Scouting Mission
A training ground within the Neo Seireitei
A young blond teen with red tips and highlights sat in the middle of the training ground in a meditative position. His eyes closed, his fists locked against each other and his chest bare and revealing his toned abs from daily exercise and training. This teen was in a deep trance and seemed as if he wouldn't awaken until he was finished.
All the while a slightly older teen in the bushes watched the blond and waited what felt like an eternity. This teen was distinguishable by his orange hair and his lean yet muscular build. The teen grasped a large sword that was on his hand that appeared similar to a butcher knife. The teen waited a couple more minutes until the other teen that he was spying on as if he were prey stood up and prepared to walk away from the training ground.
The teen smirked as he jumped high in the air, however he already knew that his presence was detected and thus would have been prevented had he jumped one or two seconds earlier. The blond smirked as he turned 180 degrees and raised his hand causing the earth below him to rise and almost hit the orange haired teen. The orange haired teen avoided the pillar and kicked away from it before landing in directly in front of his opponent before slashing at him a few times and missing.
"You already screwed up the moment you didn't reach higher ground Ichigo. You should understand that with earth bending, I can't rely on my eyes or any senses around my face or head." the blond said.
"I guess I was too cautious. Then again aren't you the one who tells me to exorcise patients Naruto?" Ichigo asks as he continues to attack the blond.
"I guess it's one of those complex hypocritical sayings. It mainly depends on the situation, while you were being patient for once, you could have jumped away and took higher ground before attacking me. In my trances, I am completely unaware of the world around me and can feel almost nothing." Naruto said in a sage like tone before throwing his fist and invoking fire to come out of it.
Ichigo avoided the flames before dashing at Naruto, "So much for an honorable fight." he said.
"You're the one attacking an unarmed person with a sword. There's no such thing as honor in this fight." Naruto responded as with a strange gesture causing a gust of wind to hit Ichigo.
"If it means getting stronger, then I don't mind. You think you're so badass when you discovered bending. Show me what you got tough guy." Ichigo said as he released his shikai and appeared in his shinigami robes.
Before the fight could continue, the two were blown away by a powerful gust of wind. Looking up, they saw a large horned creature with fur covering its body landing in front of Ichigo before growling.
"Easy Oame, Ichigo and I were just practicing. No need to get mad." Naruto said as he calmed the creature down.
Oame narrowed its eyes at Ichigo before licking Naruto, "For a friendly creature, it sure does hate me." Ichigo said with a sigh.
"I know it's strange, he never acts this way with Robin." Naruto said as he stroked the creature's mane.
"What kind of name is Oame anyways? It's a weird name for a sky bison." Ichigo commented.
"It means heavy rain, the day I found Oame was when I got lost in the woods during a downpour. Oame was still a baby and was trapped under a tree that was hit by lightning. So I used my bending to get the branch off, but he was badly hurt so I had to help him make his way to a cave. So long story short, when morning came, I fed him some fruits before leading him to his pack. Almost got eaten and that's how a herd of sky bison showed up at our dorm." Naruto explained.
"Yeah, I remember you had to pay extra for that little keep you made for him to live in. He sure did grow fast." Ichigo said as he stroked the bison's fur.
"It takes about a decade for these big guys to grow and they last as long as humans from what I learned." Naruto said before Oame yawned.
"He's probably tired from having to wait for you." Ichigo said.
"I bet, come on we should grab some food. I think Robin is coming out of her medical practice in a bit." Naruto said as he climbed onto Oame's back.
"It's a quarter past 4." Ichigo pointed out as he climbed up as well.
"Crap, she's probably finishing up right now!" Naruto said as he grabbed the ropes of the saddle. "Oame, yip yip!" he said prompting the sky bison to fly.
"It may hate me, but I love this thing." Ichigo said knowing how good Oame is at travelling.
Meanwhile all the nearby shinigami watched as the sky bison took off towards the other side of the island. The neo seireitei isn't the only place in the nation after all, but it was one of the few where a civilian is allowed. Not like a civilian would want to waste time being around shinigami, especially since there aren't too many secrets worth scaring the public.
With Nico Robin, a while later
"I think this is a good stopping point Robin. You've really grown in the past few years." said the instructor.
"Thank you captain Unohana." Robin said before leaving the room.
"I never expected Nico Robin to develop such a skill in less than a decade." Isane spoke up.
"I guess when someone matters the most to you. You realize how quickly you want to grow as a person in order to help them." Unohana said as she looked at a photo on her desk.
It showed a photo of an adolescent Naruto in a wheelchair with Robin and Ichigo by his side. It was Naruto developing a frail body that pushed Robin to develop skills as a medic. Only it made her a bit paranoid after the incident occured when Chaldea attempted to fix his body.
Meanwhile Robin exited the hospital to find a sky bison landing in front with Naruto quickly putting a shirt on. Robin smiled as she approached the pair that were on the bison.
"I see you wanted to take Oame out for a stroll." Robin said as Naruto helped her climb on.
"I thought the big guy could use fresh air." Naruto responded.
"The big guy sleeps outside, he always gets fresh air." Ichigo said.
"Anyways, where are we heading off to?" Robin asked.
"We're getting some lunch. I heard there's a new restaurant that Ichigo told me about." Naruto answered.
Robin looked to her orange haired friend, "It's called Hei Bai Express, some place that serves food from a culture from over a couple hundred years ago. My kaa-san knew a few recipes, but the restuarants weren't to popular back then." Ichigo explained as he lied on his back.
"I'm just worried about finding a good spot for Oame." Robin said knowing that Naruto is the only person who rides a sky bison and the big guy isn't exactly allowed to lay down on the streets.
"I'm sure we'll find a spot. Besides, I'm sure someone won't mind an adorable sky bison nearby." Ichigo said only for Oame to sneeze and send a giant gust of air to knock over a tree. "He may be a bit clumsy, but I'm sure it won't matter. Right Oame?" he asked.
"RAAGH." Oame said with a head gesture symbolizing a nod.
"Was that a yes?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, you just need to know him as long as I do to understand a sky bison." Naruto answered before they landed.
A while later, after lunch
"Man, you guys should have tried to ramen." Ichigo suggested.
"Maybe next time, I never tried ramen." Naruto said as paused for a moment and felt as he should yell at himself in the mirror for some odd reason.
"For someone of your status, aren't you supposed to travel the world and learn your bending abilities? Ichigo asked.
"How can I do that when there's no knowledge for me to find?" Naruto asked.
"That's the think otouto, you need to seek out knowledge. You can't say that there isn't if you haven't tried to find it. Bending may be ancient, but it's your job and the job of your clan to bring balance to the world isn't it?" Robin asked.
"The Uzumaki are supposed to be policing the other two clans Robin. Kind of ironic if you think about it, we all come from the sage of six paths and yet the Senju and Uchiha are close to death while we managed to relocate in time." Naruto replied as he ordered another drink.
"Hey Naruto can you go over why the avatar cycle stopped for like 10 years again? You said that reincarnation is effective once the last guy dies and you're supposed to be born again." Ichigo stated.
