Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Bleach
"Hmm…."- Yami, Black Zetsu, Shinigami
"Hmm…."- Seikatsugakari

Chapter 11:
A doubt filled Heart

Darkness. It was everywhere. It was never-ending. And it was slowly starting to take over her being.

Fuka was crouched down, hands on her head as she tried to push the pain that was coursing throughout her body. But it seemed fruitless. It was too much. And she didn't even know where she was. If this was even a real place in the first place. It seemed to be devoid of everything but darkness.

'Just how did I get here?' the redhead wondered as another wave of pain hit her.

The last thing she could remember was her screams. Her screams of frustration as she fought against Roshi and Han and was losing. And more importantly at how she was about to die.

'The tower…..Naruto and me and that shinigami…..we were going to attack the tower. And then they appeared. And then…..and then what happened?'

For the life of her she couldn't remember a single damn thing after that.

"You were useless is what happened. Just like you were useless all those years ago when we lost Mito."

Fuka's eyes snapped open as she heard the voice coming from behind her. Not only that but the pain seemed to vanish as well. Standing up on shaky legs, the redhead turned around, coming face to face with who she could only describe as being herself. No, that wasn't right. The woman before her did bare a lot of resemblance to her. But not entirely. For one thing, the woman standing before her had deep black eyes. No irises whatsoever either. She also had crimson glowing tattoos running all over her face and, as Fuka imagined, probably throughout the rest of her body too. And the woman in front of her seemed…..more sinister. That was the only way Fuka could describe the feeling that the other woman was emanating.

Fuka took a step back, already ready to defend herself if need be. "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled. A chill ran down Fuka's spine at hearing the sound. And not a pleasured filled chill either. It was a frightened chill. The chuckle just didn't sound human whatsoever.

"I suppose that is the million dollar question. However, that's also the easiest thing to answer here."

Fuka didn't respond.

Shrugging, the woman ran a hand through her hair. "Basically, I'm you. No, wait. That's not entirely right either. I'm a better version of you. Yes, that's it right there."

"What?"

The woman laughed. "It's just as I say, my dear Fuka. I am you. I've been growing here for quite some time if I may add. Just waiting for the right time when I could escape. And it came." Then her demeanor changed. "But that damn man got in my way and sealed me back up again. Although not entirely. Which is why we're here right now."

Fuka could only guess that the "man" the woman referred to was Naruto. "Make some damn sense will you! Just what the hell are you talking about!" The redhead finally blew up, her confusion taking over her.

The woman sighed. "And here I thought that explained everything. Oh well. I guess we could go slower for your sake."

Fuka growled but didn't reply. She could kick the bitch's ass later. First, she needed answers.

The woman begin to walk around Fuka in a slow and provoking manner. "Let's just get the obvious out the way first. You do know why you've been able to live this long right?"

"Yes," answered Fuka in an annoyed manner. "It's thanks to the chakra that Naruto gave me."

The woman nodded. "Very good, very good. But what you failed to mention is where that chakra came from."

"The Juubi."

The woman stopped as she spread her arms out. "Exactly! And that's where the answer to all of this lies! Or at least, that should tell you enough as to what I am and how I got here."

Fuka just turned to the woman, a blank look on her face. Seeing this, the woman slapped her face in disdain.

"Seriously? Do I have to spell out everything here?"

Fuka shrugged. "It would be helpful yes."

The woman laughed sarcastically, waving one hand in front of her. "Fine, fine. Let's just waste more time shall we? Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, the chakra that you received. The Juubi's chakra to be precise. Now as you know, this chakra isn't ordinary. It's extremely lethal to the regular human except for a chosen few. And one of those chosen few is you, my dear Fuka-chan. Unlike with that Mitarashi woman, you would have been able to handle a larger quantity than you received. But of course, the goal here was just to make you immortal. And do you know why you're able to contain the Juubi's chakra?"

"Don't treat me like a child," snapped Fuka in irritation. "And stop wasting time with things that you and I both already know. All I want to know is how and why you're here."

