AN: Thanks for the reviews, and the suggestions. The advice will help. And for those who noticed, yes I did mean pre Quincy, thanks for pointing that out. Now onward, and keep reviewing.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto or Bleach

Chapter 3: Making new friends

Following Minato and Kushina into the room, Ichigo took a look around. It was a plain circular room, a desk occupied the far wall, which bore several windows overlooking the village, a book shelf against one wall, and three paintings hanging on the other on.

The first was of a tall man with waist length black hair and dark eyes. He wore red samurai style armor with a black body suit underneath. He had a happy and content smile on his face. The plaque under the picture read Senju Hashirama, Shodaime Hokage.

The second was of a fair skinned man with shaggy white hair and red eyes. Like the first man, he wore armor, however whereas the first man's was red, his was blue with a white fur collar. On his face were three red markings, two under his eyes, and one on his chin. He had a stoic look on his face, giving Ichigo the impression that he took things far more seriously than the first man. His plaque read Senju Tobirama, Nidaime Hokage.

The final picture was of a man shorter than the first two. He had spikey brown hair and a goatee. Unlike the former two, he didn't wear the same heavy armor, instead wearing just a black jumpsuit with mesh segments on the ends of the limbs, as well as a green gauntlet on his right forearm. He bore the same expression as the first man, with his plaque reading, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage.

"Hokage-sama"

"Sup, Jiji"

Noticing the greetings from Minato and Kushina, Ichigo looked around for the one they were speaking to. Looking around, he noticed movement behind what was a titanic amount of paperwork. 'Guess the taicho's aren't the only ones with that problem.' From behind the desk came the same man in the third picture, if not a bit older.

Looking at him, Ichigo couldn't help but have the same feeling as if he were before the Sotaicho. That the man in front of him could rip him apart, though admittedly, this guy didn't seem as serious.

Seeing them, the man let a smile grace his face. "Ah, Kushina-chan, Minato-kun, good to see you both. What brings you here today, am I correct in presuming it has to do with your friend there?" Looking at Kushina and thinking that that she would be too embarrassed to say anything, Minato decided to take the floor.

"You are correct Hokage-Sama. This is Kurosaki Ichigo, and he was brought here by an… accident." Sarutobi's only response was a raised eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, Minato began to recount the tale of Ichigo's arrival, leaving out that it was technically Kushina who brought him through. He didn't want her getting in trouble.

Sarutobi sat there listening to one of his jounin speak. Now, to anyone else, the things Minato was saying would be considered inconceivable. Using an experimental technique and suddenly a weird orange haired man shows up? It sounded ludicrous. However, he was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, The Professor, and the Kami no Shinobi. He has seen some very strange techniques in his life. Especially during the last two wars. For Kami's sake, his own sensei made a technique to revive the dead. So, Minatoaccidently doing something that could be described as a summoning gone wrong was not inconceivable.

Still, he was a shinobi, a damned good one too. Despite two of his best jounin vouching for the orange haired stranger, he couldn't discount the possibility of him being an enemy who would, at the very least, take advantage of the situation.

"Interesting. And what about you… Kurasaki-san, was it? Can you tell me what you were doing?" Sarutobi asked lightly, concealing his suspicion of the unknown man.

Ichigo just looked at the man for a moment before answering. "Nothing much really. I was just on my way home, when some kind of portal opened in front of me and pulled me in." "Just like that? There was nothing else happening on your end?"

"Nope. Pretty normal day." 'I doubt they'd believe me if I said I was training in my Shinigami abilities. Probably best if I keep quiet about it.' 'Wise. Best to keep most to yourself until such a time as it is absolutely required to reveal the needed information. Though he can no doubt tell that you are keeping secrets. Couple that with the fact that these people seem cautious by their very nature, he will be watching you. Tread carefully Ichigo. I sense this man is not one to make an enemy out of.'

'Yeah, I caught that. He gives me the same vibe as the Sotaicho, as if…'

'As if he could beat you to death with your own skull in the time it takes you to realize that he moved? Yeah, that feeling's there…. FIGHT HIM NOW! IT'LL BE AWESOME!'

'Yeah… I'm gonna not do that. I enjoy living, it's pleasant. …Most of the time.'

Sarutobi just narrowed his eyes. The boy was hiding something, but as of yet he hadn't done anything threatening towards Konoha, so for now, he would just watch. Turning to Minato, he continued with the conversation. "Minato-kun, do you think you can send him back to his home?" Minato just shifted his feet, looking at the man he and Kushina had accidently pulled from they didn't know where. "Hokage-sama we- I don't even know how he got here. I don't know what was different about the event that pulled him through than all my other attempts. I promise you both, Hokage-sama, Ichigo-san, that I'll do everything I can, but recreating an accident…"

"Sooo, you're saying I'm stuck here for days, weeks, possibly years, until you can find a way?" Ichigo continued for him with a dry look. Minato quickly tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, I know it can be done. Obviously it can, I mean you're here, so it has happened. It's just a matter of recreating the event. That's the tricky part."

Sarutobi leaned forward with a contemplative look. "If that's the case, then we'll have to find you some lodgings for your stay. If you give me some time, I'm sure that I can fi-" "Oh, old man!" Sarutobi raised his eyebrows a bit. 'I almost forgot she was here' "Yes, Kushina-chan?" Kushina smiled when he acknowledged her. "There are some empty apartments at the complex where I stay. He can use one of those. I'll also be able to show him around, and help him out while he's in the village. That'll work, right?" She asked hopefully, ignoring Ichigo's inquisitive look. While this suggestion was legitimate, her real reason, was that she wanted to make it up to the new arrival, since it was her fault he was here.