"That's true, but that's because of the long origin of the three children of the sage. The oldest, Indra, founded the Sharingan and the Uchiha clan. The middle child, Ashura, he founded the Senju clan along and to this day, many believed he also founded the Uzumaki clan, but that is inaccurate. While the two clans are cousins, they are also related to the Uchiha whether they believe it or not." Naruto began.
"And how did you get this information again?" Ichigo asked still feeling skeptical about his friend's abilities.
"It was through my trances, I tried speaking to the previous avatar, but I'm still having spiritual connection issues. So I had to learn by what she told me." Naruto answered.
"Strange answer aside, who was the third child?" Robin asked.
"Tsubaki Otsutsuki, founder of the Uzumaki clan. As I mentioned, the Uzumaki were meant to police the two clans, despite her being the avatar and having to bring balance. Avatar Tsubaki was born unable to mold chakra despite it being strong in her family which left her unable to use ninshu. So as she grew, Tsubaki believed there was more to the world her father created than just ninshu. Contrary to her brothers and father's beliefs, Tsubaki saw that ninshu could be weaponized and create catastrophe if not in the proper hands and guidance." Naruto explained.
"So where does bending come in?" Ichigo asked.
"He's getting to that." Robin answered.
"Years passed and as Tsubaki was returning to the land of ancestors, she came across a wounded spirit named Raava. Raava explained that she was restraining another spirit named Vaatu. However someone had messed with the two and allowed Vaatu to escape. Tsubaki returned to her homeland with the wounded spirit on her back. There she saw the clash between her two brothers. In that moment, neither side was winning. Tsubaki, despite her inability to any form of power, got herself involved." Naruto continued as Ichigo looked in awe.
"So that's when she got her bending and became the avatar!?" Ichigo asked.
"Almost, first she got badly injured and realized running directly into the fray was a bad idea. Even Raava thought that was the stupidest thing she's seen." Naruto answered making him frown.
"So Tsubaki almost died?" Robin asked earning a nod.
"Yeah, however Raava attempted something that would forever affect the avatars after Tsubaki. The two fused and thus gave Tsubaki the strength to combat Indra. It was a struggle and Raava was sure Tsubaki would die if they stayed merged for too long. At this point, the story gets hazy since my connection was getting cut off." Naruto explained.
"Then just abridge it." Robin encouraged.
Naruto took a deep breath, "I didn't know how, but Raava somehow gave Tsubaki the power to stay fused with her. That left the two to permanently merge together and fight with Indra on equal ground as Ashura helped. Only the fight nearly ended when Tsubaki learned spirit bending from Raava and managed to restrain Indra. With all her might, Tsubaki wanted to solve the dispute peacefully by using an important yet dangerous technique. She wanted to take away Indra's ninshu along with all his knowledge." Naruto explained.
Ichigo frowned, "There is no happy ending yet is there?" he asked.
"Of course not, Mr. Hippy junior thought it would be cruel and stopped her and let Indra escape thinking the loss of internal energy was worse than death. Of course Tsubaki entered an argument with her brother and father after Indra left saying that they were fools when they believed that peace could only be achieved by sharing chakra. So Tsubaki's journey continued as she and Raava went after Indra who teamed up with Vaatu." Naruto answered.
"So the seemingly good guy almost plunged the world into darkness." Robin summarized.
"Yeah pretty much, to keep it brief at this point. Tsubaki travelled with Raava who had an idea as to how to properly combat Indra and Vaatu. They discovered a strange species known as the lion turtles who had an ability called energy bending. With Raava's help, the lion turtles reluctantly gave Tsubaki one of each element. Starting with fire, then air, then water, and ending with water. Of course the confrontation came, Ashura almost screwed up again, but it ended with Tsubaki being forced to deal the final blow on Indra after sealing Vaatu away." Naruto said almost finishing his story.
"Anything else?" Ichigo asked.
"Well Ashura threw a fit, but got his ass handed since Tsubaki developed enough skill to pretty much nerf ninjutsu so long as it used an element. Tsubaki outlived his brother and his father, but stayed alive long enough to predict what would happen to the bijuu in the future. Raava understood human were mortal no matter how strong they were in terms of spirit. So despite Tsubaki dying from old age, Raava would move on by transferring herself and taking the avatar's spirit into a newborn child." Naruto finished before taking a deep breath and chugging down his drink.
"Very interesting, be that as it may. It didn't answer Ichigo's question." Robin pointed out with the orange haired teen nodding.
"Well that summary was to explain Tsubaki's brothers, their spirit or chakra or something. Pretty sure it's the former, those two pretty much lived on and every avatar had their own ideas. Free will and other bull shit later, we all had to decide to whether to live in harmony, kill them or try to out live them." Naruto said.
"Oh, so the reason you weren't reborn all those years ago is because the reincarnations of Indra or Ashura were still alive." Robin said getting the idea.
"And since we know who the last avatar is, we can pretty much narrow down who might have faked their death." Ichigo said as he tried to put it together.
Naruto closed his eyes before taking a deep breath, "Hashirama Senju was Ashura's past life and Madara was Indra's, but we know that the shodaime hokage had died during the first shinobi world war. Madara, we assumed had died during their fight during the valley of the end." he said.
"And your last incarnation as the avatar was..." Robin started only to be interrupted by the sound of the doors opening abruptly.
"Good I found you three." the trio turned to see an adult man with long hair reaching his waist.
"Did you just happen to know where we were or did you notice the giant sky bison?" Ichigo asked.
"The latter, the smelly creature is taking a long nap out there." the man said.
"Lord El Melloi 2, I would like you to refrain from insulting my friend. If this were Renji I would understand." this statement prompted Robin and especially Ichigo to laugh out loud.
"Regardless, it appears as if you three were requested for a special mission outside of the nation." the teacher said.
"Sweet, I've been itching to visit the other countries for a while." Ichigo said excitedly.
"There are some rather mysterious things I wouldn't mind studying." Robin said.
"As much as I enjoy the enthusiasm, you have the avatar in your presence. So I'd prefer it if you two didn't jump the gun until I finished and Naruto weighs his opinion in and keeps a balance." Lord El Melloi II said.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Where are we going?" he asked coldy as he didn't like his teacher's tone.
"The Land of Fire, their hidden village." the modern magic teacher answered as he prepared for the worst.
"Why?" Naruto demanded as he gripped the table.
"There is something off that the mage's association detected during the monthly scouting runs. They couldn't get too close, but they believe there is a dangerous magic there and it needs to be contained or stopped." he answered.
Naruto gritted his teeth, "So why us?" he asked.
"I know how you feel Naruto and I understand you would prefer to avoid even mentioning fire country's hidden village at all. However I can try to convince them to send another team, but you have an idea of how they will respond." Lord El Melloi II answered.
Naruto slowly took deep breaths as he felt Robin give him a comforting hand, "Ok, let me clear my head. Can we talk in your office so I don't destroy the place?" he asked.
"Not if you're planning on destroying my office instead." Waver answered.
"Come on guys, we'll take Oame all the way back." Naruto said as he paid for lunch.