"It's because you're a direct descendant of a man once known as the Rikudo Sennin," she continued, ignoring Fuka's outburst. "But this is where the fun begins! You see, the Juubi's chakra isn't so easy to control. Mainly because the beast who owned it wasn't so very forthcoming with others trying to control its power. But now the beast is gone thanks to that man you're so infatuated with. Meaning that the chakra leftover should be easier to control right?"

When Fuka didn't reply, the woman carried on. "Well, that's completely wrong! And that's because of one very simple thing: darkness. Every human being has it. And the Juubi's chakra reacts strongly with dark emotions. It feeds off of it. I guess you could blame it on the owner. I don't know. But I don't really care. Anyway, you, my dear Fuka, have a very strong dark emotion in you. And I'm guessing you know this. At the very least you're aware of it but have been lying to yourself this whole time."

Fuka gritted her teeth in slight anger, making the woman grin in return.

"Doubt. Your heart is so filled with it that it isn't even funny. And that very same doubt is what gave birth to me."

"What?"

The woman chuckled. "You heard me right. It's because of your doubt that I was able to be born. Your doubt at your self worth. If you can actually do anything anymore. You used to be so prideful. Am I right or what? You had so much faith in your abilities. But then came along Mito. The very woman who saved our lives. But we weren't able to return the favor. Or rather, you weren't able to."

Fuka stepped back, her eyes closed as images of that day flooded her mind against her will.

"I don't want to see this….."

"You can still picture it, can't you?" The woman begin to walk towards Fuka who fell to her knees. "The fight. How you merely stood in the sidelines as Mito fought for what she believed in. Did you do the same thing? Or was it just that you didn't believe in what she believed? Were you just there because she was? That's it, isn't it? That's the whole reason you even joined this little group, the New Akatsuki or whatever."

Tears began to run down Fuka's cheeks as the dark entity knelt in front of her, one of her hands caressing Fuka's cheek.

"But that only leaves one question here, Fuka-chan. Mito is gone. So why are you still here?"

Fuka's eyes snapped open again.

Izanami walked through the streets of Geneva at a leisured pace, almost as if she was one of the many thousands of tourists in the city. This couldn't be further from the truth, however. She was here because she knew that, in this city, everything would start and end. The beginning of the end. Whatever the outcome of this long battle would be, this city was where it would took place in.

'But I do have a few days before the show starts,' she thought. For a goddess like herself, a few days was nothing compared to how long she had lived for. Not only that, but she had waited for almost an eternity for her revenge. She could wait a few more days.

'I guess I better see what she's up to,' she thought in slight amusement as she turned the corner to a local cafe. There, in one of the outside tables, sat a beautiful woman with long dark hair sipping on coffee without a care in the world. She wore a black skirt which showed off her long creamy legs, black boots, and a simple tight black t-shirt with a leather jacket. She also gloves and a necklace of a fan could be seen through her leather jacket. Needless to say, she drew the attention of the local male populace, be they married or not.

"I still can't believe you chose to wear this outfit of all things," commented Izanami as she sat down next to the woman.

The woman chuckled as she placed her cup down. "Hey now, it's a whole new time. And I have to get in it just like the rest."

Izanami sweatdropped. "Are you really the person who I think you are?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really know what your opinion of me is. Then again, it mustn't be that bad since you asked the Shinigami if I could join you. There were others you could have picked."

Izanami nodded. "Yes, that is true. But the others, they don't want any part in this. At least, the ones I had in mind. But you, you're different."

The woman became silent at hearing that. "I just want to ask him in person if all that you've told me is true or not. If there's anything that my former life taught me is to never be too trusting with anyone. We all have our secret agenda, after all."

"That is true," agreed Izanami. "But remember why I got you out of the Shinigami's domain in the first place."

The woman smirked as she took another sip of her coffee. "Hai, I know. It's to get your sweet revenge. But don't worry. I know how you must feel about being betrayed as I was in your shoes at one point. So I know how badly you want this. Which is why I won't let you down."

Izanami looked to be content. "Good. But you shouldn't worry too much either. You'll have your reunion as well. I guarantee it."

"Oh?" The dark haired woman glanced at her with one eye. "And how do you know this?"

Izanami chuckled. "Things have their own way of working themselves out. Even as gods we don't understand them sometimes."

The woman simply hummed at hearing this, sipping on her coffee in content. The flavor was simply marvelous to her.

