I don't own Naruto or Bleach. I do however own all the little humor and zanpakuto that Naruto and Sasuke get!

Naruto Chuuten: Rising Into The Heavens

By: Draco Kamikaze

Naruto grinned as he sat down in his Zanjutsu class. He was practically bouncing where he sat as he stared at his teacher. Sasuke, who was sitting next to Naruto, groaned at how hyper Naruto was being. But then, he had every reason to be. After all, today was the day they obtained a real zanpakuto to train and use throughout the rest of their lives.

Naruto stopped moving as the teacher glanced in his direction, apparently annoyed by how much energy he had. Of course, containing the energy was something that Naruto had to completely concentrate on; if anyone looked close enough, they'd see a layer of sweat on his face. It was literally that hard for him to do.

Sasuke on the other hand, was the example of perfect self control. Sitting cross legged, he managed to look straight ahead while seeing everything around him. His attention was razor sharp, ready to move to the next thing at a moments notice; something that the teachers greatly admired, and enjoyed. His sponge-like mind help that by letting him learn the different stances and techniques faster than most of the other people; he'd even managed to get a teacher to start teaching some of the more advanced techniques.

Naruto on the other hand, couldn't be taught no matter what anyone tried to do; an Eleventh Division member if they ever saw one. However, he still had a form that none of the students could completely read because of that. He was constantly adding new movements, sometimes even throwing a little Hakuda into his techniques; confusing his enemies, and making Sasuke yell about how they were in the middle of a Kenjutsu class. It was like music to his ears.

As the teacher began to move around, Naruto straightened up a little more. He craned his neck forward, trying to catch anything that would be useful to him for the creation. After a moment, the teacher finally began to explain what he wanted to hear.

The teacher grabbed a small ball and held it up for the class to see. "Now, the creating of a zanpakuto is not as easy as some people may believe it to be. We will give each of you a ball of raw reiatsu in which you will have to mold your reiatsu into it. This will bring you into your 'inner world', where you should meet your zanpakuto's spirit. Your spirit will then allow you to create your zanpakuto. None of you will be able to hear your spirits name just yet, but you will in time as this is necessary to unleash your Shikai. Now, not all of you will be able to do this. As such, the Asauchi (Shallow Hit) was created so that you can continue your profession as a shinigami; you just won't have the ability to achieve Shikai just yet."

Some of the kids began to cry in outrage at this. Not being able to achieve Shikai? Were they allowed to do that? Why could some do it and others not? Was their inner world scary?

Naruto just leaned back, a small grin on his face. It was actually easier than he'd thought it was going to be. He'd though that it was going to be some dark, mysterious process; like having to fight a real Hollow till you got it. But this, this was so much easier. Just put some reiatsu into a ball? Piece of cake.

"Now, we want you to come forward one at a time, starting from the beginning."

Naruto sighed, sticking his legs out from underneath himself and reclining where he sat. He was going to be one of the last people, so why should he start to get stressed out? There was really no rhyme or reason to doing so.

Suddenly, a voice cut through his thoughts. "Lazy as ever, right Naruto?"

Naruto tilted his head back till he saw who was standing behind him. "Eh? Kaien!"

Kaien grinned. "Hey man, just wanted to see you and Sasuke get your zanpakuto's."

Naruto quickly spun around to look at Kaien. "Really? Did you want to see my totally awesome, super powerful zanpakuto?"

Kaien chuckled. "And what makes you think that it's going to be like that?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's a few things that are totally obvious about myself, and my zanpakuto's spirit is the manifestation of my spirit powers. So it would take the form of something that looked totally cool, able to launch powerful waves of energy, and could fell giant Menos with one swoop."

"I wouldn't go that far." Kaien said, trying to understand Naruto's train of thought. He never could understand what was going on with Naruto's…humble ego, something that shouldn't have existed. But then, Naruto was far beyond the normal…he was abnormal.

Naruto chuckled. "I guess so. I'll just leave out the powerful waves of energy part. It has to be that strong."

Sasuke suddenly chuckled. "Yea, you verse a Menos…Menos squishes you like some bug. Victory goes to the big, fat, and ugly."

Naruto blinked. Then, a grin crossed his face as he started laughing. "Sasuke made a funny!"

Kaien leaned over to Sasuke as Naruto suddenly went off on a tangent about how rare it was for Sasuke to say something funny. "How to you stand rooming with him again?"

Sasuke sighed. "Patients, a lot of willpower…and an emergency hammer on hand at all times. You can never be too careful with him enticing the women around here."

Kaien blinked. "What are you –?"

"Just look behind you." Sasuke said, closing his eyes as he began to meditate.

