Hello everyone. Thunder here with another chapter. I am glad that everyone is enjoying the temporary change in Broken Dream's release schedule. Please enjoy this latest chapter that was beta read by Waroyer123.
The following is a fan-based parody.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, and Studio Pierrot.
Naruto is owned by Masashi Kisimoto, Shusisha, Vis Media, TV Tokyo, and Shonen Jump.
All other ideas belong to their original sources. Please support the official release.
"Hello." – Normal talking.
"Hello." – Normal thoughts.
"Hello." – Zanpakutō speaking.
"Hello." – Zanpakutō thoughts.
Opening Scene
Ichigo casually sipped his drink while making breakfast.
"This takes me back!" someone said. Ichigo glanced up to see someone standing on top of a light pole. "The village hasn't changed a bit!" the person continued.
"What is this guy doing?" Ichigo thought before resuming breakfast preparations.
"Everyone! Naruto Uzumaki's back!" the person said, introducing himself.
"Well, that explains it. He was gone for three years," Ichigo thought as Naruto jumped down from the light pole. Ichigo turned to see Chino walk in.
Chino now stood 161 cm (5.28 feet) tall and retained her petite stature. She also kept her light skin, violet eyes, and light blonde hair. She wore her hair to her neck, but it was no longer spiky, though two thick strands still reached her rosy cheeks. She wore a sleeveless pink qipao dress that reached her upper thighs, with red trimmings and a dragon eye on the back, tied with a black obi. She wore black shorts underneath the dress and high-heeled ninja sandals.
"Morning, Master!" Chino shouted, retaining her overall cheery personality.
"Morning, Chino," Ichigo replied, placing a plate of food on the counter.
"Thank you!" Chino said as she grabbed the food and headed to the table.
"I still don't get how Chino is so energetic in the morning," Guren said as she entered the room.
Guren now stood 175 cm (5.74 feet) tall. She retained her fair skin, black eyes, and light blue hair, which she kept in a spiky ponytail with long strands framing her face. She wore red lipstick and a dark green plaid long-sleeved button-down shirt with the top few buttons unbuttoned, revealing her tight black tank top, which emphasized her chest. She wore matching black combat pants and calf-length shinobi boots. In her hand was her black jacket with a white, fluffy collar.
"I don't know either," Ichigo replied, placing a plate of food on the counter.
"Thanks," Guren replied. Before she could grab it, a white blur moved by and stole it.
"Hey!" She turned around to see Setsura holding the plate of food in her hand.
"Thank you for the food," Setsura said.
Setsura stood about 168 cm (5.51 feet) tall. She retained her healthy pale skin, bluish-purple eyes, and long silver-purple hair tied in a bun with bangs. She wore a white long-sleeved modified kimono with an icy blue interior and a modified purple obi sash belt. She wore black shinobi sandals. Guren's eye twitched. Before Guren could react, Ichigo placed another plate of food on the counter.
"Guren," Ichigo said. Guren turned back and grabbed the plate.
"Thank you," she grumbled as she sat down for breakfast.
"Now then, who's going to be next?" Ichigo thought. Hinata entered the room.
Hinata also stood 161 cm (5.28 feet) tall. She retained her overall slender appearance, her fair skin, and her featureless whitish-lavender eyes. Her dark blue hair now reached her lower back, with framing strands reaching shoulder-length. Hinata continued to wear her forehead protector loosely around her neck, like a neck guard. She wore a purple top with an ultra-cropped long-sleeve top with a rounded neckline. The complementing cream-colored cropped tank had slender straps and a scoop neckline that created a cutout effect around her chest. She wore matching purple pants and a purple belt with black shinobi sandals (1).
"Setsura stole Guren's food again?" Hinata asked.
"To this day, Setsura can easily get into Guren's blind spot. This serves as continuous training for Guren," Ichigo calmly replied as he handed a plate to Hinata.
"Thank you, Master," Hinata replied as she accepted the plate.
"Did you make sure Tenten was awake before you came down?" Ichigo asked.
"She was changing when I left," Hinata replied.
"Coming!" Ichigo looked to see Tenten coming down.
Tenten stood about 164 cm (5.38 feet) tall. She retained her grey eyes and black hair styled in a pair of Chinese-style buns on her head with short fringe bangs framing her face. She wore her forehead protector over her forehead. She wore a white sleeveless, high-collared qipao dress with red trimmings and a pink flame pattern on the left, tied with a maroon obi. Underneath, she wore fishnet leg stockings and black high-heeled ninja sandals. She had a pair of black braces around her wrists.
"Tenten," Ichigo sighed as he placed a plate of food on the counter.
"Sorry," Tenten said. "Chōmei was bullying me about my hair." Suddenly, a small green bug with red eyes and seven light green tails appeared on Tenten's shoulder.
"Was not! Tenten was being a perfectionist trying to make sure her buns were tight."
"Chōmei!" Tenten yelled as she tried to grab Chōmei. Chōmei leaped from Tenten's shoulder and landed on the counter.
"Why you!" Tenten ran towards the counter. Suddenly, Ichigo appeared and grabbed Tenten's shoulder, stopping her from moving, as Chōmei tried to leap away.
"Enough," Ichigo said.
"Sorry, Master," Tenten and Chōmei said.
"Go eat your food. We have a meeting with the Hokage," Ichigo replied as he grabbed his plate of food and sat down at the table. Tenten quickly joined them. They ate in silence. After they finished breakfast and cleaned up, they headed towards the Hokage's office. As they left, they could see Naruto and a pink-haired girl sparring against Kakashi.
"It's Naruto and Sakura," Tenten said.
"What are they doing?" Guren asked.
"Sakura told me when Team 7 was formed, Kakashi tested them by trying to grab a bell he had in his back pocket," Tenten explained.
"So, a benchmark test to see how well they have grown," Guren said.
"That's what it seems like," Tenten said. They soon arrived at the Hokage's office. Tsunade sat behind her desk.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama," everyone said.
"Good morning to all of you," Tsunade replied. "I have an important mission for all of you." Tsunade slid a folder in front of them. "Six months ago, Yugito Nii, the jinchūriki of the Two-Tailed Beast, was captured by the Akatsuki." Tsunade began as she opened the folder with the initial missing report. "Kumo spent all that time trying to find her but failed to do so." Ichigo raised his hand. "Go ahead."
"How is Kumo sure that she is still alive?" Ichigo asked as he lowered his hand.
"The seal Kumo used to contain the Two-Tailed Beast includes a function that monitors the jinchūriki's health," Tsunade replied.
"Is there a reason why she is still alive?" Ichigo asked.
"According to our investigation, the Akatsuki are trying to extract all the tailed beasts from their jinchūriki, but they need to do it in numeric order," Tsunade explained.
"So, we don't have much time," Ichigo said.
"Correct," Tsunade confirmed as she flipped the page, revealing a map. "Kumo forces have searched all over the Land of Lightning and found no signs of them. With your history in the northern area of the Land of Fire, I decided to have your team explore this area."
"Is there a set route you wish for us to take?" Ichigo asked.
"No," Tsunade replied.
"Are there any restrictions once we cross foreign territory?" Ichigo asked.
