Disclaimer- See Chapter 1

-BREAK-

Naruto didn't bother going home that night, deciding to spend it in the Forest of Death, so when he arrived at Training Ground 13 he wasn't surprised to see his mum and sisters already there despite the fact he had made it there an hour early. He didn't bother saying anything to them as he walked over, just sat down in front of one of the training posts and closed his eyes, looking on the outside to be sleeping.

The sky was still dark, though the first rays of light could be seen peaking over the horizon, and most of the animals in the area seemed to still be asleep. The quiet sounds were nice, and Naruto could almost feel himself slipping into a light sleep himself, his breathing getting slower.

"Naruto-kun, where were you last night, you never came home."

Still not opening his eyes, Naruto let out a sigh at his peace and quiet being interrupted, before turning his head towards the direction his mum's voice came from.

"I was busy"

"Doing what?"

"Things"

"What 'things'?"

Frowning, Naruto opened his eyes and sent a small glare at the three redheads standing in front of him, though it held less heat than it normally would at the moment.

"Things that have nothing to do with you, now are we going to start training or not, because if not I have better things to do than sit here while you interrogate me. As it is, the things I have to do are still better than anything you might get us to do here anyway, but I don't have much choice in the matter so can we get this over with?"

For a moment, Naruto thought Erza was going to say something, but just as she opened her mouth their mum stopped her with a shake of the head.

"Seeing as we are all here, we can start, though after we are done you need to come with me to see your father. He has been working through the night to get the Sealing room to fix your Seal set up, and the sooner we get it done he better."

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto slowly got to his feet and stretched, before leaning his back against the post with his arms crossed over his chest. His mother seemed to have gone into 'ninja mode', the normal silly and overbearing woman being replaced with a serious and clinical Kunoichi.

This Naruto could at least deal with, until she reverted back at least, and started bugging him again.

"First things first, I need to see how well you three can work as a team, so I know where we need to improve. I want us to take a few minutes to talk, discuss what our main skills are, and any Jutsu that the team needs to know about. When that is done, you three will have a spar with me, so I can see you in action."

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, already knowing that Mito and Erza were more than familiar with each other, he had watched them training together for years after all. This was all about him, what he could do, and if he had any Jutsu that they didn't know about.

"Cleaver, making it sound like the whole team is sharing, but in the end only You're revealing anything new. I like your mum, she's smart…when it suits her."

Before he could comment, Kushina turned to look at Mito and gave her a small nod, indicating for her to go first.

"I specialize in Taijutsu and Seals, and am working on combining them into a style, but can only use them separately at the moment. I can use up to three tails worth of Kyuubi's chakra, but any more and I go into a berserker rage, and have a high level of stamina."

Again, before Naruto could comment, Kushina nodded at Erza.

"I use Kenjutsu and the Solid Chakra Bloodline of the Uzumaki clan to form both weapons and armor, both of which I am able to infuse with elemental chakra to give them special abilities, and the armour I create is able to argument my physical abilities depending on which I use. I also am able to use up to three tails worth of the Kyuubi's chakra safely, and am looking into learning the basics of seals to help further the usefulness of my chakra armors."

With Erza finished, the three Kunoichi turned to look at Naruto with expectant expressions, clearly waiting for him to speak.

For a moment, Naruto considered telling them to shove it, and walk away. But the fact was, whether he liked it or not, they were going to be his team and he was going to be working with them at least until he reached chunin, maybe even jounin. One way or another, they needed to at least have some idea of what he could do, even if he didn't tell them everything.

"I am able to and manipulate the Soul inside a living body, and affect it in a way similar to the Hyuga Gentle Fist Taijutsu style, which I call Deadman style. When I am near something that has dies within a certain time, a mass of chakra will form in the air above them, which I call a Soul, that I am able to eat, and by doing so the chakra of whatever it is that has died is then added to my own reserves. Up to this point, I have only ever eaten the Souls of animals, and am able to form what I call a Spirit from the Soul of anything I eat. It takes the same amount of chakra to form a Spirit as it gave me when I eat it's Soul, but larger Spirits take more time and effort to form than smaller ones. I have near instantaneous regeneration, though I have never cut off any of my own limbs to test its limits, and have a what I call my Shinigami Mode, which is similar to the three tailed chakra cloak both Mito and Erza are able to use, which increases both my physical abilities, and everything else while it is activated."

