Aljan Moonfire does not own Bleach or Naruto

"Normal Speech."

'Normal Thoughts.'

"Demonic/Godly/Summon Speech." - also used for jutsu, with translations in brackets.

'Demonic/Godly/Summon Thoughts.'

"Otherworldly Speech."

'Otherworldly Thoughts.' - italics will also be used for both temporary and full flashbacks or dreams.

.-. - POV or scene change.

Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

Namikaze Minato could only glare at the place the orange-masked man had been a mere moment ago, cursing himself for letting him get away. Then the loud roar of an angered beast and the cries of shouting shinobi broke into his thoughts. Jumping down off the Hokage Monument to land on one of the spikes that represented his own hair, he looked on with horror as the Kyuubi no Kitsune drew back its head and began to gather an immense amount of demonic chakra in its mouth.

'This is...!'

.-.

In the very midst of the fighting, Sarutobi Hiruzen collapsed to one knee, exhausted, even as the Kyuubi made to use that blasting attack again. "Ugh," He groaned as he looked up at the beast in horror. 'It's going to use that again…?'

Just as he finished the thought though, a familiar voice called out the name of an equally familiar attack. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique)

Gamabunta appeared directly above the giant fox in an enormous poof of smoke and landed right on top of the beast, pining it in place. "The Yondaime!" shouted a nearby ninja in abject relief. And indeed, Minato was perched on the giant frog's brow, a grimace etched across his face.

He hesitated for only a brief moment as that man's words ran trough his mind – "I am the ruler of this world. I have my ways." – before squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain. 'I'm so sorry…Kushina.'

His eyes then snapped open, resolve shining through in his gaze. "Hold him there for a moment, Ok!" he called down to the summon.

"Even I can't hold him here for long." The giant toad growled back as it struggled to hold fast against the Kyuubi's struggles.

"You won't have to," Minato called back. "I just need a lot of chakra to send away something this big!" Gamabunta was too distracted to do anything but grunt his agreement back.

Back down on the ground, Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock, as the blast the Kyuubi had been preparing grew visibly before his very eyes, despite Minato's efforts. Then, the fox completely disappeared in an explosion of white smoke, leaving Gamabunta and the other ninja behind to gape at the dispersing cloud.

"Minato… Where did he send the Kyuubi?" Sarutobi exclaimed.

Then an explosion echoed in the distance, a new sun appearing briefly on the horizon. "Over there…" he muttered, before dashing off towards the fading attack.

.-.

The site of the attack was completely destroyed, the building that had been there now only consisting of some scattered rubble. The Kyuubi glared down at the ruins, searching the destroyed surrounding landscape for the one that had sent it away from its original target.

Minato appeared to the side of the beast, out of its direct line of sight, panting harshly in exertion as he held his wife and son close to his chest. "I have to get a barrier up as soon as possible..!" he said softly. 'But I'm almost out of chakra!'

The red-headed woman in his arms stirred at his words, raising her head and attempting to prop herself up with trembling arms. "I…can still fight… Minato…" she panted out, the dark circles etched beneath her eyes giving lie to her words. Before the man could respond though, she gathered what chakra she had and molded it.

Chains of solid chakra erupted from her back, arching out of the fading smoke that still covered the trio to wrap around the Bijuu, securing it in place. The Kyuubi growled in recognition and anger at the familiar bindings.

The blond baby in Minato's arms began to cry, even as Kushina braced herself against the Kyuubi's struggles. "Kushina..." Minato said softly, amazed at her strength, even in her current state.

She didn't really reply, just turning her attention towards the bawling baby. "I…guess…we woke him…up." She panted. "Sorry…Naruto…"

"Kushina…" Was all Minato could say, even as she turned her attention back to him.

"I'm going…to draw the Kyuubi in…and then kill myself." She told him, eyes serious. "That way…I can put off…the Kyuubi's…resurrection." She grimaced slightly then, "It's the only way…my remaining chakra…can be of…use to you." Then she smiled, her eyes softening with love. "Thank you…for everything."

