Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Bleach
"Hmm…."- Black Zetsu, Letter
"Hmm…."- Seikatsugakari
"Hmm…"- Flashback/Memory
Chapter 7:
Stepping Up
Violet let her mind wonder as she concentrated on the task at hand, mainly the intense meditation session that she was currently doing. Violet wasn't entirely sure what time it was in Japan at the moment, something which she found extremely ironic since her specialty relied on time itself. But even so, she liked to feel normal every now and then, something which she had not share with anyone, not even the Watcher. After all, she was sure that the thought of her wanting to be normal would not sit well with him. Well, it wasn't like she wanted to be total normal for that matter. On the contrary, she was happy, an emotion which she had been feeling ever since the Watcher first approached her over three years ago.
Thinking back on how her life had been before she had acquired this power made Violet loose her concentration. Opening her eyes, Violet saw the empty dojo-like room in which she currently resided in. The room stood within The Watch's tower on the upper levels which were restricted to everyone save for The Watcher himself of course, herself, and some of the Watcher's 'most trusted' personnel. Said personnel were mindless individuals who couldn't tell anyone on the outside of the corporation's top secrets assignments even if they were captured or tortured. Of course, Violet suspected that would Naruto somehow find a way around the mindless individuals' defenses with that rinnegan of his as well as that Kushina woman with her seals. The Watcher would no doubt place something to serve as a countermeasure though. Not that Violet cared either way.
Sighing silently as she got up from her sitting position on the mat, the purple haired girl let her gaze travel towards the form of the only other person in the room which was none other than a motionless Fu. Well, in all honesty, Violet didn't consider the girl a person or a human. Not anymore. That line had been crossed the moment the Watcher brought her, along with the other jinchuriki, back for his plans. Well, also in part because of her, but that was beside the point.
Violet couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face as she walked towards Fu, stopping moments later in front of her. Starring at the green haired girl's empty eyes, Violet marveled at what the Watcher had accomplished. The being had a power that no doubt surpassed hers, even when combined with the bijuu chakra that she possessed. Violet also knew that it wasn't compare to where he got it from, but still. Waving one of her hands in front of the other girl's face, Violet saw no reaction from the girl. Well, it wasn't like she had been expecting one either. This was just her more sadistic side showing up.
But in her opinion, the girl in front of her deserved no less. Violet had seen how close Naruto had been with this girl, no tool. Yes, that was a much better title. At any rate, she had seen how close the two had been, and she didn't like it. Of course, the thought of as to what exactly gave her the right over Naruto never did cross her mind. Or maybe it was like she never bothered to actually justify it. In her mind, Naruto was hers and no one else's. And she had the power to back that up. Even if said individual was against the idea at the moment, she would make sure that his thoughts on this matter would change.
Turning away from the still motionless Fu, Violet walked back to her spot on the middle of the mat in the room, sitting down with another sigh, this one audible. She was frustrated, mainly due to the fact that the Watcher had seen to it to make sure that she wouldn't accompany him to America. She knew why of course, the main reason being that she had completely disregarded his orders for several times now. Well, it wasn't like she was budging on the subject either. Violet knew for a fact that the Watcher needed her for what was to come. And she wasn't just talking about the war here on earth. The other reason being to keep an eye on the Kurosaki girls that they had abducted, more like the Watcher having done that. But Violet already knew that that was just simply a pretense for the fact that he just didn't want her in America at the moment.
Breathing deeply, Violet felt her muscles relax for a change. She felt completely relax. It really had been a while since she had last meditated which, in all honesty, was no good. Her power depended on control and exact precision of that control, something which Naruto had figured out from just meeting her once. It was basically another form of what had once been known as senjutsu in a sense. In other words, it was all about keeping a calm head, even though she didn't have to stand still to collect the natural energy in the air. It was something that she was extremely grateful for. It would have been a terrible disadvantage in battle if that had been the case.
Her thoughts ceased as she went deeper into her meditation, knowing full well that she was completely secured within this part of the building. Well, for the moment at least. She began to feel the energy around her and of everyone else's within the buildings. She then extended her reach to the city, coming into contact with the energy of the person that she was after. It wasn't really hard to locate Naruto's chakra. Besides Fu and the other Uzumakis, he was the only one that had big enough reserves.
Grinning to herself, Violet then extended her reach to just simply the general area, trying to clear her mind even more than before. Without knowing it, the girl gathered a bit more of natural energy than she intended. It wasn't long before Violet lost herself in the energy, loosing consciousness and leaving towards the blocked part of her mind.
Flashback: Start!
"Hey, Violet! Violet! Viiiiiiooooolllleeeeettttt!"
Said girl opened her eyes to see a short brown haired girl waving her hand in front of her face.
The younger looking Violet sighed as she leaned back on her chair. "What is it Amy?"
The now named Amy shook her head as she pointed at a tray of food in front of Violet that looked to be untouched. "You do know that lunch is almost over, right?"
"And?"
Amy pointed at the tray again. "And you haven't touched your food at all! Are you all right?"
Violet rolled her eyes slightly. "What makes you think that I'm not?"
Amy placed one of her hands under her chin, her facing taking a look of that of mock thinking. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's just because you've been spacing out in every class today. Or that you didn't even try to acknowledge all those guys that asked you out just a few minutes ago. Or that you were apparently asleep this whole time for whatever reason." Amy leaned forward as she lowered the volume of her voice. "You're not doing drugs, are you?"
Violet looked offended. "Do you really think that I would do that? Please. That's one of the easiest ways to kill yourself, you know. Well, not easiest, but you know what I mean."