By the end of his explanation, Naruto could clearly see the mixture of shock and amazement on his mother's and sisters' faces, the sound of Shin chuckling inside his head making him frown.

"Imagine what their reactions would be, if you told them about our little project, I bet it would look so cute!"

Ignoring the Shinigami, who Naruto had learned liked to comment from time to time on the thing happening around him now that they had formally met, Naruto waited for a moment before Kushina got over her shock enough to ask questions.

"Can you describe what a Soul looks like inside a living body, and more about this Deadman style, so we have a better idea what you mean?"

"While inside a living body, a Soul is spread out like a second layer under the skin, with an orb in the chest. The color for animals is blue, but for humans there is blue, red and a mix of the two. From what I have seen, no human has a completely blue Soul, all have at least a dot of red, and Ninja have more red than a civilian. The Deadman style is focused on attacking the parts of the Soul that is spread like a second skin throughout the body, and has a painful numbing effect where it hits. The more chakra I use in an attack, the longer it lasts and more painful the effects, but from what I can tell it isn't permanent."

Taking it better this time, Kushina nodded in understanding, before sending a slightly worried expression to Mito and Erza. Stepping back, she reached into her pocket, before pulling out a small bell for the three of them to see.

"Ok, for our spar you three will be working together to take this bell from me, which will be attached to my waist. You will need to come at me full force, no holding back, and the spar will only end when you either take the bell, or I call it to an end."

Both his sisters moved to stand across from Kushina and quickly fell into their ready stances, Erza forming a simple katana, while Mito fell into her Taijutsu stance. Naruto was surprised at just how long it took them to realize he hadn't moved, his back still to the post, and a frown on his face.

"Naruto-kun, we are about to start, get into your ready stance."

Raising an eyebrow at his mum, Naruto let out a cold, fake chuckle.

"How can I put this…I would sooner shoot honey up my ass and sit on an ant hill, then work with any of you. Actually on second thought, I'd rather do that to the three of you then myself, that way I could take pictures."

"…Naruto-kun, we are you team now, I know there is bad blood between us at the moment, but you need to work with us."

"No, actually I just need to go on missions with you, then when I pass the Chunin Exams I can go back to ignoring you again."

This time it was Kushina how frowned, but before she could speak Erza stepped forward to get his attention with a stern expression on her face, and hands on her hips.

"Naruto-Oniichan, stop being an idiot! Even if you did ignore us until we are entered into the Exam, the first two tests are based on teams, so you would still need us to pass anyway."

Yawning lazily, Naruto sat down without taking his back away from the post, his eyes drooping slightly as he levelled them on his sister.

"Actually, that is only true of the Konoha Chunin Exam, which means there is still the Kumo, Iwa, Suna and Kiri. Now, even though Iwa would be out of the question because of their hated of all things Namikaze, and the last information anyone had on Kiri they were still in the middle of a civil war, which still gives me a two in three chance that we will be sent to a different village for our first exam. Also, the next exam is in Konoha, and seeing as this team was only just formed, I highly doubt we would be put forward."

The looks on their faces was almost enough to make him laugh, which Shin was currently doing inside his head enough for the both of them, but he was just able to keep his frown. But after about ten minutes went by and they were still just staring at him, Naruto was starting to get annoyed.

Letting out a sigh, the blonde teen got back to his feet and stood in-between his sisters, across from his mother, his arms folded over his chest.

"Fine! Let's get this stupid exercise over with so I can go get on with my own training, I can almost feel my IQ dropping just from being near you."

Apparently deciding to ignore the last comment because he was actually doing what they wanted, Mito and Erza returned to their ready stances, Kushina doing the same across from them.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

Looking at Mito out of the corner of his eye, Naruto snorted slightly at the fact she only asked this now, when they were about to start.

