OooOoOooO

"Crossroads I"

Chapter 4

Naruto walked through the halls of his division with an impassive face. Only the clenching of his fists gave away his anger.

He really detested Kurotsuchi Mayuri–always questioning his credibility not only as a Third Seat but as a Shinigami overall. He may look like a ten year old or eleven even, but he had always done his best in performing his duties. And no one had questioned Zaraki-taicho's decision when he had appointed Kusajishi Yachiru as his lieutenant and not only did she look younger than him but she acted much younger than her physical appearance allowed.

So how dare that man mock him. He tried to rein in his temper, lest he exploded in the Captain's meeting a while ago. Something he didn't need on his plate.

Hitsu-teme–he meant, Hitsugaya-taicho, had not spared him any glance. Not that Naruto was expecting any greeting or simple word of acknowledgement, after all, the last time they spoke to each other was almost three decades ago (which had been two years in the Elemental Nations), the day he was promoted early by Ukitake-taicho to Third Seat after a year of Kaien-fukutaicho and Miyako-san's passing. They hadn't exactly departed on good terms to put it lightly.

Although Naruto would never admit it to anyone, he did miss his childhood friend. Even if those images of an easily annoyed and cocky brat of a white haired boy were slowly becoming just a memory. He really did miss the boy.

In fact, he missed his childhood friends. Even though they're not as close as they seem like before, Naruto could pretend that everything was alright when they took off from their obligations to be with each other at some point. Pretend like the drift was simply nonexistent. But when duty calls, they acted like acquaintances at best and the drift existed after all. Something that Naruto learned to hate over time. They had promised to protect each other when they were mere children in Junrinan, so the blonde still intended to keep it.

He never went back on his word.

So if the white haired captain didn't think it prudent to say anything then Naruto could also play the ignorant part.

He had been acting it since he had discovered the unpleasant fate of his father. He had told Renji that Namikaze was his birthright–that was true since Naruto would like to think that he had a father, that his father cared for him by claiming the name Namikaze.

But the man didn't even have the guts to confront him, Namikaze Minato had been a Shinigami of Seireitei for two decades and Naruto had arrived in Soul Society three years before the man became…that. And Naruto was absolutely bitter, hurt and confused on why his father never made his presence known to him. It was only through his mother that he even knew the man had been his father.

Uzumaki Kushina could tell Naruto all the reassurances that Minato had loved him and still did, but Naruto couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Not only had the older blonde sealed the demon in him during his birth (the reason he was in Soul Society in the first place), he had also left him in the village, alone and hated–always wondering about the insecurities any orphan had had. He had taken upon the name, hoping that it would provide him some security or assurance, but Naruto found out that it only brought him more misery than any satisfaction.

In simpler terms, he felt abandoned. That gaping hole was then filled by his mother's love and his friends' affection, but Naruto wouldn't forget Minato. Of course, the little blonde had idolized the Fourth Hokage before he died by the villagers' hand and it hurt. Then the hurt was replaced by bitterness. The bitterness stemmed with confusion. The confusion and bitterness led to dislike. And time had fed that dislike to outright anger.

Sometimes, Naruto was just glad that the man wasn't here. As much as he wanted all the explanations he could get, it would take millions of words to make him believe that Minato cared for him. But it will only take three words to forever shatter any shred of his belief for the man. Fortunately, no one had even thought of it.

Naruto was good at ignoring how he felt.

That's why he had stood his ground against the Twelfth Division Captain. He would ignore his anger and take the insults in stride. And he would confront the emotion later when he felt that it was safe to do so.

"Naru-chan!" He turned around just to see one of his childhood friends, Hinamori Momo.

It had been a long time since they had seen each other but Momo had made him promise to at least call her every two weeks when in the Elemental Nations. That meant every four or five months in Soul Society.

"Momo-chan!" He called back enthusiastically as the older girl ran to him.

She skidded into a stop in front of him, a grin on her face despite being obviously out of breath.

