The Shinobi Visitor

Chapter 21 - Just Can't Catch A Break...

"Explain it to me again, Grimmjow."

"…"

From the tone of his voice, Aizen was not pleased. Not one bit. Standing below his high throne was Grimmjow who had a few sweat on his face from the defected Shinigami's Spiritual Pressure. "Explain to me how a Espada, you, and his Fraccion lost objective in your mission to find her in the first place? On top of that, your entire Fraccion lost to a Human; an old man actually."

"… I was fighting the Shinigami that Yammy and Ulquiorra encountered before. He was there and I took the opportunity to dispose of him." Grimmjow choosing his words carefully. Normally he refuses to pay any respect to anyone and outright fight them on the spot, but he knows Aizen is stronger than him by a wide margin. "My Fraccion is despicable to be beaten by a Human. And it was an old man to top it off."

"And the scar on your chest… what does that say about you?" Tosen remarked, receiving a hard glare from the Arrancar. "For an Espada like yourself to be scarred by a Human, a Substitute Shinigami, doesn't that show how incompetent you actually are."

Grimmjow snarled in his throat while tightening his fists to the point they turned white. "That is enough, Tosen. Not everything went wrong in the mission: he managed to test the limits of the Kurosaki boy to the point the Hollow in him started to awaken even faster than I anticipated."

"I see."

Aizen then stared at Grimmjow for a few moments until he dismissed the Arrancar, much to the latter's relief. "Also he confirmed that she was there as well." Aizen chuckled as he rubbed his fingers. "But why would someone like her go to a place like Karakura Town in the first place?"

Tosen gave a nonexistent shrug. "It is a pool of numerous Spirit Energy. Maybe that drew her there."

"Or someone." That thought clicked something else in the Shinigami's head. "Ah… I see." Aizen chuckled a few times as he stood up from his throne. "Naruto Uzumaki."

That caught Tosen surprised. "The Human with the strange powers? Why would she be after him?"

"That's something I'd like to know." Aizen took a deep breath with his closed eyes to comprehend this new variable. "However, onto pressing matters: Grimmjow and his Fraccion. I believe he's no longer of use to me anymore." He opened his eyes as a evil grin replaced his smirk. "I think it's time for them to have their meals."

Instantly Tosen knew what or whom his superior was referring to as he bowed to him before heading to the doors. "I shall take them there."

"No." The glasses-wearing Shinigami stopped just under the doorway. "I'll have Gin do it in the evening. After all, we're trying to be discreet about our… crippled houseguests." Even Aizen's Espada has no idea what their leader is thinking or what his plans are, but they do know one thing: the man is always ten steps ahead of everyone else.

"I understand, sir."

Aizen nodded as Tosen left the room, leaving him alone with a tightened fist that smashed one of the throne's armrests as a result of his brief episode of uncontrolled rage. "Naruto Uzumaki…. You will pay dearly for interfering with my plans and… keeping her from me."

-Somewhere In Japan-

It was another day for Naruto Uzumaki as he ran along with his Martial Arts master, Hayato Furinji and the Titaness, Rhea, through the dense forests that inexplicably continues to expand despite of the urban developments of modern society. He left Ichigo and the others in Karakura Town to learn Martial Arts to improve his hand-to-hand combat skills, but before leaving a Shadow Clone to instruct Ichigo to teach him to control his Inner Hollow before it gets out of control.

Now he was running across Japan's vast lands to reach Tokyo; the capital of the island nation and where the supposed strongest dojo, Ryozanpaku, is located. The Elder also mentioned he has a granddaughter living with him including the five masters of different styles.

"Dang it, Elder!" He said after dodging a huge lumber, much to his chagrin and to the amusement of Rhea. "Stop throwing trees at me!"

The Elder only laughed as he threw another one, which was dodged again by his disciple. "I want to see how good your reflexes are and this is the proper way to do that."

"Proper?! There's nothing proper about this!" Naruto protested as memories of his training with Jiraiya during the Chunin Exams briefly flashed his eyes, causing him to shudder a little. A tick mark appeared on his forehead when he heard giggling. "Rhea, be quiet! Why don't you do this with me and we'll see who's giggling!"

"No thanks." Rhea replied, delicately covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled. She made the right choice to stay out of the line of fire when she noticed the Elder chopping several thick tree branches before he started throwing at Naruto earlier.

Tears streamed from Naruto's eyes as he dodged a few more stumps. "What the heck did I get myself into? How is it that crazy strong masters always find me?"

"Hahaha! Because you're interesting, my disciple!"

Naruto groaned as he closed his eyes while dodging two more stumps. However, he was caught off-guard when the Elder threw the last stump with greater force and speed, so he had one choice in hand. As the stump got closer to him, Naruto suddenly smashed his fist into it, splintering the tree part into multiple pieces.

"Impressive." The Elder remarked as Naruto gave him a grin before he noticed the boy's hand. There were no signs of bruising, cuts, or bleeding of any kind and that tells something. "His strength is above most people his age including Miu and Kenichi. But I wonder how strong he really is."

Sweat-drops slid down on Naruto's and Rhea's heads when they saw the Elder's eyes glowing once again.

"This can't be good." Rhea and Naruto thought at the same time. They soon saw the towering elderly man disappeared into the thick leaf-covered trees before he landed on the ground with even bigger tree stumps on his shoulders.

"Elder…" A sweating and suddenly paled Naruto watched the Elder look at him with the look of a madman. "What are you planning to do with those?" He saw Rhea running ahead of the Elder to avoid the upcoming shooting galley that's about to commence. "Whatever it is, please don't do it."

"Naruto, Naruto. Don't be afraid of this." Ignoring the 'It's too late for that' comment from his disciple, the Elder continued speaking. "As I said before this is to find out how good your reflexes are, but since you showed your strength with that last stump, now I want to see all of your physical parameters!" He said while dodging the incoming trees despite the stumps on his shoulders and not losing speed whatsoever. "GET READY NARUTO!"

Ahead of the Elder, Rhea simply waved with a nervous look at the unlucky Shinobi. "Good luck, Naruto."

"WHY ME?!" cried out Naruto with more tears streaming down from his eyes.

Afterwards the entire trip to Tokyo was filled with trees crashing, several dust clouds forming a pattern and the occasional girlish cries for help that were never answered.

-Floor 34-12th Division-Soul Society-

In one of the lowest floors in Division 12 barracks, a group of Shinigami scientists was formed by their crazed scientist/captain, Kurosuchi, to study and analyze two certain specimens they acquired weeks ago. This was top secret.

"Amazing! This is simply amazing!"

"Yes, it is… incredible," said a man in a white doctor's coat with dark brown hair as he looked at the two glass chambers that contained their specimens. Both were males, but one of them has silver hair and the other one has long brown hair instead.

The specimens were none other than the two intruders who somehow infiltrated Soul Society a few weeks back before they were defeated by the captains of divisions 6 and 11: Byakuya Kukichi and Kenpachi.

The other scientist too wore a doctor's coat, but he wears horn-rimmed glasses and has black hair. "I can't believe there are other beings out there like that Uzumaki person, Tojo."

"He was able fight the Head Captain on even grounds, correct?" asked Tojo. "But I don't think Uzumaki would've left the battle without a scratch if he faced the captain and his Bankai."

"True that."

The two scientists were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice the silver hair man's right hand twitch briefly… until the chamber he was in burst from within. The shockwave force pushed the scientists on the ground long enough for Hidan to appear before them.

"Ah… that was a nice nap." Hidan commented casually with a grin as he touched his chest. "The Shinju's chakra healed the wound that maniac captain inflicted on me." He looked down on the two scientists who were clearly terrified, which caused his grin to become maniacal. "You two are gonna do something for me."