"Yugakure will provide free accommodations in the village but has no forces to assist in the search efforts," Tsunade said as she spread a few sheets of paper. "Shimogakure will not provide any assistance, nor will they impede us in our investigation. The Land of Rice Fields and Takigakure will also provide free accommodations in their villages and are willing to assist in the search efforts."
"What about this area here?" Ichigo asked, pointing at the unnamed area between the Land of Rice Fields and Takigakure.
"That is known as the Mountains' Graveyard. It has dense forestry, and the bones of many giant creatures can be seen jutting out of it," Tsunade said. "The area gives off an uneasy feeling to anyone who stays there for long. No one has claimed that area for that reason."
"That's most likely where they are hiding her," Ichigo thought.
"Any other questions?" Tsunade asked. No one replied. "Dismissed." Everyone nodded as they left Tsunade's office. They quickly returned home and gathered around the table. Tenten activated all the privacy fūinjutsu inscribed around the house.
"We will head to the Mountains' Graveyard first," Ichigo said.
"Because it is the most suspicious place," Guren interjected.
"Correct," Ichigo replied. "Once we are a safe distance from Konoha, all of you will activate your Byakugan."
"Yes, Master." Kyōka discovered that mixed-blooded members of the Hyūga clan are not immediately born with their Byakugan awakened. To awaken their Byakugan, they must focus their chakra towards their eyes, causing their normal eyes to transform into the Byakugan. With this in mind, Ichigo harvested the Hyūga prisoners' chakra and slowly injected it into his students. It took a while before their chakra could contain the Hyūga's unique chakra. After that, they focused their chakra on their eyes. Hinata used her Byakugan to ensure their chakra moved to their eyes. All of their Byakugan resembled Hinata's but had different colors. Chino's Byakugan was bright red, like blood. Guren's Byakugan was black. Setsura's Byakugan was blue. Tenten's Byakugan was metallic silver. Unlike Hinata, when they deactivate the Byakugan, it shows their regular eyes.
"This mission is a search and rescue mission. Most likely, there will be Akatsuki guarding Yugito Nii. Once we find and rescue her, all of you will take her back while I deal with the Akatsuki." They all nodded. When Tenten was trying to draw Chōmei's power, it was uncooperative. Ichigo revealed his Tengan and sent everyone to Haō Zaimushō. Ichigo released Chōmei from Tenten. Chōmei stood 53 meters (164 feet) tall. They watched as Ichigo returned to his true height of 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) and defeated Chōmei with his bare hands. Chōmei quickly submitted to Ichigo, allowing Tenten to use its power and harvest Chōmei's silk to make their armor. Everyone agreed not to mention Ichigo's true power to anyone.
Tenten deactivated the privacy fūinjutsu as everyone prepared to leave. They quickly left Konoha and moved towards the Mountains' Graveyard. They spread out and activated their respective Byakugan. Immediately, they noticed two shinobi from Konoha discreetly following them.
"What should we do about them?" Hinata silently signaled to Ichigo. Ichigo taught them different forms of silent communication in cases where they weren't able to talk.
"Leave them alone for now," Ichigo signaled back. "They may have additional support that we aren't supposed to know about." Team 15 continued to move towards the Mountains' Graveyard, continuing to scan the area with their Byakugan.
"Something is moving towards us," Hinata announced. Everyone moved closer to each other, preparing for combat. Two objects crashed in front of them. The dust settled to reveal two shinobi. The first one was a tall, bald man with a very thick neck, no ears, and a large jaw. There was a vertical ring piercing on his nose, six spike studs all around his head, three studs on the top and bottom of each arm, an enormous cylindrical stud on his chin, and two vertical studs on each of his upper cheeks. The other was a young girl with orange hair tied in an onion-like bun at the top of her head, with spikes of hair protruding from it. She had a large bridge piercing through her upper nose, attached on each cheek with a circular stud, one stud on her upper nose, six studs around the bottom of her face, and one stud on each ear. Both of them had purple eyes with black rings and wore the standard Akatsuki cloak.
"These are soulless corpses controlled by those black piercings," Ichigo identified.
"That's Ajisai," Hinata said, identifying the girl.
"Not anymore," the girl replied.
"We are Pain," they said. They raised their arms and fired them towards Tenten.
"Crystal Wall!" Guren shouted as she stomped her feet. A green crystal wall shot up from the ground, blocking the attack. The launched fist retracted back to his body. The girl summoned twenty dogs, each as large as a house, all with the same purple eyes as Pain.
"Go," she ordered. The dogs growled before charging towards them.
"Deal with her and her pets. I will deal with him," Ichigo said as he charged towards the male Pain. Pain pointed his fists at Ichigo and tried to fire. Ichigo punched the right fist, shattering it. Pain pointed his left fist at Ichigo and fired. Ichigo raised his left hand and caught the fist, tightening his grip and shattering it. Pain jumped back and released the metal cable attached to the left fist. Hidden small missiles fired from the metal cable. Ichigo sent a wave of energy at the missiles, causing them all to prematurely explode. Pain used the dust from the explosion to his advantage. Both of his arms transformed into cannons and fired a large energy beam at Ichigo. The force of the beam blew the dust away. Ichigo raised his hands and blocked the energy beams with his hands. Pain's head opened to reveal another cannon, which fired another energy beam at Ichigo. Ichigo shunpō'ed away, avoiding the attack.
"I need to destroy all those piercings at once," Ichigo thought. During the battle, Ichigo managed to destroy a few piercings, but it didn't seem to affect Pain. Ichigo appeared in the air, gathering his energy to form an imitation of a cero. He fired it down at Pain, but a large bird with purple eyes intercepted the attack. Ichigo glanced to see Team 15 dealing with a flock of hawks, a troop of gorillas, and a rhino.
"Seems like the controller can see through all those eyes," Ichigo thought as he fired more cero imitations at the male Pain. Pain jumped away, and his body began to transform. His chest grew wider as two pairs of arms sprouted, and his head now had two additional faces, each 120 degrees apart. From his tailbone, a large metallic tail grew. Pain used his six arms to fire energy blasts at Ichigo. Ichigo, still in the air, dodged the attacks and fired his own energy blasts. Despite Pain's additional arms, Ichigo continued to overwhelm him. Ichigo shunpō'ed down and drop-kicked Pain in the head, bisecting him. Ichigo fired a few energy blasts at the remains, ensuring the body was destroyed. He turned to see the girls finishing their fight with Hinata unleashing a few Hard Fists to destroy the female Pain's body. As soon as the female Pain died, all the animals disappeared.
"Good job," Ichigo said. "Ready to continue?" Everyone else nodded. They noticed the two shinobi following them stayed far enough to avoid injury during the battle. The team quickly resumed their journey, crossing into the Mountains' Graveyard.
"I found something," Tenten signaled. They followed her to a cavern.
"Everyone, remember the plan," Ichigo signaled. Team 15 nodded. Ichigo took the lead as they all entered the cavern.
"Tenten, I sense Matatabi!" Chōmei said.
"We are getting closer to her," Tenten signaled. They walked for twenty more minutes, remaining on guard. They arrived at a stone wall with a thin woman chained to it.
