Walk alongside the Reaper

by Juubi no Shinju

They say "one's past can come back to haunt them". They were right. After so many years dead, how will the return of a lost soul effect the balance of life? A once pure soul, now corrupted by hell and death. Will he be the foretold destroyer of humanity, or their savior. Will the residents of the Elemental Nation be ready walk alongside the reaper of death?

3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Juubi no Shinju does not own Naruto or Bleach

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Chapter 3: The Reaper Approaches!

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Konohagakure

All over the village, Leaf, Sand, and Sound shinobi and kunoichi battled one another as blood from the fallen splattered the ground. Weapons and jutsus were launched everywhere as buildings were destroyed and cries were heard everywhere. Commands were shouted and shouts of anger filled the air. And up above the village, yellow eyes watched in amusements at all the deaths happening, as the scent of souls lingered on the air and into his nose. His tongue licked his dry lips as his eyes glowed in hunger.

A soft chuckled escaped his lips as he watched on as the battles continued on.

Humans. Such fascinating and pitiful creatures. Give them a knife, and they demand a sword. Always running to their deaths like careless children. Oh how he hated them, and yet, could never get enough of watching them from the sidelines. They constantly demand for power, and yet, do not even know what true power was…

'Look at them. Like sheep to the slaughter. And heaven believes that Hollows were monsters! Ignorance is truly poetic. At least we have a reason to kill, humans just do it for fun. Still, it sure is nice of them to hand me so many souls to devour, don't you agree, my princess?'

"Idiots, all of them. Humans are nothing but annoying flies. They take everything for granted, not caring about those they hurt. Even now, I can hear the Earth cry out in pain!"

A frown replaced the amused smile on Naruto's face; his eye now glowing in anger. He nodded to his partner. 'As do I. To listen to the cries of agony from such a beautiful creature of life. And yet, the Gods ignore her pleas! Do not worry much longer my dear friend, soon your pain shall come to an end.'

He then turned to the east, where he sensed spikes of the energy he felt before. Narrowing his eyes, he looked back at the battle below. He lifted up a hand, and a ball the size of a basketball appeared. It began to glow a purplish light as it pulsed like a heartbeat. He sensed the souls of the dead begin to get absorbed into the sphere, and nodded in satisfaction. This should capture the souls for him while he dealt with the creature he sensed. If it was what he thought it was, then his power shall grow immensely in more ways than one!

He disappeared in a Sonido, leaving the vacuum sphere as it hanged in the air to suck the rising count of souls. None even knew he was there, except for a cold shiver that went down everyone's spine.

---

Konoha Forest

Nami jumped out of the way as Gaara's large sand arm crashed through the tree branch she stood at. As she flew through the air, she took out a handful of shuriken and threw them at the sand genin. Gaara easily blocked them with his sand arm, before he jumped at her. Nami's eyes widen before she used the substitution technique to get out of the way in time, leaving a log to take the hit in her place. Gaara growled in anger at losing his prey.

"NAMIKAZE! Show yourself! Are you afraid?!" He roared as he looked around for her. His eyes filled with insanity and bloodlust as he searched for the blonde.

Meanwhile, Nami hid behind a tree as she thought on how to take Gaara on. Her mind went on for miles as plans and strategies were thought up. Her parents always told her that those who strike first, are usually the one who die first. In order to defeat a strong opponent, you must know everything about them. Body, defense, stance, and any weaknesses.

Nodding, she raised her hands up and made a cross. In puffs of smoke, four shadow clones appeared. Nodding to them, all the Namis vanished, ready to begin their plan.

Gaara had been looking all over for the blonde, knocking down trees all over to find her. Suddenly, he felt something impact his sand protected back. Instantly turning around, he spotted Nami standing on a tree branch behind him with a kunai in hand. A large smile spread across his face.

"So! You have stopped hiding! Have you come to prove my existence?!"

Nami didn't say anything, merely flinging her kunai at him. Instead of letting it bounce off her armor, or dodging, Gaara decided to show her how fruitless the effort was by catching it in his large arm. However, he then spotted the tag on it too late at it detonated. Nami peered at the smoke, waiting patiently to see what happened. Spearing out of the smoke, Gaara's sand arm shot out at her. She quickly jumped out of the way as it went through the tree.

When the smoke cleared, she saw that Gaara didn't have a single mark on him! Narrowing her eyes, she made a hand gesture, and one of her clones appeared behind Gaara, doing handsigns.

"Suiton: Teppodama!" She then spat a condensed ball of water which hit Gaara. She smirked in satisfaction at seeing that the area she hit, was now turned to mud as the sand genin turned to her in anger as he shot large bullets of sand at her, dispelling her. Soon, two of her clones appeared on either side of him, doing handsigns.

"Suiton: Mizubozo!" The clones chanted together as they shot streams of water at him. Gaara tried to dodged, but suddenly, glowing chains appeared and grabbed him. The last clone behind him smirked in trapping him. She was so glad her kaa-san taught her how to use her chakra chains and practiced it during the month of training.

Gaara was stuck as the streams of water smashed into him, making cry out as his sand became wet and sluggish. When the jutsus ended, the clones dispelled, wasting up their chakra.

Nami smirked as she saw that the sand that covered Gaara was slowly falling off of him. It looked like his armor was a double edged sword. While his strength and speed had increased, his armor was still sand and had a large weakness against water! She decided to end this as she began doing handsigns.

"Raiton: Gain!" She pointed her hand at the defenseless genin as chakra sparks generated around her hand. While lightning wasn't her best element, she could still use it thanks to the training Kaka-sensei gave her. The sparks began to grow bigger in numbers and length as her hand glowed. When she felt that it was ready, she launched a beam of lightning that headed at Gaara.

Said genin could only look at it in shock, as he couldn't move! When the attack struck, his scream of pain was heard all over the forest. Temari sank to her knees as she covered her ears as best she could to block out the sound of her little brother's screams. Her body shivered in fear as her mind raced! She always thought it was impossible for Gaara to ever be injured, but now that he was, he had become more unstable than he had ever been! He had become more the monster he had acted when he was a child!

Nami kept the attack going for a few more seconds before she cancelled it. She panted heavily as her massive chakra had been severely drained from that attack. She didn't have enough control over the lightning element to use ration jutsus properly. She took off her headband and wiped sweat from her forehead, before she looked at Gaara. He was on his knees as steam rose off of his body. He had burn marks on him, mostly the arms and his chest, as his shirt was a bit burned off. His gourd was melted and spread over his back. He was shaking from the pain as his eyes were widen in shock, a bit of fear and anger as he glared up at Nami.

"N-NO! YOU WILL NOT TAKE AWAY MY EXISTENCE! I WILL CRUSH YOU!"

The ground suddenly started to shake as the sand from the gourd and the ground rose up and wrapped around him in a cocoon that grew larger by the second! Nami and Temari watched in shock and horror at the massive group of sand rose high in the air above the trees and morphed around as it began to take the appearance of a creature.

The creature looked like a Tanuki and was massive, much bigger than the walls of Konoha! It was colored sand brown, with blue markings all over the body. It had a jagged, concave mouth and black shadows over the eyes, like a mask. Its eyes had black sclera, with yellow irises and black four-pointer stars for pupils with four black dots around it. Lastly, behind it was a massive tail with the same blue markings.

The Ichibi no Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, was released.

On top of its head, Gaara appeared from in it. His upper body showing as he glared down at Nami. He raised his hands and made a handsign.

"Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!" (Feigning Sleep Technique)

His body then slumped forward as his consciousness left him. The eyes of the Ichibi, once dull and empty, now glowed with life.

"I'M FREE! YEAH BABY! I'M FINALLY FREE!" Turning its head, the large tailed beast saw Konoha in the distance, and a large grin appeared on its face.

Nami tsked, the situation just got a whole lot worse! There was no way she could take on a creature of such size! 'The only option I have is to summon Gamabunta-sama! But I'm nearly out of chakra! I hate to say it, but I'm goanna have to borrow some of the Kyuubi's chakra!'

The ground shook as Shukaku took slow, massive steps as it headed toward Konoha. Nami worked fast as she closed her eyes in concentration. She reached down deep into her chakra pools, passing them as she focused on the seal on her stomach.

---

Nami's Mindscape

When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was no longer in the forest. She was now in some kind of large sewer with large pipes lining the walls. However, that was just the view in front of her. Turning around, a shiver went down her spine as she took the nightmarish appearance behind her.

Instead of a sewer, was a massive graveyard. The sky was dark in the night, with only a few cloud swimming around a full blood red moon. There were hundreds of grave marks and tomb stones around the grayish ground. Dead trees lined the sides with dozens of ravens perched in them, glaring at her with their blood red eyes, watching her every move. On the distance, there was a large temple; though it looked more like a ruin as she spotted some crumpled walls and moss.

She always wondered why her mind looked like this, but something told her this wasn't her mind, and that she should stay as far away from this place as possible! She trusted her instincts and never walked into the grave.

Turning around, she walked into the sewer. She never saw the figure watching her from the temple, their eyes narrowing at her appearance.

Nami walked quickly through the halls, making her way to her destination. After what felt like hours, she made it to a large spacious room with a massive cage at the end. She carefully approached it, mindful of any sudden attacks from the prisoner hiding behind the bars. Once she was near the bars, a massive crimson eye with a slitted pupil shot open and glared down at her.

"So, my pathetic container finally come groveling to me!" The dark voice sail with mirth, making Nami slightly angry.

"I didn't come to play games, demon! I came here because-" But she was cut off by the Kyuubi.

