it was pretty much history from there on.
He always loved eating her food as even with the utterly massive portions it was never difficult to finish every last bite.
"So, is your gut telling you anything specific or just a general bad vibe?" Kirio asked as she sat beside him with a bit of a smile despite the situation while she watched him eat, always enjoying watching people enjoy her food.
"No, it just feels like a storm is about to hit. After I'm done here I'm going to be heading over to Ichibe as he probably either already knows what is up or was given something by the Big Man to give me about it" Naruto told her as when it came to stuff like this the Soul King - obviously - always knew what was up and what he was 'sensing' with Ichibe being used as the messenger more or less to tell him what he could or couldn't do about it.
Sometimes he was told to stay out of it while other times he was allowed to get involved, albeit with limitations to what he could do and when he could do it.
"Let's just hope it's nothing too big, the last thing we need is for you to get caught up in things out there….again. You always either attract trouble or find a way into the middle of it naturally" Senjumaru told him with a flat look, one of her arms reaching out to pinch his cheek while he could only roll eyes a bit with a slight smile since he knew she was only teasing him.
"Oh it'll be okay~ Even if he does get dragged into things I feel it's kind of his job" Kirio teased with a smirk as she pinched his other cheek, getting him to roll his eyes more before lightly brushing their hands off his cheeks.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best not to get into trouble but I really don't think I can help it since it just feels in my nature to help a bit" Naruto told them as despite the peace he had created after the 4th Shinobi War having faded long ago he still tried to do his best help where he could and where he was able to.
He honestly had a lot of free reign to do what he wanted as long as he kept his identity as a Royal Guard member a secret when out in the Seireitei, Human World, or Hueco Mundo. There was very little he couldn't do given his position to the point he's had a few students over the years in both the Seireitei and Human world that he taught the way of the sword to.
In Hueco Mundo those trips mainly consisted of watching and learning more about Hollows since they did possess a degree of sentience, will, and personality. He even found a few generally peaceful ones that more or less kept to themselves that he befriended.
Though, in the end, he knew it wasn't his place to solve all issues but generally, whenever he felt things were 'amiss' he was allowed to deal with them, only remembering one major occasion being where Reio personally forbade him from getting involved….
And even then, while he personally would have liked to be able to fix things, knew Reio had his reasons to restrict him since he never did anything arbitrarily.
"We know and we love that about you" Kirio told him with a warm smile as she cupped his cheek and softly kissed him. "Now go see Ichibe as he's probably waiting for you" she told him as she patted his cheek before she stepped back with Senjumaru walking over to him next.
"I'll also be heading back to my palace as Ichibe will be your final visit and I feel that it's going to be a private matter" Senjumaru told him, a look in her eyes that told him she was a bit unsure before he gently took two of her skeleton hands.
It was cute seeing her struggle with herself before he leaned in to kiss her, getting a kiss back before he pulled away.
"I'll be fine, even if this does require me to go somewhere. Whatever is happening can't be that serious since, if it was, Ichibe would have alerted us before I picked up on it" he assured them both, getting a nod before he let go of her hands and looked to her and Kirio with a smile before disappearing in a flash off towards Ichibe.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting" Naruto apologized as he arrived, turning around to see Ichibe waiting for him at the top of the long set of stairs that led up to the monk's training dojo which was the main building of his city.
Over the years Ichibe had been his teacher in the way of being a shinigami, whether it be learning to use a zanpakuto, master shunpo, learn how to use kido, or just a variety of his duties. Ichibe was a kind teacher but even in his kindness he was strict and pushed Naruto to his limits and then some.
It was due to him that Naruto was able to fully master his abilities to a point that not even Ichibe apparently knew was possible - which is saying something given just how wise and knowledgeable Ichibe was about pretty much everything.
"I wasn't waiting long, I knew you were making your rounds so it gave me time to receive a message from Reio and brew some tea" Ichibe told him with a smile as he appeared at the bottom few steps in an instant.
"So something is happening down there if he called you to the Palace to act as a go-between" Naruto theorized, getting a nod from him before the monk held up three fingers.
"Yes and you are free to go down there if you wish but you have three limitations: one - you cannot kill anyone, two - you obviously, as always, cannot reveal yourself as a Royal Guard member, and three - you may not release your zanpakuto. You are free to do anything else you wish as long as you abide by those rules" Ichibe listed off before shrugging as not even he, the leader of the Royal Guard, really had much say of what Naruto could or couldn't do since that was Reio's job to decide.
"Hmmm, that doesn't quite bode well as that tends to be the rules he uses when he knows there would be someone I'd want to kill….I guess I'll figure things out when I head down there" Naruto muttered before also shrugging it off as there was no use dwelling on it before he actually went down there to figure out what was happening.