"Hey, I heard from Renji that you came back!" She informed excitedly, but then pouted. "Why didn't you visit me first?"

"I had to report something to the captains, something about my mission." He answered as he scratched the back of his head.

"Were you hurt?" She asked worriedly as she suddenly seized him by the shoulders, furrowing her brows as she searched his person for injuries. Speaking of which, he hadn't stopped by the Fourth Division to have his ribs checked. That tail surely did want to kill him.

"I'm fine, so no need to get wor–ouch! Hey watch it!" He tried to reassure but had backed away when she poked him on the side which was still tender. During battle, he could ignore it and keep going, but when he's starting to relax…not really so.

She shook her head with a disapproving frown, her hands on her hips.

"That's not fine at all, Naru-chan! What happened?" She demanded as she narrowed her brown eyes at him.

He laughed uneasily at that, Momo could be very scary when she wanted to be.

"Remember the man I had to eliminate?" When she nodded hesitantly, he continued. "Well, we know that his soul would instantly transform into a hollow when he died and that I had to fight him. I just didn't expect him to be an Adjuchas already and could use cero. I just got caught off guard." He shook his head wryly.

"Adjuchas?" She gasped, a new soul instantly becoming a hollow was surprising, but to be an Adjuchas readily like that was unheard of.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you but he got away." He scowled as he looked at his feet.

"It's alright!" She reassured him as she flailed her hands. "At least you came back safe." She stated with a smile.

Cerulean blue eyes looked up and Naruto felt himself smiling. Momo was always a gentle person and knew how to make him feel better. Somehow, Hinata reminded him of her but Momo wasn't shy and timid. The older girl could be and that was when in the presence of the higher ups or her captain.

"Yeah, so how've you been doing? Is being lieutenant…" He exaggerated at looking his surroundings suspiciously before leaning in and conspiratorially whispering. "…that hard? I heard from Matsumoto-san that all you do was paperwork."

Momo giggled at him.

"Of course, that's what Rangiku-san would say. But no, it's fun and I take care of the division in Aizen-taicho's place when he's busy." She told him with a very bright smile.

"He's not overworking you, does he?" He demanded playfully as he crossed his arms.

"Of course not!" She choked out, horrified. "Aizen-taicho is a good man." Momo reprimanded him sternly.

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to like me." He mumbled to himself.

"I'm sure that's not it." She tried to argue, having heard him.

He shook his head at her.

"I really don't think he likes me, Momo-chan. The last time I spoke to him, he seemed to be annoyed or something. What's up with that? I just visited you!" He laughed as he remembered those brown eyes glinting, but somehow it still unnerved him every time he recalled that.

"I'm sure that that's not it." She stated firmly.

"Fine, fine." He finally conceded just so she would stop arguing the point with him. "Everything's fine around here then?"

She nodded, her smile coming back.

"Yes, and Shiro-chan's finally a captain!" The girl told him with a brightening grin but then it died down into a contemplative frown. "By the way, have you spoken to him?" She looked at him with those wide hopeful brown eyes that made Naruto sweat.

He already knew that, considering he already saw Toushiro in the captain's meeting with a white haori over his Shihakushō and Renji had mentioned it in the passing.

"Not really." He replied with a somber smile. "And I already know since I saw him in the captain's meeting." He said as he sheepishly chuckled.

"Oh." She let out with a disappointed sigh.

"Don't worry about it, Momo-chan. I'm sure that the teme would eventually come around." He placated with a grin.

"Alright but don't call him a –teme, it's rude." Momo scolded him, her eyes dimming a little when she remembered a small blonde haired boy following after a white haired boy obediently and excitedly, looking up to Shiro-chan like any little brother would.

She really wondered how it ended up like this.

"I'll do it when he stopped being one." He didn't apologize since he thought the older boy deserved it.

"Hinamori-fukutaicho!" They were interrupted as they turned to look at a flustered Rukia running up to them. "Aizen-taicho's looking for you." She told the raven haired girl as she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

The raven haired girl blushed as she realized that she had overstayed her welcome.

