Chapter 3
Destiny Awaits
Music
Nine Tail Demon Fox; Naruto OST, Oh So Tired; Bleach OST, Destiny Awaits; Bleach OST
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The corridors were as he remembered them, dank, dark and unsanitary. The brown walls were covered in miniscule cracks, water flowing from some of the bigger ones and pooling onto the worn broken tiled floor. There was no roof above him. Instead there was a mass of black cables, stretching for as far as the eye could see.
Worst of all was that sound which still haunted his nightmares, a deep breathing which echoed through the corridors, bringing a chill up his spine.
Naruto walked down the worn path, knowing exactly where he was going. Finally he entered a huge chamber, an empty chamber where the pooling water rose up to his ankles. Ahead of him was a massive hole, huge steel bars caste over the entrance. The gaps were big enough for him to squeeze through, but they weren't designed for him. The lock had a paper seal over it, the inscription of an ancient and powerful sealing Jutsu inscribed.
Naruto walked forward, hands stuffed in the pockets of his orange suit "Hey you dirty old fluff ball, you in there!?"
There was a crash which shook the very foundations of this place. Something was behind the steel bars, something huge. Even with the darkness he could see the silhouette of an animal within.
He jumped when he saw a pair of eyes open within the din.
Red, feral eyes
The eyes of a monster
It grinned then, showing its pointed teeth which seemed to glow of their own accord in this dark place.
"Little fool"
Naruto was roused by the sounds of scraping and snapping, it wasn't for a few fleeting moments that he realised that they were coming from the steel bars. Cracks started to appear along the steel, small at first, but they got bigger; some of the barrier was already crumbling away, as if it were turning to sand.
Suddenly terrified he looked to the seal, only to see it vanish in a blaze of black fire. The central pillars crumbled completely away, leaving nothing between the Host and the beast.
Laughter burbled from the darkness.
"No" Naruto whimpered, taking a step back.
"Yes!"
A massive claw and sinewy, yet masculine arm of red fur flew out of the gap in the barrier, aimed for him. It moved at such an impossible speed that he had no time to dodge.
The claw caught him and squeezed.
Naruto opened his mouth to scream.
He shot up in bed, his breathing shallow and ragged. His bedding and clothing covered in sweat. He looked around to see that he had been sleeping inside a hospital room. White walls, lack of any furniture other from his bed, a bedside table and a couple of steel fold up chairs. An open window stood at the far wall.
He could feel the gentle breeze. The light rays of the sun. He could hear the chirping calls of morning birds. It relaxed him, soothing his residual fear of the monster that had plagued him for all of his natural life. He knew that the Kyuubi was gone now. He was torn from Naruto's body when he passed on.
Still as much as he hated to admit it, he had grown used to the fox's company. As much as he hated to admit it, the fox was a good source of him relieving his anger, when something happened he would always mentally blame the fox. The fur ball was the perfect scapegoat.
He fell back in bed, examining the walls, the open archway, the window.
Why did hospital rooms have to be so bland and boring? Why couldn't they be painted a happier colour, orange for instance? Maybe even blue?
He groaned in annoyance at his predicament, silently cursing that woman. What was her name? Oh yeah. Yoruichi Shihoin. Anyway, he was cursing this woman's very existence for beating him up to the point where he woke up in a hospital.
A hospital, in the afterlife…go figure.
He heard the feint sound of footfalls, and turned his attention to the open archway leading to an equally bland corridor. Oh the irony. Then someone came through, a young woman dressed in a nurse's uniform. A pink nurses uniform, with a miniskirt.
She entered the room, but was so engrossed with whatever was written on her clipboard that she didn't even notice the boy starring at her. The supposedly comatose boy brought in by that stark raving mad Captain of 2nd Division and her carefree 3rd Seat.
"Excuse me"
She looked up, and dropped the clipboard, her cute little mouth slightly agape.