Tojo nervously gulped as his colleague asked. "What do you want us to do?" He soon regret asking those words as black, wispy energy leaked out of the crazed Shinobi's body before forming into deadly blades.

"Die…"

The two men couldn't get a word or make a sound before the energy blades pierced through their chests. Hidan then walked to the next tube that held his fellow immortal captive only that he doesn't have any sign of life in his eyes and a large scar etched in his upper torso, stretching from his left shoulder to his right pelvic.

"Tsk." The crazed Shinobi smashed the glass tube with a jab, not bothering to catch Kakuzu's body as it fell on the ground with a loud 'thud.' He flipped the body over and grabbed a tuft of hair from Kakuzu's head before moving back to the corpses where a pool of blood have already been gathered in a single point. Hidan lightly brushed the shaggy hair on the pool of blood, drenching it before he walked back to Kakuzu's body and placed on his chest. "Tiger… Horse… Dragon… Mouse…"

Hidan finished the sign sequence with an unknown sign that resembled the Infinity symbol. A moment later, Kakuzu's body glowed a nasty red color as the hair formed tendrils to cover the scar before fading, removing the scar like it was never there.

It was then that Kakuzu suddenly sat up with a gasp of air, panting heavily. "Well, look who's up." Hidan commented sourly. "Come on, we don't have much time." Kakuzu gave a glare as Hidan raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "Fine, I'll leave you here then!" Then something caught his attention on the right side of the room. "My weapon!"

His weapon, the Triple-blade scythe, lay on top of a pedestal with smears of dried blood on each of the blades.

Hidan gleefully jumped up and down as he retrieved his weapon from the pedestal and twirled it a couple times. "HAHAHA! Time for me to kill people again!" However he was stopped by Kakuzu's words.

"Not yet." Kakuzu shakily stood up from the ground. "We must… let the Shinju know about… this world." He walked to one of the computers and pressed a red button like he knew what it would do. A bright white door soon replaced one of the doors on the far left side of the room. Kakuzu felt Hidan's stare from behind him and answered the unasked question. "From the blood of those two, I received their memories including these… Seikon gates."

*BLARE…BLARE*

"That's freaky even for us. That Ten Tails knows some weird techniques and all." Hidan commented as he fixed his tattered cloak before walking to Kakuzu while ignoring the alarm.

*BLARE…BLARE*

Kakuzu gave a curt nod. "For once I agree with you." He said, leaving a gawking Hidan behind as he entered the gate before the latter followed him.

*BLARE…BLARE*

The Seikon Gate closed just as a group of Shinigami with their drawn swords led by their crazy captain, Kurotsuchi, who went to ballistics and cursed about losing his new specimens.

*BLARE…BLARE*

-Urahara's Shop-Karakura Town-

"Come on, Naruto. How much longer are you going to keep me doing this?" asked a clearly irritated Ichigo as he meditates on the ground with his legs crossed and the oversized Zangetsu on his lap.

"Another three hours since you complained." The clone deadpanned as he sat on a boulder with his arms crossed.

"Come on!"

"Stop complaining! This is for you to control your Spiritual Pressure! In case you haven't noticed, you're a walking billboard for our enemies, telling them 'Hey I'm here, so kill me already.' You and the boss have the fighting style but you're alot like him when he was younger; charging in and wasting your energy pointlessly."

"Aren't you talking about yourself too? That means you're dissing yourself! Ha!"

Clone-Naruto grumbled when Ichigo broke the meditation by pointing his finger at him. "That was only until the boss learned more control from constant training, especially from the Sage. I'm just trying to apply that to you, dummy!" He didn't even flinch when Ichigo was in front of him with Shunpo, glaring at him. "What? Can't handle it?"

"I'LL SHOW YOU!" Ichigo declared as he threw a punch, only to feel the air passing through him when Naruto grabbed his wrist and threw him away easily. Recovering easily, he ran towards him despite not wielding Zangetsu. "Come on!"

"Pointless…"

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo cried out as he drew another punch.

Naruto blocked the punch and let out a big sigh. "You really are a lot like the boss, which is why I'm training you in this." Lightly shoving the hand and causing Ichigo to stumble backwards, Naruto stood from his boulder before doing stretching exercises to loosen his body. "Guess we'll have to go with the alternative then since you don't want to take it slow."

"Huh?" That calmed Ichigo a bit. "Alternative? What is it?"

"Hello there!" The two powerhouses groaned when they heard the shopkeeper's voice. However they were surprised when they looked at the stairs and saw a familiar teenage group behind him. "You have company!" Urahara shouted as he walked towards them with the kids following him. "Although it did take a while to find them."

"Hello everyone. It's good to meet you again." Clone-Naruto greeted the crimson-haired beauty and her friends behind Urahara.

Rias nodded as she and her Peerage walked to him and Ichigo. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Naruto." She smiled at the blonde who returned it with a smile. "Hopefully we don't have interruptions this time."

"Naruto…" The clone looked at his orange-haired friend. "Why are they here?" asked a serious Ichigo with narrowed eyes as he twirled Zangetsu by its cloth, putting Devils on edge.

Clone Naruto put up his hand. "Relax, Ichigo. The boss told them to come back here after they found another place to live."

"Boss?" asked Asia as she looked at Issei, Koneko and Yuto who exchanged looks before shrugging their shoulders. "Uh, Mr. Naruto. Why did you say boss?"

"Because the real me left town a few hours ago. I'm a clone," The clone responded by forming more identical clones, getting widened eyes from the Devils. "What? Is it that surprising?" He asked after the clones he made dispelled in a puff of smoke.

Yuto was the one to reply. "Even for our kind, cloning oneself is something… extreme and you can create clones on a whim."

Before Clone-Naruto could say anything else, he was surprised when Issei suddenly appeared in front of him with stars in his eyes. "PLEASE TEACH ME THAT TECHNIQUE!"

"Why?" asked the clone with a sweat-drop on his head. More sweat-drops appeared when he saw a lecherous look on Issei's face. "No."

But Issei didn't take it very well as he clutched Naruto's left leg tightly. "PLEASSSSEEEEEE!"

"I said no! I'm not teaching my one of favorite techniques to someone like you."

"PLEASE!" Issei insisted with tears streaming down his face.

"NO!"

The girls sans Koneko laughed while Ichigo and Kiba chuckled as Naruto tries to shake off Issei from his leg. After several minutes of this, the Shinobi managed to get the male Devil by punching him in the head, which made him lose consciousness.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, the clone cleared his throat. "I did tell him no."

"That's fine. Sometimes Issei needs to be held back." Rias remarked as Asia ran to Issei's body and started to heal him with a bright yellow glow around her hands. That caught both the clone and Ichigo's attention.

"Hey…" Ichigo trailed off, catching everyone's attention especially Asia's. "You have the same ability like Orihime."

"Huh?" asked a shy Asia as Issei woke up before rubbing his head where Naruto's fist hit him. "Your friend has a Sacred Gear like mine?"

Both Clone-Naruto and Ichigo arched eyebrows. "Sacred Gears?" asked the two boys.

"Don't you know about the Sacred Gears?" Yuto asked the question for his friends since it was the same one. Shakes from the Shinigami and Shinobi were no's. "Weird."

The clone agreed with a nod. "Looks like we all have something to know about each other." He said before his eyes set upon the black-haired beauty that was Akeno who was actually staring at him the entire time. "Is there something on your mind, Akeno?"

