Awakening Chapter 7
Flashback
It was very difficult for one like him to enter into Seireitei without anyone to put in a good word for him. The nobles were fairly kept safe within those walls and the Shinigami protected them. He wanted to get into the place easily, in a way that anyone would know that he was from the streets of Rungoki, but if he just appeared from nowhere, it would raise too many questions that he did not want to answer. It was not that he could not silent his questioners or cover his tracks well. But doing things in a way he wanted would be long suited for the long run. He was not going to be alive for a few years; he had long years to live. If he started things with a concrete foundation, it would ensure that everything he builds falls down when the pressure got too much.
'Are you sure you are not just being paranoid?'
'Paranoid?'
'Yes, you think way too much of these things. You can always make one forget about things, or just erase their memories or even plant false memories to cover your tracks.'
'The plan I have has to unfold little by little and it will take many years to enact. There are many who have seen me in the Rungoki. If I just appeared in Seireitei, one who was curious would surely investigate. And given my current state, I am not yet powerful enough to silence all the threats. You must also remember that we will be alive for many years, if things are done without proper planning, they will be discovered over the years.'
'I understand your reasoning, but this plan of yours will take a long time. And the first stage has to be set first for the plan to unfold. For the first stage and the area where the scene will be played at is also not under your control. It will depend on factors from Seireitei.'
'I am willing to wait, no matter how long. But you are mistaken, I may not truly control everything, but I can manipulate things into working to my favor.'
'How will you do that?'
'Shinigami play around the Rungoki regularly. You know this; there are many of them that are corrupt and the good ones. But I don't really care if they are evil or good, if I can involve them in my play, then things will work out perfectly we...' Naruto trailed off when he sensed something. 'Ah, it seems we have a visitor.'
He got no response though.
There was someone coming towards him - he was sitting on top of a cliff with Amaterasu close beside him. He only narrowed his eyes towards the person once before closing his eyes. ''What can I do for you, woman?''
''Ora, what a disrespectful child,'' the woman seemed amused by his tone.
''Child?'' he did seem to look younger than the woman. ''I guess you are right, I am a child. But I did not think that a woman such as yourself would care about such things, given your reputation.''
''You know of me...'' the woman replied with a slick grin, but Naruto did not notice it since he was not looking at her. ''You may appear to be a child, but the feeling you give is not that of a child, but a strong man. I have also heard some rumors about you.''
''...and you decided to investigate, interesting. You are...'' his eyes snapped open when he felt the woman lunge towards him. He quickly grabbed Amaterasu and held her in front of him, parrying a swing by the woman. The clash of the swords created some electrifying sound around the arrear. The power behind the woman's strike was enough to push the young Naruto away. But he quickly got his balance. ''This should be fun,'' he stated in a blank tone. 'But given the power I have only managed to awaken, it may not end well for me.'
''My thoughts exactly,'' the woman responded widening her grin in a really sick way.
End of flashback
Naruto was sitting inside squad five barracks in his office. He was alone reading a book in some quietness. There was nothing he could do really. He did not bother to do such things as paperwork. Such a task was mundane and was not worth his time. He always handed it to his lieutenant to do it.
She had some emotional staff that she had to deal with but he since he did not want to deal with it, he forcibly made her accept what her former captain had done and that he was a traitor. The process had involved putting the girl through a torture session that almost broke her mind. But Unohana was there to pick up the pieces, so his plan to get her back to work worked perfectly.
''Uchiha taicho,'' Hinamori called as she entered the office holding a stack of papers. Naruto did not really take his eyes off his book, he continued reading like he had not noticed her, but Momo knew that he had heard her.
''Are there anymore trivial activities to be done,'' Naruto questioned flipping a page on his book. There were a few things that he did in here, it was mostly to get everyone inline and ensure that Momo's orders were being followed since she basically ran the division.
Momo smiled at her captain's words, ''You should not really call them trivial activities taicho,'' the girl stated. She knew that he was not going to change, but that did not stop her from saying it.
''I will call it as it is,'' he normally gave this kind of response, and most of the time he spoke while reading his book.
Momo sighed, ''No there are no more activities to do. I just have to attend the lieutenants meeting and the Shinigami women's association.''
This time, Naruto looked up at Hinamori with a blank expression on his face. He was just showing her that he was not interested in hearing what she had just said. ''Oh sorry, forgot you told me not to bother you with such things. But anyway, the Nobles have requested your presence at a bouquet to be held at the Kuchiki compound in four nights. All the nobles and captains will be there. The nobles have stressed that you come because they have some business with you.''
''I have no business with them. And social gatherings are not my thing. Though it would do to banish the boredom. But I will not be going,'' Naruto responded as he turned back to his book.