Naruto laughed nervously at her expression, and then looked on dubiously as she fled the room like she had seen a ghost or something. Naruto fell back into his bed with a sigh.
It was five minutes later when someone else entered the room. Naruto squinted open an eye to see his next visitor.
It was a woman, with a black Shinigami uniform and a sheathed katana at her hip, the difference between Urahara and her was that over her robes she wore a white jacket, with long baggy sleeves (Haori). She was beautiful too, in a more mature sense. Her face was kind, her blue eyes soft and her long black hair was tied by ribbons into a braid at her front.
She looked down at the fallen clipboard, sighed and bent over to pick it up. She noticed him and smiled, a smile so warm and friendly that Naruto couldn't help but return it.
"Good morning" she greeted, her voice soft and motherly "Good to see you're finally awake"
Something got her attention, she looked down and that smile returned "It's alright" she soothed "He's awake now"
Naruto didn't even notice Rangiku gripping onto the woman's long haori. She looked up at him and ran to his side. Practically jumping onto the bed and giving him a hug "Naruto nii-chan, I thought you'd…" she didn't finish her sentence, her little form racked with sobs.
"Hey, hey" he consoled, rubbing the crying girls back "I'm alright, see, never better" he tried to prove it by flexing his arms, only to flinch as a sudden pain struck him. The Shinigami…doctor looked at him worriedly.
"Try not to move much" she explained "You took quite a beating"
Naruto remembered, it all came running back to him "I would have had a better chance" he scowled, looking at his bandaged hands "But my Jutsu started to fail on me"
She raised an eyebrow "Jutsu…ah, chakra, the energy of the body"
"That's right" Naruto replied before studying her "Onee-san, who are you?"
She chuckled at his bluntness "My apologies, I didn't introduce myself" she cleared her throat subtly, then spoke "Unohana Retsu, Captain of the 4th Shinigami Division, medical and relief squad"
Another captain Naruto thought "How long have I been here for?"
"Hmm, lets see" she seemed to think for a moment "About five days now"
"Five days" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Yes" she replied "Or to be more precise four days, sixteen hours"
"That damn woman" Naruto growled "When I see her again I'll-"
"You'll what?"
He recognised the voice, gulped and turned to the window. There, like a cat sitting on a branch of a tree was Yoruichi, smiling mischievously at him. Naruto starred at her, both in surprise and panic. He wasn't ready to face her again. He edged away, not noticing that he was nearing the edge of the bed, and promptly fell off with a yelp.
"Yoruichi-Taicho" Unahana chastised with a heavy sigh "Do not scare the patient"
"I didn't do anything" she said innocently, the grin gave her away though.
Naruto looked up at the ceiling, little Rangiku's head popping into his vision overhead, looking at him with a curious expression "Naruto nii-chan" she asked "Why are you just lying there"
"Because my spine has turned into mush" he replied blandly.
She tilted her head in curiosity, Unohana sighed and Yoruichi laughed so hard that she fell off her perch on the window, landing on the floor.
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Naruto looked at his burned hands "My Jutsu is gone"
Yoruichi nodded "It is, in all honesty it should've faded away when you entered our world. Something powerful must have been binded to you for such effects to last so long"
"Yeah" Naruto murmured "He was powerful"
Both Captains looked at each other, confused before turning back to Naruto "He?"
The boy nodded, his face sad and his eyes hollow "He" he repeated "Have you ever heard of the Biju?"
"The nine Biju, the tailed demons" Unohana nodded "They were the strongest demons of the living world, but they were all defeated and their essences placed in the bodies of normal humans so that they could be controlled, they were…um"
"The Jinchuriki"
"Yes, that was the names of the hosts"
"I was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine tailed demon fox" Naruto explained.
"Yes" Retsu said in understanding "That would explain you're living powers remaining after death, the power of the Kyuubi was by far the more superior of its eight siblings" she suddenly realised what Naruto meant, and she walked over and placed a caring hand on his shoulder "You poor boy" she spoke the words like a mother who's child had been hurt.