Akeno giggled behind her hand. "I just keep thinking what else you're hiding from us." She commented with her gaze lowering the blonde's body until it set on a certain part. A blush came to life as she became slightly aroused.

A suddenly blush-ridden Clone-Naruto stuttered while Ichigo snickered. Rias sighed at her friend's attitude, but she can't blame her; Naruto is a handsome human.

"Now that we got all of that out of the way, why don't you tell us about your brother looking for Naruto?" asked Ichigo suddenly after enjoying the brief laugh.

"Don't forget the Sacred Gears."

Before she could answer, Rias then noticed a couple of people missing from last night. "Where are the tall dark-skinned guy and the orange-haired girl?"

"Chad and Orihime?" Ichigo thought about it for a moment before looking at the clone. "Where are they? Shouldn't they be here for this? This affects all of us including the Shinigami and Soul Society."

"Soul Society?" thought all the teenagers. They were all surprised when Clone-Naruto suddenly disappeared in a flash of yellow and reappeared quickly with both Chad and Orihime, both of whom didn't look too good at the moment.

"How did you do that?" asked a curious Rias. "That was so fast!"

Clone-Naruto simply grinned at her. "Secret~" He chuckled when the girl crossed her arms with a pout. "But, seriously, you better start talking." The clone said with a serious expression, receiving a nod from an equally serious Rias.

"All right. A long time ago…"

-Somewhere Else In Town-

"Man~" A clearly peeved Hidan cried out as he kicked out a tile of the roof in frustration. "Tell me again why aren't we killing people and finding Uzumaki?"

After escaping from their imprisonment, the Immortal Duo found themselves in a small town where there are vast numbers of people possessing energy similar to Chakra their people wield back in their world.

"Because we need reinforcements. Those… Shinigami…" Kakuzu spat out in disdain, recalling his battle with one of the captains as he walked to the edge of the roof where he spots people walking past the building they're standing on like everything's fine. "They are not to be underestimated. I made that mistake during my battle and it is one I won't be making again any time soon."

"Hmm? Sounds to me you just want show them up."

"…"

"Fine… So how many are we going to summon from the main forces?"

"None."

"Eh?" Hidan looked at him with a stupefied expression until something else hit him. "You don't mean them… do you?" Kakuzu gave him a curt nod. "That's a bit extreme even for you and I. Not to mention they're the Shinju's elite unit and they don't leave his side unless it was necessary." The immortal then shrugged nonchalantly. "But what do I care? Let's do this!"

Both Shinobi pulled out a kunai and cut their palms, Kakuzu with his right and Hidan with his left, before they placed on the ground and drew a large circle using their blood. Lastly they put the finishing touches by drawing a lot of intricate kanji markings that filled the whole circle. After they finished, both men stood on the opposite side of each other with their hands in a Tiger sign.

"Ready?"

"Whatever." Hidan commented as both men were then covered by dark chakra, the Shinju's chakra, before channeling it into their bloodied hands as they slammed their palms on the edge of the circle.

The blood-made circle and the kanji within started glowing as a hole with a black flame-like outline appeared over it like it was consuming it. As minutes passed and the chakra reserves of the Shinju starting to dwindle a little, Kakuzu noticed three ripples in the portal before three figures arose within the portal before it closed with the written kanji scorching red hot.

The first figure is a young well endowed fair-skinned girl with green eyes and waist-length, hime-style cut hair tied in a high ponytail with short bangs and chin-length framing her face. She was wearing a grey form-fitting Kuniochi uniform with a right shoulder guard, grey gloves. There was a opening in her shirt that reveals some of her sizable cleavage, which caught the attention of Hidan.

The second figure was a woman. Like the girl in front of her, she is fair-skinned but taller than her with blue eyes and straight blonde hair framing her face cut in a asymmetrical bob style reaching her shoulders. Her attire was a very low cut orange outfit that showed her sizable cleavage of her breasts with mesh armor underneath, a short skirt and red hand guards, high boots and a modified dark red Kumogakure flak jacket that covers her stomach. Lastly she carries a tanto strapped horizontally to her lower back.

The third figure was another girl like the first girl in the same age except she was dark-skinned with long red hair and amber eyes. Her attire is a black long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges complete with a dark red Kumogakure flack jacket, two simple yellow earrings, fishnet stockings, thigh high boots with black soles, and a forehead protector that's worn like a bandanna. Her weapon was a long sword strapped on her back with a purple hilt.

"Is it wrong I got a hard on right now?"

"Shut up, would ya?"

The girl in the form-fitting uniform looked at two men before scoffing at them. "Why did you summon us?" She demanded, irritating Hidan by her tone.

"You girls are not the ones we were trying to summon." Kakuzu interjected before Hidan attempts to kill them. "Who are you three? I've never seen you back in our headquarters at home."

The blonde woman stepped forward next to the younger girl. "I am Samui and this is Shizuka." The girl now known as Shizuka gave a scowl at Hidan who flipped her off. Ignoring that last gesture, Samui pointed at the girl behind them. "And She is Karui."

Seeing the redheaded girl staring somewhere else, Kakuzu asked Samui. "Again I ask why are the three of you here? We summoned-"

"They don't want to be bothered, unless it was important like the location of Uzumaki," Shizuka scowled when she heard the Shinobi's name, which didn't go unnoticed by her fellow Shinobi. "So they sent us in their stead." Karui responded with spite.

Kakuzu sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "So they send women to do their job." Ignoring the glares from the Kuniochi, the immortal Shinobi stared out in the city. "As for the location of Uzumaki, we don't know where exactly but we do know he lives somewhere in this town."

"How do you know that?" Shizuka asked with haste. Kakuzu looked at her briefly before looking back at the city. "Well?!"

"… The ramen shop owners complained about a blonde boy with a headband consuming their products and almost putting them out of business."

Samui shook her head. "That boy…"

"So what should we do?" asked Karui as she grabbed her sword's hilt. Kakuzu and Hidan exchanged looks with the latter grinning like a madman a moment later as the former looked out at the city.

"We get his attention."

With that notion, the group of Shinobi disappeared from the roof via Body Flicker Technique just before a series of explosions and fires erupted, causing a symphony of honking and screaming.

-Urahara's Shop-

"So let me get this straight: You, Rias, are an heiress of a Pure-blooded devil family and your friends here are actually your servants until they rank up to High Class."

Rias nodded as she sipped her tea Akeno made earlier during her explanation of the Devil Faction's living way after the Great War. The group of teenagers took their conversation to the living quarters to relax and for the regular Humans to process the information about the supernatural world.

Clone Naruto put in his two cents. "And each of your friends is a different Chess pieces with each pieces possessing different abilities and capabilities." He crossed his arms as he leaned against a wall. "And most of them were originally Humans."

"Yes."

Ichigo and Clone Naruto exchanged brief looks before the latter disappeared in a puff of smoke, scaring the others except Rias and Akeno who were surprised. "What happened to him?" asked a shaking Asia.

"He's a clone who can disperse him to relay the information to the real Naruto." Ichigo replied casually as he popped his knuckles.

"Amazing."

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that impressive if you ask me." He shifted his gaze on Issei who was trying to cop a feel on Koneko, only to fall on the ground after being hit in his family jewels. "So Pervert Boy over there has a Sacred Gear like the two blondes here?" Ichigo asked, referring to Yuto and Asia who nodded. "What abilities your Sacred Gears possess?"

"My Sacred Gear is called Sword Birth." Yuto clarified his Gear by summoning a broadsword in his hand before dispelling it. "I can create any kind of swords I want with different elements in each of them."

"Not bad." Ichigo looked at Asia who flinched a little from his stern expression. "What about yours?"

