Hey guys! Was'up!

I'm glad you guys are sticking around, even for this. It makes me glad to know that people are interested in reading my writing.

Anyway, this chapter gets exciting! Naruto gets to show some of his power off! But worry not, there will be some drama here and there.

Now, lets get this thing under way!

Rangiku's P.o.v is first!

I own nothing!

The Heat of Battle

Rangiku Matsumoto awoke with widened eyes, startled with fright, as her slender hands frantically feeling around, as if she were missing something, or someone, from her bed. Her heart raced as all she felt were her sheets and her bed. She began to shake, teeth gnashing and grinding together, threatening to chip if she didn't stop, if she didn't find what was missing.

Then, the feeling passed, and her fright was quelled. Yet still, she sat, eyes glazed over with an empty glare. What was that...

"Matsumoto. Are you well?"

Her eyes shifted lazily up to her captain. His white spiky hair and cool gaze the first thing she saw. Next, her gaze fell and saw that he was garbed in his captain robes, as if all ready for a mission. Strange, they just finished one last week, why were they having another one? Her lazy mind did not like the thought of yet another one.

"Toshiro? What time is it?" Her voice returned to her a moment later, a slight grumble to her tone.

He merely raised an eye-brow.

"Its nearly noon, why haven't you gotten up yet?" Was his slightly irate reply.

"Oh, five more minutes." She yawned out, laying herself back down.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, and a tic mark appearing over his forehead, the short captain barked at her.

"This is not a time to sleep, you have a mission to do!"

She opened a single lid to him, lazily saying-

"Why can't you do it?"

That triggered the captain.

"There is a captain meeting issued!" He bellowed with hot anger flying with his words. "I can't go to the shinobi world to investigate the leakage of Reishi! Someone has tried to get through the gates of the Seiretei and the head captain fears they will try again! It was only by Ichimaru that they stopped and fled!" He screamed out, his fury pouring like a gushing waterfall, coming down on the lieutenant without mercy.

She flinched and sat up straighter in the beginning of his rant, but soon her eyes widened to dinner plates when he mentioned that she'd be going to the shinobi world.

Rangiku flung herself out of bed faster than you could say bankai, going straight towards her closet and stripping, flinging her clothes back and right in Hitsugya's face-blocking his view-and proceeded to get her shinigami clothes on.

When the captain finally peeled the cloth from his face, ready to tear into his lieutenant for not listening, she had already booked it towards the Senkaimon. Even after that, he still stood there, brows nit by confusion. Eventually, the short captain gave out a long, dragged out breath.

"...what is wrong with that woman?" Toshiro heard himself say.

In the shinobi world, a battle was taking place, one that Zabuza Momoichi was having a hard time fighting. How could it be, this boy, have this strange jutsu? It was very troublesome dodging the great red energy thing that came down on him, especially after fighting Kakashi, the exhaustion from before leaving him winded. The man himself was not the boys target-being his sensei and all-and took to resting by the sidelines. The thing itself that the boy was flinging at him was something unlike Chakra, yet still apart of it, somehow. Whatever it was, he sure as hell wasn't gonna let it hit him! He'd seen what it did to the poor trees behind him!

But at the same time, he was getting very tired of dodging them, so...

"Stop doing that!" He shouted, leaping over another wave of crimson energy.

He was getting annoyed, having a constant barrage of those things really put a strain on him.

"Why don't you stop being a wimp and actually fight me! Sword to sword!" He bellowed, hoping the boy would take the bait.

The miasma of scarlet stopped.

Zabuza gazed across the large pond, seeing Naruto there, his sword held aloft, both of his hands gripping with white knuckled strength in his hands. He pointed that sword towards Zabuza for a brief moment, eyes hardening. Then, suddenly, he disappeared.

The Devil of the Mist felt his senses scream.

Left!

He turned, bringing his word around, flinging it at his side to block Naruto's from taking his head off.

With a mighty push, he got some distance, Zabuza baring and gritting his teeth as he did so, and he sprinted across to bare his sword back around, meeting the slightly smaller one with sparks flying. Again and again, they came together, slashing and hacking at one another, trying to gain dominance over one another. They flung themselves into the fight, large sweeping arks forcing the water beneath them to shudder and separate with each passing blade.

Zabuza leapt above the boy, and when he landed, swung back around, hitting nothing but air.

Naruto was above him, bringing his sword down in sorta tucked in front flip, but Zabuza saw it coming, yet just barely did he leap back, gaining a gap of breathing space between them. Zabuza stopped atop the water, huffing and puffing, his Chakra running low. His weary gaze lifted to the boys'-unquestioning to the fact that the young lad stood instead atop the air-for right now, he was seeing something in those sapphire eyes he didn't know such a young lad could have.

"I-I see it now." His voice was rough, driven to harsh breath from exhaustion. "I see it, that flame burning in your eyes. Y-you...its not that you want to kill me." A bout of coughing overtook him, uncontrollable as he tried to remain standing. "N-no, that's not at the forefront of those eyes. You want to fight, you want to be the winner," more strenuous coughing nearly floored him then. It went on for a few more huffs, then he gained control of his breathing once more.

