Yo, I know it's been a while but I'm back with a new chapter. After thinking about it I've decided to keep it single pairing with only Kukaku. Though a few of you were onboard with the harem, a lot more wanted single pairing which surprises me since most on FF seem to be harem inclined. Regardless it'll stay just Kukaku.
Anyway if you want to see what's going on with me and other authors or just want to talk to some cool people, feel free to join the discord server. Maybe you'll be able to talk me into updating something you're waiting on. Anyway, if you wanna join I'll leave the code right here.
UHaHKKvAP6
A few days had passed since he stumbled upon Ichigo fighting against Byakuya and his lieutenant and anyone could see the immediate change in the orange-haired substitute shinigami. His eyes looked dead, lacking the usual fire they held, he didn't pay attention in class nor did he seem to pay as much attention to his friends. From his place at the front of the desk, he could occasionally hear people like Yasutora and Inoue asking if he was alright, only to get a half-assed 'yeah' in return.
Even though the boy claimed otherwise, Naruto knew he both missed the abilities he'd obtained as well as the company of Rukia, who to no surprise wasn't remembered by almost everyone in the class. What was a surprise was hearing Inoue Orihime inquiring about her where she should have been just as clueless as everyone else.
Had Kisuke messed up somehow? No that couldn't be it, he was an idiot at times but not when having to do something important. The thought of the bucket hat-wearing man passed through his mind as he finished writing on the board. Whatever it was he had planned, he needed to do it quickly. The blond was sure whatever Kisuke was planning it would be today. It was the last day of school meaning Ichigo would be uninterrupted by any assignments or club activity.
"Well everyone, it's just about time to finish up," Naruto called out. "Be sure to not slack off during your break, just because we're done for now doesn't mean you can just forget everything. Don't slack off now." He finished just as the bell rang, dismissing everyone.
The students celebrated loudly as they packed their things and made a beeline towards the door, eager to get their vacation started. Naruto smiled kindly at them as they made their way out, only raising an eyebrow in confusion as Orihime placed a large loaf of bread on his desk as a thank you present.
Once he was alone in the room, he looked at the bread and shook his head. Orihime was a kind girl, if not a bit strange. Who gives a whole loaf of bread as a gift? Shaking his head he stood up and grabbed an eraser to begin cleaning the whiteboard, muttering angrily as he did so.
Glancing at some of the answers to the final few questions he'd put up put him in a bad mood. "How did some of these kids make it to high school if they didn't even know the answer to some of these?" He muttered to himself, wiping away the incorrect answers. Tossing the eraser to the side, he glanced out the window just in time to see Ichigo making his way out of the school grounds.
'Kisuke is gonna have his hands full.' He thought to himself. Heading over to his desk, he began putting away all the papers he would need and trashing those he wouldn't.
'I'll also have to tell Kukaku soon too.' He thought. She wouldn't be happy to find out her husband went back to Soul Society without saying anything. She was violent when angry even before she was pregnant, now she could be furious and violent, or sad and cry. Neither of those options he particularly liked so he'd have to tell her soon.
She would understand though, he couldn't just let Isshin's kid go and get himself killed out there. He barely stood a chance against a lieutenant, if a Captain came across him, he'd be killed with little trouble. It would be simple, go in, break Rukia out, and get back home. He briefly wondered what exactly Ichigo would do once he got her though, knowing the boy he probably hadn't thought that far ahead.
Having his reasoning settled, he made his way out, locking the door, and headed home. He walked home with a slight spring in his step knowing his plan was set. If there was one thing he loved about Kukaku it was her ability to think logically, sometimes, and understand when things needed to be done a certain way. She would be ok with him going.
xxxxx
"I'm coming with you."
Those were not the words he was expecting to hear from his wife. He shook his head no.
"That's too dangerous. You're a month off from your due date. We're probably gonna end up fighting Captains and lieutenants, one hit from them, even if you block, and the chance of losing the baby is guaranteed." He replied sternly.
Kukaku wasn't about to be deterred however and put her hands on her hips.