The Sandaime just looked at her curiously. She was a little too eager for this to just be a whim. It almost sounded like this was personal to her. Sarutobi didn't know why she felt this way, but he saw nothing wrong with allowing her to help the boy. "If I allow this, then I'm making him your responsibility, you understand?"

Kushina simply smiled and gave a mock salute. "You got it." Now turning to Ichigo, she addressed him, "Since we'll be helping you out, we should get to know each other better. Did you eat before coming here?" Seeing a negative she continued. "Perfect, then we can grab a bite at Ichirakus! You'll love it, it's got the best Ramen ever, you'll never find a better place." Ichigo, seeing her excitement, quirked an eyebrow. "You seem very hyped for something as simple as ramen."

Suddenly, it was cold. He felt like the end of his life was close at hand, like if he didn't chose his next words very carefully, his existence would cease. Looking around, he saw that the feeling was coming from Kushina. But she was… different. There was a dangerous look in her eye, and her hair was doing this weird movement thing, and was split into nine pieces, almost like tails, waving in the air. Narrowing her eyes, she just asked "Why, do you have a problem with Ramen?" Paling, Ichigo just vigorously shook his head, as the Hokage and Minato looked on in amusement and sympathy. "No! No, ra-ramen is great! L-l-l-lets go."

Returning to normal, Kushina just gave a massive smile, and started leading the way. Ichigo, following behind, tried to calm down.

'Ichigo'

'Yea?'

'…Don't ever make her do that again'

'…Okay'

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Walking through the village with Minato and Kushina, Ichigo couldn't help but be awed by what he was seeing. Not because it was so extravagant or incredible, he'd seen things far more impressive, it was more along the lines that everything was weird. It was like a strange mix of the old and modern. Not to mention he just passed a convenience store, situated right beside a weapons shop. That was just weird.

Looking to the side, he noticed Kushina's eyes on him, with an inquisitive look to them. She seemed… confused about something. A little unnerved, Ichigo voiced his concerns. "Is there something I can help you with?" Kushina turned away but still answered. "Sorry, it's just, you haven't commented on my hair. Everyone comments on my hair."

Ichigo just raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me, a guy with orange hair, why I haven't made a remark about your red hair?" Kushina responded with a small smile. "Point." However what he said next nearly caused her to trip over herself. "Besides, I've met someone with hair like that before." Suddenly Kushina grabbed him by the collar of his clothes and brought him right in front of her while shooting off questions. "You have!? Where!? When!? The name! What was their name!? TELL ME THEIR NAME!" Caught completely off guard Ichigo was just barely able to stutter out "A-abarai Renji."

Visibly deflating, Kushina just repeated him, "Abarai? You're sure? Damn it." Continuing onward to the ramen stand, Minato just put his arm around her with a supportive smile. Looking back and seeing their guest's confusion, he just mouthed 'later' to him. Seeing that this was clearly a sore subject for the red head, Ichigo just shelved it for now. The rest of the walk was spent in silence….

Until a loud, boisterous voice called out to them "YOOO Kushina!" Looking over they saw three people approaching. The first was the one who called out, a women with untamed, wild brown hair, slanted eyes, and red markings on her cheeks. The second was a women with long raven hair and onyx eyes. The final person was a man with long brown hair and strange white eyes. Immediately Kushina's mood did a 180 and she rushed to the one who called out. "Tsume –chan! You're back! I was worried when you and Hitomi-chan went on that mission without me." Tsume just grinned and reassured her. "You know we can handle ourselves. Hitomi had to get back to the compound. Said something about the elders bitching again. Never mind that though, who's your new friend?" She asked while eyeing Ichigo. 'I smell an alpha.'

"Oh right. Guys, this is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's a new friend who's kinda… stuck here right now. So, we're gonna help him out. Ichigo, meet Inuzuka Tsume, Uchiha Mikoto, and Hyuga Hizashi." Tsume gave a mock salute, Hizashi smiled and shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet here Ichigo-san." Mikoto gave a mall bow and looked at him with kind eyes. "It's very nice to meet you Ichigo-san. If you really are stuck here, I'd be happy to help as well." Ichigo smiled as well. "It would be appreciated Mikoto-san."

After the greetings, Tsume took charge of the conversation. "So, you guys eaten yet?" Kushina shook her head. "We were just on our way." "Perfect. We'll join you then. Gives us a chance to get to know our new friend." And with that, the now six people continued their walk to get their ramen. Looking at Tsume, Ichigo couldn't help but be reminded of Kukaku back in the soul society. Smiling, he couldn't help but think that he was in good hands. He was sure he'd meet more people during his stay in Konoha, he just hoped that he's be able to meet them as friends.

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Okay that's it. Not sure how I feel about this one. Please, give me advice, hints, tips, tricks and more. For those who wonder, we will not be seeing anyone else from the bleach universe in a good long while. Before I go, a question. I don't know if others have asked this, but this confuses me.

Aizen. He betrays soul society, cornered by captains, monologues, changes his look slightly yet at the same time makes a significant difference, makes miraculous getaway. Here's my question; was the hair gel ready in his hand the whole time? Was his hair just that greasy? Or did he use his Zanpaktou to make it just appear as if he slicked his hair, until such a time that he actually could slick his hair back? Cause hair doesn't just slick back like that. It doesn't work. I tried, I just looked foolish.

Let me know your thoughts.