"What" Yoruichi asked, pouting at being left out "What's wrong?"
"Jinchuriki, the humans selected as hosts for the Biju are seen with fear and hatred in the living world" Unohana explained sadly "Even though they are victims, like those the demons kill. Even though their own lives were sacrificed to contain the creatures they are considered outcasts. Most are simply seen as the beasts given human form, when it's the furthest thing from the truth"
The Shihoin shook her head "Unbelievable"
"It is" the healer agreed "You're Jutsu is gone, and with it you're ties to the Kyuubi" she took a step back "Go ahead and try"
Naruto sighed, made the appropriate hand signs and spoke the incantation "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"
Nothing happened
Naruto sighed again "Guess you were right Yoruichi. Looks like I'm not so interesting anymore"
The Captains feline eyes seemed to twinkle "I'm not so sure about that"
"What?"
"You're chakra may have been converted into Reiryoku, but it is now more potent than it was before" she smirked "Go on, gather the energy in the palm of your hand, you're ninja training should be sufficient"
Naruto looked at his hand, concentrated his Reiryoku and watched in shock as a large ball a half meter in diameter appeared above his hand, a ball of swirling pure blue energy.
Naruto gapped.
Yoruichi smirked.
"I knew it" she said excitedly "You have incredibly high Rietsu!"
"Rietsu?"
"Its spiritual pressure" she explained offhandedly "It's the physical form of Reiryoku"
"Hmm" Unohana hummed, closing her eyes and breathing in the static laden air "It is strong Rietsu, kind yet unyielding"
Naruto was so engrossed in his little rietsu ball that he didn't notice the small black butterfly use the morning currents to flutter through the window. Unohana and Yoruichi noticed right away. The healer held out her right hand, allowing the small insect to land on her middle and index fingers.
She concentrated on it, not reacting as the Hell Butterfly relayed its message to her telepathically "Oh my"
Her words caused Naruto to break his concentration, the spiritual energy ball vanishing from his palm, he looked at her curiously "What is it Onee-san?"
"It seems that you have been summoned" she told him, letting the small insect flutter away "By the Head Captain"
"Wow, the old man knows about him already?" Yoruichi asked.
"Who is this Head Captain" Naruto asked, confused.
"The Head Captain, or to be more precise Sotaicho (Captain-Commander), is the leader of the entirety of the Goteijūsantai (Gotei 13), the thirteen Shinigami Division Imperial Guards. He is considered the oldest and most powerful of all within the Soul Society"
"Wow" Naruto said in awe "So being summoned by this guy is a big deal"
Unohana smiled a little "Yes, a very big deal"
"Well" Yoruichi stated, stretching her arms in front of her "I guess that means that I have to escort him there" she added that grin which was fast becoming her trademark, and Naruto paled.
"I will take him" Retsu said calmly, yet sternly "As senior captain it is my responsibility. Besides, I think you have tortured this poor boy enough"
Yoruichi shrugged, turned and was about to leave, jumping onto the window "Fine, fine" she said before jumping.
Unohana sighed before yelling after her "Doors are here for a reason!"
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Naruto gapped at the huge double doors of solid wood which stood between him and the man he had come to meet. The doors were huge and thick, with two high ranking Shinigami acting as guards. Unohana had explained to him that every Shinigami he saw here was of the 1st Division, the unit which the Sotaicho himself led.
On his way to this place the young man had noticed that he was no longer anywhere near the Shihoin residence, in fact he was within a place called the Seireitei (Court of Pure Souls), the centre of the Soul Society and the area that the Nobility and the Shinigami themselves called home.
The architecture of the courtyards, the houses, everything was different. By far more lavish and beautiful than the slums he had seen previously. The walls of the structures were made of white stone, called Sekkiseki, a type of material which emitted properties which shielded this area from the rest of the world. The roofs of most of the structures, including the walls and houses were made of some reddish orange tile.