"I'm not going for the fighting." She admitted, causing him to relax slightly. "I want to go see my family. We left everyone and everything behind overnight. The most I know of them is what we were told from Kisuke and Yoruichi. It's been years and I want to see everyone, I'd like Ganju to know he's gonna be an uncle."
'Fuck' He thought to himself. The Shiba clan wasn't near the gates of the Seireitei which meant it would be safe, at least for her. The reminder that she had left without her family essentially because of him also filled him with regret. He couldn't care less about the elders and sure he missed his parents but Kukaku had a good home and she'd given it up to go with him.
To deny her the chance to reunite with those she loved would be cruel. Rubbing a hand down his face, he sighed.
"Fine." He relented. Kukaku smirked in victory as she always did when winning an argument. Before she could reply, however, he put a hand up to stop whatever she was going to say.
"You can come, but you have to stay at the house. I can't risk you being caught up in whatever might happen." He added in a serious tone. He was rarely one to order the woman around but with something this important, she had to know there would be no negotiating.
"Alright." She relented. "When do we leave?"
Naruto shrugged. "I'm not really sure. We'll have to wait until Kisuke finishes up helping Ichigo. In the meantime, I'm gonna talk to Isshin and let him know the plan."
The blond didn't even get the chance to head to the door before he was stopped. Kukaku sat down on their couch and shook her head. "He already knows. He called the other day, Rukia had been sleeping in Ichigo's closet since she lent him her powers. It wasn't hard to detect the change in his son."
Naruto blinked. "Ichigo…has been sleeping in the same room with Rukia? For that matter, how did Isshin know? He shouldn't be able to see her."
Kukaku nodded. "For a while now. As for how; Ichigo isn't subtle. Hearing him talk in the middle of the night about certain things gave it away." She replied, rubbing her stomach slowly. He could see her narrowing her eyes at the tv in annoyance and muttering under her breath before she shut it off and threw the remote across the room. Great. Looks like one of her moods was coming in.
"Makes sense. I wonder if Ichigo tried anything. He's at that age after all."
The pregnant woman scoffed. "That boy is a prude, I'd be surprised if he did. He can't even tell that big-breasted girl is practically throwing herself at him." She replied.
Naruto had to concede that she had a point and chuckled in amusement. He could remember countless times in class when Orihime could be caught staring at her fellow orange-haired classmate and getting caught doing so. Even through her stuttering and blush, Ichigo would still wonder if she was ok or if she needed something.
"Yeah, that's true." Looking at one of the clocks they had around the house, he made his way to the door. "Well, I think it's safe to assume he knows that Kisuke will be helping his kid too. I might as well go fill him in on the plan. It's best he knows Ichigo will be missing for a while."
He was once again stopped, this time by the iron grip Kukaku had on his wrist. He hadn't even noticed when she'd gotten off the couch and made her way over to him.
Naruto raised an eyebrow in question.
"Go tell him later. Right now let's go have a little fun." She said in a suggestive tone. Naruto grimaced a bit, looking down at her swollen stomach.
"I don't think that's a good idea considering how close you are." He replied carefully. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel ugly.
His words seemed to have no effect as his wife all but began dragging him into their bedroom. She pulled the large maternity shirt she wore up off her body and tossed it carelessly on the bed, allowing him to see her slightly larger breasts once she turned around.
"Relax, we won't be doing that." She told him, pushing him onto the bed so that he was sitting on the edge. "Our son won't be coming out of my mouth will he?" She insinuated.
Naruto smiled. Maybe she was right, Isshin could wait.
Ten days later
"I wonder what he's had Ichigo do all this time." Naruto wondered out loud as he and Kukaku entered the man's shop. A small chime went off as they entered the establishment and they were soon greeted by the sight of a grinning Kisuke, holding up his trust fan covering the bottom half of his face.
"Naruto…Kukaku?" He said questioningly. His gaze traveled to his fellow blond, wondering what the pregnant woman was doing here.
"Kisuke." Naruto greeted. "Small change of plans, Kukaku is coming with us. She'll be staying out of the action though. She'll get to her house and wait for everything to blow over."