Minato's eyes widened in horror at her pronouncement, aghast at what she was suggesting. He was silent for a moment as he attempted to reclaim his voice, and then her name escaped his lips once again. "Kushina…you…you made me the Yondaime Hokage! You made me a man! You made this child's father!" he cried, a helpless feeling eating at his chest. His face was twisted with a sort of agony. "And yet…"

Kushina's eyes widened at his words, and then she smiled again. "Minato… don't look like that…" she said. "I'm…happy. You…love me…and," she turned her gaze to the still crying baby in her husband's arms, "it's his birthday today. And…most importantly…when…I think about…what…our life would be like… if I lived…I can only picture…happiness."

Minato almost flinched at that, tears gathering and then falling from his eyes, but Kushina continued, as if oblivious, "If there's…one thing that I…regret, it's that…I won't…get to see…Naruto grow up…"

Minato bowed his head over his child for moment, her words echoing in his ears, before raising his free hand to his face and speaking. "Kushina, there's no need for you to die with the Kyuubi." He said softly, strongly. "Use your remaining chakra so that you can be reunited with Naruto." He told her.

Kushina just looked up at him, confused. "Huh?"

He glared up at the Kyuubi as he responded, wiping away his tears, "I will seal your remaining chakra into Naruto with a Hakke Fuin (Eight Symbol Seal). Then I will take the Kyuubi down with me. Since I'm not a host, I can use the Shiki Fujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)."

His wife just stared at him with shock at his words. "But…with that seal you'll..!"

"There's one more thing," he interrupted her, "I can only seal half the Kyuubi's power. It's just not possible to seal it completely. It's not strategically feasible either." He then turned his attention to his wife. "If you take the Kyuubi down with you, there won't be a host until the Kyuubi is revived, and the Balance of the Bijuu will be thrown out of whack. With the Shiki Fujin, I can seal half the Kyuubi's power forever. And the other half…" he looked down at his now calm child, "I will seal within Naruto."

Kushina looked at him in horror, unable to believe what he was saying. "I know what you want to say…but Jiraiya-sensei talked about the coming revolution, and the catastrophes that will come with it! Today…I realized two things. The masked man who attacked you…he will bring some of those catastrophes down upon us." Then he returned his gaze to Naruto's small face. "And this child will be the one to stop him. As the host, he will clear the way to the future. For some reason, I just know."

Even as he said this, Sarutobi landed in the bare area created by the Kyuubi's destruction. Then as Kushina attempted to protest – "But…Minato..!" – he placed Naruto on the ground gently and began to perform the seals. Then, as he completed the last seal, he smiled. "Have faith in this child! After all, he is our son!"

He clapped his hands together in a final, abrupt movement. "Shiki Fujin!"

Behind him, the Shinigami appeared in a soundless wave of power, its appearance seen only by the one who had summoned it. That was where things took a twist, into something Minato couldn't have expected in a million years. The Shinigami, even before he could prepare everything needed, reached up and removed the ghostly tanto from its jaw. Then, shocking Minato even further, it spoke. "So, it's time then?" it asked no one in particular.

But then yet another being, one human, at least in appearance, appeared next to it. He would have even called him human, but then he spoke in reply to the Shinigami and dispersed any lingering notion of him being even remotely mortal. "Yes. Apparently it is." He said through the mask of bandages that covered his lower face. The shadows and raw power that emanated from the being only cemented that conclusion in the Hokage's mind.

"You know what to do then." The Shinigami said, ignoring the one that had summoned it for the moment.

"Yes." Then the dark being approached the baby at his feet and, as Minato looked on in shock, stretched out a hand, one also wrapped in bandages, to touch his child. Then he paused, and glanced at the shinobi looking on in bewilderment. "Don't worry. I'll be there to guide him." He said, golden eyes glinting as his long dark hair fluttered in a soft wind that seemed to only affect him.

He then finished his aborted movement, touching a finger to the baby's forehead gently. The shadows that embraced the being's form glided down his arm, drawing the child into their hold as well. The being's physical form then dispersed into the shadows and the shades sunk slowly into the child's skin. As they did so the edges of the child's irises turned a soft honey color and its hair darkened a shade as it blinked sleepily.

Minato gaped silently at Naruto for a moment before turning to the Shinigami. "What the hell was that?" he asked confused and irate. 'That wasn't what this seal is supposed to do, I know that!'

"Minato?" Kushina asked him, also confused, though for a different reason. Her husband was seemingly screaming at thin air for no apparent reason after all.