"I'll stick to my car." Waver said as he left the restaurant.
At the office
The trio entered Waver's office through his window while Oame hanged out in the small courtyard that had a tree in the center. Gray welcomed them in despite worrying about the sky bison making a mess. Naruto reassured her that Oame is housebroken and knows where he shouldn't be leaving his droppings. Lord El Melloi II soon arrived and took a seat behind his desk before glaring at the sight of a sky bison being so close to his office.
"I'll get to the point. Although I made it perfectly clear that you are not a fan of the hidden village and do not possess any knowledge or memory of it's layout. Naruto, you will be leading this group to Konoha and try to find that source of the magical energy. Of course, I have suggested a second team to join you shortly." Waver explained.
Naruto sighed as Robin wrapped her arms around him, "Naruto, I'm sure if we put up a good defense. Maybe we can skip out on this mission." she said.
"It's alright Robin, sometimes I need to go past my comfort zone for the greater good." Naruto replied as he gently removed her arms. "I'm not the same little kid that was stuck in a wheelchair anymore. I'm the avatar of all things." he said.
"That doesn't mean I still don't see you as my otouto. Is it wrong to protect family?" Robin asked.
"No, but that's why I'm not doing this alone." Naruto reassured.
"That's why you have us." Ichigo added.
"I don't want to ruin the touching moment, but I wanted to let you know that you'll be leaving within the next three days. I'll be getting the last minute details from the association ready and until then, I expect you three to prepare. The nation has been in hiding for many years and no one outside of iron country is aware of us. So unless you get the say so, don't get too flashy." Waver explained.
"Anything else worth mentioning professor?" Ichigo asked.
"No, that's it for now, but do any of you have questions?" Waver asked.
"Will it just be the three of us? Regardless of whether or not, can we use Oame to transport us?" Naruto asked.
"Most like you will be assigned to have a chaperone of a higher rank. As for your sky bison." he said as he turned to the beast as it was sleeping on its side. "It would be preferable to utilize him rather than exposing ourselves with our vehicles." Waver finished.
"Alright, so three days then. We should prepare ourselves for the worst possible." Naruto said as he entered soldier mode.
"Don't push yourself hard Naruto." Gray said.
"I won't Gray-chan. If anyone needs me, I'll be meditating with Oame." Naruto said as he jumped out the window behind Waver and woke up Oame.
"Ah?" Oame asked.
"Come on Oame time to go, yip yip." Naruto said as Oame quickly took to the skies.
"Well I gotta train, are you coming Robin?" Ichigo asked.
"I'll be heading to the library before packing up a few supplies." Robin answered as they both left.
"They're an interesting group." Gray commented.
"Yes they are, they're also the most unpredictable and successful ones we have." Waver added before lighting a cigarette only for his lighter to fail. "I should have asked Naruto to stay for a moment." he said.
"I will purchase some matches for you shishou." Gray said.
With Naruto, a day later
Finding himself in an open field, Naruto proceeded to sit and connect his fists together. All the while he let the wind surround his body as he took a deep breath and absorbed the energy radiating from the world around him. Then soon after, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body hoping to find balance within himself. All in hopes of being able to better his connection to his spiritual self. Yesterday was a slight improvement, but that was just a glimpse of being able to enter by himself.
All the other times, it was his predecessor who was able to pull him in from his dreams or during his meditations. Once again, Naruto found good luck and managed to find himself earning a glimpse of the spirit world. However things got shrouded as he tried to push through and enter. Naruto knew the first rule of the spirit world was to control your emotions as they affect the reality around you. However, that's when things became a mess.
The sky became cloudy and lightning began to erupt from the clouds before violently striking the ground creating large trenches among the dirt. Almost as if there was a more unstable force nearby that was affecting the land. Naruto tried to reach out only to feel intense heat coming from the spirit world. The world was hot, yet there was a thunderstorm all around him.
Naruto knew from his exercises that this was usually the work of someone close or himself, but there were two problems with that theory. He didn't come in here with anyone nor did he detect another life sign and spirits don't count since humans usually affect them. The other part is himself, while sometimes emotions are too powerful than you realize, the only turmoil Naruto felt was his fear around the environment he was in. Unless something related to him was in control... but Naruto has no alternate personality or some mental health issue that could be trigger this.
After many attempts, Naruto managed to enter the spirit world entirely before the land was shaped into the outskirts of an abandoned castle. The rain didn't let up as the lightning within the clouds was practically challenging him to come closer to the castle. By the time made it past the gates, a dark figure was kneeling in the middle of the main hall. As Naruto approached the figure to get a better view, he saw a pale teenage, possibly young adult, whose arms were chained and connected to the opposite sides of the room. Along with that, some barbed wire was wrapped around her mouth like a gag.
Naruto's eyes widened as he could see the pain and dejection in the girl's eyes. Her green eyes were slowly fading into a gray color. As if the life inside of her was being drained, but something was off. There was no proof she was a regular human, she had to be some kind of spirit in trouble.
"Miss can you hear me?" Naruto asked a few times while shaking her a bit. "Let me help you." he said as he carefully removed the barbed to avoid it from piercing her. "Something wrong, spirits can't take physical damage like this can they?" he asked himself as he noticed some bloody cuts around her mouth.
Putting that aside Naruto began to try and break the chains open. Only for some reason, felt some sort of throbbing within his body. As he continued to pull on the first restraint, he felt emotions. He felt optimism then sadness. Hope then disappointment. Pride then embarrassment followed by shame. It was strange, it felt as if he were in the mind of a child with hopes and dreams only for them to grow up rapidly and become shattered by what the world really is. However that didn't mean the chain had loosened or started weakne at all.
"Maybe I can bend it. I suck at metal, but maybe now is one of those moments where it works." Naruto said as he let go and rubbed his hands together. "If I can travel into the spirit world. I can do this. What good am I as the avatar if I can't help one person or spirit?" he asked himself as he started making pulling gestures with his hands.
The chain began to float up and shake a few times before falling down. Naruto sighed before trying to put more energy into it. Only to slowly become frustrated and the more frustrated he became, the more energy he was unintentionally releasing.
"Come on. Why can't I break this thing?" he asked himself.
It wasn't long as more strange emotions and images. Joy, loyalty, pride, they were all emotions leading up to happiness. Only to be replaced by suffering and sorrow. Then it ends with a sudden pain in his chest. He was now forcing himself to rely on another source of energy in order to reach his goal.
"I can't stop now." Naruto said before looking at the dejected looking girl who closed her eyes and slowly started falling down.
Naruto caught her and kept an arm wrapped around her back before aiming his hand back at the chain that was shaking again. All the while he could feel the girl's body temperature steadily becoming colder. Then the emotions that surrounded him was growing stronger and messing with his mind. Naruto gritted his teeth at how useless he is.
"Why am I so weak? Why can't I do the smallest things? What kind of avatar can't save people!?" he asked as his eyes began to glow white as the chains started to move and pull from the wall. "That's right. A little more! Just a slight nudge!" he yells as the chain along with the wall it was attached to shatters.