Izanami eyed the woman who was lost in her own coffee flavored world. "A question, if I may." Taking the woman's lack of response as the okay signal, Izanami carried on. "What will you do? When you see him I mean."

The woman put her coffee filled cup down on the table, a lost look appearing on her eyes for a moment before it was gone. Then it was filled with mirth. "That, my dear goddess, I do not know yet. Will I lash out in anger at him for being so stupid? Or will I embrace him for not having seen him for so long? The answer is I simply don't know yet. Only when he's right in front of me will I know the answer."

Izanami smiled as she closed her eyes. "Well, you won't have to wait long." Opening her eyes, the goddess turned her head towards the direction of where the building in which the meeting would take place stood. "In just a few more days, you will see him. And all of this will finally end."

'A happy ending? Who knows…..'

The woman went back to her coffee.

"Do you trust me?"

Isshin looked at the only male Uzumaki left with an unflinching gaze despite the powerful aura that said person was emanating. If there was one thing that Isshin could attest to was the fact that the man sitting in front of him was not the same one that he had first met. The Naruto he had first met wasn't so….sure of himself. It was the best way the former shinigami captain could explain it. It was as if he was just doing things halfheartedly. The shinigami only wonder what had changed.

"Of course we don't," stated Yoruichi with her arms crossed. She was sitting next to Isshin at the moment. "Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury with the current situation."

Naruto snorted at hearing that. Black Zetsu was on the floor next to him, starring at the two shinigami with a passive look.

"I find that a little bit insulting considering that I haven't done anything untrustworthy."

Yoruichi grinned. "Don't take it too personally. In our profession, there's a lot of backstabbing. So we've learned not to automatically trust strangers. I'm sure you understand that."

"She's got you there."

Yes, that much was true. Still, the former blond felt insulted. He didn't know why. He just did. Maybe it was just a mocking kind of insulted…..whatever. Let's move on.

Yoruichi continued. "Point is, we don't know a thing about you except that you're apparently what's left of what you call shinobi. And that you and your little band have your own strange techniques that rival ours, maybe even surpass in some instances. But that's it. You haven't been exactly clear on what your final motive is. Or if we're just pawns for you to use."

Naruto glanced at Isshin who didn't add his two cents into the conversation. Looking back at the purple haired shinigami, the rinnegan wielder replied, "My techniques are something I'm not willing to divulge. So you can forget about that."

Yoruichi frowned at that but didn't retort.

Naruto continued, "As to what my goal is…..I already told Ichigo this. But it seems that he wasn't able to inform you or your higher ups."

"I want to hear it with my own two ears," stated Yoruichi. "Or else you won't know if I truly have your back on this till it's tool late."

Naruto grinned. 'I'm starting to like this woman.'

"And why on earth would that be? She's making things more difficult than if she just followed orders."

'That may be, but you should also know why my clan was wiped off. Because they were too trusting. This shinigami is not. She doesn't just trust her life with anyone. And I like that. No, I respect that.'

The sentient sword remained silent.

"My goal is simple," answered Naruto. "I want the same thing you do: to stop that bastard and his plans. Our goals are one and the same. It's why we're here, isn't it? It's why you're here too. Because we all stand against him."

Of course, Naruto wasn't telling her what he planned to do after that. Like her, he didn't trust strangers. Or anyone really other than Kushina, Fuka, and Zetsu. Oh, and the talking sword in his head. But he didn't have much choice there.

"Oh, thank you for that. I'm really touched."

Just when the sentient sword had gotten so sarcastic Naruto will never know. Then again, they hadn't been together for quite some time. But that was another topic for another day.

"And my daughters?"

Naruto locked eyes with Isshin. "That is yours and Ichigo's concern. After all, isn't that why your son joined this little mess? So that he could save them himself? I would be disrespecting him if I did anything."

That was complete bullshit, and both Naruto and Isshin knew that. Still, it was better than saying 'I don't give a rat's ass about your daughters, so I'm not going to do anything about them.' It saved a lot of trouble too.

"Is that really true?" Yoruichi narrowed her eyes as Naruto brought his attention to her. "Is that really all that you're after? No other motives?"