"Ah!" he looked back at her, embarrassed. "It's nothing; don't worry." 'At least I hope it's nothing…'

The Shinigami just watched on, amused again. "I believe you summoned me for a reason other than to ask me questions?" it prodded, and then continued a bit more seriously, "As he said though," he nodded at the now sleeping infant, "Don't worry. With that one's help your son will become as strong as he needs to be."

Minato nodded uneasily back, but he doesn't have the time to pry any answers from an unwilling deity. Pushing what had just happened to the back of his mind, he returned his attention to what he was going to do before. He had no choice but to follow through on his premeditated actions.

.-.

Sarutobi could only watch helplessly from outside the barrier as Minato sacrificed himself for his village and country. He couldn't quite hear what the two people inside the barrier were speaking of, but it was clear what Minato was about to do.

"That seal..!" he exclaimed out loud, "Could it be? The Shiki Fujin?"

"Sandaime-sama!" exclaimed one of ninja hat had followed him. "What's going on?"

Sarutobi ignored him, attempting to push against the barrier that blocked him from joining the battle taking place right before his eyes. He cursed as the resistance against his entrance only increased. "It's no use… I can't get inside! They're planning on taking out the Kyuubi all on their own!"

He could only watch on as the first half of the Kyuubi's power was sealed. "It is the Shiki Fujin! I can't believe he's really using it!" The Third exclaimed softly. "But the Kyuubi's still here; was he not able to fully seal it? It is smaller, but…"

.-.

Back in the midst of the sealing, Minato slammed his hand to the ground, summoning a pedestal topped with a cushion. Whatever the Shinigami and that strange being had done, he hoped it wouldn't interfere with what he's about to do. He had no choice though; with the summoning of the Shinigami he had no choice but to follow through with it.

"Now for the Hake Fuin." He muttered. "To seal the rest of the Kyuubi inside of Naruto…"

Above him, the Kyuubi growled in frustration he discovered just how much he had shrunk. Then he saw the former Jinchuuriki's husband place their child on the platform. 'That's a Ceremonial Pedestal!' the Kyuubi thought in anger, 'Does he intend to seal me away again? In that child? Never!'

Then the Kyuubi saw its chance. Its former vessel's body finally began to break down, and distracted her husband from his task. "Kushina? Are you alright?"

That was when it struck, its meter-long claws extending and driving down towards the child. But just before it hit, it struck two entirely different bodies than its intended target. Both Minato and Kushina were impaled on the claw that would have struck their son.

"I told you…" Minato choked out, blood dripping down the corners of mouth, "This is something only a father can do…"

"Then… a mother…would be even better… right?" she smirked back.

"You bastards..!" the Kyuubi snarled from above them.

They ignored him. "…All right…" Kushina continued, glancing at her husband from the corner of her eye. "This is the first time…I've ever lost…an argument with you… So, you must… be serious…" she told him.

"Thanks, Kushina…" he answered, grateful. Then he raised his shaking hands together behind his wife's head and wiped some blood across one of them. Then he extended said bloody hand and some of the last of his remaining chakra to summon a toad the size of his torso. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Whoa!" The toad yelled, shocked, "The Kyuubi! Yondaime-san, what are you doing?"

Minato just looked at him seriously. "Gamatora, I'm giving you…the key to the seal." He told the toad, his voice unsteady. "I want you to…take it to Jiraiya-sensei…and immediately…store it inside him…" he finished.

From outside the barrier, Sarutobi caught all of this and came to the obvious conclusion, 'I see… So, Minato is making is own son into a host in order to save the village.' He thought.

"Got it!" said the toad as he spun a large scroll in front of himself. "I'll get going now!" he then vanished in the same puff of smoke he had appeared with.

"That's a relief." Minato sighed, before turning back to his wife. "Kushina… we're not going to last much longer… I'll…give you the Hakke Fuin now… I want to seal the last of my chakra inside Naruto…as well…" his eyes then softened as he looked down at his son. "…You won't see him for awhile…so…tell him anything you want to say…now…"

Kushina also just looked at the boy for a moment, panting, before she spoke. "Naruto…don't be a picky eater… eat a lot…and grow up big and strong..! Take a bath… everyday…and keep warm… Don't… stay up late… get enough sleep… and… make friends… You don't need a lot… but… Just make a few true friends…you can really trust. And…I was never good at it…myself…but study hard…and practice your ninjutsu..! But…everyone has things their good at…and things they're not…so if…you have a hard time…don't let it get you down…"

