Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me(obviously). Mild incest later down the line.

Shinigami's Blessing

Chapter 1: Deadly path


"As if I care!" Naruto shouted loudly before slamming the academy door. It was only a few days before the exams, and the young boy couldn't bear the stress in the class anymore. He had failed the harsh graduation exams three times already and couldn't shake off the feeling that another failure was imminent.

Naruto had started attending the academy three years earlier than anyone else, per the Hokage's instructions. In hindsight, it was a poor decision. Not only did Naruto feel lonely and distant from his peers, but he also wasn't the prodigy the Hokage had expected him to be.

So, as per usual, Naruto pulled a prank, hoping to get himself kicked out of class. He could barely stand the judgmental looks from both students and teachers sending him every now and then. At least, in the busy streets of Konoha, most people wouldn't give him a second glance.

As he walked along the path to his home, he couldn't help but notice a shop that seemed oddly devoid of sunlight, even though there were no trees or obstructions blocking the sun. It looked dark and grim, made of dark gray wood with a dark black plated roof, standing at a height befitting an abandoned shop.

Despite his better judgment, Naruto felt compelled to enter the shop. Perhaps something abandoned could have something valuable inside, he thought.

Upon entering, he discovered it was a bookshop, a place he never thought he'd visit. An elderly woman in her sixties, perched on a chair that seemed on the brink of collapse, greeted Naruto with a tired nod before going back to her nap.

Not knowing what to choose, Naruto ran his fingers along the bookshelves until he stopped at one that seemed to emit an eerie dark aura. It had no cover, no name, nothing to identify it. He opened it to the first page and read a few lines that talked something about summoning Shinigami.

"Hey, old hag, I want this!" he exclaimed excitedly. The old woman nearly fell out of her chair in surprise.

"What did you call me, you brat?" she snapped angrily. However, when Naruto waved a few banknotes in front of her, her anger evaporated almost instantly.

"Let me see the price first," she said, in a much better mood, taking the book from his hands. After inspecting it from all angles, she grumbled, "This one doesn't have a price tag. I don't think it's even from my shop or—"

Before she could finish, Naruto snatched the book back from her fingers and stuck out his tongue. "Finders keepers, then! See you later, old hag!" Naruto said smugly, and he darted out of the shop before she could process what had just occurred.

XxX

"What the hell is this crap?" Naruto exclaimed as he smacked his head with the book. He had been expecting a thrilling story about the Death Reaper or a cool jutsu hidden within its pages. However, what he found was a lame guide on how to summon the Death God himself. Who buys and writes this crap? He thought

Still, he had stolen the book, and he had very little else of interest to do. Summoning the Shinigami as a joke seemed at least somewhat entertaining.

"I've got this... and this," he muttered to himself as he turned the pages, each containing a brief description of what was required and where to place it.

"Draw a hexagram from your own blood?" Naruto said aloud. This felt a bit extreme for a joke, but he had come this far after reading ten pages of a book nobody had asked him to read. That was a new record!

It took him until almost midnight to set everything up – a bloody hexagram created by biting his finger and drawing it on the floor, surrounded by various food items(for whatever reason) and other ritualistic objects. The most crucial element was placing something he held dear to his heart. Naruto, having little of that, placed a cup of ramen he had made just before bed.

"Finally," he said to himself as he lit the last of the six candles around the hexagram. Opening the book, he began to recite the words on the last page. It didn't seem like any language from the Elemental Nations or even a real language at all. So, he improvised, reciting the strange symbols that hardly resembled words.

With each passing second, Naruto cursed himself under his breath. "Why the hell am I doing this? Three damn hours wasted on summoning some stupid fake demon—"

"Who are you calling fake, boy?"

Naruto froze, sweat on his forehead turning to ice. Slowly, he turned his head upward and saw a ghost-like creature suspended in the air. It had wild gray hair with red horns near its forehead and purplish skin. Its eyes were grim and dark, iris golden yellow adding to its disturbing appearance.

The blond fell to the floor, gasping. "W-who the hell are you?" he stammered and pulled out a kunai from his pouch.

"As if you don't know, boy," the creature replied nonchalantly.