Naruto grinned. "It's the complete truth. I promise." He lied straight through his teeth.

"In the past, your word meant everything. Now, though…..just be happy they don't know that."

Yoruichi glanced at Isshin who had an unreadable look on his face. 'Well, if he's not opposing…..' Still, it wasn't like the purple haired woman trusted the Uzumaki completely. Not by a long shot. But she didn't quite have much choice at the moment.

'I'm keeping my eyes on you, Uzumaki….'

Seeing no more outward disagreement, Naruto clasped his hands together. "Then we are at an agreement. I do have one question, though."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"Is there any chance that any other shinigami could join us?"

"That's currently impossible," answered Isshin. "Earth is not the only realm that is endangered right now. The rest of us are already trying to hold the line in other locations. We're all that's left here."

'Of course, the higher ups expect Ichigo's powers to be enough,' thought Yoruichi. 'And both Isshin and Urahara are here as well. And the Uzumakis too…..'

Naruto sighed. "I thought as much. Then we'll proceed with what we have."

"Don't tell me you're not interested in what they meant by other places. I'm sure they mean-"

'I know. But we can worry about that after we've killed that bastard. Not a moment sooner.'

"Hahaha. You're the leader."

Naruto stood up and began to walk out of the room. "Black Zetsu will give you the details of my plan. Know your parts and everything will go smoothly."

The rinnegan user didn't wait for their response.

Son Goku breathed in deeply as he stood in the sandy beach, still enjoying the feeling of being free instead of being trapped in that damn seal within a lifeless body. It had been hell. Not being able to do anything other than what some other person wanted to be done. It was like having no free will of his own. Actually, it was just that. He had been nothing more than a slave. And his fellow bijuu were still stuck in the same position that he had been.

'I only hope that father will do something about them too…..'

Now there was something else that was new to him. The word father. He actually had a father. Or at the very least Naruto came the closest to the concept. After all, he had been the one to create them. Or his first version. That was another thing the bijuu was also trying to comprehend. The fact that there had been another Son Goku before him. It felt so surreal.

Then again, the whole situation was surreal. Still, there wasn't much point into trying to dwell in the past. That was all it was. The past. Nothing could be done about it. But now he actually had a chance to make a difference in everything. To affect the outcome, however little that affect may be. But considering his former position at not having been able to do a damn thing, the four tailed bijuu preferred this alternative any day of the week.

Looking down at the crashing waves, the bijuu nodded his head to himself, feeling content at his decision.

'Yes. I don't need doubt. Not right now. All I need to focus on is what's going to be required of me when the time comes. And help my family in any way that I can.'

Yes, that was it. That was all he needed. To help his new family. And damn anything that tried to take that away from him.

Kushina sighed as she walked out of Ken's room, having completed the operation. Which thankfully had been a success. Now all the former CIA agent needed was rest until he got used to his new eye. Hopefully that didn't take too long. He would be useless if he didn't wake up before the conference.

"You look like hell."

Kushina sighed again, not needing to turn around to know who it was.

"Your compliments aren't needed here, White Zetsu."

White Zetsu grinned. "I so appreciate your sarcasm."

Kushina rolled her eyes, lowering her head to look down at the submerged being if that was even the right word. "What do you want?"

The grin disappeared, making Kushina surprised at seeing the seriousness demeanor of the usual laid-back whatever it was that Zetsu was. "When are you planning on letting Naruto know of what happen with that woman?"

Kushina frowned. "Nothing. It's not important at all. That old witch was just crazy, whoever she really is. Which is why we're not going to tell either Naruto or Black Zetsu about it. Do you understand that? Because if you don't, then we're going to have to fix that."

If White Zetsu had feet at the moment, he would have stepped back as Kushina radiated a dangerous aura around her. It reminded him of how Mikoto had killed one of his clones back then just because he had been delivering news. No one was supposed to kill the delivery boy! It was common sense! Then again, he wasn't the delivery boy in this case. Just too curious for his own good. But he was really just wondering what the redhead planned on doing with the information she had received. It seemed like she didn't plan to do anything with it, though. And White Zetsu didn't know if that was good or bad.

