Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Ruroni Kenshin, or Bleach. I'm using them to satisfy my imagination.

Chapter 02: Soul

Naruto appeared in a deserted training ground a few miles outside the walls of Konoha. He discovered this particular place while he was exploring the forest surrounding the village to find a good place to hide from the mob when he was kicked out of the orphanage.

(Flashback - Eight Months Ago)

When he met Kurama and started his lessons in harnessing the raw power of Ki and Reiryoku, the two eventually decided to use the abandoned training ground he discovered due to the advantages it offered.

One, the training ground was far away from Konoha that it would be almost impossible for shinobis to detect the energy spikes when Naruto started learning how to use the two energies inside him.

Two, the training ground was fully-equipped with everything he needed for his upcoming training. It contained training dummies, though these ones were quite old and sported evidence of frequent use; water and trees for control, and most importantly, a spacious ground to practice on.

It had been eight months since he started training his abilities and discovering the extent of his talents. It was astounding to say the least.

The lesson started in earnest due to the fact that Naruto was quite adamant in attaining enough power to protect himself from the mobs that was always after his blood.

Before harnessing the energies he had in his body, Kurama started Naruto with an in depth lesson on what each energies could do. Instead of teaching the boy about Chakra, which was quite common and the boy could learn it on his own if need be, Kurama instead focused on Ki and Reiryoku.

For starters, Ki was the physical energy in the human body. This energy was mostly based on the physical body though a master of Ki could utilize its energies to improve one's speed and strength, amplifying their inherent power exponentially. Kurama explained to Naruto that the application of Ki was mostly internal and battle-oriented though it could be used in other functions, like healing and defense, if he knew how it was done. Unfortunately for the blonde, Kurama didn't know such applications since it was of no use to the bijuu.

Reiryoku, on the other hand, was the total opposite. Spiritual energy was often used externally, allowing the user to create things that would often be impossible without the actual raw materials or outside the realm of reality. For example, Naruto, with his limited talent in using Reiryoku, could compress his spiritual energy to create a projectile that would pierce, wound, or cause blunt-force trauma depending on its power and compression. Also, Reiryoku could also be utilized for defense, creating a field of spiritual energy to negate energy-based attacks or even physical ones if more power was applied.

Once the introduction was done, Naruto was instructed by Kurama to start on a physical training program to further increase the amount of Ki and Reiryoku in his body. It would continue to grow as he aged until he reached his peak physical growth, but training would allow the energies to harmonize with the boy's body to allow him to use it easily. This was a good preparatory training program for future applications.

For the first three months of Naruto's training, the boy focused on physical exercise and calisthenics while gaining a semblance of control over the two energies. Kurama instructed Naruto to run laps and engage in muscle-building exercises, like push-ups, sit-ups, and running around with weights that the blonde managed to 'acquire' from the various shops in the village thanks to his masterful skills in infiltration and thievery – a side-effect of living in the streets and surviving.

It was on the fourth month of training that Kurama deemed Naruto to be good enough to start practicing the various techniques that the bijuu would be teaching him to properly utilize his talents.

For Naruto, if he was asked to describe the feeling; Ki was heavy and destructive while Reiryoku was free-flowing and wild. If he was to compare it to elements, Ki was Earth and Fire while Reiryoku was Wind and Water. Kurama noted that it was a fine distinction and the ability to distinguish the energies at this stage of the lesson was a talent that the blonde would find useful in the future.

It took Naruto two weeks to properly channel Ki and Reiryoku without mixing the two up, and creating Chakra in the process. Thanks to the blonde's mastery over his mindscape and soul, he was able to create a separate 'container' of sorts to hold the energies for easy access.

In his mind, he created two large lakes that would serve as the representation of the two energies inside him. He created another lake in between the two with a small canal connecting it with the others. The third lake would serve as his 'Chakra Pool', so to speak, if he ever needed it.

Kurama advised Naruto to make sure that his 'Chakra Pool' should always be filled just in case. It was also good practice to have it at the ready to be used on short notice. Also, this would be a necessity once he entered the shinobi program where all the techniques were chakra-based.

When he learned to differentiate Ki, Reiryoku, and Chakra, as well as channeling each of them, Kurama started his training in earnest. The schedule was divided into two - mornings for Ki and afternoons for Reiryoku.

In terms of Ki, Kurama instructed Naruto to start with punches and kicks on the training dummies while consciously channeling Ki to his muscles and bones. At first, Naruto was dismayed at the lack of damage inflicted upon the training dummies but the bijuu assured him that it was natural considering that he was still young and his muscles were still undeveloped to produce enough power to merit powerful hits. Naruto countered this by doubling his physical training regimen to increase his physical core. He had to resort to stealing a Taijutsu training scroll from the Konoha Library to facilitate this part of his training program.