It took Naruto a moment to process what had just happened. He had summoned the literal Shinigami, of that he was sure, as the presence alone made his hair stand on end.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked with a bit more confidence now. Death god or not, he was the legendary Konoha prankster who feared nothing for a reason.

"What do I want? Didn't you summon me, boy?" the Shinigami answered, which only annoyed Naruto more.

"I guess I did!" Naruto said, growing more self-assured. "So you'll do anything I want, right?"

The Shinigami started chuckling until it turned into a full-blown laugh. "Let's just say we can make a deal of some sorts. I can grant many things, but there's always a price."

"I see..." Naruto said, understanding but not too worried about what it all meant. "So, what can you do?"

The Shinigami came/flew a bit closer, looking more welcoming now. "As I've said, I can grant your wishes. There are some things I cannot grant, but I can usually find a way to fulfill most wishes to some degree."

"What's the catch?" Naruto asked suspiciously. It all sounded too good to be true.

"Let's say it depends on the wishes you make. The bigger the wish, the higher the price," the Shinigami explained.

"Deal!" Naruto responded quickly. This was a chance to change his life for the better, and he wasn't about to pass it up, even if it was beyond suspicious that the death god himself was in his house offering him this opportunity.

Seeing the Shinigami's waiting gaze, Naruto began considering what he needed most right now. A powerful jutsu? A sword to stab Sasuke? He thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"Could you create someone or something who would treat me as an equal? Someone who wouldn't hate me from the start?" Naruto expressed his frustrations to the Shinigami's delight. It was an easy task, especially since it left room for many possibilities and ways to achieve it.

"That's fine by me. How about I create a twin sister for you?" the Shinigami suggested. Naruto nodded eagerly.

"And what do you want in return?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

The Shinigami smirked, revealing sharp, mesmerizing white teeth. "For your first wish, I have a simple condition, or rather, a demand. Only you and your newly created sister can know about me. If anyone else finds out about me and this book though..." He menacingly drew closer, brandishing a knife near Naruto's neck that he pulled out of thin air.

"W-what?" Naruto asked nervously as the ghostly blade came close to his neck.

"You'll die, kid," the Shinigami replied with sarcasm lacing his last word.

Naruto thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "So, how do we get it started?"

"Say the following words: 'I swear to uphold my end of the bargain if Shinigami grants my wish. If I fail, I'd pay by giving my soul to the Shinigami,'" the Shinigami instructed.

Naruto blinked for a moment to process it all before repeating the words as instructed. A dark crimson red hexagram appeared on the palm of his right hand.

"That's our connection from now on. If you ever want to summon me, concentrate and infuse it with chakra while saying, 'I'm a failure, and I require the death god to save my ass.'" the Shinigami explained, smirking and enjoying himself far more than he ever thought he would with this kid.

"Great. Now..." the Shinigami said, placing his ghostly hands on his chin. "That ought to do it!" He thought to himself and, after a moment, reached out to Naruto with his right hand.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto asked angrily, pulling out a kunai and preparing for a fight.

"For me to create a person, I need the souls of the two parents," the Shinigami explained. Upon seeing Naruto's confused expression he added, "There are remnants of your mother's and your father's souls in your body. I can obtain your mother's soul, but your father… was a problematic man."

"Hey now! You didn't say that was part of our deal!" Naruto argued, to which the Shinigami only shrugged and smiled a bit.

"While we have a deal, it hasn't truly started until I create the person you wished for. Our deal was that if I get her to you, you'd never tell anyone about me," he explained, much to Naruto's dismay.

"Fine, fine," Naruto conceded raising his hands in defeat. The Shinigami then placed his ghostly hand through Naruto to reach his heart. After a moment, Naruto shuddered but remained calm as the Shinigami extracted the souls deep within him.

"Good. Next, I'll need you to take one's life," the Shinigami said, almost as if it were a regular request.

Naruto's mouth hung open. "A what now? Do you want me to actually kill someone?" he asked, gulping.

"More or less. Though it doesn't have to be a human," he responded and sat down(or that's how it looked to Naruto), closing his eyes. "Hurry it up, boy. End a life and bring it back. The soul won't leave its vessel for an hour, so don't waste any of our precious time."