Before there was any time to celebrate or continue for that matter. Naruto felt as if the world around him started to shake. Looking up, he saw the ceiling starting to crack as debris slowly began to fall down nearly hitting the two of them. Naruto shook his head as he continued using his enhanced strength to metal bend the the chain out of the wall. At the last minute, he managed to demolish the wall as well as the restraint.
"Come on, we have to leave!" Naruto said as he pulled the girl's arm. Instead she looked at him with sorrow in her eyes before collapsing on the floor, "Crap, I don't have time for this." he said as his power and eyes reverted back to normal.
Naruto knew when someone didn't have the motivation to move. So instead of arguing and trying to get through to this girl's head. He quickly picked her up in his arms and began to ran out of the castle. Soon finding himself having to run down the ever extending hall leading to the exit. The current avatar refused to give in and be killed within this illusion.
"Just one more time." Naruto said as his eyes began to glow once more.
Naruto quickly skipped a step and jumped before igniting a fire under his foot and started floating towards the open ceiling. Using all his energy he poured larger flames under his feet as he started taking off into the air. Only to briefly looked back as the castle and the land around it started to fall apart and reduce into ash. Naruto sighed hoping there was nothing else in there worth saving. Shaking his head, his eyes reverted back to normal once again before he slowly made his descent into the ground forgetting about the heavy rain around him.
"I should make us a shelter." Naruto said as he was about to stomp on the ground only to remember something important. "Wait a minute... I was bending. But my body... it isn't in the spirit realm. It's back there at home. So how did I...?" he stopped as the rain slowly came to a close and the clouds moved away to reveal the brightest sun he's ever seen.
"Thank you..." Naruto turned to see the girl he saved smiling at him before she slowly started to disappear into golden particles.
"Thank you? Me? Was this some sort of illusion? Some test of the mind?" Naruto asked himself before finding himself being pulled back into his real body.
Reality
"Fool!" a withered voice said as Naruto felt a skull cracking punch on the top of his head.
"Ouch, Yama-jiji?" Naruto asked looking up to find an elderly bald man with scars over his head and a long white beard.
"Boy what do you think you're doing? Everyone in Kirigakure could sense the avatar state!" Yamamoto stated sounding angry.
Naruto looked around and noticed that they're in what was at least 30 feet deep, 120 feet wide crater. It's also brand new and he is most likely the reason why such a site exists. This is going to take months to restore.
"Did I enter the avatar state?" Naruto asked as he was wondering if his spiritual state affected the land of the living.
Yamamoto sighed as he stroked his beard, "Naruto, you are the fourth avatar in my lifetime. Yet the first one I've had to help raise and I find you destroying the world instead of keeping it in balance." he said.
Naruto also sighed, "I still need help controlling the avatar state." he said with self loathing.
"Why were you in the avatar state? Don't you know how unstable it is without your full control? You could have sunk a portion of the island for all you know." Yamamoto said berating the young man.
"I know, but it wasn't on purpose. I was trying to meditate and enter the spirit realm to further my connection to spirits. Instead I found myself in some illusion or test where I entered the avatar state as I tried to strengthen my bending." Naruto explained.
"Why would you bend? Unless the human body is in the spirit world as well, only the shinigami are able to cast their powers in there." Yamamoto stated since shinobi and mages are unable to enter that place let alone being able to cast jutsu or magic.
"Yeah, that's the weird part. I was able to use metal and firebending as well as the avatar state as I mentioned. So that took me awhile to realize before you punched me upside the head." Naruto continued.
"This is concerning, perhaps a session with the shinigami could help. You already managed to awaken to our abilities, so there is no doubt that a lesson the seireitei will help you better connect with the avatar state." Yamamoto suggested as he looked more solemn.
"I wouldn't mind that jiji. It's good to remember that I actually matter outside of my condition." Naruto said before Yamamoto placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Boy, don't think down about yourself all the time. You are surrounded by friends and family. It was only 8 years ago that you were blessed with being found. Even before we discovered that you were the avatar, you weren't given any reason to feel fear. No matter what, an Uzumaki never turns back on their family and closest friends." Yamamoto said with a bright smile. "How about we go over this with a cup of tea? Shunsui and Byakuya lost their haoris again." he said.
"A captain's haori is as important knowing your own name. It's a sign of pride as airbender's tattoos." Naruto said as he followed his grandfather figure.
"Exactly, young people these days. I wasn't that arrogant when I was in my fifties." Yamamoto muttered the last part reminding Naruto that Uzumaki clan members tend to have life spans greater than anyone can imagine.
Then again, should a clan member awake to their reiatsu and develop abilities that normally belong to a shinigami of any kind. Their life was even greater and would maintain a youthful appearance for many decades. Feel free to ask captain Yamamoto for his age should you feel brave enough to take a pounding to the head if he isn't in the best mood.
Two days later
At the office, Naruto found himself in Lord El Melloi II's office once more for a quick update on the mission before heading out. Not that he was in much of a rush to arrive in that godforsaken place, but delaying the inevitable only made Naruto much more anxious. All he could do was sit there in silence as Gray set up a couple cups of tea on the table.
"Sorry for the wait, I know you want to be done with this as soon as possible, but I just got an update on your assignment." Waver said as he came in with a small package.
"Just tell me what it is professor." Naruto said calmly.
Waver nodded as he ripped open the package revealing six cloths with metal attached to them, "The mission has been slightly altered. It's now a two man team and you'll also be supervised by a pair of shinigami." he stated.
"Please don't let it be lieutenant Kotetsu's imouto and that other guy." Naruto said with a sigh making Gray giggle.
"No, I put them under the recommendation of 'do not let them participate' so don't worry about that. Instead you'll be with former captains Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin." Waver said making him nod. "Furthermore, there will be an event taking place. From what was discussed in an emergency meeting. I was told that you will be representing Uzushio in this event." he added making Naruto raise a brow in confusion.
"The Uzumaki clan homeland?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, although the island itself doesn't have an official name. Captain Yamamoto was adamant about having this being considered a test run. However your main objective will remain the same. Though you could claim that they're just bloodlines that ninja can use. Are there any problems with this?" the lord asked.
"No, I can tolerate bucket hat and the cat woman." Naruto answered.
"Very good, seeing as this is late notice. We'll be pushing back your take off date until tomorrow for the rest of your team to show up and prepare. I wish the best my student." Waver said trying to hide how meaningful his words are.
Gray handed him the cloths, "Good luck Naruto-kun." she said.
"And you people say he's heartless." Naruto said with a smile as he caught onto his teacher's emotions before leaving.
"I can only imagine what he will go through when he visits that village again." Waver said as he lit himself a cigarette.
"I'm sure he will be fine, but I can't help to worry shishou." Gray said.
The next day
Naruto was giving Oame affection by rubbing the his face and giving him some large fruit to eat, "You better be ready boy. It's a long trip... even if I don't want to be there." he said in a low voice.
Oame saw the slight hint of sadness in his friend. Hoping to cheer him up, Oame opened his mouth and proceeded to lick him. Naruto laughed as he tried to push the tongue away.