For his afternoon lessons on Reiryoku, Kurama started Naruto on a technique to allow high-speed travel from one point to the other. The technique was called Shunpo or Flash Step.

By channeling a dense concentration of compressed Reiryoku on his feet, Naruto could literally disappear from the point of origin to his destination. Unlike teleportation, Shunpo was a pure speed technique that uses Reiryoku to enhance his 'steps'. The goal of the exercise was to arrive at his destination with the least number of steps. It took Naruto a month to master this technique to the approval of Kurama, which was three steps to make it to his secret training ground from his apartment in the village.

Another technique that he learned using Reiryoku was the ability to create a solid platform made of spiritual energy that he could stand on. This wasn't flying to say the least but it was close. The spiritual platform would allow Naruto to walk on air as long as he had the energy to keep it up. This technique was used in conjunction with Shunpo so he didn't need to stay on solid ground to initiate the speed technique. Naruto had fun flash-stepping around the clearing, both in the air and on solid ground.

In most cases, this exercise would often leave Naruto depleted of spiritual energy but Kurama assured him that constant depletion of his reserves would eventually increase its potency and amount so he would be able to last longer in the future.

On the fifth month of training, Kurama taught Naruto how to solidify his Reiryoku to create solid constructs with different effects. Naruto further improved this training program by using the various fantasy and adventures stories he read in the library as a basis for the technique. In most cases, Naruto used the various 'spells' in the story books to replicate into a version that he could use with his Reiryoku.

The first spell he created was Sho. The method of this spell was to create a ball of highly-compressed Reiryoku and propel it towards a target, causing an impact-type damage that would push the target back. It wasn't damaging but it was a good spell to use in specific scenarios where he needed to gain some grounds between him and his opponent. If properly created, Sho would come in the form of a small ball of white energy visible to the naked eye. For Naruto, he needed to master this spell to the point that the creation and travel of the spell would be invisible to the naked eye and instantaneous.

The second spell he created which made Kurama grumble at Naruto's intelligence was Byakurai or Pale Lightning. Sho was an impact technique so Naruto created one that would pierce, thus resulting in the creation of this spell.

The creation of Byakurai was quite simple, well for someone of Naruto's talents anyway; using his index finger, Naruto would compress his Reiryoku in large amount unlike Sho. Once the required energy was gathered, he would release the restrained energy in a burst allowing it to fire in a straight line straight through an enemy's defenses. When Naruto experimented with it for the first time, it came out like white lightning hence the name it was given. One of the training dummies was testament to the power of this spell when it ended up with finger-sized holes when Naruto perfected it for use.

Of course, Naruto also focused on defensive spells as well to add to his arsenal. This led to the creation of three defensive spells – Sai, Hainawa, and Seki.

Sai was a simple defensive spell to incapacitate his target. This involved the creation of a ring of pure Reiryoku to be fired at a target. Upon impact, the ring would contract which would bind an opponent's arms to their body.

Hainawa was a variation of Sai. Instead of a simple Reiryoku ring that would contract when it surrounds the target, Hainawa acted like a yellow rope that would wrap itself around a target, incapacitating it. This variation of Sai, however, would allow Naruto to pull on the target since the spell was still linked to him.

Kurama commented that it looked like a lasso if nothing else. Naruto couldn't help but agree.

Finally, Seki was a shield spell with the ability to repulse any form of attack, whether physical or chakra-based. Naruto would create a sphere of pure Reiryoku in any part of his body. Unlike his other spells which required compression of Reiryoku, Seki was created with a bit of Ki added into the mix to give it a solidity required in shields. He didn't get to try this as of yet with live targets but he experimented with it by throwing a rock then using Shunpo to get into the trajectory of the thrown projectile and using Seki against it. So far, it was effective but it needed more powerful attacks if he wanted to gauge its effectiveness.

The next three months was spent in refining the techniques he already had in his arsenal. He continuously practiced with Shunpo to improve his speed with it. His goal was to get to the training from his apartment in a single step. At the end of the three month training, he was able to accomplish two steps. The progress was slow but it was progress all the same.

He also practiced with Sai, Hainawa, Seki, Sho, and Byakurai until using them was second nature to him.

Naruto, however, discovered a drawback to the spells he created. He needed to verbalize the name of the spell in order to release them. The good thing was he didn't have to voice it out loud. A simple whisper would suffice. Even Kurama had no idea why that was but chalked it up to a possible mutation of the ability Naruto gained from him.

(Flashback End)

"So, Kurama, how do I go about materializing the weapon you told me about? And how did you know I could create one?" Naruto asked his tenant before sitting down on his favorite rock in the middle of the training ground.