''Come on taicho; I can confirm that Unohana taicho, Ukitake, and Kyoraku taicho will also be present. I highly doubt that the Sotaicho will be present, he never attends these kinds of meetings,'' Hinamori explained trying to convince her captain to go to the bouquet. It was really important for captains to go, especially when the nobles had specifically invited you. No one had refused an invite from the nobles. They had some say in the matters of soul society. Refusing their request would only make them dislike you, but then again, her captain would not care about that.
Even though Unohana would be there, he was not going. It was obvious that Shutara was also going to be present at the gathering. She was a woman and would not miss such an event. But the fact that she was going there did not mean that he too was going to go there. - The woman could go by herself. ''It sounds interesting, but no.''
''Well, I tried convincing you to...'' Hinamori trailed off when the doors to the office opened. Ukitake and Shunsui entered looking lively as always. Hinamori quickly excused herself from the presence of the three captains and went her merry way.
Shunsui was holding two bottles of sake and two saucers, while Ukitake also held two bottles and a single saucer. They probably knew that he did not have such things inside his office. ''What a surprise,'' he was certainly not surprised to see them.
''Ah, you can still be sarcastic,'' Shunsui noted smiling. ''Well, anyway, we decided to come here since it is apparent that you won't go to either of our barracks.''
Naruto closed his book and placed it on his desk. He stood up and walked towards another room next to his office. The two captains followed him silently and the sat down around a small table. ''This feels rather nostalgic,'' the blond stated as Shunsui poured the cups with sake.
''We have not done something like this in a long time. Since you left the academy, we never really got together,'' Ukitake said as he took his cup and sipped some alcohol.
''We did hang out though, it was just never fun since nothing ever seemed to interest you,'' Shunsui added as he too took a sip from his cup.
''Is that so,'' Naruto said not seeming uninterested or interested in the subject, he was just neutral. He stared at his cup for a few moments. He has not drank sake in a very long time. His tongue must have probably lost its taste. Sighing, he took a cup and gulped everything in it in one go before pouring himself another round. He did with it as he did the first round.
''If you continue to drink like that, we will be out of sake in the next minutes,'' Shunsui commented on the way Naruto drank. He always drank like that. It was like an impossible task to get the blond drunk. In all truth, no matter how many drinks the blond had, he had never seen him drunk. It was a mystery to him how the blond could tolerate alcohol in his system. What pissed him off was the fact that the blond never gave out his secret.
Naruto merely shrugged.
''I never thought we would once again sit like this and share a drink,'' Ukitake stated smiling.
''Ukitake, you are still the same as you were back then. I would have thought that you would have at least changed a bit. Look at you now, your body is frail - you are sick. You can't even fight at your full strength because of it.'' It was not the first time he stated those words. It just disturbed him, which is why he always said it.
''Ah, you are still honest as always,'' Ukitake always gave the same response. ''But my sickness is not something I can control. Things that we don't expect to happen always happen. It is not like you can control everything.''
''It is possible to be in charge of everything,'' that was not so correct. Things he did not expect often happened. But he always took charge after that. ''But you two unlike Yamamoto never did like 'playing', so I guess you now have a good excuse why you can't fight. I still don't understand your lack of desire to fight.''
''A good fight is not that bad, but a fight does not always solve everything. And I dislike fighting because it involves blood being shed and needless death's being caused.''
''If it was not that you are a good person, I would have killed already for your attitude,'' Naruto stated bluntly. He then turned to Shunsui. ''...and you; you would rather lie down and have sake rather than fight. With all your powers, you still refuse to use it,'' he paused for a moment. ''Your unwillingness to draw out your swords annoys me.''
''How so like you Naruto; to call one a good person and an annoying person at the same time,'' Shunsui commented as he smiled. He watched Naruto pour himself another drink before taking a sip. He seemed to dislike drinking via the small cup because after the sip, he downed everything and crushed the cup.
''Can't Retsu heal you? She is the best healer in Soul Society,'' he had never spoken to her about it since it was not important. But she had informed him that Ukitake was sick.
''No,'' Ukitake responded shaking his head to emphasize his answer.
''I never thought that you would speak like this,'' Shunsui commented. He had thought that the blond would be about business and nothing more. He had been like that after he became captain - small talk was not something he did.
''It is not like I can kick you out of here,'' Naruto responded calmly before pausing for a moment. He then corrected himself, ''No, I can kick you out, but it would be annoying since I know that you will return again. And I can only talk like this since it is you guys. You can hardly pick up any serious conversation. No wonder I find no interest in your presence,'' yap, he said it.
''I don't know about you, Ukitake, but I am hurt by those words,'' Shunsui stated jokingly. He did not mind the words Naruto had said. He felt no insult in them.
''What brings you here. I doubt you would have come here just to share this sweet drink with me,'' Naruto said, somehow managing to look straight at the two simultaneously.
''We came here to check on you,'' Shunsui responded earning a blank look from Naruto.
Ukitake sighed, knowing that Shunsui was only messing with Naruto just to see his reaction. ''We came to talk about your sealing, unsealing; Aizen and his plans; your visits to the human world.''
