I'M BACK!!!

That's right, I have decided that because no one wanted to ask to finish this story, I will have to finish it! And so, we begin!

Naruto Chuuten: Rising Into The Heavens

By: Draco Kamikaze

"This is impossible."

"But these were taken movements after the attack had ended. These pictures are one hundred percent correct. This has actually happened."

"But…how can this be?"

The captains were all holding the same picture in their hands, given to them by Yamamoto and Kurotsuchi. In the picture was what could only be called a wasteland. There were hollowed out souls, looking similar to those of souls that had been eaten by Hollows. However, the physical damage to the surrounding area made a few of the people wonder what could have possibly happened. It looked more like a large group of Menos had run rampant through the area; which could not be possible as the markings and residual reiatsu signature indicated one attacker.

"Do you have any leads?" Yamamoto asked, glancing over at Kurotsuchi, who rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm not quite sure. But from the damage, I'd guess that whatever happened here happened to their bodies, and to their souls simultaneously. The impossibility of this is obvious…but still, it happened." Kurotsuchi grinned. "If you'll let me run some tests…"

"No way!" Ukitake said, glaring at Kurotsuchi. "This sort of thing, in your hands might be safe if we considered trusting you…but we have no insurance about that. Or even what ulterior purpose your so called 'tests' would be serving."

Kurotsuchi frowned. "What I research on, and who I'm researching for are my business. Simply knowing how our enemy did this could give us a way of find him, and stopping him from doing it again. Of course, this foe would make an interesting test subject in and of itself. How it was able to perform the obliteration of Konoha without anyone knowing is beyond me. It would be a jewel amongst my research."

"You have no sense of decency, do you Kurotsuchi?" Sajin said, barely glancing in his general direction as he spoke.

Kurotsuchi growled. "And what would a bucket head like you know about science? Having 'morals' or any sense of 'decency' would simply impede the progression of my glorious work. And then, the Seireitei have time and power lost because of something as trivial as morals."

"Morals give you something to fight for. Something to make even the weakest of Bankai's a force to be reckoned with." Ukitake said, an almost hushed tone to his voice.

Kurotsuchi scoffed. "So says the sick man. You can't even have whatever your sick with healed, can you? I've seen your Bankai, and it's power is not so powerful, even with your morals." Kurotsuchi suddenly turned his glare onto Soi Fon. "And you…do you even have a Bankai? I know for a fact that I was placed as the Twelfth Division captain before you were placed as the Second, but I do not recall having ever scene your Bankai."

Soi Fon closed her eyes, not bothering to shift her position as she spoke. "I shouldn't have to reveal my Bankai. I have the speed and power to take out an enemy without needing to ever use a Bankai."

"So, what you're basically saying is that you don't have Bankai?" Kurotsuchi said with a dark grin on his face, trying to egg her on.

"That's not what I said. I said that I don't need to use my Bankai."

Kurotsuchi's grin widened. "So you do have a Bankai?"

Soi Fon glanced away. "Yes. I have a Bankai."

Kurotsuchi twitched obviously irritated by the fact that she was not giving anything away, as well as the blatant lack of respect for her fellow captain. He opened his mouth to send out another barrage of questions, but was stopped by Yamamoto.

"Enough Kurotsuchi." Yamamoto said, stopping him from continuing his tirade. "If there is any problems, I will talk with Soi Fon, not you. Are we clear?"

Kurotsuchi sighed. "Alright. But if we've got a captain that can't hold her own in a large fight that is bound to happen…we could be seriously screwed."

Yamamoto nodded. "Be that as it may, I have confidence in her skills. Now, we need to get back to the task at hand. What other reports do you have on the people of Konoha?"

Kurotsuchi shrugged. "Not much really. There's supposed to have been a few people who actually survived this massacre, but they're already in the academy, so we don't have to worry about finding them. They're progressing decently, but I doubt they'll ever get to the point that Naruto and Sasuke have gotten to."

Yamamoto nodded. "That is true for many people." He glanced around the room. "We have no idea what this threat is, or how it managed to destroy so many souls. However, we do recognize that this is a threat to the Seireitei as we know it. Tell your Division's to remain on guard, and to train hard to prepare for anything that may come up. Are we clear?" After a quick chorus of 'yes sotaicho's', he stood up. "You are dismissed. Remember, don't tell anyone about this incident; especially Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. They might not take the news well, and we don't need any more rouges out there. Understood?"

After another chorus of yes', they began to filter out of the room. "Soi Fon, please stay here for a moment."

"Busted." Kurotsuchi whispered, grinning widely as he continued out of the room.

Soi Fon took a deep breath as she stood before Yamamoto. "Yes Sotaicho?"

"I need to ask you something…about Naruto and yourself."

Soi Fon nodded. "Yes?"

"How have you and him gotten along?"

Soi Fon blinked in surprise. She had expected him to ask something about his talents, or mission abilities. But a personal question, she wasn't sure what to say. She opened her mouth to give a generic answer, but suddenly found it difficult to speak. She tried to take another breath, feeling the air catch in her throat. Ignoring it, she finally spoke. "I'm not sure…what you mean."