"I know very well WHY you came! The question is, why I should even help you?! Or even give you my power! You humans are all the same! Taking power that does not belong to you and taking all the credit or never give anything back! Just because I'm stuck inside your pitiful body does not mean I am to follow your command!" Kyuubi roared as it smashed its head against the bars, glaring down at the weak human. Kami, what it wouldn't give to have someone else as its holder. Why did it get to be stuck inside a pathetic human while she got to be free!

It wasn't FAIR!

Nami flinched slightly at statement of taking a power that wasn't hers, since it was kind of true, but it was for a good cause! Her home was in trouble!

"I just need a little bit! Enough so that I can summon Gamabunta-sama!" The blonde pleaded to the beast. Said beast just growled at it. That was another thing it hated! Only the weak and cowardly beg! This girl was a disappointment as its jinchuuriki! Nothing like him!

The powerful beast was about to tell her off, when it suddenly stopped. It raised its massive head upward, sensing something. Something it knew well. A large grin spread through its face with its eyes shined in excitement! He was here! Here in Konoha, in the human world!

It looked down on Nami, confusing her when it smirked at her like the fox it was. Its nine tails waved behind it in anticipation for the bloodbath that was to come to the world!

"Very well, ningen. I'll provide you with the chakra you require." It said to her.

Nami blinked. She didn't expect Kyuubi to suddenly change its mind. She narrowed her blue eyes as she stared at the nine-tails in caution, her mother always told her to be extremely careful whenever near the beast, as it will trick her to get what it wants. "Why the sudden change?" She asked it.

Kyuubi only grinned at her. "Let's just say that things are about to get very interesting. And I want you alive when it happens." It then glared at her. "Just remember child, this is the LAST time I help you! So you better not die! Hehehe, at least not until the fun really begins." With one final smirk, it forced the girl out of the mindscape.

When she was gone, the Kyuubi turned its attention to the corner of the room as a figure stepped out of the shadows. Their face was still hidden by the shadow, only showing that it was female, and a large toothy grin on the face.

"So! That was your jinchuuriki? Kind of pathetic if you ask me. I kinda pity you for getting the short end of the stick." She said to the kitsune, who glared at her.

"Don't patronize me, sister! It's bad enough you get to explore and do what you want, while I'm forced to stay in this godforsaken cell!"

The woman just waved nonchalant at it. "Cry me a river! Not my fault my master is so awesome!" She ignored the jealous glare the Kyuubi sent her. "But still, if it means so much to you, I guess I can convince my beloved master to free you."

Kyuubi's eyes widen and looked at her in hope. It could finally be free? To feel the air once more?! It would give anything to be free at last.

"However…" The woman cut off its thought as it looked at the beast. A pair of eyes glowing in the shadows. One crimson red, the other gold yellow. "That would mean you must pledge your eternal loyalty to my master. And if you ever think about betraying him, you will suffer a punishment worse than the flames of Hell and Death!"

The Kyuubi shivered at the cold feeling and presence it felt coming off of the woman. She held more power than three of it! But still, the pros vastly out weighted the cons on what would come if it served her master!

It nodded to her, making her grin. "Good! I will tell my master on your decision. Please be patient until then. Until next time, Yang-neesan~!" And so, the woman vanished from the mental room. Leaving a slightly frightened, yet more excited Kyuubi. While it and its Yin half may have been separated, they still had a connection with the other. And in a way of bragging, the Yin half showed it the life and glory its container achieved when he died and became a Hollow.

To see what the once innocent child had become, and the power it achieved shocked it! It was perhaps equal to Sage-jiji! Or even her!

It just knew it made to right decision to pledge its loyalty to the Hollow King.

'Besides, it would be suicide to be his enemy!' It thought as it closed its eyes to rest, patiently waiting for it freedom.

---

Reality

The moment Nami opened her eyes, she quickly raised her and bit deeply into her thumb, drawing blood. She then quickly ran through handseals. She could hear the massive steps of the Ichibi as it moved. Time in her mind was fast, so only a second passed in the real world.

Once she had her signs, she slammed her hand on the branch under her.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

As Shukaku was making its way toward Konoha, it suddenly stopped and turned its head to the massive cloud of smoke that appeared. When the smoke cleared, it showed a very large toad wearing a vest, wielding a blade, and smoking a pipe.

"What the? What's going on?!" The large toad asked as it looked around him before turning to Shukaku.

"Hey Gama-sama!" Nami said from on top his head.

"Nami-chan! Why did you summon me? And why is the Ichibi no Shukaku here?!" The chief toad demanded. Nami chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well you see, I was fighting the jinchuuriki of that bastard, named Gaara, but he suddenly released his beast. And I need your help to stop him from destroying Konoha! What so do you say?!" She asked pleadingly.

Bunta's eye twitched. This was the second time he was summoned to fight against a Biju! "You are as troublesome as your father! FINE! Just hold on tight!" He then unsheathed his blade and got ready. Nami quickly channeled chakra to the bottom of her feet to stick to Bunta's rough skin. Shukaku merely smirked and turned to face them.

With a mighty leap, the chief toad jumped high in the air. Nami grunted as the force of gravity came down heavily on her. As the two sailed in the air, Bunta gripped his sword tightly as he came down on Shukaku. He raised it high and once was close enough, brought it down hard and stabbed into its right shoulder. With a hard yank, he cut off the arm as he jumped away.

The beast howled in pain as it grabbed his stump of an arm. "YOU BASTARD! YOU CUT OFF MY FUCKING ARM!"

With a ground shaking landing, Bunta landed as he breathed deeply. 'That was close. Its sand skin is harder than it looks, nearly lost a grip on my sword.' It was then that he saw the arm on the ground dissolving and the stump regenerating. 'Damn it! Its body is nothing but possessed sand! It has no bones, flesh or blood! This is goanna be though.'

"Hey Boss! You okay?" Nami asked concerned.

"I'm fine! I'm just not as young as I used to be. Still, this fight won't be easy! The only way to defeat and reseal the Ichibi is to wake up the medium!"

"Medium? You mean Gaara?" The blonde asked, with Bunta nodding.

"As long as he's asleep, the sand Biju has a connection to the real world. If we want to end this fight, you must wake to brat up!"

Nami frowned as she looked over at the redhead on Shukaku's head. She remembered when she and Shikamaru stopped him from killing Lee in the hospital. She thought back on when he told them about loving only oneself. Even though they were both jinchuuriki, she knew she could never understand how he felt. She was loved by her parents and the village, while he was hated and was forced to survive a lonely life. Still, even though she wanted to help, he tried to hurt those precious to her! Such a thing cannot go unpunished!

"Alright Bunta-sama! Just try and get me close enough!" She told the summon. The toad nodded and bended down low. It then once more jumped high in the air.

"I'll make you pay, you damn bastards! Futon: Renkudan!" Shukaku shouted as it took a deep breath, its stomach expending before it slammed its hand on it. It then shot a large ball of condensed air at the airborne toad.

"Chief!"

"I know! Suiton: Teppodama!" Focusing his chakra, Bunta's cheeks bulged before he spat out a large ball of water. The two attacks met inbetween and canceled each other. The water rained down on the forest as Bunta landed. Using the rain as a quick cover, Bunta hopped fast through it and at the beast. Raising his sword when it got closed, he slashed down on the Ichibi's chest, slashing sand out and making the tailed-beast grunt. Nami saw she was closed enough to jump at Gaara and was about to, but Shukaku quickly recovered and swiped its large tail, hitting Bunta and sending him flying. Nami had to hold on tight, less she was sent flying off, as the two crashed on the ground.

"Damn! For such a fatso, he's quick fast with that tail! This isn't working brat! I don't have anything to grab him with! We need to use a combined transformation and turn into something with fangs and claws!"

"Combined transformation?" Nami asked, before nodding. "Hai!" She quickly thought of something with fangs and claws. However, the only thing she could come up with at that moment was Kyuubi! Deciding to use that, she nodded at the toad, showing that she was ready.

Nodding back, Toad Boss was about to charge at the tailed beast, when his and Nami's eyes widen when they didn't see him!

"What the hell?!" Nami cursed as they looked around for it. "Where could such a big thing go so fast?!" Suddenly, a large shadow covered them, making their eyes widen even more. Their head snapped up into the sky, and they saw the Ichibi descending down on them!

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Gamabunta shouted in shock, surprise to see the overweight Biju able to somehow leap into the air.

"Futon: Renkudan!" Shukaku called out as he launched a ball of air. Bunta didn't have enough time to move as the attack hit him, slamming him down on the ground. Nami wasn't able to keep her balance as she fell of Bunta's head and fell to the forest below. Thinking quickly, she shot a chakra chain at Bunta's pipe, wrapping around it and stopping her descent. Before she could even sigh in relief, Shukaku slammed down on top of Bunta.

"AAHH!"

"Bunta-sama!" Nami shouted.

Shukaku smirked down at the trapped toad as he raised his clawed sand hand, ready to take care of the Toad! "Nice try you bastard! This is the end!" Bunta tried to get up, but Shukaku was too heavy.

"SAY GOODBYE!"

"Gamabunta!" Nami yelled in fear. Staring at the cackling Tailed Beast in horror.

"Cero"

Suddenly, before he could deal the final blow, a red orb struck Shukaku. The blow was very powerful, as it sent him flying off and away from the toad. Bunta and Nami blinked at what happened as the toad got up and Nami climbed up back to his head.

"W-What just happened, Chief?" Nami asked.

"I have no idea, brat. It looks like someone helped us." Bunta answered. Nami blinked before looking around for their savior. "Look!"

