Bleach ©Tite Kubo

Naruto ©Masashi Kishimoto

The concept of Jiryokou ©Dahlia Derbyshire

The fighting may have stopped, but they knew it was far from over.

The enormity of this whole situation could never end as simply as their fight did. Ichigo knew that for certain. It seemed, to him at least, that his world and this one weren't too different. Fighting was both a life and occupation in this world as well. From what he heard, shinobi could be hired, corrupted, and exploited. Ignoring the obvious differences, shinigami and shinobi were one in the same.

Of course the fact that Ichigo was a shinigami was only important to Ichigo at that moment. Naruto was focused on the two Kumo nin before them. On and on they went, glaring evilly. He wanted to get out of there. Even he could tell that something bad was about to go down. The long, brutal conversation between the two groups began with:

"Tell us everything you know about Sasuke."

Ichigo watched what passed carefully. For yet again, the topic of 'Sasuke' was brought up, saddening Sakura and making Ichigo all the more curious to who this person was. Obviously he wasn't too great of a person. Karui was demanding to know his fighting styles; any information that could be used to her advantage was wanted. Needed. Compliance was an issue at this point. Neither Sakura nor Naruto wanted to say a word.

The shinigami noticed a noticeable change in Sakura as it went on. Her lip quivered as she spoke. "You've gotta be kidding me! How can Sasuke be a member of the Akatsuki?" She asked sadly.

Karui was becoming fed up. The fact that nobody wanted to talk caused her to clench her jaw, crack her neck, and ball up her fists. She wanted to beat the answers out of them. She especially wanted to hurt the pinkette, who would unfortunately face Karui's rage. "God, you're so annoying!" She burst, which Ichigo unknowingly nodded to. "Just who's Sasuke to you, anyways? HUH?"

Her words hurt the more Sakura thought about them. Sasuke was everything to her. Since she had been a mere child he was the object of her adoration. All she every wanted was to be beside him. Sakura had thought being on Team 7 would be enough for her and Sasuke alike. She was completely wrong. The more she thought on this topic, the more she remembered the day three years ago where Sasuke abandoned the village; she could do nothing to stop him. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, and Sakura fell to the ground in pitiful tears.

The orange-haired teen gulped. For a brief moment he believed it was his agreement with Karui's statement that had caused her to unhinge herself. He wanted to apologize, but the sad look on Naruto's face told him the truth; these tears had nothing to do with him. It was Sasuke. Ichigo began to slowly realize that Sasuke was the reason for all of these people's pain.

A small hatred manifested itself inside Ichigo at that moment as he looked to Sakura's fall form. Her sobs were gut wrenching. The pain she must have endured all of these years was unbeknownst to Ichigo. Yet he was determined to fix it. A woman crying was…a woman crying. He would never be so calm if Yuzu, or Karin had been in Sakura's place.

The Kumo nin were sure of Sasuke's guilt. When asking if they were sure, Naruto had hoped that they had the wrong guy. Turned out they weren't mistaken. The Uchiha crest was on the attacker, and Sasuke was the last Uchiha alive. There was no doubt that it was Sasuke who had abducted their master…

Master… That word held a lot of pain for Naruto. He may have looked more interested in Sakura's emotions as he knelt down beside her, but that was hardly the case. He knew what it was like to loose a master, a sensei. He could understand the pain they were feeling. Only he could feel it. Although Sakura's master was ill, Tsunade was not lost. Sai's master, most likely Danzo, was unfortunately alive and kicking. Naruto could never be sure about Ichigo, but the stranger lacked any void of sadness or lost in his eyes, and it felt safe to assume that Ichigo's master was still around as well. Thus, only Naruto could feel their pain. He had to do something about it…

As Karui blared on about Sakura's crying, Naruto was deep in his own thoughts. Anything the enemy nin might have said was lost to him, no matter how similar her experiences were to him. She may have lost her master, but that didn't give her an excuse to bring her anger out on poor Sakura.