The nervous Asisa looked at Rias who nodded at her before raising her right hand as a silver ring appeared on her middle finger. "My Sacred Gear is Twilight Healing. It can heal any wounds even the most grievous ones."

"You really are like me!" Orihime cried out happily with a smile, which brought a smile from the small blonde girl. "Cool! That means you and I are the most important members of our teams."

Yuto raised a eyebrow. "Why do you say that?" Orihime recited Naruto's tactical point of view about healers in groups. "Oh… I never thought about it that way."

"So what about you Pervert boy? What's yours?" Ichigo asked when he saw Issei getting up who looked at him upon being called. "Well?"

The former Human didn't get to answer since a major power reached all of his and the others' senses from another part of the city. "Do you guys feel that?"

"Yeah… five of them apparently." Chad pointed while Orihime and Asia hugged each other in fear. "All of them are somewhere in the west side of the town."

"Let's get going. If we all go at full speed, we can be there in less than a few minutes."

"Or…" Ichigo stopped walking when Rias spoke and turned to look at her summoning a large red circle with a rose in the center that surrounded them. "I can use this magic circle to teleport us there in a instant."

"Or we can do that instead." Ichigo muttered under his breath as a red light engulfed them before disappearing from the underground hideout.

-(Meanwhile)-The Throne of Heaven-

"Chief Michael! I have urgent news!"

The Seraph and his sister were surprised when his brother appeared in the Throne room in a bright light with such urgency. Normally low rank Angels aren't allowed in the Throne unless they're given permission from Their Lord or the Seraphim, but even they must receive permission from Him as well.

However since Michael is in charge, due to a unforeseen and unforgettable event regarding Their Father, the Archangel allowed one low-ranked Angel to enter the Throne Room for one purpose: the search and observation of the Human and Champion of Poseidon, Naruto Uzumaki.

At first, it took a while to pinpoint the Human's location but they found a breakthrough when the scout sensed two strange power levels somewhere in Japan and teleported there to find strange beings battling Naruto Uzumaki and his friends. When the Angel scout returned to deliver his report, both Michael and Gabriel were perplexed about the beings described having dark powers similar yet different from the Devils.

They were even more perplexed when the scout told them he saw a real Shinigami assisting Uzumaki in fighting the beings until they retreated.

"Calm down, my brother. Take a breath and then speak," Michael said soothingly as his brother complied and took a deep breath to compose him-self. "What is this urgent news?"

"First thing is there are strange Humans destroying Karakura Town where Naruto Uzumaki resides."

The two Seraphim looked on edge from this. "What happened to the Humans living there?" asked Gabriel concernedly. Her brother shook his head. "I see…"

Michael frowned since he disliked seeing his sister sad. "What of Uzumaki?" asked the Seraph as he turned his attention to the scout.

"Chief Michael… the Human, Naruto Uzumaki, left Karakura Town early this morning with a elderly man and a young teenage female. They were heading east, most likely one of the coastal cities in Japan. Sir… They displayed speed unlike any other Human. I lost them sometime after they left. Afterwards I returned to the town to keep an eye on the Shinigami ally of Uzumaki and that's when I sensed the dark power. I went to investigate the origins and I found the strange beings talking with each other."

"And you returned to Heaven after they started attacking the city?" Gabriel asked, unintentionally causing the Angel scout to lower his head.

"I'm sure our brother came back here for orders. Isn't that right?" Michael walked to his kneeling brother and placed his hand on his shoulder as he nodded. "There is no shame in that. However we must prepare some of our forces in case the Shinigami in Karakura Town does not prevail."

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, brother."

"Chief Michael. Lady Gabriel." The two Seraphim looked at the scout who looked a little nervous but shook it to rid himself of it. "There's something else I need to tell you. Yesterday… there was another attack on the city. They attacked Shinigami, Uzumaki and their colleagues including…"

"Including what?"

The scout raised his head to look at the Seraphim. "Rias Gremory and her Peerage."

Michael and Gabriel widen their eyes when they heard those words. "Return to the city and observe the strangers at a safe range. Also I want to see these beings and what they're capable of."

When the Angel scout left the Throne room, the two Seraphim were worried. If the sister of one of the Devil Kings is harmed in any way, it will lead to war between the Three Factions despite neither they nor the Fallen Angels have no involvement at all.

"Michael…" The female Seraph stared at her brother worrisome. "What should we do?"

The Archangel looked his sister and smiled at her. "We must prepare ourselves for battle in case things get worse from here."

-(Meanwhile)-Sirzechs' Mansion-Underworld-

Sitting in a dark red chair behind a grand desk made from teak wood of the Living World was Sirzechs. His study was surrounded shelves filled with countless books and the walls were deep crimson with streaks of silver with two large, rectangular windows that allowed the moon's light to shine through.

"This is very quite interesting yet unexpected." Sirzechs said seriously with his hands clamped in front of his face as he thought over the details of the report sent by Rias in Karakura Town two nights ago.

Many emotions coursed through him when he read the report that lay on his desk in front of him. He feels proud of his sister; not only she managed to find Poseidon's Champion, Naruto Uzumaki, but she also confirmed the actual existence of the Shinigami through the boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki. However, there was another fact in the report that disturbed him quite a bit; the opposite beings of the Shinigami known as Arrancars.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice his wife come into the study until she walked to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Grayfia…"

"Lord Sirzechs, is there something the matter?" asked Grayfia with a hint of concern. She was quite surprised when she entered the room and saw the serious look on her husband's face instead of his laid-back look. Sirzechs gave her the report and waited for the same reaction he had, which she just expressed. "Is this really true?"

"Yes." The Gremory member stood up from his chair and walked to one of the windows. "She found Poseidon's champion in Karakura Town where she and her Peerage also found proof of the Shinigami and Arrancars' existence." He didn't look back to see Grayfia standing behind him. "This Uzumaki person must be very interesting."

Grayfia on the other hand was thinking of something else. "I always though they were myths. Stories our parents told us in our childhood."

"I know."

Even for the Three Factions and other mythology factions, the Shinigami were considered myths since there was no proof of their existence for centuries. The leaders of the Three Factions also speculated about the Shinigami faction's potential to rival their combined power as a whole given they have a large number of powerful members.

"What should we do? Shall I call Rias and bring her back home?"

"…No." Grayfia was a little surprised. She expected her husband to bring his sister to safety and consider the mission done. "Whatever business Rias got her-self into, it will not matter if she comes home. She and her Peerage are already involved with Uzumaki." Sirzechs admitted solemnly as he turned around to face his wife. "I think it is time."

Grayfia dropped her stoic face as her eyes widen. "Now? Are you sure about this?" she received a firm nod from her husband.

"With everything that's going on between our factions, both internal and external problems plus what we know now about Shinigami, I believe this is a great opportunity to have the meeting." Sirzechs declared before receiving a nod from Grayfia.

"As you wish, my lord."

Sirzechs smiled at Grayfia who gave a small smile before leaving the studies to prepare everything for the meeting. "It's way early for it, but I believe our Factions will achieve peace with two different people." He walked back to his desk before activating a small projection that held two frozen images of the people he was talking about. The first one was Issei Hyouduo with his Sacred Gear, Boosted Gear, activated in his left forearm and the second image was Naruto Uzumaki wielding an energy sphere the size of a basketball during the Wager of the Gods.

Just as he put away the images, Sirzechs wasn't surprise when a red Gremory magic circle appeared in the room with a cloaked kneeling servant of his Peerage.

"My lord… I bear news." The cloak man looked up at his leader who nodded for him to speak. "There are suspecting people destroying the city of Karakura Town. The residing Humans are in peril and the casualties are..."