But what had interested the former Hokage the most was the massive structure that lay before him, it was essentially a huge tower made of Sekkiseki rock, with its own battlements and walls, a castle within a castle. The architecture of this structure seemed specially designed for defense with a couple of octagon platforms, each seemingly a few stories tall, and each higher one smaller than the one below, standing prominently on these was a mass of white towers, great and small with the largest easily twice the size of its second.
Beside this structure, called the Senzaikyo (Shrine of Repentance) by Unahana Onee-san, was a huge rocky mesa located right next to the tower, with shear cliffs on all sides, the top was flat and Naruto could just make out a huge stand and tall spear like structure at the top, Unohana called it Sokyoku Hill.
And now here he was waiting outside these ridiculously massive oak doors for one of the most powerful men of all of Soul Society to invite him in. He looked down at his feet, and realized that he could feel the power of this being in the room ahead of him. His power was so great that it was almost palpable. Making even Pein's seem like a shadow in comparison.
He felt a slender hand give his shoulder an encouraging squeeze and turned his head to see the kind hearted Captain of 4th Division, looking at him knowingly "Its alright" she soothed "He has this affect on everybody the first time"
"Any advice"
She seemed to think "Don't lie, he hates liars"
She probably meant well, she really did. It was just by the look on her face that made Naruto gulp, he had a feeling the last person who lied to this guy wasn't around anymore.
"Not the type to beat around the bush" he asked jokingly, laughing nervously as the door opened with an incredible creek.
"He'd burn the bush and walk through the ashes"
Naruto wouldn't learn until much later that what Retsu told him was no joke.
She then ushered him through the doors and waved goodbye as they slowly closed again. Within was a huge meeting hallway, the walls colored a dark red with beams of wood decorated in squares etched into the walls. The floor was a polished wood, and up ahead was a grandly decorated chair, sitting on a platform of a step at the other end of the hall.
However the room was not what had his attention, it was what was sitting on the chair.
Starring across the room at him was a man, who looked well on in his years, he might have looked frail, but Naruto knew better. He could see millennia of wisdom in those dark eyes, wisdom which reminded Naruto of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. He could also feel an immense power emanating through the room, almost articulately controlled.
The old man looked up and spoke, his voice radiating power and the wisdom Naruto saw in his eyes "Step forward, let's get a look at you"
Naruto gulped silently and took a step forward. He continued walking until he was within ten paces of the Head Captain. The old man calmly looked him over, as if gauging his strength "So Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, we meet at last"
Naruto was surprised that this man knew his name, even more surprised when he added the last name of the Fourth Hokage, his own father "How do you know my name?"
"I know a great many things" the old man stated, holding onto a bulky walking stick and rising to his feet "I know that you are the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. I know that you are the Seventh Hokage of your home village, and I know that in life you were the host to the Kyuubi no Yoko, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox"
Naruto felt nervous at the name of that monster being mentioned. The old man didn't speak it with any malice. He just spoke the words as if they meant little "That was another life" he went on, taking another few steps, bringing the distance between them to five paces "But a life which will have great effect on this one, for although the Demon is gone you have inherited its strength"
"What do you mean inherited" Naruto asked nervously.
Yamamoto's eyes opened a little "In death the powers of the Kyuubi were transferred to you. It was the reason why you were able to use Jutsu for so long. But out of all the Jinchuriki you are an anomaly"
"How so"
"Out of all the Jinchuriki you are the only one who has come to the Soul Society" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the statement "Because of their containment the Biju hated society, and in death they cursed the living world so much that it consumed their hosts, and they became Hollows" He looked at the horrified look on Naruto's face, paused, then continued "But for some reason you were not overtaken by the anger of your Biju, and you were able to cross over to the Soul Society"
"I…see" Naruto hesitated, looking down sorrowfully at the ground.
"As you know you have passed on" Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto said "And there is no going back. However you have an opportunity, unlike most of the inhabitants of the Soul Society you have abnormally strong Reiryoku. This means that you have the ability to become a Shinigami"
"Me" Naruto asked in shock "A Shinigami?"