"Matatabi!" Chōmei said. Everyone ran to her. The woman had long, straight, blonde hair bound with taut bandages. Her black eyes had bags underneath. She wore a shredded black and purple blouse and black pants that barely covered her. Their movements woke her up.
"W-who are you?" she asked.
"Save your energy," Ichigo replied as he and Hinata destroyed the chains. Yugito quickly fell, her body too weak to hold her weight. Ichigo caught her. "Let's go," he said, carrying her in a princess carry. As they left, a small lizard with purple eyes watched them.
Scene Change: Konoha Hospital
Ichigo and Team 15 watched as Tsunade inspected Yugito.
"She's suffering from malnutrition and chakra depletion," Tsunade said. "It will likely take months for her to fully recover." She turned to Ichigo. "Good job finding her. I just informed the Raikage that we found her."
"So will they pick her up?" Ichigo asked.
"Not exactly," Tsunade said. "Jiraiya informed me that Naruto has gotten stuck with harnessing the Nine-Tailed Fox, so I planned to have Naruto and Jiraiya go to Kumogakure to train with their jinchūriki while we take care of Yugito's recovery."
"I see…" Ichigo said, understanding the situation.
"During her recovery," Tsunade began.
"You want her to be in my custody," Ichigo interrupted.
"Correct," Tsunade replied. "I've seen Tenten's development as a jinchūriki, and it is going well."
"Fine," Ichigo replied. "I will have at least one member of Team 15 with her in addition to your guards while she is in the hospital."
"That's fine," Tsunade replied as she left the hospital room. Ichigo walked to the door and slightly opened it. Two shinobi stood outside.
"Need anything?" one of them asked.
"No, I was just letting you know I am going to activate a privacy fūinjutsu," Ichigo said.
"Thanks for letting us know," the shinobi replied. Ichigo closed the door and turned to Tenten. She took out a few sheets of paper with privacy fūinjutsu on them and pasted them around the room. She held one in her hand, focusing her chakra on the talisman. The talisman glowed as chakra flowed out and connected with the other talismans on the wall.
"The privacy fūinjutsu is fully activated," Tenten reported.
"Good," Ichigo replied. "We will do the mission debrief here."
"Master, what are we going to do about those stalkers?" Guren asked.
"I'll deal with them later," Ichigo replied.
"Why didn't we deal with the rest of the Akatsuki that were hidden in the cave?" Tenten asked.
"Two reasons," Ichigo said. "The first is that taking Yugito back to Konoha was much more important."
"And the second?" Hinata asked.
"I didn't want us to expose more of our abilities to our stalkers," Ichigo replied.
"Makes sense," Hinata mumbled. "But who are our stalkers?"
"I don't know much, but they are part of Konoha," Ichigo said.
"Does Master believe they are allies with the Akatsuki?" Guren asked.
"I don't think so," Ichigo replied.
"What about her?" Setsura asked, looking at the sleeping Yugito.
"We will have a rotational watch over her, similar to firewatch," Ichigo replied.
"Will it be two-hour shifts?" Chino asked.
"No, it will be four-hour shifts, with a two-hour offset," Ichigo replied. Suddenly, they heard a groan as Yugito opened her eyes.
"W-where am I?" Yugito mumbled. She looked at Ichigo and his team.
"You are in Konoha," Ichigo replied.
"Really?" she said as she sat up.
"Indeed, Yugito," Matatabi said. She sighed in relief. Suddenly, Chōmei appeared on Tenten's shoulder.
"Matatabi!" Chōmei cried out. Yugito looked at Tenten.
"You're a jinchūriki!?" Yugito asked.
"I am," Tenten replied. A small two-tailed cat appeared on Yugito's lap, engulfed in brownish-yellow and black flames. The cat also had heterochromatic eyes, the right being yellow and the left being green.
"How are you, Chōmei-san?" Matatabi asked.
"Great," Chōmei replied in its usual happy tone. Ichigo told Yugito about her current situation and the agreement between Tsunade and the Raikage.
"If that's what the Raikage wishes, then I will rest," Yugito said.
"Tenten and Hinata will remain here with you for a time. Feel free to ask them any questions," Ichigo said. Tenten briefly lowered the privacy fūinjutsu, allowing Ichigo, Guren, Setsura, and Chino to leave. Ichigo went to the Hokage's office to inform her about Yugito waking up, while the others returned home to make dinner. The moon began to rise as Ichigo left Tsunade's office. Ichigo could see the civilians and low-ranking shinobi partying and enjoying themselves, unaware of the impending danger. Suddenly, someone appeared. They wore a black robe with a white mask depicting a bear of some kind. Ichigo recognized the chakra as belonging to one of the people who followed them when they left Konoha to rescue Yugito.
"Someone wishes to speak with you," the person said. Ichigo sensed the other stalker appear behind him.
"Fine," Ichigo replied. The first person turned around and ran off. Ichigo followed behind them, with the other stalker trailing behind him to prevent his escape. They traveled twenty minutes out of Konoha before arriving at a tree. One of them performed a seal on the tree, and a hole opened where the seal was placed. They entered the hole, which closed itself. Ichigo felt himself being compressed like a ball and shot forward. They eventually hit something, and Ichigo no longer felt compressed. They resumed running until they arrived in a courtyard. The two took a few steps back and kneeled as someone approached them. He was a frail, old man with a cane, black shaggy hair, and a bandaged right eye. He wore a white shirt with a black or dark grey robe covering him from his feet to just over his right shoulder.
"Welcome, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said.
"And you are?" Ichigo asked.
"I am Shimura Danzō," he said.
"What do you want?" Ichigo asked.
"My agents noticed that your students all now have the ability to use a variation of the Byakugan," Danzō said.
"And you want to know how they gained that ability?" Ichigo asked.
"Indeed," Danzō replied. Ichigo sensed some kind of chakra being released by Danzō but was unaffected by the technique.
"And if I choose not to tell you?" Ichigo asked. Danzō tapped his cane on the ground, and suddenly Ichigo was surrounded by all the shinobi he had seen earlier, ready to attack him.
"Do you think you can handle all of them?" Danzō asked. Ichigo lowered his reiatsu, and suddenly everyone felt immense pressure. Most of the shinobi slammed onto the ground, and a few, including Danzō, fell to their knees. Ichigo sensed Danzō disappearing from reality. Ichigo activated Tengan and used Keihatsugan [Eyes of Enlightenment], instantly understanding what happened.
"The technique he used is similar to Nigen-seigan [Eyes of Duality]," Ichigo understood. Danzō reappeared in front of Ichigo. Ichigo could see pieces of a golden brace on the ground, revealing a pale arm with multiple red eyes, each with three black tomoe.
"That's the Sharingan," Ichigo recognized as part of what he learned from Keihatsugan. He noticed one of the many eyes on Danzō's arm had closed. "So that's his cost to use Izanagi." Ichigo activated Fūingan [Eyes of Suppression]. Suddenly, Danzō froze, unable to move.
"Fūin," Ichigo said as he sealed Danzō's chakra. Ichigo watched as all the Sharingan closed. He walked over and tore off the bandages and his robe, revealing his closed right eye.