She took a deep breath and then continued, trying not to cry, "…Respect your sensei and senpais (teachers and upperclassmen/seniors)…at the academy! Oh…and one more…important thing… about the 3 Ninja Vices… Be especially careful…when lending or borrowing money…and save what you earn…from missions… Also…don't drink until you're twenty…and drinking too much is…bad for you…so…take it easy! …And…as for women…I'm a woman…so I don't really understand…but anyway…there are only men and women…so you'll find yourself interested in women… But don't fall…for a strange one...! Find a woman… just like your mom!"

Then she had a thought, and made sure to voice it, "…And…speaking of…vices…watch out for Jiraiya-sensei..!" Then she paused again, swallowing even as the tears finally began to pour from her eyes. "Naruto…you'll face… many painful times…and hardships…I'm sure… But, just be…yourself…and have your dreams…and the confidence to make those dreams come true...!" She couldn't help but choke on her tears, closing her eyes as she continued, "I really…really…really, really..! Wish I could…be there…to teach you…so many more things… I really wish…I could be there…with you…longer…" he voice broke on soft sobs. "I love you…"

Minato listened to every word quietly, agreeing with it all, as she finished up. "Minato…I'm sorry…for talking so much…" she apologized sheepishly, but didn't bother to wipe away her tears.

He smiled. "No…it's alright…" he told her. Then he turned to his son and began to speak himself. "Naruto…as your father…I'll…just second everything your chatty mom said…" he said, smiling.

"Hakke Fuin!"

.-.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his hand to where the barrier had been and met no resistance. He slowly approached the plinth where the small baby continued to cry, as well as the unmoving bodies of his parents. Just as he reached the dais, Minato moved for the last time, pushing himself up off of his wife's body and collapsing to the side on his back.

"Minato!" cried the Sandaime, moving to hover over the Yondaime's body.

"Sandaime-sama? Is that you?" he asked softly.

"Yes." He choked out. He could tell that Minato was dying; that even if Tsunade were here he wouldn't have survived.

The younger man didn't respond immediately and tilted his head to look up the platform at his son. "Take care…of…Naruto…Sarutobi-sama." He requested. "And know that…even if I died for it…he…is the hero today… He saved Konoha."

Sarutobi bit his lip. He had watched on as so many of his people had died before, had even ordered scores of them to their deaths, but it never got any easier. Never. "Yes." He finally responded. "I will." But Minato didn't reply. Sarutobi quickly checked his pulse, and almost cried when he found it to be still.

He bent his head in sorrow, the small group of ninja that surrounded him following suit.

The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure was dead.

.-.

Four Years Later…

Uzumaki Naruto was sleeping.

This wasn't exactly surprising – it was naptime after all – but if was rare to find the boy keeping still at all, and his caretakers relished the opportunity for a break. The child absolutely personified a 'bouncing ball of sunshine' – to the utmost extreme. The blond hair and expressive dark blue eyes only helped to enhance the impression.

But back to the original point; Naruto was sleeping. It was a deep sleep, one unlikely to be disturbed anytime soon. He was dreaming also. He had recently been introduced the wonder that is the Food of the Gods – Ramen – as well, so it was no surprise that he was dreaming about swimming in a giant bowl of it.

But that isn't all that important at the moment. Even as he rolled over on his side - muttering something about, "Miso and pork, please!" as he did so - something else stirred deep in his utmost subconscious and the deepest depths of his soul.

That something woke for the first time in just over three years.

.-.

The zanpakuto – one that had been known as both Kurosaki Ichigo and Zangetsu in his life-time – opened his eyes. He blinked once and then raised his head to look around the room he found himself in. He was rather surprised to find himself in the office of the Hokage.

'So this is the form my wielder's mind has chosen to take…" he thought idly. Turning to look out the wide window behind him, he saw the rest of the village spread out before him. The streets of the small city seemed blurred though, details obstructed and objects unfocused. He supposed it was to be expected though. The child he inhabited was only four years old after all.

There was a darkness about the town though, one that made him uncomfortable and uneasy. It was easy to tell where some of that feeling came from – the malicious red power of the Kyuubi buried deep under the streets of the city was obvious – but much of it came from the boy's own perception of the world around him.