"You, you're tired of losing to the world, heheh...I-I guess I can understand that." He finally got out, eyes half lidded, a smile beneath his cloth-wrapped face. Then, he fell, barely sinking in the shallow end, a collapse of limbs and it was done.

But that fire still burned in Naruto's gaze, as Walter urged him to end it completely, to make sure the man was down. Naruto had no idea what was happening, being in the daze he was in. As he lifted his arm up, gathering Reishi around him and his asauchi, ready to release it on the fallen man.

He swung down, that crimson energy lashing out in one, large, sweeping arc of scarlet, racing to cleave the Devil of the Mist in twine. It rushed over the land and over the pond, uncaring for any and everything, crashing through waves and water unabated. Then, it reached Zabuza's fallen frame.

"Haineko!"

A gust of grey particles came rushing in to block the blood red Reishi, just in time too, any later, and it would have been too late to save him. The grey particles ground against the energy, both trying to gain the upper hand. But soon, in a flash of light, the Reishi exploded harmlessly against the grey wall. When the energy dispersed fully, that grey cloud came swarming back towards its owner, forming back into a sword with a cat head for the guard.

Rangiku flash stepped before Naruto, zampakto sheathed, clasping him by the shoulders with great worry.

"Naruto, whats wrong!" She screamed, concern for her week old student, seeing the glazed over look he had on. She was distraught, having come here, to see her student, see if he were okay after hearing about the leakage of Reishi, yet finding him in the middle of a fight. Matsumoto had suspected as much, but hadn't realized the depth of the situation. She had no idea what the man had done, but with the look in Naruto's eyes, she was sure something was amiss.

He continued to stare on, absent minded.

With regret burning in her gaze, Rangiku brought her hand back.

SMACK!

She struck him across the face, hoping that it'd snap him out of it.

His gaze turned towards her, eyes half lidded.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Her voice was pleading

His eyes fell completely shut, steel garters having fallen over his eyes, not to be opened with any ease, and he fell forward, right in-between Rangiku's valley. She gasped, brows raised, but she caught him none the less, holding his head there as his zampakto fell from his grip, sticking into the muck of the pond.

She turned him over, cradling him with worry. "What happened here..." She asked herself. She merely had just come from the gate not to far from here, just expecting him to be training, or at least lightly fighting, but as it turns out, something else happened entirely. Rangiku found herself crouching in the air, still holding him with care.

"That's what I'd like to know." Came the voice of Kakashi as his shadow came over hers.

She bolted up, turned, and readied herself to unsheathe Haineko and cut down whoever was behind her. Rangiku found that the person standing behind her was not unlike a scarecrow made man, skinny yet tall, hovering over her and Naruto, as if to pluck him away from her slender grip.

"Who are you?" Her voice was hard.

He looked down on her with a lazy eye, as if reading her face, but in the end of the long silence between them, he just held up a hand, so as to say that they had no qualms. In the buxamed brauds opinion, it was half-assed.

"My name is Kakashi, he is my student. Now my question, who are you exactly." He nearly demanded of her, yet still he kept his cool tone.

"I am the one who gave him his sword, his zampakto, and it appears he is close to achieving shikai. So if you would kindly leave me be before I cut you down-whoa there!" She was half-way through her rant when the scarecrow man fell forward. This time, she twirled away, making him fall face-first into the water instead of where Naruto had.

But that was none of he business.

"What is going on?" Rangiku asked herself when suddenly two other kids-that looked to be about Naruto's age-came rushing into the water. She heeded them no mind and gave them space as they gathered their sensei. Sasuke grabbed one arm and Sakura the other, pulling his head from the depths.

The man still did draw breath.

Rangiku asked, "who are you two?"

With a long breath, Sasuke told her to bring Naruto along, that they were going to someone's house to get those two patched up. She looked into the boys' onyx eyes, glaring deeply, seeking out any lies that could be held there. Rangiku so desperately wanted to take Naruto to soul society, wanted him to come with her, even though she only knew him for a little over a week. There was something in him she found familiar. Perhaps it was his determination, or maybe it was his cute face she adored. But she also knew that she'd be in great trouble if she took him back, if the head-captain found out what she did. So, in the end, within the Uchiha's eyes...

All she could see was someone trying to help a comrade.

With an all around nod, they came walking towards the shore-her carrying Naruto's sword, where they had left Tazuna.

"Who are you?" He asked, trying-in vain-to keep his gaze with hers-what with him being a slight drunk.

"My name is Rangiku Matsumoto." She told, then asking, "who are you guys?"

"I'm Sakura." The pinkette told

"Sasuke." Told the cool headed boy

"Bridge builder Tazuna." They all answered.

They got to walking after that, Naruto carried by Rangiku, Kakashi carried by the to genin, and the asauchi carried by Tazuna-with great strain.