The shop owner looked momentarily concerned but his disposition quickly reverted to his happy go lucky self. His fan shut and he turned around, holding a hand in the air motioning them to follow. "If that's the case then she should be out of trouble hopefully. In any case, please follow me. Ichigo and the others are already here."
'Others?' Naruto thought. His wife shot him a questioning look to which he shrugged. He figured it would be Ichigo and Yoruichi most likely, would there be more?
"When you say others…" Naruto probed, hoping his friend would enlighten them.
"Don't worry, you'll meet them in a minute. I'm pretty sure you'll be surprised at who we rounded up for this little mission." Kisuke replied jovally.
He led them to the entrance of the underground training room he'd created and sure enough, Naruto was surprised at who he saw. As he suspected, Yoruichi was present in her cat form next to an equally bewildered Ichigo. Next to him, however, were Yasutora Sado, Ishida Uryu who was dressed in the traditional clothes of the Quincy, and Inoue Orihime.
"Naruto?!" Ichigo yelled while pointing at him. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked.
Uryu narrowed his eyes at the older blond and pushed up his glasses before bowing slightly, an action that the other student quickly mimicked.
"Sensei." They greeted, though Uryu's voice had suspicion laced within. It was no surprise to Naruto that he would be suspicious considering his race's relationship with the Shinigami, luckily he wasn't stupid enough to attack.
Orihime perked up and waved happily. "Sensei! Did you like the bread?"
Naruto sweatdropped. That bread was still mostly intact, missing only three slices.
"Everyone." He greeted before turning to the shop owner. "Color me surprised Kisuke. Ishida I can kind of understand but the others?"
"Wait. Naruto. Kukaku, why the hell are you here? Who are you?" He asked repeatedly, then turned to Kisuke with an expectant look on his face.
The fan was reopened. "Well, as it turns out, being around Ichigo has led to some rather interesting developments that I'll explain later. For now, just know this will be the team that will infiltrate the Seireitei."
Naruto gave everyone a quick look and apart from Ichigo, who was constantly leaking Reiatsu, none of them were really anything special. Still, if Kisuke was confident enough to send them, he had to have seen something in them. Sighing, he spoke.
"Alright, before we start might as well just get an introduction out of the way. This is my wife Kukaku, who will be joining us up until it's actually time to invade. Please don't piss her off." He requested.
"Wait! Hold on." Ichigo ordered, upset that his questions hadn't been answered. Seeing his homeroom teacher was not what he was expecting at all and was rightfully full of questions.
Unfortunately for him, his new sensei had other plans and clapped his hands. "Now now Ichigo, there will be time for questions later. Naruto and Kukaku along with Yoruichi will be your guides. Since I can see the confusion in your eyes, just know that they're old friends of ours, and like you…"
He trailed off. His hand quickly shot two small orbs which were easily caught by the pair. Naruto and Kukaku ate the orb and suddenly, they separated from their bodies and back in their old Shinigami clothing.
Both Ichigo and Uryu frowned at the clothing since it wasn't at all reminiscent of the traditional clothing the death gods wore.
"I remember how much shit they used to give me for these." Naruto recounted with a smile. It was the only good memory he had of the clan elders before they were killed.
Kukaku shook her head but was quickly led away by the small cat to get her something that fit better. As good as she looked in the small red shirt and white fabric, it didn't exactly look the same now that she was expecting.
"They're shinigami." Kisuke finished. "Their bodies will stay here inhabited by mod souls while they're out. His face suddenly lost its playful demeanor, taking on his serious persona. "I know everyone here has some sort of questions but let's focus on what's important right now, and that's getting you safely to Soul Society."
Ichigo and his friends all gave the man his complete attention while he explained how the Dangai worked and what they would have to do to make it safely. As the explanation went on, he felt a small bundle land on his shoulder and Kukaku taking her place at his side.
"This won't be as easy as Ichigo thinks." Yoruichi told them from her spot.
"I'm aware. I assume that's why Kisuke is sending you too."
The cat nodded
"Do you have a plan for when we arrive?" Kukaku asked in a low tone.