"Before we go into the actual creation of the weapon, let me first answer your second one." replied Kurama. "As to your second question, I discovered that you gained the ability of minor creation from the ability father had when he was alive. I didn't know why this happened but only that it did. From what I could determine when you gave me permission to root around in your genetics, it would seem that your Reiryoku and Ki are deeply interconnected with your soul. This made it possible for you to bring out a weapon that only you could use and unique to your own. My father did the same thing and created five legendary weapons that are now Kumo's possession."

"I see, so how do I go about creating this weapon?" said Naruto excitedly. Despite his cold façade, he was still a child at heart and discovering more of his abilities was fun for him. Not only was he getting stronger with each practice, he was enjoying it as well.

"The process in itself should be simple enough. All you need to do is to release all your Ki and Reiryoku to form a sword. Its form and abilities would depend on your soul, so to speak." explained Kurama.

"That's it?" Naruto asked with hint of doubt in his voice.

"That's it, Naruto." replied Kurama with a huff. "I might not know it in detail but that is how father used to create his weapons when he was in the mood. In fact, that was how the Legendary Weapons were created. He just let his soul guide the actual creation while he provided the power."

"I see." Naruto said finally after giving the explanation a bit more thought. "From what you said, my soul would grant me a weapon that best fits me. My soul would be using the compressed form of the entirety of my Ki and Reiryoku to create it. Am I right?"

"You got it. Father explained to me at one time that he needed to separate the energies first before combining them. The first and last time I saw him do it, he compressed all his Ki in his right hand and Reiryoku on the left. He would meditate while those two energies were out. Once he found his soul, his body would instinctively combine both energies to create the item in question. Why don't you give it a try?" Kurama suggested.

Naruto sent Kurama a mental nod before standing up and taking a deep breath. He was thankful of his eight months of training since this exercise would require him to consciously channel his Ki and Reiryoku separately. If Kurama didn't force him to do the regimen then this wouldn't be possible for him.

He calmed himself down before raising his hands in front of him, channeling as much of the energies as he could into them. The left he channeled his Ki which caused said hand to burst into a brilliant shade of red-orange fire. The right he channeled his Reiryoku, mimicking what happened on his left, but this time, the fire was white. He focused a bit to make sure that the flow of energy was constant before finally closing his eyes and started to meditate, and with practiced ease, went into a deep trance.

Naruto didn't know how long he was floating in his mind but he didn't care. He couldn't really describe the feeling of the result of the trance he was in but he liked it. He floated in total abandonment, free of any emotions, free of any conscious thought. He just existed without the weight of his experience in his shoulders.

Eventually, he felt himself shift as if he was being beckoned to a specific direction in the darkness. Not knowing what else to do, he willed himself to follow it, not knowing where it would lead him. He closed his eyes and waited, waited for anything to happen.

It felt like hours but he finally felt his feet touch solid ground. He opened his eyes and saw himself in a clearing in the middle of a forest with an old-fashioned hut in the middle. Naruto looked around and couldn't help but smile at the tranquility the place exuded. He couldn't believe that this was the representation of his soul, the total opposite of what he truly he saw himself in real life – a boy who suffered a hard past which left him forever scarred due to humanity's dark side. He chuckled at the irony of the situation. He was brought out of his musings when he heard a voice that came from the hut in front of him.

"Welcome, Naruto."

Naruto saw the door of the hut open to reveal a man who was in his late twenties. He had red hair tied in a ponytail at the back. The man was wearing a traditional red kimono, white hakama, and slippers. A katana was carefully tucked on the sash he wore as a belt. What stood out the most was the X-shaped scar on his cheek.

"I didn't expect to meet anyone inside my soul or wherever this place is." said Naruto as he smiled at the man in front of him.

The man released a carefree laugh but Naruto could see that the man was a pretty skilled swordsman judging from the aura he exuded. This was a warrior, a warrior with a deep past like his own.

"Let's just say that you're one unique boy and leave it at that." Said the man as he walked out of the hut and closed the door behind him. The man walked towards Naruto before stopping a few feet away. "My name is Himura Kenshin and I'm happy that you finally made your way here. I despaired that you wouldn't discover this place but I'm glad that you did."

"Himura-san." said Naruto as a form of greeting. He didn't know how to greet the man anyway so he went with tradition as a form of respect. "Can you explain to me why you're here in my soul?"

"Simple, I am your past. You might say that I was you and reincarnated into you as a weapon." Kenshin explained with a smile on his face.

"What? You're my weapon?" Naruto exclaimed in shock, unable to believe that the man in front of him was the weapon that his soul chose. It wasn't possible or was it?

"Yes, though I doubt you would be able to turn me into what you see me as right now when you actually combine your Ki and Reiryoku but I would say that you would end up with a weapon version of me." Kenshin said with a grin.

"But how is that possible?" said Naruto in disbelief. Kenshin simply shrugged.

"I don't know but it is possible when you're concerned. Let's just say that you're unique and leave it at that since no one would be able to provide an accurate answer to that question. It would be safe to say that you will be the first to be able to create a weapon with a soul, a soul that is linked to yours though I am quite sure that your descendants would be able to do the same thing if taught properly."

