I own nothing about Naruto or Bleach.

Chapter 19: Mysteries in History

Soul Society - Royal Guard residence

Naruto opened his eyes and saw everyone talking amongst themselves. When he stood from his seated position and fixed himself, he then saw that everyone was now staring at him. "Don't stop on my account," he said.

"You're an important person, Naruto-san," Kyoraku chuckled as he tipped his hat. "In fact, you are currently the most important person in this room. I can't remember the last time we've had a situation like yours and that is coming from a senior captain."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, I can't take all the credit."

"Ah, yes, the Bijuu within you is also to commend, I suppose. She is the main tool in bringing you here, no?"

Naruto then gave a small frown. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call her a tool, Kyoraku-san."

With a small chortle, the elder captain raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I meant no offense, of course."

"Enough of this small chatter," Mayuri snapped impatiently. "I waited long enough." He immediately went forward and held out his hand.

With an exasperated sigh, Naruto held out his hand and, after a cloud of smoke obscured the audience's vision of said limb, a scroll appeared on it, labelled 'Research 1'. He dropped it onto Mayuri's outstretched hand and he immediately jumped back to inspect its contents. "Oh, and Kurotsuchi-san, I suggest you not lose it. I will not be handing you more." The clown-faced captain glared at him amidst his reading. Naruto raised a brow in challenge. "So you would not object if I were to ask you for whatever research you have?" With a sneer, Mayuri returned to his reading. "I thought so."

"Do not mind him," Unohana interjected as she stepped forward. "He is always like that." She tilted her head in question as she stopped in front of him. "However, hearing your previous statement, I assume that you would object if I asked for one of your curious healing seals for personal study?"

Blinking a few times, he didn't say anything as he whipped out his hand, holding said seal, towards her.

She blinked in return and smiled. "Thank you, Naruto-san."

Within the seal, Kyuubi's eyes glinted with mischief as she saw, through Naruto's eyes, Unohana raise her hand towards his. I don't suppose neither of them will care if I were to…introduce a little anarchy between them. Hehe, Unohana-taicho, try to disturb my container's composure, eh? With that, she expelled her power and directed it outside her container's body.

The moment Unohana's hand touched Naruto's to grab the seal, she felt something jolt past her fingers and into her body. Although subtle, she felt a small rise in body temperature and an equally small feeling bubbling within her. Taking note of such events, she grabbed the seal and stepped back.

"You hand me the notes of a man who is not even of your village with great apprehension," Mayuri growled at him. "And yet you readily hand over one of your creations to another without much thought."

Looking at him, Naruto simply replied, "I trust Unohana-san more than I trust you."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance as Naruto's attention was directed now to Ukitake.

"Speaking of recovery seals, that reminds me, Ukitake-san." He held out a hand to him. "I've been meaning to help you with your sickness."

With a smile and a small cough, Ukitake held Naruto's hand and he felt power course from Naruto to him. One could immediately notice the change. Color returned to his face and his breathing became normal. "I…I feel great!" He exclaimed with a wide smile. "I haven't felt this great in ages!" He took Naruto's hand and shook fervently. "Thank you so much, Naruto-san!"

"You're welcome," he grinned wide. "Kimimaro had a similar condition. He had difficulty breathing, had chest pains, and coughed blood at times; and it interfered with his everyday life, be it in combat or outside it. After I had cured him of his illness using this same method, I resolved to make these seals to make it easy for other people who are not medics to heal themselves."

"These seals of yours are truly handy," Unohana replied. "But I assume there are restrictions?"

"Yeah, because there is only a miniscule amount of Kyuubi's power that is stored within every seal, it can only heal so much damage on its own before it runs out of juice and is useless. That said, lethal damage to the body –wounds to vital points, diseases and illnesses that have progressed too severely, and damage that is undoubtedly instant death, like decapitation – is not within its range of recovery. Also, nonlethal yet heavy damage to the body can be healed but would not be complete, so deep gashes or developed sicknesses are treated partially. And cuts, bruises, and early stage illnesses can be fully healed. And I can't put too much since the healing power would be tainted by its poisonous effect on non-jinchuuriki."