Nami turned to where he pointed at, before her jaw dropped. There, in front of the toad, was a person! A person who was flying! But that was impossible, at least to her! She couldn't see what the person looked like as they were facing Shukaku, but she figured it was a man from the muscular arms. He wore white clothes and carried two swords on his side. The strange thing though, was that he had a hole through his stomach! And yet, looked to still be alive!

WHAT THE DATTEBANE?!

While she was curious about the hole and how he was flying, she wanted to know who he was. "Hey! Not that I'm grateful for the save, but who are you?!" She called out. The person seemed to ignore her, making her angry, and she was about to yell at him, when he turned around.

For Nami, it was as if time had stopped. Her heart ceased to beat for a second as a heavy blush spread through her face. Her wide eyes stared at the unbelievably handsome man that looked like he was her age, as his strange golden eyes stared at her in disinterest. She looked at his crimson hair as it flowed over his eyes, his gorgeous pale skin, and…whisker marks!? Just like her! Her throat quickly became dry and her legs felt weak. 'Wh-What's happening to me?! Why am I feeling like this?! My heart is pounding like crazy!'

Bunta's eyes narrowed at the strange man. Something about him felt familiar, like he had met him before! Not only that, but the energy he sensed coming off him, nearly made him choke! It was ghastly! It seemed to take the natural energy from around him and decay it! He sensed the unbelievable feeling of death coming off of him in waves! It was as if he was in the presence of the Shinigami once more!

Meanwhile, Naruto stared at this human girl in front of him. His high sensitive nose caught the familiar scents of the blonde idiot and annoying woman in her. He only blinked once before he had to resist the urge to smirk. His mind quickly connecting the dots. So, this human was his sister.

Interesting.

Even more so, he sensed the familiar energy of Kiyomi coming from her. He recalled her telling him once on how her power was split and divided, her with him, and the other in some human. He remembered her telling him more, but he lost interest in it to listen. He then turned his gaze at the Shukaku, who stood frozen as it sensed his power, paralyzing it. He could no longer hold back his smirk. This was quite the interesting day! He got resurrected into the human world without a Garganta, met his parents, kicked ass and took souls, learned some nearly interesting things from that bastard Spirit King, met his sister, and now ran into two of the Tailed Beasts in just a day!

'Must be a new record!'

"You always were one to attract the strangest events, Naru-koi."

'Would you have any other way?'

"I suppose not. You keep making things inte-"

'Oi! Now stealing my catchphrase!'

"Sorry. I meant to say that you keep making things fun."

'Much better! Now, let's get all this over with so I can go eat!'

"I meant to ask you, but what are you going to do now that you're in the human world?"

'Don't really know. Maybe, cause some havoc? Take over a country, fuck some human women; maybe attract some Soul Reapers to have some fun? I've got nothing but time!'

"I suppose. Anyway, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when things begin to look interesting."

Naruto nodded as the connection was disconnected, not saying anything about her using his word anymore. Doing some things twice was boring.

He hated boring.

At that moment, Shukaku snapped out of his daze before glaring at the floating 'human'.

"Who the fuck are you?!" It demanded, though Naruto was not fazed as he looked at it boredly. He had face Gods and Goddesses, some over grown tanuki wasn't going to intimidate him anytime soon.

"No one you need to worry about, tanuki-chan." He then raised a finger at it, channeling his reiryoku as a small red sphere appeared in front of it. "But answer me this. Do you fear the Reaper?" With a small twitch, he fired his Cero, which traveled incredibly fast and hit Shukaku before it even knew it. It staggered backwards from the impact, as Naruto appeared in front of Gaara. He then grabbed his fellow redhead by the face. His eyes seemed to glow as Naruto did something thought impossible, he broke through Gaara's mental barriers and entered his soul.

---

Gaara's Mindscape

The moment Naruto opened his eyes and looked around, his eye twitched.

Sand, Sand, and more Sand!

It was like another Hueco Mundo! Except that instead of night and moon, it was day and there was a blazing sun! He sighed in aggression, already he missed his dark home than this.

Shaking his head, he crossed his arms and looked around the dessert. He didn't exactly know what he was supposed to be looking for. He knew he was looking for the Ichibi's soul, but searching for a sand spirit in the middle of a dessert wasn't easy. Sighing, he channeled a thick layer of his spiritual energy around his body. Once a faint red outline appeared over him, he moved the energy down to his feet. Once his feet were covered in a mass of energy, he moved it to the bottom of his feet and released it! A large circle of energy flew of his feet and spread outward in the dessert, getting larger the further it want.

This was a nice technique he created. It worked as an echolocation as the energy spreaded out in a pulse and once it hit something, it bounces right back at him. It worked perfectly in a flat place like this. And after waiting a few minutes, the results rang true as he felt an 'impact' northwest of him. Turning to the direction, Naruto used Sonido and vanished in a burst of speed.

A few seconds later, he reappeared and saw what his energy hit. It looked like a temple or something. Actually, it looked more like a house with how small it was. It was barely above two-story and about 20-feet wide. He saw there was some sort of symbol that looked like an hourglass or something. Raising an eyebrow, he focused his energy and sensed life signatures inside. Shrugging, he walked to the entrance. He tried to enter, but a sort of barrier prevented him from doing so. He narrowed his eyed before placing his hand in the barrier. He slowly channeled and sent his energy into it. By 10%, the barrier cracked and broke. Smiling in satisfaction, he entered the temple, after which he blinked where he saw that the inside was much bigger than the outside.

The redhead saw a long hallway that seemed to stretch on for miles! His eyebrow twitched. If there was one thing he hated more than boring things, it was puzzles & mazes! Sighing, he did what he did before, and sent out an echo-pulse to find out where the life signatures were. After a minute, he saw that there four signatures. A weak one, and three strong ones that were close together. He ignored the weak signature and made his way to where the strong ones were. On the way, he looked around the hall way. He saw that there were a lot of cracks on the walls and seemed to be falling apart. He also saw that there were doors on the sides with dates on them, though they all had rusted chains on them. He could easily rip the chain and enter the doors, which he guessed were memories. But he wasn't interested in them at the moment. Besides, when he entered the kid's mind, he caught glimpses of the brat's life, giving him enough to know everything he needed.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived at where he felt the life signatures. One come from a door to his left, and the other two came from a large door at the end of the hall. Humming, he decided to handle the closest one first. So grabbing the handle, he opened the door and entered.

Inside, he blinked when it looked like he was in some kind of hospital room. He hated hospitals. It's either live or die. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! (AN: Just to let you know, there are a lot of things Naruto hates!) Though, he would admit that he had haunted a few hospitals for the fun of it whenever he was bored. Anyway, the walls looked to be made out of sand. Strange.

Looking around, he finally spots the soul he was looking for. Lying asleep on the bed, was a beautiful woman. She had shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair that framed her face. Her skin was a nice pinkish color. She wore what he guessed was a hospital gown. Walking beside her, he placed two fingers on her chest, over her heart. The redhead then tilted his head in curiosity. 'A living soul inside of another soul? I thought only zanpakuto could do that. This world just keeps getting more and more interesting.'

Inspecting more, he hypothesized that the soul of the woman was in some kind of comatic (Not sure if real word or not, but using it) stasis as her energy was being used for something. Cupping his chin, he thought on what to do. He could either, eat the soul and see what happens, or he could wake her up. Though he was always hungry for a soul, he decided to use the opinion that would help sate his curiosity.

So placing his hands over her, one above the chest and the other above the face, he sent out his spiritual energy into her in small, fast pulses. This was one of the very few healing techniques he knew. It was useful for waking up people unconscious, in comas, or even those who have been dead for around a few hours to a day, but no more. As long as there was an ounce of life in them, they could be awaken. The pulses will slowly awaken her brain and heart/soul. However, such a procedure can be quite dangerous. Too much energy, or too fast, and the heart and brain could start up too fast and overheat, killing at patient. So while it was slow, it was the safest.

He got it from a female Soul Reaper nurse who was unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Oh well.

And so, after about five minutes, the woman showed signs of waking up. Soon, a pair of indigo-colored eyes slowly opened. Taking his hands away, Naruto watched silently as the woman tried to clear her vision and sat up, looking around in confusion. Finally, she turned to him, and the first thing she looked at was his hair.

"G-Gaara?"

---

For just a second, Karura of the Sand didn't know anything. She didn't know her name, where she was, or even what she was. But was at peace. Like a gentle cloud that just moved in its pace through the sky. And for a moment, she didn't want the feeling to end.

But then, the memories came. He remembered her name, Karura. She remembered growing up as a strong kunoichi of Sunagakure with her brother Yashamaru, and friend, Rasa. The three soon grew to become great shinobi of Suna, bringing it what little fame it could get, especially with Rasa's Gold Dust bloodline. That bloodline was then the thing that got him elected to become the Yondaime Kazekage. She was really glad for her friend. However, soon her life changed. While Suna had been getting some reputation, it was still not enough. Rasa, once kind and respectable through the village, soon changed from all the pressure the council and elders gave him. He became stricter and worked almost constantly to bring Suna more fame. Karura built a reputation nearly matching Pakura of the Scorch Release, and 'by the order of the prestigious council', ordered her and Rasa to marry.

Admittedly, she and Rasa used to date, before they decided to stay friends. So the marriage felt kind of tensed to them, especially with Rasa's new attitude. But still, it wasn't all bad. She helped calm him down a bit, and gave birth to two beautiful children, Temari and Kankuro. However, their years of happiness soon ended.