Kaien glanced behind him, and almost cried. Naruto was surrounded by practically every girl in the class. They were all talking at once, and Naruto seemed to be able to jump from conversation to conversation without missing a beat. As he watched, the girls seemed to have some kind of game where they'd all ask Naruto questions at the same time, and then ask Naruto what the answer was to each of their questions. Surprisingly, he looked them all in the eyes and gave them the correct answer every time. Now if only he could apply that to his academy work…

"You know, he'd probably be at the top of the class if he spent as much time on his schoolwork as he does trying to listen to all of the girls at once and remembering who said what." Sasuke said, as though he'd read Kaien's thoughts. "Of course, he's too busy messing around to do stuff like that, so he won't be able to get higher than he is at."

Kaien shrugged. "I don't know, he's got quite the group of girls. I bet he's preparing himself for later; so he could get a wife."

Sasuke opened an eye, glancing at Kaien. "Speaking of which…how's your wife been?"

Kaien chuckled nervously. "Well…she's doing alright. There's not much with her, but I love her; I love her a lot." Suddenly, Kaien seemed to remember something. "Oh, I almost forgot, she wants you and Naruto to meet my family tonight. Do you think that'll be alright with the two of you?"

"Why couldn't we meet her before?" Sasuke asked as he glanced over at Kaien.

"Well, academy students aren't allowed to leave the academy without a parent of guardian's permission until they get their zanpakuto's. Since I am neither your parent, or guardian, I couldn't get either of you guys out until now. That's why I told Naruto to keep his grades up for the last three years." Kaien suddenly scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh…I just remembered something. My sister Kukaku and my brother Ganju might be joining us. They don't come by all that often, seeing as I'm usually consumed by my duties, and they might just drop in seeing as I've asked for a day off today. I hope that won't be too troublesome."

Sasuke nodded. He'd expected as much, seeing as they'd been in the academy too long to actually meet his family. They'd heard a lot about them whenever they brought up the subject. They had guessed that it would happen sooner or later. Although…some stuff about his sister seemed kind of scary.

Suddenly, the teacher yelled. "Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked, slowly getting up. Has time gone by so fast? Have I really gotten to this point?

Taking an even breath, he took the ball from his teacher's hands. Walking away, he quietly sat down on the side of one of the dueling arenas. He could feel several people's eyes on him, but quickly brushed them off. He needed to concentrate on what he was doing.

However, this became unnecessary as the moment he pushed some of his reiatsu into the ball, he felt himself being sucked into what felt like a deep dark pit. Then, there was silence.

Sasuke's Inner World

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in the middle of a golden colored, grassy plane, a few trees popping up here and there. The sky had several, darkened clouds which cast shadows over the land; giving the land a remarkable feeling which he was sure couldn't be said in the words he knew of. But…if he had to use one word to sum up what he was seeing, that word would be amazing. It was simply how such a primitive place seemed to hold so much power and mystery about it that captivated him as his eyes continued to look around.

This is my inner world? Sasuke thought as he glanced around. The area extended beyond the horizon, a never ending land that seemed to hold the very essence of his spirit. As he thought this, he remembered why he'd come to this place. Glancing around, he came to this realization that his zanpakuto spirit was no where in sight. He swore to himself. How am I supposed to find my zanpakuto's spirit in all of this?

"Hello Sasuke."

Sasuke jumped, surprised to hear someone's voice in this world. It was familiar, and yet foreign. Like he'd heard it through some kind of filter before hearing it now. As the realization of who it was hit him, he found him face to face with his zanpakuto spirit.

He blinked, trying to understand what he was seeing. This was impossible…wasn't it?

"I'm quite certain that this is possible, in here or the real world."

"So, what are you?" Sasuke asked looking the creature over. Its head came up to just below his chin, the large amount of hair made him nearly at his nose. He was obviously a predator, something that was supposed to take down anything and everything around itself. Its large jaw was closed, hiding the sharp fangs that could probably take a chunk out of him any time it wanted. Its large paws, which were equipped with claws that nearly scared him, were at least as large as his own feet. From what he could see, it was about as long as he was tall with thick, coiled muscles rippling as it slowly began to move around him; yet another thing that proved its strength. On its forehead, was a black, six petal flower. When he saw it, he felt somewhat familiar, like he'd seen it before.

"You asked what species I am, an interesting question. The species I am is in the large cat family, a male lion to be exact. The king of the jungle for a better title." The creature said almost smugly, slowly walking around Sasuke. Its voice was strange, like it was echoing within its throat before he spoke. It was a deep voice, that appeared to both calm, and terrify Sasuke. He'd heard that voice so many times before...when he was just talking to him in the real world.

Sasuke stood where he was, letting it do as it pleased as it circled him. "Um…do you have a name?"

"Yes. My name is ----"

Sasuke grimaced realizing why he couldn't hear the name. "Ah, so that's what they meant."

The lion bowed his head. "Yes, your teacher was not stretching the truth. In reality, you shouldn't even be able to hear me as well as you can."

"Then why can I?" Sasuke asked, turning to face the lion.

