(Naruto) X (Bleach) / crossover.

NAMIKAZE

Prologue

!Shiki-Fūjin!

Minato Namikaze felt pain like he never had in his entire life. His tolerance for it was usually good. This hurt like a motherf—

He bit the inside of his lip. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He huffed out deep breaths. He looked at his unconscious wife; she was alive and that was enough. He looked at his child.

"Kushina…Naruto…I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend more time with you both. Live a good life. Live a proud life. I hope you'll grow to understand why I did what I did. And I hope that in every lifetime ahead of me I get to know the both of you. I love you…"

Minato died staring into the eyes of his first-born child. He'd known him for barely an hour and he felt smitten. He died a proper shinobi. He died a father. He died a husband. Minato died with a smile on his face. He saw his face and then nothing.

Fade to black...

Seretei bustles with people—Soul Reapers and otherwise—the sun is high and the breeze is cool. It is a beautiful day for the dead. So when Genryūsai Yamamoto adjourned himself to the openness of his bedroom terrace he found himself more than surprised when he found a stranger laying in a cot—his cot.

Yamamoto slammed his cane harshly by the stranger's ear. The man, startled, awakened, then frantically felt himself and stared wide-eyed at his surroundings. Yamamoto observed. As he watched, the man transitioned from panic to calm and collective. Yamamoto presumed the obvious—recently dead—but for the life of him he couldn't place his finger on why a dead human had appeared in his home, on his terrace, on his cot?

"What is your name, young man?"

The stranger stared at Yamamoto and said, "Namikaze Minato."

Yamamoto hmm'd and said, "Do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened moments ago?"

Minato stared at Yamamoto and recalled his memories. He found none shooting out at him. He shook his head. Yamamoto nodded.

"Don't fret. It's not uncommon."

Minato nodded. He was clothed in all white. His hair was shorter. He felt lighter. He couldn't remember who he was and how he got here. The only thing he knew was his name. For some reason that information jumped out at him.

"Come." Yamamoto wasted no time. He turned around and awaited Minato to follow. He would find him proper shelter and have him out of his way and his home and his favourite terrace-cot.

CLINK

Yamamoto flinched, he turned around—his cane disappeared—the hilt of a sword rested in his hand. Minato flinched too. The noise had come from his location. Yamamoto eyed him suspiciously.

Minato raised his hands and searched his body. There—chains. Chains clinked and clanked as Minato moved. He stood up. Lengthy metal-linked chains were tied to both his hands. His hands were cuffed on each wrist. There was an odd sort of mark on the cuffs, like a word or a symbol. Ah—a seal. A seal was written on his wrists.

Yamamoto examined it. He read:

It said Hiraishin.

Yamamoto knew the signs. He'd seen it once before an eternity ago. A Shinigami was rarely born. Minato Namikaze was born a Soul Reaper into this world. Yamamoto nodded to himself.

Minato still seemed unaware of what was going on.

Yamamoto said, "Come, young one. I will answer your questions. And you will be my Shinigami."

Minato didn't understand. He simply said, "Hai."

PROLOGUE END.

A/N: A Naruto X Bleach crossover story. Minato Namikaze is stuck, he doesn't know who he is, where he came from or why his hands are bound in chains. He doesn't remember that his wife and his son live. Will he recall? Will he find his way back to them? Find out in the next chapter!

Drop a review and let me know where y'all would like the story to go next. I'm open to suggestions. I wrote this prologue randomly when an idea for a Shinigami Minato Namikaze struck my brain. "It'd be epic," and so here we are. I have no outline or plot that I'm adhering to religiously. I'd love to indulge new perspectives on old narratives we've seen and even explore some new paths in terms of story arcs.