Sirzechs nodded. "Return to the city and activate a live feed and connect it to my study. I want you at a safe range while you observe them."

"Yes my lord."

The scout/servant disappeared in another Gremory magic circle, leaving his master to ponder what else await for hi- all the other Factions in the world.

-(Meanwhile)-Fallen Angels' Headquarters-

"Several unknown power surges in Karakura Town?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmm." Azazel leaned on his seat as his Fallen Angel scout kneeled before him in his office. "And are there any other parties we should know about?"

The scout shook his head. "None, sir." After his leader dismissed him, the scout stood up and left the room, leaving Azazel pondering about the strange turn of events.

"I have a feeling that Human ninja is center of all this." Azazel remarked, thinking about all of recent events that seem to surround the enigma that is Naruto Uzumaki. "He's like a dragon who draws in allies and enemies at the same time."

"*Scoff* He's not a dragon." Azazel chuckled as he looked at the corner of his left eye to the direction where his ally, Vali, was leaning against a wall during the whole time. "But I wouldn't mind fighting him. He's definitely better than the host of the Red Dragon Emperor."

Azazel shook his head with a small smile. "You shouldn't underestimate someone by their appearances. Who knows? Maybe that person like Issei Hyoudo might surprise you."

Vali shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose so." He then watched the Fallen Angel leader activate a screen that showed replays of the Wager of the Gods that was between the three Elder Olympian Gods: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. The replays were of the battle between the gods' chosen Champions. "You're watching that again? Why bother?"

"I'm interested." Azazel replied as if it was obvious.

"You always say that." Vali then saw Azazel summon another screen that showed a part of Karakura Town with several black smokes in the vicinity. "You're also going to watch whatever's happening in the town as well?"

"It's called multitasking." Azazel emphasized this by knitting a red scarf, getting a disbelieved expression from Vali. "What? Don't judge. It's actually quite fun."

-Somewhere Else In Town-

When Ichigo and his friends arrived at the place where the strong Spiritual Pressures are located via Rias's magic circle, they were stunned at the sight before them: the roads were littered with smoking cars, five-foot craters and rubble from crumbling buildings on both sides of the street and the unfortunate sight of corpses. Most of them were men, but some of them were women with two of them being children; a boy and a girl.

"Oh my God." Orihime muttered to her-self as she laced her fingers with Ichigo's, whose grip tightened upon her touch. "Who did this?"

Ichigo looked at the surroundings, sensing for the Spiritual Pressures as he drew Zangetsu from his back. "Let's find out then. Everyone stay close and be alert."

The Substitue Shinigami received nods from everyone as they readied themselves for battle such as Yuto summoning a sword; Chad with his Nemean Cestus gauntlets; Koneko with her gloves; Issei with his Boosted Gear-clad left arm. As for Akeno and Rias, yellow lightning and black flames with a red outline surged around their hands respectively.

As they walked through the barren streets while looking at the scattered bodies for any sign of life, some of the teenagers like Ichigo and Rias pondered who could do this kind of destruction without regard to innocent people especially children who are considered pure innocence.

They got their answer when suddenly a lightning bolt shot out of a building on Ichigo's side, whom deflected it with Zangetsu's wide flat side, causing the bolt to destroy a building with ease.

"Everyone! Circle around Orihime and Asia!" Ichigo called out. The others complied with haste as they surrounded the two healers with their backs close to them, leaving a little room for them to breath.

A voice echoed the streets as if they were in a cave. "A tactical move. Impressive, but this cannot be the fighting force you mentioned, Kakuzu."

"The boy in the black robes is one of them; a Shinigami."

"Show yourselves!" Issei demanded. He got his answer when several shadows moved from one spot to another throughout the street until they converged on top of a tipped over semi-truck, revealing themselves. It wasn't long until Issei entered pervert mode when three of the shadows turned out to be women in ninja attire. "Hello cuties!"

Samui scoffed at him. "Pathetic." That comment sent a suddenly depressed Issei hunched over, causing his friends to sweat-drop at the boy.

"I don't see him here." Shizuka spat out. "Where is he?"

Rias was the one to answer, but not the one she was looking for. "Who"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Shizuka shouted with hate, causing the opposing forces to tense up. "Where is he?"

"What do you want with him?" Ichigo asked as he pointed Zangetsu at the form-fitting Kunoichi.

However Hidan was the one to answer. "We're here to kill him of course!" That caused the kids' bodies to tense up even more.

"After we extract the Nine Tails out of him, Hidan." Hidan pouted as he glares at Kakuzu who was staring at Ichigo. "You know where he is."

"So what if I do?"

Samui stepped forward as she drew her small blade. "We do not wish to harm you, but we will if you don't tell where he is."

"Who sent you after him?" asked Yuto with his eyes set upon Karui who scoffed as she drew her katana.

"Since you're going to die anyway, I guess there's no point." The group of Shinobi released their Chakra, each of them enveloped in different colors; Kakuzu in purple; Hidan in red; Samui in yellow; Shizuka in blue; and Karui in light green. "We are followers of the Ten Tailed Beast; the Shinju. And your worlds are at an end," declared Karui as lightning arced across her blade.

Ichigo scoffed. "Sorry, but we're not going to let that happen." The others nodded in agreement.

"So be it."

The two groups charged at each other except Chad, Orihime and Asia who stayed back since they're the healers and Chad is the muscle to protect them.

-With Naruto-Somewhere In Japan-

"All right then. We'll take a break here." The Elder stated as he stopped running and dropped a stump. "I'll go search for snacks while you two wait here."

"No problem." Rhea said, sitting on the branch of a tree above. She watched the Elder leave their break spot to look for the said snacks before she looked at the direction where they came from when a certain blonde ninja was walking. "Naruto, would you get here already? It's like you're deep in thought or something."

"If only she knew what we were talking about."

"I concur."

"Yeah… what were we talking about again?" Naruto asked, getting exasperated groans from his partner and ancestor. "What?" He turned his attention to Rhea who was staring at him. "Sorry. Just taking a breather." He then sat down at the base of a tree that stood opposite from the one Rhea was sitting on. "Wake me when the Elder gets back."

"Sure." Rhea replied as Naruto closed his eyes to take a nap before snoring escaped from his mouth. "Boys."

Meanwhile Naruto was discussing with his partners through the telepathy while feigning sleep. "Now back to… whatever we were talking about."

"It's about this training you decided to take under the old man." Kurama remarked, catching his Jinchuriki by surprise. "I don't think you should've taken his offer."

"Why not?"

"You, Ashura and I are in a war right now. This… Furinji Style and the Katsujinken crap will hinder the way you fight! You are a Jinchuriki and a Shinobi!"

"Kurama! Calm down!" Ashura shouted firmly, stopping the fox's unexpected anger before turning his attention to his descendant. "Naruto, what our Tailed Beast friend was trying to say that the Elder's way of fighting might-"

"Might?! It will!"

"Hush! It might cause conflict within you the next time you battle someone else who means to do you or your friends harm." Naruto was careful to not show his expression while sleeping so Rhea couldn't pick up on it. "Kurama and I wished you could've consulted us on this before you made your decision." Ashura said with a hint of hurt in his tone.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Naruto mentally sighed. Things have crazy for the ninja lately, but that doesn't give him an excuse at all. "You're right. I should've talk to you guys about this. I'm sorry."

"I sense a 'but' coming."

Naruto continued speaking. "But I believe the Elder's training will improve my Taijutsu even better than before. And…"

"And what?"