''Speak, I am listening,'' Naruto responded looking a little interested in what the two captains had to say to him. They never got the chance to talk since he was always busy in the past months because of his condition. He hated weakness, and since during those past months he was in weakness, he avoided meeting captains. The younger generation would never suspect anything wrong with him. Their little heads would be busy thinking about his reputation to think of doing anything.
Later
Shunsui and Ukitake were smart. They had already discovered what Aizen was planning to do without anyone to help them. He could give them a smile since Aizen is said to be quite crafty for a child. The man had fooled the entire Gotei 13 for all his time as part of the Shinigami organisation. He did not give them anything about his sealing. He only told them about his battle with the Royal Guard. They had no witnessed the battle since they had been told to leave his dimension. He would never tell them anything worthwhile. If he did, he would have to kill them, no, that would be drastic. He would only put them out of commission until he had reclaimed his glory. He was not always going to be in Soul Society, their power would be needed for stability since he would leave this place once he reclaims his glory.
Their experience with Aizen was nothing more than Hinamori had informed him about. He had gotten all he could about the man from the girl. Over the past months, he never gave Aizen much thought because if his dire situation. His survival was far more important than what a rogue captain was planning. He only put far more focus on planning his 'rebirth'. Still, he had thought that after losing his evolution, he would have to fix up himself, but now he can't because there is nothing to fix. ''He'' had the audacity to force himself into picture to change things. But it did not matter anyway. It worked well for him. If Shi had not intervened, he would have had to contend with being weak and trying to fix his body and soul. But now he had nothing to worry about. He was just waiting for everything to merge fully and his body to adjust completely.
He still had told Yamamoto that he would visit Hueco Mundo, it was best that he did so soon.
He understood why he reversed to this younger body. A younger body would be good to go through the process his body was going through. But if he could be asleep for some time, he could recover quickly. But that was out of the question. Given that this younger body is only for his soul to fully merge and adjust to his body, he would consequently revert again to his fully matured body. He liked this younger body though. But if he reclaimed all his glory, he could control the process and keep this younger version of himself. It would not be good for a god to age and look ''old''.
It was amusing; his previous form was his aged look. He could never go past that because of his immortality. His immortality was a very big part of his being just as his eyes were.
''It is rare to find you sitting in your office,'' Unohana stated as she walked into the office. She had thought she would find him underground in the lab - he spent much time there instead of his office - It was a good place for privacy.
''There is little that is interesting here. I wonder how you can keep smiling like that all day given all the nonsense you have to deal with,'' Naruto responded standing up. By nonsense, he meant some of the duties of a captain, like doing paperwork. He walked over to the couch and sat down inviting Retsu to do the same. The woman then walked up to him and sat down beside him.
''I take my responsibilities seriously and don't see all my duties as trivial. That is why I can still smile at the end of the day,'' Unohana responded looking straight at Naruto. ''You are a very bad host. You can't even prepare tea for your guest. Must I always make myself tea when I come here?''
''If that is your attempt for a joke, it is not amusing,'' Naruto responded to Retsu in a calm and relaxed tone.
''No, I am being serious, Uchiha taicho.''
Naruto was silent for a few moments before speaking again, ''Since this day seems to be a day for trivial talk, let me speak then, what happened to you?''
''Hmm?''
''Where is that smile you used to wear each time we crossed blades? I liked it.''
''It took you more than three months for you to finally say that,'' Unohana responded seemingly amazed by these feet. Of course, Naruto did not respond to the comment. He merely waited for her to respond to his question. ''You will see it should you choose to cross blades with me.''
''Hmm, our old stage has been destroyed. And we cannot have fun so close to children. I dislike it when children watch me have fun,'' Naruto responded looking thoughtful.
''Destroyed? Last time I checked, I had made sure it was not destroyed,'' Unohana responded with a raised brow. She had restored the place after Naruto had been sealed. Their stage was their own little private ground that they used only for fun. It was out of Seireitei and away from civilization.
''I destroyed it beyond repair when I was unsealed - I was using it to see if I could still dance well.''
Before Unohana could respond, Shutara came in and spoke. ''Another place that has been kept a secret from me,'' she stated as she walked over and sat between Naruto and Retsu.
''Your whining is starting to get on my nerves,'' Naruto stated bluntly looking straight at Shutara. His tone was a little bit icy. But the mood did not change around the room as Unohana still maintained her smile and helped by the next words Naruto spoke. ''Have you finished everything?''
Shutara nodded knowing that she was not going to get anything.
''Perhaps we should take her to another location when we go for our next play. I have not had one in a long time. It would be a bit disappointing to share though. But given that it is you, I am sure you can handle us both,'' Unohana suggested smiling.
''Two on one? Normally that would not be a problem, but are you trying to discover my weaknesses, Retsu?''
''That is if you have any weaknesses.''
''He has them given his current form,'' Shutara spoke before Naruto could respond. Her tone seemed sure that Naruto had some weaknesses in his current state. ''And I would not mind teaming up with you to discover them.''