"Wait a minute…" Sai's voice broke the silence that was born from Karui's anger. Ever since they had come across the two strangers, he had doubted their reasons. Something about them attacking others for information seemed rush, as if they were impatient. At first, he'd assumed it was their angst for their master. But now, he saw something different. Hastily and completely out of character, he continued, "Haven't you received all of the data your looking for from the village? If the Hokage did in fact approve this, shouldn't you have been debriefed?" He lazily gestured towards the teary-eyed Sakura and irritated Naruto. "You shouldn't be pressuring these two for any information."

Karui rolled her eyes so dramatically it almost looked as if they'd roll right out of her sockets. That didn't make her words any less loud. "Of course we will be!"

Omoi saw the flaw and the confusion on everyone's faces. He sighed, much like Shikamaru was known to. "Our team leader was briefed earlier, but before telling us anything she veered off path at some disturbance down the road." He did his best to remain calm, but he was like Karui in many respects. He was eager to get vengeance for Killer Bee. That was all he could wish for. Despite his humor and playful antics, he had more of a level-head than Karui did when it came to confrontations.

Meanwhile Naruto dozed off into his own thoughts. Sadness was triggered by Karui repeatedly stating they had no idea what it felt like to loose a master. She was completely wrong. If anything, it was worse for Naruto; he had lost a father-figure as well. Putting that dreary thought aside, Naruto focused his mind onto calming the two before them down. He was tired of fighting. The ninja world was already so cruel…

"Is your master a host?" He asked. That question had been the first one to come to his mind, the first one to make any sense of the situation. He knew he was right by the look of surprise on their faces. He stepped forward, away from the safety of his group. "You probably don't know this, but I'm a host, and this is my fight too. The Akatsuki is going after all of us, and I know for a fact that your master is still alive."

"What?"

"Really?"

The hope the two gained on their faces made the tension ease, if only by a little. Naruto held a little hope, too. The hope that this would all end out okay.

Ichigo was like an alien to everything that passed. Masters. Akatsuki. Hosts. He could only comprehend the bare minimum of things, and even then, that wasn't enough. There was much more than just what he could see, it was all deep beneath the surface of their skin. It all came down to memories, and the past.

Once again the subject of 'hosts' intrigued him. He wanted to know more about to, to understand. The heroic side to him believed he could do something to help. Something, anything. Ever since he'd walked into Konoha and saw the rubble, he'd wanted to help. His desire to lend a hand only burned brighter when Hinata began fighting, and it was likely she was still fighting as he stood there and did nothing. Just how could he contribute to these people? How could he help them in their time of needs without their complete trust? His wish to help slowly ebbed into ether, becoming less and less possible; if Naruto, apparently the village hero, refused to like or trust him…

Who would?

( Some old dirt road… )

The two never quit. For ninja, life always consisted of fighting. When they attended school, all they learned was fighting techniques. They competed in fighting tournaments, only to grow stronger to fight another day. Shinobi were masters in the art of any jutsu, whether it be gen, nin, or tai. Nearly every form of combat they could master. Physical combat, that is. Most shinobi were failures when it came to human emotion.

Aka, verbal conflict.

However, the circumstances for these two kunoichi were different. A good fight was a way to prove themselves, and their desire to win had been nursed by the verbal conflict they faced daily. Nobody ever expected the shy Hyuuga heiress to reach out of her comfort zone, whereas everyone expected the fearless blond to take any challenge. Their goals made their fight unbearable. Both wanted to win, but one had to lose.

Their fight looked like a dance from afar, Rukia noted. When one struck, the other would always respond. It was so elegant and graceful, yet deadly at the same time. An unpredictable dance was all Rukia could see. Not only that, but it was like a competition for dominance; a contest to see who could last the longest. The outcome to Rukia was obvious. She could see just how beat up they were…sooner or later she knew she'd have to step in, in spite of her warning before to Ichigo.

Hinata wasn't faring well. Her lips were bleeding badly, something that was caused by Samui's clean strikes upward. In more than one place Hinata had a nasty bruise or two, no doubt from her opponents rough and ruthless attacks. The fight had put a toll on Hinata, her left leg looked limp. Like it was broken.

Yet she never gave up.

That is, until Samui managed to push her to the ground.