Yamamoto sighed. "What I mean is; have you had any problems with Naruto's personality?"

Soi Fon relaxed slightly. "Oh. Well, he is a hard working member of the Second Division. One of the best recruits I've ever seen. Personally, he could almost make fourth or third seat in any division if he could unlock his Shikai. He does have a few faults, but I'm working on…"

"That's not what I meant." Yamamoto said, interrupting her suddenly. He leaned forward slightly so that they were almost eye level. "How are your handling Uzumaki Naruto's presence?"

"Personally?" Soi Fon asked, looking at Yamamoto in confusion.

"Yes."

Soi Fon glanced down trying to pick out her words as tactically as possible. "He…he is a strange boy. He's caught onto some Kido manipulation faster than anyone that I've ever taught. He's even gotten to the point that I'm considering his help with a…difficult project I have. However, he is still just a subordinate."

Yamamoto nodded, standing straight. He began to pace as he once again spoke. "I suppose that is understandable. What with Yoruichi's departure, and betrayal of the Seireitei, you have had a problem with people getting close to you."

"It helps me focus." Soi Fon replied curtly.

Yamamoto continued on as though she hadn't spoken. "You 'attack' your division members."

"To keep them on their toes."

"And make it rather difficult for some of the newer recruits to receive the team support that they require."

"You can't say that! A team is a powerful unit, but is only as strong as the combination of the individual members. New recruits aren't ready for missions like that!" Soi Fon yelled, grinding her teeth as she spoke. Yamamoto had never questioned her methods. They both knew that it more than got the job done.

Yamamoto glanced at her again, slamming his cane into the ground. "And yet you have had no qualms in sending Naruto into the field. What is the difference between them?"

Soi Fon nearly jumped. She blinked in surprise as she stared at Yamamoto. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You have sent Naruto on several high ranked missions that could have ended a lot worse considering his lack of Shikai. What has he done to be allowed to go on these missions?"

"There weren't any casualties!" Soi Fon yelled, stepping forward as she spoke. "After reading their reports, all the members of the team said that if it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't have made it out alive. We need every available person in case of anything and everything."

Yamamoto nodded. "Go on. What else is there?"

"He's a natural born leader, rallying the team around him to get them to work better. He knows them better than they might know themselves, and uses them as he sees fit. He also knows and understands them outside of the mission field. He can take a bad situation and flip it around. He…he…oh." Soi Fon said, recognition slowly dawning on her. "Are you trying to say that…that he is like…Yoruichi?"

Yamamoto nodded. "Yes, I am. He has the spirit and energy that she had, and was able to bring out the best in you when she was here. In fact, I have noticed that you are more involved in the participation of our meetings nowadays. Perhaps he will be able to heal you." A small smile crossed his face. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you go on some of his missions? It will give you a chance to see how he interacts with the rest of the team."

Soi Fon bit her lip. "I don't know. There's enough that I need to get done as it is. And there aren't any Hollows that require my attention."

"Then do the second best. I want to know how this will play out. Now go."

Soi Fon bowed as she turned to walk away. Right as she was walking out the door, she heard Yamamoto call out, "Good luck Soi Fon."

She turned around, only to find that Yamamoto was no longer there. She shook her head. "I must be hearing things." She slowly made her way back towards her division, trying to figure out what she needed to do.

One Week Later

Seven figures silently crouched down as they glared across the open field. Throughout the field were a small gathering of Hollows; for what purpose, they didn't know. But, to prevent a Menos from appearing because of the gathering, they needed to eliminate the gathering, fast. If they didn't, the consequences would be felt by everyone in the Seireitei.

But then, who better to do something like this than members of the Second Division?

The leader of the group silently gave a signal, motioning for them to spread out. One of them stayed behind for a second longer than the others before spreading out with the others. The leader sighed as she waved a series of signals for them to follow. The final signal was what they'd been waiting for, as she pointed her hand towards the Hollows. The message was simple; attack.

The six other figures jumped out into the open field. For a brief moment, none of the Hollows reacted to their presence, oblivious to the incoming Shinigami. Then, as the first few began to fall to their blades, chaos ensued. Unsure of what was going on, the Hollows began striking out at everything around them, whether it was a Shinigami or not. Within moments, more than half of the Hollows were disposed of.

With precise movements, the seven Shinigami move through the ranks of Hollows as they continued their assault. Dodging the occasional random appendage, their drawn swords made quick work of them. After a few moments, which almost felt like an eternity to the Shinigami, the Hollows were completely dispersed from the area. Most of the Hollows had been taken down in the initial attack, many more to 'friendly-fire' if you could call Hollows friends. However, the remainder of Hollows had either panicked, or realized they were not safe anymore, and had fled back to Hueco Mundo. An almost flawless strike on what could have become a rather situation.

The leader of the group turned back to the group. "Alright, let's head back to our barracks. We've done enough for now, and I doubt that the Hollows will be returning here any time soon."

"Awesome." One of the Shinigami said, sounding a little more disappointed than relieved. A few of the others groaned at his remark, knowing that it would not sit well with their leader.

Glancing over to him, the leader stared him down. "Is there something wrong Uzumaki?"