"That's enough boy, I can always count on you can't I?" Naruto asked making Oame blink twice. "Well I better changed before everyone gets here." he said running to take a shower while Oame continued eating.
As this went on, Ichigo can be seen making his way towards Oame with a backpack shortly followed by Robin who had small bag as well. Oame was more than happy to greet them as they arrived.
"Ragh!" Oame called out.
"Hello there Oame, are you excited for the trip?" Robin asked as she stroked his head.
"Ragh!" Oame answered.
"Is that a yes?" Robin asked.
"I guess so, Naruto is the only one who really understands him." Ichigo said with a shrug.
"Where is my otouto anyways?" Robin asked as she looked around.
A few minutes later, Naruto came out wearing a black jacket with fur hanging around the collar, black pants with matching leather boots and a white shirt and a silver necklace as an accessory.
"Did I keep you guys waiting for too long?" Naruto asked before looking at the pair.
"Not really, but didn't you say that we had to wait for our back up?" Ichigo asked having been told about the last minute adjustments.
"Yeah, I got the forehead protectors right here. You all need to wear one before we arrive." Naruto said as he pulled the headbands with various colored cloths from his jacket.
"I'll take the black one." Ichigo said.
"I think violet suits me." Robin said as the pair grabbed their respective forehead protectors.
Naruto placed one with a white cloth around his neck, "Ok now where is..." he stopped when he saw two figures approaching them.
One was average height with red hair tied in a ponytail and hid his forehead tattoos behind a headband. The other was a petite black haired girl that was clearly under the average height for a woman. As they made their way to them, the trio noticed a pale black haired teen running up behind them.
"Took you guys long enough, but where's Yoruichi and Mr. Hat and Clogs?" Ichigo asked.
After asking that, a black cat appeared and slowly made its way up to Oame's saddle, "Is the captain of the ship ready to set sail?" the masculine sounding cat asked.
"We're still waiting for Urahara." Naruto told the cat.
"He's right behind me." the cat replied as it lied on it's back.
The group was finally ready when a man with a bucket hat wearing wooden sandals arrived, "I'm here no need to get your panties in a twist." the man said.
"So are we really going to ride on that thing?" asked the black haired teen.
"You have a problem with my bison Uryu?" Naruto asked with a challenging glare.
"Has he taken his shots?" Uryu asked.
"He's not a dog and sky bisons are the most cleanest creatures on the planet." Naruto claimed.
"You made that up." Uryu challenged.
"Boys lets not fight, we'll settle it this way. Who owns the sky bison?" Urahara asked.
"Naruto." everyone answered.
"Who understands the sky bison?" Urahara asked.
"Naruto." they answered again.
"Who knows what the sky bison is capable of?" Urahara asked this time with a grin.
"Naruto." Uryu answered as everyone just stared at him. "Fine, but you better keep your eye on him." he added.
Naruto jumped up and started helping everyone up, "Ok with the condition of our flight. I would say that Oame can handle all this weight. Especially with Rukia having the build of a child and Yoruichi being in her cat form." Urahara pointed out.
"You got that right. Sky bisons can only handle 5 or 6 adults at a time." Naruto said.
Meanwhile Rukia looked annoyed, "So the one thing you mock me for is suddenly a good thing?" she asked.
"Rukia you are very pretty, smart and really awesome. Can you please stop complaining?" Naruto asked making a tick mark appear on her head.
"He's got a point you know." Renji said with a chuckle.
"Ok hopefully everyone went to the bathroom, had a good lunch, and are well rested. Because we're not going to stop for nearly 12 hours. Oame needs to rest every once and awhile. Yip yip!" Naruto said motioning Oame to take off.
"Holy crap!" Renji said as he hanged on for his life.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Uryu said.
"I can see the seireitei from here." Yoruichi said extending her paw towards the structures.
"How fast can Oame go Naruto?" Rukia asked.
"20 miles is the slowest, but his fastest would be just under 40. That's if we drop a couple passengers and lighten the load of our bags. So at least 30 miles." Naruto said as he tried doing the math.
"Ok, so around 360 miles of travelling per day then?" Robin asked.
"That's right. It's the best we can do without making poor Oame overexert himself." Naruto said as he patted the bison's head.
"This is going to be a long trip." Renji said as he lied down with his arms behind his head.
"Should have brought some good reading material." Urahara said as he pulled out a book.
Three days later, early morning
"Well everyone, it was a long ride, but we're only a few hours away from Konoha. I know, I know you can't help it if you want to stay in each other's company." Urahara said with a bright smile.
All the while everyone looks exhausted and just stared at each other in confusion. Even Yoruichi sweat dropped at the comment as she can see everyone's condition. It wasn't bad, but they could make a better use of their time then sitting on a sky bison for half a day everyday. That and the forests were only getting worse in terms of finding a good camping spot.
"Shut up hat and clog." Ichigo said before sighing.
"Seeing as we'll be there by noon at earliest. I think it's safe for Yoruichi to stay in her human form. Oame should be able to handle a couple hours of travel with this many people." Naruto said as he prepared the sky bison for travel.
It was only a matter of time before they found themselves only a few yards away from a pair of chunin. Apparently the group witnessed the lax security of one of the strongest hidden villages. Seriously what's the point of a big wall if the giant opening is guarded by a pair of sleeping chunin holding spears? There isn't even a guard dog to point out intruders and visitors.
"You know we could easily sneak the sky bison if we're careful enough." Uryu said stating the obvious.
"You know depending on their security, we could just fly over the wall and just say we got clearance." Rukia suggested.
"Is this the weakest village?" Renji asked.
"They say they're the strongest." Yoruichi corrected.
"Is it supposed to be irony?" Renji asked.
"Let's just get this over with." Naruto said already annoyed that he had to return to the god forsaken place. "Hey dumbass, wake the hell up." he said rudely waking up one of the chunin guards.
"Hey shut up, I'm trying to sleep here." the chunin said showing how pathetic he is at his job.
Naruto proceeded to rip the clipboard from him and start signing in, "Come on guys, we don't have time to waste." he said as he passed on the clipboard.
After signing in, everyone including Oame made their way into the village. All the while slowly gather attention due Oame being the spectacle. However Naruto didn't bother batting them an eye, but something did bug him. He turned to see that some of his teammates have picked up on it as well.
"Do you guys feel it?" Naruto asked.
"That's a whole lot of reiatsu." Ichigo answered as he looked around.
"It's about five times greater than when Ichigo got his zanpakuto for the first time." Urahara commented as he fanned himself.
"Hey Naruto, didn't you say you kept tabs with someone from the village?" Rukia asked.
"Yeah my okaa-san. Now that I think about it, that could be her reiatsu." Naruto said.
"Your okaa-san is a full blooded Uzumaki right?" Urahara asked.
"Yeah, and she told me that until about a year after I escaped the village. That she awakened to her reiatsu and summoned a zanpakuto for the first time." Naruto answered.
"She's a shinigami?" Urahara asked.
"That's what I'm assuming. She was able to manifest a zanpakuto when I was with Yama-jiji when we confronted her." Naruto answered.
"Do you think we can grab her attention by flaring our own reatsu?" Ichigo asked.