The second jinchuuriki of the Ichibi grew insane with the power he gained. The fool tried to overpower the tailed-beast's mind and gain the power for himself. And all the happiness she had, shattered when it was found out she was pregnant with her third child. Against her husband's wishes, the elders declared that her still unborn son, Gaara, shall become the new jinchuuriki of the Ichibi.

Rasa tried to stop it, he really did, along with Yashamaru, but the troublesome elders just wouldn't listen. While Gaara was still premature, the Ichibi was forcibly sealed into him while still inside her; she was then forced to give birth. The pain she felt far surpassed her previous births. But in the end, it was all worth it. The very second she laid her eyes on her tiny and feeble little baby, her heart wash filled with so much love, and pain. The love only a mother could give to her child, and pain because he was forced to become a jinchuuriki and suffer in such a cruel world.

With her fainting breath, she named her son, and declared to the heavens, that she would always love him, and protect him at all cost. She begged Rasa and Yashamaru to protect him as her vision grew dark.

She was greatly surprised when she opened her eyes once more. She knew she was going to die when she gave birth. As her blurry vision slowly cleared, she could make out the color of the Suna walls. She weakly got up from the bed she laid at. Kami, her body hurt! It was like her bones were made out of steel! Finally, her vision cleared, and she looked around. It then that she noticed someone else in the room with her! When she looked at the person, she thought it was Rasa with how old he looked and the spiky hair. Until she looked at the hair more closely. Its shade of color as a deep crimson red that reminded her of someone else, someone familiar.

It reminded her of her son! Of…

"G-Gaara?"

---

Naruto raised an eyebrow as heard the woman call him someone else. If he remembered correctly, Gaara, was the name of the brat he was in. He took a deep breath, and saw that the woman's scent was nearly identical to the gaki's. So this was his mother…

Interesting

Blinking, he stared at the woman in boredom, not giving any hint to what he was thinking about. He thought on how he could use this strange, but acceptable situation to his entertainment and advantage. From the memories he saw, this woman had been in death for nearly two decades. And through that time, the brat had slowly grown insane from the isolation and neglect, not to mention the unsuccessful assassination by his uncle. He didn't know much about it, but from the hollows he ate, most had been mothers and were very protective about their children. So he wondered what this woman would do when she discovered her child was forced through such torture his entire life by his father and uncle.

Her husband and brother!

He had to keep the smirk from appearing on his face. So many interesting things are happening for him in just one day! He almost wanted to thank Kami and Shinigami for bringing him to this world! Almost.

"If you're talking about that insane redheaded brat that destroys everything in his path for his enjoyment… Well, you're nearly close. My name is Zorro, the person who just brought you back to the land of the living. You're welcome by the way." He told her, making her raise an eyebrow as she looked at him strangely. His true name was his to know and his only! Though, the fact that the idiot and annoying woman knew disgusted him.

He'll have to do something about that.

"'Insane redheaded brat'? What are you talking about?! And where are we?!" She demanded as she tried to get up. Damn it her body hurt!

Naruto only blinked at her again. "If you must know, we are inside the mind of this 'Gaara'. About this tall, has insane bloodshot eyes; has a giant tanuki made of sand inside of him…" He listed of as Karura's eyes widen.

"What?!" She was inside Gaara's mind! How was that possible?! "What are you talking about?! You're not making any sense!" She yelled at him. She was in no mood for games!

Naruto sighed. Just great, another troublesome woman! As if that redhead woman wasn't bad enough. "Look! I don't really have the time or patience to explain everything! So why don't we just go see his memories and you can find out what happened? I don't really care." He offered as he held out a hand. While he didn't want to, he could feel the power inside this woman. While not much, it still peeked his interest. And from what he had seen of the humans of this world, he wanted as many as he could get in his army. So if he wanted her to join him, he needed to appear nice!

While Karura was hesitant, she really wanted to see what had become of her precious son while she was gone. So after a few seconds of hesitation, she grabbed his hand. Then in a blink of her eyes, she saw that they were no longer in the hospital room, and instead in some kind of hallway with many doors and rusted chains on them. She turned her confused gaze to Naruto, who was still holding her up by her arm. "Where are we?"

Not changing his expression, the Hollow redhead answered as he pointed toward the doors. "Those doors contain the memories of the brat. From his fist breathe, to current time. If you want your answers, they reside there. I'm going with you because I want to see more of this brat myself. After that, I need to see a few people." He gave her a slight nudge and guided her to the first door on the hall. He reached out and grabbed the chain, and with a slight pull, the chain glowed before bursting and vanished in a flash. He then grabbed the handle and opened the door. Inside, he saw it was the same hospital room he found Karura at, except there were more people inside, and the window showed that it was nighttime.

The two then entered the room, as the door closed behind them. On the door, the date was shown.

January 19 - Birth

---

Stadium (when Naruto left)

"Hokage-sama!"

Minato and Kushina turned around and saw the ANBU coming toward them. When they got close, they bowed to the two. "At ease!" Minato told them. Standing up, Inu looked at Minato.

"Hokage-sama! Kushina-sama! Are you two alright?" Minato nodded in reassurance, while Kushina wasn't paying much attention. She merely starred off into the distance, looking at the direction of where Naruto went. She didn't know where he went when he vanished, but something told her that was the direction her newly mysterious son went. "We have captured the shinobi that helped Orochimaru with the barrier, they have been taken to ANBU prison and await your orders on what to do with them."

Minato nodded. "Good work! Until this invasion is taken care of, continue to watch them! Even if their leader is gone, we can't lower our guards."

"Hai!"

"Hokage-sama…" Inu said to the blonde softly, his voice low. "We have seen the battle against Orochimaru, and what he has done. Was…was that really Naruto-sama?"

Minato just sighed. Now that the battle was done with, it had finally caught up to him. His son. After ten years since his death, Naruto, his son, was resurrected back to the living! However, he had greatly changed from the little boy he once was, and didn't seem to remember him or Kushina! Not to mention he somehow had a strange power he had never seen before! Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kushina frown when she heard Naruto's name. Out of everyone, she probably had the most mixed up emotions in all of this. To see your son, and feel like you don't even know him just takes against the heart!

Not to mention the whole deal with the Shinigami and what he said. Everything was just getting more and more confusing!

He then looked down at the small green hair child Naruto seemed to really care for. Nel, he remembered her name, just sat on the floor, peacefully humming as she waited for Naruto. He had seen and felt the protectiveness Naruto gave for her, and wondered on the history between the two.

Nel nodded with a wide smile. "Ah ha! Naruto-nii-tan is the strongest Hollow in Muenco Mundo!"

"What is a Hollow, anyway?"

Pouting her lips in thought, Nel tried to think on how to explain. "I don't really know a lot about it. Nii-chan knows more than Nel. All I know is that a Hollow is a spirit, or something like that."

A Hollow…

Something about that word made a shiver go through his body. Was that why Naruto gave off a feeling of emptiness? Just what was a Hollow anyway? Nel said it was a spirit of some kind. So Naruto and her were still technically dead? Ugh! His head was starting to hurt from all the confusion! He'll just have to ask Naruto when he got back.

Right now though, he needed to put a stop to this war. With Orochimaru dead – killed by his own son, shocking enough – no doubt the enemy will flee now that their leader was gone. Unfortunately his chakra reserves were nearly empty; at best, only had enough for a summoning and a Rasengan before he is knock out from exhaustion and chakra depletion.

He faced Inu. "Truth be told, I don't even know if he is or not. Things are happening, and questions keep appearing. But we can't dull on that now. We need to end this feud. Get any available ANBU and either drive back or capture enemy forces! I want medic nin to heal the wounded! Have some Jonin and Chunin guard civilians and shelters! Konoha will not fall today!" He ordered.

"Hai!" The ANBU called before they left. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, as well as his upcoming headache, Minato turned serious. It was time to end this. He turned and looked at his wife.

"Kushina."

However, the redhead ignored him as she stared off. Frowning, he knew what was filling her thoughts. She was worried and thinking about Naruto. So was he, but he was Hokage, and he needed to protect his village. "Kushina!" He called out a bit louder to get her attention.

Blinking as she was shook from her thoughts, Kushina turned her head and looked at Minato. He could see the heavy glace in her eyes, letting him know that even though he had her attention, it was only half as she was still in her thoughts. He smiled lightly at her. "Naruto's okay. I promise. But we need to take care of the enemy." He told her.

Kushina frowned. She wanted to stay there and wait for Naruto when he came back – for Nel, she thought a bit sadly, not her – so she could talk to him and hug him as tightly as she could. He may look different, definitely act different, and had acted cold to her when they first reunited, but he was still her son! Her little Tenshi!

She didn't want to leave and miss her chance at seeing him possibly never seeing him again! 'No!' She thought stubbornly, frowning and narrowing her eyes. 'I'm staying right here and waiting for my soichi!' Repeating what she thought to Minato, she sat down next to the humming Nel, who was now busing herself by playing with broken twigs and leaves on the ground.

Minato frowned and was about to say something, when he flinched as Kushina glared at him. It was a glare he knew all too well, as it was the one that made her the infamous kunoichi feared both in and out of konoha.

It was the glare of the Red Death.

"Minato…" That sweet smile on her face would have worked a lot better, if she didn't have killer intent coming off her in waves. "I'm going to stay right here and wait to see my son, the one who's been dead for 10 years. You can either leave, or sit on your ass, be quiet, and wait with me. Your choice."

Minato gulped in fear, sweat glittering his forehead. He hasn't seen his wife this scary since the time he forgot their anniversary. 'But I think even that pales to this!' He thought nervously. And so he did the only smart thing to do in this situation.