"All will be revealed in time." The lion said, slowly walking away. As he did so, he slammed one of his paws against the ground; a normal katana slowly sprouted from the air around Sasuke as he did so. "You will require this for when you hear my name. Never forget…you are not alone."

Sasuke tried to say something, but felt himself being dragged out of his world. Struggling as hard as he could, he soon realized it was pointless as he watched himself being dragged out of his inner world.

Real World

Naruto grinned as Sasuke began to regain consciousness. He was sitting right in front of him, just waiting for him to wake up. It was taking a lot out of him to sit quietly in front of him, but Sasuke's reaction would be worth every moment.

Sasuke slowly began to open his eyes, sluggishly awakening from the process of creating a zanpakuto. As his eyes began to open, he began to realize that someone was sitting in front of him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly opened one. The blurry shape slowly took shape, quickly becoming Naruto.

This wouldn't have been as abnormal as many people might think seeing as Naruto did this to him all the time. However, having just come back from his inner world, he was a little on edge; so when he saw Naruto's face in front of him he only did what came natural. He hit him.

Naruto fell back on his butt, blinking in confusion. After regaining himself, he grinned at Sasuke. "Someone's a little edge, aren't you?"

Sasuke rubbed his eyes. "Shut up dobe…I'm not in the mood right now."

Naruto shrugged. "Okay, just don't kill me until after I get my zanpakuto too."

Sasuke blinked. "What –?"

He then noticed that in place of the reiatsu ball that had been in front of him, a simple katana had taken its place. It wasn't elegant, or complex, but it was different from the Asauchi's normal appearance. It had a hexagon-like guard, with a golden cloth wrapped just below the guard, and before the handle. Quickly drawing the sword, Sasuke looked over the blade, noticing how exquisite it was in comparison. It was like the blade was actually breathing in the energy around him.

Naruto watched as Sasuke studied his blade, almost jealous of him. All of the teachers had told everyone else to watch him as he did it so that they could get a better idea of how it was done. He watched for a couple of seconds before realizing that they were joking with them, pulling their legs to see how many people would actually watch him. And considering most of the people in the class had been unable to create their own zanpakuto, everyone was watching him.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. It was finally his turn, his time to shine. He practically skipped over to get the ball. The instructor smiled as he handed the ball to Naruto, whose grin never slipped as he picked it up.

The moment he did so, his eyes widened in surprise. His hands gripped the ball as though he were in pain. His breathing was suddenly harder, as though the air had gotten thicker. Everyone else were feeling the same way, as a large amount of silver reiatsu was suddenly pouring off of Naruto, pushing the teachers back to a safe distance as they watched him. Kaien and Sasuke could just watch in awe as his power continued to grow, exceeding anything Sasuke had ever seen. For Kaien, Naruto's reiatsu would be at least a twelfth seat in any division.

Finally, as it reached the point where the class was moments away from passing out, Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed.

Sasuke rushed over to Naruto, trying to figure out what had just happened. The teachers kept their distance, not wanting to get any closer to Naruto due to the amount of power that he'd just shown. They were taught what to do when stuff like that happened…they had only made it to around fifteenth seat or so before being assigned to the academy; he had more powerful then they though he would be.

Kaien walked over, surprise evident on his face as he looked down on Naruto. He had not had that much power when he and Kaien had first met. He might have made it as someone who was just above people with an Asauchi. But now…his growth had been amazing. To have that much power and the possible potential of having it continue to grow was amazing. He was so going to enjoy teaching him Shunpo.

Naruto's Inner World

Naruto never would have guessed that this was what his inner world looked like. He'd expected something…less than this. This brought back so many memories…so many things that he'd almost forgotten after he'd died. His inner world…was the training ground where the Memorial Stone was. In fact, there was a large, blank stone where the Memorial Stone would have been in real life. The fact that it was blank made him feel a little strange; almost like he was relieved.

The grass, the trees, even the clouds appeared the same as that very day that he'd become a Genin, when he'd started the path to where he could have one day become one of the great, and powerful Hokage's. The air blew lightly through the trees, tossing his hair lightly as it seemed to dance within it. His kimono caught parts of the wind, billowing out in an almost comical fashion.

He slowly looked around, trying to see if anyone else was with him. After realizing that he was alone, he grimaced. This totally sucks. I'm on the training ground where I became a Genin, I'm all alone, and I'm so freaking hungry!

Grimacing again, he looked around to see if there was any food. It was his inner world; surely there would be food somewhere. Maybe a large bowl of steaming ramen…oh, the joys of ramen.

Naruto stopped turning around as something caught his attention. A light gleam caught off a portion of the object, making him walk towards it. In front of the Memorial Stone was something that had not been there before. He slowly walked up to it, getting closer to get a better look at the object. He blinked as his figured out what he was seeing.