Amy huffed as she crossed her arms in front of her, her brown eyes narrowing. "Then what's gotten into you?"
Violet looked to the side, not sure as to how to answer that. "Look, it's not that big of a deal. I'm just a bit tired is all. It happens to everyone. I just need some time to myself is all."
Amy didn't look convinced but decided to drop the matter. After all, she trusted Violet.
As for Violet, she mentally sighed in relief. Truth of the matter was that she was indeed tired. But a lot more than she let on. It had been over a week since she had started to get headaches at night which brought her extreme pain which was exactly what kept her up. Of course, she hadn't told her parents either. She didn't want to worry them or her best friend.
It had been her first mistake.
Violet walked down the snowy street in silence as more snow continued to fall. But of course, this wasn't uncommon to the people that lived here in the city of Akureyri, Iceland. It was, after all, November already. The holidays were almost there, and Violet wasn't sure if she could handle the wait. The headaches just kept getting worst and worst. But without the need to go to school, she could just lie in bed all day if she wanted which she did. Extremely so. Of course, the fifteen year old girl knew that her friends would no doubt want to hang out with her, but she could make some excuses when the time came, if it ever did. As for her parents…well, she still wasn't entirely sure what she would do about that.
If only she could speed up time…..or better yet, if only she could make the damn headaches go away. Of course, if she could have both, she wouldn't complain. But she knew that that was just simply impossible. The time part at least.
Hugging her blue jacket more tightly, Violet shivered slightly as a cold breeze blew through the area. It was colder than usual for this time of year, that was for sure. Why her mother had to choose this place to live in, Violet wasn't sure. Okay, scratch that. She knew why. This was Violet's father's homeland. The purple haired girl already knew the whole story about her parents getting together due to her mother constantly having told her over the years. Her mother was Japanese while her father was Icelandic. A weird combination, that was for sure. The girl wasn't entirely sure as to how her mother fell for her father, just that they had met during their university years through some exchange program in Tokyo. Life was weird that way, all right.
Another breeze made its presence known, making Violet shiver a second time. Well, at least it was the weekend. She could at least try to relax for the next couple of days, and hopefully the headaches would disappear as well. But she knew that asking for that was just simply asking too much.
Putting those thoughts to the side, she continued on her way through the snowing streets.
It was almost nightfall by the time that Violet reached her house. This was due mainly to the fact that her house stood on the countryside and away from the main part of the city which was where her school was. And since buses didn't come out this far out of the city, the young girl had no choice but to walk. Not that she minded it at all that much. And it wasn't like it was dangerous either. The city wasn't big, nor was it a major one of the country which would explain its size or lack of. Not much crime happened in this small part of the world. But it wasn't like anyone was complaining either.
In other words, her parents knew that she would be safe even if she did walk alone at this time of the night. And Violet enjoyed it as well. It gave her some alone time to just reflect on random and pointless things. If any one of her friends knew of this, especially Amy, the would be shocked. Not that Violet could blame them. It wasn't like she shared everything with them, her recent headaches being one such example. She was like this perfect model of a student and girl to them. But she liked her privacy. And the last time she checked, keeping secrets wasn't a crime. Well, normal secrets at least.
Seeing her house come to view, Violet let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around herself as a shield against the cold wind. She would have to make sure to remember to wear a warmer jacket and a pair of gloves tomorrow.
Walking towards the front door, Violet was about to take out the spare key that her parents had given her but before doing so, the purple haired girl noticed a particular fact: the door was opened. Not completely opened, but not closed either. Now that was odd. Violet knew that her parent never left the door open save for some summer afternoons that were spent in the backyard. And even then, it was the backdoor, not the front one.
It was then that Violet heard unfamiliar voices coming from inside her house.
"You idiot! Did you have to kill him!? Now we're going to have to clean this place up!"
"It's not my fault! The guy resisted. What would you have wanted for me to do!? Besides, he was useless. The woman is the one that we need to bring in."
"Whatever. Just so you know, you're the one cleaning. And dumping the body too."
Violet was soon on high alert at hearing this. She wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about at first, but she could soon put the pieces together. Especially after hearing the whimpering sounds from who she immediately identified as her mother.
Not thinking for a moment, Violet sprung to action, running into the house that she had once called home and finding the scene which she had already known was happening but hadn't wanted to recognize it as reality.
There, on the middle of the floor in the living room, laid her father in a pool of his own blood on his back, obviously dead. And her mother, tied up on the ground next to her husband's now lifeless body, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Violet came out of her shock at hearing one of the voices from before coming from behind her. Turning around, Violet came face to face with a man wearing ordinary winter clothing and a mask that covered the lower part of his face. Violet soon found herself on the ground, the man having had just backhanded her.
Violet's mother came out of shock at witnessing this, a look of extreme fear now appearing on her face. She was basically an older version of Violet in terms of physical appearance.
"Violet!"
Another man appeared from down the hall within the bedrooms, having had heard the commotion. "What the hell is going on in here?"
The first man pointed at Violet's downed form. "Seems we've got ourselves another price tonight, Hannes."
The now named Hannes glanced at Violet who in turned looked back at him with apparent fear, a wicked grin showing in his dark brown eyes. "Well, it seems so. We now got ourselves a mother and daughter combo! I'm sure the boss we'll reward us for this. Maybe even let us test them out. Don't you agree, Gunn?"
The now named Gunn simply nodded, enthusiastic about the idea. It also seemed that they didn't care if either Violet or her mother knew of their names. Well, why should they? They were about to be sold as sex slaves to the highest bidder, whoever it may be.