He sat down next to his wife, but still a few feet away. He didn't dare look her in the eye, and risk dying.

Kushina just kept her smile.

Nel giggled at the funny people as she continued to play with the sticks. Just then, she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. Turning to the side, she spotted a small puddle of water. She blinked, her expression one of confusion. Standing up, she walked toward it, and standing in front of the puddle, she looked at it in confusion. Kneeling, she cautiously raised her hand and hovered it over the puddle. Her Onii-chan always told her to be careful when she sees something she doesn't know.

Lowering her hand, she slowly pressed a finger into the liquid. She shivered slightly as a cold feeling went up her spine. Turning her head, she called to the long-haired lady. "Hey!" When Kushina looked at her, Nel pointed to the puddle. "What's this?"

Kushina blinked at the question. "That's a puddle, Nel-chan. You know, water."

Nel just blinked. "Wa-ter? What's that?"

Now Kushina was surprised and slightly shock. Nel looked to be around 5 years old – But didn't she say she spent centuries with Naruto? Then how old is she? How old is Naruto?! – but to have never seen or even heard of water, was shocking. Minato was also surprised as he glanced at the green-haired child. "You never heard of water?" Kushina asked.

Nel shook her head. "Hueco Mundo never had water. It was all sand."

"Hueco Mundo…" Minato muttered, but Nel seemed to have heard him as she spoke.

"That's where Onii-chan and Nel live!" She chirped before she began playing with this 'water'. Giggling with child-like wonder.

The two adults shared a look. Another question added to the list of things they wanted to speak to Naruto about when he returned.

---

Within Gaara's Mindscape

As Naruto and Karura watched the horrifying life of Gaara no Sabaku. From his lonely childhood, as he tried to make friends, only to be either feared, or even attacked. Even his own siblings and father held a fear of him, to said father viewing him as a weapon.

"Does this mean I'm injured?" Gaara asked. "Just like everyone else?"

"?!" Yashamaru blinked in confusion.

"Then I always…feel pain…"

Yashamaru was silent as he looked at the young redhead. Gaara lowered his head as he gripped his hand over his heart, a strained smile on his face.

"Although it doesn't bleed, this part hurts so much."

Yashamaru frowned. Taking a moment, he soon knelt down and took the knife out of Gaara's hand. Smiling at him, he cut his finger, much to Gaara's shock. His eyes wide, he looked at the bleeding finger, and yet still, Yashamaru didn't stop smiling.

"Bodies bleed upon physical injuries. And they may look quite hurtful, but eventually the pain will wear off as time passes. And they can heal faster with medical aids." Gaara paid rasp attention, still frozen from what he witnessed. "What are more serious are emotional scars. They are the hardest to heal.

"Emotional scars?" Gaara asked.

Yashamaru nodded. "Physical and emotional scars are a bit different. Unlike physical ones, there's no ointment available for emotional ones, and the pain may never go away." Gaara frowned and looked down. "There is only one thing that can stop such a heartache." Gaara looked up at him at that. He saw Yashamaru's gaze turn to the side. Following it, his eyes widen when he saw the picture of his mother at the shelf.

"However, as inconvenient as it may seem, this cure can only be given by people other than yourself."

"Wh-what is it?" the young boy asked. He stared at his mother's smiling face.

Yashamaru looked at him and smiled. "It's love!"

Gaara blinked in confusion. "Love?"

The man nodded. "Yes."

"H-How can I receive it?"

Yashamaru chuckled lightly. "Gaara-sama, you are already receiving it."

"Huh?"

"Love is…care and devotion, you feel for the precious ones around you. Like the feeling nee-san had for you."

"…."

"I believe she loved you so very much. The sand Shukaku is primarly a living spirit specialized in attacks. Its automatic perfect defense is a proof of a maternal affection. Your mother's will remained in the sand to protect you."

Gaara was silent as he looked at the picture. 'Mother.'

"Even after death, you wanted to be there for Gaara-sama." Yashamaru muttered, smiling at the picture.

Karura has happy that at least her brother cared for and protected her son. Through it all, Naruto stayed silent behind the woman. Not moving or twitching at the moments she cried, yelled, screamed, or fell to her knees. He just stared blankly at the memories, merely blinking as he watched. After seeing so many human memories from the souls he had ate, such memories as this were far too common to the few and many he witnessed. One child's drama was like seeing a fly to him. Not important, and easily squashed. Besides, he kind of secretly found it amusing. 'Humans. Always seeking war and death, while finding something to take their blame and troubles on.' He thought, as the seen soon changed to night as Gaara sat on top of a building.

Karura's happiness, was not quick to last, as to her horror Gaara was targeted. Luckily, his semi-sentient sand was quick to protect him. They watched as Gaara, filled with immense sadness and sorrow, quickly let himself be filled with anger. Glaring at the assassin, he shot his sand out, as fast as a snake, and struck the man. Seeing that the man was injured badly by the strike, and down on the ground, the boy stood up, and cautiously approached him. Shakenly reaching out a hand, he grabbed the veil covering the face, and took it out.

Gaara and Karura's eyes widen when they saw it was Yashamaru!

Karura dropped to her knees as she stared with large, wide, horror eyes at her brother; as Gaara also fell, grabbing his head as tears fell. Naruto glanced at her, before looking back at the scene. His curiosity peeked slightly,

To Karura, the world around her vanished, leaving only her, her mentally damaged son, and her injured brother, who tried to kill her son!

Yashamaru…tried to kill…her son.

Yashamaru…kill…son.

Suddenly, she gasped a sudden pain struck her chest.

Gaara breathed rapidly as he grabbed his head, a suddenly pain striking him. He shakily looked up at the blood covered face of his uncle. "Why…why…why?!" Was all he could say.

Yashamaru gave a bloodful smile at him. "It was an order…" He gasped out. Gaara – as well as Karura – looked at him. "I was ordered to assassinate you…by your father, Kazekage-sama."

Their eyes widen as they gasped.

'F-Father?!'

'Rasa?!'

Gaara was so stricken, he puked. While Karura felt cold, not moving as what she heard echoed in her mind.

Th-Thump!

Yellow eyes moving, Naruto looked at Karura and hummed as he saw a chain appear, connecting to her chest. He saw the first link suddenly have a bite taken out of it. 'Interesting.'

Yashamaru groaned as he continued speaking. "You were born…to be possessed by the One-tails, Shukaku. Until today, you have been watched over…as an experimental subject. However, you are yet unable to control the powers of the beast. Before long…your very existence will become too dangerous to the village itself. We…simply couldn't let that happen."

Gaara looked up, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Then…then you had no choice. It's because of father…"

Yashamaru chuckled, confusing him. "No…you are mistaken…"

"!"

"Yes, I did receive Kazakage-sama's orders. But…I could've decline if I wanted to…"

The pain in Karura's chest grew as she listened.

"Gaara-sama…deep down inside…I must've always…resented you…"

Gaara's eyes grew in shock, while Karura gasped in horror.

"For coming to this world…stealing the life away from my dear sister…I tried my best to love you by thinking of you as her memento…but I couldn't. She never wished to give birth to you…"

Karura flinched in shock as she heard her brother speak those word. That she never wanted to give birth to Gaara?! 'No…that's not true!' She thought franticly, as more bites were taken from the chain, shortening it.

"She was sacrificed for this village, and therefore, died cursing at it.."

"…"

"Perhaps…from that moment on, I've been carrying never-healing emotional scars…Your mother, gave you your name. This child's name is Gaara: 'A demon that loves only himself'..."

Karura shook her head franticly, as she covered her ears. Hoping to block out any noise, but it was no use. 'No…that's not true! That's a lie!' The chain was now half-way.

"Love only yourself and fight only for your sake. She wished and believed that your existence is forever as long as you lived on. But…she didn't give you the name…out of concern or love for you. The name was given to you…in the hope of your eternal existence…to let her grudge be carried down…and be known to the world…you were never loved!"

"STOP IT!" Karura screamed as she shook her head. "STOP LYING! I DO LOVE MY SON! I WOULD AND NEVER WILL HATE HIM! STOP LYING TO HIM!" She yelled as loud as she could. Naruto was silent as he watched only a few links remain.

Smiling, Yashamaru opened his vest, showing the dozens of paper bombs on his chest. "Please die…"

BOOM!

The bombs detonating, Naruto and the frozen Karura looked at the smoke. It soon cleared, showing Gaara was protected by the sand. Gaara was quiet, his eyes dazed and unfocused. Karura was the same, as she stared at the spot her brother was. Soon, something snapped, and the two let out large screams.

"UAHHHHHHHH!"

"UAHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto was unfazed, merely racing a brow was Gaara had sand pierce his left temple, where soon, a kanji in blood appeared.

The kanji, for Love.

Meanwhile, Karura screamed as loud as she could. A scream of sorrow, sadness, and anger. The chain continued to eat itself, until it was completely gone. Her mouth wide open, a white goop suddenly shot out, before it covered her entire face. Her body seemed to begin to disintegrate as the white, hard liquid covered her entire head.

However, before the body could be completely gone, Naruto moved and placed a hand on the white head. His eyes glowed briefly, before the body stopped vanishing. Just then, the white gel moved, and spread. In a matter of seconds, the white gel expanded, and took form. The form of a body. Soon, where Karura once stood, white shell took her place at similar size and shape.

Stepping back, he leaned against the mental, hard sand wall, waiting for his new 'friend' to 'awaken'. Waiting in silence for nearly 10 minutes – in which he used the time to figure out his next move, since he may be stuck in this world for a while – he looked up at the fake full moon hovering in the sky.