Taking White Zetsu's lack of response as his conformation, Kushina stopped emanating the dangerous aura and turned to walk away until a chakra shockwave ran throughout the house. And the redhead immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Make sure the others stay in place. We don't know what's going to happen here."

A group of White Zetsu clones nodded as they submerged into the ground, intent on carrying their orders. Naruto turned to Kushina who was busy checking the still unconscious Fuka's condition.

Fuka's body was currently emanating red chakra as well. And from the looks of it, whatever was happening was painful to her as her face was twisted into a pained expression.

"Kushina, what's happening to her?"

Kushina didn't respond as she rechecked every single one of the seals that she had placed throughout Fuka's body. But from the troubled look on her face, Naruto could only guess that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"This is bad, really bad. The Juubi's chakra….it's trying to escape from Fuka's body."

Naruto's eyes widened at the information. "But how!"

Kushina shook her head. "I don't know. The seals I placed on her don't seem to be working either. It's almost as if the problem is from the inside…."

Naruto looked at her. "And that means what exactly."

Kushina frowned. "I don't know either. It's the best way I can describe it. Point is that my seals aren't doing anything to stop it. At best they're slowing down whatever it is that's going on."

Naruto turned his gaze to Fuka's pained expression. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Kushina shook her head again. "No. Not that I know of at least. If fuinjutsu is useless, then I have nothing else."

"Fuinjutsu may be useless in this situation, but we're not."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'You have an idea?'

"Yes. But it'll be tricky. And I don't know what we'll be walking into once we enter her mind."

'Woah, slow down. Her mind? What makes you think that we have to go there? And how?'

"Kushina was incorrect when she said that the chakra is trying to escape out of Fuka. No, it's trying to consume her and take over. And the reason her seals aren't effective is because of that. And because this a psychological problem."

'You're losing me.'

"No time for explanations right now. Not if you want the Fuka you know to be the one to come out of this mess."

Naruto decided to follow the talking sword's lead for now. Only because he didn't want to lose Fuka the same way he had lost Anko.

'Alright. Tell me what to do.'

"Your sharingan. You can use it to access her mind to suppress the Juubi's chakra. But be warned, I have no idea in what state Fuka's mind is at the moment. Or what exactly is happening in there. I won't be able to help you either. You'll be on your own."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, his sharingan activated. 'Let's do it.'

The dark entity cupped Fuka's face in her hands. "It's that simple, Fuka-chan. To end that never ending doubt in your heart. For you to not have to live with the shame of not being able to help our precious Mito. Or Anko. Yes, the same thing repeated itself again. You weren't able to save Anko. And now she's gone too. So tell me, why keep living? There's no point. You have no one else left. Your only choice now is to disappear. Disappear and join the others who have already gone too."

Fuka's eyes became clouded as the woman felt her chakra begin to overtake Fuka's. "Yes, that's right. You're doing it perfectly. In just a few more moments, your suffering will end, Fuka-chan. And you'll be with the others. Just like you so desire."

"You know, you remind me a helluva lot of Orochimaru. That bastard could sure sound persuasive when he wanted to. But damn was he creepy."

The woman's eyes widened as Naruto's voice reached her ears from behind her. But she didn't have time to react as a hand grabbed her shoulder and threw her away from Fuka to the ground.

Naruto was quick to kneel in front of Fuka whose eyes were still dull. "Fuka, can you hear me? Oi, snap out of it!"

"Hahaha! You're too late, Uzumaki. She's gone now. All that I need to do now is overwhelm her with my chakra and take over her mind and body. Her very soul is mine."

Naruto tilted his head to see the form that the Juubi's chakra had taken who was no longer on the ground. Or whatever classified as ground in this place. His rinnegan eyes met her dark ones.

"So you're the one that's been messing with my Fuka."

The woman laughed again. "I'm Fuka, you idiot! The real one! The one that that impostor you're holding decided to suppress all these years! Well, no more! I can finally be out and cause my own mayhem out there in the real world!"

Naruto turned back to look at Fuka who still had the same dull look on her face. His hand glowed a hazy blue as he touched her forehead. A moment later, the dull look on Fuka's face left and was replaced by her normal one.

"Naruto….."