Violet's mother was quick to get to her feet, only to stumble as she made to get in front of Violet. Which she did, but falling on the ground face first that was. Still, the pain didn't seem to affect her as she looked at both men with a pleading look.
"Don't touch her! Do whatever it is that you want to do to me, but just leave her alone!"
Hannes smirked as he knelt in front of her. "Oh, don't worry. We'll take you up on that offer real soon. But unfortunately, a lot of buyers are preferring their products younger. That way, it's more likely that they're virgins. They sell for a lot more too, ya know? Gotta keep business going."
Violet's mother gritted her teeth, her fear now replaced with anger. "You bastards!"
Putting aside any other thoughts, the woman lunged at Hannes even though her hands were tied together and succeeded in tackling him to the ground.
Hannes growled from underneath her, obviously not having had expected this. After all, the woman had been a cowering mess a few minutes before. "You bitch!"
The woman simply responded by kneeing him in the groins, causing for Hannes to howl out in pain.
Gunn, not thinking rationally either, was quick to bring out the pistol that he had in his hands, quickly shooting her in the next moment in her back.
Hannes's pain disappeared at seeing this, shock evident in his face before it turned into anger as the woman's body fell to the ground. "You imbecile!"
Gunn took a step back at seeing the look of rage on his partner's face. "What!"
Hannes growled out. "Why the hell did you shoot her!?"
"Because she was attacking you!"
Hannes looked like he was about to strangle him. "And? Couldn't you have stopped her in a different manner!? Preferably one in which she was still alive!? Or better yet, you could have waited for me to had handle the situation!"
Gunn simply looked at him, unable to say anything.
Hannes sighed. "Now I know why you do this crap. You're a freaking moron." Well, he should have known that from the first moment that he met the guy, but still. This was their first assignment together.
While the duo bickered, Violet was simply looking at her mother's dead body, being unable to comprehend that she was now dead along with her father. Shock then turned into anger. Anger which fueled something within her. It was then that everything went blank for her.
Opening her eyes, Violet stood up as she looked around, not understanding why she had been sleeping in the living room nor why her mother hadn't woken her up or taken her to her room. But on a brighter note, her head felt better. A lot better than it had felt ever since the damn headaches had started to occur.
'Isn't that a relief?' the girl thought to herself before she felt her cheek slightly sting. Placing a hand on it, she cringed slightly. Since when did her cheek hurt?
Finally taking the time to take in her surroundings in more detail, Violet froze as her mind remembered everything that had occurred. Her parents dead. Her being sold to become a sex slave to whoever it was that would buy her. The two men.
But it was different. The two corpses of her parents were still there. But the two men…..whatever their names were, they were simply standing still in front of her, looking as if they were bickering just as she had last seen them. But they didn't seem to be moving at all anymore. What the hell?
"Well, it seems that you've finally unlocked your gift, my dear girl."
Violet's eyes snapped to the side to a see an unfamiliar man leaning against one of the walls in the living room, looking as calms as ever as if there weren't two dead bodies in front of him or two unmoving bodies of living people. Well, Violet thought that they were still alive at least.
"Who are you?"
The man was quick to respond as he made his way towards her. "I have no name. Nor do I really want one. But you may call me the Watcher."
Violet frowned. What kind of name was that? And what did he mean that he didn't want a name? A name was basically a person's identity.
"I see that you have many questions, my young girl," the Watcher commented as he stopped in front of her, his calm look still present.
Violet simply stood there, her eyes never leaving his form. Well, that should have been obvious. But the words never came out. The purple haired girl was still in shock, not that anyone could blame her. Not only that, but she was starting to believe that all of this had to be some sort of crazy and bizarre dream. It was the only explanation that made sense….right?
The Watching, having obviously sensed this turned his gaze to the still two frozen men. "I'm sure that you must be thinking that this is all some sort of dream, but I assure you, it is not. As sad as it is, this is reality."
Violent didn't say a thing.
Seeing this, the Watcher continued. "But of course, you're probably not going to believe me. Well, not just yet that is. I am, after all, a total stranger to you at the moment." His gaze then turned towards hers. "But everything that I'm about to tell you is true."
Violet glared at him with as much intensity as she could, which wasn't much. Even more tears threatened to roll down her cheeks any moment. "And why should I even listen to whatever it is that you have to say? Or even care for that matter? I don't know if you haven't realized this, but MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!"
"All because of the foolishness of mankind," the Watcher commented in his calm tone, obviously not having been affected by Violet's outburst.
Violet shook her head violently as the tears finally made their appearance. "I don't care! I don't care! I don't care who the hell you are, or whatever else it is that you're saying! I only want my parents back!"
The Watcher merely sighed. "Not going to make this easy are you? Well, it's understandable I suppose. Your parents were just taken away from you. However….." The Watcher took another step forward, "you will listen to what I have to say. Like it or not, it is your duty."
Violet glared at him once again. "Are you deaf or what!? I just told you that I don't-"
"Aren't you curious," the Watcher said, cutting her off, "as to why you have been having those headaches of yours recently? Or why your head no longer hurts like before?"
Violet immediately paused at hearing this, more shock now present in her. "How do you know about that? I haven't told anyone…"
The Watcher hid the smile that appeared on his face. Good. The girl was starting to listen. "You'll come to realize of that answer by yourself in due time. But for right now, I'm here to tell you what the cause is and how to control it."
Violet narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"
The Watcher pointed at both Hannes and Gunn. "See for yourself, Violet. This is your doing."