The moon…

If there were a few things he actually liked about Hueco Mundo, it was the moon. How it was calming. How it sooths his souls! Like a primal animal…

His features relaxed as he was bathed in the 'light' of the 'moon'. It may not be real, but he takes what he could get.

CRACK!

Blinking, he lowered his gaze and saw the figure shell begin to crack. A small grin appeared as more and bigger cracks appear. From the feet upward, cracks and pieces begin to fall apart, and he saw pale, healthy skin. Pushing off the wall, he approached the awakening woman and moved in front of her. Raising a hand, he held it still as the peeling reached her waist. His glowing eyes tracked the cracking shell as skin was replaced by cloth, as it was shown that her clothes had changed.

His smirk widening, he flicked his finger against the helmet. Like fragile glass, the shell shattered. A strong force, or wind, shot out, ruffling his clothes and hair slightly. But he didn't let that bother him, as his gazed locked on the being in front of him. His smirk one of acceptance and completion.

Kneeling on the ground, was Karura. However, she was different than before. Her clothes – once a simple outfit, with a long, light yellow scarf – was now a white battle kimono with black trims. Her right arm and legs were wrapped in bandages, and had a dark brown, torn cloak wrapped around her waist that flowed down to her knees. Around her upper waist was a leather-like armor. Her fingernails were painted black, and had black choker around her neck. On the left side of her head, was a white flower. Perhaps it was her Hollow Mask fragment? Strange fragment….He also saw a long, white scarf, and looking at the end, where he saw the end dripping down as sand, he knew it was made of white sand. 'Probably the same sand Gaara uses. Makes sense, the 'love of a mother, is powerful enough to protect anything, and anyone.' He scoffed. What lies…He'd sooner kill and eat his 'mother' – though, reluctantly, for a damn reason he hated – than accept her 'love'. Mother's love can't protect everything. Anyway, looking down, he saw a tanto laying down on the ground next to her. Raising his gaze, his lips twitched when he sensed more than saw, where her Hollow hole was under her clothes. Where her heart once was. He looked at the newly formed Arrancar. His thoughts left as he heard her groan.

Karura groan as her senses began to wake up. What happened? Last thing she remembered was a terrible pain in her chest, which grew and seemed to move up. She felt like throwing up, as something crawled up her throat, and shot out. Last thing she saw was something jumping at her face, and covering it.

She didn't know what happened next. All she knew, was that found herself in darkness. She was alone, frozen, and cold. She didn't think. How could she? All she could see, was her brother try to kill her son! Yashamaru…how…WHY?! And Rasa...she knew they didn't love each other entirely as a married couple, but to do this to their son?! HOW COULD HE?! And Temari and Kankuro…she saw the fear in their eyes when they looked at Gaara…

No…

It wasn't their fault…

She saw the times Temari tried to talk to and play with Gaara…

Kankuro used to worry for Gaara. Not fear him, but worry for his brother! The fear that once laid in his eyes, were not at Gaara, but at the chances of his brother being controlled by the Ichibi. They ever tried to comfort him when he used to be said…

Only to be nearly attacked by the sand! It was because of the fear and isolation in his heart, that the siblings distanced themselves from each other. The fear and isolation implanted in his heart by that…that…damn village.

Rasa

Yashamaru

Suna

An angry growl erupted from her throat.

It was their fault! They are the ones who ruined her family! Her children!

They will pay…for the pain they caused her children…She. Will. Make. Them. PAY!

Unknown to her, her eyes flash yellow for a second, before going back to normal. Around her, the shadows moved as a strange pulse of energy came off her. She placed her hand over her chest, and could feel her heart beat faster.

Her glowing eyes narrowed. Pay. They…will pay. They…will all pay!

She could've sworn, she head a small laugh. Somewhere in the darkness, yet right next to her…

Opening her eyes, she blinked as her mind felt hazy. Slowly, her mind cleared and soon, she recalled the things she saw, the pain, the horror, the betrayal…"What happened?" She muttured.

"You have been reborn."

Eyes widening at the voice, she snapped her head up, and saw the familiar man who had shown her the memories. What was his name again? That's right…

"Zorro..."

He merely blinked.

Finally standing up, Karura finally realized what she was wearing. "What the…?! What am I wearing?!"

"Clothes." Naruto deadpanned, making her shot him a glare.

"I know they are clothes! But why am I wearing them?!"

Naruto sighed. He had a feeling he might get a headache soon from this. "To explain it simply, you are now a Hollow. A being of emptiness and pain. When you have seen the terrible life your son has lived, a hole grew in your heart. As memories passed, that hole grew bigger. That…pain grew. And when that…" He pointed over his shoulder at the frozen form of the angry Gaara. "Happened, your hole got so big, it could not be contained, and swallowed you up. You lost yourself to the emptiness, and it turned you into a empty beast. You are lucky I sped up the transformation and skipped a few forms. You are now a Hollow, an Arrancar to be specific. That is why, you have this." He hooked his finger on the top of her kimono and pulled it down, making her face turn completely red and give a shout.

"KYA!"

Naruto ignored her light pink nipple, and looked at the fist-size hollow next to it. "That…is the eternal emptiness we Hollows are forced to suffer." Karura struggled to push away the embarrassment, and looked down at the hole in her chest. Her eyes widen at the sight of it. Strangely, she didn't feel fear about it. No…instead, she felt…

Empty…

As well as Hunger.

Naruto could sense it, and explained. "Hollows, are cursed with a never-ending hunger. But not for food. No, instead, they hunger for something to fill the hole. But thing is, that hunger, is never sated. And yes, my dear." He lowered his hand down to the hole in his stomach. "I too am a Hollow. There are many of us, all cursed by the 'Gods', to suffer. That…I do not like. So, I fight. To make them pay, for their arrogance, for their gloat, and for them seeing and treating us as animals." He growled. However, he calmed himself. He looked at the woman, as she fixed her kimono. She looked up at him in suspicion.

"Why did you save me? I know I died when I gave birth to Gaara-chan. So why?"

Naruto merely blinked at her. "Do you not want a second chance? A chance to seek vengeance against the Fates who rung you wrong? Against the forces who made your child into the monster he is today? Who made the people close to your heart, betray your trust?"

Karura narrowed her eyes and looked down. After a few minutes of silence, she looked at him, and nodded. "What shall we do… Zorro-sama?" She then blinked as she realized something. "Forgive me, I don't think I have ever introduced myself." She bowed to him. "I am Karura no Sabaku."

The redhead just blinked and nodded. He then led her out of the room and into the mindscape hall. "To make a long story short, I had spent centuries in Hueco Mundo, the world of Hollows. However, recently I have been returned to this realm, the one I, apparently, was born and died in. That bitch Kami and the bastard Shinigami are up to something." He narrowed his eyes in anger, their glow increasing. "And I will find out what it is."

"But what do you want with me?" The sand-blonde haired woman asked. He glanced at her.

"In my life time, I have made many enemies. Many who wish for my eternal death." He know what she was about to ask and interrupted her. "Yes, I know that I'm already dead. Hollows have two lives. The one they lived when they were alive, and their after-life. If we are killed once more, we have no heavenly rest. No Happily Ever After. No happy reunions with departed loved ones…We merely just cease to exist. There is no third time. So be. Careful." He stressed.

Karura gulped nervously, and nodded.

"Where are we, anyway?" She asked as she looked around.

"Isn't it obvious? We are within Gaara's mindscape. I can here to take the Ichibi no Shukaku." He said. Karua looked at him in shock.

"What do you mean, 'take the Shukaku'?!" She yelled at him. "If you do that, then Gaara might die!"

Naruto rolled his eyes in impatience. "Calm down, impatient woman." He named. What? So he had a small like of naming people. It was better than remembering names when he didn't want to. Especially for people he didn't care a fuck about, or were about to die anyway. "I merely need the soul. The brat can have the power, and still live."

That calmed Karura down somewhat. "Okay, but why do you need Shukaku's soul?"

He shot her a glare, making her flinch. "That is none of your concern. I brought you back. You now serve me, and are to follow my commands without question."

Karura quickly nodded and bowed. "Yes, of course. Forgive me Zorro-sama." It would not be wise to upset someone with incredible power. At her time as a kunoichi, she was a sensor. Right now, the power she senses coming off this man, made her almost fall to her knees! It might even be as strong or even surpassing those of the biju! It would do well to not anger him. 'After all.' She thought as she looked down at her hands. 'This…power. It feels similar to his, but nowhere near as powerful as his! He called us 'Hollows', and 'Arrancar'. Just, what is that? And what is this energy I feel in me? It's different from chakra…"

"We're here."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Karura looked up, and saw that the two stood in front of a large gate. Blinking in confusion, she was about to ask what they were doing, when Naruto placed his hand on the gate, and without any effort, pushed it open like it was weightless. Without a world, he walked in, Karura quickly following him.

Inside, it was a massive room. It looked more like a prison as she could see bar cages on the sides, a broken stairway, and barred windows. It was dark, she could barely see anything, with one a few flickering candles proving limited light. There were many cracks on the walls, making her think that the slightest gust could make the whole place crumble down.

She bumped against Naruto's back when he suddenly stopped. 'Oh kami! He feels like an iron wall!' She thought in surprise as she staggered back. However he was unaffected, as he kept his eyes ahead. Tilting her head, she followed his gaze. Her eyes widen at what she saw.

In front of them, chained to the wall by giant chains, was the Ichibi no Shukaku! A large spotlight shined down on it from above, letting her see that some of the chains pierced through it, making her flinch. It looked to be asleep as it didn't react to their presence.