"Now Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, you have a choice" the old man offered "Become a Shinigami of the Goteijūsantai or live out the rest of your new life peacefully in the Soul Society. It is your decision, you will not be forced"
Naruto only needed a split second to think, live out his spiritual existence quietly here, or become a warrior of the afterlife. The decision was simple "Yes"
"Yes what" the old captain asked, tilting his bald, deeply scarred head.
"I will take you up on your offer" Naruto said with a toothy grin.
"Excellent, now I will explain to you the history of the Soul Society, as well as its hierarchy and military structure"
Twelve hours, twelve bloody hours, for twelve hours he sat on a hard wooden floor, in a room with no windows or any sort of entertainment other than the old man and his god damned sagely voice. A few times he was about to nod off, only to be bludgeoned back to reality when the old man slammed his staff onto the floor.
However Naruto had been paying attention to some of the more important subjects of the old mans introduction, more specifically the hierarchy and military structure of the Soul Society.
The entire Soul Society was ruled by the Spirit King, who lived in a separate dimension, he rarely if ever appeared on this lower plain, and so left the governing of the Soul Society to the noble families, the Goteijusantai and the Central 46.
The Noble families were a prestigious group of aristocrats who controlled the day to day activities of the Soul Society. There were roughly a dozen houses, but out of these four were considered the big dogs. None of the lower houses could make any serious changes without the backing of these four families, the two most prestigious being the Kuchiki, and to Naruto's horror the Shihoin.
Next was the military force, of which there were three main branches.
The first and biggest was, obviously the Goteijūsantai, made up of thirteen Imperial Court Guard Divisions, each numbering roughly between three hundred and five hundred elite Shinigami. Each division was commanded by a Captain, a Vice-Captain and seated officers, with overall command coming from the Captain-Commander.
The second branch was the Onmitsukidō (Secret Mobile Corps). Information on their specialties was classified, but Naruto guessed that they were a specialized assassination and covert ops force, similar to the ANBU ninja of Konoha. He also learned to his chagrin that the 2nd Division was tied to this special force, and Yoruichi was the commanding officer of not just the 2nd Division, but also of the Omnitsukido as well.
Finally there was the Kidoshu (Kido Corps). A secretive branch of the military which, as its name described excelled in the art of Kido. Little was known about its activities or the contingent of its members, it was said that even the Captain and seated officers were rarely seen.
While the nobles were considered the government and the Shinigami were the military, the Central 46 was the judiciary of the Soul Society. They answered to no one except the Royal Family and the Spirit King himself. When they made a decision it was final and irrefutable, it could not be reversed. Naruto thought of this as a good idea, a safeguard to make sure that the Noble houses or the Shinigami didn't overstep their boundaries.
Finally he heard of an unofficial fourth branch to the Shinigami, the Royal Guard. A unit of Captain-class Shinigami who watched over and protected the Royal Family, this unit was obviously the super elite, soldiers unparalleled and unrivalled on the field of combat. He saw how strong Yoruichi was, she defeated him without needing to draw her sword, a division of soldiers of her level was scary.
"Now Naruto-kun" Yamamoto finished "Are you ready to begin?"
"You bet I am"
"Excellent, now I will send you to the Spirit Arts Academy"
It took a few moments for Naruto to respond "The what?"
"The Shinigami Academy"
"That means school, right?"
"Yes"
God, why do you hate me!!!?
A few other honorifics that I left out the first time, most of these would be added onto family members. These titles are usually used with general honorifics at the end, like San, Kun, Chan and Sama
Nii – Brother
Nee – Sister
Onii – Big Brother
Onee – Big Sister
Otouto – Little Brother
Ane – Little Sister
Otou – Father
Okaa – Mother
Ojii – Grandfather
Obaa – Grandmother
Anyway hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and the next chapter should be up before next Friday. See you then! :)