"Most likely, but we'll grab too much attention doing it here." Naruto answered.
"We shouldn't try to cause trouble either. We're already grabbing too much attention with Oame." Yoruichi pointed out.
"I don't think there are too many places where he's allowed to be around." Robin said.
"That's why the Urahara shop has come prepared even when I don't bring the store with me." Urahara said as he reached into his kimono for glass bottle of round pills. "Come on, we'll go somewhere more discreet. These things can help our bison friend stick out less." he said as he lead the group towards a large alleyway.
"I swear to kami I'm going to kill you if anything happens to Oame." Naruto threatened.
"Relax, I'm just going to shrink him. Everyone grab your bags before I give the big guy his pills." Urahara said as he faced Oame.
"Ragh." Oame greeted.
"Hey big guy, can you takes these for me?" Urahara asked as he handed the sky bison three pills. Oame tilted his head before licking them, "Good boy." he said patting his head.
"He's not a dog Kisuke." Yoruichi pointed out as Oame looked annoyed.
Just as Oame took the pills, his size was drastically reduced. Originally the size of an elephant, Oame was now as short as a large wolf or at least around the size he was during adolescence. The sky bison himself was shocked by the change and looked around as he noticed everyone and everything else was a lot bigger than it's supposed to be.
"He's so cute!" Rukia said latching onto Oame who tried to push her away.
"Can you please not suffocate our mode of transportation?" Uryu asked knowing Rukia refuses to let go of cute things.
"Anyways, we should get checked into a hotel before we gather anymore unnecessary attention." Yoruichi suggested.
The group then proceeded to find themselves a hotel and claimed that Oame was their homeland's version of a ninken. To which the civilian workers didn't want to dwell on it since it since ninja were ninja. Although they weren't aware of what they really were. It's really too much trouble to explain that they're really comprised of five shinigami, a quincy, a devil fruit user and the avatar.
Not like they would understand what any of that is.
With Kushina Uzumaki
Kushina was currently watching her children training while her co-sensei was teaching the Uchiha brat. Oh and some pink haired girl that was the daughter of civilians who refused to learn. All she wanted to do was beat the girl senselessly and drop her from the ninja program completely. But her husband as he dared call himself, believed in quantity over quality. He also came up with some pathetic excuse claiming that team 7 would succeed the legendary sannin.
Although secretly, while Sasuke would replace Orochimaru for his genius and Sakura had the potential to be a med nin with her amazing chakra control (how hard is it to control civilian level reserves?), he only saw one of his children being the next Jiraiya. In terms of being the strongest and all the good aspects of being a shinobi, not in terms of being perverted. It was because of that damnable prophecy that Jiraiya came up with.
However despite their reasoning that sacrifices have to be made. Meaning that her poor Naruto-chan had to abandoned, it was for the good of the world. So it was a good thing they said that, because clearly their manhoods didn't matter either. Many years ago, her homeland housed a special unit amongst the shinobi, they were referred to as the shinigami. Mito told her part of the story of how they initially started, but couldn't remember since it was many years ago. All Kushina knew was that many Uzumaki and accepted members from outside of the clan were given a brand new power similar to chakra called reiatsu.
Kushina never believed she could awaken to said energy until it was her mental breakdown when she learned that her child ran away. At that moment, the red death moniker that they gave her had reincarnated the moment her zanpakuto materialized. With that, Minato could no longer bare children and it's not as if Jiraiya would ever bare any himself. Not like any sensible woman would dare to touch him.
"What I would do to change things if I had the chance." Kushina mumbled to herself.
"Hold still nii-san!" yelled a red haired girl with blue eyes.
"Like hell I would tomato-chan." said a red haired boy with violet eyes.
"Don't call me that! You're a tomato!" the girl yelled as the two ran special jounin speeds and prepared to slash at each other.
Kushina kept an impassive face as she watched. The Uzumaki matriarch then rolled her eyes as she predicted the next move. As the two prepared to clash, the boy misstepped and started to tumble while the girl hit her toe into a rock and started spinning around while clutching her foot. Before they knew it, they crashed into each other and tumbled into a wooden post.
"Did I win?" they both asked.
Kushina shook her head, "No, you both failed." she said as she lifted them up and bonked them on the head.
"What was that for kaa-chan?" the girl asked.
"That Mito, is you learning that while you want to be strong. You are still fragile and clumsy. You too Arashi, you're too much like your father." Kushina said in a berating tone.
"Hey don't yell at us! We beat Zabuza and Haku!" Arashi yelled arrogantly.
This earned him a punch upside the head, "If by beating them you mean turning into pin cushions made of senbon. Then yes you beat them." Kushina said mocking them.
"Well then... then... you should have taught us to summon a sword like yours." Arashi whined.
"This is a zanpakuto. It's not some cheap sword or piece of metal with a sharp tip. It's sentient and requires a strong bond." Kushina replied.
"So, you command it and therefore your it's boss! So we should handle having our own!" Mito argued only to close her eyes and prepare for another punch.
She was right to assume such an action.
*BAM*
"Fools! If it wasn't for my own discipline I would be dead a long time ago. Because of me, I was able to knockout the hyoton user and Zabuza while Kakashi was too busy relying on that Sharingan of his. The lazy ass should have been dropped from the program after the ANBU anyways." Kushina said muttering the last sentence.
The two continued to whine about being too weak thus earnings few more head lumps to the point that they were underground. Thus were reminded that while daddy dearest is willing to give them anything. Kushina is still the embodiment of a true ninja and not some self entitled prodigy that started taking everything for granted the moment he took the hat. Honestly Kushina considered digging up Minato's seals and trying to work on something to disable them for good along with destroying his collection of kunai.
Like Kakashi, she wondered how long Minato would last without his trump card. It's arrogance like this that made the village so weak. Sarutobi has become spineless and blind while Minato assumes that he's above kami because of his status. It wouldn't surprise her if he turned out to be some blond Uchiha that has no access to the Sharingan. Then again it doesn't take a genius to steal the jutsu of the nidaime.
Improved the hiraishin? Ha, recreated? Maybe, he changed the sealing formula, but it does the same thing. Then again, their last heir is getting drunk and likely flashing her fake tits to cover her gambling money.
"Until you two can learn some humility. I will make sure that you never see anything past catching Tora missions." Kushina said leaving two pale looking red heads.
As she left the training grounds, she saw Kakashi teaching Sasuke some taijutsu along with several ninjutsu scrolls. The idiot probably hasn't gotten him past high gennin control. Poor Mikoto has been depressed since Sasuke became a stuck up asshole while Itachi had wiped out most of his clan. For so called elites, they were just down to a bunch of infants and toddlers at the time of the attack and Sasuke is the only one that's currently a genin. All the rest are retired and below the required health to continue being ninja.
Kushina felt as if her mind was going to implode on itself for every second she thinks about the village. All the while she wished Uzushio was still around and Jiraiya got killed by some Kumo or Iwa shinobi when he went to retrieve her. Not like anyone would miss him if you think about it.