"Makes sense he implanted a Sharingan in his eye," Ichigo thought. More curious was the face of a man on his right shoulder. "This face resembles the First Hokage," Ichigo identified, noting the Hokage Mountain in Konoha. Ichigo activated Schrift Q: The Qliphoth and summoned Sathariel. He placed the black faceless mask on Danzō. Sathariel made a copy of Danzō's soul. Ichigo took off the mask and sealed Schrift Q: The Qliphoth.
"Master, here are the most important memories for now," Naamah said as she showed them to Ichigo.
"I see…" Ichigo thought, understanding Danzō's intentions and the purpose of Root. Ichigo knocked everyone out and sealed them into his prisoner scrolls. He used Danzō's memories to find a secret tunnel that led to his private estate, then quickly returned to Tsunade's office.
"What did you do?" Tsunade asked upon seeing Ichigo. Ichigo told her what happened after he left her office. He could see Tsunade's cold, emotionless stare at the news. "Where is Danzō?" Ichigo silently took out his prisoner scroll and unsealed the unconscious Danzō. She immediately spotted her grandfather's face on his shoulder. She grabbed his right hand and carefully pushed the eyelids up, revealing the Sharingan. "Where are the rest of them?"
"In here." Ichigo took out his prisoner scrolls and handed them to her. Tsunade took the scrolls and placed them on her desk.
"What did you do to his chakra?" Tsunade asked.
"I sealed it. I don't want him to try to escape or try and mind control you," Ichigo said. Tsunade nodded, agreeing with Ichigo's reason. "Are you able to surgically remove his right side?"
"Most likely the Sharingan, but I'm not sure about his arm," Tsunade admitted.
"I wish for the Sharingan in Danzō's right eye and six more Sharingan," Ichigo requested.
"So a total of seven Sharingan… why?" She asked, staring at Ichigo.
"Curiosity," Ichigo replied.
"Will you tell me how your students were able to get the Byakugan?" She asked.
"I can, in exchange for the Sharingans and one other thing," Ichigo replied. Tsunade nodded, expecting that answer from him.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I want access to all the historical books in the village," Ichigo said.
"Why?" Tsunade asked.
"I am trying to figure out what happened before Chakra was introduced to the world," Ichigo replied.
"Introduced?" Tsunade questioned. Ichigo nodded.
"Based on what the Tailed Beasts said, there was a time when the world didn't have Chakra. Whatever caused Chakra to appear also caused the Tailed Beasts," Ichigo said.
"This is related to the Invaders?" she asked.
"Most likely," Ichigo replied.
"Then it has to be ancient records…" Tsunade mumbled. "I don't think Konoha's records would have anything dated that far back."
"I see…" Ichigo said.
"However, maybe some of the records in the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyūga clans," Tsunade admitted.
"I see…" Ichigo said.
"Looks like I need to sneak into the Hyūga clan," Ichigo thought.
"Well… I can allow you to look in the Senju archives," Tsunade offered. "After all, I am the head of the clan."
"Thank you," Ichigo said.
"Go to the Senju estate in the morning and present that note to them," Tsunade instructed as she handed a note to Ichigo.
"Thank you," Ichigo replied. He explained how he granted the Byakugan to his students but mentioned that Hinata was the source of the Chakra.
"I see…" Tsunade said. "Have you told anyone about this?"
"No," Ichigo replied.
"Good, keep it that way," Tsunade replied.
"Then good night," Ichigo said as he left Tsunade's office. Ichigo returned home to see his food was placed in storage as everyone had already gone to bed. Ichigo ate dinner and went to bed.
Time Skip
It had been two months since Team 15 rescued Yugito from the Akatsuki. Yugito spent a week in the hospital under Tsunade's intense care to restore her body to a relatively healthy state for a civilian. She still required a lot of physical therapy to return her body to peak shape. Ichigo constructed a basic workout plan for Yugito and gave it to his team to do. Ichigo, on the other hand, spent his time reading all the books he could get his hands on. Meanwhile, Chishiki would make copies of hidden techniques from all the clans in Konoha.
"Based on what I read, there used to be Kingdoms instead of Lands. One of the Kingdoms was 'blessed' by the descent of a Goddess who protected the Kingdom from invaders with god-like powers," Ichigo wrote in his notebook.
"Either this 'Goddess' is stronger than the Shinto pantheon or it wasn't just herself," Ichigo thought to himself.
"If she is so strong, then where is she?" Kyōka added. "If she was truly done with this world, then why is the Shinto pantheon still trapped in Takamagahara?"
"Unless she is still here," Ichigo replied. "The Tailed Beasts were created from something… maybe they were created from the Goddess."
"Chōmei did say that all the Tailed Beasts used to be one being," Kyōka replied.
"So, the Akatsuki's true goal is to bring back this Goddess," Ichigo concluded.
"It would align with why the Akatsuki is trying to extract the Tailed Beasts in numeric order," Kyōka added. Ichigo closed his notebook and sent it back to his mindscape. Ichigo stood up from his seat in his room.
"I should see how Yugito and Tenten are doing," Ichigo thought as he left his room and ran towards the training area Team 15 used to train. Ichigo could see Yugito sparring with Guren. Yugito's arms and legs were engulfed by the black and blue flames of Matatabi. She was using a combination of kicks, punches, and claw slashes at Guren who covered her body in cloudy white crystal armor. Guren met Yugito's attacks head-on with her punches and kicks. Ichigo watched as both girls continued their fight. Both girls were evenly matched.
"Matatabi, we're going to the tailless form," Yugito said.
"As you wish," Matatabi replied. "Just be careful." Yugito pointed her palms at Guren and fired two blasts of black and blue fire. Guren stomped on the ground, forming a green crystal barrier. Yugito used the opportunity to get away from Guren. The flames around her arms and legs began to cover her entire body. In a few moments, Yugito resembled Matatabi but without any tails. Yugito stood on all fours and pounced at Guren. Yugito attacked Guren like a beast. Guren's armor easily withstood most of Yugito's blows. Occasionally, cracks would form from the blows, but the crystal armor instantly regenerated itself.
"Enough," Ichigo interjected. Guren and Yugito paused their next blow.
"Master," Team 15 replied.
"Ichigo-san," Yugito replied.
"How is your recovery?" Ichigo asked Yugito.
"Good," Yugito replied. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Hinata and Chino activated their Byakugan. They could see a stampede of giant animals charging towards Konoha.
"Pain!" Hinata and Chino shouted, seeing the unique purple eyes on all these animals.
"Crystal Style: Grand Guardian!" Guren yelled as she slammed her hands down. The ground in front of her rumbled as ten large crystals rose out of the ground and transformed into humanoid shapes. They were about the same size as the animals. They were armed with a sword and a circular shield. "Guardian Guard!" Guren commanded. The golems slammed their shields down. The stampede collided with the golems. "Guardian Counter!" The golems pushed the animals back and used the opening to attack the animals with their swords. As the golems tanked the stampede. Chino, Setsura, Yugito, Hinata, and Tenten joined in with the attack. In the distance, they could see four figures on a bird, flying towards them. All of them wore the signature Akatsuki cloak.
The first one had medium-length spiky orange hair. He also had six piercings, a metal bar through each ear, three studs through the side of its upper nose, and one spike stud on each end of the bottom lip. It also had three piercings on each wrist.