Looking up, the sky above seemed just as out of focus as the rest of the child's mind and soul, but what could be discerned was gray and overcast. A light, perpetual and colorless rain fell endlessly from that blurred sky to the wavering streets, unvoiced tears drowning the city in a fog that blurred buildings together and disguised just how empty and run down the village actually was.

The parts of the zanpakuto that had once been Ichigo and Zangetsu – in other words almost all of the being's consciousness – winced inwardly at the sight of the endless downpour.

'I hate the rain…' he thought bitterly. For Ichigo, the answer as to why was obvious; his mother had been killed on a darkly raining evening, even as he tried to save a stranger, while protecting him. For Zangetsu, it was equally as apparent. Ever since sadness and loneliness first touched Ichigo's life; rain had clouded out the endless blue sky of his host's soulscape. The horror of being alone, battered endlessly by the cold rainfall with nowhere to take shelter from it… it was something he had hoped to never live through again.

Well, he supposed he wouldn't. Unlike in Ichigo's old soulscape, in this one he was at least able to enter the buildings. Then he felt the fox's power pulse. He narrowed his eyes. It seems he had a job to commence.

.-.

An unknown amount of time later – it was hard to keep track of time in a soul or mindscape - found the darkly dressed zanpakuto traveling steadily through the sewer system of his wielder's soulscape. The water that covered the floor of the sewer was deep, and would have reached up to his knees had he actually chosen to walk through the water.

As it was though, he trod on the air just above the water, the loose parts of his outfit and long hair swirling in a breeze that only affected him. Not a single ripple disturbed the surface of the water that he strode over. He couldn't help the sadness that he felt for his wielder at the sight though. He knew that this endless water was the form of all the tears the boy had accumulated over the course of his life – both shed and unshed.

He continued, unfettered, in his journey.

Soon enough he stood at the entrance of the Cage. Bars, relatively widely spaced – at least to one of his physical size - stretched up endlessly to disappear into a ceiling that never quite came into sight. Distance and space were just as unreliable as time in a soulscape. A seal infused with both human and inhuman chakra held the bars of the cell together firmly; far more firmly than any normal scrap of paper could do.

Behind both bars and seal, the form of an immense fox stirred to life. It rose to its feet and turned to face the zanpakuto, tails swishing behind it. On seeing who it was that had disturbed it, it couldn't help the surprise it felt. Another unfamiliar emotion that he ignored was also present. Had he recognized it, he my have known it as fear, or apprehension.

"You…" it growled menacingly. "Who… What are you..?" The shadows that emanated from the man intensified at the question, blotting out much of the space behind him from the fox's sight.

"I am your host's zanpakuto." He told the Kyuubi. "I suppose you could also call me a Shinigami or a Hollow. That's what I was before after all, and I still retain that power." He then shut his eyes. "My wielder will be the first to call me by name though, so you may call me anything you like really."

The Kyuubi, confused slightly by the indifferent and vague introduction, just growled again, "A…Soul Slayer?" it asked, attempting to get a handle on what exactly the being before it was first of all.

"Yes. The manifestation of a soul that, once materialized by the wielder, may be used to purify and send spirits onto the next life. There is much more to me and my kind than that though, as I'm sure you can tell."

The Kyuubi had understood that the moment it had felt the energy of the being before him. It was unlike anything it had ever felt before, unnerving and otherworldly. The scents of destruction and purity seemed to follow the 'zanpakuto' everywhere in equal measure. It just snarled wordlessly at the soul slayer, unwilling to respond.

"I'm afraid however, that your power will become mine – and in turn that of my wielders' – here." He told the beast, raising a hand to the seal before him. He quickly griped a small portion of the seal and tore a miniscule section off of the corner. Almost immediately a portion of the fox's power boiled out of the seal. It formed itself into another fox, much like the enormous one still trapped behind the remainder or the seal, except it had only one tail.

The zanpakuto quickly drew the sword that had rested, unnoticed until now, at his hip. As the miniature fox, one that still towered over him in terms of physical size, gave a growl, one that rumbled menacingly in its chest, he narrowed his eyes and settled into a relaxed stance. The katana rose to settle before him in an instinctively natural movement.

"Come." He said, unnervingly calm.

The fox gladly complied.

.-.