However her excessively negative thoughts were interrupted when she felt some foreign energy. It was reiatsu and lots of it, it wasn't too far either. A mile and a half at most. Kushina couldn't tell what exactly it was or how many signatures were comprised of it, but there was a heavy amount put together. Almost as if there was some blob moving around.
'I should check it out.' Kushina said before leaving in a shunpo.
Back with Naruto's group, a while later
While Kisuke decided to take her team, comprised of Uryu, Renji and Rukia, to look around and get a feel of things. After settling in, Yoruichi decided to do the same since she was assigned to. Although she had to drag Naruto and groan about trying new things as if it wasn't like they were going to start living in the village anytime soon. So after leaving Oame some newspapers and a couple of pillows. The group decided to explore the village to get a good layout in case they needed to make a hasty retreat.
While Kisuke was pretty relaxed and calm, he did always keep his senses up for trouble. But that didn't mean he didn't want to find a way to enjoy his time with his team. With that they found themselves at some barbeque place since the dango stand had way too much fat in their dango than muchi.
"Well that crazy lady with the pineapple shaped hair that was wearing a fishnet shirt and no bra lied to me. So let's see how this place stacks up." Kisuke said making them sweat drop.
Ichigo and Robin grew silent tick marks on their heads while Naruto sighed. Not even here for two hours and Kisuke already ran into some strange inhabitants of the village.
"Oh well let's dig in." Urahara said as their meat arrived. Only for the little grill they use to heat up their meat to fail on them. Kisuke scratched the top of his head before turning to Naruto, "Oh might Avatar Naruto, would you please relieve these innocent souls of famine by gifting us with the power of fire to heat up our meal?" he asked in a pleading tone.
Naruto rolled his eyes, "You're paying for this and don't tell me you're living in poverty bucket hat." he said before lighting a fire in his palm and made the grill thing heat up the meat.
Urahara took his hat and sunglasses off and put his hands in a prayer, "I thank the spirits, kami and all that is holy for this meal. For now that my assigned team has warmth of fire. Sadly we are without much wealth. If only the great sage, master of the four elements..."
"I'm not a sage." Naruto interrupted.
"Can we start eating already?" Ichigo asked.
"Alright." Urahara answered as they grabbed their chopsticks and started digging in.
As the group ate, they overheard some random team nearby that was lead by a bearded jounin with a cigarette in his mouth. Normally they would tune it out, but this conversation was a bit loud and the topic was pretty stupid.
"You know Choji, you should consider training more than eating." said the bearded man.
"Yeah Choji, you aren't going to get a girl if you keep stuffing your face like that." said some blond girl.
"Troublesome, Ino you aren't much better either." said some boy whose hair was in the shape of a pineapple.
"I have to agree with Shikamaru. You aren't much better than Choji since you aren't trying hard enough either Ino." said the jounin.
"Asuma sensei how would you know? You're always playing shogi with Shikamaru and I have to sweat a lot. Don't you think it's bad enough that I have to ruin my dress?" Ino asked in spoiled tone.
Asuma sighed, "Ino it's part of being a shinobi. You have to sacrifice things like your vanity and actually work out." he said.
"What's the point of training when I could just diet? Sasuke-kun doesn't like sweaty girls that stink and I won't have to work so hard. Geez Asuma sensei, how did you become a member of the 12 guardian ninja? You clearly don't see the logic." Ino explained in a mocking tone.
Urahara lifted his brow expecting some kind of scolding towards the girl. Instead Asuma just sat there and smoked his problems away. It wasn't a healthy sight and it was clearly a sign of how toxic the team of his was. Meanwhile the former captain looked at his own team, sure they can get annoyed of his antics, but they've known each other for years. So no matter how stupid their conversations or arguments are, they're ready to throw down and listen to orders when the time comes.
"Oh good, now the ninja are getting more pathetic." Naruto muttered.
"Hey Robin do you diet?" Ichigo asked wondering how accurate Ino's argument.
"If you're trying to test that girls theory, the answer is no. There's no need to diet unless you're trying to change your habits or improve your immune system." Robin answered.
"It's probably why Rukia-chan is so short." Naruto said with a chuckle.
"Hey leave Rukia out of this." Ichigo said.
"I forgot you like short girls Ichigo. Then again I can't tell with how you sometimes look at that one girl with the orange hair." Naruto said with a smile.
"Oh so you're being funny all of a sudden? What happened to being so negative?" Ichigo asked.
"Sometimes I need a distraction." Naruto answered as an excuse.
"Uh huh, how about we take this outside?" Ichigo asked.
"Stop that you two. I don't need you to pretend to be arguing before acting like you're best friends." Robin said making the two stay sitting down.
Urahara laughed at how Robin was able to calm them down, "This is one unique team. We're going to kick ass in these exams." he said as he hit swinged his cane around before getting up. "Well that was good, let's go look around before you guys start in a couple days." he said as he lead the group out of the restaurant.
All the while Asuma listened closely and started thinking over if his team is ready for the exams.
Outside
"I have to admit, for a hidden village with poor standards. That food was pretty good." Ichigo said as he rubbed his stomach.
"You have that right Ichigo." Urahara said.
Before the conversation could go on, the four heard some scuffling. Once again they considered minding their own business until they already found themselves pretty close to the loud sounds. The source was some kid in a catsuit trying to beat up some little kid with a long blue scarf.
"Kankuro put him down. You're going to get us in trouble. What if he shows up." said some worried blonde girl with four pigtails.
"It won't take more than a second Temari. I need to put this brat in his place." said the one known as Kankuro.
All the while some pink haired girl and two other kids were pleading for Kankuro to put the child down. Naturally Urahara and his charges didn't like this sight. Some idiot teen assumes just because he's bigger, it gives him the right to beat some little kid up? Not while they're around.
"Robin make him drop the kid." Naruto whispered to his surrogate sister.
Robin nodded, "Seis Fleur." she said while crossing her arms.
Suddenly four arms appeared on Kankuro's back and started to painfully pull his head backwards while two more gently put the child down. The female known as Temari quickly pulled her fan and got into a defensive stance. All the while Urahara and Naruto noticed two figures hiding in the tree near them. Robin released her arms as Ichigo spoke up.
"Hey cat boy, do you think you're hot shit for beating up little kids?" Ichigo asked. Kankuro was about to retort when he shivered under Ichigo's gaze as the orange haired teen released some of his reiatsu. Ichigo may seem disrespectful, but hurting little kids just pisses him the hell off, "What cat got your tongue make up boy?" he asked.
"I-i-it's n-not m-make u-u-up. It's w-war p-paint." Kankuro stuttered.
"I'm pretty sure I've seen a friend of mine buy a similar brand. I can tell by the fragrance." Robin said.
Kankuro was about to reach for his puppet when Ichigo stepped on his hand, "Hey you better tell your friends up there to come down." Ichigo said as he noticed the subtle signal from Naruto.
Suddenly a swirl of sand appeared behind them. When it cleared up, a red haired boy with black rings surrounding his blue eyes and a giant gourd appeared.
"Kankuro you are a disgrace to our village." the boy said coldly.
"Gaara I..."