The following day
''Welcome to my world of Tsukuyomi,'' Naruto said walking towards a standing still Unohana. The scene changed from one that was merely illuminating the red moon that was like Naruto's eyes. He then stood beside her, looking around. ''This world is little bloody, but that should not be a problem for you. However, it would get you quite excited and not focus on what I have to tell you.'' the world then changed into that of Sereitei, but it looked like it was thousand of years ago. The scene then changed again, and this was like Hueco Mundo. But there were statues of Naruto wearing an armor and another man beside him, he too was wearing an armor like the blond. Despite being statues, they looked alike. At the same place despite the lack of trees and everything, there was a water fall between the two statues. It was just like the valley of end, without the surrounding trees and all forms of life forms.
''What is this place?'' Unohana asked curiously. She had never seen anything like it. She thought that the world was real. But was curious as to how the could be water in such a dry place. The water also seemed to come from nowhere and ended nowhere. It was all in all a curious place.
Naruto snapped his fingers and shelves with books appeared. He picked up a black book with the tittle, The Sage. ''This is my world. But you would not actually believe it if I told you that this place exists in Hueco Mundo.''
''I do find it hard to believe that such a world could exist. How can there be a water stream in that place? And what of the statues?''
''Follow me,'' Naruto stated as he opened the first page of the book and began to walk towards the water fall. He walked past the stream of water that was flowing down and entered another place. It was a huge compound and it seemed old, but nothing was broken. It was also empty, there was no sound coming from inside. Naruto still at the entrance, he did not go in. ''This is my house, it also exists in Hueco Mundo, behind the waterfall. As you can see, it is quite old. I myself have not been there in over 1000 years. To answer your questions; the water does exist, it comes from a ''well'' that I created. For the statues, it is I and my grandfather. We lived here for years together.''
That was more than what Unohana had expected to hear. ''You have a house in Hueco Mundo and a statue of yourself. You also had a grandfather?''
''Yes, but the house is in parts of Hueco Mundo that no one can enter. Well, you can say that it is not inside Hueco Mundo. However, it is connected the world, you can only enter from there. The entrance is deep beneath a place they call the home of the 'God of Hueco Mundo'. Anybody who got close to the place was killed. But that was just a long time ago. But the killings went on for years before it became just a rumor. But still no hollow dared to enter the home of the 'God of Hueco Mundo'. A large forest the reeks of death surrounds this place. The last time I went there, I had placed a barrier that ensured that no Hollow could enter. And also placed the strongest Vasto Lorde I found during that time to stand guard.''
Unohana was silent for a few moments as she absorbed all this in. ''So you lived in Hueco Mundo for a period of time. But you still have not answered my other question.''
''You are taking this rather well. Well, I did expect you to be this way,'' Naruto said still looking at the compound in front of him.
''It is hard to believe that you lived in Hueco Mundo for a period of time. But given that it is coming from you, I have to believe it and I expect anything from you. However, I have to say, I never expected such a revelation,'' Unohana responded calmly, some slight surprise was clear from her tone. Never had she thought he would have lived at Hueco Mundo. She had thought that he had been in Soul Society before she met him. He also had been very young when she met him. He acted a lot mature for a young one though. Even when he became friends with Shunsui and Ukitake and started acting like the former, she was the only one who knew his true self. And yet, he had kept something like this.
''You must have questions about this. But I asure you that there is nothing false, I have lived here. I guess this can explain to you why I could use hollow techiniques better than some hollows when we used to have fun.''
''I don't doubt your words. I am still amazed that you kept those powers a secret from everyone for more than a 1000 years,'' Unohana stated with a small smile. Only she knew he could use hollow techniqes before it was discovered by Yamamoto when they battled. The blond was indeed capable of hiding things and blending well with the crowd. He managed to blend well when Yamamoto recruited him to the Shinigami academy. All that time, no one was able to know that it was not his nature, but just a play for him. Ukitaki and Shunsui still believe that he changed because he had grown powerful. What they don't know was that the blond had always been powerful and with the same attitude he has now. They had just been too blind to see it. Well, they could not be blamed.
''It was necessesary at that time because I was still making preparations and I had yet to become fully strong. If I had releaved the ability at that time, Central 46 would have called for my execution - not that they would have succeeded,'' Naruto stated smoothly. He could have left anytime he wanted to without them being able to touch him. But at that time, he needed Soul Society for all his preparations.
Unohana nodded. ''They certainly would have tried to kill you.'' She paused for a moment trying to get back to the main subject. ''You say you have not seen this house in more than 1000 years, do you think it still exisits? More powerful hollows have come into existence during that time, they could have found this place and do with it what they pleased.''