Naruto hummed in thought as he looked at the Ichibi. "So, this is the One-tails. Impressive. I can sense the strong hold the spirit has over the sand body. I believe the soul is made entirely of this chakra I heard about. Interesting. While it may be the 'weakest' of the nine pieces, its power is not to be underestimated, as it could prove to be a worthy opponent." He muttered to himself, but Karura could hear him perfectly. He nodded. "Yes, you could prove a worthy addition to my army. But first," He roamed his eyes around the room. "Let us take care of that ghastly dark soul I sense."

A blink of an eye. That was all it took for Naruto to raise his right hand and point his index finger out to a small corner of the room. A crimson sphere, the size of a baseball appearing in front of the finger.

"Bala."

The crimson energy sphere shot off at unseeing speed, and before Karura knew it, a large explosion erupted from the corner. For a second, she grew worried that the impact would damage her son's brain as the entire room shook. She held on to Naruto's jacket to keep herself from falling to her behind. The chains on the Ichibi rattled, yet it remained undisturbed.

Peebles fell from the ceiling before the shacking began to lessen. It soon stopped, and the room was silent, Naruto keeping his gaze at the smoke.

Karura opened her eyes, which she closed when the shacking began. She then realized she was practically pressing her entire body against her new master, and quickly jumped away, her face entirely red from embarrassment.

Naruto ignored her as he kept his eyes locked on the smoke. Suddenly, a figure shot out of the smoke, and landed between them and Ichibi. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked at the figure. It was a male, wearing a black priest outfit. He wore a veil covering the top of his head, casting a shadow over his eyes. What was unsetting, was the wide, crazy-made grin on his face, and the wicked, corrupted energy surrounding him. He then heard Karura let out a gasp, and glanced at her over his shoulder, but kept his guard up just in case.

Karura was surprised when she saw the priest. Was this…? "Zorro-sama, please be careful. That is the second jinchuuriki of the Ichibi. He's a mad priest from Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind), who became mad with the power the One-tails gave him. So mad, he tried to become the new Ichibi and control all of its power! He had to be killed when it was discovered he was researching forbidden fuinjutsu (sealing arts)." She explained.

Naruto stored the new information for later use, and turned back to the priest, who began to chuckle. The chuckling soon rose into a deranged laughter.

"Well look at what we have here! I didn't expect guests. I would have cleared the place up, it's such a mess. HAHAHA!" The priest said, making Naruto scoff at the madness in his voice. It reminded him of that stupid demon clown he had the unfortunate fate of meeting on his time in Hell. "Is there something I could help you with?" The priest asked with a fake tone of welcoming and assisting.

Blinking once, the Hollow King scoffed at him. "Stand aside, parasite. I'm here for the Ichibi."

His mask of happiness shattered, and being replaced by one of insane and anger, the man glared at him. "So, YOU want to take away my power! Just like the rest of THEM! I won't let you! THIS POWER IS MINE AND MINE ALONE!" He gave a roar, and charged at him, his right arm glowing in a dim light.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the glow. 'Holy magic.' He discovered by the signature. Tsking, he vanished. The priest gasped as he halted in his steps. Naruto stood behind him, his left arm in the air, and gripping a long black ribbon thread, and a rusted chain.

"Pathetic."

Jerking his arm, he ripped the thread and chain, ripping them out of priest. The man gave a scream of pain, and before Karura's eyes, she saw his body begin to disintegrate into blue particles. Said particles were absorbed into Naruto, who in the meantime, began to eat the chain and thread like noodles. Gulping the last piece, he let out a sigh as another soul and energy was added to his bottomless power pit.

Turning around, he looked at the gapping Karura. "Wh-What did you just do?" She asked.

"I merely consumed his soul and spiritual energy. He was getting annoying. Probably should have given him to you, to begin increasing your nearly empty energy storage output, but it was an instinct move. We'll begin with you after we leave." He told her, at which she could only nod, still confused on this whole 'being a Hollow' thing. He then looked up at the silent body of the Shukaku. "Now then, time to do what I came here to do in the first place. Do not disturb me." He commanded, before he began walking and levitating upward to it, ignoring Karura's statement of 'Be careful, Zorro-sama.'

Flying up to the middle of Ichibi to its chest, he placed a hand on it. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and commanded his energy. His arm suddenly became encased in black, nearly sucking in any near limited light, flame-like energy with a red tint. Black lines, looking like cracks, began to swarm from the place his hand laid, and began to slither like snakes and spread all through the body. As that happened, Naruto focused his senses, looking for what he wanted. Looking around, he soon found it. Locking on it, he held up his other, left hand. Opening his eyes, his irises were gone, making his eyes completely black.

The hand placed on the body was sunk in with a push, as the 'cracks' began to glow red. Karura jumped slightly, getting her out of the dazed state she was in as she observed what the male Hollow was doing, as the room once again began to shake. Turning her head left and right, she saw the empty cages begin to fall apart. The cracks on the wall grew bigger and spread. She was about to warn her master, when she remembered his command to not disturb him. Biting her lip, she hoped he was prepared for this.

Shukaku's body shook, before the sand began to break apart, starting from the top of the head. The sand slithered through the air like serpents, and moved toward Naruto. It soon moved to the airborne hand, and slowly began to gather over the palm. Continuing his concentration, the redhead moved the hand in the sand around, and soon felt something in his grasp. Nodding slightly, he grabbed it, as he began to slowly send some of his energy into it.

Slow minutes passed as besides the rumbling, all was still and quiet. Naruto focused on his concentration while Karura watched in awe at what he was doing. After a minute, the vanishing sand passed the shoulders, and one of the arms was gone. After two, the process changed and began from the feet up as well. After 5 minutes, all that remained was a large – but shrinking – ball of sand, while the gathering sand hovering over his palm was the size of a bike.

As more and more sand was vanishing, Karura could faintly see that her master was holding something in his right hand. Narrowing her eyes, she could see it was some kind of cloth as the sand moved out of the way. Finally, after nearly a half hour of waiting, she discovered that the something was actually a body, as it fell, only Naruto's grip keeping them from falling to the ground. It was a woman, in about her mid 20s. She had long, sand-brown hair – a darker tone than hers, nearly light brown – with blue tips, reaching down to her hip. Her skin was a bit darker, a light chocolate brown, and no blemishes or anything, only perfect, healthy, smooth skin. She wore a cream colored kimono, with a black sash, and dark blue flower designs. She appeared to be unconscious, but ready to wake up as she groaned.

Naruto looked down at her, his facial expression as emotionless and stony as always, before he lifted his gaze up to the large sand sphere over his hand. Pulsing his power, the sphere began to shrink, in a more rapid pace than in the process. Soon, the sphere was the size of a marble. Putting it in the pockets on his jacket, he floated downward to the ground.

Planting his feet on the ground, he sat the woman down as Karura quickly ran to his side. "Zorro-sama! Are you okay? What just happened? Who is this woman?" She quickly asked.

Sparing her a glance, he looked back down at the groaning woman. "Of course I'm alright. Do not underestimate me. What you just witnessed, was a special ritual I created for these types of situation. As for the woman, this is the Ichibi no Shukaku."

Her eyes widen to their limit as she gasped. "What?!" That was the Ichibi?! How?!

"Not everything is as it seems, woman. Remember that, and you just may survive your first decade." He told her. Just then, the still shacking room shook even more. Seeing that it was time to go, he picked up the Biju woman and placed her over his shoulder. Putting a hand on Karura's shoulder, they vanished in a fast Sonido.

They appeared out at the hall, in front of the large gates. Putting the woman down, Naruto stepped forward and closed the gates. Placing his hand in the middle, the hand glowed a dark purple, before stopping.

"What did you do? And what was happening?" The ex-Suna kunoichi asked. Turning his head, he looked at her.

"Without the Ichibi, the seal on the kid had nothing to hold and got confused. So it had a malfunction, and everything in it was being erased mostly." He answer in his monotone.

Karua blinked at him in increasing awe. "Wow, Zorro-sama. I didn't know you were knowledgeable on seal." She said, before flinching when he glared at her.

"There many thing you don't know about me. And don't begin to think you'll ever know of my secrets. Besides, I don't know much of seals, but I have seen and experienced similar rituals of this type." He said before he moved and grabbed the Ichibi.

Karura nodded, lowering her head to not further anger the being. She then blinked as she realized something. "Wait! If the Ichibi is no longer in the seal, won't Gaara-chan die?!" She asked, fearing for her son.

Naruto scoffed. "Calm yourself, woman. I inserted some of my energy into the seal to withhold the process for a while. It won't be permanently, but enough time for me to fix it." While he wouldn't care if the human boy died, he needed Karura to stay loyal to him. And being the cause of her son's death is not the thing he wanted right now. Right now, she trusted him. But he needed to nurture her trust until he had her unbreakable loyalty.

Karura sighed relief, grateful that her son will be okay. She also greatly appreciated her new master helping her son, even though he didn't have to. Maybe…just maybe, her master was kind underneath that tough exterior…maybe.

Just then, the Ichibi let out a groan as she began to resurrect back to the land of consciousness. Without a care, Naruto dropped her, making her groaning louder. The two Hollows watched silently as the light-brunette shook her head, trying to dispel the dizziness she was feeling. Soon, her eyelids opened upward, showing two glowing, golden, star-pupil eyes.

'Where…where am I?" Asami Shukaku thought as she regained consciousness. Last thing she remembered, was the incredibly painful process of being sealed into her third container. Though she was stubborn, and was ready to put up a fight!