"How about I use you as a club until you're both unconscious, then I can just take the stupid bell, and go."

Erza seemed to have had enough at this point, and turned to glare at him, all thoughts of the spar seeming to be forgotten for the moment.

"Seriously Naruto-Oniichan, we need a real plan, save it for later!"

"Big talk, and when you can actually beat me in a fight I might listen to what you have to say, but for now I really don't care."

"We were taking it easy on you!"

"That was your first mistake, it's not my problem if you don't have what it takes to be a ninja because you let personal feeling get in the way, it's your's."

"I let my personal feelings get in the way! Me! A moment ago you were talking about ignoring us until you become a chunin!"

"Yet I can still beat you in a fight, while it took both of you to slow me down, and still lost."

It was at this point that Kushina ran and stood between them, pushing them away from each other, with a frown on her lips.

"That's enough, from both of you, this is supposed to be a team exercise! You need-"

She was stopped mid-sentence when Naruto brought his hand in front of her face, the bell dangling in his hand, and a bored look on his face.

"Can I go now, I have better things to do, and you said it would only last until we got the bell."

"…how?"

"Took it when you pushed me back, figured if I pissed Erza off enough to reach her breaking point, you'd forget about the whole spar thing and move to stop the fight. You were so focused on us, that you didn't noticed when I grabbed it."

It was at this point that Erza, who had been calming down, lost her temper again, her face going a little red in rage.

"You use me!"

"Yes"

"…what did we ever do to you? What happened to the scared little boy that used to come into our room in the middle of the night crying because he had a nightmare?"

Turning his back to the three redheads, Naruto started to walk away, before calling over his shoulder.

"He grew up, and learned that his family were a bunch of backstabbing, self-righteous asshats."

-BREAK-

"Did you really need to be so harsh with them, they are trying to make things right, and Mito and Erza never actually did anything to you in the first place."

"No one asked you Shin."

Naruto felt a slight twinge in the back of his head, making him flinch slightly, as the Shinigami gave him the equivalent of an inner head slap.

"Don't even start that with me Naruto, or I'll give you such a headache, you will think an earth Jutsu hit you in the head repeatedly."

Frowning, Naruto was about to say something back, only to pause when he heard a voice behind him.

"Naruto-kun!"

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Naruto turned around to glare at his mum, who had just jumped down from a tree behind him.

"What?"

"I told you, we need to go and get your Seal fixed, your dad should have it done by now, and Jiraiya-san was close to the village when he got the message to return and arrived this morning."

"Oh, the perv is back, this is great! He cracks me up, we should throw him into a Kunoichi only bathhouse, then point them to him whenever he tries to hide!"

Eyes twitching at what he was quickly learning was the normal attitude of the Shinigami Sealed inside him, Naruto took a deep breath to calm down, turning his attention back to his mum. He didn't miss the worried expression she was giving him, but before she could ask, he started talking.

"Whatever, let go then, the sooner this is done the sooner I can get back to what I was doing."

They started walking towards the Hokage tower at a slow pace, Naruto not caring enough to run, and Kushina wanting to stay at his side for as long as she could. It was about five minutes after they started walking that Kushina spoke, her eyes still fixed ahead of them, and her voice quiet as if worried about him yelling at her.

"So, what exactly is it that you are so desperate to get back to anyway, maybe I could help?"

"I doubt it"

"Well if you told me, we would know for sure, right?"

"I'm already sure you can't help, and more importantly, I don't want your help."

"O-oh, I see…"

Flinching again when he felt Shin give him another mental slap, Naruto frowned slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm researching a Jutsu I learned from a history book, thinking about making my own version of it. I'm only in the beginning stages, but I already have the basic material I need to start."

Turning to look at him with hope in her eyes and a smile on her face, Kushina looked ready to jump up and down in excitement, before calming herself down enough to talk normally again.

"Really, what's the Jutsu?"

He wasn't going to tell her, but the threat of Shin giving him another mental slap was enough to make him reconsider.