"Oh!" She then turned to Naruto with an apologetic smile. "I have to go, Naru-chan, but be sure to stop by the Fourth Division, alright?"

"Whatever you say." He replied with a wide grin.

With that, Momo ran out quickly, not wanting to disappoint her captain, leaving a saddened Naruto behind. That's what had brought them apart slowly, Momo's extreme adoration of her captain to the point of blind loyalty. Sometimes, Naruto wondered if it was even a good thing.

"So, Naru-chan, heard you got your ass kicked?" Rukia then turned to question him with a smirk, her arms crossed over her chest, trying to lighten up the mood after having sensed Naruto's distress.

"Hey! Who told you that?" He questioned her, his eyebrow twitching as he recalled the sickly looking captain of the Twelfth Division.

"Oh, Renji's been out about it. Though, he really didn't tell me how or why." She shook her head with a bemused smile.

"Why am I not surprised?" He deadpanned dryly, a frown on his lips. "That guy is going to ruin me." He murmured under his breath.

Rukia chuckled at him.

"It's not like it was the first time that it happened." She commented but then she visibly perked up when she remembered something. "Hey, did Ukitake-taicho tell you about your new mission?" Her face then sobered up with a serious frown.

"What? Already? How long had been Renji gone here?"

She pursed her lips in thought.

"About thirteen years." Rukia answered.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"No way! It's just been two months!" He protested with incredulity. "Kurotsuchi-taicho," He said the title with a little spite, not having forgotten what occurred a while ago. "…really should fix the time rift, the skewed periods is really getting serious. Last time I checked, two months had been three years at best."

"I know." Rukia agreed with a grim nod. "And taicho's already handling about what happened with the council, you know, that?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"R-Really?" He stammered, his throat suddenly dry.

"Of course and he's been visiting Nii-sama quite often nowadays." She informed him with a confused frown that Naruto mirrored.

The blonde bit his lip.

"Kuchiki-taicho? What does he had anything to do with this?"

"I don't know but I heard from one of the servants that it has got to do with the Kuchiki Clan and your father." She said as they started to walk to their captain's office.

Naruto squinted his eyes in thought.

"No offense, but the guy practically hates my guts, so what does he had anything to do with this?" He repeated with wide eyes and clenched jaw, but his words were heavily laced with confusion and wonder.

"I don't know either." She shook her head.

"So about this new mission?" He went back to the original topic since anything to do with clan politics only made his head hurt.

Rukia seemed to brighten up at that.

"Well," She started slowly. "It was supposed to be my mission but Ukitake-taicho asked me if he could instead assign it to you." She gestured to him. "And I really can't refuse him so I agreed, he told me that the time duration of it was all he needed to clear this up." Rukia shrugged at him.

And by 'this', they meant the Central 46 going against him just because of whom his father was. Now, Naruto really understood why taking up the name brought more misery to him. And sometimes, just sometimes, he regretted doing it.

Though, he himself was befuddled on why the council was fervent in pinning this relation to him. He knew that he had done nothing in spite of being the son of Namikaze Minato but his former relation to the Kyuubi, as its previous host, had brought that thought down.

'Kyuubi's influence seemed to follow me wherever I go, but then again…' He lamented within his mind.

Naruto then turned to Rukia with a questioning stare.

"How long will the mission take?"

"One month." She answered quickly, her eyes grim as they stared ahead.

He grimaced.

"It's patrol duty, isn't it?" There was a hint of dread in his question.

Rukia nodded too cheerfully for his liking.

"It is and don't tell taicho that I told you, you're not supposed to know yet." She reminded him strictly with grave violet eyes.

Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"I get it, I get it."

When they arrived in the office, Naruto wasn't ready at all for a black and pink projectile to shoot towards him as soon as the doors to his captain's office opened.