Naruto grinned behind his mask. "Of course not Taicho-sensei."

Soi Fon silently groaned as a few of the other members chuckled. Just as Naruto had promised, Naruto had quickly taken to calling her by her respective title. However, Naruto saw fit that as long as she was teaching him how to do the Hado chant less, he would also add on the title 'sensei'. Unfortunately, she later found that just like his childish nature would generally suggest, he had a very short attention span. This led to Soi Fon rubbing her head as she tried not to strangle the poor man as his technique blew up in his face time and time again.

And yet, there was more to it than that. Time had gone on since their encounter at her training grounds; almost eighteen years give or take a year. Naruto had hardly changed from the boy she'd first encountered, but that did not change the fact that she had already seen his other side. His dangerous side. She never saw it during his training sessions with the rest of the division, or even in their personal training. It was another side of him, a mystery that she wanted to know more about.

In a way, she was almost glad that Yamamoto had ordered her to go on a mission with him. Watching him, she hoped to see where it fit in. How was it that someone as cheerful and childish as him could be like that. However, she had been too focused on the Hollows and the overall team performance, that she had missed any opportunity to look for it. She had enough information for the Sotaicho, but was unsure of whether or not she should turn in the initial results. Maybe if she went on a few more missions…

Soi Fon sighed. "Alright then, if there is nothing else that you wish to speak to me about, you are all dismissed."

There was a quick shout of the affirmative from the other five members as they quickly began their trek back to the barracks. Naruto however, stayed behind as he stood with Soi Fon in the middle of an empty field. He had a mischievous look on his face, one that promised trouble for anyone on the receiving end of whatever his scheme was.

Soi Fon glared at Naruto. "What is it Uzumaki?"

Naruto sighed. "And here I thought we were on better terms with each other. Why won't you just call me by my first name? It sounds so, informal. Like I'm just a last name."

Soi Fon did not lower her glare as she slowly spoke to Naruto. "Uzumaki, if you have something to say, I suggest that you do so before I leave."

"Alright, alright, geeze." Naruto said, feinting surrender. However, as soon as he said this, he seemed to go right back to the way he was before, staring at her in silence.

Finally, Soi Fon snapped. "What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto grinned. "Was that so hard?"

Soi Fon glared at him in confusion. He had avoided saying whatever it was that needed to be said just so that she would say his name? Truly he was the King of idiots. "No, but that isn't the point. Were you just standing around waiting for me to say that, or do you have something to say to me?"

Naruto shrugged. "No, not really. Although, I've gotta say, that was much more rewarding than I thought it would be."

Soi Fon shook her head before running off towards the barracks. Naruto watched her go, a small amount of dissatisfaction crossing his face as he watched her go. There was something he wanted to say, things he wanted to ask her. However, even he knew better than to talk about things like her past. It was dangerous territory. Besides that, he had found that for some reason or other, people were naturally inclined to mention their past to him. Mainly enemies.

Naruto groaned in frustration as he lightly began to jog back to the barracks. All the while, he ignored a small pain that was through his left arm, and down his right leg.

Naruto grumbled to himself as he walked down the streets of the Seireitei. After his last mission, there was nothing else that he could do to occupy his time. He tried talking Soi Fon into putting a little extra training time, but she turned him away telling him she was not some kind of stamina freak. Whatever that meant. And some of the other people he was close to had mysteriously gone missing for a while, which meant that there was nothing to do.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He had found himself being alone a lot more as time had gone by, and had looked for ways to entertain himself. After a little thought, he casually decided to go over his training again.

Training seemed to be all that he could ever do nowadays. He pushed himself harder and harder as he tried to become a successful, and competent Shinigami. But then, something was off. His physical abilities were continually growing, so that was not much of an issue. In fact, he was currently the strongest member of Second Division besides Marechiyo. And even then, Marechiyo was mostly throwing his weight around. However, that did not seem so in other areas.

His reiatsu power, as well as his control over it, were not getting any better. He had heard that practice made perfect, and had tried to practice as much as he could. But time and time again, he found that his abilities we not growing any more than they had during his time at the Academy. In fact, they almost seemed to be weakening in contrast to some of his friends. It was only sheer willpower that held a great deal of his techniques together.

In contrast, Sasuke was an excellent example of someone who was getting stronger. He had risen in rank during his time in the Thirteenth Division, a fourth seated officer. His control over Raikiri was superb, and most of his lower leveled Bakudo could be done chant less. Naruto did find that he had an edge in the physical sense, but that could mostly be taken apart by Sasuke's Shunpo.

Naruto growled in frustration. He knew better than to compare himself to other people; he had seen where that had gotten people. And yet, his thoughts were almost revolving around Sasuke and how much stronger he was getting. How elated he had become due to the constant training that he had been going through in the Thirteenth Division. Kaien was doing his best to help both of them, but he did have other things he had to worry about too.

Naruto was so focused on his thoughts that he was almost taken off guard when a sudden shadow crossed over him. Almost.

"L-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lucky!!!"

Naruto spun around, blankly staring at the sight before him. There, standing behind him, were Ikkaku and Yumichika. But that wasn't entirely what he was staring at. Ikkaku was grinning like some kind of idiot, and stomping his feet on the ground as he danced in place. Naruto blinked for a moment before finally bursting out laughing.

