Naruto: Soul Reaper Chronicles

AN/ Yo party people's, RinneTaicho here, with the second chapter of Naruto: Soul Reaper Chronicles.

So the response to the story seems to be generally good, and I'm shocked at how popular it is after the first chapter, twenty-eight reviews so far!

I made some formatting changes in this chapter, that I will be implementing in chapter 1 as well, I'll edit that soon.

I also wonder if anyone will get the quote used by Naruto near the end of the chapter.

Anyways, here's chapter two, it picks up where the last left off.

Normal speech: "what"

Extremely loud group/single person shouting: "WHAT!"

Thoughts/Speech taken out of context: 'What?'

Letter/Book/Written text: What?

Hollow speech: "What?"

Hollow thoughts: 'What'

Remembered Speech: "What?"

Zanpakutō Speech: "What?"

Zanpakutō Thoughts: 'What?'

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Bleach, or Sekirei, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Tite Kubo, and Sakurako Gokurakuin respectively.

Chapter Two: New Faces In Karakura High


-Later, Urahara Shop-

Kisuke waved cheerily at the retreating back of Rukia Kuchiki, a grin on his face.

"You have a nice night now, be sure to come back!" He called.

He closed the door after she got out of sight, turning around. He let out a fake girlish scream as he came face to face with the hooded Naruto, who looked rather intimidating with his face blank like when he spoke to Rukia earlier.

"Gah! Don't you know not to sneak up on someone? I could have killed you with my mad kung-fu skills!" Kisuke said, as he made ridiculous kung-fu motions with his arms.

Naruto cracked a smile that was slightly mocking, practically screaming 'oh please'.

"I highly doubt that. Millions have tried to kill me over the years. As of yet, none have succeeded." Naruto replied as he turned and walked towards the back of the shop.

"So, what can I do for you this fine midnight my good sir? Perhaps I could interest you in some sleeping pills?" Kisuke asked in a slightly cheeky tone.

Really, he was curious how Naruto had managed to sneak up on him. He was a former member of the Onmitsukidō(1), and Corps-Commander of the Detention Unit. It was almost impossible to get the drop on him.

Naruto seemed oblivious to these thoughts, and turned around once more.

"I came to speak with you. I'm sure you are as curious about me as I am about Soul Reapers. Perhaps we could answer each other's questions." Naruto suggested.

"Now what makes you think that I would know anything about Soul Reapers? I'm just a humble shopkeeper." The strange shop keep asked.

Naruto just gave him a pointed look that clearly read 'I ain't buying it'.

"Right, umm, this way please." Kisuke said after clearing his throat.

He motioned for Naruto to follow him, leading the hooded immortal through the hallway, and to a room with a table in the center. Kisuke settled himself on one side, while Naruto sat on the other.

"I believe introductions are in order. My name is Kisuke Urahara, humble shop keeper and mad scientist, mwahahaha!." He introduced himself , with a fake evil laugh like a bad movie villain.

Naruto couldn't help but shake his head at the introduction. It was really strange, and sort of reminded him of Jiraiya. But something gave him the nagging feeling this man was way smarter than Jiraiya.

He reached up and pulled down his hood, exposing his face completely.

"And I am Naruto Uzumaki, immortal wanderer." Naruto introduced.

At the last bit, Kisuke seemed to get more serious, as he sat up straighter.

"Immortal you say? That's quite the claim. Lucky for you, I've heard of something similar. Exactly how–" Kisuke began asking, seeming to trail off in the end.

Sensing the question, Naruto answered.

"Old enough to have witnessed the first war between Soul Reapers and the humans who call themselves Quincy's." He replied.

Kisuke sat back at this answer. That made him at least as a thousand and some years old. probably more.

"I see. So, what do you know about Soul Reapers already?" Kisuke asked, adopting a more serious demeanor.

Naruto took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.

"I know you use the spiritual energy that resides in the body and soul. I also know that you can perform techniques unique to Soul Reapers. Soul Reapers have the duty of escorting souls to the afterlife, and getting rid of hollows, which are corrupted souls. Finally, I know that you wield Zanpakutō, which have two releases, shikai and bankai." Naruto told him.

Kisuke hummed in response. It was more than he expected him to know.

"Now, I would like to hear a more in-depth history of Soul Reapers, as well as more about the techniques Soul Reapers use. Finally I would like to know if it would be possible for you to acquire me an Asauchi." Naruto said.

Kisuke considered the request carefully. Certainly, there was no harm in acquiescing to the first two. It was the last that was an issue. Should he help this immortal stranger get access to a true Zanpakutō?

The answer was obvious. He knew he wanted him as an ally against Aizen, and he knew that he would need him to be as powerful as possible. So he would help him get a true Zanpakutō. But first, he would need to know a little more about him.

"I suppose I could. But before I agree to that last request, I would like to hear your history. It's not every day I meet an immortal human." Kisuke countered.

The more Naruto spoke, especially about his life, the more Kisuke would get a feel for his personality and character.

Naruto thought about it for all of a second. It didn't take him long for him to find out what Kisuke was trying to do. He decided that he'd allow it, after all, in his place, Naruto would most likely do the same. Indeed, he had done the same, multiple times over the millennia.