"Then you have had some experience with such seals with too much demonic energy," Mito asked.

Naruto winced and looked away. "Yeah, I had way too much experience with that. When I had completed a plan for them, I showed them to Ero-Sennin. He was impressed and offered to help. He taught me the proper strokes in making seal markings and how to channel my chakra into them to make them functional. After I mastered those and ensured that the seals could handle the weight of Kyuubi's chakra, I proceeded to the next step: storing her energy into it. The seal prototype, as Ero-Sennin said, was crude but stable. He then applied it to himself before I could say anything." His eyes shut tight. "He was unconscious for days. When he woke up, he said that the pain was unbearable. So I started with lessening the doses, with Ero-Sennin once again testing them on himself until he was sure that those seals are refined and usable by non-jinchuuriki."

"Is Jiraiya-sensei alright," his father asked.

"Thanks to a constant use of the complete seals and some rest, he shall be fine. But I don't know what side-effects he might have due to the former."

"That reminds me," Mikoto stepped up, "when we went to Karakura Town to investigate the appearance of Kyuubi's chakra, we were met with Kyuubi possessing Kurosaki-san. Could that be one side-effect of the unrefined seal?"

Naruto nodded. "It's possible. Since I perfected the seal, I have left the rest alone. I didn't use them or expanded on them any further but I still have them with me. Unfortunately, during training, I accidentally gave Ichigo one of them. He was…affected by it the same as Ero-Sennin so he was bedridden for quite a while."

Ishida's brows furrowed. "Kurosaki was never absent for such a long time."

"Ichigo employed a Kage Bunshin, one that would learn in his place and, when the original recovered, transfer the information back."

Off to the side, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "The clone even went to the Kurosaki residence?"

"Yep," Naruto grinned, "that way, none of the family would get worried."

The dark-skinned woman didn't lose her narrowed eyes but she did remain quiet. Then, a small voice entered her head, "If you're wondering if Isshin-san was aware of the deception, don't worry. He and I had a very long talk during that time." Her eyes widened. "And after a lengthy argument between me, Ichigo's teacher, and him, Ichigo's father, he and I agreed that he would come clean about him being a Shinigami when Ichigo inevitably finds about Soul Society."

The blond shinobi continued, "It is possible that Kyuubi's possession of Ichigo back then was a side-effect."

"And Jiraiya has yet to show such symptoms," Sarutobi asked.

"He hasn't shown anything unusual since the incident. Granted, he is way more powerful than Ichigo and it would take an equally powerful opponent to defeat him. However, it may be that Ero-Sennin's case would be different from Ichigo's. For all I know, the side-effect would appear when he is doing his research. That's why I was keeping a close eye on him since then."

A period of silence reigned after his statement. Deciding to act, Byakuya stepped forward and said, "Uzumaki Naruto, I request an audience with my wife at your earliest convenience."

"And you shall have it. Let us discuss details later on, after this."

"Very well," Byakuya replied with a nod at his direction and stepped back. Kenpachi followed with a wide grin.

"I hear that you're on the same level as Namikaze and Senju!" Kenpachi put a hand to his hilt, continuing, "And since I fought them once before, I want to fight you next!"

Hearing that, Naruto gave a sheepish chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "I can't, at the moment. I have to get back to Uzushio after this meeting. Plus I have to talk with Byakuya-san about his reunion with Hisana and Saru-jiji about a few things before that, something that only he and I have dealt with." Sarutobi's eyes narrowed before he nodded, ignoring the stares on him from his colleagues.

"Tch," Kenpachi spat, "those can wait, Uzumaki! I want to fight you now!"

"I thought I told you this a thousand times, Kenpachi," Kushina growled, making him freeze, "there will be no fighting while in this house. And you heard my son. He has to return to Uzushio immediately. Fight him next time and in another place."