It was a sword. Not exactly as large as he thought it was going to be, but at the same time, it was definitely a sword. Slowly, he reached down and picked it up. It was just a little bit larger than a normal wakizashi; maybe by a few inches or so at most. Its guard, unlike almost every other guard he'd seen, was triangular in shape. The abnormality of it was fitting for it, as it fit with himself. Slowly, he drew it from its scabbard. It had an almost light luster, one which caught the light and let only the tiniest bit off of it. Slowly, he gave it a light swing.

He grinned. It wasn't too long, so he could lure his enemies into a Hakuda match where he'd still be able to strike them with the blade. But at the same time, it was just long enough that he wouldn't lose should he get into heavy grapples with an enemy. Its weight was perfectly balanced so as to give it the strength to move dexterously through the air, as well as through a battle. It was definitely the perfect blade for him.

"What will you use it for?"

Naruto blinked. Someone else is here? ...wait, I know that voice. For a brief moment, he considered turning around, but then he stopped. He didn't need to know, not right now. "I guess that depends…what are my options?"

"You have the ability to use that blade for everything, and anything you want. If you want to, you could use it to cause mass destruction to everything and everyone around you. Or, you could use it as a shield to defend yourself. Which will you choose?"

Naruto groaned. "Why do people like you always have to ask stuff like this? There's no way to answer that question without being wrong."

"Explain."

Naruto growled. "If I say one, I'll be considered a danger to society, and to everyone around me. If I choose the other, I'm self-centered, and could get everyone killed."

"Did I say that I would judge you based on you decision?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, but that's what anyone else would do. Why can't I just attack to defend?"

"Explain."

Naruto slowly held the sword out in front of himself, letting it once again catch the light. "Well, how should I put it?" He slowly tilted the blade from side to side, before giving it a quickly slashing movement. "I want a bladed shield; something that will allow me to become a sword for myself, as well as a shield for others. After all, isn't the best defense an even better offense? Isn't that the original purpose of all weapons? To use as tools to protect themselves from their enemies? If that's still true today, then why can't I say that?"

"You just did."

Naruto blinked. "Uh…well yea I guess I did." A small grin crossed his face as he sheathed his sword. "That is our purpose; to use my own hands to push forward and attack because it is the best way to defend."

"I see. Well, that is truly a powerful purpose for us to follow. I hope that you call on me soon."

Naruto nodded. "See you around. Hey, maybe next time, I'll ask your name for real."

Behind him, his zanpakuto's spirit grinned. "Until then, remember what you have said. It may help you more than you realize."

Naruto smiled as he felt the light tugging of his body pulling himself out into the real world.

After a moment, another figure came out. He was completely covered in shadows, obscured from the view of everyone. "You just let him walk off? Without even trying to tell him your name?"

"Hai, there is no reason for me to push him further than is necessary. However, it would do well for you to stop this growth that you are attempting to push on him. We don't wish for him to stand out just yet."

"You're no fun. Can I just…?"

"No, not until after the academy."

"But the Uchiha's won't stop; why should I?"

"Because we are not the Uchiha, and you are able to make Naruto's power rise much faster than the Uchiha's ever could. Understand?"

"So you're saying that I'm doing too good of a job at what I'm doing?"

"Precisely."

"Damn."

"Go cry somewhere else."

The second figure just laughed as it slunk back into the forest leaving the first to himself. "He's such a pest. However necessary he is to Naruto's development in the future, I will not allow him to do whatever he pleases." A silvery mist slowly began to encircle him. "I vow to protect you…just like my King has vowed to protect everyone else. Please, prepare yourself for my power."

Real World

Naruto's eyes slowly opened, a throbbing pain shooting through his head. After a moment, he began to make out a few people around him. Hanataro was sitting directly over his head, a look of concentration on his face. Sasuke and Kaien were either side of him, concerned looks on their faces as they watched Hanataro and himself. He could just barely see the shadows of a lot of the other students who were talking amongst themselves.

Naruto groaned, alerting everyone to his mental state. Within moments, everyone was crowding around him, trying to see if he was alright, or just to see him. It took Sasuke, Kaien, and all of the teachers to push them back and give him a little bit of room to get up. He was lightly glad about this, as the moment he sat up, he felt like he was going to puke.

"Uh…what happened?" Naruto asked, his eyes closed as he tried to contain the rising bile in his throat.

"You passed out when you touched the reiatsu ball. Apparently, no one has had the amount of reiatsu before touching one, so it overloaded your senses and forced you to pass out." Hanataro said, slowly spreading the medical Kido through Naruto's body. "If you feel any discomfort or sickness, it might be because you hit your head pretty hard when you fell down. If you move around to much, you throw up."

A few people close to them quickly backpedaled when they heard this. No one wanted to be covered in puke regardless of whether or not it was an accident. Naruto grimaced. "Thanks for the heads up."