The girl fell to her back, sputtering up blood as she did so. Both their breathing was ragged, and uneven. Hinata may have received a greater amount of battle scars, but Samui had used up a vast amount of her energy. She stood over Hinata's body, her tanto in hand. This girl, this little punk had managed to keep Samui on her toes. That wouldn't happen again. She raised the tanto menacingly, forgetful to who she was and her reasons for being there at that moment, and she sliced the weapon downward.

Rukia had anticipated it. Somewhere, Samui's exhaustion had brought out another side to her, a ruthless side. Knowing that her Reiatsu wouldn't be enough to fight Samui head-on, she ignorantly jumped in.

Sode no Shirayuki was a beautiful Zanpakutou spirit, appraised for her speed. Without that speed, Rukia never would have made it in time to block Samui's tanto from crushing into Hinata's chest. In this strange new world, Rukia found that her blade felt lighter and more free… Was it possible that Sode no Shirayuki was happier in such a new place? Rukia had no time to ask.

The metals clashed, sparks flying. Samui was sent reeling back, rather shakily landing on her feet. Unlike Hinata, she wasn't badly hurt at all, she was only exhausted. Tired to the point that standing up even looked like a chore.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She shrieked. She always finished what she started.

Rukia shook her head, studying her stance. She was the only thing blocking Samui's path to Hinata. "I can't do that. I've let this drag on far enough." She was shocked to see the crazed gleam to Samui's eye, something that could only be brought on by adrenaline. 'Do ninja actually like killing another human soul? Sending another human to the afterlife, to Soul Society?' She asked herself. It was a hard concept to understand, but it wasn't completely impossible to grasp. Aizen wasn't the only one…

Samui's lip twitched. "This isn't your business, whoever you are. This is a fight between shinobi. The loser always dies." She said. That's what she knew, that's what she had learned from the Raikage. If Killer Bee would have heard that, she would have put him to shame.

"Not here, not now," Rukia calmly interjected. "I can't let that happen, and you shouldn't kill so freely. That's a one-way ticket to becoming a Hollow."

She didn't know what a hollow was, or why Rukia would care so much, but Samui had convinced herself it was nothing. She merely stood there, her eyes focused on the strangely-clothed person before her. Her eyes never left Rukia's own. It was such a strange phenomenon. Rukia had abnormally dark eyes, and at that precise moment Samui caught a glimpse of her reflection. She was astounded at what she saw.

She saw a stranger. A stranger with blond hair and icy eyes was all she could see. She wanted to deny it, for this stranger looked ill, insane even. Her pupils were fully dilated, and her whole body was shaking. She was covered in dirt and blood, blood that wasn't even her own. She was a stranger in her own skin…

It scared her.

The uneasiness she felt in her stomach allowed her shaky hand to put the tanto back into her pouch. She took a few steps back, shell-shocked. It took only one stranger for Samui to see herself in a new light. One stranger had caused an epiphany. She wanted to get away from this stranger who could do strange things; it was possible that self-revelation wasn't even the beginning of the things Rukia could induce on a person. Samui wasn't committed to stay and find out.

The Hyuuga heir, as well as her entire clan, would never forget the day she was saved by a complete stranger. From the ground she looked up at Rukia, who (ignoring her height) felt very big at the moment. It was gratifying to save a live.

"Thank you, Rukia-san." Hinata spoke softly. She cautiously wiped her face of any blood, her knees shaking as she hoisted herself upwards. Rukia's helpful arm was positioned under the girl's shoulders, helping her steady on her own two feat. All the meanwhile, Hinata went on, "I'll never be able to make it up to you." The fact that she had lost didn't seem to faze Hinata…

She hadn't been trying that hard anyways.

( By the Lake )

It was amazingly simple how things were resolved, at least to Sai. Although he didn't trust the Kumo nin in their part of the agreement, he trusted Naruto. Not only that, but he admired his friend for being the bigger person. Naruto had agreed to give the Kumo nin any information they needed about Sasuke. Whether it was because he pitied them, or he emphasized with them, nobody would ever know.