The second person was a tall and slender man with long orange hair. He had a diagonal bar through his nose, two circular studs in a vertical row on each cheek, two studs placed horizontally on his chin, and a stud on each shoulder near his neck.
The third figure was a tall, stocky man with orange hair, adorned with multiple piercings: a circular stud on the bridge of his nose, a diagonal row of studs on each cheek, three spike piercings in each ear, and a stud on each shoulder close to his neck.
Lastly, there was a stocky man with short ponytailed orange hair, whose entire bottom lip was covered with small spiked piercings. He also had two vertical spike studs on the front of his nose, one spike stud on each cheek, multiple ear piercings, and a stud on each shoulder near his neck.
"All of you, take care of them. He is mine," Ichigo said, pointing directly at the man in the middle. Everyone nodded in understanding and charged at the other opponents, leaving Ichigo facing the first figure alone.
"I ordered them to fight your students," Pain said.
"I'm surprised you were willing to follow my suggestion," Ichigo admitted.
"Because I was curious about your true power," Pain replied.
"Well then," Ichigo said, lunging at Pain with his fist poised.
"Shinra Tensei," Pain said, waving his hand in front of him. Ichigo felt a force pushing him away but countered with a punch that canceled out Pain's repulsive force.
"I-impossible," Pain thought, seeing his Shinra Tensei neutralized by Ichigo's punch.
"Shinra Tensei!" Pain yelled, pushing both hands at Ichigo, sending a larger repulsive force crashing into him. Ichigo stomped his foot down and shattered the force with another punch. Pain's dead eyes widened as Ichigo closed in on him. Before Pain could react, Ichigo placed a seal on Pain's forehead. Pain collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Ichigo pulled off one of the piercings from Pain's face and used it to locate the real Pain.
Scene Change: Abandoned Cave
Ichigo arrived at a cave not far from Konoha where two individuals were waiting. The first was a young woman with short, straight blue hair tied in a bun, amber eyes accentuated by lavender eye shadow, and a black labret piercing. She wore the Akatsuki cloak. The other person sat in a modified wheelchair, pale white skin contrasting with long, straight red hair. He wore only black pants, revealing his skeletal body with multiple black metallic rods protruding from his upper back.
"I didn't expect you to arrive here so quickly," Pain said, his voice matching what Ichigo had heard from all the bodies.
"These piercings led me straight to you, following the flow of chakra back here," Ichigo said, dropping the piercing he had picked up.
"Konan," Pain said as the girl rushed towards Ichigo to push him back. Suddenly, she felt a force pulling her away.
"Nagato," she whispered, and he shook his head.
"Konan, he was able to destroy Shinra Tensei with just his fists, no jutsu or chakra," Nagato said, turning to Ichigo. "I can see you are much stronger than any of us… why don't you join the Akatsuki? We seek to bring peace to this world."
"How? By wielding the power of the Tailed Beasts?" Ichigo asked.
"Not to rule," Nagato replied. "We will use their power to impose peace upon the world."
"And those who resist will perish?" Ichigo questioned. Nagato remained silent.
"Why are you doing this?" Ichigo pressed.
"We are orphans… casualties of countless wars," Nagato answered.
"But your actions will create more orphans, perpetuating the cycle," Ichigo argued. Nagato and Konan offered no rebuttal.
"Your methods won't bring peace," Ichigo concluded.
"I… see," Nagato said. "Shinra Tensei!" he attempted to push Ichigo away. Black energy gathered in Nagato's hands. "Chibaku Tensei!" Nagato yelled, hurling a black ball toward Ichigo. Ichigo sensed the gravitational pull as parts of the cavern broke apart and were drawn towards him, forming a stone sphere. Without flinching, Ichigo allowed the prison to form.
"You've got it, Nagato," Konan said softly.
"Konan… I'm sorry for involving you in this," Nagato admitted.
"Nagato?" Konan queried.
"You need to escape," Nagato insisted. "He's not fighting back, yet I struggle to contain him with Chibaku Tensei."
"Not without you," Konan replied.
"Konan," Nagato said sadly. "I'm sorry." He used Shinra Tensei to propel her out of the cavern. The rocks sealed behind her, leaving Nagato trapped with Ichigo. Nagato sighed as his chakra ran dry. The Chibaku Tensei shattered easily as Ichigo casually swung his arm. The prison crumbled around Nagato, who turned to face Ichigo.
"Thank you for letting me say goodbye to her," Nagato said.
"You're not going to continue the fight?" Ichigo asked.
"No," Nagato replied. "You effortlessly dispelled my strongest attack with a flick of your hand."
"So, do you wish to be killed or taken as a prisoner?" Ichigo asked.
"You give me the choice?" Nagato asked incredulously.
"I do," Ichigo affirmed.
"Then, please kill me," Nagato requested.
"All right," Ichigo said calmly. He approached Nagato and swiftly snapped his neck, ending his life. Ichigo watched as the black receivers dissipated, leaving Nagato's eyes as normal black eyes.
"So, his powers also stemmed from a Dōjutsu," Ichigo thought, sending Nagato's body to his mindscape. Gathering his energy into his fist, Ichigo punched the cavern wall, blasting away the stone to create a new exit. Calmly, he walked out of the cave, ensuring no one was nearby. Concentrating his energy into a compressed ball akin to a Cero, he hurled it into the cave. Moments later, a massive explosion destroyed the mountain, intentionally injuring himself to give the appearance of a hard-fought battle. Ichigo returned to the village, finding a significant portion devastated from the confrontation with Pain's bodies.
"Master!?" All his students shouted upon seeing him, rushing to his side.
"Injuries are fake," Ichigo discretely signed, relieving his students. He was then taken to a large makeshift tent where Tsunade and other Medi-nin were tending to the injured shinobi. Tsunade noticed him and quickly arranged a chair for him to sit on. After healing Ichigo, Tsunade instructed him to report to Shizune, who was at her office. Ichigo nodded and left the tent, with Team 15 and Yugito accompanying him to Tsunade's office. Standing outside the Hokage's office, they waited as Shizune acted on Tsunade's behalf. Two shinobi stood guard by the door, which opened as another group of shinobi exited. Inside, Shizune was surrounded by scrolls.
"According to reports, your team was the first to engage with the enemy," Shizune stated.
"Correct," Ichigo replied. "When we rescued Yugito, we encountered two individuals similar to the others we faced today. The piercings on their bodies acted as receivers for the puppeteer."
"Whom you directly confronted," Shizune noted.
"I pulled one of the piercings from the body and used it to track down the puppeteer," Ichigo explained.
"Were you able to capture the puppeteer?" Shizune inquired.
"No," Ichigo responded. "Before I could capture him, he used some kind of technique as a last-ditch effort to destroy me. Fortunately, I escaped with minor injuries. The entire cavern collapsed, making it difficult to determine if he survived."
"I see," Shizune acknowledged. "The Hokage has ordered all shinobi to remain on standby in the village. She may wish to speak with you after attending to the injured and assessing the damages to the village."
"I understand," Ichigo acknowledged. With that, Team 15 and Yugito left the Hokage's office. As they made their way home, they observed the damage inflicted on the village. Many buildings were destroyed, and lives were lost. Upon reaching their home, they found it untouched by the day's events.