Naruto's eyes softened for a moment before he turned his head to look at the dark chakra entity again which was now looking at him with anger rather than amusement like a few moments before.

"You….."

"Pumping your chakra out of her isn't so hard, ya know. You could say I've had too many past experiences like that. But let's not mope around the details. The basic point is that you're not taking her from me."

The woman was silent for a few moments before she began to laugh. "Hahaha seems like despite your 'bad boy' act, you still have a soft heart for those close to you. Even after everything you've done, Uzumaki."

Naruto closed his eyes at that. "You're right. Despite everything I've done, I still can't stop caring about those close to me. Which is why I've been lost for all these years. Because I couldn't let go of the ones I've lost. But now I've realized that that's just meaningless. They all gave up their lives for what they believed in. I was disrespecting them all this time by not letting them go." His eyes then opened, a dark look to them. "However, I still have those that remain. And I don't sit idly if someone tries to take them away from me."

"Huh. You're full of contradictions, aren't you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Take it as you want. You won't be living long enough to keep on judging me. Not that it matters. I've long since stopped caring what others think of me save for a certain few."

Fuka grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm, crying softly. "Naruto, I'm so sorry. She-"

"It's alright," Naruto interrupted, kissing her on the forehead. "We all have doubts. Hell, I've been filled with doubt for many years now. It's why we lost Anko. So don't blame yourself for that. And Mito did what she did because she wanted to. Trust me. I know. None of us have ever thought of you as useless. You're a part of our family. Never forget that."

The woman growled as she felt her hold on Fuka fall apart. And with it her powers were falling apart too. "You can sweet talk her all you want. It won't change the fact that-"

"Oh would you shut up!"

It was in an instant. The chakra entity didn't know when Naruto had done it. Looking down, all she saw was a black rod sticking out of her stomach courtesy of another Naruto who stood behind her, an emotionless look on his face.

"Like I said, I don't take kindly to those who hurt those close to me."

The woman didn't have a chance to respond as the rod shaped bijudama exploded a second later, taking with it both the clone and the woman.

Naruto turned his attention to the crying Fuka as the dimension began to crack all around them. "It's time for you to go back. We need you."

Fuka's grip on his arm became stronger. "Is that really true? Do you really need me?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. And it's not just me either. Kushina would go insane if we lost you too. Whether you like it or not, you're one of us, Uzumaki Fuka. Don't ever doubt that. Well all love you. I love you."

The dimension finally cracked into a million pieces, leaving behind nothing. But it didn't matter. Both Naruto and Fuka had long since left.

The doubt in Fuka had finally been lifted..

Violet stood in the center of the room without saying a word, the remaining jinchuriki all lined up behind her and standing like statues. All of them had the same black military style get up. Apparently the Watcher had found it more beneficial for what was to come.

And speaking of the Watcher, he was standing by the large window which was placed behind his desk in his room. The President had made arrangements for him to stay in a fancy hotel in the city until the conference started. Another way to lick his feet as it were. Not that it mattered. The Watcher already knew what he was going to do. And it was nothing close to what the President of the United States wanted for him to do. No where near close. Oh well. It was best to make the idiot think he was, though. Until it was too late anyway.

The Watcher didn't bother to turn around as he spoke calmly, "So you have no idea as to how this happened?"

Violet bit her lower lip, already knowing what he meant. "No, I don't. Nor do I know how he managed to counteract my powers. I think it may have something to do with his rinnegan, a new technique he may have learned. But I'm not one hundred percent certain of this. Just like with how he freed the Yonbi."

The Watcher was silent, also trying to comprehend how Naruto had done all that he had. The only way he could see it is if the rinnegan wielder had somehow found out the truth about who he really was and not what he claimed to be. Then, and only then, would he know that the rinnegan, the Juubi's chakra, and that sword of his could counteract Violet's power. But the implications that that brought along with it were troubling.

In the back, Violet grinned to herself. She knew she was playing a dangerous game here. It wasn't easy hiding the fact that she knew a lot more than what the Watcher assumed she did. Not to mention control her powers to a better degree than he anticipated. Still, she felt it served him right. She was no one's pawn. Least of all his. Being able to rub all of this in his face after he was in the ground, beaten and battered, would all of this then be worth it. Especially for having taken her parents from her.