The fact that Naruto was doing something so brave and reckless aroused some very conflicting emotions in Sakura. Yes, she did admire him like Sai was, but she also saw it as betraying Sasuke. Didn't the two have a bond too powerful to break? Was Naruto really willing to give up something so easily? The roseate watched him go with the Kumo nin, not sure what to think about it. Though there wasn't anything she could do. Naruto was sure of his decision, she knew that much. But that didn't stop her from hating every minute of watching his retreating form.

Sai followed after, for reasons Sakura could only assume, which left her completely alone with Ichigo.

Oh, great, Ichigo.

She put a great deal of effort into not looking at him, crossing her arms and taking a few steps to the side. Thoughts of his 'daring' recue plagued her mind. She was still shocked to see he was so willing to become a soft landing for another person. That was something she would have expected Naruto to do, not Ichigo, someone who had disliked her from the very first moment they met. Still, she felt ashamed of herself. Could he really think the strained 'thank you' she'd given him before was enough?

How was that even possible?

If the roles had been switched, Sakura would have demanded true and sincere gratitude. Never would she stand for the mumbled, weak response she gave him. Against her will, she turned to look at him.

It was nerve-racking to see he was looking directly at her. His blank expression gave nothing away, which only added on to the audacity of the situation. Sakura felt a cold sweat break out on her skin. She hated every minute that she spent being speculated by Ichigo's cold, harsh stare. Little did she know he wasn't glaring as much as he was just trying to get answers.

Nothing made sense to him in this world. All he had the pleasure of knowing were tiny, insignificant details about so-and-so or someplace far away. Anything of importance, anything he could actually use seemed to be left out. Not once had he heard someone mention time travel, or a way for him to get home. Small things like that were being left out all over the place. It irked him. Unfortunately enough, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sakura," he began, bracing himself for any retaliation on her part, "what are the Akatsuki after, exactly?"

Her face fell; this was one thing she did not want to talk about with Ichigo. All along, she had been hoping that someone else, like Kakashi or Shizune, would take over the role and explain it all. Somewhere inside, however, she knew that only she could explain it to him. She was the one who first found him, and was the one who first had a true conversation with him -even if it was in a tent. Naturally, she would be the one to spill it all, she'd just been avoiding it.

The kunoichi forced herself to look at him in the eye. She didn't see anything she had expected in his eyes. What she thought she would see was resentment, or irritation, but instead she found genuine curiosity and even a little vigor. It was nothing she could have expected. His skin wasn't creased from yelling, or brow-raising shock. Those features, features which Sakura had once seen as handsome, were soft and gentle. Was this the face she had been missing? Was this expression the true Ichigo?

And it was that expression that left her speechless.

Ichigo was patient with Sakura, based on what he knew thus far, it was likely this topic would be hard for her to talk about. Yet that didn't give her the excuse to stay so silent for so long. As much as Ichigo wanted to get mad at her for holding up his time (time that he could be using to go back home), he couldn't react in any mad way whatsoever. Her face just looked so sad and lost. Times were tough for her, and by yelling Ichigo would be making them even tougher. Therefore Ichigo kept his thoughts to himself. Which, oddly, wasn't too difficult.

"It's alright; you don't need to say anything. I understand that this –whatever this is- is hard for you. You don't need to say anything." 'Yet,' he mentally added to his words. Sakura didn't know it yet, but if she didn't tell him now, she would be sucked into his reign of demands. Never again would he release this subject. For a calm reply from him, it was no or never.

The girl shook her head, holding both hands out in front of her defensively. "No, no, this is fine. I was just…distracted." She told him sincerely, pearls of sweat breaking out on her skin from the embarrassment. He'd caught her off-guard.

'Distracted by what, my face?' He asked himself, doubting her words.

Continuing, she tightly crossed her arms in a self-comforting way and turned to gaze at the waters. "See the water? See how it looks so serene?" She asked. He nodded. "It wouldn't have ever been this serene without the Sage of the Six Paths. The first ninja ever. He had a special ocular jutsu, the most powerful of them all, called the 'Rinnegan'. It helped him out greatly, without it, this world wouldn't be the same. Some say he's a legend, some say he's rea-"

"Sakura," Ichigo interrupted her with a stern face, "what does any of this have to do with the Akatsuki and what they want?"