"Inspect the home," Ichigo signed to his team, who silently nodded and entered the house. After a quick inspection, they found nothing amiss and activated all the privacy fūinjutsu inscribed around the house. Settling down at the table, they discussed their performance in battle.
"How did everyone do in the battles?" Ichigo asked.
"Great!" Chino exclaimed.
"Okay," Tenten replied.
"Same," Guren added.
"I'm close to reaching my true strength," Yugito admitted, with Setsura and Hinata nodding in agreement.
"That's good," Ichigo acknowledged. "Chōmei. Matatabi." A green caterpillar appeared on Tenten's head, while a cat made of black and dark blue flames appeared on Yugito's lap.
"Hi. Hi!" Chōmei greeted.
"What can I do for you?" Matatabi asked. Ichigo turned to the two-tailed beasts.
"As of now, how much of your power can your respective jinchūriki utilize?" he inquired.
"Yugito can use about 40 percent of my power," Matatabi responded.
"Tenten can only use 30 percent," Chōmei lamented.
"I see," Ichigo mused.
"Master, do you have a way to boost the percentage?" Tenten asked.
"I do," Ichigo confirmed. "But there are risks involved for all parties."
"Us?" Yugito questioned. Ichigo could see Matatabi and Chōmei paying close attention to Ichigo.
"Yes," Ichigo replied, producing a sheet of paper. "Currently, you and your respective tailed beasts are two souls in one body. The seal on your body allows you to draw some of the tailed beast's chakra."
"Should we practice drawing more of their chakra?" Tenten suggested.
"This is the normal method jinchūriki would typically do," Ichigo replied.
"Is there a way to change it?" Yugito inquired.
"No," Tenten interjected. "I studied the fūinjutsu used on me, and the regulation of chakra flow is integral to the seal. Redesigning the seal would be necessary, as it currently drains some of the Tailed Beasts' chakra to maintain itself."
"What I would suggest is to merge your soul with your respective Tailed Beast," Ichigo suggested.
"Wait… merging our souls?" Yugito exclaimed. "Is that possible?"
"While I have never done it before, I have seen it happen," Ichigo said.
"Thank you Hōgyoku," Ichigo said as she was the one who merged Kyōka and herself into Ichigo's soul.
"While your souls become one soul, both of you will remain mentally separate," Ichigo said.
"But how are you okay with tampering with Ichigo-san our souls?" Yugito asked. Matatabi silently nodded his head in agreement.
"She doesn't know," Tenten revealed.
"Know what?" Yugito pressed.
"Master can manipulate souls," Tenten disclosed.
"Is this true?" Matatabi asked.
"He extracted me from my previous jinchūriki and transferred me into Tenten using only his hands," Chōmei added. Yugito and Matatabi struggled to comprehend the revelation.
"H-how?" she stammered. "The Tailed Beasts are enormous." Matatabi nodded his head as he too remembered how large he was in his freed state.
"I'm just that powerful," Ichigo replied casually. "Anyways, if we merge your souls into one, you will gain access to all their powers."
"Is there a catch?" Yugito asked skeptically.
"Yes," Ichigo admitted. "I believe the fusion would make you similar to the Tailed Beasts."
"Physically?" Yugito questioned.
"Partly," Ichigo affirmed. "You would likely gain faster regeneration and cease to age."
"Eternal youth!?" Tenten exclaimed in disbelief.
"Have you ever wondered how old Matatabi and Chōmei are?" Ichigo posed.
"I've never considered it," Tenten admitted.
"Same," Yugito added.
"We are roughly 500 years old," Matatabi said.
"Mata, I'm surprised you kept track," Chōmei replied. Matatabi rolled its eyes. Tenten and Yugito sat in silence, absorbing the revelation.
"If they do merge with their Tailed Beasts, what about us?" Guren asked. Setsura, Hinata, and Chino turned to Ichigo.
"There are a few options," Ichigo explained. "The first is finding other jinchūriki and fusing them with you."
"What if we're not compatible with them?" Chino asked, concerned. Ichigo ignored Chino's question and addressed the jinchūriki.
"So, Tenten, Yugito, what do you two want to do?" Ichigo asked directly.
"I'll do it," Tenten said decisively.
"Are you sure, Tenten?" Yugito questioned.
"I'm sure," Tenten affirmed. "I've always been an average shinobi. Nothing I did stood out in any way." She glanced at Chōmei. "Ever since I became a jinchūriki and had Chōmei sealed inside me, I knew I was growing stronger." Tenten turned to Ichigo. "I trust Master."
"If you're sure about it," Yugito said, showing her support.
"You can watch what happened to Tenten first before you make a decision," Ichigo suggested.
"Okay," Yugito agreed. Ichigo activated Tengan and used Haōgan to transport Tenten, Chōmei, Yugito, Matatabi, and himself to Haō Zaimushō.
Scene Change: Haō Zaimushō
They materialized on flat ground.
"Chōmei, you should return to Tenten's mind," Ichigo instructed.
"Okay," Chōmei complied, returning to Tenten's consciousness.
"Ready, Hōgyoku?" Ichigo checked.
"I am," Hōgyoku confirmed.
"Tenten, you should strip down, just in case your body changes suddenly," Ichigo advised.
"Okay," Tenten complied, removing all her clothes. She folded them and handed them to Yugito.
"Lie down on the ground," Ichigo instructed. Tenten silently obeyed, lying down. Purple light emanated from Ichigo's hands as he kneeled beside her, placing his hands on her stomach where the jinchūriki seal was located. The seal glowed purple.
"This seal trapped Chōmei's soul in Tenten's body, preventing Chōmei from influencing Tenten's mind and soul. But it also has a small hole that drains Chōmei's chakra to maintain the seal, providing Tenten with the remaining chakra," Hōgyoku explained.
"Reminds me of the gigai Isshin used to contain the Hollow within Kaa-san," Ichigo thought.
"Same principle," Hōgyoku confirmed. "With me here, I can widen the hole and facilitate the fusion of their souls." Purple reiatsu enveloped Tenten's body as Ichigo continued breaking down the part of the seal that kept their souls separate. Ichigo sensed Chōmei's chakra pushing against the barrier. Slowly, Tenten's chakra flowed out, intertwining with Chōmei's chakra. The combined chakra returned to Tenten's body.
"How is it?" Ichigo inquired.
"I'm using Tenten's chakra to guide Chōmei's chakra through her body, further weakening the seal," Hōgyoku updated.
"Good," Ichigo acknowledged. All the chakra merged seamlessly back into Tenten's body. As time passed, their chakra became indistinguishable.
"Here comes the fusion," Hōgyoku warned. The seal on Tenten's stomach broke as Hōgyoku focused on the fusion. Tenten opened her mouth, and white chakra threads streamed out. The threads enveloped Tenten, forming a white cocoon. Ichigo and Yugito observed as the fusion progressed, noticing occasional movements from the cocoon. Something inside was trying to emerge.
"She's trying to break free," Yugito observed.