XxX

Naruto pondered, "A living thing, huh? I guess an animal ought to do it." This request served as a much-needed wake-up call about who he was dealing with. His name speaks for itself; the devil god himself wouldn't just give things for free.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd taken an animal's life, nor would it be the last. Yet, before all those 'kills' had been accidental. Throwing a cat into a river wasn't a good idea, but he thought it would be funny. Unfortunately, the cat couldn't swim, which left Naruto paralyzed with guilt for weeks after it drowned.

This time he'd have to kill with his own bare hands for his selfish gains. It made him feel a bit sick, but he was determined to do it. I have come this far, and stopping right now would be a waste, he thought.

As luck would have it, Naruto spotted a white dog near the river. Rushing down the stairs, he swiftly made his way to it and got his kunai ready.

It was a small dog. A tiny one, in fact, no bigger than a small cup. The dog didn't have an identifiable collar, and it didn't seem well taken care of at all. Shivering from the cold rather than fear, it didn't appear frightened in the slightest by the boy's presence, which unnerved him quite a lot. "Why aren't you running, damn it!"

Young, unneeded, lonely, and helpless, a small shiver of hatred passed through the boy's back for all the reasons he was unable to stab it instantly as he slowly followed the dog. It reminded him too much of himself, he realized.

The dog suddenly stopped and started scratching its black throat's fur in contrast to its white body fur with her paws.

Naruto, shakingly, pulled his kunai closer to its unsuspecting neck. However, he halted as the dog started rapidly licking his fingers. A tense second later, Naruto gave up. The dog's life hurt him too close to the heart, and instead of killing it, he brought it back home.

"Back already?" the deadly god asked but rolled his eyes when he saw Naruto holding the white dog in his hands, tightly gripping it with a look that screamed hesitant.

Noticing the cringed look the Shinigami was sending him, Naruto glared at him. "...Don't worry; this isn't the one. Just wait a little bit longer, I'll bring you one... for the sacrifice," he said guiltily.

Placing the dog on his bed, Naruto waved to the Shinigami, who was still floating just slightly above the chair, and rushed through the door. He had to do it, but it was easier said than done.

There were preparations for it in the academy. They were rather short and, in essence, usually explained in the same manner and point: Shinobi must be ready to kill in order to survive and thrive. One should prioritize their life over every enemy. However, the helpless animals were neither threatening nor enemies.

It took a bit more time, but he found another animal in sight: a bird, laying in a nest. It didn't seem awake, for better or worse to Naruto's consciousness.

By no means was Naruto a good shot, but on an unmoving target, he almost always would be able to hit it. Placing his right foot slightly forward and getting all the other parts of his body ready in position, he aimed for the bird and threw his kunai.

It was far easier to end a life by being further away from it. He couldn't see the emotions or the life he would take away. All he would be able to see from the distance was a moderately small dot.

The bird fell to the ground while the kunai flew another mile, and Naruto picked the bird up up. Surprisingly, it wasn't very messy since the kunai, more accidentally than planned, went right through its head, killing it instantly without too much blood or guts splattering.

A few minutes later, the boy was back at his apartment, and upon opening the door, he sighed in relief. He hated the fact that killing might become normal as his ninja career advanced.

"Oh, you're done already?" the Shinigami said, slightly surprised. Naruto nodded slowly and placed the bird on the ground in the middle of the hexagram.

The Shinigami smirked and, to Naruto's displeasure, added, "And lastly, I need something that you had for your entire life. Unless you want a newborn sister, that is."

"If I could, you'd be so punched," Naruto said with a comically twitching eye. The amount of side-quests to fulfill his 'wish' was getting ridiculous.

The Shinigami just waved his hand and said boredly, "This one is quite easy. It doesn't matter that the material might be millions of years old. What matters is your connection with the thing and its length."

"So I have to give you something I touched as a child," Naruto said to himself aloud. Glancing in each direction, Naruto wasn't too sure what to give exactly. Some things, like a watch he found/stole from a scumbag that kicked him when he was four, were too valuable to give away to the ritual.