Violet's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean that I froze them!?"
The Watcher immediately answered, "I don't know if 'frozen' would be the right word, but essentially, yes. They are in this state because of your doing, Violet. Because of the power that you have coursing through your veins."
"B-but that's impossible!"
The Watcher raised an eyebrow. "Is it? In due time, you'll come to realize that many things that you define as 'impossible' are actually possible. Humanity has degraded to the point that saying that something is impossible is a better alternative than admitting their own lack of strength."
"I'm not interested in a moral lesson here," Violet growled out as she stood up. "Now tell me what's happened to me!"
The Watcher grinned slightly. "It's all about the mind. The human mind is so complex and frail at the same time. Your mind just couldn't bear to handle all that stored energy that was being placed within it."
Violet in turned looked confused. "What energy?"
"Natural energy. It's what makes your power possible," was the Watcher's response. "But of course, you can't control it yet. So unknowingly, you began to gather the natural energy from around you, storing it. After a sufficient amount of time, your mind began to reject all of that energy as it began to put a strain on you. After all, that type of energy is meant to be used, not stored. But the mind being as frail as it is, it wasn't long before it reached its maximum capacity. And just a few moments prior, you released all of that stored energy, releasing your mind from that constant strain."
Violet could only take all of this in, frozen in place.
The Watcher looked at both Hannes and Gunn again. "Remarkable, isn't it? This is your power, Violet. The ability to control time itself. A remarkable power, is it not? With this power, you stand above all the rest of humankind. A new goddess, you can even say. A goddess who will lead this race back to its proper course."
Violet came out of her shock, shaking her head as she took a couple of steps back. "And who says that I want to do that?"
The Watcher returned his calculating gaze back on her, his calm eyes locking with her shocked ones. "Because of what they did to you and your parents. This world is filled with hatred because of humans. But of course, if humans can be cleansed of this, then so will the world. And I believe that that is an achievable goal. But I'm going to need your help with this, Violet."
The Watcher extended his hand towards her, indicating what he wanted for her to do.
Violet glanced at the stretched out hand before looking back at him. "You actually want me to save the people that just basically robbed me out of my life!? Are you insane or what!?"
A wild look appeared on the girl's face. "More than anything, it just makes me want to use this power to kill them, not save them!"
"And who says you can't?"
Violet came to a halt at hearing the Watcher's response.
Seeing this, the being continued, "I already told you, I want to cleanse this world. And to do that, I need to cleanse humanity, meaning that some people will just need to be taken out because they just simply don't belong."
Grabbing hold of the gun that Gunn had in his hand, the Watcher walked until he was in front of Violet, placing the gun in her hands.
"And you can start your cleansing right here with these two. The two men that took your family from you. It's the most fitting people to start with, don't you agree?"
Violet simply looked at the gun in her hands, the feeling of it being foreign to her as this was the first time that she had ever held a gun. Looking at the frozen Hannes and Gunn, Violet hesitated, unsure of herself. Her mother had always told her that killing people was wrong, no matter what the reason behind it was. And that she should never do it. But thinking of her mother made Violet recall how Gunn had shot her from the back without a second thought, how they had no doubt killed her father in the same merciless way, and how they had been planning to sell both her and her mother into a life of slavery.
Without a second thought, Violet raised the gun, pointing it at Gunn first as she shot him without hesitation and doing the same with Hannes a moment later. Time seemed to return to the area as Violet dropped to the ground on her knees, not quite sure what she had just done.
And the Watcher simply watched in gratification.
Flashback: End!
Violet opened her eyes slowly, trying to get her mind together once again. Really, she hated remembering that night. But it was the same night that changed her forever. Going from a simple high school girl to something more. Something bigger. Something much more important. And she was forever thankful for that.
It was also the same night in which she damned the entire human race.
"Where am I?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten already, sweetie. You belong right here next to me."
A finger began to make its way down his stomach.
"Why…..? Why am I here? Where's everyone else!?"
Giggles.
"I already told you. You belong next to me. In other words, you're mine. The others are irrelevant. Besides, you already had to go through the pain of almost losing everyone you loved. Do you really want to repeat that? Do you want for your precious Kushina to die just like Fu did?"
"Fu….you brought her back as a simple mindless drone!"
"So you figured that out, did you? Well, I shouldn't be surprised." A hand appeared on his cheek, stroking his whiskers. "But you're mistaken, Naruto. I wasn't the one to bring them back. Well, not entirely. It was him. I care not to hurt you, be it mentally or physically. He's the opposite. But in the end, it's what I want. And I want you."
"And do you think that I will let you have me?"
Another fit of amused giggles were heard as the hand finally reached its destination. "Oh, but you don't get a choice in this, darling. Besides, very soon you'll realize that it isn't as bad as you make yourself believe it to be." The next moment, there was a body on top of his with a pair of gold-ish brown eyes staring deep into his soul.
"Haven't you ever heard that nothing lasts forever? Well, you and that Uzumaki woman are no different. You might have lasted longer than others, but in the end, it will still fail. But not with me. With me, nothing ends. And do you know why?"
A wicked smirk appeared in the darkness.
"For I am the mistress of time."
Uzumaki Naruto opened his eyes in an instant, taking huge gulps of air at the same time.
"A nightmare, was it?"
Naruto looked to the side on the far side of the dojo-like room within his beach house to see the Seikatsugakari lying besides the wall.
'So you know already, huh?'
"I told you: we are connected. Everything you know, I know. But of course, in this regard, I am as clueless as you are."