"No," Ichigo corrected her. "This is the first of many trials for her strength. Your interference could harm her." Suddenly, something pierced the white cocoon—an appendage resembling a hand, covered in black plates, with five fingers ending in sharp claws. Three more arms burst out of the cocoon.
"Four arms?" Yugito questioned.
"It seems the transformation has made her more insectoid," Ichigo noted.
"Which makes sense, considering Chōmei's insectoid nature," Hōgyoku added. The four arms gripped the cocoon and tore it apart, revealing a head covered in white mucus. A large black horn protruded from her forehead. Though her hair remained, it had become a mix of black and dark blue, cascading messily down her back. She looked at Ichigo and Yugito, her human face now pale white with bright red eyes. Black scales covered parts of her body like a bodysuit, leaving pale white skin visible in other areas. Suddenly, six tails sprouted from her back, resembling and functioning like wings, while a seventh tail emerged from her tailbone, resembling a scorpion's tail. Finally, she stood up, revealing that her lower body was also protected by black scales that formed around her feet, resembling low heels. She stood about 175 cm (5.74 feet) tall.
"How do you feel?" Ichigo asked, maintaining the barrier.
"Good," Tenten replied.
"You'll need new clothes since your old ones won't fit anymore," Ichigo reminded her.
"Yay," Tenten said sarcastically.
"How is Chōmei?" Ichigo asked.
"It feels strange… in a good way," Chōmei responded.
"She says it feels strange, but in a good way," Tenten relayed.
"Now then, can Chōmei take control of your body?" Ichigo asked Tenten.
"How do I do that?" Tenten inquired anxiously.
"Imagine you are currently sitting down," Ichigo began. Tenten closed her eyes and nodded. "Now imagine yourself standing up, and Chōmei sitting down." Tenten stood there for a few seconds before opening her eyes. They could see her red eyes turn golden.
"Wow, this is different," Chōmei said cautiously as she took a step forward. Chōmei struggled much more compared to Tenten.
"Chōmei, can you return control to Tenten?" Ichigo asked.
"Fine," Chōmei replied. "But I also want some time with our body."
"Sure," Ichigo agreed. Chōmei closed her eyes, and Tenten's red eyes returned.
"Are you able to hide your inhuman features?" Yugito asked.
"I'm not sure," Tenten replied, closing her eyes. They watched as her horn, wings, tail, and extra arms transformed back into chakra, which was absorbed back into her body. "Looks like I can," she said.
"For now, revert to your true form and practice getting used to your new body," Ichigo instructed.
"Yes, Master," Tenten replied, transforming back to her true form and beginning to test her limits. Ichigo then turned to Yugito.
"Do you want to go through the process?" Ichigo asked.
"What do you think, Matatabi?" Yugito asked.
"From what I can tell, Tenten and Chōmei have physically and spiritually become one," Matatabi began. "It will take time, but Tenten will be able to correctly utilize all of Chōmei's powers." Yugito turned to Ichigo.
"I want you to perform the same procedure," Yugito replied.
"Very well," Ichigo agreed. Matatabi returned to Yugito's body.
"D-do I need to strip down?" she asked. Ichigo summoned a towel for her to use.
"Can you look away?" Yugito requested. Ichigo turned around, giving Yugito a bit of privacy. She stripped down and placed her clothes to the side, covering her body with the towel. "You can turn around." Ichigo turned to see her using the towel to cover most of her body as she lay down on the ground. Ichigo's hands glowed purple as he kneeled beside her, placing his hands on her stomach where the jinchūriki seal was located. The seal glowed purple. The process was very similar to Tenten's. Instead of a white cocoon, Yugito was engulfed in a black and blue ball of fire.
"Considering Matatabi resembles a cat, I wouldn't be surprised if she looks like a Nekomata," Ichigo thought.
"That makes a lot of sense," Hōgyoku replied. The ball of fire exploded, hitting the purple barrier Ichigo had created earlier. The fire disappeared to reveal Yugito. She now stood 180 cm (5.9 feet) tall. Her long straight blonde hair had gained black highlights, dulling the blonde color. The hair flowed down her back and often framed her face, giving her a wild look. On the side of her head were a pair of black cat ears, which occasionally twitched. Her black human eyes were larger, almond-shaped, and bright yellow, with cat-like pupils. Her skin remained the same tone, but she had black fur covering parts of her chest and stomach. Her elbows to her fingers and from her knees to her toes were covered in black fur with dark blue tribal markings. Her fingers and toes had retractable cat claws. From her back, there were two black tails, which resembled cat tails.
"How do you feel, Yugito?" Ichigo asked.
"Good," she said as she took a few steps. She immediately noticed how graceful and silent she moved. Suddenly she screamed, crouched down, and hugged her knees.
"Is there a problem?" Ichigo asked.
"I need my clothes!" she replied. Ichigo grabbed her clothes and threw them at her. She grabbed them with one of her hands. "Thank you… Can you turn around?" Ichigo chuckled as he turned around. Ichigo could hear Yugito's frustrated groans and the sound of ripped fabric.
"You can turn around," she said. Ichigo turned to see her shirt was modified so she could use the bottom parts of the shirt to cover her chest. Her pants were cut down to become shorts, likely due to how large her legs were. All her cat features disappeared, except for her cat ears. "Stop staring," she said as she blushed and hugged her body.
"Sorry," Ichigo apologized as he looked away. "But you need to tolerate it."
"I know," Yugito replied.
"For now, get used to your new body," Ichigo said.
"Yes, sir," Yugito replied as she began to practice getting used to her new body.
Scene Change: Tsunade's Office
"This isn't a small matter!" Tsunade yelled as she slammed her fist on the table. Loose papers were sent flying, and some sealed scrolls rolled off the side of her desk. She ignored all of it as she glared at Ichigo, Tenten, and Yugito. "This is something that you should have told Shizune," she said.
"Even if I told Shizune, would you have been able to do anything about it?" Ichigo calmly asked. He had come up with an elaborate lie to explain Tenten's and Yugito's sudden transformation. During the battle with Pain, they drew more of their Tailed Beast's chakra, and Pain's attacks damaged the seals. The damage caused more concentrated Tailed Beast chakra to enter their respective bodies. The additional chakra caused their bodies to mutate. By the time Ichigo was able to repair the seals, the damage had been done. Tsunade continued to glare at Ichigo.
"That is not your call," she replied.
"True," Ichigo admitted. "If I told Shizune, she would've run to you and immediately informed you of the situation. You would have then abandoned your efforts in the hospital to try and assist us. People would have noticed and asked questions. Imagine the ramifications if it was discovered that the seals on Tenten and Yugito were damaged. The public, who just recovered from a direct attack on the village, would instantly panic. They would assume Tenten and Yugito are dangerous, regardless if the seals were fixed."
"So how are you going to explain to everyone their changes?" Tsunade asked.
"We tell them the truth," Ichigo admitted. "It's a known fact that the Tailed Beast's chakra can cause their respective jinchūriki to gain certain traits based on their Tailed Beast." Tsunade nodded her head.
"That explanation would work," Tsunade admitted.
"Especially when we mention that it was a necessary transformation to stall Pain while I dealt with the real one," Ichigo added.
"Fine. But I must notify the Raikage," Tsunade replied.