"Fine, next time you come here, I will hunt you down and make you fight me!" He then stepped back and glowered at Naruto's sheepish form.

Naruto turned his attention to the remaining people. "Is there anyone else who wish to ask me some last-minute questions?" No one seemed to move, so Naruto shrugged and said, "Alright, Byakuya-san, I will talk to you later. I want to talk to Saru-jiji first."

Byakuya conceded and said, "Very well. I will be expecting you in my office afterwards." With that, he turned to leave, followed by his sister and lieutenant.

"Well, that was a very interesting trip, I must say, Naruto-san," Kyoraku chuckled as he clasped Naruto's shoulder. When the blond looked at him, he blinked upon seeing a wide grin on the flower captain's face. Then, he felt him put a folded piece of paper on his hand. He was about to ask when Kyoraku stepped back and said, "I gotta get back to my division before anyone misses me or Nanao-chan. Ciao," he waved off, leaving the house with Nanao. As he left, Naruto looked at the paper given to him and twitched upon seeing a message: Would it hurt if I order a copy of those marvelous books of your godfather? His eye twitched then sighed and pocketed the paper, making a mental note to make the transaction.

"Come, Nemu," Mayuri snapped, "I must decipher these notes, however small they may be, in the lab." With a bow to the general people, the daughter of Mayuri hurried after her already-out-the-door captain/father.

"I suppose I must also return to my division," Ukitake smiled. "I'm sure Sentaro and Kiyone are arguing about who is doing what, by now. Thank you again, Naruto-san." Then, he also left.

Unohana gave him a beatific smile, thanked him for the seal, and went out the door, Isane with her. Soifon, with her usual cold visage, gave Naruto an appraising look before softly scoffing and jumping over the fence, disappearing in a burst of movement. One by one, each of the captains and lieutenants left the house, leaving Naruto alone with Ichigo's group and the Royal Guard group.

"You wished to talk to me, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi walked to him.

"Yeah, this is about…that, jiji. Do you still remember how private it is?"

"It still is as it was ages ago, Naruto-kun, come with me." Seeing Naruto nod, Sarutobi led him down a hallway and towards a door with the nameplate 'Sarutobi H.'. "Come to my office." Both of them entered the room and closed the door behind them.

"What business could Naruto have with Sandaime-sama that calls for such privacy," Minato pondered.

"Whatever it is," Kushina continued, "it is kind of sad that Naruto can't share it with us."

Ichigo frowned before he started to speak, bringing all attention to him. "It is not that he doesn't trust you or anything. It's just that, when Naruto was still a young kid, he believes he is the cause of something that went down in Konoha. He went to the Sandaime Hokage and asked him to fix it. Afterwards, he and the old man swore that no one would reveal the details of what either of them had done to anyone. It is very personal to him and he believes that he should bear that burden alone."

"You know about it," Tobirama countered. "Wouldn't that make Naruto's oath void?"

Ichigo shook his head. "He didn't tell me anything specific. What I just said is what he told me. As he promised, he didn't tell the details. After all, the things I mentioned earlier are too general. Konoha is just like any other village and many things could have gone south that Naruto is involved in."

"So that brings me back to my question," Minato put a hand to his chin, "what did Naruto and Sandaime-sama do that needed them to be this private?"

Mito, who approached the door to the office, placed a hand to the surface and said, "They are really serious about their privacy. The room is protected by seals that prevent anyone outside access to the inside."

"Why are we talking as if we are going to intrude on them," Hashirama interrupted them. "If young Naruto and Saru want to keep it a secret, who are we to force them to tell us? I'm sure they'd tell us eventually. In the meantime," he grinned as he turned to the humans, "I absolutely must hear stories about the modern world! We hear stories from time to time but those snippets are tearing at my curiosity! Come then, let's grab a bite to eat and share stories!"

In Sarutobi's office

"I assume it was about what Itachi said to you before you two went separate ways?"

While the group outside was discussing their secrecy, the two had already started their own discussion. Sarutobi was seated behind his desk and Naruto was in the chair in front of the desk.