Kaien grinned as he knelt next to Naruto. "So, have you seen your zanpakuto yet?"

Naruto nodded, raising his zanpakuto to let Kaien see it. Kaien examined it carefully, a little surprised by how small it was despite Naruto's large amount of reiatsu. If he hadn't been given a reiatsu ball to channel and create his zanpakuto for even a few more years, he probably wouldn't have been able to reseal it. Or at least, it would have been quite difficult to reseal. He doubted that Zaraki-taicho knew how to seal his zanpakuto, mostly due to the fact that he didn't bother learning its name. Had he the decency to ask it, he would probably be able to become even stronger.

"It's an awesome sword Naruto!" Hanataro said, looking it over, a small grin on his face as he looked at it. "I bet my zanpakuto won't that cool… your zanpakuto's spirit probably looks cooler too."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I didn't see him. I mean, I could have…but I didn't want to right now."

Kaien looked at him curiously. "I think I'm confused. Why wouldn't you want to see him right now?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm horrible with names, and usually have to put them with a face to get them stuck in my head. I don't want to not know what he looks like till I know what his name is."

Kaien nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"Are you going to tell him?" Sasuke said, taking Naruto's sword and looking it over. He had a light, almost superior grin as he looked it over. It left after he drew it, and was replaced with something that was closer to awe.

Kaien snapped his fingers. "Oh yea! My family wants to meet you today at my sister's house, and since you and Sasuke have your zanpakuto, you're allowed to leave the academy for periods of time. So what do you say?"

Naruto was about to answer but suddenly waved for Hanataro to get him a trash can. Hanataro just barely gave it to him before he puked into the bucket. Kaien looked slightly amused. "Geez Naruto, all you had to do was say no."

Naruto shook his head, trying to make his headache recede. "I would love to come."

Kaien grinned. "Great to hear. Now, try and recover quickly. We don't want you to be too sick when you meet them." He quickly stood up, bowed to their teachers and walked out.

After a couple of seconds, Hanataro glanced at Naruto. "Wow, you're friends with him?"

Naruto nodded. "Why? Am I not supposed to be friends with him?"

"It's not that, it's just that he's from a noble family." Hanataro said, waving his arms around as he tried to make his point. "His sister is supposed to be an insane pyromaniac who blows stuff up for fun all the time!"

Naruto shrugged. "It'll be a much better atmosphere than the silence I can never seem to get away from. It's so~ boring!"

Hanataro was about to say something when the teacher yelled, "Yamada Hanataro!"

"Oh! I'm up; please wish me luck!" Hanataro said as he walked over to the teachers.

Sasuke sat down next to Naruto. "So…we're going to meet Kaien's family."

Naruto nodded. "I guess so."

The two of them stared straight ahead for a moment. Then, "I'm pretty sure that Kukaku is going to kill you the moment you step in the door. You're too much alike."

Naruto shrugged. "You're probably more screwed; opposites attract you know."

A vein bulged on Sasuke's head. "Watch it dobe."

"Make me, teme!"

"That's it!" Sasuke roared as he drew his zanpakuto. The rest of the class scattered as Naruto drew his own sword free of its scabbard.

They both clashed with each other until they were both bashed over the head by one of their instructors who finally noticed them fighting. After a stern lecture, they were sent to their next class.

Later That Day

"This feels weird."

"Normally, I wouldn't agree. But this…this it way too much."

Naruto grabbed either side of his head. "What sort of crazy woman lives in a house like this?"

Just as he said, the house was weird…and that was quite the understatement. It was a huge house with two wooden arms situated on either side of the building holding a banner saying "Shiba Residence". Luckily, Kaien was standing in front of it, bringing a small amount of normality to the home. Both Naruto and Sasuke greeted the guards before they walked in, wondering what Kukaku and Ganju were like.

As they entered the dining room, they were greeted with the sight of three people sitting around the table; two girls and one guy. The first girl seemed pleasant enough; black kimono, hair pulled back into a bun, and a smile on her face. Obviously Kaien's wife.

The other two…could not have been related to Kaien. The girl, although missing her right arm, was lounging about, apparently not caring what was going on at that particular moment. Her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere as she stared at the ceiling. The boy on the other hand, while a little bit respectful, had no sense of manners. He quickly changed back to his normal self once he saw that Naruto and Sasuke were with Kaien, obviously not caring about what they thought of him.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other. Even though they weren't able to read each others thoughts, they knew they were thinking the same thing. What have we gotten ourselves into?

"Naruto, Sasuke, I'd like you to meet my family." Kaien said a courteous smile on his face. "First is my wife, Shiba Miyako." The woman bowed as Kaien motioned to her. "My sister, Shiba Kukaku." The one armed girl just gave a quick wave before continuing her staring. "And my brother, Shiba Ganju. He's the weird one."

"Ni-san! I'm not weird!" Ganju said, glaring at his brother.

