Hollow
Prologue: Into a New World
Minato Namikaze was said to be a one of a kind genius; he had numerous accomplishments to his name. Such as becoming the youngest Hokage in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village or the many things he had done to become known as the revered Yellow Flash.
Though most of those accomplishments flew right over his head. He had never been a person to pride himself on such things. He was a simple man with rather simple desires, such as the desire to see his wife and son safe and sound, and to see his home, his village prosper.
Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life, the day his son would be born, but all went to shit when that masked coward attacked his weakened wife.
Few things could make Minato truly furious and what that man had done truly served to make him furious.
No one attacked his family and lived.
That was what he would like to say. Sadly, that masked coward came with a plan that was just as cowardly and despicable as his first actions towards his beloved wife.
To unleash a Biju on an ill-prepared Village that was teeming with innocent civilians.
Minato had battled the Kyuubi ever since it was ripped from his wife's seal, leaving Kushina hanging onto life by a thread as she cradled their newborn son.
And Minato himself was not doing that much better. He had battled both that masked man and the Kyuubi for what felt like hours, spending copious amounts of his precious Chakra-reserves to prevent some of the Kyuubi's more destructive attacks from hitting the Village.
And now that he finally completed his final technique, Minato was exhausted and he could feel how his very life-force was slowly leaving his body. He knew that the remainder of his life could be measured in minutes, all he hoped was that his sacrifice would be worth it.
And yet, as he gazed at the youthful form of the teenager standing before him, Minato felt his hopes shatter and crumble into nothingness.
Minato's eyes were wide and unseeing, his surroundings were frozen and even the Kyuubi's rampage in the background was nothing more than an afterthought. All he could do was stare at the orange haired teenager that stood before him; with an expression on his youthful face that must've mirrored the one Minato himself was sporting.
"Where the hell am I!?" Minato just stared speechlessly into the boy's brown eyes; which were filled with confusion, anger and fear. "How the hell did I get here!? What is going on!?"
Minato just stared, the teens outburst hardly registered within his mind as the shock and pain he felt was just too great.
He wanted-no needed- to summon the Shinigami and it's overwhelming might, and what did he get? A teenage boy, one who looked utterly and completely lost; unaware of the literal headsman's axe that hung above the neck of every single person within the walls of his village.
He sacrificed his life, his very soul to summon a teenage boy.
Minato felt his legs give out.
'What did I do wrong? Where have I made a mistake!?' Minato's deep blue eyes misted over with unshed tears. 'Oh Kushina, Naruto...I'm so incredibly sorry.'
He was a seal master for crying out loud, and the one time where he truly needed to step up and to deliver, he messed up. Royally. And now he could only hang his head in shame and watch as the place of his birth went up in flames.
His mistake would cost thousands their lives, it would cost his family their lives.
"Hey did you hear me!?" Minato felt something grab him by the hem of his white overcoat before he was lifted from his kneeling position and brought before the scowling face of the kid he had summoned. "Where am I…!? How did I get here…!? Start talking."
"I'm sorry…" Minato muttered, not meeting the fiery haired kid's brown eyes.
That was until and inhumanly hard fist met the side of his face with such forcefulness that he nearly felt his neck snap from how hard his head shot to the side.
"I'll ask again." The orange haired teen growled lowly, "where am I? How did I get here? Who are you? Start talking!"
His blue eyes finally regained their focus and for the first time he truly looked at the teen that held him in his grasp.
The first thing to note was that the boy was tall. Standing at least a head taller than Minato himself, maybe even coming close to matching his sensei-Jiraiya-in height. But unlike Jiraiya the orange haired teen was lean, which only served to make him look even taller than he already was. The boy was dressed in flowing black robes, a Kimono, Minato noted, over which he wore a white overcoat. He had two white shoulder plates crossing his chest in an X shape, the first of his shoulder plates was adorned with red scale-like plates of armour, whereas the second shoulder plate seemed to be bleached leather or another material of the sort.
Then Minato's gaze wandered to the boy's visible equipment, a large-very large-sword that was sheaved over the teen's left shoulder and a smaller short-sword that was hilted at his right waist.
"I'm waiting." The fiery haired youth's growl cut Minato's observation short, causing a sigh to escape the young Kage's lips.
"I'm the reason you're here." Minato stated, "I've summoned you by mistake, and for that I truly am sorry."
"What do you mean by 'summoned me by mistake'!?" The teen asked/shouted while the strength of his grip on Minato increased. "I need to get back home! I need to stop him before it's too late!"
"I'm-"
"NO!" The teen roared, "I don't care about anything you have to say! Send me back! Right fucking now!"
Their argument was interrupted by the devastating roar of the Kyuubi no Yoko, whose form made it's way closer towards the village by the second.
"Boy!" Minato cried in desperation while pushing himself free from the teens grip. "I need your help!"
"Say what!?" The teen asked.
"I said that I need your help!" Minato shouted quite loudly, "can't you see the devastation happening right before your very eyes!? Help me! Help me save my village! My home! My family-"
Minato's plea was cut short when the teen's fist blurred towards his face with the intent of doing some serious damage. He just barely managed to catch the fist within the palm of his hand and even then it felt as if every single bone within his arm had been shattered. The force behind the punch was even further illustrated by the thundering shockwave that blew the rubble and dust surrounding them away.
"You selfish bastard…" Minato was shocked at the venom and hatred in the young man's voice, so much so that he recoiled backwards as if struck.
"Please…"
"I have my own war to fight!" The teen roared at the top of his lungs, somehow even managing to drown out the noise created by the Kyuubi's rampage.
"Please help me…" Minato once more fell to his knees, looking at the young man even as the first traces of tears escaped his cerulean eyes. "Help me, I beg of you."