Naruto nodded to the question.

"Do you believe him, Naruto-kun?"

The blond gave a sigh as his eyes went downcast. "I-I want to believe it. It has been too long since the incident. I…felt so alone since then."

"Naruto," the elder counselled, "you do know that you hold the key to releasing them from their mental bonds. I am simply the one who put them in such a bind. It is your choice to free them or not."

"I know. It's just that, I don't know if I should. I was the cause of their grief once before. I don't want to be the cause again."

"Did I not tell you before? It was never your fault. You are simply trying to look for what I inadvertently denied you: love and affection. You found them in those two. I was at fault for not doing more to help."

"If you insist on being so adamant, jiji, then we're both at fault there. You, as you said, didn't do more to help. I, on the other hand, wasn't strong enough for the both of them."

"What Uchiha Fugaku and the Hyuuga elders respectively pushed and forced onto Uchiha Mikoto and Hyuuga Hitomi were not caused by your lack of strength. It was caused by their lack of vision."

Naruto immediately shot off his chair and spat back, "And that lack of vision combined with my lack of strength caused Mikoto-chan and Hitomi-chan to lose their memory of me!" Naruto released a shuddering breath and sat back down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm not angry at you."

"No. You can shout at me all you like. As you said, we are both at fault."

"What should I do, Professor," the blond ninja asked, his figure slumping. "I am at a loss. I don't know what to do. I really want to restore their memory and talk to them once more. But they look so happy and content and I don't want to interfere with that."

Hearing someone who has never called him by anything other than 'old man,' Sarutobi realized the severity of Naruto's situation. He gave a weary sigh as he stood from his seat, walked around his desk towards Naruto, and put a hand to his shoulder."I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't realize that you would be carrying such a burden until now. I am aware that any of my answers might not solve your problem but I can still offer you a few words of consolation."

Naruto raised his head to him and Sarutobi was not surprised by the pain in the blond's eyes. Regardless, the elder continued, "You are correct in saying that Mikoto and Hitomi seem content with their lives here. However, despite their contentment, I can tell that they are still feeling incomplete."

"And not even Kaa-chan, their best friend, noticed?"

"No. The happiness they shared with Kushina was immensely different from the one shared with you. However, it can be said that one can mask the other and can go unnoticed to someone who has never seen both. As such, I, the sole person in this platoon who has seen those three in their youth, adolescence, adulthood, and death, can tell the difference." Sarutobi released a sigh. "Make of that what you will, Naruto-kun."

"Thank you," Naruto replied. "That made up my mind."

"Then, do what you have to."

Dining Area

"Hahaha," Hashirama laughed boisterously, "your father sounds truly interesting, Kurosaki-san! I might have to meet him someday!"

Ichigo couldn't keep the scowl going deeper on his face. "Yeah," he growled, "so interesting that my fist couldn't help meeting him."

Laughing again, the Kami no Shinobi patted the Shinigami daiko on the shoulder. He was about to say more when Naruto and Sarutobi entered the area. Turning to them, he said, "Oh, Saru, Naruto, join us! Ichigo has just told me about his misadventures with his father!" Ichigo twitched again.

Neither of them spoke a word as the blond simply approached the female trio and his gaze was focused on Mikoto and Hitomi.

"Naruto," Kushina asked worriedly. "What are you doing?" The sentiment was shared by everyone else.

The Uchiha and Hyuuga matriarchs were feeling very uncomfortable by the blond boy's eyes. They saw him raise his hands and slowly saw the kanji for 'Release' appear on his palms. They were about to get up from their seats and indignantly ask what was wrong with him when Sarutobi immediately appeared behind them and placed a finger in front of their faces. A brief flash escaped them and they both slumped in their seats.

"Saru," Tobirama exclaimed, "what is the meaning of this?"

"Naruto needs this," he easily replied and said no more. He watched as the palms finally reached the two women's foreheads.

Naruto closed his eyes and muttered, "Kai." The two tensed and their eyes shook wildly in their sockets. Seconds later, Naruto dropped his hands and awaited the result.