"The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu"

The moment Naruto said the name of the Jutsu, Kushina's entire body froze, eyes widening in horror at his back as he continued to walk forward, oblivious to her reaction. Snapping out of her shock, Kushina ran forward and turned Naruto around so he was looking at her, face pale and fear in her voice as she shook him slightly in her panic.

"What have you done?! Naruto-kun that Jutsu is dangerous and immoral, it's human sacrifice!"

It took a few seconds for him to remember that he wasn't a helpless little boy being scolded, and the moment he did Naruto felt a deep sense of betrayal at her reaction. How could he have thought he could trust her, he knew better than that, knew this would happen. She actually thought he would use human sacrifice, she didn't know anything about him, and now that he was reminded of that, she never would.

Moving quickly, he hit her in both shoulders with chakra coated hands so she was forced to release him, before swiping her legs out from under her. By the time Kushina had recovered enough to realize what was happening, Naruto was already jumping through the trees, putting as much distance between him and her as quickly as he could.

He didn't even notice the tears falling from his eyes as he ran, leaving a trail behind him as they caught the light, glittering in the air behind him.

-BREAK-

Kushina had been so happy that Naruto finally seemed to be opening up to her, especially after what had happened at the team meeting, and was all set to help him in any way she could to help build on the small chance she was being given. But the moment he said the name of the Jutsu, she had panic, and let her fear control her.

She knew about the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, having gone over the Forbidden Scroll with Minato back when the first became Hokage, and the idea that her little boy would even consider using such a monstrosity horrified her. But the moment she caught sight of the tears following behind him as he ran away from her, Kushina was hit with another realisation, the shock at seeing the glittering tears enough to knock some sense into her.

Naruto was the Jinchuriki of the Shinigami, the embodiment of Death itself, of course he would be interested in a Jutsu that brought people back to life! He said he was researching it so he could make his own version, not so he could use it, but she hadn't listened.

This was the first time Naruto had opened up to her in the slightest, and she had scared him away! It was then Kushina realised that Naruto had run away, and they were supposed to be on their way to get his Seal fix…

With a great show of willpower, considering that her arms and legs were painfully numb, Kushina slowly get to her feet and started shuffling towards the village as fast as she could.

They needed to find Naruto, and quick…

-BREAK-

"I don't know why we even bother anymore, he clearly doesn't want us to, and every time we try he throws it back in our faces!"

Erza couldn't hold it in anymore, after years of trying and failing to get through to Naruto, she needed to vent a little. They were still in Training Ground 13, Mito stood to one side as her sister stomped around failing her arms around, yelling at noone and everyone.

"He's still our brother Erza-chan, and you heard what dad said, the Seal is messing with his head. When they fix it, he will go back to normal, and everything will be ok."

Turning to face Mito, her face still red from her rant, Erza moved to stand next to her before talking in a whisper.

"But what is normal for him Mito-chan, he's had that Seal for just as long as we have had ours, which means it's been affecting him the whole time. Who knows what will happen when it's fixed, and dad also said it might not fix the damage that was already done to him…"

Before Mito could think of something to say, both sisters attention was drawn to a yellow and black blur running passed the edge of the clearing, heading in the direction of the Forest of Death. They both knew instantly that it was Naruto, and neither missed the tears trailing behind him as they caught the light, before he disappeared into the trees. Turning to look at each other, both red heads nodded to each other, and without a word ran after him.

Despite the fact he had beat them in the tournament, now that they were expecting it they were both able to keep up without too much trouble, and never lost sight of him as he jumped ahead of them. However, the moment they reached the fence to the Forest of Death only for Naruto to jump over it like it wasn't there, both girls paused for a moment before following.

Their parents had told them stories about the Forest of Death, and the strange animals that made it their home, so naturally they were cautious of going in. But something was clearly wrong with Naruto and, despite their currently strained relationship, he was still their brother.

The trees were a lot bigger in the forest then the ones they would normally jump through, some branches actually being wider than the roads in the village, and it was getting hard to both keep him in their line of sight and not be seen themselves. But after running for about thirty minutes, Naruto finally stopped at the roots of a tree, only to punch it and leave a small crack in the bark. Startled, both Mito and Erza stayed back and out of sight, watching as he started yelling at himself.