Naruto sighed as he leaned back on his hands. Instead of the businessman type outfit that he usually wore, all he had on at the moment were a pair of black cargo pants. After the whole fiasco of Ichigo revealing what he had once been, Naruto had decided that it was time to get back into shape. But at the moment, all he wanted was to clear his head. That was why he had come here. But instead, he received a vision or a dream or whatever that was of him and Violet in the sack, nude as the day they were born. While many other men would consider that a good thing, he most certainly did not for obvious reasons.
'Just….what was that?'
The Seikatsugakari was silent for a few moments before it finally spoke, "I'm not certain as to how accurate this may be, but is it possible that you have actually seen your future? Just like Madara once did? The rinnegan does possess that ability, after all."
Naruto actually scoffed at the suggestion. 'That's the last thing I would believe. Me? Doing her? No matter what, no matter the circumstances, that would never happen.'
"Don't be so certain, Uzumaki. You're the one that told me not to think that way, and yet, here you are, doing the exact same thing."
That shut the Uzumaki up instantly.
"You never know what the future holds. If the opposite were true, then the world would be a better place, and there would be no such thing as a mistake. But that's not the case. You said it yourself. You're going in this blindly. It's expected for you to make a mistake. Hell, you already have! And it's almost guaranteed that there will be more. And one of those mistakes could be the cause of what you just saw."
Naruto was silent, contemplating this. As much as he hated to admit it, the sword did have a point.
'Fate, huh? Never did believe in it…..'
The sentient sword didn't respond to this. Not that it needed to. Instead, it moved on, "Putting that issue aside, it's time for you to step up for what's to come. Mainly, you getting back into shape. If you don't, it's guaranteed that you will lose…..whatever this is."
Naruto stood up, stretching a bit. 'You don't need to tell me that twice. I already have a plan-'
He stopped short as he immediately sensed a familiar presence arriving into the room. Turning around, he saw Zetsu walking through the door that led into the dojo with an unfamiliar man walking behind him.
Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at seeing this.
Seeing this, White Zetsu was quick to answer. "Before you ask, yes, we do have a reason for bringing this guy here. Umm….." turning towards the black robe wearing man, White Zetsu asked, "what was your name again?"
The man's eyebrows twitched slightly at this, an act which was mirrored by Black Zetsu. Really, the fact that he was created from one of the White Zetsus in the past greatly annoyed Black Zetsu.
"He's the father of the Kurosaki boy," stated Black Zetsu, deciding to get a move on with the conversation. If it was left to his counterpart, who knew how long they would be standing here? "He was at the place where you fought against the Violet girl. We decided to bring him here to see what he could provide to us."
Naruto immediately caught what Black Zetsu was saying, mainly that this man wasn't ordinary. Naruto mentally smirked at this. 'Well, it must run in the family then…..'
The man took a step forward. "I'm Kurosaki Isshin. I understand that you have my children under your care."
Naruto shook his head. "No, I don't. I only have your son. As for your daughters, they were…..taken."
Now, for those that knew Isshin, they knew that he was usually easy going in most cases. But if the security of his children was at stake, he was replaced by the shinigami captain that he had once been.
He took another step forward. "Who was it?"
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
Naruto had to agree with the sentient sword. Father and son were certainly alike all right.
"It's out of reach for the moment," reasoned Naruto. "But before we get into that, there are many other issues that need to be taken care of before."
"Like my son," guessed Isshin, calming a bit. He knew that trying to force the answers out of the individual in front of him wouldn't get him anywhere. Not only that, but he knew nothing of what they could do. Just like with Black Zetsu, he could tell that these were not ordinary people, just by their appearances alone. Not only that, but they could see him. "Where is he, by the way?"
It was White Zetsu who answered. "I've already told him to come here. He should be here any moment."
As if on cue, one orange haired teen was seen at the doorway, casually looking into the room until he spotted the form of his father.
Isshin was quick to be on the receiving end of a finger by his own son. "Old man! Why are you here!? Wait, scratch that. Where the hell have you been!?"
Isshin put his hands in front of him as if to placate him. "Now, now, I'm the one that should be accusing." It was at the next moment that Ichigo found himself on the floor on his back, his father above him while pointing a finger at him now. "Why the hell didn't you protect your sisters better, you dumbass!"
"These guys are freaking monsters! Literally!" the teenage boy snapped back.
Isshin was quick to get in front of his face. "Have you forgotten everything that I have taught you!? You moron of a son!"
Naruto merely watched all of this in obvious amusement as both father and son screamed insults at each other with White Zetsu sharing in his amusement. As for Black Zetsu…he simply stood there with a blank look. But that should have been obvious at this point.
As the argument continued for a couple of minutes, Naruto decided to intervene. "As amusing as this is, there's still things that I have to ask of you, Kurosaki." It was obvious to Naruto that the man in front of him was a shinigami. Now he knew as to where Ichigo got his talent from.
Isshin turned his attention towards him. "Ah…." Scratching the back of his head, he laughed sheepishly. "Right. Sorry about that."
Ichigo snorted from his position on the floor. "Yeah right…."
Before another argument could run its course, Naruto continued, "First, I'm going to tell you, just like I told your son, that I have nothing to do with what happen with your daughters."
That quickly changed the atmosphere from goofy to serious which worked as well for Naruto. For the moment at least.
"Don't worry," Isshin said, his face opting a serious look to it, "I can already tell that you're not a bad guy." That comment made Naruto mentally snort but didn't comment, instead letting the older Kurosaki continue. "For one being that you have yet to attack me, nor do I sense any intention of you trying to do so either. And the other being that my stupid son is still alive and well. Of course, I don't like to over think things, so maybe this is all a trap in which case…..well…." the man simply shrugged, letting the sentence hang loose.