Another amount of indeterminable time later – though one considerably sorter than the first – found the fox pined to the ground by six rods of light. Even as the smaller fox made to glare at him, he thrust his sword through the animal's forehead. Even as the katana pierced the fox's brow, its menacing red energy quickly began to darken, fading into a crimson-edged black that matched the zanpakuto's aura. As said being watch on with narrowed eyes, they flashed a glowing gold for a brief moment.

"Thanks for the meal…" the soul slayer said as he smirked slightly at the horrified and raging being behind the seal. Ignoring the fox's ranting, he turned to leave. "I'll be back when I get hungry again, fox."

An echoing roar was all that followed him as he vanished from the room.

.-.

Back in the 'real world', Naruto turned over again in his sleep and scratched slightly at his whisker marks. "Thanks for the meal…" he mumbled into his pillow.

Ramen was, after all, the Food of the Gods.

.-.

Another Six Years Later…

Naruto cursed as he chucked an empty cup of ramen at the scruffy wall of his apartment. He couldn't believe it! He had studied so hard, ignoring everyone and everything that tried to get him down – even begging the old man to help him get into the academy a couple of years early – but he had nothing to show for it.

His teachers at the academy steadily marked him down as the dead-last, no matter how well he did on tests or in sparring. He was just about ready to give up on learning anything at that school. He couldn't get a proper instructor to pay him even the remotest of assistance to save his life anyway, and because of that he had no idea what the hell he was doing wrong in the first place.

Every time he attempted to perform the bunshin technique, something threw it out of whack and, if they formed at all, they ended up dying in absurdly pitiful or explosive ways. He knew that the teachers knew that as well, so that was probably why they made it so passing depended on whether or not he could make a few viable bunshin. Just about everyone in the class besides him could do it too, so it didn't hinder them in the least.

Not that that really mattered all that much anyway. He had failed the graduation exam after that catastrophe. He was still going to go back this next year though, of course. There's no way he'd give up so easily. But still, what was the point in trying as hard as he had been, if no one was even going to acknowledge it?

He sighed harshly, collapsing backwards to land on his bed, head hitting the hard mattress with a slight bounce. If only he was stronger. He wanted so much to be stronger. Stronger than his classmates. Stronger than his teachers. Stronger than that pain in the ass Uchiha a couple classes down from him. Stronger than this entire damn village.

He wanted so badly to be strong enough for them; strong enough for someone to accept him, like they do the old man.

'I want to be stronger…' he thought, squeezing his eyes shut. 'Stronger…than anyone…' The desperate wish settled somewhere deep in his soul as he fell slowly into unconsciousness. And somewhere, deep in the farthest reaches of his mind, a pair of golden eyes opened in answer.

.-.

When Naruto woke he wasn't in his bed, where he had fallen asleep. He wasn't even lying down. He was standing on top of the Hokage Monument, on top of the Fourth's head. It was his favorite place in the village, he'd admit that, but confusion was just about all he felt as he glanced around. The light drizzle of rain and the fog that gathered at his feet didn't really help much.

"Hello?" he called out uneasily, wondering how he had gotten there. He also had the uncanny feeling that something was watching him, ad he didn't like it at all. He blinked a few times and pinched himself – just to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and damn did it hurt – but nothing came of it.

Temporarily ceasing his search, he turned his attention back to the front of the monument and was immensely surprised to see someone there. He hadn't even noticed him arriving… The man's long dark hair was plastered to his body, much in the same way his own blond hair insisted on sticking to his forehead in this weather, and his shoulders were slightly hunched against the water. His appearance made the boy feel a strange combination of curiosity and awe, and he had the feeling that the guy was strong. Like, really, really strong. Like stronger-than-the-old-man strong. And even though he was old, he had to admit that the old monkey was pretty strong.

He was soon broken out of his thoughts by the man's voice, and after hearing his voice, he suddenly had doubts about whether the being before him was a man at all. "Come, Naruto." He said softly. "Let's get out of this rain."

The boy nodded warily and followed the dark man away from the monument.

.-.

As the man led the way into a very familiar tower, he looked around in bewilderment. No matter the time of day, the tower was usually very busy, and during the night there was a constant patrol of guards. Seeing absolutely no one around a place he had come to associate with crowds of people made him feel more than a bit off balance.