Kaien shrugged. "You still play in the dirt, fight dirty, and ride those hogs. You're officially past weird."

Ganju had a thunderstruck face as he continued to stare at Kaien, who calmly sat down at the table. "So, what's for dinner? Nothing that will blow up in our guests faces I hope."

Kukaku sighed. "I only did that once and you know it."

"You did it to a captain."

"He had it coming. The freak was freaking hitting on me."

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other. Kyouraku.

"That doesn't change anything!" Kaien said, trying not to raise his voice.

"Uh, Kaien-san?" Naruto asked, glancing at his friend. "Don't you think that he might have had it coming? She is a master of explosives, like you said."

Kaien thought it over. "Well, considering it was Kyouraku…I'll let it slide. But that won't stop me from teasing you about it."

Kukaku pouted. "Well then, maybe I should let our guests know how you met your wife."

Kaien suddenly paled. "Please don't! They don't need to know that!"

Miyako blushed. "Kaien is right. Please don't tell them."

Kukaku shrugged. "Well, since you asked so nicely…sure." She leaned forward, an evil gleam in her eyes. "That's strike one."

Kaien gulped. He knew his sister wasn't kidding around, and would not let him down unless he was able to distract her.

A sudden, deep growl suddenly filled the room. All eyes fell on Naruto, who grinned sheepishly. "Hey, what do you got to eat? I'm starving!"

Kukaku shrugged. "I didn't make it. Ask Miyako."

"We're having food dobe. Or did you not figure that out?" Sasuke drawled out, trying to make Naruto sound stupider than he normally did.

Naruto chuckled. "Sasuke, you made another funny!"

Ganju suddenly started chuckling. "Oh, and I'm the only one here who's weird? What about him?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not entertained by playing in a sandbox."

A small silence filled the room. Then, "Why did you have to say that ni-san!" Ganju yelled as he tried to attack Naruto. Naruto didn't flinch as he grabbed Ganju's arm and threw him over his head.

Kukaku raised an eyebrow. Ganju was no small guy; he had plenty of muscle to back up some of the stuff he did. Plus with his 'dirt magic', which vaguely resembled Kido, he was actually pretty hard to beat…when he wasn't fooling around. This kid might be able to become something great someday. She glanced over at Kaien. "Okay…who're the kids again?"

"Naruto and Sasuke, they're two kids I met on one of my border runs when I was third seat. We became pretty good friends over time, and they are currently in the academy."

Shiomi smiled. "Well, it is nice to meet the both of you."

Ganju suddenly jumped up. "It doesn't matter! I will destroy you for your insults of myself!" Ganju bolted forward, intent on slamming Naruto into the table.

Naruto quickly stood up, grabbing Ganju by his shirt in the middle of his charge. Then, after sweeping his legs from underneath him, he swung him in a counterclockwise direction while pushing him away. After spinning him to the point that his head was facing downward, he shoved Ganju backward. Ganju actually slid quite a distance before coming to a stop outside of the dinning room doors, unconscious. Naruto slowly walked over and quietly closed the door.

If Kukaku had been surprised by his previous throw, she was blown away by that. For someone who was still in the academy to perform such an advanced aikido technique…it shouldn't have been possible. "Hey kid…how'd you do that?"

Naruto glanced at her before shrugging. "I don't know; I just make it up as I go along."

Kaien chuckled. "It's what makes him a dangerous fighter. No one can follow his thought process, or his techniques."

"What thought process?" Sasuke asked, taking a rice ball from the plate that Shiomi had brought out.

Naruto grumbled. "I think that's the third time you've made a funny tonight. To bad I was the butt of this joke; it might have been funnier."

Kukaku, Kaien, Sasuke and Miyako laughed at Naruto, who soon joined in on their laughter. They were so busy laughing they totally missed Ganju sliding back to his seat at the table.

Ganju glanced at Naruto. It was impossible. If what Kaien had said was true, than he couldn't have been much older than himself. But the amount of skill that he used was beyond the many things that he'd seen his brother do with his zanpakuto. And he was using pure Hakuda. If he added some Kido to it…

A mischievous grin crossed his face as he spun his hand in a circle next to Naruto, sending a tiny amount of reiatsu into the floor.

Naruto didn't notice till the last second, and found himself trapped up to his armpits in some kind of quicksand. Blinking in confusion, he glanced up at Ganju who had a look of triumph on his face. Naruto's mind took a moment to process the information, trying to figure out the fastest way to get back at Ganju. After a couple of seconds, he came up with his answer. "Hado 1: Sho (Thrust)!"

Ganju's last expression before he went flying back was one of complete confusion. He didn't stand a chance as he went flying headfirst into a wall. Kukaku hardly spared him a second glance. "He deserved it. Attacking a guest is unprofessional for a noble."

Kaien shrugged. "While that might be true, Naruto didn't have to do that. Using Kido to knock him away? Why not Bakudo? It's cleaner?"