Yoruichi nodded again. "I doubt it'll go as smoothly as we've discussed but for the most part yes. Though I have to wonder…" She said, turning her golden eyes towards Naruto. "What's your plan?"
The blond raised an eyebrow.
"Kukaku is going to see her family, I'm going to make sure the group stays alive, I know you are too but knowing you as long as I have, I know there's another reason you'd be willing to go back to that place."
Now both women were staring at him and he had to nod to her. Yoruichi was astute. "After we get to Kukaku's house I plan on going on ahead, not only to scope the place out but to visit my parents."
"Oh yeah, they were away that night when you destroyed the compound. You didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to them." His wife said softly.
"The Namikaze clan estate has been completely rebuilt so you won't have to worry about having to find them. The only thing you'll need to do is make sure you aren't noticed by other families or older Shinigami. There's a chance most won't know you so you have that advantage." Yoruichi replied, turning her gaze back to Kisuke and the others.
Naruto nodded but didn't verbally respond. Part of him was still going over how he would approach them. From what Yoruichi and Kisuke told him when they came down to the world of the living, they didn't seem all that surprised by his actions but were definitely heartbroken that he had disappeared.
It wasn't as if he could just walk through the front door acting like nothing had happened. He shook his head, overthinking it wouldn't help. He'd just wing it like he'd done everything else.
Finally, after a few more minutes, Kisuke wrapped up the explanation and motioned them to join him.
"Are you ready?" He asked. Ichigo and the others nodded, as did the three older Shinigami. "I'll attempt to hold it open for four minutes. Good luck everyone."
Wasting no time, Ichigo took the lead with the others hot on his trail. Taking a deep breath, the three followed, ready to take on the task at hand.
xxxx
"So this is Soul Society huh?" Ichigo comments, looking around the area. "Not exactly what I pictured the afterlife would look like."
Naruto chuckled. "You're telling me."
Yoruichi hopped off his shoulder, landing safely on the ground before proceeding forward. "Stop wasting time. We need to make our way inside the gate." She said, pointing with her tail. Everyone looked to see a massive wall that seemed to surround another area.
"We'll have to make it past the gate guard and go from there. Ichigo, wait!" She yelled in annoyance. The orange-haired teen had a one track mind and was already making his way over.
Naruto shook his head. "At least we know he's serious about saving Rukia. Kid wasted no time."
Kukaku rolled her eyes at the display and walked down the deserted street they were on. "Shouldn't you be making sure he doesn't get killed by Jidanbo?" She asked Yoruichi.
If a cat could sigh, she would. "I'm sure he'll be fine but I'll go on ahead. You guys gonna be alright making it to Kukaku's house?"
The black-haired woman smiled at her old friend. "We'll be fine. If anything goes bad just stop by and we'll make a plan from there." With her piece being said, the cat took off in pursuit of the teenagers, leaving them alone once more.
"It's strange being back here isn't it?" She commented.
"Yeah. Not in a bad way though. Come on, let's get to your house. I'm sure your brother will be happy to see you."
It wasn't hard to find her home. The two large hands holding a banner all but announcing it made sure of that. Naruto took Kukaku's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Nervous?" He asked.
She nodded.
"A little bit." She replied as they walked up towards the small house. Once they were a few yards away, they stopped and Kukaku smiled. Suddenly, two people appeared in front of them with their arms crossed, stern looks on their faces. They wore identical clothing consisting of a red hat with a white tassel, blue scarf, and matching shirt. The only difference was that one wore a white shirt while the other sported a yellow one.
They had similar thin mustaches and the only way to tell them apart was due to the facial structures. One had a rather narrow elongated face while the other's was a tad wider.
Their eyes looked over the pair and the stern expressions quickly changed to one of immense happiness and disbelief.
"Kukaku? Is that really you? Naruto too?" They asked at the same time.
The woman smiled brightly at them. "Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko." She greeted. Naruto noticed their eyes travel down towards her stomach and their already wide eyes seemed to get wider.