"That seems acceptable. Now, where should I start? Ah I know, I'll start with my birth, long ago, in a village called Konoha, the Village Hidden In the Leaves. . ." Naruto began.


-The Uzume's House, with Uzume-

The sun was shining in the sky, trickling in through the window of Uzume Kurosaki. All was peaceful.

Until...

"GOOOOD MOOORRNNING, UZUMEEE!"

Uzume's eyes snapped open as she jumped to intercept her father with a heal to the face. He crashed to the floor, with her pressing his face into the carpet with her foot.

Uzume stretched her arms above her head as she yawned, her foot firmly holding her father's head to the ground. She was dressed in her sleeping clothes, a tight T-shirt that exposed her navel, and a pair of tight pajama bottoms that went to just below her knees.

As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she spoke to her father.

"What the hell's your problem goat-face? Attacking me in my sleep." Uzume said in irritation.

Isshin flashed her a double thumbs up.

"You are getting good Sweetheart, there's nothing more to teach you!" He declared.

Uzume was about to tear into him when she remembered the attack last night.

"Wait! What about Karin and Yuzu's injuries?" She asked in concern.

Isshin looked confused at this.

"Injuries?"


"It's a miracle! A truck crashed into the front of the clinic last night, and none of us got injured!" Isshin cheered.

The entire family was in front of the house, and looking at a huge hole in the front side of the house.

"The real miracle is that none of us woke up. And the driver took off without even apologizing" Karin said.

Uzume could only nod robotically as her mind raced.

'A truck? They don't remember. This must have something to do with that Soul Reaper, I wonder if she went back to that place, the Soul Society?' Uzume wondered to herself.

An image of him flashed in her mind. She couldn't see anything above his nose, and she only got a glimpse of his blade before passing out; but she could have sworn it was a Zanpakutō.

' But who was . . that man? Was he another Soul Reaper?' She questioned.

Uzume shook her head of those questions. They couldn't be answered now, so she might as well head to school.

"I'll see you guys later, I gotta go to school."She announced as she waved to her family.

With that she began to head for school, not knowing of the surprise that awaited her there.


-Naruto's Condo, with Naruto-

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Naruto's hand lashed out, smashing the source of the beeping.

Slowly, he raised his head from the pillow with a groan. His hair was even more wild than usual.

He had been up until three o'clock last night, telling Kisuke about his life. Or at least, he gave a vague overview that didn't reveal anything much about himself. Although he had given him quite a bit of information on the Elemental Nations as a whole.

It was only fair, since the man was doing that for him when it came to the Soul Society.

Apparently, Kisuke was thrilled with it. He wanted to see if Naruto could use Soul Reaper techniques. He wondered if Naruto's ability to wield chakra would affect it, or if that was the entire reason he was able to have Soul Reaper powers in the first place.

Of course, Naruto had a sneaking suspicion of why he had Soul Reaper powers. He knew of an encounter that might have led to him gaining the dormant powers.

Involuntarily, his mind recalled the sensation of being stabbed, and all he saw was a pair of intense brown eyes.

He couldn't help but clutch at his chest in remembered pain.

Shaking himself out of his lapse in concentration, Naruto got out of bed, intent on taking a shower and getting dressed. He started school today.

From what Kisuke told him, he would be going to school with one of the girls from last night, the busty orange-haired one. He now knew she was a substitute Soul Reaper.

Within fifteen minutes, Naruto stood in front of his front door, dressed in the uniform of his school, a grey blazer and matching pants, with brown leather shoes. Underneath the blazer, he wore a black dress shirt.

With one last look at his living room, Naruto opened the door and walked out.


-Karakura High, with Uzume-

Uzume walked through the halls of the school with her mind on the events of last night. It was probably why she didn't notice there was someone in her path until she had already bumped into her.

"Oof–"

Uzume looked down at the girl on the floor with surprise in her eyes. She was a girl with long orange hair, darker than her own. Sh had curves that bellied her years, although not as much as Uzume's, it was still impressive. She had an innocent face, with wide brownish-grey eyes.

"Oh it's you, Orihime. Sorry, I didn't see you there." She said as she held out a hand to the other girl

"Oh-oh no it's fine, I'm alright!" She said in an excitable tone.

The girl that was standing next to her, with black hair and an regular build for their age, seemed to disagree.

"What, that's all you have to say after bumping into her?" The black haired girl protested.

"Really Tatsuki, I'm alright." Orihime protested lightly.

"Here" Uzume said, offering her hand to the other girl.

"Thanks Kurosaki-chan." Orihime said as she took the proffered hand, allowing Uzume to pull her to her feet.

"Well um, I'll see you later, I have to be somewhere." Orihime said in a hurried tone, turning to rush down the hall.

"What was that about?" Uzume asked Tatsuki, as she watched Orihime rush down the hall.

Tatsuki gained a teasing grin as she replied

"Maybe you're monstrous chest scared her." Tatsuki taunted.

Uzume scoffed as she crossed her arms underneath her bust, pushing it up and making it even more evident, closing her eyes as she gained a superior look on her beautiful face.

"Do I detect jealousy? Are you projecting your own insecurities onto me? Feeling a little flat, eh, Tatsuki-chan?" Uzume asked in a mocking tone.

Tatsuki blushed slightly at the teasing, gaining an annoyed expression.