Silence lay between them for a while, none finding anything to say to one another.

Rangiku didn't much mind the gap of words, it left her time to think. For starters, what was it that had gotten Naruto so worked up that he was beginning to get close to shikai? Was the fight he was having with the man from earlier the cause of this? Or, maybe, his zampakto spirit wished to speed the process along. Perhaps it was seeing another blade that spurred the spirit on to battle...

"Hey, Rangiku-san."

Said woman jumped a slight, the pinkettes words piercing her deep thoughts. The endowed woman turned towards the younger lass and asked what of it she wanted.

"Well," She began, a backwards glance at the woman, "how is it that you know Naruto?" She asked, plain curious.

The Matsumoto perched her lips together in thought, then, as her mind seemed to click, she said thus-

"I am the one who gave him his sword." Rangiku told, seeing as they were too far to hear what she said to their teacher, getting wide eyes and slight hangs of the mouth from the two young shinobi.

"This giant thing!" Tazuna wailed from her side, interrupting their shock, barely holding up the large instrument of death. "I can hardly carry this damn thing! Let alone swing it!" He bellowed next.

The orange haired woman smiled gently, trying to make sure the man would continue to hold the the blade as they went towards the mans house. He gave a fuming glare, but otherwise kept his mouth shut, resigning to his fate as they came closer to his house.

While they walked away from the fallen Zabuza-and as someone in a white mask gathered his body up-Naruto found himself in his mindscape once more. He stood there, before Walter, a slight glare to his gaze. In the barren lands, Walter stood a distance from Naruto as well, his own, stoic, stare coming back at the young lad. Both remained this way for some time...

"Why are you staring at me, that look is one of anger, and I've done nothing wrong, I merely gave you my strength." Walter's rough voice came out, breaking that encompassing silence.

"That wasn't what I wanted." Naruto seethed, clenching his teeth.

He hated what happened, to be overcome by a force he had no control over, incapable of moving ones own muscle with his will-yet someone else urging them without him bidding them to. His mind itself was clouded by sweet smoke, telling him to do as it told.

But Walter begged to differ. He thought what he did was just fine. He thought he was doing by the boy rightly. He thought what he wanted, his desire to do that he wanted, was what was right. Walter made that known.

"What I did was for you boy." His voice was harder, as he took a step towards Naruto.

"What I did was solidify the things that we share." Another step, tone rising with fury backing.

"What I did Naruto! What I did for you was to make sure you won!" His full rancor came down on the boy then, a great bellow of rage set on the lad, unmerciful with its weight.

Naruto did not flinch away from the tall man, his determined glare still staring and blaring into Walter's eyes. His lips curled back, hot anger fueling him now as well, prodding him on, as he bared his teeth to his zampakto spirit.

"That doesn't matter!" He exploded out with a graveled chorus of fury. "I want you to help, but that doesn't mean I want to be some kind of blind! raging! monster!" Naruto flung his words with venom dripping between. With fist clenched, and fury raging in him, he swung.

Whack!

For the first time, in what seemed like a very long time, Walter was surprised. It was a nice punch, he concluded. It stung him, it had some actual force behind it. The punch actually bit him, a small cut appearing over his cheek were the boy had knocked him one. Oh, but for his words, the things the boy spat in his face, for those things...

"I am triggered!"

WHAM!

Walter delivered his own white knuckled punch, a devastating blow that threw Naruto-an almost literal ragdoll-with enough force that sent him rocketing across the planes of the desert. When enough of the blow began to fade, he struck his head against the hard ground first, which began to torque his body 'round. Tumbling end over end in a kart-wheel of painful rolls, he finally, in teeth clenching pain, came to a full stop, when his back crashed into a large boulder.

Walter was already there, squatting next to the lad, the boys body beaten up with eyes half-lidded.

"Now you listen here, I will continue to help you, despite what you just said, but have no doubt in your mind, and keep the words I speak now engraved into your thick skull, that the next time you try to fight me, make sure you can put me down, and keep me down. Because if you don't..." here he trailed, leaning down to the boys face, spitting out-

"I will kill you."

He leaned back and away, standing up so that Naruto could only see his boots and legs. Then, Naruto heard him say-

"Now wake up and get out of my world."

A/N

Hey guys how have you been?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, because I had fun writing it. Also, I have an announcement concerning the harem. So far we have:

Rangiku

Soi-Fon

And that's it.

I have an idea of who else I want but I'm not sure of them entirely, depending on how much I can put into this. If you want to suggest any, or have any questions, don't be afraid to put them out there and private message me. It may take a while for me to answer back-day or so-but I will answer to my best capabilities. Don't forget this guys, you-yes you-are the life blood of fiction, your views-OVER 13000 PEOPLE!-make what I write possible, and enjoyable, so your feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated-in fact, it makes Risen in general better for you.

Alright, I've blabbed enough, I wish you guys a great day! :^)