Naruto simply nodded. "Well then, that takes care of any future misunderstandings. Moving on, like I said before, retrieving your daughters is currently out of reach, mainly because we just don't know where they're being held."
At this, Ichigo gritted his teeth quietly. He hated feeling useless, especially when it came to his sisters.
Isshin noticed this but decided not to say anything about it. "Who was it?"
Naruto didn't need a clarification as to what exactly Isshin was asking. "A corporation, very much like my own. I don't know if you have heard of it, but its name is 'The Watch.'"
Isshin narrowed his eyes.
"So you have heard of them….." Naruto muttered, coming to that conclusion by Isshin's reaction.
Isshin sighed. "Yes, I have. I didn't think that they would do something like this considering what they're doing back-" Isshin stopped himself right there, but it was too late.
Naruto took a step forward, his own eyes narrowing. "Back where?"
Isshin was silent for a few moments before relenting. He didn't know why, but he could tell that this was very important to the young man. Not only that, but he did save his son's life. He owed him one. "It's quite obvious that you're aware of the existence of shinigamis, no doubt my son told you," he said, glancing at the quite Ichigo for a few moments before looking at Naruto who simply nodded.
Isshin continued, "Well, I'm sure that he told you that we come from a realm known as Soul Society, correct?" Another nod. "Well, that's just simply where the 'good' souls end up in the afterlife. There is, of course, hell which is where the 'bad' ones end up. And of course, there's-"
"I don't need a lesson as to how your world works," interrupted Naruto. "I really don't care much for it. I just want to know what The Watch has to do within the realms controlled by the Shinigami."
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. The silver haired man was impatient all right. But then again, so was he at times. "This is where things get complicated really. The Watch is simply a human organization. So for it to know of our existence or even try to destroy it is surprising. Extremely so."
Naruto's eyes snapped open at hearing this. "Destroy? You're telling me that that is what they're doing? Trying to destroy the realm of the Shinigami?"
Isshin nodded. "Yes. In recent weeks, there have been too many incidents occurring all over the world which have been cause by nonhumans. Even if you don't like it, I'm going to have to explain something to you. There is a barrier that exists within our realms that separate them all, mainly keeping hell from Soul Society. But recently, the barrier has been weakening. And this has been caused by the release of too many souls from hell which turn into Hollows as they reach the human world or even Soul Society. Ah, Hollows are-"
"I know what they are," interrupted Naruto. "Ichigo already told me." Pausing for a moment, Naruto continued, "So basically what you're saying is that if this keeps occurring, the barrier will be destroyed soon, making all the souls that have been sent to hell escape into the human world or even into Soul Society."
Isshin nodded. "Yes. In the worst case scenario, we would have a civil war between the two main realms of the death gods."
Everything was coming together. Or at least a big chunk of it. But really, why did the old bastard want to start a civil war for?
"Interesting question indeed. But something tells me that this is only half of the equation. A civil war in the Shinigami's world would have major consequences, true. But not enough to cause too many effects here, if handled properly at least. But that also brings another question to the table…..why is he also trying to get a war to start here in the human world?"
Okay, so maybe everything still wasn't coming together.
Ichigo simply looked at his father. There was no doubt in the teen's mind that he had been in contact with Urahara recently which would also explain his father's long periods of absence these past few weeks. Now Ichigo knew why.
"What are the shinigamis doing to prevent all of this?" asked Naruto.
"Trying to figure out as to how humans have access to this type of information and the means of how they're even carrying this out."
Naruto had an idea for the former but not the latter.
Isshin was silent, having have told Naruto everything that he knew of. Now, it was the matter of his daughters that concerned him for the moment.
Naruto extended his hand to the older Kurosaki male, a small grin on his face. "It looks like we're both in the same boat here. We don't know a thing. But we can turn that around. In turn for helping you find and rescue your daughters, you in return give me information about the situation in Soul Society and provide assistance when necessary. Of course, if I do come into any relevant information, I'll pass it on to you as well. So what do you say? Do we have a truce?"
Isshin was silent for a few moments before grinning. As stated before, he wasn't one for much thinking. Besides, he could feel a good vibe from the man in front of him. And his instincts have been the ones to have gotten him through many difficulties in his life.
Naruto's grin became wider as Isshin took hold of his extended hand with his own.
"And there's one final thing….."
Isshin simply raised an eyebrow.
"Would you mind training me?"
Isshin grinned in return.
Ken hated acting formal. It just wasn't him. But unfortunately due to the profession he chose, being formal was a criteria that he often had to meet. But then again, he could kill people legally, so…..he could call it a fair trade.
But the person that he wanted to kill the most in the world was sitting comfortably to his left, but he couldn't do anything about it because of his job. Really, it was at times like these that Ken wondered if he would be better off working as a mercenary. Then again, all he wanted to do was spent the rest of his days on an island of his own with-
'Better stop right there,' he reminded himself. Half of that dream was dead already, after all.
The Watcher was sitting calmly in one of the chairs present in front of the President's desk, both Yugito and Utakata standing behind him on both sides with the President sitting on his own presidential chair. Finally, Ken was to the President's left, watching all of the proceedings with a careful eye.
"It is most thankful that your flight went well," began the President.
"As do I," agreed the Watcher before glancing at Ken for a moment. "Before we continue, I must ask if it's wise if one of your agents is here?"