"Are you happy now, I never should have listened to you in the first place, why did you think trusting her would be a good idea?!"

"Don't give me that 'family' bullshit! You saw what happened!"

"No, never again, I don't care if you give me a headache."

"I said no! I'm not doing it again, you saw her face…she looked at me like I was a monster…"

"…no, I'm not making this mistake again, never should have trusted her…"

Sending each other a worried look, Erza quickly moved a little closer to Mito so they could talk, still being sure to stay out of sight.

"This doesn't look good, I think he's talking to the Shinigami, and whatever it's about he's not happy…"

Mito took another glance at their brother, who was still talking to himself, before nodding in agreement.

"What should we do, mom was supposed to take him to get his Seal fixed, maybe we should go get her?"

Frowning slightly as she considered their options, Erza nodded.

"I'll stay here, you get mum and dad, and if he moves to a different part of the forest I'll follow and leave a trail."

"Ok, but be careful, remember if his Seal wasn't fixed yet he might attack you. Stay out of sight."

Without another word, Mito jumped away and back towards the village, leaving Erza to watch as Naruto seemed to be getting more and more frantic. He had started to walk around while they had been talking, shaking his head and arms flailing wildly and his voice getting louder and louder.

"No, I am not going to stop, I don't care what they think! Besides, if she actually thinks I would something like that, maybe I should just leave…"

Erza had had every intention of staying out of sight until their mum and dad arrived, knowing that Naruto would probably only get more worked up if she tried to approach him, but the moment he started talking about leaving she panicked. Without taking the time to think it over, she jumped out from her hiding place, only to freeze when Naruto turned to face her with wide eyes.

But his surprise quickly gave way to anger, his face folding into a mask of rage, as he stepped back slightly.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Get lost!"

Steeling herself, knowing that if this went badly it could make things worse, Erza frowned and placed her hands on her hips in an attempt to hide her nervousness.

"I heard what you said, about leaving, Naruto-Oniichan you can't-"

"Shut up! Leave me alone! You're the same as everyone else!"

Without warning, Naruto bent down and ripped a small boulder out of the ground, and with a grunt through it straight at her. Rolling out of the way, Erza felt her eyes widen as the boulder hit the tree behind where she had been stood, with enough force to sink half way into the bark and get stuck.

"Go away! Stop trying to trick me! I'm not going to fall for it again!"

This time, instead of throwing something at her, Erza was forced to dodge a fist aimed at her face. Having closed the distance between them when she was focused on the boulder, she was only just able to twist out of the way, and was thankful Naruto seemed to have forgotten about his scythe in his rage.

Now that she knew the Seal was having a negative effect on him, Erza found herself putting things together that she had never thought about before, things that she had just brushed off. Like the Naruto's moods changed so fast, or how he would get twitchy when aggravated, even the fact he didn't look people in the eye directly unless he's mad. And it was because of these thoughts, that all crossed her mind as she weaved in and out of his wild swings, that Erza lost the last of her frustration and anger for her brother.

If anything, she felt sorry for him, and wished for nothing more than to be able to help him.

Without warning, Erza stopped dodging, her face taking on a stern expression as she stared at her brother. Naruto seemed to have paused in shock when she stopped avoiding him, his breathing heavy and black veins leaking into his eyes, as he waited to see what she was going to do.

"…hit me."

"…w-what?"

"If it will make you feel better, then hit me, as hard as you can! Hit me!"

She could see the confusion in his eyes as he took a step back, his anger apparently forgotten, and a slight touch of fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong? You were just trying to hit me, so hit me!"

"S-Stop it!"

"Hit me!"

"I said stop it! Stop trying to trick me into trusting you!"

"You wanted to hit me so HIT ME!"

He was backing away from her, but Erza was matching him step for step, not letting her put any more space between them. When Naruto's back hit the tree behind him, his eyes widened in what was clearly fear, and he moved his arms in front of him as a weak protection.

"Get back!"

Closing the space between them, Erza rushed forward…and threw her arms around her brother in a hug.

XXX