''I told you that I made a barrier around the forest. And only I can pass through the gate into this place. The forest is also filled with Gilliants. No hollow can get through the barrier. As long as the barrier stands, no hollow can pass through it without ceasing to exist - what is inside cannot go out and what is outside cannot get inside.'' Naruto explained. The barrier was like an anti-hollow barrier. It kept them all out from the forest. And there was a vasto lorde slept inside the deep inside the forest. It was like a watchdog. It was also very strong, the younger captains could not kill it. It would tear them apart.
''There has to be something that sustains a barrier like that,'' Unohana noted. There had to be something that was supplying it with power to keep the barrier active. Without something powering it, the barrier would surely fall apart.
''The water, even though it is somewhat on another dimension; it is not just normal water. You can say that it is alive as it has its own will. The water itself is filled with spirit particles that are very dangerous. If anyone the water dislikes drinks of the water, that person will die. The water is like a source of life, it can give life to anything at the same time it can also take life. Everything you saw before and see now exists because of the well. Without it, everything would cease to exist. Nevertheless, it cannot be destroyed and very if becomes corrupt, it can become very dangerous.''
''How dangerous?'' Unohana questioned in a tone filled with curiosity.
''I told you, it has its own will. It can also give life, that means that if every hollow had access to it, there would be no death since if a fragment of a dead hollow were to be thrown into the water, that Hollow would be revived. And if the well likes you, you can get a power boost,'' Naruto stated. This was the first thing he created with the use of his other eyes. He called it, the fountain of life. The place itself was called Eden.
''So is this a creation that made you believe you could be God?'' Unohana questioned smiling at the blond.
''No,'' Naruto responded calmly. He already knew he could be god even before the waterfall was created. He already knew that he was special long before that. The waterfall did nothing but to confirm his majesty.
''So that is why it is protected. But still, it is hard to believe that something of that nature could exist. Even the thought of you creating that thing makes it a bit unbelievable. However, you did say you had control over life and death,'' Retsu paused for a moment she tried not to be overwhelmed by all that the blond had told her. ''I assume that no one has seen it that is why I have never heard of it.''
''I told you, only I can enter this place. Nobody else knows of its existence and I never left any record of it. The gate cannot towards Eden cannot allow anyone other than I to pass. But given the Well's behavior, it can allow anyone it choses to enter.'' Naruto explained briefly. It would have been foolish for him to leave something like that unguarded. He had made good to hide its existence. If hollows knew of it, they would have died trying to get past the gate.
''I understand that. But what if a Shinigami were to find it? You said that a Hollow could not pass through the barrier not a Shinigami, If our kind were to find it, would not they have discovered something? Aren't there some records inside the compound?''
''A Shinigami can pass through the barrier. If the Well permits him/her to see the gate, he can enter. But to do that, he would have to pass through my watchdog. Even if he does get past through my watchdog, there is nothing useful to find in there. All records and information stored can only be read by my eyes. What one would be able to discover is that I used to live in there.'' Naruto responded not even looking alarmed by the fact that a Shinigami could get into his house. He had taken every measure to ensure that everything about his history was kept hidden from each eye, except his.
''So you are not afraid of anyone discovering the well. Well you know how to keep things hidden and cover your tracks. You have left nothing about yourself in Soul Society, aside from the little detail in your house. No wonder you were gone for almost a 1000 years and no one aside from a few were able to know that you even existed,'' Unohana stated calmly. The blond was good at keeping things hidden. He was a like a snake in this regard. He could waltz over Soul Society in a sunny day and no one would be able to know that he had been there. This ability made her respect him - not that she did not respect him at all.
''Being able to keep things hidden from other eyes is fundamental for the success of my plans. If everybody could get their hands on every detail about me, things would prove to be a little difficult for me to move around, but not impossible.''
''For how long did you live in Hueco Mundo?''
''About 400 years,'' Naruto responded as he began to move forward into the entrance of the compound. He opened the gates before walking towards the biggest house within the compound. Unohana was walking right behind him. He did not enter into the house, he jumped onto the roof and sat down along with Unohana.
''400 years? But when I met you in Soul Society you were just over 120 years. You could not have been that old,'' Unohana said in surprise. True when she met him, he was but a child. She could not mistake that day and his figure. But even with the small figure, his brain was that of someone mature and he fought like veteran.
''I will explain that later. Do you have any questions?''
''God of Hueco Mundo; it seems ancient. I heard of it when I was still young. I still believe that it is a myth since no one has been able to see this God. But some Hollows years ago used to believe that he existed and he would one day avenge all the hollows that we killed. But at that time, it seemed to be nothing since no one has seen it. Yamamoto had some information about it and seemed to believe that it existed. But he himself had never been able to see it. So at this time, we have all been led to believe that it was all but a rumor that hollows started to try to scare us,'' Retsu explained looking straight at the blond beside her.
''The God of Hueco Mundo is not a myth, it actually does exists. And you must have heard that it devours everything that goes close to its humble abode. The title God given because of its monstrous power that was able to shake the whole of Hueco Mundo and make its atmosphere unstable,'' Naruto said smiling a little. Such things many would not believe, but Retsu knew him better to know that he did not like or have the time to make up stories. These things were called legend or myth because none have been able to see this God, not even the hollows.