Ikkaku scowled at Naruto. "Don't laugh at my Lucky Dance! It has become a tradition to alert my opponents of my presence, so as to make my battles all the more invigorating!"

Naruto waved a hand as he struggled for breath. "I'm sorry. It's just, I've been looking for something to do, and the first people I run into are two of my favorite members of the Eleventh Division, who just so happen to love a good fight." Glancing up at Ikkaku, a mischievous grin crossed his face. "That was why you stopped by, right?"

Ikkaku grinned back, a slightly more ic tint it than Naruto's. "Of course, there's no better than that of a good fight."

Naruto glanced at Yumichika. "And you?"

Yumichika shrugged. "I just came along to make sure that you two didn't kill each other. No need to get myself hurt fighting two people less pretty than I am."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, and glanced at Ikkaku. Ikkaku shrugged. "I swear it keeps on getting worse. And no matter how many times I hear it, it's always annoying."

Naruto grinned as Ikkaku ignored the glare Yumichika was sending his way. "So, we gonna do this, or what?"

Ikkaku grinned. "Of course." Quickly drawing his sword, he rushed forward in an attempt to catch Naruto off guard.

Naruto quickly saw through this, as he drew his own sword far faster than he himself had thought possible, catching Ikkaku by surprise as their swords collided inches from Naruto's face. Naruto simply grinned as he turned to the offensive, using a wide variety of attacks in an attempt to break through Ikkaku's defense.

Ikkaku mentally cursed to himself as he continued to block Naruto's zanpakuto. It was obvious from the first blow that Naruto outmatched him in terms of raw strength, and he speed was not something to scoff at either. Ikkaku found that at some point during the barrage, he had drawn his scabbard as well, and was using it to block the oncoming blows with both the scabbard and his sword. And even with the scabbard helping, he was slowly getting pushed back.

He had not had this much fun in a while, and he was going to enjoy it.

Grinning like a maniac, he dodged another blow from Naruto's zanpakuto, and quickly began his own barrage, putting Naruto on the defensive. Unlike himself, however, Naruto stood his ground and shook off each of his blows with practiced ease.

It was soon apparent that this was not going to get him anywhere. Past experience told him that once Naruto decided to stop messing around and speed things up, he was done for. So, there was only one option left to him, though he was not quite fond of doing so.

"Nobiro, Hozukimaru. (Grow, Light)" Ikkaku said, quickly slamming his sword's hilt into his scabbard. After a quick moment, the sword had fused with the scabbard, becoming a sort of naginata.

Naruto's eyes quickly went over the waxed wooden shaft, mentally noting the red horsehair tassel at the end of the pommel. "I didn't know you'd unlocked your Shikai…nice stick." He commented as he slowly changed his stance.

Ikkaku grinned. "Just you wait. This stick has a few tricks up its sleeves."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Ikkaku once again rushed forward. Unlike his previous strikes, his current ones seemed to have more power behind them, as he was using both hands to strike. Naruto on the other hand, was busy trying to avoid getting damaged by some of the heavier strikes.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. While he was sure that Ikkaku was one of the stronger opponents he had faced, he was also certain that he himself was no pushover.

So why is it that the blows are getting heavier? Naruto thought to himself as he barely dodged another blow. Bringing his sword up, he attempted to once again go on the offensive. However, Ikkaku saw through it, and made a quick jab at him to deter any further progression.

Naruto slid to the outside of the thrust, easily dodging the blow as he spun into Ikkaku's guard. With one quick movement, he slammed his hand through Hozukimaru and into Ikkaku's stomach. With an undignified grunt, he shoved Ikkaku back into a wall, where Ikkaku slumped over.

Yumichika slowly clapped his hands as he walked over. "Impressive. I haven't seen Ikkaku taken out so quickly since the few times he's challenged our taicho."

Naruto nodded. It was generally understood that only fools would go up against Kenpachi Zaraki, and fewer still lived to tell the tale. However, people who gravitated towards Naruto were not generally considered in the best of mental health.

Yumichika sighed as he looked down on Ikkaku. "Would you mind helping him up?"

Naruto grinned. "Sure, why not?"

As he moved to help pick Ikkaku up, however, a sudden sharp pain erupted from his left side. Gasping at the sudden pain, Naruto pulled back his kimono to see what was wrong. To his astonishment, there was a long wound near his ribcage. "Huh, I guess he did get me."

Yumichika glanced up at Naruto. "Uh, are you gonna help?"

Naruto shook his head. "Uh, yea. Where're we taking him?"

"Eleventh Division. He should be fine after a bit of rest." Yumichika said as he looked over Ikkaku's bruised form. After a moment, he glanced up at Naruto. "And then you're going to Fourth Division."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Yumichika gave Naruto a firm glare. "Naruto, I saw the battle. You didn't get a scratch on you. But right now, you acted like you'd just been punched in the gut. What's up?"

Naruto grimaced. "Nothing. At least, it should be nothing."