"I see. So what happens now?" asked Naruto, eager to know where this was going.

"Before you manifest your weapon, let me first tell you what I would become." said Kenshin causing Naruto to nod. "I would become your weapon, or in this case, I would be in your weapon. It's soul, so to speak, which would grant me the ability to talk to you and you to me if the situation demands it. If my guess is right then you will manifest a weapon similar to my own."

Naruto eyed the sword on Kenshin's hip. The man saw this and grinned before placing a hand on the hilt.

"Yes, Naruto, this is my weapon that served me well when I was alive. Now, once you manifest me in weapon form in the real world, I will be teaching you everything you need to know about swordsmanship. In this case, I will teach you my style, the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu." Explained Kenshin.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu? I am not familiar with that style." Naruto answered truthfully. He read a bunch of Kenjutsu scrolls in the Konoha Library during his night-time visits and he didn't see any reference to that style in all the scrolls there though it was possible that the style belonged to another Hidden Village.

"You wouldn't." Kenshin agreed. "It is a pretty rare style during my time. I don't know what happened to the world but all I can say that only a select few know of this style. What made Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu a secret style is the fact that it can only be passed on from master to apprentice. There is no 'school' to teach it to the masses. It is a powerful style so masters in the arts would choose a worthy apprentice to pass it on to."

"And you chose me to become your apprentice of sorts?" Naruto asked curiously. Kenshin nodded in agreement.

"It would be safe to say that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is a non-existent style at this point in time but I don't want it to disappear from the world altogether. You, Uzumaki Naruto, will be the next master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu under my tutelage." declared Kenshin as he removed the katana from his hip and held it out to Naruto, sheath and all. "Now, it's time that you manifest a weapon that reflects your soul. Come, Uzumaki Naruto, take this sword and let your weapon be made."

Naruto nodded and gave Kenshin a smile before stepping forward and grabbed the hilt of the katana. There katana glowed red then white before his vision faded.

Naruto opened his eyes and groaned. His body felt as if it was run over by something big and heavy. He realized that he was depleted of both Ki and Reiryoku.

"Damn, what happened?" asked Naruto to no one in particular.

"I don't know, Naruto, but you did something alright. You might want to check your hand." said Kurama with a bit of awe.

Naruto looked down and gasped at the weapon on his lap. It looked the same as the sword Kenshin presented to him while he met his past self in a trance.

The katana was roughly two and a half feet in length and Naruto admired the craftsmanship of his soul weapon. He grabbed the sheath with his left hand and the hilt with his right. Slowly, he pulled at the hilt to check out the blade.

"Whoah. This is no ordinary katana. Why in the Kami's name is the bladed edge on the blunt side?" exclaimed Naruto as he started incredulously at the sword in his hand.

"Because that is what the samurai's in my time call a Sakabatou." came Kenshin voice from his mind.

"What the heck was that?" shouted Kurama in shock when the voice echoed across Naruto's mindscape.

"Himura-san?" asked Naruto, ignoring the shocked Kurama.

"Indeed I am, but please, call me Kenshin." Said Kenshin in amusement.

"Where in the world did that voice come from?" exclaimed Kurama in surprise. The bijuu was rooting around in Naruto's mind to find the source of the voice to no avail.

"Kurama, meet Kenshin. Kenshin, Kurama. Kenshin is the soul of my sword and he already informed me in advance that he would be able to talk to me if needed." Naruto informed Kurama before launching into the story on how he met Kenshin while he was in a trance.

"I see." Kurama said finally after hearing the story. "You don't do things by half do you, Naruto."

"Do you expect him to, Kurama-san?" Kenshin quipped in an amused voice.

"No, I don't expect him to do normal. Nothing is ever normal about my container. So I guess I will be sharing Naruto's head with you from now on eh, Kenshin?"

"Not really. I will only manifest my voice if needed but I would be dormant in the sword where Naruto can wake me up if needed. Now are you ready for the next step, Naruto?" asked Kenshin, preparing what he was about to do next.

"Next step?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Yes, now that you have manifested me as a weapon. The next step is to bond with it and allowing me to teach you the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Suffice to say, I will be dumping the entirety of the style into your head so you will know everything about it. However, you need to practice it to commit it to muscle memory. Knowing the style is one thing, using it, however, is purely another matter entirely."

"I agree. So why don't we get started, Kenshin?"

"Let's. I want you to meditate and give me control over your mind as I transfer all you need to know about my style. It might take a while considering that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is one of the most complicated styles in existence."

"Well, whatever you're planning, I'm ready." Naruto declared before closing his eyes and going into a meditative state, preparing himself for the ride of his life.

End of Chapter 2

Date Uploaded: July 3, 2012