''Was this God your grandfather? And when you are at it, why were you living in Hueco Mundo? Were you a hollow along with your grandfather - but I would not imagine so since such thing as families does not exist in Hueco Mundo.'' Unohana shook her head. ''This story of God of Hueco Mundo existed before I was even born.''
''No, my grandfather and I were neither hollow or Shinigami. We were a new breed of beings. My grandfather was like me in almost everything, we had the same eyes, but possessed different abilities, and I was stronger than him. '' He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. ''My grandfather was the God of Hueco Mundo for a few years, but I replaced him after I had awakened all my powers.''
Unohana caught on something, but did not voice her thoughts. ''When I met you, you were young did not have enough power to be called the God of Hueco Mundo,'' Unohana questioned. He was strong when she met him, far stronger than she had thought he would be and far stronger than he made himself appear in front of other Shinigami.
''As you must have already guessed my grandfather is dead. I killed him during our last battle. The battle was very fun, and I we enjoyed it too much my grandfather said we ought to fight a fight of death, the winner would claim the title of God of Hueco Mundo. So I battled with him and won. The difference between him and I was I was God of the Spirit world, he was just God of Hueco Mundo. But since he was dead, I had no one I would fight with, everyone else was pathetic. So, I sealed my power and decided to leave Hueco Mundo,'' Naruto said calmly.
''You have no regrets in killing your grandfather,'' she shook her head at the thought. ''So you sealed your power because no one could challenge you. You brought yourself down so you can be given a challenge.''
Naruto nodded. But what he was not telling Unohana was that the time he came into Soul Society, she had yet to be born. There was a "thousand gap" between the time he went to Soul society after leaving Hueco Mundo and the time Unohana met up with him. The fact that his grandfather had been the god of Hueco Mundo made it appear that he had been born later on. But that was not the truth, Unohana just did not need to know all of that; it was too early to tell her that. She would be told, but now was not the right time.
''This puts you over 3000 years,'' Unohana said looking around the compound. She could tell that they were inside a confined area behind the waterfall. Looking up at the sky, she could see stars and the moon. They all looked far away but yet they were near. The compound was surrounded by some sort of wall that prohibited one from seeing beyond. She assumed that there was nothing beyond the wall.
''Age does not really matter to me. And you forget, I have not lived all those years since I was sealed for almost a 1000 years,'' Naruto stated with a small shrug. That was indeed true; this put him back to having ''lived'' for around 2000 years. Even though he was alive during the years of his sealing, he did not actually ''live'' those years.
''You became the God of Hueco Mundo after killing your grandfather. You surprise me, not that you killed our own grandfather, but that you had family. Given your nature and the fact that you are neither Hollow nor Shinigami, I had assumed that you might have been some spirit that was born from nothing.''
Naruto ignored the comment. ''You asked me why I appeared young when you met me, it is because when "I" sealed my power, my body reverted to a younger look,'' he explained an earlier question Unohana had asked him. That was partly true. He just put it in a way she would believe without putting gaps.
Unohana nodded silently. This was big; she had never thought that Naruto's background would have been like this. She never asked about it before and he never said anything about it. They just lived their lives without asking too much unless the subject was put into discussion. However, even though she did not know much about Naruto's past, he knew everything about her. He knew what ticked her off, what got her excited. It was very hard to keep everything about her from him. Still, even if she would have liked to keep secrets, she would never have gone far. It was impossible to lie to him. She knew that and had a way of dealing with it. There are subjects she refused to talk about.
''Aizen,'' Unohana said as something clicked within her head. ''He is in Hueco Mundo now and is working with the hollows. He could have travelled everywhere and a man such as him would not think twice about coming into this place if he hears so much as a whisper about it. Given how curious and cunning he is, I believe he would find something useful if he were to discover the place,'' she stated keeping her tone calm. She was not worried that he would inform them to expose Naruto should he find something useful. The man was not like that. She was worried about what he would do if he could find ways to activate the power of the well. He could use it against Soul Society. She did not even want to think of the results should he find ways to activate it.
Naruto seemed to think of it for a few seconds before replying. ''I doubt he would find anything useful. But if he does, it would be troublesome. Still, there is 0.1% percent chance that he can decipherer anything within the compound given all the measures I took to protect the information that is there, let alone get into the place,'' he stated not even sounding the slightest worried about it. There were odds that did not favor anyone but him. What Aizen could find was that he had lived there. But there would be no time reference since everything inside the barrier was refreshed to look new despite being of an old model.
''You are that confident,'' Unohana said before she sighed. Even if there was a possibility that Aizen could find something, she knew he would not have panicked or suggests they go check out the place right away. ''If Soul Society got hold of this information, they would probably call for you execution. After that, it would be war with hollows so that they can have control of the well.'' Central 46 liked being in control over everything. If there was something that could empower the hollows, they would not waste time to destroy that thing. But given the usefulness of the well, they could simply decide to take it for themselves.