This wasn't helped when Uzume placed her hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, you'll grow out of the awkward phase. Then you'll have boobs of your own." Uzume told her in a mock reassuring tone.

Tatsuki growled as she gained a tic-mark on her forehead, knocking away Uzume's hand.

This only drew a round of giggles from Uzume, amused by Tatsuki's reaction. It was a common thing between them. Tatsuki would bring up Uzume's extremely large chest into it, and Uzume would bring up how small Tatsuki's breasts were compared to hers.

Tatsuki shook her head in annoyance before speaking once more.

"Anyways, why're you so late, it's time for lunch already." Tatsuki questioned.

Hearing this, Uzume was reminded of what happened last night.

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell you about it later." Uzume said, waving vaguely to Tatsuki as she continued on to her class.


-Uzume's classroom, with Uzume-

"Uzume, heard a truck crashed into your house last night. Here, let me comfort yoouuu!" A hyper brown-haired boy asked excitably as Uzume took her seat in the classroom, the boy practically flung himself at her.

He was halted by a fist in the face. Uzume felt her eye twitch at the attempt to feel her up.

'He never quits. And not in a good way.' Uzume thought to herself.

"No thanks Keigo. Take a cold shower." She replied, ignoring his ridiculous cries at being turned down.

"So have you got it cleaned up yet?" A black-haired boy asked.

Uzume huffed at that.

"Are you kidding Mizuiro? I think it'll take weeks to do." She complained.

"Need any help?" Asked a deep male voice to her right.

Uzume looked up and her eyes widened as a sweat drop formed on the side of her head.

There was a very tall boy, a true giant of a man, with dark skin and messy brown hair that obscured his right eye. He looked to be of Hispanic decent.

"Uhh, that's alright, we're good." Uzume said nervously, chuckling sheepishly.

"Yeah Chad, you could bring the whole house down." Keigo said as he looked up into the face of the giant.

"Anyways, what do we have next?" Uzume asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Language Lab." Mizuiro replied.

From behind her, Uzume heard a female voice speak to her.

"Hello, you're Uzume, right?"

Uzume turned her head to the voice, curious who it was. When she did, her eyes widened in shock. For standing in front of her, was the Soul Reaper from last night.

"My name is Rukia, I'll be sitting next to you, it's nice to meet you." The petite Soul Reaper greeted

Uzume leapt from her seat and pointed at the girl.

"YOU!" She cried as she pointed her finger at the petite black-haired girl.

"Hey Uzume, what gives?"Keigo asked.

"Do you two know each other?"Questioned Chad.

Rukia giggled in an exaggerated girly fashion.

"Of course not. We've never even met before, right Uzume?" Rukia said politely.

"Rukia's a brand new transfer student." Mizuiro told her as Uzume looked at the Soul Reaper in fright.

How the hell did she find her?

"It's a pleasure to meet you."Rukia told her in a way-too-nice-to-be-real tone.

As she extended her hand to Uzume, Rukia revealed her palm, which had writing on it.

Make a scene and you are so dead

Uzume recoiled from the hand, looking at the girl, or demon, in fear.

'What the hell did i get myself into?' She wondered to herself.


-Later, after lunch, with Uzume-

Uzume slumped into her seat in class, with a still falsely chipper Rukia sitting on her left. She had just come back from killing another hollow, and performing Konsō on a little boy spirit. Now, she had to deal with class.

With her chin propped up by her fist, and her posture slumped with her eyes closed; Uzume was ready to go home and reflect on what had happened that day.

Unfortunately -or maybe not so unfortunately, depending on your perspective- it wasn't to be.

"Attention class." Their teacher, Misato Ochi, called from the front of class.

Uzume wearily looked up at the front of class, only to straighten up completely at the sight that greeted her. Standing at the front of class was Ms. Ochi, looking the same as always. She was relatively pretty young woman with glasses and brown hair.

It was the person standing next to her that caught her attention, and caused a slight blush to form on her cheeks, one that seemed to be shared by almost all the girls in class, except for the red-haired Chizuru Honshō, who was drooling over Orihime as usual.

Next to her stood a blond haired boy about their age. He was tall, standing at what she guessed to be just under six foot. His spiky hair was long, reaching the top of his shoulder blades, and bangs framing his face, and partially obscuring his right eye. Speaking of which, his eyes were an intense sapphire color and slightly narrow, and his skin was in between being in-between normal and pale. There were what appeared to be three whisker marks on each of his cheeks. His face was angular and narrow.

Over all, he was probably the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki, he's a new student here and is starting today. Naruto-san, please introduce yourself." Ms. Ochi announced.

Naruto nodded in assent, bowing slightly to the class.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Pleased to meet you." He said with a charming smile that caused all the blushes on the faces of the girls to intensify.

All the other guys in the class, save perhaps Chad, were silently sulking at how Naruto had the girls swooning over him with hearts in they're eyes. Keigo in particular seemed put out that the girls took to him right away.

Even Ms. Ochi seemed to have a blush.

Inwardly, Naruto was smirking at their reactions. It never failed. He was more popular with the ladies than even Sasuke had been. Of course the drawback was the ridiculous number of fangirls.

"W-well Uzumaki-san, take whichever open seat you want." Ms. Ochi told him.

Naruto grinned with a nod. All the girls were now following his moves, hoping he sat next to them.