"What do you think he would do?" Ichigo asked.
"He'll demand that Yugito be sent back to Kumogakure," she answered.
"What if we all move to Kumogakure and join Naruto in his training?" Yugito interrupted.
"Why should we do that?" Tsunade asked.
"I don't want to stay in Kumo, and I'll leave if you leave me there," she admitted. Tsunade looked at Yugito.
"You're not making this easy for me," she admitted.
"Not my problem," Yugito replied.
"What about this," Ichigo interjected. Both of them looked at Ichigo.
"What if we tell the Raikage that the citizens in Konoha are worried that Tenten and Yugito being in the village will result in another attack? So you decided to move my team to Kumogakure because you trust the Raikage's ability to keep them safe?"
"Hm…" Tsunade mumbled, thinking about Ichigo's words.
"That could work," Yugito admitted. "The Raikage is a prideful man and he might accept the offer."
"Fine. Once everything in Konoha is stable, I will go speak with the Raikage," Tsunade said.
Scene Change: Kumogakure
Once Konoha was stable enough, Tsunade left for Kumogakure to speak with the Raikage. Tsunade returned to Konoha and arranged another meeting with Ichigo and Yugito. Tsunade told them that the Raikage agreed to the idea. It took a week before Tsunade medically cleared Tenten and Yugito. During that week, Tsunade promoted Guren, Setsura, Chino, Hinata, and Tenten to Jonin for their actions in protecting the village from Pain's assault. Tsunade made a note for Yugito to retain her rank as Jonin when she officially joined Konoha. Team 15 moved toward Kumogakure. They were soon met by Kumo's sensor team as soon as they were within their sensing range. Yugito tried to talk with them, but they swiftly ignored her. They were escorted into a barren field where three people were standing, waiting for them. They recognized Naruto.
The first one was a tall and well-built man with fair skin. He had waist-length, spiky white hair tied into a ponytail, with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. There were red lines under his eyes that extended further down his face. Ichigo could see wrinkles around the corners of his mouth and a wart on the left side of his nose. He was dressed in a short green shirt kimono and matching pants. Ichigo could see mesh armor peeking out from his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, a pair of wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He had a horned forehead protector with the kanji for oil on it.
The other man had a similar build, skin color, and hair color as A. On his right shoulder, he had a tattoo of the kanji for iron, and on his left cheek, he had a tattoo of a bull's horn. He wore a pair of oval-shaped sunglasses and a white-colored forehead protector. He wore a one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck.
"This must be Jiraiya and Killer B," Ichigo identified.
"Yo!" Killer B shouted. "Welcome to my crib!"
"Another bad rapper," Ichigo thought to himself.
"Thank you for having us, B-sama," Yugito said.
"Peace, sis. Peace," B replied. "No sama here." B looked at Yugito and then at Tenten. "So, we got two and seven here." Chōmei and Matatabi appeared in Tenten's and Yugito's arms.
"Hi. Hi! Gyūki!" Chōmei shouted. Naruto, Killer B, and Jiraiya jumped back.
"The Tailed Beasts can do that!?" Naruto shouted in shock.
"Not normally," Jiraiya commented as he glanced at Killer B.
"Whoa, baby," Killer B said.
"Yo, Eight-O, can you do that?" Killer B asked.
"I… don't know," Gyūki admitted. "I didn't know you could do that."
"Eight-O was wondering how you were able to do that." Killer B asked.
"You've already had the first step done," Matatabi said.
"Be friends!" Chōmei shouted. Killer B nodded his head.
"I'm already friends with Eight-O." Killer B replied.
"The next step is Gyūki needs to gather some of his energy and part of his mind outside your body," Matatabi instructed. Killer B could feel some energy form in front of his hand. He could feel part of Gyūki trying to appear outside his body. Killer B ignored the feeling. A few moments later, a small light brown ox appeared on Killer B's shoulder. It has four small horns and eight octopus tails which it uses to keep itself on Killer B's shoulder. Killer B looked at Gyūki.
"So kawaii!" Killer B shouted.
"I have a question," Naruto interjected.
"What is it?" Matatabi replied.
"Do I have a bad relationship with the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Naruto asked.
"You don't know his name?" Matatabi asked.
"No," Naruto replied. "Every time I tried to talk with him, he growled or violently yelled at me, demanding to be free and get revenge."
"On who?" Ichigo asked.
"He said the masked man," Naruto replied.
"Let me try and speak with him," Ichigo suggested.
"You can do that?" Naruto asked.
"He can," Tenten said. Yugito nodded her head. Naruto looked at Killer B and Jiraiya.
"Will the process hurt Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
"Hopefully not," Ichigo replied.
"If this works then it should help him," Killer B added. "Considering Naruto isn't able to go beyond the fourth tail."
"All right. What do I need to do?" Naruto asked.
"Just sit down and let me do all the work," Ichigo instructed. Ichigo sat down in front of Naruto.
"Legilimens," Ichigo mentally cast as he entered Naruto's mind.
Scene Change: Naruto's mind
Ichigo appeared in a hallway. On his right side, Ichigo could see a set of shoji. Beside the shoji, Ichigo could see a small plaque with the words Uzumaki written on it. On Ichigo's left side, he could see a metal door with a seal engraved on it.
"This should lead me to where the Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed," Ichigo thought as he pulled the metal door open and entered. He could feel himself stepping into a large stream of water. All he could hear was his feet as he continued to walk. He eventually arrived to see a large metal cage with the Nine-Tailed Fox trapped on the other side.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" The Nine-Tailed Fox roared at Ichigo.
"I am here to see why you are so angry," Ichigo calmly answered. The Nine-Tailed Fox glared at Ichigo.
"I will never help you humans. That masked one used his powers to control me before."
"Do you remember any details about the 'Masked One'?" Ichigo asked. The Nine-Tailed Fox stared at Ichigo with a slightly confused look.
"Why?" The Nine-Tailed Fox asked.
"Did the 'Masked One' have a red eye?" Ichigo summoned a jar filled with liquid. Inside the jar were Sharingan eyes from Danzō's arm.
"It was similar," The Nine-Tailed Fox admitted. "It was purple but had the tomoe." Ichigo nodded as he returned the jar to his mindscape.
"We believe the 'Masked One' is hunting all of your siblings and plans to reunite all of you," Ichigo explained.
"Then let me out!" The Nine-Tailed Fox growled. "Being trapped in this body makes me an easier target against him."
"But letting you out will make it even easier for them to control you," Ichigo replied.
"You suggest I work with that kid?" The Nine-Tailed Fox growled.
"Yes," Ichigo replied. "If someone tries to use Genjutsu on Naruto, you could help him break free from it." The Nine-Tailed Fox glared at Ichigo.
"You're not like them," he said.
"I'm not," Ichigo replied.
"Fine. I will try. But I'm not going to hand the kid everything. He needs to work hard to earn the right to use my powers."
"Fine by me," Ichigo said as he left the Nine-Tailed Fox's portion of Naruto's mindscape.
"What is he?" The Nine-Tailed Fox thought to himself. "He reminded me of father… but stronger than him."
Author Notes
(1) Inspired by namakxin's (P04C3) & (P004C4) AI fanart of Hinata Hyūga.