Sarutobi snapped his fingers and both women released a powerful exhale. They slowly raised their heads to the blond and slowly said, "N-Naruto?"

Mikoto added, "Is that you?"

He spread his arms wide and, with tears starting to form in his eyes, he said, "It's been a long time, Mikoto-chan, Hitomi-chan."

Eyes widening, Kushina opened her mouth to speak when her two friends shot off their chairs and slammed into Naruto. Alarmed, she rushed over to them and was shocked upon seeing tears in her friends' eyes as well.

They embraced him tightly and, as one, they said, "Too long, Naruto."

"What's going on here," she asked. "Why are you two talking as if you haven't seen him in years?"

"That's because they haven't."

She rounded on the Sandaime Hokage. "What are you talking about? They haven't even met Naruto! They told me that!"

"Their memory was rewritten," Mito silently supplied, "wasn't it, Hiruzen?" He nodded. "From what I've gathered from the current situation and the vague details the young Kurosaki gave us, what Naruto felt guilty for was related to Uchiha Mikoto and Hyuuga Hitomi. We require details. Why?"

Let it not be said that Ichigo was not intelligent. Granted, Naruto told him very little on the topic. However, as a friend, Naruto told him much about Konoha as a whole– none of which were secrets; pretty much everything divulged was common knowledge to the shinobi world or the village. So, narrowing his eyes, he concluded, "Uchiha Fugaku and the Hyuuga elders."

Sarutobi's eyebrows rose, even as the rest were looking at the daiko with wide eyes. "What did Naruto tell you?"

Shrugging, Ichigo took a drink of his soda. "He didn't tell me much of his situation with those two, if that's what you're asking. He was pretty much mum on the details, only telling me that it involves him, Konoha, and something that went down bad. However, he did tell me of things that were pretty much well-known in your village: like the hard-headedness and borderline arrogance of a vast majority of the members of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. Between Naruto's very vague description of his situation and his very detailed description of everything else Konoha, seeing both the Uchiha and Hyuuga matriarchs in this situation pretty much made the details for me."

"Who knew that there exists a brain inside that head of yours," Ishida taunted.

"Screw you, Ishida," Ichigo quickly snapped back.

"Why," the soft voice of Hitomi silenced them all. "Why did you go that far?"

Sitting up gently, Naruto wrapped his arms around the two women. "I didn't want you both to suffer in your clans because of me. The memory is still fresh in my mind, when you argued with your husband, Mikoto-chan, and when you were fighting against the elders, Hitomi-chan, with your husband by your side. I still remember the anguish in your eyes as you two fought with words against them. I even remember what you were arguing about, even though I didn't know why until I was older: me. Naturally, hearing people fight over me in such loud voices and seeing the pain that two people I really care about were facing, I assumed that I was to blame. As much as it hurt me to do so, I had no choice but undo what I did, just so you both could live happily, without having to pay the price for being with me." He broke off as the two women clung to him tighter.

Kushina's eyes were wide open in distress as she listened to her son expose what happened between him and her two friends. Not even old enough for the academy and her son has already grown to the point that he was willing to sacrifice his happiness and his bonds so he could ensure the well-being of the other party, in this case, her friends. In a way, Naruto had experienced a broken heart at such a young age. That thought horrified her and she fell to the chair and immediately embraced her husband, who was also disturbed by Naruto's maturity.

"It's alright, Naruto," Sarutobi said, "I'll take over from here." Turning to the expectant audience, he took out his pipe, lit it, and started to talk. "Both Mikoto and Hitomi knew the repercussions of being seen with Naruto, so they wisely chose to meet with him in secret. But they were not infallible. It was inevitable that someone would find out, hence the Uchiha patriarch and the Hyuuga elders. As Naruto said, they were confronted and I saw all of it with the Tomegane Jutsu."

"Isn't that invading one's privacy," Rin asked. "I mean, they were talking about Naruto, sure, but it is still clan business and there are laws that protect them."