''They would do something like that,'' Naruto agreed shortly. He had no single doubt that those foolish weaklings of central 46 would attempt to gain control of the well if they knew of its existence. He would certainly not allow them to do something like that. The hollows themselves would not sit back and watch the mortal enemies take something from them. ''Perhaps I should take you there one day,'' he said looking back at Unohana.
''The hollows would certainly not accept our visit,'' Unohana stated. Shinigami and hollows did not like each other. They hated one another to the core. ''Why have you shown me this?''
''There will be a time where I will not be available - A time where I will be beyond reach. It shall come a time when Soul Society will brand you a traitor and wish to exterminate you. But you will not allow yourself to be killed; you will come to this place along with Shutara without fighting anyone. This place will be your hideout until I return,'' it was like he was prophesying. If things go as he planned, it was indeed going to happen as he had said. Retsu would be branded a traitor along with Shutara when the time comes. And during that time he won't be there to protect them. He will be away, out of reach. No one will know where he is, no one will be able to locate him.
''I knew a day like that would come,'' she was not surprised that because of her involvement with Naruto, she would be called a traitor to the Soul Society. Well, she is prepared for anything. She would happily give up her life if the choice was to fight to survive. But it seems that Naruto had made all preparations. ''Where will you be and what will you be doing?''
Naruto merely smiled. ''I cannot tell you where, but I will be making final preparations.''
''What exactly are you planning, Naruto?''
Naruto snapped his fingers and they disappeared. They were back in Naruto's lab under squad five barracks. ''It is nothing you should worry about, Yachiru. I don't plan to destroy Soul Society at all. Like the previous time, I will bow out without killing anyone.''
Flashback
Takemi looked at the beautiful woman before him - they were standing within her throne room in the palace they called their home. He did not know what to do. He could never lay his finger on her, he could never even think of harming her, yet she had done something to him. Her reasons did not matter to him, and even if he could not understand her reasons, he still could not lay his finger on her. He could feel that something had been done to him ever since he woke up from his routine slumber.
Yet when he came here, he could not escape her, when her binds stretched forward to bind him. He could have just blasted them away, but it was her, he could not do it.
''What have you done to me?'' He questioned, keeping his tone low and calm despite the alien feelings he felt inside his heart. ''What have you done to me?'' he repeated the same once question again, looking straight at her.
She smiled at him, it was a sad smile he knew too well, and she was trying to hide some guilt. ''I am sorry Takemi.'' She said simply, bowing her head a little.
He could swear that the woman before him was crying. But he could not move, nor see her face clearly. ''What have you done to me?'' For the third time he repeated the same question.
She stood up from her throne, looking a bit shaken. Despite her young looks, she was really old. When she walked closer to him - he could clearly see that she had been crying, why he could not figure out. She then put on a brave face and spoke. ''You know very well that aside from your feelings of me, there is nothing inside of you.''
''I have talked to you about this - I have been fine just the way I am. And feeling something is already a weakness. My feelings for you are enough to cover every other feeling. As long as I know love, I have no need for any other feelings,'' Takemi responded calmly, looking straight at her eyes.
Her sad smiled widened a bit. ''I am sorry. I truly am sorry. Because of what you feel for me, you will experience betrayal. Perhaps I should have never met you to begin with. If I did not meet you, I would not be forced to betray you. But this is something that must be done regardless of my feelings for you.''
He suddenly had a sick feeling in his gut and for the first time in like forever, he felt something akin to fear. He knew that she was very capable, but her power did not frighten him, there was no one who was stronger than him, yes, and he was God in all worlds. But she was a different story. ''What have you done?''
''Before we fell in love, you had no heart, you were just hollow, there was nothing good inside of you - you were just a being of ridiculous power that was certainly not good. You were dark, Takemi. And despite being total opposites, I gave you a heart, and you loved me with it. Over the past 150 years, I have been trying to change you, but I have failed - it is impossible to change you.
I wanted your power to be used for good, which was why I wanted to change you. My time to die will come soon, but you will remain. You cannot die, you have stopped aging, you are immortal. I asked myself, what would happen if I died? I am the only thing that keeps you grounded, but without me, you will start using your power - I fear that.
I know for certain that if I die you will not stay around to look after my son, despite my latte's husband request. Let us be honest, you care for nothing but me, even my own son means nothing to you.''
''I still don't understand why you call that thing a child. But that is not important right now.'' He stated, still immobile because of the bids that reached down his soul. ''I have told you that you will not die. I know your time is near, but I can restore you. It is not beyond my limit to make you immortal as well, but something like that would require a sacrifice. If you do not wish to be immortal, I can always take you to Eden. Your body will be restored and your sickness will vanish.''