Scouting the table, then the wardrobe, and even the fridge, Naruto couldn't think of something old enough for his liking. Thoughts of what to use came to a stop as he remembered what the Third Hokage had given him a few years ago.

A blanket. The one where he was supposedly born. When Naruto kept asking about his heritage, the Third kept subtly changing the subjects, but even Naruto caught him once or twice on that. Letting out his frustrations, the Hokage gave him a thing from the past to appease him (which really didn't work too well). Naruto was still pissed at him for that.

Placing the blanket under the bird, he backed off, and finally, the Shinigami nodded before adding, "Oh, and one more thing—"

"WHAT?" Naruto shouted impatiently before the devil god started laughing.

"Where are your manners, kid? I want you to thank me for going out of my way to grant you your wish," he said as his smirk widened.

"...Thanks, I guess…" the blond said, frustrated. The idea that he was talking to an immortal god sort of vanished in the few conversations they had.

"Pick up the book; it's at page 147. You'll perform a jutsu," Shinigami explained.

"So much for a wish..." Naruto grumbled as he picked up the shadowy black book. Scrolling through the many pages, he noticed that there were a lot more than he remembered being.

To answer his unasked question, Shinigami said, "It's because of our contract. If you won't act as a lazy and impatient kid, you might find some of the stuff in there useful."

It took him a few minutes, but he got the gist of it. The jutsu was quite simple, despite the fact that it would undoubtedly be placed on the forbidden jutsu list if anyone found out about it. Moreover, the newly created human would take some traits from both parents' personalities and would act as a combination of them at their specific age. She would have some basic human knowledge that her parents had, but not any of their memories.

Standing in front of the blood-painted hexagram, he stood straight with his left hand holding the book while the right would perform the hand-signs. "Yami Hōkai: Hito no Sozoue (Yami release: Human creation)!"

Right after saying the words, a black aura enveloped the whole hexagram and the area around it. The black matter felt heavy, almost as if the entire life around him was being sucked into it. It took a few minutes of the black-like wind blowing in each direction and a ton of chakra — which he hardly noticed missing — for the jutsu to succeed, despite his sudden worries about why he was trusting the Shinigami's words that much. For all its worth, it could've been just a giant joke!

However, a woman, or rather, a young girl appeared right in front of Naruto. He glanced at the chair where the Shinigami was floating above, but he was long gone.

The girl's look was blank, almost as if she was processing the fact that she was even alive. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as his own. Most facial features were also similar, however, she didn't have the whisker marks that Naruto always had. Her hair was wild and unprecedentedly long, reaching down to her back…

"Gaaaaah!" Naruto shouted as he closed his eyes. "Get something to wear, will ya?"

The girl's blank expression seemed to evaporate in a matter of seconds, replaced with a flush of embarrassment and anger. "W-where am I? And who the hell are you?" she shouted and jumped into Naruto's sheets, covering herself with them.

The dog(which Naruto had all but forgotten about) started barking loudly at the girl's sudden movements. "Let's calm down a bit here," Naruto said awkwardly.

Naruto uncovered his face, with a slight blush visible on his face. "Soooo… my name is Naruto Uzumaki, and… and…" he said, at a loss for words. There was so much to tell that he just didn't even know where to properly begin. Does she know anything about Konoha? Can she even name a single Hokage? Hell, does she even have a name? If only the book and the goddamn Shinigami himself weren't so vague about all this crap, he kept thinking while staring a wall through her.

Naruto's thoughts got interrupted by a pillow hitting him in the head. "I'm going to sleep. I wouldn't want to get paralyzed by the deadly look you're giving me," she grumbled and laid down on Naruto's bed.

Naruto realized that the girl already knew about the Shinigami, or at the very least, felt something akin of his presence in her body. Just what he had done today, Naruto couldn't quite grasp, but he knew everything comes with a price. Suddenly, realization hit him.

Oh shit, I just created a human with Shinigami's help and… if someone finds out how she was created, or with whose help I did… fuck.


Hopefully, you liked it! I think I've come up with a pretty fun premise with the Shinigami's book and summoning and whatnot. Leave your thoughts in the reviews!

Until next time.