'He's so dreamy."

"I wonder if he's single."

"I want to know if his muscles are as hard as they look through that uniform!"

All these came in hushed whispers from the girls of the class, but he heard them as clear as day. Being a former Jinchuriki had its perks, like enhanced senses.

Eventually he he stopped at the desk right next to Uzume, sitting down in it and lounging back in the seat.

Turning to Uzume, he extended his hand.

"Naruto Uzumaki. May I ask what your name is?" He asked with his most charming smile.

Uzume felt her face heat up at his smile. She half expected steam to come out of her ears. Lightly taking his hand and shaking it, her heart thudded rapidly in her chest.

"U-Uzume Kurosaki." She replied in an uncharacteristically meek voice.

"Uzume, it's a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you." Naruto said with a grin.

Uzume could only nod in response, turning back to the board with a large blush still on her face. She couldn't help a small grin of her own.

Perhaps today wasn't so bad after all.


-Urahara Shop, later, with Naruto-

Naruto walked towards the shop that Kisuke owned at a sedate pace. He had just got out of school, and he sent a shadow clone to tail Uzume and the petite Soul Reaper.

He didn't know what it was, but he sensed Uzume was similar to him when he was younger, a magnet for trouble.

It was a surprise to find out that she wasn't the only person in their class with a higher-than-average level of reiryoku. There was another, a boy named Uryū Ishida. From the feel of the boys reiatsu , he was a Quincy.

He was headed for the shop because he had received a message – via what Kisuke called a 'hell butterfly' – that his package, meaning the Asauchi, had arrived. Naruto was surprised it had been ready so fast, he expected to take weeks for Kisuke to procure one.

As he approached the shop, he came across the sight of two kids. One was a boy with short red hair.

The second was a young black haired girl with her hair in ponytails and two long bangs hanging in the middle of her face. Her eyes were a similar blue to his own, and she seemed to have a perpetual blush that reminded him of little Moegi.

"Ururu, clean up the back room when you're done!" The boy demanded.

"But Jinta, Tessai said you had to clean the back room." He heard the girl mumble meekly.

"Why you!" The now named Jinta growled.

He gained a scowl on his face as he saw the boy picking on the little girl, putting her in a headlock and yanking on her bangs.

Walking up behind the pair swiftly and silently, Naruto yanked the boy up by his collar and brought him face to face.

"Oi, let me go ya big idiot!" The boy snapped.

Naruto simply gave him a sickly-sweet smile that seemed to freeze Jinta's blood.

The temperature seemed to have dropped in the area, the sunlight no longer spreading it's gentle warmth. It was almost like a cool day in the Fall.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to bully girls, especially when trying to get them to do your work?" He asked in a tone that was way too nice to be real.

As he said this, a purple hannya mask appeared from seemingly nowhere behind him.

Jinta shook his head rapidly, not wanting to upset the strange man with the smile-of-a-demon and the strange mask peeking out from behind him.

Naruto gave a tut of admonishment in response to this.

"Well now I am. After all, I would hate to see what would happen should someone less understanding, find you doing so. I'm sure now you know, you wouldn't dream of doing it again, right?" Naruto replied in a sweet tone that promised pain at the wrong answer.

Jinta began to nod his head frantically, as a dark aura surrounded the mask behind the man, turning the area dark behind him.

"Good." Naruto said in a completely cheerful tone, his smile turning normal as the mask disappeared and he dropped Jinta on his rear.

The little girl looked like she wanted to giggle at the shaken up appearance of Jinta, who looked worse than when Tessai admonished him. Looking up at the man, she spoke hesitantly.

"Wh-what are you here for Mister?" The girl asked timidly.

Naruto smiled kindly at the girl, ruffling her hair.

"My name's Naruto, I'm here to see Kisuke. Tell me, what's your name little one?" He asked kindly.

The girls blush seemed to intensify as she answered.

"U-Ururu. It's nice to meet you Naruto-san sir." She replied politely, causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Naruto is fine. Now, where is Kisuke?" Naruto asked.

Before Ururu could answer, the sliding doors to the shop opened up to reveal a tall, muscular, lightly tan-skinned man. His black hair was cornrowed and he had a large handlebar mustache, which was connected to long sideburns. He wore a pair of rectangular-shaped glasses, and a white muscle shirt with regular pants and a blue apron.

Naruto noted the fact that this man felt like a Soul Reaper, just like Kisuke and the signature that had followed him.

"Ahem, Uzumaki-san, The boss has been expecting you, follow me."He said in a formal tone, turning to lead the blond into the store.

With a wave to the two children, Naruto followed the man.

He was lead past the shelves, and into the hallway, then the room he had been in last night. The only difference was, there was a tatami mat near the back that was lifted, revealing an opening in the floor.

"Right through here Uzumaki-san sir, the boss is waiting for us with the item you requested." The large man informed him.

Naruto gave a nod, his mouth twitching in amusement of the formal way the man spoke. Though he almost raised an eyebrow when the man said 'us'.

"Thank you Mister . . . ?"He trailed off, waiting for the man to give him his name.

The man bowed slightly, as he introduced himself.

"My apologies, how rude of me. My name is Tessai Tsukabishi, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Tessai said in his formal way of speaking.