''Life has a beginning and an end, Takemi. You only know to live eternally, but you are still younger than I am. All your life, you have only known to end life, those around you live as long as you wish for them. But I cannot live forever. While I do admit that the idea of spending more time with you is appealing, for the good of the spirit world, I must forget my personal wishes.''
''You are starting to talk like that fool.'' He gritted his teeth slightly. ''Answer my question; what have you done to me and what is the meaning of all these that you are saying?''
Tears came out of eyes, but she wiped them off and smiled at him. ''I tried to make you good, but I failed. Over the past 150 years, I have been working on a special seal that would seal all that is dark inside of you and leave only the heart I gave you. But it was a failure. I really wanted you to live with me; I wanted you to be good so that I would not have to do this. I would have been okay with it even if you hated me for doing it, but as long as I did not have to do what I am going to do, I would have been happy.''
That feeling again, still, he did not know how to deal with it. ''What are you planning to do?''
''The seal itself was not a failure, the thing is that, even after I took away most of your darkness, you are still cold, Takemi.'' Both her hands were shaking as they made their way towards his cheeks, for a few minutes, she ran her fingers across his face, feeling every part of it. The distance between them was reduced as she moved to kiss him. After a few moments, she gave him that sad smile, again. ''I am sorry.''
''What hav...'' he trailed off when she silenced him.
''My son cannot control you. I don't think he can even if he could do it he would not. Despite how you see him, he sees you as family and cares for you more than you think. You have really done well to keep the spiritual world from collapsing with the death of my late husband. I realize that your power is something frightening. Despite the laws that bind you, you still impose yourself as God. I was lucky that you had sealed some of your powers. Otherwise, you would have foreseen this betrayal and you would have chosen a differ-'' she stopped as she started coughing violently, leaking some blood at the same time. ''My time is near,'' she paused for a moment.
''When I sealed your most darkness, I also sealed most of your powers - on my own seal, destroying yours. What I did not expect was your darkness having a consciousness of its own. It was just another replica of you, but with no heart like you were before we met. If I allowed ''him'' to leave, destruction would only follow. I was forced to bury him deep within your soul. You did not recognize it because you were slumbering, and I ensured that you did not wake up. But now that you are awake, you must have realized it already, especially since the seal has yet to fully lock.
Takemi, you cannot longer use all your power. But don't worry.
I am going to make you forget everything. I will make your forget about me, everything, you will start a new life. I will force your mind and body to revert to a child's, and then seal you. When you finally wake up, but not fully awake, you will not remember a thing about us, but you will start a new life. This heart I gave you may perhaps lead you to finding love again. There is a chance that you might remember but, your power will no longer comfort you - it will be gone. Even if you fully awaken, your power will not. If things go as I planned, you will only remember Uchiha Naruto, you will forget Uzumaki, and Takemi.
I am truly sorry about this, but it has to be done. If I do this, you will no longer cause everyone aside from ''us'' to die; perhaps you will be reborn as a good person - that is my wish. I did not fall in love with a good you, I fell in love with the real you. I do not wish to change you for me, but for the sake of the spiritual world. I love you, Takemi, and will always do.''
With those last words, unimaginable pain shot through his body, causing him to let loose of a screech that resounded around the entire dimension. While all this happened, a pair of eyes just watched silently.
Flashback End
A/N
I hope you enjoyed the little present I left for you at the end of the chapter. I will continue to reveal more of Naruto's past as the story continues. And I will reveal the name of the woman who gave Naruto a heart soon. Do not be confused about this "heart" it is nothing literal, it is just figurative. I felt the need to show this in this chapter because of the link between the scene where Naruto shows Unohana Eden and the other from the flashback.
I just hope that it was not confusing…
Yes, Naruto named dark him "Shi".
If you are confused about the fact that Naruto had to awaken his powers in Hueco Mundo, and when he met Unohana; Naruto lived In Hueco Mundo before moving to soul society - He did not live for a long time there, he was moved to another dimension, invited by the husband of the woman in the flashback. He lived there for quite some time before he was sealed – as shown the flashback. After he was sealed, he was sent to soul society. Obviously, he was sent in that sealed state and there has to be some time that passed while he was still sealed. It is safe to assume that after some time, he was set free from the seal and that is when we start counting the years of +2500 that Naruto is said to have lived.
You may also have noticed that there are some things, like "the Sage and Naruto's grandfather", as I said when the story began, the story is based on a continuation of Uchiha Naruto: the Sage. I know I said that it was not exactly a continuation to the Sage, but it does not change the fact that this Naruto is from the Sage – this is why Naruto is even called Uchiha Naruto instead of Uchiha.
As we continue, I will explain much further on how Naruto came to exist in Hueco Mundo, and why his power needed to fully awaken for he was God of Hueco Mundo. As I said in the past chapter, Naruto is very old. The Bleach universe is set at a modern time while Naruto's is… well… long ago.
Next chapter I will finally reveal Aizen…