Sasuke chuckled as Naruto looked away. "It turns out; Naruto's gotten good grades because all of the Bakudo spells are below number twenty-five. The moment he tries anything like that, his skill goes out the window. Seriously, he actually bound himself with the Bakudo he was supposed to do. It was really funny."

Naruto grumbled. "Bakudo never did me much good anyways. Besides, I'm working on making something much cooler."

Sasuke blinked. "Are you talking about…that?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, not that, just a different version of some of the Hado."

"Really?" Kaien said, giving Naruto a curious glance.

Naruto nodded nervously. "Yea…but don't tell anyone! If anyone finds out, I might be put in the Twelfth Division."

Everyone at the table shuddered at the thought of him in Twelfth Division, and what the captain might do. Or even worse, what Naruto might bring about if he became captain. A person who spontaneously jumped from thing to thing, usually having things blow up in his face…it would destroy the Seireitei.

"Uh…what did I miss?" Ganju asked, groggily getting up.

Naruto stared at him for a moment before glancing over to Kaien. "He's got a great recovery time."

Kaien nodded. "I think this is a new record. Kukaku, have you been pounding him in the head again?"

Kukaku glanced at her nails innocently. "Maybe."

"Can I have some more?" Sasuke asked, holding out his bowl to Miyako.

"Oh, do you like it?" Miyako asked, grabbing the bowl. "I hope I didn't add too much spice; I've done that too many times to count, so…"

"It's awesome!" Naruto said, punching his fist into the air before engorging himself on the food.

Miyako smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. We don't get much company around here lately, seeing as Kaien doesn't bring any friends over." She gave Kaien a playful glare.

Kaien chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't want you to meet any of the guys from the Thirteenth Division. They are really great people, it's just…I wouldn't want to bring any of them home. Naruto and Sasuke are just a lot more laid back, and I can trust them not to brag about how they had dinner with a noble."

Naruto grinned. "That's right! I might mention that I had dinner outside the academy, but not anything as compromising as that. Besides, what would I gain from it?"

"Popularity, people's respect, and practically everyone's attention." Kukaku said, monotonously listing off a few things that came to her mind.

Sasuke shrugged. "Why would we want more of that? We get plenty right now."

Miyako glanced at them. "Really? Do you get a lot people watching you?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yep. I get a lot of guys who admire my strength, and Naruto gets a lot of girls because he's a big flirt."

Naruto smirked. "That's right, I'm a big flirt. And there's nothing you can do to stop that!"

Kaien raised an eyebrow. "…you openly admit that you're a flirt?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's a lot better than being called a 'player'. That makes me sound like some kind of womanizer who wouldn't care about whatever girl he was with. I just like being around a lot of girls; their personalities seem to mesh together. Plus, it's fun to hear what they think of all the other guys…it's actually rather funny."

Kukaku glanced between the two of them. "So…you're a guy who's constantly surrounded by guys. And you're…constantly surrounded by girls." Naruto and Sasuke nodded. Kukaku glanced at Kaien. "So, which one of them would you say is gayer?"

Both of the boys began to glare daggers into at Kukaku. They quickly changed to Kaien when he answered. "You know, I ask that question all the time. And there is never a correct answer to that question."

Miyako sighed. "Kaien, please play nice. They're our guests after all."

Kaien chuckled. "Fine, but could you tell them to turn off the killer intent? It's almost scary how strong it is. Almost."

Sasuke had finally figured out how the Shiba family's hierarchy was. Kaien was the fearless leader, Kukaku was sort of the 'queen', and Ganju could have easily been the court jester, while Miyako was the peacemaker. All in all, the most dysfunctional family that he'd ever come across since Team 7.

His mind suddenly froze. Had he just thought that? Had he just put his former team on the same level as an actual family? To think that he thought Sakura was like his annoying sister, who no one really wanted around until she became serious; who was constantly clinging to others for support. Kakashi…maybe the uncle who would never get the picture to leave. Yet at the same time, you could always depend on him if you needed to get out of a sticky situation.

But Naruto, there was a thought he never thought would hit him. He'd had a brother before, and had made up his mind about what a brother was supposed to act like. And yet, Naruto was not only fulfilling that role to a tee, but was actually doing better at it than his brother ever could. Sure, his brother had turned into a family killing psychopath, but he'd been the only brother he'd had. Naruto…he was like a brother; someone who helps you up when you're down, tries his best at everything so you'll laugh when it blows up in his face, supports you when you're facing something you couldn't take on your own, and just being there to chat about random stuff. Naruto was his brother.

He mentally shrugged. We're dead; those rules don't really apply anymore. So…if I have to choose someone else to be my brother, I could have done much worse. Like Ganju…he's just stupid.