"Why won't you send me back?" Minato looked up in surprise at the soft tone the teen was using, and his grief, his guilt increased even further when he saw he look of utter devastation on the boy's face. "Why? I haven't done anything to you. Ywach...he'll destroy everything! I need to get back home!"
"I...I'll do anything I can to send you back, just please! Help me!" Minato said. "I'll find a way, if I don't, I'll promise you that someone else will! I was supposed to summon the Shinigami but for some reason you came instead!"
Minato noticed to boy's eyes widen at that.
"The Shinigami?" The teen questioned, "why would you summon a Shinigami?"
"Because he is a father, a husband, a Kage, and an honourable man." A deep voice spoke, making both of their heads turn to look at the monstrous figure that faded into being. "I am the Shinigami of this universe. When this mortal summoned me, you...hitched a ride, so to speak."
The Death God's voice was gravelly and unnerving, it sent shivers up and down Minato's spine.
"Send me back, demon, I need to face Ywach before it's too late! Send me back or I'll kill you and make my own way home!"
Minato's eyes widened and he took a step away from the teen that had just casually threatened an honest to god, God. He was no religious man by any means, but even then he knew what pissed off deities tended to do, the word smiting quickly came to the forefront of his mind.
"I'm afraid that it is too late for you to go back Ichigo Kurosaki." The Shinigami rasped, making Ichigo's eyes narrow in anger. "Those clothes you wear, they are quite powerful. Made from the bones and hair of the previous members of the Royal Court Guard Squad. It was only thanks to them that you could break through the 72 barriers that separated the Soul Kings Palace and the Soul Society."
"What are you trying to say!?" Ichigo shouted, his patience wearing dangerously thin.
"You see, when you broke through all the barriers on your way down, Ywach used his powers to stabilize the opening you left in your wake. He entered the Soul Kings Palace where he made quick work of the Royal Guard before he killed your Soul King. It is far too late to make a difference child. Your world is at an end."
Ichigo felt all the strength leave his legs and he fell to his knees, his eyes becoming unseeing and hollow.
"You should be thankful that Minato here made a slight mistake in his sealing array. If not, it is more than likely that you would've fallen as well; Ywach is not a being that can be defeated easily, if he could be defeated at all. Take solace in the fact that you can still make something of your life." Watching the young Shinigami's emotionless state, the God of Death turned towards Minato.
"Now, I will do your bidding, in return for your soul."
"I understand Shinigami-sama." Minato said. "What of my wife and son?"
"Both will survive. Your son will become the next host of the Kyuubi, as is your wish, and your wife's stronger than average genes should make her recover from the ordeal her body has been through today." Minato smiled lightly before his gaze went to the emotionless from of Ichigo Kurosaki. "I allow him to live out his life in this world."
Minato walked over to the broken young man and knelt down before him. "I'm incredibly sorry for what I've done to you, and I understand if you'll never forgive me for it."
Minato smiled when the young man's eyes moved up to meet his own. "Ichigo...it means he who protects, doesn't it?" His smile widened slightly when he saw some light return to Ichigo's eyes. "I know that I must seem like an utter bastard for this, but... can I ask something of you? Could you listen to a man's last request?" Minato asked as the Shinigami behind him went about getting everything ready for the sealing. "Please protect my son and wife. I'm guilty of ripping you from your world, and I am guilty for what happened to it, it is my burden to bear, not yours. But my son and my wife, they are innocent, and I will have to put a great burden onto my own child's shoulders in order to save this village and her people. Please, I beg of you, look out for him and my wife."
Minato continued to stare into Ichigo's eyes before sighing, not receiving any reaction from the young man. "If you happen to see either of them...tell them that I love them both, and again, I am terribly sorry for what I have done to you."
"Are you ready mortal?"
"Yes." Minato resolved himself. "Do it."
With that the world went white.
Hollow
A/N: Well hello there, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my very first story.
Now then, I'm sure that some of you may have already realized that this story is pretty similar to one that does already exist on this site, the story known as "The Leaf's very own Soul Reaper" written by Kami no Uzumaki.
It's a story that I've only read recently and I truly love the concept of it, resulting in this here chapter which leant heavily on the work of Kami no Uzumaki. Yet I tried not to copy and paste anything really, well bar the whole premise of the story itself that is.
Honestly I would love to adopt the story as a whole just as it is, but I've yet to receive word from the author. And as the latest update to the story was in the year 2013, I don't have high hopes of ever receiving permission to use anything, as such I will only take the premise and some certain ideas that I was fond off in the original.
And if that is plagiarism, then I'm simply going to leave this site really. The story this one is based on has been abandoned for 8 going on 9 years. When does something become free to use? Especially when considering that I could use the original works of Kubo and Kishimoto and no one would care about it.
Again, I will never simply copy and paste another author's story, as I am not doing this for anything but my very own enjoyment and relaxation. But I have no problem with using a clearly abandoned story as a base to take ideas from.
And when I do decide to take something from any story, be it an idea, a joke or something else entirely, then I am going to be honest about it and credit the author in question.
If anyone of you fine gentlemen and ladies should have a problem with that, if you should feel angered or insulted about it, then feel free to do so. If anyone of you dear readers should feel insulted on the behalf of Kami no Uzumaki, then again feel free to do so.
I am not writing this long author's note to justify myself, I am writing it because I am going to be honest with you.
I like Kami no Uzumaki's story, and I wish to see it completed. As such I will take the ideas and premise behind his story, and I will write my own based off of his work.
If you like it, then I'm happy about it, if you don't then well I guess I'm going to pretend to be sad.
And with that said, ciao, have a good time and I'll see ya whenever.
R&R