The President didn't hesitate. "There are no concerns, Mr. Chairman. Ken is my most trusted agent. It's why I even asked him to be the one to pick you up and meet with me here." Ken didn't show any recognition at the praise. "But if we're going by distrust because of our subordinates, then you are no less guilty," the President added, looking at both Yugito and Utakata who both showed no reaction.
"I suppose so," the Watcher responded, letting the issue drop.
The President nodded. "With that out of the way, we must now discuss as to the whole reason why I even asked you to meet me today, Mr. Chairman. But of course, you must already know as to what I'm talking about."
The Watcher didn't let any emotion show on his face. Instead, he said, "Indeed. The whole world now thinks of the United States as a bunch of traitors. An accusation, if I may say so, that seems to be properly made."
The President sighed. "The evidence does point to us as the guilty party, but I assure you, we had no involvement whatsoever in whatever it is that took place that night in the royal palace. We're not even sure as to why two CIA agents were even there!"
The Watcher didn't respond.
Seeing this, the President continued, "I must also inform you that the CIA is no more. Due to many recent…..developments, we thought it would be prudent if it was no longer active."
But the Watcher already knew of this, not that he would let the man in front of him know. Hell, he even knew what the so called 'developments' were. He knew as to the power that that Mitarashi women had held in the American government. But of course, it was just luck that had landed him with her that night.
"That is surprising," the Watcher finally said. "But I must wonder as to what your goal is in telling me something as big as that. I am, after all, Japanese." Another lie, not that the man in front of him needed to know that either.
The President nodded. "It's just simply a sign of my trust in you. A trust, which I hope, will be extended both ways."
'Highly unlikely,' thought the Watcher.
Ken merely watched on.
The President then sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you. The whole reason that I'm even talking to you about something like this or even asking for your assistance is because of your good relations with the other nations that you possess as well as the influence that The Watch can provide us with."
The Watcher had to mentally sigh. Really, the whole reason that he was even here was because the major nations knew of his identity as the Chairman of The Watch. Of course, it wasn't public knowledge as all the nations had made sure that no one unnecessary knew of it, but still. Maybe he should have done the same thing that Naruto had done which was basically not let anyone know of his existence, period. But then again, that brought on many other problems, one being that what he was planning on doing would have been extremely more difficult. After all, there was a reason why it was The Watch that the United States was asking for help, not Uzumaki Inc. It all went down to trust. After all, who could trust a person when you have never met him or her once in person?
"I thank you for your honesty," the Watcher began, "but I hope that you realize, Mr. President, what could happen to my reputation and that of my company if you indeed turn out to be the ones behind this, and I sided with you. It would make me look as if I were a part of this as well!"
"I understand that," the President acknowledged, "but you need not worry. We are not guilty, no matter what the rest of the world may say. Which is why I would like for your support at the meeting in Geneva in one week."
'Perfect…..'
Really, everything was just playing itself into his hands. But of course, instead of showing his approval of the current situation, the Watcher acted as if he was contemplating his decision, already knowing what he was going to do.
Ken had his eyes on the Watcher, knowing full well that this was somehow what the bastard wanted, if the profiles that the Uzumakis had sent him were correct. But what was he planning on doing at the international meeting? Ken could think of some things, and none were pretty. But like he had said before, the President and the nation were desperate. If someone like the Chairman from The Watch believed that the United States was innocent, that might push other nations to think the same. At least, that was what the President was hoping for to happen. A huge gamble all right.
After a few more moments of tensed silence, the Watcher finally answered, "All right. I will provide you with my assistance in this, Mr. President."
The President was quick to stand up, quickly bowing to the Watcher. "Thank you! You will not regret this!"
The Watcher mentally smirked. 'No, I don't think I will.'
Standing up, the Watcher shook hands with the President. "I believe that that is all?"
The President nodded, glad that things had gone well. "Yes. And I'll even provide you with extra security as a show of my gratitude. Ken!"
Ken took a step forward, the Watcher immediately having his gaze on him.
The President continued, "Like I have said, Ken is my most trusted agent and was one of the CIA's best. I'm sure that you won't have any complaints."
The Watcher wanted to say outright 'no,' since there was nothing in this world that could harm him. Well, normally at least. But he also knew that the President wouldn't budge on this.
"I see. I thank you."
The Watcher turned the other way, making his way towards the door with the meeting now having concluded. The President sent Ken a nod as said agent made to follow, returning the nod as well.
Well, it was definitely time to step up the stakes of this game all right.
Fuka sighed to herself as she felt the presence of someone behind her. "You know, I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter. I'm a grown up woman of thousand something years, you know."
Kushina chuckled as she stood next to the doorway that led to one of the balconies present in the beach house. Kushina wasn't aware of the time, but if she had to guess, she would say around three in the morning. But with how things had gone the previous day, no one was in the mood to sleep. Not only that, but Kushina could sense that Zetsu had brought someone with him. The redhead wasn't sure who or what it was, but since a fight hadn't broken out just yet, she could at least deduce that the individual was friendly. Or close to it at least.
"Oh, I don't know," she began with a bit of humor laced in her tone, "I'm sure that Mito-sama would have disagreed with you on that."
Fuka smiled at that. No matter how much time passed, she would always consider that woman her mother. To Fuka, the concept of a parent was more than the person having had given birth to you. It was that person actually taking care of you. And while not having had done a perfect job, Mito was the closest person to a mother that Fuka would ever have. It wasn't like she was blaming the woman either. With everything that had been happening at the time, the redhead was just glad that Mito hadn't had just left her there which she could have done, quite easily for that matter.