"… I want to see where my natural parameters stand when I'm not using my Ninjutsu or Sage Mode. I want to see how I fare in battle without them." Naruto said, letting that sink into the minds of his partners before moving onto something else that his clone brought to him. "So Rias is a King. How does that work?"

Ashura sighed at his descendant for changing the subject. "Reincarnating normal Humans into Devils to increase their population… and they chose a game system to keep their servant in check."

Kurama seemed to either accept Naruto's reasons or forgot about it since he let a snarling growl when the Devils and their system was brought up. "They seem to treat them like slaves if you ask me. Just like the Shinobi in our world treated me and my brethren like weapons."

"I thought I got rid of your hatred for humanity back home."

"Sorry, Naruto. When I saw the clone's memories, I just felt…"

Naruto let out a deep sigh. "I understand, buddy. But things are different now, you know that."

Kurama gave a knowing snort. "Of course I know that!"

"Sure you did, Kurama." Naruto replied sarcastically until the latter opened his eyes just as his master came back with snacks and declared the break to be over. "There's something else that's bothering me." He said as he stood up and walked to the Elder to get a snack, only for the elderly man and Rhea to run away from him at full speed, causing him to chase after them at the same pace.

"Besides your master taunting you with snacks while throwing log stumps at you?" Ashura pointed out.

"Say what?!" Naruto did see a log stump heading for his head, causing him to dodge it again. "Oh, come on! That's not what bothering me."

"Then what?"

"I have a feeling something bad is happening in Karakura Town. Maybe I should send another clone back there."

"That's not necessary, Naruto. You know as well as I and Ashura do that your friends are capable of defending themselves. Have faith in them."

"Wise advice, Kurama."

"Thanks. I've been working on it for a while."

Naruto smiled as he smashed his fist into another stump hurtled at his face, splintering it into hundreds of wooden pieces. However, he couldn't shake off the foreboding feeling in him.

-Karakura Town-

"Getsuga Tensho!"

A large blue wave tore through a building as it intended to destroy its target: the Shinobi known as Kakuzu.

"Damn it!" Ichigo appeared behind Kakuzu atop of an adjacent building, Zangetsu already in mid-swing. "Take this, you bastard!"

Kakuzu ducked under the swing and pivoted on his heels to deliver an uppercut punch that was too fast for Ichigo to dodge, sending him up to the blue sky before Shunshining above him and hit him with a hammer punch that hurtled him to the ground.

"Gah!" Ichigo stood up just as Kakuzu Shunshined behind him with a lightning-covered fist, intending to impale him. However, Kakuzu was blindsided by a red and black flames that pushed him through a row of abandoned cars. Seeing to his right was Rias whose clothes were smudged from the battle. "Thanks!"

Rias nodded and flew to him with her wings expanded. "No problem." The duo then made their way down the street where Yuto and Koneko were squaring off with Samui and Hidan while Akeno and Issei faced against Karui and Shizuka. "You dare attack my servants?! This will not be tolerated!"

When Rias said that, her servants jumped back just as the redheaded girl swung her hands, unleashing a large wave of the red/black energy that disintegrated both the road and cars to nothing as it engulfed the Shinobi and the three Kuniochi. When they saw nothing, the duo regrouped back with Chad who was still guarding Orihime and Asia.

"Ha! That was easy." Issei said overconfident, although that changed when he saw the stern expression on Ichigo and Rias' faces. "Too easy?"

"You think?" Ichigo asked before he swung his sword to unleash another blue wave to counter a lightning attack from above. "These are Naruto's people so we have to be extra vigilant about them and their powers."

A familiar voice drew their attention. "Indeed." The teens turned their attention to their left and saw the five superhuman ninjas alive and well with no visible wounds at all. "We are superior to you all." Kakuzu smugly stated with his arms crossed.

"Care to prove that statement?" Yuto gripped his sword before disappeared from plain sight and reappeared in front of Kakuzu, only to be intercepted by Karui. "You're going to face me?"

Karui smirked as they landed on the ground with their swords clashing. "Why not?" She asked before channeling her Lightning Chakra into her blade, cutting through Yuto's sword like paper, forcing the latter to jump back with a shocked look. "Shinobi from my village specializes with Lightning Style techniques. Observe!"

Yuto summoned another sword, this time with flames surrounding the blade just as Karui activated a technique.

"Lightning Style: Overhead Strike!"

A large and thin crescent moon-like blade of lightning rapidly arched across the road, giving Yuto no time to block with his flame-adorned blade. His body shuddered and twitched like he was going through a seizure while screaming in agony.

"Yuto!" Issei cried out as the girls stared in shock before he heard his gauntlet say 'Boost!' "All right then. Ichigo, get Yuto out of there!" The Shinigami nodded before he Shunpoed in front of a surprised Karui and kicked her away from him before disappearing with Yuto back to their location. "Here I go! Dragon Shot!"

From his outstretched hand, Issei unleashed a very powerful, red beam of energy that rapidly approached the enemy while destroying a good portion of road, causing a deep trench from the destructive power.

"Oh, please." Shizuka stated in disdain as she looked at her fellow Shinobi and Kuniochi. "Shall we?"

Hidan smirked with a crazy look in his eyes despite of the incoming attack. "Let's do it."

"Fine." The remaining ninja complied just as the red beam engulfed them. Before Issei and the others could celebrate, the beam was blown back by a huge black flame-like aura that shielded the group with a noticeable change: their eyes were completely black with a tinge of red.

"Partner!" Issei was taken from his surprise at the enemy when his partner, Ddraig, called him. "Get out of there! That is no normal energy! Neither you and your friends are a match for them except perhaps that Shinigami kid."

"Guys!" Everyone's heads snapped at him. "We got to-" He was cut off by a voice behind him.

"Neither of you are going anywhere." The black aura-clad Shinobi surrounded the teenagers in a circle, surprising the, even further by their speed. "You're in for a world of pain."

Not ones to let others take the first strike, Ichigo, Yuto, Issei and Chad swung and punch at them while Akeno, Rias and Koneko protected Orihime and Asia but the boys were knocked into separate buildings by Samui, Karui, Shizuka and Hidan who went after the Ichigo as the Kuniochi Shunshined after the other boys.

"Now then." Kakuzu stared at the girls who were scared out of their minds from the insane powers. "Which heart shall I devour first?"

"Devour this!" Akeno pointed her right finger at the Shinobi and fired an arc of yellow lightning, but she was surprised when Kakuzu's aura simply deflected it to the street. "B-but how?"

"The chakra of the Shinju is more powerful than any of you can produced." Kakuzu formed a few hand signs before lightning arched from his feet to the girls' feet, anchoring to the ground and preventing them from leaving or escaping. "I'll ask you again: where is Naruto Uzumaki?"

Rias was the one to respond. "And we'll tell you again: we won't tell you where he is." The teenagers flinched each time the buildings where the boys, Hidan and the Kuniochi were fighting inside.

"I was hoping you would say that." Kakuzu stated before a few figures burst out of the buildings and landed before the girls; an injured Chad, Yuto, and Issei with bruises visible and blood dripping on and down their faces and arms. "As these boys will lose their lives in front of your eyes."

As if to reinforce his statement, the Kuniochi stood in front of the injured boys and channeled the black chakra around their palms before placing their limbs near their throats.

"My patience is wearing very thin, so I'll ask you one last time: where is Uzumki?"

Before anyone can make a sound, their focus was drawn by a very sudden and very powerful Spiritual Pressure-in Chad's and Orihime's case-in the building where Ichigo and Hidan were fighting before one of its walls burst by an unknown force that crashed hard against the side of a minivan. That force turned out to be Hidan who had a large slash on his chest with blood escaping from it.