"Hey guys. Been a long time." The two were quickly on them, enveloping them in a bright hug before coming to their senses and bowing.
"We apologize." They said. "We're just happy to see you two are ok and are doing well."
Kukaku waved them off. "It's fine. I appreciate the concern, really. Is Ganju in?"
Shiroganehiko nodded. "He is. Please follow us, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you two." He replied, making his way into the house. "The past few years have been rough on him but he's come a long way from the rowdy boy he used to be. He's behaving more like Kaien now, I know you'll be proud of him."
Naruto couldn't imagine the childish kid he used to fight with on occasion being mature now, but he supposed with the circumstances it was bound to happen. The two guards made idle small talk with them, asking how they had been and what the name of their son would be once he was born. The blond was sure his wife had a name in mind and if it was what he thought it was, he wouldn't refuse it.
They were led to two sliding doors which were promptly opened to reveal a larger man, kneeling on the ground writing with a large calligraphy pen. He wore a white bandana on his head along with a yellow jacket over a white robe held together by a red sash. The man had an intense look of concentration on his face as his hand glided across the paper.
Had this been years ago Naruto would've snuck up behind him to break his concentration for fun but even he could see the difference in the man.
"Ganju." Koganehiko called out respectfully. "You have guests."
The man looked up from his work and his eyes immediately landed on his pregnant sister. Shock was written clear on his face for a split second before his eyes began to water. Naruto stepped aside and watched with a happy smile as the man yelled her name and rushed to embrace his sister.
The man pulled back and placed his hands on her stomach with a joyful look on his face. "I'm going to be an uncle?" He asked excitedly. "Wait, let's talk somewhere else. Shiroganehiko, Koganehiko, can you two set up a few plates outside." He asked politely.
The two guards nodded and disappeared from their place. "Follow me. We can catch up out back…watch your step." He warned Kukaku, moving aside a small crate that she could have easily walked around. "Can't have you tripping over."
The woman rolled her eyes but felt elated at the fact that her brother was already treading lightly around her due to her expecting. Part of her wondered how he would react to the news but seeing it now filled her with joy she hadn't felt in a long time. There were only three times she could recount that brought this feeling, when they married, when she found out they were gonna be parents, and now.
Once out back they were seated on a few seats that Ganju had ordered set out and began catching up on everything. How Ganju had adjusted to taking over leadership of the family, what he'd done since they'd been gone, and so on. Likewise, he was fully interested in knowing how his sister and brother-in-law had been over the past years.
Naruto would answer a few questions here and there but for the most part kept quiet. This was what Kukaku had wanted, and he wanted her to enjoy it. The two went over every detail of their lives and exchanged moments that they wished the other could have been there for.
By the time most of the catching up had gotten done, the sun had disappeared into the horizon already and the dark had completely enveloped the area. The only light shining was from inside the house.
"It's been tough ever since Kaien died and there were moments where I wish you could have been here, but I know things turned out better for you in the world of the living." Ganju said to them. "Having said that, what's your plan?"
Kukaku yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "Well that's another thing we'll need to discuss but can we do it tomorrow? I'm feeling tired."
Ganju nodded quickly and ordered for a room to be prepared. "Yeah, no problem. Just find Koganehiko and he'll lead you to your room."
She nodded and grabbed Naruto by the hand to take him with her only for him to shake his head. "I'll join you in a minute. I need to talk to Ganju."
She looked at them for a split second and nodded. "Don't take long, you know I can't sleep well without you."
Ganju made a face and shook his head. It didn't matter that they were married or that he'd known they slept together even when they were still living here, no one wanted the image of their sister in bed with a man.
Once she was gone, Naruto turned to her brother. "I know I don't need to ask this of you but please keep her safe while we're here. We're actually here to break someone out of the Seireitei so things are bound to get messy."
The man nodded. "Of course, but aren't you going to be here too?"
The blond shook his head. "I'm going to infiltrate tomorrow and make a quick stop to see my parents and from there join up with the others. I just wanted to make sure she made it here safely and is in good hands."
"You can count on me. Now let's go. The last thing we need is my sister upset at being kept waiting." He shuddered.