Sure enough, Ganju was trying to tell Naruto about how weak his technique had been and how he'd be able to beat the gayness out of him with one punch. Naruto's eyebrows were twitching as he tried not to hit the poor guy. Unfortunately, he didn't shut up in time, said a few more stupid things, and was subsiquentialy sent flying outside courtesy of Naruto's fist. The killing intent flared up again as he followed poor Ganju outside.

Sasuke sighed. "Well, I definitely could have done a lot worse."

Later That Night

Naruto grinned eagerly as he watched Kaien. Kaien was demonstrating how to correctly perform a Shunpo to Naruto; it was way faster than the Hoho that he learned at the academy. His eyes barely kept track of Kaien's movements, mostly seeing only a blur moving before seeing the actual him stop to perform the technique again.

After another moment Kaien stopped in front of Naruto. "Alright, that's how you perform Shunpo. Now I'll explain how you perform Shunpo."

Naruto nodded eagerly, his grin widening even more as he sat down and waited for Kaien to explain. "What do I have to do?"

"It's a little more complicated than you might think." Kaien said, shaking his head at Naruto's silly actions. He had no idea how complicated it was. "What you need to do, is figure out which muscles you're using in your body whenever you move. Then, once you've done that, you need to figure out what you need to do with the rest of your body moves, and make them act accordingly. You then simply push your muscles to their limit so that you actually propel yourself forward."

"I don't get it." Naruto deadpanned, lightly smacking his head against the ground.

Kaien sighed. This is going to be so much harder to explain to him. Maybe I should just…

"Naruto." Sasuke said, walking up to him. Naruto glanced up as Sasuke continued speaking. "It's like moving the strings of a puppet in a special way to make it perform the movements you want. It could also be like a tree in the wind; it needs to bend to the point where it might snap before it moves back even faster."

Kaien blinked. "What are you talking about? That doesn't even relate to what –"

"Oh! I get the second one!" Naruto said, a picture of a tree branch swinging and smacking Sasuke faster than if he just smacked him with a normal branch smacking him. It was also funnier.

"Uh. You understood that?" Kaien asked, more confused than he thought he could ever be. Sasuke had somehow mannaged to explain something to Naruto that he himself couldn't? That wasn't totally insane, but it was quite crazy.

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yea! I just have to tighten the muscles inside me like when you bend a tree branch, and release a few while tightening others while I move! Then, I have to breath so that the air doesn't slow me down to much."

Kaien's mouth dropped. That was almost a perfect definition of Shunpo. The only real difference was that people didn't refer to the tree branches when they were discussing it.

"Alright! I'm going to try it now!" Naruto said, quickly standing up. Focusing on the muscles in his legs, he quickly tightened certain parts of them and pushed himself forward. While not as fast as Kaien's had been, it was much faster than the normal Hoho method. He grinned for a second in triumph…until he forgot to lossen the muscles and crashed headfirst into a wall.

"Well, that wasn't bad for your first time." Kaien said, trying not to laugh as Naruto picked himself up. "But, you're going to need to concentrate more; otherwise, you'll crash into the wall again."

Naruto nodded vigerously. "Alright, I'll –"

"It's like this dobe." Sasuke said, suddenly bluring towards Naruto.

Kaien could easily follow the bastardized Shunpo. However, in definition, he'd just performed a Shunpo. It wasn't as fast as it could have been, yes, but it was a Shunpo never the less. "I'm surprised Sasuke. You did pretty good for your first time."

Sasuke shrugged. "I just understood all the other stuff you said. If Naruto had listened to you...or to himself for that matter, he would have realized how to stop himself from crashing into the wall. Dobe."

"Teme!"

Kukaku watched all this from the shadows, laughing lightly as they argued. "The Seireitei has no~ idea what they are getting themselves into. I can't wait to give the kid fireworks...it'll be a riot!"

A/N: Thank you my loyal fans!

So, what did you think of Sasuke and his funnys? If the humor wasn't there, please let me know. My Beta constantly tells me that stuff, and I want my readers opinion.

Also, there will be a minimal amount of Naruto characters returning to the Bleach world. The two of them will be Shinigami, and were mentioned in an earlier chapter. However, a few of the bad guys will come back, simply for later plot. You'll find out who, later.

Currently, the poll for Naruto's love interest is as follows:

Neliel: 4

Orihime: 3

Tatsuki: 0 (wow)

Yoruichi: 10

Soi: 11

Well, this is quite interesting. Not one person voted for Tatsuki! I'm simply amazed by how that worked out. Well, we currently have a lead with Soi. Tatsuki and Orihime are out for now, seing as they got the least amount of votes. This leaves Neliel, Yoruichi, and Soi. Personally, I'm leaning towards Soi myself, but that's just me.

Anyways, did you like Sasuke's zanpakuto spirit? And who was that mysterious person in Naruto's inner world? You'll find out later in the story...if you REVIEW!

Thank you,

Draco Kamikaze