Yumichika just shook his head. "You know what, I think I'll be able to take care of Ikkaku by myself. You go get whatever injury you're hiding checked out. And don't think of skipping out. Me and Ikkaku keep ourselves on good terms with the members of Fourth Division, and they'd easily rat out if you didn't come and see them."

Naruto grinned. "Maybe telling you guys to do that was a bad idea."

Yumichika shrugged. "You might say that."

A sudden grunt came from Ikkaku as he slowly shook his head. "Ugh, I feel like I got hit by a ton of bricks. What happened?"

"You lost, that's what happened." Naruto said, poking Ikkaku's bald head.

Ikkaku glanced up. "You gotta be kidding me. I didn't even hit…uh, Naruto. You're bleeding."

Naruto glanced down at his shirt, noticing the wound beginning to seep onto his clothes. "It's nothing. Just a wound I got from my last mission. I was actually planning on heading over to Fourth Division to get it checked out."

Ikkaku shook his head. "That'll take to long. You'll probably bleed out before you get all the way. Here." Ikkaku grabbed his now detached scabbard and pulled out a bit of ointment. "Rub this over it. It'll increase the clotting so that you can make it to Fourth in one piece. Hanataro helped me make it."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks."

Naruto quickly pulled off his shirt and in one, quick motions smeared the ointment over the wound. "Thanks Ikkaku. I owe you one."

Ikkaku shook his head. "You owe me another battle. That was cheap, you know? Fighting me with a previous injury was a pretty low blow, even for you."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I just couldn't say no to your challenge. Anyways, I'd better get going. See you later!"

As Naruto quickly made his way to the Fourth Division barracks, Ikkaku nudged Yumichika. "Hey, did you see that? I don't think I've ever seen a wound like that before."

Yumichika nodded. "It looked like a stab wound, but it was going the wrong way. It looked like he somehow had a sword cut him from the inside out."

Ikkaku nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Plus, did you see how he was moving?"

"You mean how he was walking completely fine before you fought, and afterword he was limping? Like he hadn't had an injury before you'd fought, and was lying about it to save face?"

Ikkaku narrowed his eyes. "Yea, that's what I was talking about."

Yumichika sighed. "I don't know what to say. That sort of wound, and the fact that it's Naruto we're talking about could just be an overexertion from training. But somehow, I don't think that's the case. It just, didn't look like something even Naruto could do."

"Should we tell someone?" Ikkaku asked, finally pulling himself from the small pile of dust that had been made when he had been slammed into the wall.

"Who would we tell? Something that's impossible like that wouldn't be easy to explain."

"It wouldn't be easy to ignore either." Ikkaku pointed out, staring at the place where Naruto had left.

"That's true. But who could we tell? Sasuke?"

Ikkaku shook his head. "They don't talk as much as they use to."

"Well what about Kaien?"

"I heard he just recently got a newbie from the Kuchiki clan. He's bound to have his hands full."

Yumichika shrugged. "I'm out of ideas."

Ikkaku blinked, a sudden thought coming to his head. "I've got one."

Yumichika's head snapped towards him in mock surprise. "You? You had an idea? Why, this is just madness!"

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "Oh would you leave it alone and hear me out?"

Yumichika nodded. After listening to Ikkaku quickly whisper it into his ear, nodding every couple of seconds, he turned to him in shock. "That's actually pretty good. Do you think we can pull it off?"

Ikkaku grinned. "Fighting might be my favorite pass time, but making mischief has come to a close second."

"I assume we can blame our friend for that?"

Ikkaku's grin widened. "Sure. Of course, you know that you enjoy it too."

Yumichika nodded. "You're right, this will be fun. Plus, I've always harbored a small grudge against Naruto. Now's the perfect time for payback."

Ikkaku glanced at Yumichika curiously. "What'd he do?"

Yumichika grimaced as he turned his head away. "He changed all my kimonos to a dull wisteria purple color, instead of the bright azure that he did some of the others." Noticing Ikkaku struggling to hold back his laughter, he continued. "It's not my fault. How was I supposed to know that picking on potential Fourth Division recruits would end like that?"

Ikkaku just laughed at his poor friend's 'misfortune'.

Sasuke slowly rubbed his head as he looked at the crowd in front of him. They were all looking into a room which apparently had someone in it. From what he could tell, she was the newly transferred student from the Shinigami Academy he had heard about; the one who had been adopted by the Kuchiki clan. He had heard of similar cases, where clans had done things like that, but had never met any of the people lucky enough to be adopted. (He did not consider Naruto as one of those people, as he had yet to tell him that Kaien had adopted him.)

However, despite being someone of considerable status, her attitude was more like a rabbit being thrown to a bunch of foxes. She seemed insecure about herself, shuffling back and forth as she glanced around the room. He had overheard what she had asked the man who had brought her, to treat her like any other member of Thirteenth Division. It was a strange request to be sure; Kuchiki's generally held a high status, and were respected as such, so for one to ask that was ridiculous. And yet…

"What are you idiot's doing? Get back to your posts, morons!"

Sasuke grinned as he watched the gathering scatter in the wake of Kaien's wrath. Kaien pointedly marched into the room, saluting the young woman as he made a quick introduction. "I am fukutaicho Shiba Kaien! Nice to meet you!"