She held up one of her index fingers disapprovingly. "Just wait, I'm getting there." Playfully, she stuck her tongue for a playful effect. She turned away, just in time to miss Ichigo's suddenly red face. Her eyes were once again glued to the surface of the lake. "Well, anyways, it's said that the Rinnegan helped him weaken a powerful monster called the Juubi. The Juubi was a monster made of pure chakra, and without the Rinnegan, was undefeatable. The Sage of the Six Paths used his power to separate the Juubi into nine counterparts, each with a different number of tails that marked how powerful they were. Or rather, how powerful they are."

"These beasts are what the Akatsuki are after?"

"Hai." A brief nod, and she was back on track again. "There's the Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, and so on until the Kyuubi. The more tails, the stronger the beast is. As part of a 'treaty' for all the great shinobi nations, numerous villages were all given a beast. The beasts were sealed inside ninja, called Jinchuriki."

Ichigo began to understand. In his mind, he put the pieces together, and his gut told him Naruto had something to do with this; Naruto had a tailed beast inside of him. Yet he didn't say anything, Sakura seemed determined to continue.

By the time she turned back to look at him, his face was a nice peach color again, the red gone and done with. She smiled lightly. "There are only two Jinchuriki, or hosts, left. The Kyuubi and the Hachibi… The Akatsuki have kidnapped and killed the others in order to extract the beast inside of them." She sighed, holding a blink as if the world would pause with her. When she opened them again, she asked, "Do you remember what Naruto said to the other two?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Naruto said a lot of things, that doesn't mean I was listening."

She portrayed a disappointed expression, but went on. "It was the part when he convinced them their master is still alive, talking about the Akatsuki and hosts. Remember what he said to them now?"

"Is your master a host? You probably don't know this, but I'm a host, and this is my fight too."

Yes, Ichigo remembered. It made sense. He gulped and nodded, a little unnerved to know that Naruto, someone he found to be a little silly, could hold something so powerful. Ichigo was so unnerved that he had to force his eyes away, instead zoning in on the ground by his feet. Sakura may have thought that it was because of this new knowledge that he was slightly unhinged, but that wasn't even half of it.

Ichigo could relate to Naruto. Both boys, no matter how different, were similar in an important way; they both had beasts inside of them. Naruto had a nine-tailed monster, and Ichigo had a ruthless Hollow. Even though Ichigo had dominated his hollow, that would never take away the fear he felt that, one day, it could still take over. He had to wonder…did Naruto have the same fear? Did Naruto fear the power inside of him, so powerful it could take over and hurt everything that he cared about? Ichigo didn't know, and as he spoke, this was all he thought about. His eyes avoided hers as he said, "So…which one is Naruto?"

"The worst one of all."

( Precisely Two Minutes Prior )

Hinata was indebted to Rukia, and she made that part clear. Like a lost puppy, Hinata followed Rukia. Of course, eventually this minor infatuation would end, but until then Hinata was committed as a loyal friend. She didn't care about what her father might think of her behavior, all she could really think about was Rukia.

And Rukia's power.

There must have been a vast amount of energy inside that tiny body… If Rukia could beat Samui just by looking at her, what else was she capable of? That was a question that constantly reimbursed itself in Hinata's mind. She couldn't stop wondering. Nobody could really blame the girl, Rukia's appearance was just screaming mystery; weird hakamas, missing steel-plated ninja bands, swords, and varying heights… If she and Ichigo wanted to fit in, wouldn't they have changed their clothes? Thoughts like those were indisputable, but were not voiced. At least not by Hinata.

Thus, she allowed herself to lightly follow behind the brisk Rukia. In good time the trees began to thin out, and they could hear voices in the horizon. Even though it was for a nanosecond, Hinata perked in happiness when hearing Naruto's voice, only to sadden when she realized he was leaving. 'It's probably better this way,' she thought, 'I wouldn't even know what to say to him.'

The two emerged from the trees and to a cliff base, standing proudly next to a lake. Only yards away were two familiar forms, already looking over to see who the new company was. Ichigo was pleasantly surprised to see Rukia looking alive and well, but perturbed by Hinata's beaten up state…was the girl…limping? The first thing Sakura noted was Hinata, whom she rushed over to. Her curiosity for the stranger was obvious on her face, but she ignored that. Treating Hinata was much more important.