"Shut up or I'll kill you." Gaara said with no sign of bluff.
'He means it to.' team Urahara thought collectively.
"I apologize for my brother. Will you all be participating in the exams?" Gaara asked.
"That's right, my team will be making it far and I'm their proud sensei, Kisuke Urahara." Urahara said pridefully.
His charges sweatdropped as Gaara nodded, "I will see you then." he said before leaving with his teammates.
That's when a raven haired boy jumped out from the tree, "Hey don't you want to know my name?" he asked.
"No." Gaara answered as he continued to leave.
"Well that was interesting. See you brats later." Naruto said as he gestured for his team to leave.
"Hey wait! What was that arm thing?" the raven haired boy demanded.
"None of your business brat." Naruto replied.
"It is my business, besides I can have you foreign trash arrested for trespassing." the boy said with a smug look.
"Cha! Sasuke-kun is right! Why are you foreigners here anyways!?" the pink haired girl screeched.
"For the chunin exams bubble gum brains. It's in your village and you aren't even aware about it?" Ichigo asked making the girl feel stupid.
"Besides, we have clearance to be in the exams. Ciao." Urahara said as they continued to walk away.
Sasuke seethed as he was ignored while the kids had stars in their eyes at the cool powers. However all they knew was that Robin had some power, Ichigo had a menacing aura he can create while Urahara was the unknown teacher and Naruto is the wild card. So it was safe to say that this team shouldn't be underestimated for being foreign.
Although, the Uchiha brat didn't really consider something he would consider beneath him. Just as he prepared to make the hand seals for his most powerful jutsu (the one technique he constantly uses like its out of fashion), he felt a lot of pressure that reminded him of that terrifying woman that is a sensei on his assigned team. He refused to believe that he would fear any woman and yet her presence is enough to bring him to his knees.
"Everyone get into defensive positions. Now!" Urahara ordered as he pulled a sword from his cane.
Ichigo's attire was suddenly replaced by his shinigami outfit as held Zangetsu in his hands. Robin took a taijutsu position while keeping her eyes and senses open for wherever the pressure was coming from. Naruto's arms were coded with some sort of metallic substance shortly before cracking his knuckles. Then suddenly a red haired woman wearing a shinigami uniform also appeared.
Naruto's eyes widened as the woman looked around before going wide eyed as well.
"Sochi-kun?" she asked while looking at Naruto.
'Sochi?' Urahara thought while scratching his head.
'Wait is she an Uzumaki from the main branch?' Ichigo wondered as he noticed the woman's red hair.
'That's definitely Kushina. I can't forget that photo Naruto keeps.' Robin thought with a smile on her face.
Naruto for his part looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Team Urahara just stared at Naruto with various thoughts as to how he would react. Although his two closest friend knew for sure how he would react. Kushina for her part was ready for him jump at her with open arms.
"Uh... hey chief." Naruto said making everyone sweat drop.
(Bleach OST - Magot's Dance)
Kushina felt utterly disappointed but quickly put that aside as she grabbed him by the head and shoved his face in her large bosom as she cried tears.
"Sochi-kun how I missed you! It's been too long since I've been able to see you!" Kushina said as a fountain of tears came out of her eyes while she crushed her child in a hug. "Letters and photos aren't enough for me! It's mama's duty to tuck her baby into bed! To wash their backs in the bath! To feed them! To wipe their mouth clean! Even do their laundry!" she said as she continued to cry up a storm.
"Can't breath... avatar cycle... moving on..." Naruto muttered.
"I don't think the avatar state will be enough to break out of her grip." Ichigo pointed out.
"Wasn't your mother half Uzumaki Ichigo?" Robin asked.
"Around that, but she became a quincy. I never got how that worked. I guess Uzumaki's are too peaceful to allow wars within the clan." Ichigo answered.
"I'm happy knowing they let me in as a kid." Robin replied being grateful for the clan and other politicians to let her in.
"LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!" Kushina kept saying over and over as she kept spinning around with Naruto still attached.
'Spirits of my past lives. Grant me strength.' Naruto internally pleaded.
"You're on your own kid." the collective voices said.
'Thanks a lot assholes. We're fragments of Tsubaki and she can't even help herself.' Naruto thought bitterly.
"..."
'Great, the one time I...' Naruto stopped as Kushina finally let him go.
"Now, what are you doing here!? Don't you know that idiot is going to find out you're here!?" Kushina yelled at his face.
"I didn't want to come, but I had my own mission." Naruto said before noticing Sasuke and that other girl were listening in. "Look, we'll meet up at this location." he said as he handed an address on a note and passed it to Kushina.
"Naruto, who's the lovely lady?" Urahara asked.
"Don't bother flirting with my okaa-san Bucket hat-san." Naruto said.
"I'm not, I swear. I'm no pervert. I'm a gentleman." Urahara said raising his hands up as if he were being arrested.
"Sochi who is this? He looks like a pervert." Kushina whispered into his ear.
"I assumed he was a stoner when I met him but neither one of those is the case. Anyways, okaa-san, I want see you later where there's less sensitive ears. Is that ok?" Naruto asked feeling internally timid at the sight of meeting his mother in person after so many years.
Kushina smiled as she pulled him in for one more hug, "Of course, I'll see you in an hour." she said before leaving in a shunpo.
"Guys, let's get out of here." Naruto said as they all quickly left out of sight leaving a more furious Sasuke.
'Damn, maybe I should tell Kakashi that Kushina sensei is speaking to foreigner about private matters.' Sasuke thought with a smirk thinking he could get a good reward for this.
'Sasuke-kun is so cool. I need his babies!' Sakura thought. "Sasuke-kun wait for me!" she said as she followed him.
All the while a couple of blank masked ANBU looked at each other before nodding. Just as they prepared to leave, they suddenly felt cold steel in their body. Looking down, they saw a sword penetrating one of them from behind and going through to stab the other. The two looked to see Urahara smiling before they fell to their deaths.
"There are way too many eyes and ears around here. This mission is going to be more hectic than anyone of us can expect." Urahara said before sheathing his sword and disappearing.
Ironically another pair of eyes appeared, however this one was much more careful and resilient than the two ANBU rejects that were hiding. The figure was wearing a shoulder length cape and kept their distance. All the while a dark skinned female with purple hair and a skull shaped mask appeared before them and kneeled.
"What is your wish master?" asked the female.
"We keep our distance Assassin. We can't guarantee those are the threats to our lord. For now, we wait for our other contacts to arrive before the exams begin. Am I understood?" the figure asked.
"Yes my master." Assassin said before she escaped into the shadows.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Notes: Wan, Aang and Korra don't exist in this story. The Avatar is significantly stronger and able to keep up with stronger shinobi and some shinigami captains. However bending is not all of Naruto's arsenal.
Leave a comment or message me with any questions or theories and I'll try my best to answer them. Also there's a new poll so go check it out!
Part 1 and 2 will be released now, but the rest of the story will continue after Persona ends.
Crossover is mainly Naruto X FGO, however here are the other crossovers
Avatar TLA/LOK
Bleach
One Piece (very minor)