"Where am I?" he asked the elder male as said man pushed opened the doors of the Hokage's office and sat down at a table off to the side. He motioned for the boy to sit as well and Naruto slowly followed the direction. "And who – no, what are you?" he demanded, attempting to hide his nervousness as he shifted his weight in the chair.

The man closed his eyes for a moment before opening them to look steadily at the curious and wary boy. "This is your soulscape." He told the child. "It's the place where your mind and soul meet in harmony to commune. Normally it would take hours upon hours of meditation and concentration to reach it, but in order to get you here I used a kind of short cut and pulled you in."

Naruto frowned, but accepted the explanation for the moment. "And what are you?" he asked again, a bit calmer now that the… being… had answered his first question without any fuss.

"I am a zanpakuto." He told the boy.

"A…soul…slayer?" the ten year old repeated.

"Yes." He regarded the boy silently for a moment, linking his hands together between his legs as he did so, before continuing. "A zanpakuto is a weapon of the soul, used by Shinigami to primarily purify spirits and send them on to the next life. Out there, in the 'real world'," he gestured vaguely to emphasize the term, "we take on the form of swords, or a similar weapon. I…" he grimaced slightly, the expression almost unseen through the mask of bandages. "I suppose you could call me a gift of the Shinigami of this world."

Naruto was stunned, to say the least, by the information, and it showed. But even through that he had only one question pushing at the forefront of his mind. "I suppose I'll believe that…" the 'for now' went unsaid but was certainly understood, "But why would the Shinigami give me a…a 'gift' in he first place?" he asked. That was what had bugged him the most about the explanation.

The man – the zanpakuto – didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to watch his charge's rapidly changing expressions for a moment, but eventually said. "There were probably many reasons for it, and some of them I still don't know, but one of them is obvious. And you also deserve to know it." He then stood and extended a hand to the boy. "Come, and I will show you."

.-.

Some time later the child collapsed back into the chair, still in shock from what he had learned. He was the vessel – the Jinchuuriki – the Kyuubi no Kitsune. His father was the Yondaime Hokage – his idol ever since he had heard of his exploits from the old man. His…his zanpakuto had slowly been killing the fox little by little over the years and absorbing it into itself. Which means that eventually he'd be able to control that strength as well. Completely unbelievable, all of it, but it was true. It explained everything.

The glares, the whispers, the reason why no one had ever adopted him even. His treatment at the academy and around the village, even the attention of the Hokage – something he'd noticed was rather unusual but never really understood before.

But the most important of the discoveries wasn't any of this. While down in the sewers of his mind, soul, whatever-scape, the sword – it was still difficult to think of the clearly sentient being before him as a weapon – had brought the subconciously recalled memories he had of the day of his birth to the forefront of his mind.

His mother's words still rang clearly in his mind. I love you, she had said. All of the advice she had rambled out meant so little in comparison to that, though her other words still meant a lot. She had loved him. Loved him. Loved him. He chocked on a dry sob he couldn't hold back. He couldn't remember anyone ever saying that to him before, not ever. A tear dripped from one of his eyes, and even as his zanpakuto appeared before him to offer a shoulder, he began to cry in earnest, too much having happened in too short a span of time for him to resist the tears.

Confused emotions swirled restlessly in his chest, and a small hand clenched helplessly on the soul slayer's sleeve. Above his bent head the zanpakuto raised honey eyes to the ceiling of the room as he wrapped a comforting arm around the child's torso. The sword wondered, idly, at his situation. Dead, yet not; a weapon, but with a soul. And here he had his wielder – a ten year old boy with just about the entire world on his shoulders - crying ceaselessly into his chest. But all he could do for now was comfort the kid he supposed. Training, and the battles that would follow could be thought on later.

He tightened his grip slightly around the boy's shoulders.

~ Author's Note ~

The first real chapter! Was it as epic as I thought it would be? I think so. I'm quite happy with this chapter really, and I quite enjoyed transcribing the original fight from the manga at the beginning. I almost cried when I was typing out Kushina's lines though. Do you think I gave it justice? Also, I tried to insert a little humor here and there around the middle. Did it work? Feel free to tell me what you think about that too. And anything else. (Remember, read and review!)

If everything works out, the second chapter will be out soon as well. Though probably not quite as soon as this one. Wish me luck!

~ Aljan Moonfire ~