Sasuke smiled lightly as he looked in on her confused face. "…yes…hello…"

Kaien screwed up his face in mock anger. "'Yes hello'? What's your problem?" He asked, roughly placing his hand on her head. She leaned back somewhat in shock as Kaien leaned towards her. "The vice-captain just introduced himself to you! You should give your name and say 'nice to meet you too'! Your name!?"

By this point Sasuke was chuckling lightly. She obviously had never had this kind of treatment before, and was obviously unsure of how to react. However, she was not thick enough to realize that she should probably answer his question. "…I…I'm Kuchiki Rukia…"

Kaien stared at her. "Okay…and then?"

"N…Nice to meet you!" She somehow blurted out.

Sasuke shook his head. He knew that Kaien was laying it on a bit thick, but even so, it was still rather amusing to watch as she tried to figure out what was going on. He was sure that no one else had received that sort of welcome from Kaien, and was positive that the formalities behind any and all name were gone the moment she finished introducing herself.

Kaien grinned and he gave her a up. "Good! That's how you do it Rukia! Welcome to Thirteenth Division. Because our taicho is weak and sick, I'm usually in charge of everything. Therefore, you may call me 'Taicho' Kaien if you want."

Rukia looked at Kaien with what could only be called pure confusing as she thought of how to respond. "…okay…I'll think about it…"

Sasuke slapped his face as he listened in. If Rukia called him 'Taicho', other people would likely follow suit seeing as she was a Kuchiki. Sasuke was almost certain that he was telling her that just to see if she would, and just how fast other people would start to call him by the same title.

After another couple of moments, Kaien finally dismissed Rukia. Moments after she had left the room, Sasuke slowly entered.

Kaien glanced up at Sasuke. "Uh…hi."

Sasuke smirked. "Hey Taicho. How are you?"

"Ah, so you overheard that?" Kaien asked, looking away sheepishly.

"Every word. I liked the part where you were yelling at her about giving her name and saying 'nice to meet you'. I thought you pulled that off flawlessly." Sasuke said, sarcasm evident as he finished talking.

Kaien shrugged. "Yea well, for someone of her status, she needs to know that she's just like everyone else here. I could care less what family she's from, as long as she's a lower rank than me, I plan on treating her as my subordinate."

Sasuke nodded. "Good to hear." An almost uncomfortable silence suddenly fell on them, neither of them sure of what to say. After a moment of thought, Sasuke decided to go first. "So, I heard your wife's the third seat now. Congrats."

Kaien grinned. "I always knew she was strong, so her promotion was something we were both kind of looking forward to. Although, I'm kinda surprised she didn't get placed in the vice-captain position."

Sasuke glanced at him curiously. "And why's that?"

Kaien chuckled. "Like all women of the Shiba clan, she's got me completely under her thumb. If she wanted, she could probably get me to sit, roll over and bark."

Sasuke chuckled at the mental image of Kaien acting like a dog. It was not something you saw someone of his status doing. Then, another thought crossed his mind. "Oh crap."

Kaien glanced over to Sasuke curiously. "What's up?"

Sasuke glanced away nervously. "I was supposed to see Naruto today, to catch up on current events. But I kinda got sidetracked by you introducing Rukia."

Kaien raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? How long ago were you supposed to be there?"

"About an hour ago."

Kaien blinked. "Dang, and here I thought Naruto wasn't punctual."

Sasuke glared at him. "The time we meet is in a half hour. I get there early to see how late he really is."

"…at least you have your humor."

"Shut up." Sasuke said, as he quickly made his way out of the barracks. Kaien just grinned as he watched him go.

Soi Fon sighed as she set down the last form into the 'out' box. She'd gotten done more than a little bit early with her paperwork, which she generally tried to draw out a little more than other captains would. Almost glaring at the out box, she slowly stood up, and made her way to her room.

Despite the fact that paperwork was one of the most boring things that captains had to do, Soi Fon found that it was helpful. It was not because it was enjoyable, far from it. She had almost the same amount of loathing for paperwork as any other captain would. It kept her mind off of things that she would rather not think about…like Yoruichi.

Soi Fon gently massaged her head as she slowly sat down in her room. Her mind was betraying her as she struggled to find something to think about besides Yoruichi. Memory after memory played through her mind as she remembered all the times she had spent with Yoruichi in the past. Gritting her teeth, she tried in vain to think of something else. Anything, just as long as it was as far away from Yoruichi as possible.

"Why did you leave?" Soi Fon quietly asked herself. It was something that she found herself asking more and more as time had passed.

Groaning in frustration, she slowly stood up and walked towards her private training ground. She knew that no one would be there, and it would be a perfect place to let loose some steam. She could almost feel the reiatsu seeping from her hands as she finally entered the secluded training grounds.

Drawing her sword, she quickly began a flurry of movements. She wasn't sure what she planned on accomplishing, but she continued to react on instinct. Bringing her sword around so that it was parallel to the ground, she whipped it around in a circular sweeping motion. As she completed the circle, she sharply brought her sword up.