However, she was shocked when somehow, the soul of the crazy priest tagged along with her! She was unprepared for when the bastard used seals to trap her mind. Asami was only able to curse the man out, before she lost consciousness.

'What happened?' She mentally asked as she slowly began to open her eyes. Her vision hazy, she shook her head to clear her mind, though groaned as her head hurt. 'Bad idea.' Giving it a few seconds, the One Tailed beast soon began to see clearly. And the first thing she saw, were the yellow-over-black eyes staring down at her.

...

...

...

...

"...Well?" Naruto asked, growing impatient at the silence. Instantly, Asami shut upward and leaped backward, putting distance from the sudden man, and woman as she took notice of Karura.

"Who are you?!" Asami demanded, growing at the two. She may be weakened, but she wasn't a Tailed Beast for nothing! She cursed her stated as she put more weight on her right leg, feeling very weak. Damn priest! When she found him she'll rip him to shred!

Wait a minute...where was that crazy bastard? He had tried to take her power for his own, but if she was awake, where was he?

Naruto scoffed at the woman's pathetic attempt to appear threatening. It would have succeeded – on a lesser being – if she wasn't currently so weak. It beast, her power would pass that of a Vasto Lorde but against an Arrancar, even more the Hollow King, it was just sad.

Karura was silent, looking between her new master, and the female Ichibi. She wanted to say something, but a glance from Naruto silenced her.

Looking back at the Ichibi, Naruto calmly states, "Who we are is of no importance, Ichibi no Shukaku. Just know, I've come to this boy's mind for one thing only: you."

That made her act, as showing a shocking show of will and power, Asami took control of Gaara's mindscape, and summoned a wave of sand. She launched it at the two Hollows, making Karura gasp. Meanwhile, Naruto just blinked.

When the sand presumably struck them, Asami let out a sigh, panting a bit from exhaustion from having to force all her will to summon such a strong wave in her weakened state. Satisfied at haven dealt with the two enemies, she moved to find a way out of the boy.

"Impressive."

Gold eyes widening, Asami snapped her head behind her, nearly breaking her neck, and gasped when she saw a completely fine Naruto behind him. His facial expression still held one of boredom, but now had an eyebrow slightly raised, showing he now was slightly interested.

A blinking Karura was held in his grip by the sash, suspended over the ground like a suitcase. Being dead for nearly a decade had immensely rusted her former kunoichi skills, barely being able to react in time and Naruto had to save her.

Taking a step back, Asami tried to think of a way out of this. However, before she could do anything, Naruto appeared an inch from her, making her eyes widen. Gold eyes staring into the other silently. A lone finger placed itself on the middle of her chest.

"Bala."

In a large force, Asami let out a cry of pain as the spiritual energy blast stuck her, sending her flying a blinking speed backwards. Looking after the flying Biju, Naruto didn't turn to look at the standing Karura. "Woman, do something useful and go find you son." He didn't give her time to respond as he vanished in a blur of Sonido.

Karura blinked dazedly. "Gaara?"

---

Asami shouted as she crashed right through the mental structure of the wall of Gaara's in-the-sand temple mind, crashing and skidding across the sand of the endless desert. Sliding across the sand, she groaned as she came to a stop. She gritted her teeth in pain, her eyes barely opening as she looked down at the large burn mark in the middle of her chest, blood dripping from the small cuts.

Hissing in pain, she tried to seat up. Whatever that strange man did, it hurt like hell! Suddenly, she heard a sound, like a loud blast of air. Looking up, she tensed when she saw the man standing in front of her. His own gold eyes looking at her in a blank dull, making her growl.

"Damn human! How dare you harm me?! You have any idea who I am?!" She roared at him, her power, while weakened, was still large enough by human standards as the whole mindscape shook.

However, the display held no effect on Naruto, as he barely even blinked. "I know exactly who you are, Ichibi no Shukaku. Child of the God Tree, Shinju. I would not waste my time coming here if I did not." He stated. Eyes glowing in power, Asami glared heavily at the Hollow. "I did my research on you. For 10 centuries, I've prepared for you and your siblings. Training, growing stronger, for one purpose. You have something I want."

"So, another pathetic human who seeks to gain my power!" The shaking increased, sink holes forming around. This man may have somehow gained a large percentage of her charka, but she still possessed enough to summon a wave a sand to drown an entire village in her anger.

Naruto, however, just rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Please, your 'power' means nothing to me. No, I seek something else." He finished, the tone in his voice making her unconsciously tense.

Hunger

The feeling practically rolled off him like a skunk. His glowing eyes pierced her like arrows through the soul. Why was she feeling like she was standing in front a predator? She was the fucking Ichibi! A Biju! In what plain of Limbo would cause her to feel even a spark of fear?! Especially from a stinking human!

"And what is it that you want?" She asked, gritting through her teeth.

Naruto's blank mask broke, as a wide savage grin spread through his face. The glow in his eyes growing brighter. A dark, devilish chuckle sounded out, somehow echoing through the wide open space. "It's quite easy to figure out, my dear raccoon. Sure, your power is quite impressive...for a false demon. But power is merely a dagger compared to the real price. Anyone could be able of gaining power, but it's merely common to those who do not know where true strength lies. No...What I seek is much more valuable to me than any of your 'Biju Charka' could offer."

Against herself, Asami raised a brow in curiosity. If this human didn't want her chakra...then what did he want. "Oh? And what's that?"

Licking his lips savagely, the hunger in his eyes glowing brighter, Naruto spoke. "Your soul." In a heavy burst, he vanished, sand blasting into the air as a wide sand crater exploded in his spot.

Eyes widening, it was only through centuries of experience, and instinct, that moved Asami to jump back, just in time as a large eruption of sand bursted from her spot.

Narrowing her eyes, she gazed at the sand cloud, her muscles tensed. From the brown cloud, glowing yellow eyes pierced through, staring at her lick a hidden wolf in the darkness. When the cloud vanished, Naruto was seen kneeled in a wide crater. His grin wide and toothy. Mimicking the sharp look on his mask's own teeth.

Glaring at him, Asami summoned a gush of sand, sending it at Naruto in blinking speed. However, Naruto used Sonido once more to dodge it and appear behind Asami. Leg shooting up, he kicked her hard, sending her flying, cutting a thick line through the soft ground. As she sat up with a growl, Naruto shot up into the air, dodging tendrils of thick sand before they could grab him.

Floating in the air, he held his hand down at her. Around him, spheres of light appeared, the size of baseballs, giving off a dark blue light. The spheres each gave off an ominous hum, pulsing like heartbeats.

"Infierno Lluvia." (Hell Rain)

The Shukaku's eyes widened to the limit, as with the soft command, the ground around Asami darkened in shadow as thousands of energy bullets shot out from the spheres, shooting down at her in blazing speed. Thinking quickly, Asami summoned up a sphere of sand around her, hardening the sand to be as hard as concrete. She took it a step further and sunk the sphere and herself into the ground, hardening the sand as well for more protecting.

The desert mindscape shook and quaked as the rain struck down like a sphere from Heaven. Blasts and explosions echoed all around. The sky seemed to darken, as the light from the blasts overtook the fake sun.

Naruto waited patiently in the air, waiting for the blasts to calm. He was not a fool. It would be too easy if he just beat the Ichibi. While the Biju were not as powerful as Demon Lords, or even Major Demons, from Hell, they were not to be underestimated. Even if the raccoon was weakened, as he did take her energy, she was anything but a weakling.

However, he had already spent too much time here already. He needed to cut this short. Sure he would like to test his power against a Biju, given the tales she told him about the beasts. However, time was precious, even for a being as old as him. He had plans to make, people to kill, souls to eat, all that jazz.

"Already I grow bored of this waltz."

Naruto chuckled quietly as he kept his gaze down on the sand bellow awaiting for the Shukaku's move. 'Calm yourself, my dear. The fun is just getting started.'

"Hmmm."

Feeling a change in the wind, Naruto narrowed his eyes. He watched as the ground shook, the sand shifting and rippling. Soon, the spot in which Asami was hiding in began to rise. The rising pillar rose high and wide, sand flowing over and off, revealing something that made the redheaded Hollow smirk.

Standing at a full high of over 20 stories, body made completely of brown, hard sand with black markings, stood Asami the Ichibi Shukaku in her full Biju Form.

Naruto licked his lips in excitement, clenching his hand, bones popping. "Finally, a real challenge."

With a roar, Asami shook the landscape. This man wanted to see her power? So bit it!

The battle between Hollow and Biju was about to begin!

---

End of Chapter 3

Yes, I know that the Invasion Arc is being dragged on, but its building up the plot. Trust me, things will get interesting.

I've got to say, it's good to be back to writing stories again. Though given how busy I am, with school and everything, it's quite taxing.

BUT WHAT EVER!

Also, an Author Announcement. Over the time I've been gone, I've been making a list of stories ideas I might want to do. So I've decide to make a "Story story", in which each chapter will have the first part of the stories in my list.

You guys read them, and then vote on which ones you want to see uploaded in 2016, along with the current ones.

I know that I'm giving myself too much work, but I want to make up for being away for so long. THAT, and I need something to do. AND it'll clear my head.

Hopefully, I'll have it up by sometime next month.

2016 baby! The fun's just getting started!

Ja ne!

---

Next Story to be uploaded: A pirate's life for me! (I know I said it was going to be "Rise of the Digimon King", but I already have 15% done.)

Followed by: Rise of the Digimon King (I promise)

WARNING: My stories have no specific theme, meaning that I might bash someone in one story, yet make them a cool character in other. I write whatever comes to my mind.

THAT'S HOW I ROLL!