The following morning was strange, to say the least. He'd expected to wake up to a slightly moody Kukaku, breakfast, and another chat with Ganju. Seeing Yoruichi along with Ichigo and his friends again so soon definitely wasn't what he'd expected. As it turned out, things hadn't gone as simple as they had wanted.
Ichigo had managed to beat the guardian of the gate, and just as they were granted entry, they were stopped by the Captain of the third division who easily denied them entry and forced them to retreat. Now here they were, going over a plan to quite literally break into the Seireitei by being blasted in.
He stuck around for a few more hours before deciding it was time to head out. After letting everyone in on his plan, he let them know they'd meet up once more within the walls of the Seireitei and headed out.
The blond wandered the streets of the Rukongai, his eyes darting left and right, looking for the perfect target that would allow him entry into the Seireitei. It didn't take long before he found a single shinigami dressed in the standard attire, probably on patrol. He smiled to himself and moved.
xxxx
"Don't have that much time." Naruto muttered to himself as he made his way toward the old compound. The Shinigami that he'd jumped and robbed of his clothing would wake up eventually and let it be known that there was an intruder. Perhaps there'd be a chance it would be pinned on some lowly thief from the Rukongai but if the Captain of the third division reported already, then his words would only increase security.
He walked as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself, most wrote him off and went on with their duties but some stared. Even now as he walked up towards the large gates he could feel eyes on the back of his head. The compound was pretty well secluded, being built on a rather large bit of land away from most of the divisions.
'Which means they added extra security around.' He thought, coming to a stop at the front gate. His hands stretched out and seemingly grabbed the air before pulling, revealing two hidden men dressed in all black. They were momentarily stunned but quickly sprang into action. Their zanpakuto's were drawn in the blink of an eye and their reiatsu fluctuated due to the kido spell hiding them being disrupted.
Naruto's gaze stayed fixated on his rebuilt home, uncaring of the blades currently closing the gap between them. Unknown to the two guards, beneath the uniform, Naruto's skin had hardened with a partial transformation. The blades connected with his body before shattering cleanly in half much to their disbelief.
That moment of surprise was all Naruto needed. His arms shot out, creating two large red orbs in his palms that he quickly fired. The incantationless Hado 31 were larger than the average and easily incapacitated the two. Their bodies laid on the ground, smoke rising from the burns they now suffered.
Pushing the gate open, he walked up to the front door and paused. 'Should I just walk in?' He thought. Deciding against it, he simply knocked and waited a minute before the door was opened.
Naruto blinked, not knowing what to say to the redheaded woman staring back at him with wide eyes. He wasn't given the chance to speak as his mother quickly pulled him into a crushing hug while crying into his shoulder. The maids all stopped what they were doing to see and those who still worked for his family looked shocked to see him as well.
His arms quickly wrapped around his mom and let her cry for a few minutes until she finally let go of him. Wiping her eyes she smiled up at him. "Welcome home." She said. "Minato!" She yelled.
An older looking man with blond hair poked his head out of one of the rooms and like his wife, quickly made his way over to embrace his son.
"It's good to see you son."
"It's good to see you guys too. I'm sorry for what…" He began, only to get cut off.
Minato shook his head. "No, we shouldn't have let the elders have that much of a say in the clan matters and we shouldn't have left you alone for so long. We've blamed ourselves for what happened all those years ago and have been waiting for the chance to apologize for everything."
Kushina sniffled and accepted a tissue from the head maid. Naruto blinked in surprise to see that the one maid who he always had to explain why he was missing to the elders, had now become the head maid.
"Head maid huh?" He asked casually.
The young woman stood up straight and nodded. "Yes. After you destroyed the compound the head maid worried about it happening again and resigned. Seeing as I was the one who had to look after you here, they promoted me."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment having his episode recalled like that. "Well, I'm happy for you. It's the least they could do since I'm sure the elders gave you a hard time for how I behaved." He apologized while bowing much to his parents' delight.