"Hehehe… Hehehe…" Hidan spat out blood before he pulled himself out of the van. "I believe we got ourselves a challenge here, everyone."

Following Hidan's pointed finger, the Shinobi group and the teenagers turned to see a bruised Ichigo in his Bankai state: his tattered-end cloak and his black single-edged sword teeming with black energy.

After taking a couple of breathers, Ichigo smirked as he gripped Tnesa Zangetsu while charging up his Spirit Energy. "I'll take you all on." He then swung his sword full force, releasing the black version of his signature technique. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

-(Late Evening)-

Tokyo. The metropolitan capital of the island country of Japan and the home of the martial artist named Hayato Furinji AKA the Elder.

"Wow! So this is Tokyo now." Rhea said in amazement as she stood on the top of one of the nearest mountains. After a long trip, she and the two mortals made it to the capital. They decided to get a better view by one of the ridges of the mountains to see the entirety of the city.

"It is, young Rhea." The Elder commented as he walked and stood next to the teenager. "My dojo is somewhere in the south section of the city." A groan from behind caused him to look over his shoulder. "Come on, Naruto. You shouldn't be tired already."

Rhea turned around and stopped her-self from giggling when she saw Naruto on his knees and hands, panting slightly. "He looks like he enjoyed the workout."

"You're a monster, Elder!" Naruto shouted with his finger pointing at his 'innocent' master. His face was slightly bruised from a few lucky stumps and his knuckles were bleeding from repetitive stump smashing with nothing but his physical strength. His clothes somehow were left unscathed from whole 'training'. "Is your technique training at the same level?"

"Nope! My training is more brutal than what you just went through. Remember all that was for me to see the condition your body is and now I know where you stand." This piqued Naruto's and Rhea's attention. "In the world of Martial Arts, there are different types of Martial Artists out there. You can think of them as rankings depending on their strength."

"Rankings?" Rhea asked as Naruto walked next to her after taking a brief breather.

The Elder nodded with his gaze set on the city of Tokyo. "After careful observation, I can say, without doubt, Naruto's physical abilities and prowess are nearly at a master level. Whoever trained you must've been a very skilled and strong master." The man's hands started to shake in excitement. "Perhaps you could introduce me to your master?"

"You just want to fight him, don't you?" Naruto asked dryly, catching the Elder's hidden intention. "No offense, Elder, but you might want to pass up on that request."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Because my master happens to be the most powerful Shinobi in my world and his powers are god-like compared to everyone else including my-self." Those are words he wanted to say right there, but instead he chose his words carefully and truthfully. "He passed on a long time ago." Naruto said truthfully. He was telling the truth; his master is dead and lives in a mansion with his family and descendants for his reward of defeating the Shinju in his world's afterlife.

Those words dishearten the Elder who seemed to regret his choice of words while Rhea arched an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, no! Don't feel bad, Elder. I accepted it long ago. All I can do right now is to honor his teachings just as I will do the same to your teachings." Naruto looked at the Elder with a grin. "Master."

The man stood there with his gaze set on his grinning disciple before a grin of his own sprang to life. "You really are something, young man." The Elder began jumping down the mountain with ease. "Hope you keep that spirit during my training!"

Making sure the older man was actually gone, a curious Rhea looked at Naruto with her hands on her hips. "Is your master really dead?"

"Of course he is." Naruto responded with a tilt of his head and confused face. "Why?"

"Because you weren't completely honest with Mr. Furinji." Rhea stated, causing Naruto to sheepishly rub his head. "He's alive isn't he?"

"No he's dead. But you see… he lives in the… afterlife." Rhea's eyes widen in surprise as Naruto continued explaining, "And no, I didn't die. I was transported there and trained with my master until I passed his test. Even if he were alive right now, the Elder wouldn't last a second if he fought him. He's basically god-like." He was surprised and a little nervous when Rhea got too close to him. "Rhea?"

"Is that all?"

"Yep." Naruto said as he quickly jumped down the mountain to avoid Rhea's gaze that still drilled holes into him.

After staring into the retreating of the mortal Uzumaki, the Titaness sighed as she rubbed her temples before jumping down the mountain as well. "Who exactly are you, Naruto Uzumaki?"

-Las Noches-Hueco Mundo-

"Where are you taking us, Shinigami?"

The ever-smiling Gin said nothing as he led the Arrancar, Grimmjow, and his Fraccion to a row of descending circular staircase that seemed to go down further and further than what Las Noches was built on the outside. When they finally reached the end of the stairs, the group was facing two deep red/darkish purple large doors that reached the very tall ceiling with intricate designs that resembled a group of people, twelve of them to be precise, ruling over the ancient times of the World of the Living.

"What's behind these doors?" asked Yfoldt as Gin opened the doors with a simple tab.

The Shinigami and the Arrancars entered the room with nothing to worry about until the latter group felt an immense surge of powerful yet dark Spiritual Pressures. Darker than their Spirit Energy combined even Grimmjow's own power.

The silver-headed Arrancar snorted. "Is this some sort of scare tactic that Aizen cooked up 'cause he'll need to do better than this."

"Yes and no." Gin replied as he snapped his fingers to activate spotlights from the ceiling to reveal three different weapons in separate pedestals to hold them in place. Immediately the Arrancars felt intimidated by the objects when they were revealed since they're the origins of the dark Spiritual Pressures they're feeling right now.

The first weapon was a sword with a pale white hilt and a purplish-pale red double-edged blade. Near the hilt were pointed claws that reached upwards as another set of claws pointed near the top of the pommel.

The second weapon on the right pedestal was a golden sword with a blade that is noticeably shorter than most swords. It possessed no cross-guard and a large pommel. Near the tip of the blade was a symbol of a fiery sun with four diagonal rays reaching the ends. The weapon was a gladius; a sword used by the Romans during ancient times of the Roman Empire before its inevitable demise.

The third and last weapon in the middle was a scythe: a long black shaft with a six-foot black crescent moon-curved blade and a thick handle wrapped in pale golden leather.

"Those are not normal weapons." One of the Arrancars mentioned as he gulped from the intensity of the scythe's immense power like the rest of his fellow Fraccion including Grimmjow.

"No doubt about that."

"Maybe they're gifts for one of us."

"If so, I get the scythe 'cause it looks badass!"

"No, me!" They were so focused on which one of them will get the three weapons that they didn't notice Gin silently walking back to the doors.

Just when Grimmjow realized the Shinigami's lack of presence, he turned around to see the smiling latter and heard three words escape from his grinning mouth.

"Time to feed."

As Gin turned around and ascended up the stairs, never minding the sudden bright and thin lights that pierced through the crack of the doors or the symphony of agony and screaming from the other side of the doors that housed the weapons.

-(An Hour Later)-Tokyo-Japan-

After several train transports, three buses and three miles of walking, Naruto and his companions finally made it to the place where he will train to learn the Furinji Style; the Elder's personally fighting style he created from his years of combat experience over the decades.

Standing in front of him was two large and thick wooden doors impeded between 15-foot concrete walls that obscured whatever was behind it. On top of the doors was a sign that held the name of the setting, 'Ryozanpaku'. "It's good to be home." The Elder flicked his index fingers and opened the wooden gates like they were papers.

"Wow." Naruto said as he and Rhea followed the Elder inside the residence while observing the compound behind the gates.

The grounds were clearly taken care of and the stepping stones marked different set of paths that led to two buildings that serves different purposes. On the left, there was a traditional dojo that Naruto had seen at the Sage's estate during his training. The dojo was a well-kept elongated rectangular-shaped building on a raised platform that would allow one to either meditate or relax depending on the person's mood. On the right stood a traditional main house that looked liked it was built in the same style as the dojo, but it has two floors as opposed to the first level on the dojo.