"You got me there….."
Kushina grinned before it banished a second later, stepping forward in order to stand next to her fellow Uzumaki. "You have a lot on your mind, don't you?"
Fuka turned her gaze to the night sky where the half moon shined the otherwise dark night. "Yeah. I'm just trying to understand what we're even fighting anymore. Or for what Anko even died for…."
Kushina nodded at hearing that. "Yes. Unlike Naruto, you still haven't quite found your reason for getting involved in any of this, have you?"
Fuka shook her head. "Oh no. I do have a reason. Revenge. But at the end of the day, I don't want that to be it. I mean, look what it do Naruto in the long run. Without it, he was left with nothing. Hell, so were we! We've basically become fossils now!"
Kushina didn't try to deny it. It was the truth, after all. "Yes, that's also quite true. But now Naruto understands this. I'm sure that he won't make that same mistake twice. But he's not the reason you're like this. We both know that. And I have something which will let you put what's holding you from moving forward. We are, after all, going to need you in this, Uzumaki Fuka."
Fuka turned towards Kushina in surprise. This was the first time that Kushina had ever called her an Uzumaki before. But surprise turned to confusion a moment later as Kushina handed her a half folded paper.
Kushina sent her a weak smile. "I just printed this out. It's a message from Anko to all of us. I thought that you would like to read it as well."
And she wasn't wrong. Not a waiting a minute longer, Fuka unfolded the paper, her eyes quickly absorbing the words that were present.
If you're reading this, then it means that I'm already dead. Now, you may be wondering as to why I would ever think that I would someday die, but if there is one thing that my new job has taught me is to expect the unexpected. Of course, I won't try to guess how I died, neither am I going to mope about it. I have lived for a long time, and if I were to be honest, I'm quite sick of it.
Heh, I'm going to be honest. We've become pathetic. I don't even know what we are anymore. Shinobi? Human? Or just simply some sort of puppets with no souls or will? Because that is what I've been defining us as of late. Of course, as for the puppeteer, it's time itself. As surprising as it is, I have long since started to ask myself these things. That's why all of you may start to find a part of me that none of you will have known before.
But I am just tired of this life, of this curse. But despite all of this, I still care deeply for all of you. I was given a chance at a new life because of you, and I got to experience some good things, others bad. Whatever it is that you guys now have to face, I'm sure that you'll find a way to kick some ass again. And I'm sorry that I won't be with you through this. Hehehe. I can't believe that I'm the one scolding you guys of all people instead of it being the other way around! But time really does change people, for the better or for the worse. You guys decide.
So I leave you with this. I hope that you all find a new reason to live. And don't let my death be the one thing that holds any of you back. Because that would be the one thing that would piss me off the most. If we ever do somehow meet again, I hope to see you all just like you once were. I wish you the best of luck.
Your lovable friend,
The Sexy Mitarashi Anko
Fuka was silent for a few moments, trying to comprehend what she had just read. Finally, she said, "So when we reunited for our mission to Riyadh, she was already….."
"I don't know to be honest," responded Kushina truthfully. "She was still the Anko we knew except that she was just beginning to question our entire existence. Just like we are now. She just did it first. And she came up with her own answer, it seems. Not that it wasn't fitting at the time, of course. But she had also hoped that we would all change. And we are," she finished with another weak smile.
Fuka bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears. But she knew that it was a fruitless fight. "All because of her death….why didn't she just come to us for help!?"
Kushina didn't respond. Just like Naruto, she had already realized the answer to that. And so did Fuka, no matter how much she tried to deny it.
Kushina placed a hand on Fuka's shoulder, bringing her into a tight hug. "All we can do now is to move forward for her sake. I'm sure that that's what she would have wanted. Let's go….as a family."
Fuka cried.
The Shinigami was usually a very calm individual. After all, he was a god. He had all eternity. Needless to say, it took a lot to irritate the hell out of him, something which had only happened twice before in his entire existence.
One being the whole mess that had occur with the Juubi for reasons of his own, even if he did get a sweet deal out of it. Mainly, many more souls added to this collection. The second one having been his brothers interfering with his work once before. But now, the current situation could be added to that list.
Really, why did this crap have to happen to him of all of the gods? He was good…..ish. Okay, so maybe he did deserve it for all the crap that he himself had caused many times before. But that didn't mean that he was just going to take all of this in stride.
That freaking aide thought that he would be able to overthrow him? The Shinigami? Ruler of countless of souls! Preposterous! Even so, it seemed that that simply aide had somehow acquired a small sample of Kami's power in order to give it to that girl. And the Juubi's power as well….the latter was the most shocking out of the two. How he had managed to pull that off under all of their noses was beyond the death god. And now, his domain was being threatened to be engulfed in a civil war. And the Shinigami knew what the consequences would be. The exact same thing which the damn aide wanted!
It seemed that it was time to bring out his own disciple into the fray since both Kami and the so called 'Watcher' had their own. And as lady luck would have it, he was already with Uzumaki. That just made things easier. It seemed that this group known as 'Xcution' would also prove of some use to him as well.
Any nearby servants nearly died again as they heard the chilling laughter emanating from the Shinigami's chambers in his own castle-like building in hell.
It was time for him to step up his own pieces on the board. The real game began now.
Well, I'm finally here with another chapter. To be honest, I don't have much to say only that I hope that this doesn't disappoint. Also, I'm not entirely sure if the whole concept of there being a barrier that separates Soul Society from the true hell is true, but for all intents and purposes of this story, it will be. Feedbacks would be appreciated.
Till next time.