Before she could continue the movement however, she heard the snap of a branch behind her. Still in battle mode, she spun around as quickly as she could, slashing at whoever it was. However, before it made contact with the person, it was met with the clang of steel on steel. Slowly looking up, her focused expression turned to one of confusion. "What are you doing here?"

The figure in front of her just grinned. "I just came here to talk to you about a friend of mine."

Naruto grimaced as he lifted his arm. "How bad does it look?"

Hanataro glanced up at Naruto. "Uh, I'm not sure. I've honestly never seen whatever kind of wound this is. I mean, it's split open from the inside out. There shouldn't be anything that can create a wound like this." Hanataro bit his lip as he thought over all the different things that caused wounds. He knew that there were Hollows that could perform with some unusual abilities, even more so recently. However, even something like this was completely unheard of. "Uh, maybe I should take to Unohana-taicho."

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. I've still got another twenty minutes or so."

Hanataro nodded before rushing off. Naruto was not the sort of person who openly admitted to pain or other such things. He kept things on his own shoulders, soldiering on through thick and thin. It was one of the reasons that Naruto had become something akin to an idol for him. A brave person who did everything he could for his friends and those he considered family.

Almost as soon as Hanataro left, Naruto leaned back and sighed. He knew for a fact that he had been uninjured before, during, and immediately after his last mission. Which begged the question, how had he gotten injured? And just as importantly, when?

Naruto placed his head in his hands. This was getting him no where fast, and he still had to meet up with Sasuke. Gritting his teeth, he decided to try to power through his injury, and meet up with Sasuke. It had been to long since they were both able to find time to meet up, and he did not want to lose the bond that he had with Sasuke.

Naruto quickly pushed himself up, assuring himself that he would be okay. However, as he put weight on his legs, a sudden pain shot through his right leg. Overwhelmed the joint pain of his leg, and the pain from his previous injury, he found himself quickly losing consciousness and he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw was a small black and white blur rush over to his falling form.

Sasuke sighed as he glanced up at the clock. Naruto was late. While this might not have been terribly unusual, Sasuke had thought that even if he had been running late, all that Special Forces training would have paid off to give him enough speed to make it at least moments after he would be late. Instead, he found himself waiting alone in a bar, looking like he just got stood up for a date.

Grumbling to himself, he glanced up at the clock. "Come on Naruto, this isn't like you. I could understand two or three minutes, that would actually be pretty normal. But for you to be missing for over a half hour is just ridiculous!"

Sasuke grimaced as he noticed that the waiter that he had sent away multiple times was now giving him an irritable look. Sasuke returned it, before going back to staring at the clock.

Finding that there was no enjoyment from trying to see if he could make the clock spontaneously combust from his anger, he figured it would be best to leave. Slowly standing up, he noticed the waiter look almost relieved as he went over to another table. Sasuke gave a small grunt as he once again turned to leave. As he did so, as small form caught his eye.

Sitting over in the corner was a young woman. She had her hair tied down in a ponytail and seemed to have an a far away look as she stared at the empty booth seat across from her. Curious, he slowly walked over to her.

"Hi." He said as he came to a stop just outside the booth seat she was in. He raised an eyebrow at how she jumped when he spoke, but shrugged it off. "I saw you sitting over here alone, and was wondering if you wanted some company."

The young woman turned away, a light pinkish hue crossing her face. "Um, thank you. But, I think my friends will be here soon."

Sasuke nodded. "Okay. When are they going to arrive?"

She glanced up at the clock, a disappointed look crossing her face as she did so. "An hour ago."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. She had waited for her friends for an hour, and was still willing to wait? And he had just gotten mad because of Naruto being a half hour late. Coughing into his hand, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Oh, I see."

"Uh, maybe you could sit down…if you wanted." The young woman said, twitching nervously in her seat.

Sasuke shrugged. "Alright." After sliding into the booth, he added, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, by the way."

"Hinamori Momo."

Sasuke smiled as he waved a waiter over. After quickly ordering some appetizers, he turned back to Momo. "So, who were you waiting for?"

Momo smiled lightly. "They're my friends from the Academy; Izuru Kira and Abarai Renji."

Sasuke tapped a finger against his head. "I've heard those names from somewhere before."

Momo glanced at him curiously. "You have?"

Sasuke nodded, his tapping increasing as he continued to think about it. After another couple seconds silence, his tapping stopped and his eyes closed. Letting out an exasperated moan, he leaned back in his seat. "I remember where I've heard them from. You're the three who tried to fight off a bunch of Hollows during your first year during a Konso training session."

Momo glanced away nervously. "Yes, that's correct."

Sasuke grinned as he ed open an eye to look at her. "According to what I've heard, both of the guys were more than willing to leave a comrade behind due to orders and would've continued to leave if it hadn't been for another's students actions."

Sasuke felt a slight bit of satisfaction as Momo seemed to nervously glance between the ever entertaining tablecloth and himself. He could easily tell that she was unsure of whether or not that was supposed to be taken as a complement or not. His grin softened as he leaned forward. "It was a reckless thing to do, but I think that that student definitely made the right decision."

Momo glanced up. "Do…do you really think that it was the right decision?"