Naruto merely nodded in acknowledgement, before lowering himself into the opening, with Tessai following after him.


-Underground Chamber-

As he stepped off the last rung of the ladder, with Tessai following soon after, Naruto looked at the massive area he was in with well hidden surprise.

There seemed to be some unseen light source that made it look like it was in the middle of the day.

He let out a whistle as he took it in. It was made to look like a massive wasteland in the middle of a rocky desert, with the huge wall and ceiling that were painted to look like a blue sky, with white clouds interspersed here and there. Strangely enough, he saw a giant hole in the ground a little ways off.

The biggest thing was the floor, which was actually rocky with dead trees and bushes in some places.

"I haven't seen a training area like this in a long time." Naruto commented in appreciation.

Out of nowhere, Tessai was in front of him crying in joy.

"Thank you for acknowledging my work!"He said in a grateful tone.

Not knowing what to say in reply, he was glad to hear Kisuke's voice call from behind him.

"Ah, Naruto, it's great to see you again!" Kisuke's voice said from behind him.

Naruto sensed another reiatsu signature with Kisuke's this time, the same one that followed him his first day here. With a smile on his face, he turned to face the strange shop keeper and . . . a cat?

Naruto nearly did a double take, as the reiatsu signature of the cat seemed to be that of a Soul Reaper. Deciding to get a better look, his eyes bled red like they did when he examined his false Zanpakutō, with the three black tomoe spinning around the pupil.

He now saw the energy travelling through the two individuals, and in the cats case, around it. That explained it. The way the energy flowed, was similar to when a shinobi used the transformation jutsu, Henge no Jutsu. So the cat was most likely a Soul Reaper under some sort of transformation.

'That's strange . . . his eyes changed when he was looking at Yoruichi/me.' The other three occupants of the room thought.

Kisuke of course, had a bit more insight into what happened.

'That must have been one of those Kekkei Genkai he mentioned. A dojutsu if I'm correct in that assumption. He didn't mention having one last night' Kisuke thought.

Meanwhile, Naruto was focused on the reason for him being here.

Having unraveled the mystery of the cat, he looked at Kisuke, who held a long cloth bundle under his arm. Presumably his Asauchi.

"Good to see you again Kisuke. I must say, I was surprised you managed to procure an Asauchi so fast. I've been trying to do it for centuries." He said to the hat wearing blond.

Kisuke gave a genial wave with his free hand as he removed his fan from his shirt, and began fanning himself.

"Yes well, I may find the occasional Asauchi lying around. After all, first year students at Shin'ō Academy can be so forgetful sometimes." The shop keeper replied casually.

Naruto couldn't help but grin at this. He had a feeling that those students didn't just 'misplace' the blank Zanpakutō's. It seemed Kisuke might have a little bit of a shinobi streak.

"And I must say, I'm surprised by your eyes. You didn't mention having a Kekkei Genkai when you told me about them last night. A dojutsu no less." Kisuke observed.

Naruto huffed in annoyance, having hoped that he could keep it a secret as long as possible. He just got too curious for his own good.

"Yes well, we all like to keep our arsenals a little close to the chest." Naruto answered, trying to avoid giving any details. Centuries and millennia of hiding his identity and abilities made it so that he naturally tried to protect them.

"I see. I guess that's perfectly understandable." The hat-wearing man replied, getting the fact that Naruto wanted his abilities as secret as possible.

Clearing his throat, Kisuke decided to get to the matter at hand.

"Alright. Let's get to the Asauchi. There are two stages to this process. I must warn you, before we continue, the first stage could be quite dangerous. You might even die." Kisuke warned.

Noting how serious the man was, Naruto straightened up. It seemed the process wasn't as easy as it was for him to use his fake Zanpakutō.

"There's a chance I'll die?" He asked Urahara with a blank expression.

Kisuke nodded grimly, understanding he might be reluctant. He was surprised then, when a large smirk grew on Naruto's face, causing everyone else to think he might be a few cards short of a full deck.

"That's fine. It will be nice to feel the feeling of doing something with my life on the line. It's been so long, I almost don't remember it."Naruto said nostalgically.

When your life wasn't in danger, and there was no possibility of death in it, life seemed oddly dull and muted.

Upon hearing this, Kisuke couldn't help a small smile of his own. He could understand that.

"Very well. I suppose I should explain why this will be risky. You see, the truth is, though you may hold the potential to awaken them; you have never actually had Soul Reaper powers, merely pseudo-powers." Kisuke began, gaining a shocked look from Naruto.

It also shock his Zanpakutō spirit. They had always assumed that he had Soul Reaper powers, not just the potential to have them.

'This explains why you have never heard my name Naruto-kun, you had yet to awaken the powers dormant within you. I should have realized it earlier'His Zanpakutō spirit spoke in his head.

Naruto gave a mental nod to this.

Seeing the other blond understood, Kisuke continued, beginning to walk towards the immortal shinobi. He stopped when he was only a few feet away

"Therefore, we must force those powers to awaken. The entire process could take days. And there can be no interruptions." Kisuke informed him.

Hearing this, Naruto gave a hum of thought. If he would not have access to the outside world, then he would have to ensure there was a clone to take his place.

Decision made, he quickly made the cross-shaped seal for the shadow clone jutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. He began to channel a massive amount of chakra into the jutsu, focusing it all on creating one clone with three-quarters of his chakra reserves.