"Going right away?" Ichibe asked with a raised eyebrow, although not too surprised before Naruto nodded and bit his thumb, wiping a drop of blood over his wrist to unseal his swords that he kept sealed inside a storage seal on his wrist and sealing away his Royal Guard cloak.
"Better now to get things dealt with….well, 'dealt with' as much as I'm allowed to" Naruto told him as he slipped his three zanpakuto into his waist sash.
His zanpakuto were quite unique as, due to having the soul of Kurama in him from a baby and now - even with the Bijuu peacefully living outside of him in his Palace - the imprint of them all as well as Kaguya and the Shinju apparently made it impossible for him to have a zanpakuto specific to his soul like others. Due to this, his swords were all aspects of the Shinju's powers which weren't anything to sneeze at.
"Plus everyone pretty much figured I'd be going out right away so why waste more time by going back to tell them I'm leaving when they know" Naruto added before he snapped his fingers, opening a special Chokaimon that didn't need any 'departure time' like normal.
"Then I wish you good luck with your discovery mission" Ichibe said with a smile as Naruto walked through the Chokaimon, knowing that he was about to get involved with one of the coming major events in the Soul Society.
But, at the end of the day, that was what Reio wanted and he agreed with him that this was most likely for the best given how Naruto was eventually going to be King.
-Chapter End-
Pairing
Naruto x Sakura, Temari, Ino, Kirio, Senjumaru, Unohana, Rukia, Rangiku, Kukaku, Yoruichi, Masaki, Tier, Nel, Riruka, Lisa, Mila Rose
Maybe:
Orihime, Isane, Cirucci, Jackie, Sung-Sun, and Meninas
Merry Christmas Eve (or Merry Christmas depending on time zones) to everyone!
Yes, a new story, but honestly I'm gonna have to ask you all to deal with it. As of, for like the last year, I've been seriously struggling to write much of anything so I'm going with "If I feel I can write it and end up finishing a chapter – whether posted story or new – I'm gonna upload it to make myself feel better and less depressed about my difficulties
This though, is a story I've had sitting at like 8k-ish for like a good year or maybe two and was able to finish just recently due to the new Bleach trailer igniting my drive in this story again lol
Now I'm not really using anything in the 'Can't Fear Your Own World'. The way I'm doing things with Reio is that he was the one who encased himself – as for his arms and legs still being there – you'll just have to wait and see as I have a plan/idea in mind that I really like
Naruto's zanpakuto are based on the Shinju's powers, I kinda don't wanna say too much on them but then again it'll be pretty obvious to guess so I don't think there is any harm. One sword is based around the Sharingan, another the Rinnegan, and the last the Bijuu.
As for why Naruto doesn't have a sword based on himself – you know like a unique one – I feel my reasoning makes sense. Due to Kurama being in him all his life and now having the Shinju and Kaguya in him there is no way for the Asuachi to pick up on his soul among the imprints of the Bijuu and the heavy soul of the Shinju and Kaguya.
Now he can still use some of those powers without releasing his sword or anything BUT they are much more toned down and lighter versions of the abilities, not nearly as powerful. If he wants to use the abilities at full power, or even use some abilities at all, he has to release his swords. So it's not like the swords are redundant or anything
Now, I won't spoil anything regarding this, but Naruto does have several children who are either living at his city, living in the Seireitei as they wanted to be Soul Reapers, or elsewhere – all of which will show up later in the fic so look forward to them.
In regards to his comment about befriending some Hollows, you'll meet them later as well. Won't spoil who they are either.
Now, the last thing I will say and comment on is don't expect things to be the same as Bleach, Naruto's existence and involvement will change a good deal of things. I have a ton of changes in mind for things due to the 'domino effect' that is his presence in things
Next chapter will drop Naruto right in the middle of things so look forward to it!
**Attention!**
I have officially started a discord server for my writing that anyone can join!
If you wish to join drop me a PM and I'll give you the link or you can ask alongside your review and I'll give it to you. Originally I was just gonna have the link here but that could be a tad bit dangerous if a troll got it or if someone I have blocked got it lol
Keep in mind people have access to channels with stuff equivalent to the tiers they are pledged to. BUT, even if you aren't pledged you have access to all the basic stuff of the server :)
I would like to remind everyone I do have a pat reon which includes rewards like seeing progress updates, notifications to new stories I plan to do, voting polls, and early access to chapters before I post them on FF.
Simple go to pat reon and paste:
/user?u=4783680
At the end of pat reon's url and you'll find my page.
You don't get anything that everyone here won't get aka there will be no "pat reon exclusive stories" or things where I have to get a certain amount of money before I work on something as both of those are shitty practices.
It is solely "hey, you want to support me, a disabled unemployed writer who survives off my disability checks? Thanks, I appreciate it" and nothing more
So yeah, check it out if you want :)
I hope you all liked it
Until Next Time
Rate and Review
Buh-Bye!