Sakura didn't know why, but it seemed Hinata seemed to be getting hurt more and more recently. First there was her near-death experience with Pein, and now she was bruised and battered, but by who and for what? Those were the things Sakura wondered. She liked Hinata's silent and good-natured company; there was no other place she could find anything like it.

The two kunoichi passed through a speedy conversation; which consisted of Sakura ordering Hinata to sit down on a rock, where Sakura would have an easier time healing the wounds. The fact that her hands glowed was enough to set the two strangers to this world a little off balanced. After all, it wasn't everyday somebody's hands glowed. Pink hair, glowing green hands, what else did Sakura have that they didn't know about?

During the treatment, Sakura made an effort to look approachable to the newcomer. An extremely short, black-haired girl stood next to Ichigo, wearing the same abnormal apparel. Her hair framed her face, but shot outwards around her shoulders in a spiky, "I-don't-care-about-appearances" way. One thing Sakura took note of was the sword sheathed to her hip. So she also did kenjutsu…?

Ichigo wasn't quick to notice the uneasiness Rukia and Sakura had for each other. He was slow on the uptake. The relief he felt to see Rukia unscathed (would fate have it any other way?) was enough to make him forget the more important thing. Rukia was like a third sister to him, and she was lethally important to her. When he finally saw the way Sakura shot weary glances towards the shinigami, he jumped into action.

"Etto…Rukia, this is Sakura." He made the respective hand gestures. "And Sakura, this is Rukia. She's a shinigami too."

Wait…shinigami? Hadn't Sakura heard him say that somewhere before?

"I'm a Substitute Shinigami."

She gaped, hiding her disbelief by turning her head away from the two. When he'd first told them, she thought he was kidding, and that Naruto was just playing along. The initial shock she had originally felt had faded into oblivion, leaving her with doubt. But now, now that there was a second person to acclaim to the existence of shinigami…that meant they were real, didn't it?

Death Gods roamed the world.

Did that mean he could easily take Sakura's soul? How powerful did that make him? She shot a glance towards the two, only to pull her eyes back to Hinata. (Whose reaction was even more pronounced; Hinata was yet to hear about Ichigo being a shinigami.) The thought of her own death caused the glowing light of her hands to sputter, and eventually die out. Though it's not like it mattered, Hinata's cracked ribs had been healed long ago.

Sakura felt her knees shake and trying to keep her shaky legs under control caused the rest of her body to vibrate violently. This was what Rukia saw. Ichigo only saw surprise, but Rukia was able to view so much more; Sakura's eminent shock went right down to the core. Knowing that the person she had brought into her village was a shinigami must have been tough, especially since it was that and that alone that brought a second shinigami into Konoha. This made the short girl chuckle. People always seemed to perceive shinigami in a bad, dastardly light. She could blame popular culture for that. Rukia sighed at that thought, paired with another fleeting idea…

'Here comes another explanation,' she thought.

( Far Away in the Wind Country )

The situation was quickly turning into an epidemic; Jiryokou was doing much more damage than anyone could expect.

Soul Society had been trailing the elusive Jiryokou for quite a long time. He was, basically, a Menos with a big mouth. Unfortunately, his talent for deception was unbeatable. For quite a long time, Soul Society had been worried Jiryokou would turn into a powerful hollow, greater than any they had seen before. (At this time, they were only acutely aware of the hollows Aizen had on his side.) Seeing that after years of living Jiryokou still stayed the same, they were relatively calm.

That era of peace, however, was over the day Jiryokou stepped foot on Karakura soil. Ichigo was the first shinigami to react, feeling the immense spiritual pressure and rushing towards the scene. His weekend was unknowingly lost the minute he tailed Jiryokou. Being surprisingly fast, he managed to keep a constant distance between them. Only when he realized that this new shinigami wouldn't give up did Jiryokou stop to make his presence known.