In a plume of smoke, an exact copy of himself appeared. It looked around at the dry landscape, before giving a nod to its creator, and vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

With this now out of the way, Naruto looked at the other people in the room. The cat and Tessai had wide eyes, clearly shocked at this ability. He was also getting a confused look from Kisuke.

"I won't be able to attend school if I am to do this. So I'm sending a clone to do it in my place. It can last for at least two weeks." He told them in explanation.

"That's a very useful skill Naruto-san." Tessai said, respect clearly evident in his tone.

He was a former captain of the Kidō Corps, thus a technique like this, interested him.

Clearing his throat, Kisuke decided to get the show back on the road.

"Anyway. Now that's taken care of, let's continue the explanation of the process. First, we must–" Kisuke began.

Mid sentence, Kisuke brought up his cane until it was level with Naruto's forehead.

"–eject your soul from your body." Kisuke said in an completely serious tone.

Before Naruto could react to this strange sentence, , Kisuke pushed his cane forward, and through Naruto's head without another word. But that wasn't all. A second Naruto seemed to be pushed out by the cane. This one was wearing a white kimono, and tabi socks with waraji sandals, and a chain attached to his chest that connected him to the physical body.

For Naruto, it was a strange sensation. He felt himself being pulled from his body. There wasn't any pain, only a sort of tugging sensation, unlike when Pein, AKA Nagato, had tried to do it with the power of the Rinnegan.

As he was pushed out of his body, he fell on his butt, with his hands braced behind him. He could only stare at his body in slight surprise. It was strange seeing it lying there motionless.

Having seen stranger things in his time, he simply shrugged and stood up, as he did, he noticed Kisuke, Tessai, and even the cat looked shocked.

"What?" He asked.

"He should breathe normally, let alone move. How can he have this much Reiatsu, it's as strong as a Lieutenant under Gentei Reiin."(2) The cat said in a male tone.

It seemed that in its shock, the 'cat' forgot to keep the act up. This just confirmed Naruto's theory that it was a Soul Reaper. Either that, or impossibly, a summoning animal.

But when he heard the cat speak of Spiritual Pressure, he noticed that his was running loose. It was barely even fifteen percent of his power, but it seemed to be huge to them. He quickly reigned it in, making his signature disappear once more.

"What this about not being able to breathe or move, and what's a Soul-Binding Limiter?" Naruto asked the three Soul Reapers.

It was Kisuke that answered, having been least surprised by the spiritual pressure of the immortal shinobi.

"What Yoruichi means is you should be having trouble moving, because most people have trouble when outside their bodies if they are still alive. They simply don't have very much a Reiryoku, making it hard to breath and move. Second, a Gentei Reiin is a special seal used to limit the powers of any Soul Reaper ranked Lieutenant or above. This is because they have so much Reiryoku, it could influence the world of the living. negatively. It limits their abilities by about 80%. You were leaking the amount of a Lieutenant when fully releasing their Reiatsu while wearing one." Kisuke explained.

Hearing this, Naruto became contemplative. The amount of Reiatsu he had released was barely fifteen percent of what his reserves were. It meant he had roughly five percent more Reiryoku than a lieutenant.

'And you haven't even unlocked your Soul Reaper powers yet! Once you do, you should have as much, or even more than a Captain. Oooo, it gets me excited just imagining the blood we could spill with that amount of power!'The voice of his Zanpakutō spirit commented.

"That makes sense. Now, let's get on with this." Naruto replied.

"Very well. . . ." Kisuke said in a soft tone.

Something about it put Naruto on edge, although he didn't know why. He found out a second later.

In a flash, Urahara had drawn a sword from his cane, and severed the chain connecting him to his body. Naruto looked at the severed chain with his eyes wide and his jaw gaping. He did not just do that, did he? He wasn't certain what would happen, but he knew having the chain severed wasn't good.

"Your Chain of Fate has been severed. This means that it will slowly start to corrode, until there is nothing left. This is the Trial of the Shattered Shaft. You will be placed at the bottom of that shaft over there–" Kisuke said, motioning to the hole that Naruto noticed earlier.

"–and your arms will be bound with a high-level Kidō. You will only get out, and stop the corroding by obtaining the powers of a Soul Reaper." Kisuke explained.

Naruto nodded stiffly to this. Without a word, he walked over to the edge of the shaft, and jumped down.

He was quickly joined by Tessai in the darkness at the bottom of the shaft. The large man held his palms away from himself, with arms out to the side, then clasped his hands together with his fingers intricately interwoven.

"Bakudō # 99: Part I: Kin!" He cried.

Naruto found his arms pulled behind his back an bound with metal.

"I apologize Naruto-san, but this is necessary." The cornrowed man said apologetically.

Naruto merely nodded, looking up to the top of the shaft, where a figure was silhouetted against the artificial sky.

"Normally, the corroding takes a very long time; however, this shaft drastically speeds up the process. You have at most 72 hours before it encroaches completely. Should it do this, you will become a hollow, and we will have no choice but to destroy you." Kisuke informed him.

Even as this was said, Naruto saw the first chain link writhe and grow teeth, before dissolving.

'Well he said I would only get out if I got the powers of a Soul Reaper. I suspect that means I must look within myself and find it.' Naruto reasoned to himself.