The Watcher turned away from the window, facing Violet and the still jinchuriki. "No matter. This changes nothing. We'll just have to be more cautions from now on. Everything is riding on this conference. All our preparations are completed. Hell is already in disarray. We just have to wait for the Shinigami to make a move."

Violent silently thank whatever force had made the Watcher not give her another one of his lectures. "And what of that Ichigo kid? From what I understand, he's close to getting his powers back."

The Watcher h'mphed. "He's a minor obstacle is all. Even if killing him back then failed, it doesn't matter. He won't be able to stop us. Even if he does team up with Naruto."

"And his sisters?"

"They don't matter at all anymore either. We've already drawn him in. Do whatever you want with them."

'Your overconfidence will be your downfall,' thought Violet, simply nodding.

"One final thing," he began as he eyed her. "I just want to make this perfectly clear right now: I don't care how valuable you may think you are. I'm quite through with this love conquest of yours. If you don't do what's expected of you, at that moment it will be the end for you. Are we clear?"

Violet looked on with a slight bored look. But on the inside, she was cursing the Watcher for all that he was worth. "Yes, I understand."

The Watcher merely nodded as he faced the window again. "Good. That is all. You may rest now. You're going to need it in a few days."

Violet didn't reply as she walked out of the room, the jinchuriki staying behind. Closing the door behind her, the girl finally let the smirk that she had been trying to hide during the whole conversation befall her face.

'No, you old fool. In just a few more days, you'll see your own downfall. And Naruto will be standing at my side at long last. Both of us as the new rulers of the new world. The final cycle.'

Her eyes began to glow as she walked back towards her own room.

'I'll make sure of it.'

In his domain, the Shinigami looked on in content as he felt Izanami and the person he had lent her were already in Geneva.

While it wasn't in his nature to do what he did, circumstances had made him make an exception. Not to mention that Izanami had literally asked him for it. That woman never asked anything of anyone unless she didn't have a choice. That was how much she was being cautious with her own plans. Not that the Shinigami blamed her. She had been waiting for this for quite some time. And, as much as he hated to admit it, his brother was strong. But too cocky. And that was what would lead him to his death.

'Hehehe, now that is something which I cannot wait to see.'

But that would come in due time. For now, he needed to be ready. His realm was in disarray. Thousands of the most dangerous of souls that he possessed were now on the loose because of that damn messenger. The numbers were getting close to the millions too. And his agents were spread thin as it was.

'It seems as if I may have to get my hands dirty on this. Heh, after all this time, it seems that I've been forced up on the play. Oh, well. I guess things were starting to get a little boring out here. But I'll need to act quick so that I don't miss how the fool's plan blows up on his face. Not to mention Izanami's revenge. I haven't been this interested in something since Madara…..'

The gate may have been weakened because of what the Watcher did. But all that the Shinigami needed to do was create the balance again. And that meant releasing the souls on the other side. After that happened, the balance would be restored and the gate once more back up to its full power. After that, he just needed to destroy all the souls that had escaped, including the good ones. That was going to be annoying. Especially since they were his souls. But better that than having to sit through another lecture at how he should be more responsible. He wouldn't be able to survive that.

Humming, the god of death prepared to carry out his plan. His representative on the board would be able to handle himself. If not, then he knew that Naruto would take care of things, even if he wasn't his representative. It didn't really matter to him who won this, just as long as his brother and the messenger were dead at the end of the day. It was then that the Shinigami realized just how much knowing what Izanami intended to do had put him in such a good mood.

He laughed as he disappeared from his chambers.

"Hahaha! I'm a horrible brother!"

And he didn't give a rat's ass about it.

Yo, sorry for the late and short chapter. But I was on another trip as soon as my summer started so I didn't have time to update till I got back which was a few days ago. Again. apologizing.

Anyway, yes, I know. Short chapter. But things are gonna pick up after this chapter since it marks the start of the conference and the end to everything. So, look forward to that to those who are still following. As for my next update, I'll be leaving again on another trip in like a week or so. I know. Busy summer. But after that, I'll be free. So I'll have lots more time to update since I really want to finish this after a year or so since I wrote the first season.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Till next time.