It was when Ichigo fell under Jiryokou's powers and was transported to another world that Rukia and Renji finally came into the scene. The two had just come from Soul Society, which had received word of Jiryokou's whereabouts. To see Ichigo vanish from her sight was devastating to Rukia, and the pain grew when Kon violently kicked Jiryokou in the head from an unseen angle. All the people she knew (granted, Kon wasn't necessarily a person) were going to risk their lives for this…

Ichigo was a fool for rushing in to Jiryokou, who was the equivalent of an S-rank criminal in the Elemental Nations. However, Rukia, Renji and Kon were even greater fools for letting their emotions get in the way. Rukia was pained to see both Ichigo and Kon beaten and transported to another, far away place. Without thinking, she rushed in, shouting incoherent words to Renji telling him to 'warn Soul Society of Jiryokou's powers'.

Renji never heard her statement. He too fell into his emotions when Rukia was defeated and sent away. Unlike the rest, Renji managed to last a very long while in the fight. His confrontation lasted a whole hour longer. It came to a close when Jiryokou finally got him into a hold similar to that he used on the others. Renji experienced a feather-light feeling before he was thrown into reality harshly, buried under something heavy.

Anger had swelled in Renji, far past his boiling point. And before he knew it, he was clawing his way up to the top of the sand. He burst forth with such vigor, expecting to see Jiryokou before him, laughing…

No, it wasn't Jiryokou.

He was laying in a vast expanse of sand, coughing up the grains when he saw the three. He was sad to know that Jiryokou's meaty form wasn't anywhere near him. Instead, he saw three smaller forms. The one on the far left wore a black outfit that oddly reminded Renji of footie-pajamas, but without the feet. His face was painted over squarely, which didn't help the menacing look the stranger had in his eyes. On the far right was a curvaceous female with spiky sand-like locks and a brighter apparel of purple. But the person in the middle was what interested Renji the most.

The first thing the shinigami noted was the red hair. Similar to his own, this person had a bright head of crimson hair. Oddly enough, the person lacked any eyebrows. Instead, he had an offensive Kanji on the right side of his forehead, referring to 'love of oneself'. It was so curious, to think someone would deliberately put something so narcissistic on their forehead. Though, something even more offsetting was the dark circle that encased both of his eyes. So now this stranger was an insomniac?

Of course, that wasn't the end of it. Renji was slightly offended and mildly amused when he noticed the defensive stances the three took. The first male with a encased figure, the second with what looked like a gourde that poured floating sand, and the female with one nasty-looking fan. What made it all the more interesting? They were only young kids. Not even full-on adults yet!

Did these three think they could stand a fight against Renji? The hot-headed male was bemused as he got himself up off the ground in a very drunken-like state. He placed his hands on his hips, allowing him to comfortably through his head back in laughter.

"That damned Jiryokou! These illusions are so real!" He called. He suddenly averted his attention to the three strangers, raising his eyebrows at their indescribable expressions. "What? Do you think that a scrawny package, ugly jar, or oversized fan is gonna scare me away? You shouldn't even care; you're that rat basterd's illusion!"

The man before the three looked so carefree. Didn't he realize who he stood before? Openly insulting the Kazekage and his siblings? All the shinobi had their own reactions; Kankuro scoffed, Gaara glared, and Temari giggled. Her giggle was cold and reclusive, causing both her brothers to look over at her curiously. Just what was that girl thinking?

"You're a funny one, aren't you?" She chimed, straightening her posture and loosening up. Her fan was repositioned at her side so she could lean on it comfortably. Renji would never forget the menacing expression she had. "You think we're illusions? You're in the middle of the Wind Country, not a silly illusion."

Kankuro grunted. "AH! Don't act so careless, this guy could have seriously hurt us! He can still seriously hurt us!" He rolled the figure before him beneath his figure, allowing a couple strands of wrapping to fall. There was a tuft of brown hair at the top.

Renji furrowed his brows, piercing the air with his wild hand gestures. "Whaddya mean? Of course this is an illusion. I don't even know what the hell this 'Wind Country' is." He barked at them. Though his words were slightly hypocritical; he actually did know what the Wind Country was, it was part of a course they taught in the Academy. It was a world separate from a world; it was as if the Elemental Nations were on a different frequency than Japan and the Earth. Only, Renji was yet to realize this. School had never been his forte, and things he deemed unimportant he tended to bury deep within his mind.