Behind the main building, there was another building that looked to be an apartment complex for either the members or visiting guests. It was connected to the home through a hallway built in the traditional Japanese style like everything else in the compound. He also noticed the grounds were quite vast with a small wooded area in the back and several bushes, trees, and shrubs littered the clearing.

Hearing Rhea's voice snapped him out of his observation. "You have a lovely home, Mr. Furinji." Naruto nodded to agree with the Titaness.

"Thank you, Rhea." The Elder said before he stopped walking, prompting Naruto and Rhea to do the same. He turned around and smiled at the two teenagers with his arms stretched out by his sides. "Welcome to Ryozanpaku!"

As soon as he said that, a loud and piercing girlish scream echoed from out of nowhere, forcing Naruto and Rhea to cover their ears while the Elder remained unfazed like it was a normal thing for him.

"What was that?" Naruto asked after the scream ceased, only to see one of the dojo walls burst open by an unknown force or object.

Landing and rolling on the ground until it stopped near the Elder's feet was a young teenage boy in a training white dougi with medium length spiky brown hair in the back of his head and some hanging in the front on the sides. Before he could ask, Naruto was surprised when the boy suddenly jumped from the ground and landed behind him, which was a mistake.

"WAH!" The boy cried out when Naruto grabbed his arm and flipped him over, slamming him to the ground. "That hurts!" The boy crawled to an alarmed Naruto and bowed before him with tears in his eyes. "PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THOSE ANIMALS!"

Naruto and Rhea sweat-dropped at the boy. "Elder, who is this?" asked the Jinchuriki, trying to get the boy to let go of his legs. "Let go, you little-"

"Oi, Kenichi!" The boy now called Kenichi froze when he heard his name called out from the dojo.

Naruto and Rhea looked at the hole in the dojo and saw a man come out of the building. He was tall and largely-muscled with tanned skin, a long scar that runs horizontally across his nose and black hair with a longer strand hanging over his face. The man didn't wear a shirt, only a brown leather jacket that obscures part of his upper torso and blue jeans with bandages wrapped around his forearms.

"Come on! Get back here already, would ya?" The man was clearly annoyed at the boy's cowardly attitude.

"NO!" Kenichi cried out, tightening his grip on the blonde boy's legs, annoying the latter even more. He felt a tap on his head, making him look up to see a fist smash his face before the light in his eyes turned dark.

The Elder chuckled while Rhea gasped when Naruto punched the boy in the face as he fell to the ground. The Shinobi looked at them and justified his action. "What? He wouldn't let go."

"Apa! Kenichi is dead!" A voice cried out in terror with a strained accent. "Noooooo!"

The Jinchuriki and the Titaness looked back at the dojo to a different man standing next to the leather jacket-adorned man. The guy was taller than the guy next to him and more powerfully built given by the heavily toned muscles. His skin was also tanned and his spiky hair was short and silver. His clothes were a yellow tank top, red shorts and a mongkol around his head with bandages around his hands and feet.

"Apachai, did you do it again?" A different voice asked from inside the dojo building before it came out of the hole. It was a man who was physically different than the other men. He was fairly shorter than them and middle-aged with a long pointed mustache and wore a green Chinese robe, shoes and a hat.

"No it wasn't me this time!" said the taller and muscular man known as Apachai.

"Again? Did he say again?" asked a surprised Rhea as she looked down at the unconscious boy, who was being repeatedly poked by Naruto with his foot. "Did he die before? What kind of mortals are they?"

Soon after three more people came out of the dojo with different expressions. One of them was a man in a white hakama with messy black hair, well-groomed mustache and small physique compared to the other men. But the interesting thing about him was his nearly colorless pupils of his eyes.

"Whoa. I felt like he was piercing my soul with those eyes." Naruto said as his body shuddered in response.

The last two were surprisingly females with unbelievably slender, curvaceous figures and well-endowed breasts that most women would kill for. However one of them was clearly older, taller and more beautiful than the other one. She has long waist-length raven hair tied in a ponytail, peach skin and light purple eyes with lightning bolt-shaped eyebrows. Her clothing was a small pink kimono, long purple stockings and a tsuba-less nodachi strapped to her back with wrapped bandages around the hilt.

"Is that a mouse on her head?" thought Naruto to him-self while Rhea slightly shuddered when she saw the tiny creature wave at her.

The other girl was obviously younger and in her teenage years. She was fair-skinned with a beauty mark under her left eye, bright blue eyes and long straight blond hair that reached down to her hips with short bangs and a thick antenna-like strand hanging in front of her face like the Elder and her build was lean yet well-defined. Her clothing was a purple spandex outfit with a yellow apron covering it.

"I see things haven't toned down a bit since I left." The residents of Ryozanpaku finally realized the master of the house has returned from his trip with guests this time.

The blonde girl's eyes lit up when she saw the towering man. "Grandpa!" She cried out happily as she ran to the Elder and hugged him, which he returned by wrapping his arms around her. "You were gone for too long this time."

"Grandpa?" asked Naruto confused until he remembered the Elder mentioned a granddaughter during their trip. "So she's your granddaughter, Elder."

"Obviously, Naruto." Rhea replied dryly, getting a twitching eye from the Shinobi.

The blonde girl released her grandpa from her arms and looked at the new guests with a smile. "Hi, I'm Mui Furinji. Who are you two?" From what she gathered so far, the two speak Japanese fluently but their appearance speak otherwise. They look more Western like the citizens from the United States or the United Kingdom.

"Mui and everyone," The Elder said, gathering everyone's undivided attention, "this is Naruto…" He pointed at the grinning blonde boy who waved at them before pointing at the girl next to him. "And this is Rhea."

"Oh my gosh! What a beauty!" Neither Naruto nor Rhea was prepared when the shorter man with the hat started circling around the Titaness with a camera in his hands, taking photos. "I must take a picture of this! I-" Suddenly he was flung against the stone walls by shuriken impeding him to it with his clothes. "You're more high-strung this time, Shigure."

"Leave her… alone, Kensei." The stoic woman in the pink kimono, Shigure, said monotone with a shuriken in her right hand.

Meanwhile Naruto was surprised as he stared at the woman. "Her display of shurikenjutsu just now was unreal. Though it was brief, it's quite clear she's one of the masters here."

"So old man, why are these kids here?" The man in the leather jacket asked in a gruff tone with a annoyed look. "Don't tell me they are going to be our new disciples. We already have one here." He pointed at the unconscious Kenichi near the Elder's feet.

Instead of the Elder answering, it was the hakama adorned man who answered. "Sakaki, Rhea is not here for training. She's here to support Naruto; the one who will be training here at the dojo."

"Hooray! New Disciple! Apapapa!"

"Hmm. He looks like he can withstand our tor-I mean training more than our first disciple." The shorter man commented with a sly grin as he walked to the others after managing to escape the shurikens.

"Weapons training… perhaps."

"Yes! Another person for my death-I mean exercise machine I built just recently."

Sweat-drops slid down Naruto and Rhea's heads when they saw glints in each of the masters' eyes while Mui chuckled nervously for her blonde counterpart. However their plans was put to a halt when the Elder spoke about his plans.

"Actually, Naruto will be training under my tutelage here in Ryozanpaku." The masters including Mui and the mouse had slacked jaws as they blinked owlishly. "I will train him in the Furinji Style."

With news like this, even the horrified residents of Ryozanapku had one thing to say in response.

"EEEHHHHHH?!"