So he landed squarely on his back, groaning and inwardly cursing said projectile that was now currently straddling him on his stomach. He groaned louder as the unexpected weight made his injured delicate side much known and it just fucking hurts.

"Naru!" He idly realized that the projectile had called him.

Cerulean blue eyes then opened and looked up and met a pair of dark pink eyes. This time Naruto moaned in despair with his arms spread out beside him, tightly closing his eyes – maybe if he couldn't see it, it would just go away. He could always hope.

"Yachiru, get off of me, damn it! I haven't been to the Fourth Division yet you idiot!" He hissed as the small girl lightly bounced on him, making the pain flare up.

She pouted but made no effort to detach herself from him soon.

"But Naru just came back!" Yachiru whined as her wide eyes peered at him.

He closed his eyes again and gritted his teeth.

'I swear, I'll die by her hands before a hollow could even get to me.' He complained mentally.

'You are too lenient towards her, Naruto-kun.' His zanpakutō's voice was teasing and Naruto didn't need any encouragements for the pink-haired devil on him. 'You also ought to be grateful she didn't call you by that nickname.'

'No, you damn moron, it's called restrain! And that's not something to be grateful about!'

'I seriously pity you.'

"Yachiru-chan, I think you should get off Naruto-kun by now. I don't think he was joking about his injury." Juushiro finally went out of his office to see the commotion and took pity of his Third seat.

The white haired man eyed Rukia who was blinking bewilderedly at the sight, unsure of what to do as her eyes stayed glued to the two on the ground.

"Oh, come on Ukkiiiiii." Yachiru whined at the man.

"Please." He said with a bright smile as he brought out a bag of candies from his inner robes.

"Candies! You're so great, Ukki!" The pink haired girl squealed as she instantly got off of Naruto and ran to Juushiro's side, snatching the bag before anyone could blink. "Naru should also eat this!" She stated giddily as she appeared beside the boy and almost slapped him on the face with the bag abruptly shoved to his direction.

"Yachiru…" Naruto growled as he closed his eyes, counting backwards from ten to keep his temper down.

"I think it would also be wise if you go back to your division, Yachiru-chan. Naruto-kun and I have some business to discuss." Seeing the pleading yet almost downtrodden look, Juushiro smiled at her as he ruffled her hair. "And you could tell him," He winked at the girl who brightened. "That our dear Naruto-kun's back."

Yachiru nodded eagerly at that, already on her feet. She had been impatient waiting for the blonde to arrive but Juushiro's suggestion excited her.

"Alright!" She saluted as she giggled, then she turned to look at Naruto who was still lying on the ground. "See you later, Naru-Kitsu! He will be soooo happy to see you!" She exclaimed then nodded to herself before sprinting away quickly, dust kicking up in her wake.

"She seriously didn't call me that, did she?" He groaned to himself. "Just kill me now, taicho." He whined at the man as he gingerly sat up.

Juushiro chuckled at Naruto almost nervously.

"We both know that I won't do that, Naruto-kun." He told the blonde and helped him to stand up. As the blonde carefully stood on his feet, Juushiro frowned. "Although, you should have stopped by the Fourth Division. Unohana-taicho wouldn't be happy about this." The man chastised his subordinate disapprovingly.

"Maybe later, I wanted to go here first." Naruto said as he grinned gratefully at his captain.

"He said he missed us." Rukia piped in with a smirk as the blonde boy blushed.

But Juushiro just smiled as he ruffled the blonde's spiky hair.

"He did, now did he?"

"Ukitake-taicho!" Naruto swatted the man's hand away, furiously fighting down his blush to no avail. Did Rukia just have to say that?

"Naruto-chan!" Another voiced called and Naruto felt himself be smothered in a tight hug. He silently mourned to himself that he would be in so much abuse before he even reached the Fourth Division.

"Oi, stop killing him you dolt!" Another voice joined in, an annoyed tilt into it.

Naruto was then released and he realized with a little dread that it was none other than the fourth seats of his division, Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentarou.