Sasuke sighed. "I remember something that was told to me long ago, something that I have held onto to this very day. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who don't take care of their comrades…are worse than trash." Noticing that Momo's expression was one of understanding, he grinned. "So when I heard that that student was more than willing to lay her life on the line for the sake of her comrade, and that her friends were willing to do so as well, I couldn't help but appreciate how that saying lives on."

Momo blushed lightly as she turned away. She knew that he had already figured out that she was the student who had intervened on Shuhei Hisagi's behalf. She wasn't sure why he was going through all the trouble of complementing her indirectly, but she felt the sentiment none the less. Smiling lightly, she was about to ask a question when their attention turned to a small commotion nearby.

"I told you we should've ended training early. Now we've made poor Momo wait for us!"

"I wasn't the one who was trying to force myself to unlocking my Shikai for half an hour. Or the one who passed out trying to perform a high leveled Kido without an incantation."

"Hey it worked didn't it?"

Momo sighed as she saw the two figures make their way towards the front desk. "Those would be my friends."

Sasuke blinked. "Well what do you know, they did show up." With a slight sigh, Sasuke slowly stood up. "Well Momo-san, it was a pleasure talking to you."

Momo blinked. "Uh, it was nice talking to you Sasuke-san."

Sasuke nodded as he quickly made his way out, nearly bumping into the waiter on his way out.

A moment later, Renji and Kira sat down. "So, who was the guy?" Renji asked, grabbing a piece of bread and unceremoniously shoving it into his mouth.

Momo blushed. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Kira smiled lightly. "You don't have to lie to us. Besides, we saw him walk out."

Renji nodded vigorously. "Yea, we won't make fun of you or anything. I mean, he was just a guy."

Momo nodded. "Well, okay. I was talking to Uchiha Sasuke."

Renji blinked, his face suddenly doing a very amusing imitation of a fish. "Uchiha…Sasuke? You don't mean…THE…Uchiha Sasuke…do you?"

Momo stared back blankly. "What do you mean by the Uchiha Sasuke?"

"He's the only person besides Toshiro to have gone straight from the Academy to one of the divisions with a seated rank." Kira said, filling in the blanks as Renji was to busy faking a heart attack.

Momo nodded. "I see."

Renji stopped his acting as he rounded on Momo. "Just an 'I see'? That guy is a legend. You see all kinds of different elemental zanpakuto's, but he's currently the only person to have a lightning element zanpakuto. That's supposed to be one of the rarest kinds of elemental zanpakuto!"

Momo blinked. "I didn't know that."

"Yea well, now you do. And next time you see him, would you mind trying to get me his-"

"Hey, he left you his number." Kira said, suddenly picking up the napkin that had previously been in front of Sasuke. Before Renji could process what Kira had said, he quickly handed the napkin to Momo, out of his hands.

Momo looked over the napkin, a small smile on her face as she read what Sasuke had written below his number.

I enjoyed our talk. Let's do it again some time. Uchiha Sasuke

Naruto's Inner World

"Well isn't this working out just like you planned?"

Gama glanced towards the figure, giving him a slight glare. "Do you think that I am omnipotent? That I can somehow predict all things that are going to happen? No matter how powerful a Shinigami is, even they do not have such an ability."

"So, what you're saying is, yes. Yes, I did in fact screw up and now we are all going to die."

"We're not going to die." Gama said, as he glanced towards a strange ritual-like circle that had been carved into the ground. "There just a few more pieces to put into place before we can end this."

"Okay, fair enough. But tell me, when do you think you should tell Naruto? I mean, he's the one who's gonna suffer 'till it's done. He's the one who's going to have to learn how to unlock this. And he's the one who's learned to trust you over all these years."

"And I will not simply let that trust be misplaced." Gama said, quickly pulling out the blade from his back. "However, if you do not focus, we are going to die before I get this done."

"You certainly have a way with words. Now if only you could use them to not leave him in the dark."

"We can't have him knowing about any of this until I'm done. It's not only my will, but my master's as well."

"Oh yeah, and when do you plan on bringing up that painful subject? Before or after he falls into oblivion?"

"He will know in good time."

The figure stood there, glaring at Gama as he continued to focus on the circle he was drawing. It was bad enough that the toad had come into Naruto uninvited, but the fact that he was drawing the circle was not helping his comfort level any. Because just like Gama, he knew the way things worked. Things would get worse before they got better, and Naruto would have no idea why any of it was happening until Gama decided to end it.

The figure sighed. "Naruto, hold on. This is only going to get more painful from here on out."

AN: I LIVE!!! And leave multiple cliffhangers and Sasuke/Hinamori fluff! (if you could call it that)

By the way, the Kaien and Rukia interaction scene was mostly taken from the source, with Sasuke commentary. As is the discussion Sasuke and Hinamori, only with Sasuke recounting it. It actually happened, I just can't remember where I got it from.

Okay, onixblack, just a quick FWI. I said I do not plan on giving this fic up. I did not lie, it was not my intention to temporarily give this up. I thank you for the...support, as well as the reviews.

Speaking of which, REVIEW! It encourages me to avoid schoolwork and write more fanfiction!