Without hesitation, he reached within himself, and willed himself to appear in his 'Soulscape'. It was made easy by the fact it was similar to entering his mindscape as a jinchuriki.

His body slumped forward with a soft thud as he withdrew into himself.

"Well. It looks like he's on the right track." Yoruichi spoke, watching beside Kisuke.

The former Corps-Commander of the Onmitsukidō could only nod.


-Naruto's Soulscape, with Naruto and his Zanpakutō Spirit-

Naruto looked at the soulscape as he appeared in it.

It was night, and the moon was large, and bright, in the sky. It was bathing the landscape in a silvery light. He stood in the center of a clearing in a large forest. The forest was made up of trees that had no leaves, giving the appearance of Winter..

"Finally, we meet face-to-face." A familiar voice said from behind him.

Naruto turned to get his first look at his Zanpakutō Spirit.

She stood in front of him with as smirk on her face. She had long light grey hair that she kept in a ponytail, and narrow grey eyes. Her skin was pale and unblemished, and she had a lithe, but curvy figure. She wore a tight leather top and miniskirt, with black stockings. Over her shoulders she had a grey haori with a symbol on the back of a bird with a yin-yang symbol below it, surrounded on both sides by two tomoe.

"We do indeed. So tell me, Zanpakutō-chan, how do I go about finding my powers?" Naruto asked, preferring to get straight to the point.

He received a feral grin in response, that was decidedly bloodthirsty. Belatedly, he noticed the nodachi in her right hand. At the same time, he realized he wore the katana that was his pseudo-Zanpakutō on his hip.

"You fight me. No jutsu, no Sharingan, no powers. Just a one on one pure sword battle, until one of us is beaten, or can't go anymore. I will only help you find them if you can defeat me, and you hold little hope of finding them unless you have my help." The Spirit answered.

Naruto gave a silent nod at this, simply continuing to look at her. They stood there like that, neither moving, sizing each other up. As if they received a silent signal, both of them shot forward at the same time, blades meeting in a shower of sparks.


Naruto panted heavily as he glared at his opponent.

He was drenched in sweat, and there were scratches and cuts all over his body, some still bleeding, others already closed. His clothes had too many tears in them to count, and the cloth was stained crimson in almost half its surface area.

His opponent wasn't much better off, being equally exhausted. The difference was, she had a gleeful grin on her face.

Currently, they stood in the middle of the clearing. It had been nearly three days since their fight began, and Naruto knew time was running out. It had been a back and forth stalemate the entire time.

He could sense he had entered the final encroachment, which meant he had to end this now, and find his powers.

"My my Naruto-kun, cutting it awfully close aren't you?" His Zanpakutō Spirit teased.

Inside, she was worried that her master would fail. She didn't want him to become a hollow and be destroyed, even if this only meant he would go to the Soul Society.

With a growl, Naruto began his final assault with the same two-handed style he had been using the past three days. He came in with a downward slash at the spirit, trying to cut her from shoulder to hip. Her nodachi came up to block it.

Naruto was undeterred, as he began to unleash a lightning fast assault of slashes, parries, and spins, never once letting up, seeming to get faster by the second. The spirit was hard pressed to continue to block this desperate assault. She was near empty, and he was going faster than when he started the fight three days ago.

Finally, Naruto got the chance to end it. As she went to block his latest slash, going upwards and diagonal, he suddenly abandoned the two handed style, taking his katana in his right hand, he changed the direction and sliced through the tendons on her right wrist, causing her nodachi to drop slightly. It was all the opening he needed.

Quick as a flash, he brought his katana up to lay against her throat.

"I –huff huff– win. Now tell me –huff–, were are my powers." He commanded.

The spirit simply grinned in pure bliss. She was glad her master had proven stronger than her.

"Right here." She said.

The next thing he knew, her sword was sticking through his gut, and he felt the beginnings of a massive influx of energy that felt distinctly like a Soul Reapers reiatsu signature.

Sure enough, the sword was slowly dissolving and being absorbed into his body. The Zanpakutō Spirit leaned forwards so she could speak into his ear.

"Take this power, and use it to shed the blood of your enemies, hopefully, you will hear my name soon, now that you have awakened them." She whispered.

His world went white as he felt himself returning to the outside world

"I will hear your name once you bond to the Asauchi." Naruto promised.


-Outside, with Tessai, Kisuke, and Yoruichi-

Outside the soulscape, the other three had begun to get worried. The final encroachment had begun, and it still wasn't over. Finally, the last link in Naruto's Chain of Fate disappeared, and a hole began to open up on his chest, as a white substance began pouring from his mouth.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed as the substance spread.

His back was arched in agony, as he sat on his knees. Eyes wide and bloodshot, he began to writhe. Veins could be seen clearly across his body.

"It's no good. I'll have to begin the second part of the incantation!" Tessai exclaimed.

He slammed his fingers into the ground, releasing a white spiritual energy.

"Bakudō # 99: Part II: Bankin, First Song - Halting Wraps!" He cried as the spiritual energy solidified into white wraps of cloth, encircling Naruto, and making him look like a mummy.

This however, seemed to not be enough, so Tessai continued with the second 'song', aware what would happen should he use final song.