"I'm not!"

"Didn't taicho just say that he's injured!"

Kiyone went red with embarrassment and anger.

"I knew that, you idiot!"

Sentarou raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really? I didn't see that, you moron."

"Because you're not using your eyes you buffoon!"

The blonde felt himself sweat dropping at the unwelcomed though familiar sight, and despite this, he felt himself grinning so wide that it hurt. Even though he was a little embarrassed about it, he really did miss his division.

"Oh come on, Kiyone-chan, Sentaro, stop fighting already!" He laughed as he hugged both by the waist, not minding that they were still in the middle of squabbling or their squawks of surprise at his intrusion. He didn't stop laughing and soon, he could feel that the two were also laughing with him.

"You were gone for a long time, Naruto-chan! The division had been a bit lonely without you." Kiyone commented as she also grinned, ruffling his hair.

Naruto just smiled.

"I knew it!"

"Hey, hey, stop inflating the kid's ego already." Sentarou teased as he playfully slapped the blonde's back soundly, successfully disagreeing with his earlier argument with Kiyone.

But then, Naruto stopped laughing as his grin toned down a little. He looked between the two and saw someone he had not been ready to face yet.

"Ukitake, I thought we were here to discuss something important." A deep male voice cut in and Naruto fought the flinch from breaking out.

The aforementioned man looked past his fourth and third seats to eye his other visitor that he almost forgot due to his subordinate's reunion. Juushiro's smile widened a little.

"Ah, Toushiro. I'm sorry to keep you waiting but I guess they are just happy to see Naruto-kun back."

Kiyone and Sentarou suddenly stood straight beside Naruto and bowed lightly, Rukia doing likewise as she stood beside their captain.

"Hitsugaya-taicho." They greeted formally.

The white haired boy waved them off as his teal eyes settled on the blonde haired boy who was eyeing him with an unreadable face. Though he had really waited for the blonde to get reacquainted with his division properly and was inwardly glad that Yachiru was now gone, the girl kept asking him to play with her. And that had irked him to no end.

"Hitsugaya-taicho." Naruto whispered under his breath.

Though the blonde masked his surprise when the white haired boy nodded at him.

Juushiro turned to Rukia and his fourth seats.

"I have to apologize but I will have to cut this reunion short. Naruto-kun, Toushiro and I have something urgent to talk about. You may do as you please but don't do anything rash, alright?" The captain said as the three nodded obediently.

With that, he pushed the blonde and the white haired boy inside his office. Ignoring their disgruntled expressions at being pushed around.

"So, what really happened, taicho? Even though I know the general situation, I still don't know what's really happening." Naruto said once they had settled inside his captain's office.

Juushiro sighed at this.

"I couldn't tell you all of it yet as I have yet to clear it with them. But someone had leaked out the information to the council." The man sighed as he leaned back on his chair.

"Whoever it was, he knew his facts well." Toushiro added as he leaned his elbows on his knees, his hands intertwined just in front of his mouth. Then teal eyes sharply snapped to the Thirteenth Division Captain. "You have to let him know at least half of it, Ukitake. You can't hide it forever and better be ready just in case. Those old fools could be unreasonable when they wanted to be."

"I know that I would be in some kind of trouble for being related to him and taking the name for quite some time but I didn't know it was this complicated." The blonde remarked as he imitated Juushiro's sigh.

"It's more complicated than you would have realized." The Tenth Division Captain agreed with a grim voice.

"Naruto-kun," Juushiro called the attention of the blonde. "Your father was a member of a Noble House here in Soul Society."

The blonde haired boy's eyes widened as he felt his hands clenched on his lap.

"What?" He breathed out. "That couldn't be – I mean, he's from the Elemental Nations!" He then smiled bitterly. "But of course, how would I even know." He muttered darkly under his breath.

"Uzumaki…" Toushiro said reluctantly as he saw that emotion again.

They were right, it's more complicated than he'd like to face.

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