The woman smiled. "It seems your time away has made you mature. Would a certain Shiba be the cause of it? Or is it Namikaze now?" She asked while her eyes darted to his hand.
His parents followed her line of sight and Kushina gasped seeing the ring on his left hand.
"My baby is married?" His mom asked. Minato smiled and gripped his shoulder tightly while giving him a 'congratulations.' "Ok, I have to hear all about this. Where is Kukaku? I wanna see how my daughter-in-law is doing."
Naruto smiled at his parents, enjoying the feeling of being back with them. 'This has to be exactly how Kukaku felt when she met Ganju again.' He thought.
"She's with Ganju right now. She can't move much because she's almost due." He replied happily, knowing his parents would pick up on his meaning.
They did.
His mom grabbed his arm and all but forced him and his dad to another room to talk in peace. Naruto was plopped onto the small sofa and was forced to recount what he and his wife had been up to all those years. His parents wanted every detail of his life story, and not once did the smile leave their faces as he spoke.
"Wait." Minato interjected. "So if Kukaku is pregnant, why did she come here knowing how dangerous it is for you guys?"
Naruto sighed. "You know what she's like."
Kushina nodded happily. "She's the only person other than me who could keep you in line. You even had all the maids clean up the estate the first time she was coming over." She recounted happily.
"I tried reasoning with her but in the end, I caved as long as she agreed to stay out of the line of fire. It would be too hard to sneak around with her the way she is now."
Minato nodded. "Your criminal status doesn't help either."
"We couldn't even make a case since you weren't around at the time but maybe we can now. The only obstacle will be the amount of collateral damage that was done to the surrounding areas. The rest could be nothing more than an internal clan affair." Minato finished.
"That might be able to work, but you'd have to be able to convince the Central 46 and you know what they're like. I'm glad I never had to deal with them but those relics are just as bad as the elders." Naruto commented.
The red-headed woman shook her head. "I'm sure we can think of something. Enough about that though, how long are you going to be here?"
"Not long. I just wanted to see you guys and make sure everything was ok. I have other things I have to do around here."
His mother sighed but understood. He wasn't here for a social visit after all. His parents hugged him once more and led him out but not before letting him know he and Kukaku were welcome any time regardless of what was going on.
Once he was back outside, he began his recon. Walking down the large streets of the Seireitei he glanced around, taking in every detail
'Transfering your powers is against the law, chances are she'll be made an example of, meaning she should end up on Sokyoku hill.' He thought. Although he knew where that was, it wasn't where he was headed. Soon after leaving his old home, he could feel eyes on his back once more. This time it was slightly different however, the person watching him was strong.
Much stronger than the unfortunate guards he'd had to deal with. The reiatsu he could feel from this one was denser, and…cold. Making a detour for one of the more secluded areas. He walked for about half an hour with the person still hot on his trail but they made no move to attack.
'There's other Shinigami around, why not attack?' He wondered.
Eventually, he made it to an old training ground he used to use when he was younger and stood in the center of the flat plain.
"We're all alone now." He called out.
The familiar sound of someone using Shunpo reached his ears. Turning around he came face to face with what appeared to be a young kid. He had white spikey white hair with one strand on his face and wore the standard Captain's haori over his black clothing.
"Captain." Naruto greeted, pretending to know who this was. He didn't look like any of the Captains from when he was here.
"Namikaze Naruto. What are you doing here?" He ordered.
Naruto stared at the youth with a blank face, wondering if he should play stupid or just go on the offensive.
"It's impolite to ask questions without introducing yourself, you know." Naruto chastised as if talking to a child.
The boy grit his teeth but quickly composed himself. "Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the tenth division."
The blond was impressed. He had to be incredibly strong to be a Captain so young. Naruto stared back at the Captain and felt an old sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. Excitement. Since he lived here he'd wanted to fight the Captains, or anyone really that would make him put his power to good use.
It seemed he'd finally get that chance.
"Tell you what", Naruto replied. "I'll tell you if you can beat me." He proposed.
Hitsugaya drew his zanpakuto and narrowed his eyes. Naruto smirked, it looked like tagging along had been the right choice after all.
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