Tobirama was immediate in his former student's defense, returning to his cross-armed, leaning position by the wall. "The protection of the village supersedes the privacy of the clans. Naruto is a jinchuuriki and jinchuurikis have the potential to match a Kage. Such potential is dangerous in the hands of any one clan. The balance of power that keeps each clan in a village content would tip towards the one that has the jinchuuriki and conflict would inevitably occur. In Naruto's situation, he was connected to the matriarchs of two of the most powerful clans of Konoha. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that the arguments were about controlling him." He looked to the solemn Sarutobi. "Am I right, Saru?"

He expelled a cloud of smoke. "Yes. Upon discovering their secret, their minds were overcome with thoughts of greed. They realized that they can use their connection to draw Naruto into their cause and become the strongest clan. Naturally, both Mikoto and Hitomi fought against it. Fugaku was the more physical of the two diehard factions and he almost struck his wife for her defiance. As Naruto said, he was there and he barged in on them, managing to shock both patriarch and matriarch with his presence that the former was unable to detect Itachi suddenly appearing out of nowhere and knocking him out. As for the Hyuugas, when Naruto got there, he got to the last portion of their argument before their session ended. Hitomi had retreated to the bathroom to convey her grief. Hiashi, on the other hand, remained outside where he and Naruto, whom he has known to be present after the meeting, had a brief, one-sided discussion. That was when Naruto ran to me and asked for my assistance. So I brought out the Memory Erasing Seal. Then, Naruto and I started our skirmish in the middle of the night. We started with the Uchiha-"

"Why was Naruto with you," Minato asked. "A covert op such as that would normally not require or desire his presence."

"He insisted. He wanted a final goodbye to them before it happened. Itachi, for some odd reason, was still awake when we entered his home. He led us to his parents' room and stood aside as Naruto first said his piece before I proceeded to apply the seal on the two of the sleeping Uchiha."

"You didn't include Itachi in the seal," Obito asked.

"No. I assigned him with the task of ensuring the neither of his parents would show signs of the erased memory resurfacing. Also, I have great faith in his intelligence and wisdom to know that what we did was something that should never be known to anyone. After the Uchiha, we moved to the Hyuuga. We first dealt with the elders before we erased Hitomi's memory."

Mito concluded, "And Hyuuga Hiashi was the one assigned to watch Hitomi?"

He nodded. "He just finished his paperwork when we encountered him. He too understands the necessity for our decision to remain secret from others. Then, after I accompanied the emotionally-drained Naruto to his home, I started to look into who exposed Mikoto and Hitomi to their respective clans."

"Was it that Danzo guy," Ichigo asked.

"I have my suspicions but he is one of the least likely suspects. He was denied the chance to obtain Naruto. I doubt he would just allow others to have the same chance. He also knows just as much as I that jinchuuriki in the hands of any one clan can cause chaos. But I wouldn't put it past him to create a little conflict so that he could gauge Naruto."

"Why didn't you confront him then?"

"For all his emotionless delivery, he can weave an intricate and detailed lie that would be believable if the other knew otherwise. With that said, I had no such proof of his involvement so he was 'innocent' until proven guilty. My search, however, ended in failure. I wasn't able to find the source of the disturbance. I even went so far as to have my ANBU monitor the activities of both clans to see who seemed out of place. Even until Naruto entered the academy, neither of the clans revealed the culprit so I slowly ended the surveillance."

"Thank you, jiji," Naruto softly said, bringing all eyes back to him. In his arms were the slumbering forms of Mikoto and Hitomi. "They'll be alright, just tired from receiving all the memories again."

Kushina and Minato stepped of their seat, moved to get both women off Naruto, and put them on the benches by the far wall. Naruto stood up and released a shaky grin. "I feel kind of hungry. Where can I get ramen around here?"

Later – Sixth Squad Barracks

"Yo," Naruto said as he sat by the windowsill. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Byakuya-san."