"Second Song - Hundred Serial Bolts!" The former Kidō Corps Commander called.

Naruto was pierced by a numerous metal bolts, that further held the clo0th down. Still the struggling increased. Reluctantly, Tessai prepared to say the final song.

Just as he had been about to finish casting, an explosion seemed to emanate from Naruto, kicking up a huge cloud of dust, and forcing Tessai to shield his eyes from the dust.

Eyes squinted, he could just make out a a black and blond blur shooting upwards from the cloud of dust.


Up top, Yoruichi and Kisuke watched as the explosion occurred, and witnessed as Naruto shot past and over them. Instantly the turned around, on guard in case he had become a hollow.

Their anticipation was worsened by the cloud of dust surrounding where he had landed. It seemed to melt away as the dust cleared, to reveal Naruto was perfectly fine, and lacking both hollow hole and mask. The only difference was, he was now dressed like a Soul Reaper.

"Well . . it appears the first step was a success – congratulations Naruto-san, you have gained the powers of a Soul Reaper." Kisuke congratulated the immortal shinobi.

Naruto simply nodded in response.

Then he spoke "What happens now?"

Kisuke smiled at the question, inclining his head as he spoke.

"Now . . . now we move to the second step. You must take the Asauchi and meditate with it, until it begins to bond with the spirit within you, and change form." Kisuke told him.

"And while I am doing this, could you teach me the techniques of the Soul Reapers via my clones? I get the memories of everything they learn, as long as it is not physical. So if you teach the techniques to them while I am unlocking my Zanpakutō, I will also be learning the techniques." Naruto asked.

Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai – who had just emerged from the shaft – looked wide-eyed at this, before Kisuke gained a gleam in his eyes.

This would be very interesting to study. The potential for growth rate was near endless, and from what he knew of the other blond, he already had a very high rate of growth to begin with.

"Indeed, that can be arranged. Get back in your physical body, and we will begin." Kisuke declared.

The immortal shinobi did so quickly, moving over and merging with his body. It was again, a strange sensation. Like throwing on a heavy coat. He wondered, if this was how it felt for the Yamanaka clan to use their signature Shintenshin no Jutsu(3).

Back in his body, he made to stand up, only to collapse, as his muscles, which hadn't been used in days, refused to move. Gritting his teeth at the feeling of pins and needles all over his body, he channeled chakra throughout it, to not only enable him to move, but to wake up the muscles faster.

Standing, he faced the group of two men and a cat.

"Alright, create as many clones as you think you'll need, one group will follow Tessai–" He motioned to the giant man.

"Where they will learn Kidō. The other will follow Yoruichi here–" This time he gestured to the cat.

"–to learn about Hohō – high speed movements in a fight through use of Shunpo – and see if you need to learn about Hakuda, hand to hand combat." Kisuke finished.

Kisuke, Tessai, and Yoruichi, waited for Naruto's reaction to hearing he was learning from a cat, even if it was a talking one. They expected shock or something similar. Thus, they were surprised, when his only reaction was a slight raise of the eyebrow.

"So, are your going to continue to pretend to be a cat, or are you going to be doing this as a human?" Naruto asked Yoruichi casually.

His answer came in the form of an eruption of smoke. It slowly cleared to reveal a naked woman. She had dark skin, and purplish-black hair, with golden eyes that had slit pupils, like a cat. Her body was curvy and lithe, and she was decently endowed.

"Well . . . it's not every day someone sees through that." She commented with a smirk, expecting him to either become embarrassed, or go perverted.

She was surprised though, when he showed no outward reaction.

Naruto had to resist chuckling at the put-out expression she had. It wasn't like he hadn't seen something similar before, in fact, it was almost exactly like his Oiroke no Jutsu(4).

However, Yoruichi was slightly vindicated as Naruto did admire her body, but there was little reaction besides this.

"I hope you weren't expecting me to be embarrassed by such a shameless display. Embarrassment is derived from guilt. I haven't felt guilt since the eleventh century." Naruto teased with a grin.

Yoruichi good only huff in fake annoyance as Kisuke handed her a bundle of clothes. She quickly donned the clothes, which consisted of tight black pants and white socks with Chinese style shoes, and a black long-sleeved shirt with an orange top over it.

"Now that we're all fully clothed, let begin." Kisuke said.


Chapter End

AN/ Ok, so that's chapter 2 down. Sorry it took so long.

So, Naruto now has Soul Reaper powers and is going to train in the techniques of the Soul Reapers. Next chapter will be a time skip to his first appearance fighting hollows since he saved Uzume and Rukia, and it will be when Uryū uses the hollow bait to attract all the hollows to Karakura, right before Renji and Byakuya arrive to take her back to the Soul Society.

I don't think I will show the training right away, I might reveal parts of it in flashbacks.

As you can guess, I intend for him to be able to use Vizored powers, as well as possibly some hollow techniques.

I'd also like peoples opinions on what to do with Orihime. Should she still have a crush on Uzume, or should it be on someone else?

Finally, it seemed allot of people weren't against the concept of a harem, while some didn't want it. I still am not decided, so I decided I am going to open a poll about it. This will be open until the next chapter comes out.

That's all for now, see ya folks!

1: Stealth Force

2: Soul-Limiting Symbol

3: Mind Body Switch Jutsu

4:Sexy Jutsu