While this went on, and the three others fought, Gaara observed. Ever since he'd felt the sand, he unknowingly knew that Renji possessed special powers. Powerful special powers. He couldn't explain it, but what he felt was something alien. This man's power came from something that the shinobi world had never been introduced to before. Gaara could use this power…his nation could use this power…

Somewhere in the few minutes that passed, the minor speck of an argument between Kankuro, Temari, and Renji had passed, leaving the three of semi-good terms. Everyone had lost their tight stances, now relaxed. Though they didn't necessarily trust this stranger, they doubted he was against them in any way. He didn't seem smart enough to be much of a threat. What kind of assassin would jump out at their target in broad daylight? Not a very good one, apparently.

"The name's Renji." He told them toothily. He ignored Temari's surprising purr and continued, "Do you three know the way to Karakura Town?"

That didn't make sense at all to the three sand ninja. They hadn't heard of a 'Karakura Town' and had to assume it was where Renji was from. While his siblings shook his head, Gaara said, "No, we do not."

Gaara's monotone voice was eerie, but Renji accepted it nonetheless. "Damn…" He muttered.

The only kunoichi of the group smirked. "On our way to Iron Country, we could look a little for you." She told him, one hand resting gently on her hip. Something about Renji was like honey to a bee, and she was that bee. Something like this was obvious to her brothers, but Renji was ignorant to her slight attraction.

"Eh…Nah, it's fine. I'll just go…" His voice died out as he turned around, repeatedly, to get a good look at his surroundings. It was nothing but sand. Sand as far as the eye could see! Renji gulped, in this place, he couldn't tell which way was North and which was South. Just how far away had Jiryokou taken him?

Before Temari could say another word to break her strong feminism, Gaara began on his own little tangent. "You'll just go nowhere. As far as I'm concerned, you've no idea where you're going. But we do." His interest in this subject was even unknown to Gaara himself. Even so, he went on, surprising his siblings. "Renji. Follow us to the Iron Country for the Kage Summit. Kankuro will explain everything on the way."

The shinigami didn't know where he was going, or what to do, and what he was being suggested seemed like a pretty darn good offer. He nodded insightfully, not sure what to think about this strange red-head before him who'd just pushed on the job of explaining to another person. It's not just Renji had much to do, anyways. Thus, for now he figured it would be okay to travel along. Who knows, maybe he'd run into someone he knew…

All he did know was whatever happened next was going to be troublesome.

Author's Note:

Sorry you guys. In the last chapter I sort of whined about the reviews. I'm the type of person who expects herself to do better than others, and overreacts when she doesn't realize that she's pushing herself too hard. Thank you, Sendicard, for helping me realize this.

Another thanks to Sendicard for being a wonderful advisor. For a while now I haven't liked the way I presented the story in chapter one. I felt Naruto's personality was too much like when he was a kid who knew nothing about life. I also had a few plot potholes. I had written that he didn't know where the book was, and had lost it, when it was really in his jacket the whole time. I edited the chapter to fix that and his personality, as well as to add on more content. If you didn't really like the original first chapter, I suggest you go back to read it and (if you have any disagreements whatsoever) send me a message or something. I'm on ALL the time, so trust me when I say I'll get it.

Once again, thank you Sendicard, and all the wonderful reviewers! All the positive feedback I've received has made writing this story so much fun.

And there are some exciting developments for the future. (Remember the wolf attack in Chapter Two?)

You may have noticed that I've been emphasizing Hinata's confession from the manga and anime. That's because I sorely dislike the way Kishimoto does something so big, and then never touches back on it again. Like, seriously. What does Hinata think now? How about Naruto? All we know is that she confessed to 'loving him', almost died, sent him off in an angry Kyuubi-fueled rage, only for him to come back and never reiterate it again? Eh.

On another note, if you decide to review, please tell me how far you'd like to see this story go. Do you want me to stretch it along with the real plotline as it goes, or do you want me to end it somewhere? Please let me know, I'm still unsure how far I'm willing to go with this story as of yet. Though trust me, it's not over for until the fat lady sings, and in Japan, there aren't any fat ladies.

For now, Adieux~