"It is understandable," the Kuchiki head replied, not looking up from his paperwork. "You have reunited with your parents and those whom you've lost that you were close to. To tell the truth, I half-expected you to spend the remaining hours of the day with them and meet with me the day after. However, I will not question it." He stopped his writing and looked at him. "So shall we begin our discussion?"

"Do you want me to bring her here now? I can do that and remove the need for a discussion."

"If you indeed can spare time and energy to bring her here, even temporarily, I would prefer to reunite with Hisana while in my quarters in my home. The office is no place for a reunion."

Nodding, he said, "Okay then. I'll tell Hisana about this and bring her over as soon as possible. Will there be anything else, Byakuya-san?"

"I only ask this one other thing. Please protect her. She cannot fully return to Soul Society because she is genuinely amongst the living. I apologize in advance but she is also amongst the living in a land of conflict and manipulation. She may have a zanpakuto and can wield power that your people could. But, as her husband, I still worry for her."

"There's no need to worry, Byakuya-san," he held out a thumbs-up. "I'm the Uzukage! I'll protect anyone in Uzushio with my life!"

"Just as much a leader as your father," Byakuya softly whispered. "I will believe in your words then. Thank you."

Next day – Senkaimon

The entirety of the shinobi Royal Guard, Ichigo's group, Naruto, and Ukitake stood in front of the now-active gate.

The white-haired captain seemed to relish in his health and gave a cheery nod to Naruto, who was talking with his respective group. He then took out an odd piece of wood and held it out to Ichigo. "This is for you, Ichigo-kun. I managed to convince sensei to name you a proper Shinigami daiko of Karakura Town. This badge would serve as a sign to any Shinigami that visits to treat you as an ally."

Taking it, Ichigo shrugged. "Thanks, I guess."

"Ichigo," he heard Naruto say his name. He turned to see his blond mentor with a red hand mark on both his cheeks.

"Are you okay, man?"

"Yeah, Mikoto-chan and Hitomi-chan were some-parts mad about what I did and let me have it. It's nothing I could heal." He laughed a bit as both marks slowly disappeared. "Oh, by the way, Ichigo, before I go back to the shinobi world, when you get to your home, tell your dad it's time."

He looked confused. "It's time for what?"

"He'll tell you." He waved his hand to his side and a dimensional tear formed beside him. "I gotta get back now! See ya again, Ichigo!" He then jumped into the tear and it closed behind him.

"What an odd message," Ukitake mused. "Well, his mother and father are also odd in their own way so it should be expected. Anyway, I bid you all well in your endeavors. You may leave when ready."

Uzushio

In the middle of a large sealing array, Naruto appeared out of nowhere and landed perfectly in the center of the seal.

"Took you long enough, brat," Jiraiya said, getting off his chair. "I told Kaien to tell you double-time but you took your sweet time."

"Hehe," Naruto looked sheepish, "let's just say the reunion was well-received."

Snorting, his godfather replied, "Whatever. At least, you got to see your folks again." He shook his head. "I never would have believed that you would gain the power to travel dimensions. Not even ninjas who are well-versed in jikukan ninjutsu can manipulate time and space to such an extent. Heh, it just goes to show how powerful the Bijuu are. Anyway, I want details, Naruto. Tell me everything."

He shrugged and made a shadow clone. Turning to it, he said, "Go tell Hisana about the meeting." The clone nodded and went off. "So, Ero-Sennin, why don't we talk while we walk?"

And that's done. I wanted to have this chapter be the part where Naruto comes back to the shinobi world and all that. But I felt like I had to expand on a few things in this chapter.

Also, I have this one question. A bit of a spoiler, I truly plan on having Mikoto join Naruto's harem. But what do you think should be done about Hitomi? I don't know if I should have her join or not. True, I could assume the premise that she and Hiashi were joined as a result of an arranged and loveless marriage and that the face that their daughters saw was a cover. But I could be persuaded to do otherwise. What do you guys think?

Anyway, read and review.

Also, as for the side-story to this, I have already started and will probably finish at the same time as my next update for He Who Has Been….