Welcome one, welcome all.

This is my new story, "The Absent". This story revolves around Ichigo and Naruto, but moreso Ichigo. I really like Ichigo-centric stories, and unfortunately there aren't many around. I have big plans for this story. It's definitely going to be a long, stressful, but fun ride.

I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter of "The Absent".

"I…."

The voices...

"I...chi…."

I can hear it again…

"I...chi….go…"

They're calling my name…

"Ich...igo…"

What do you want from me…?

"Ichigo...Ichi...go...Ichigo...ICHIGO!"

Ichigo sat up from his bed in a flash. He was panting lightly and sweat dripped from his forehead. The boy brought his hand up to his chest and took a deep breath. "It's the same thing every night...the voices call out to me...what does it mean?" He thought to himself.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a loud voice called his name.

"Ichigo Kurosaki!" He heard.

His eyes darted to his closed bedroom door. He could hear the person's footsteps get closer to his door. His door flung open in a flash. Ichigo winced from the natural sunlight that was shining through the windows in the next room.

"Wake up my handsome strawberry!" The person said enthusiastically.

"It's way too early for this, Mom," Ichigo groaned as he rubbed his eyes.

Masaki Kurosaki, mother of Ichigo Kurosaki, puffed her cheeks. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." She placed both hands on her hips and shook her head. "No one's ever going to marry my little man with an attitude like that!"

Ichigo's cheeks flushed with color. "I'm not little." He mumbled.

Masaki giggled at her son's embarrassment. "Awww, you're right! My lil Ichi is becoming a strong young man!" Masaki turned 180 degrees and made her way back to the kitchen of their small apartment. "It's time to get up! I need you to pick up some groceries from the market."

Ichigo got out of bed and stretched his arms, back, and legs. He made his way to the bathroom and did his normal routine: expel waste, shower and brush his teeth. He went back into his room and went through his closet. He picked out a plain white tee and black slim pants. He slipped on a pair of straw sandals.

The boy made his way to the kitchen. "All ready to go out, darling?" His mom asked sweetly. Ichigo nodded his head. His mother smiled and handed him a grocery list. "Here's everything I need. Make sure you get everything. Understand?"

"Yes mom. Everything. I got it." He sighed unenthusiastically. He headed for the front door of their apartment and opened the door.

"Be safe, Ichi-kun~!" His mother waved as he closed the door behind him. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted, he took in his surroundings. Civilians flooded the streets. It was always busy around. Even at night there was always something going on.

Ichigo turned to his right and started walking towards the market.

Ichigo "Strawberry" Kurosaki

As usual, the others around him stared at him. Some recognized him, some didn't. The ones who recognized him knew his reputation around the small neighbourhood of the district, and the ones who didn't questioned the boy's looks, more specifically his orange hair and menacing scowl.

14 Years Old

He found his way to the market and picked up everything his mother needed. Thankfully she didn't need much this time.

Hair: Orange

Ichigo decided to take the long route home. It had been awhile since he stopped by to see his childhood friend, and her place was on the way so he figured he would stop by and see how she was doing. She had been very busy lately with some stupid exam or tournament going on. He hadn't listened to her story. Her occupation never interested Ichigo much.

Eyes: Brown

The young boy finally made it to his destination. He gazed at the abundance of flowers that were displayed out. His vision was filled with multiple bright colors. His eyes traveled to the sign hanging above the store. "Yamanaka Flowers," he read. He could see someone inside of the shop. It was a girl with pink hair. She was wearing a qipao dress and green shorts. The dress had short sleeves, slits along the sides, and a white circular symbol on the back. He couldn't see her face, for she was facing away from him, however he knew who the girl was.

"Sakura?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "Is that you?"

Sakura turned towards the boy. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw who called her name. "Ichigo!" she said happily. "Long time no see!" She walked over to the boy.

"Yeah it's been awhile...your hair...it's shorter" Ichigo noted.

Sakura's eyes widened somewhat. She brought her right hand up to her hair and twirled a few strands between her fingers. "Yeah...some...events happened recently and I had to cut it."

"Events huh?" He noticed that she had a few bruises on her arms and legs. "I almost didn't recognize you. I haven't seen you with short hair since we were kids. I think it suits you."

Sakura's cheeks lightly flushed from the compliment. "Thanks strawberry," she said jokingly.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, anyways? It looked like you were going to buy some flowers. I've never seen you buy flowers here. You're usually here to cause a commotion with Ino." He mumbled the last part to himself.

Sakura blushed, remembering her reason for being at her rival's shop. "I'm...um...just picking up some flowers for my mom...uh yeah! For mom…"

Ichigo's eyebrow rose. "Why is she acting so nervous?"

"Liar!" Ichigo and Sakura's heads turned to the inside of the shop. Behind the counter stood Ino Yamanaka in her normal purple outfit. "She's buying flowers for Sasuke! She's going to visit him in the hospital!" Sakura's cheeks burned once again and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You're not gonna get a leg up on me!" Ino huffed as she jumped over the shop's counter. She made her way in between Ichigo and Sakura and nudged Sakura with her elbow. "I'm going with you!"

Sakura glared at Ino. "Ino...you wretched piglet." Sakura growled.

Ino turned around to face Ichigo. "And you!" She pointed her finger in Ichigo's face. "Where have you been?! You don't come to visit anymore! You better not be fooling around with some girl! I'll tell Auntie!"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. He pushed Ino's hand out of his face. "You're the one who's been out and about since you graduated from the academy!"

Ino crossed her arms underneath her chest and huffed. "Yeah well it's hard being a ninja! If we're not training, we're on missions, and if we're not on missions, we're training even more! You wouldn't understand since you're not a ninja."

Occupation: Civilian of Konoha

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Right. Even if I could be a ninja, I wouldn't become one."

It was Ino's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You tell me all the time."

Ichigo looked at the top of Ino's head and rose an eyebrow. "Hm? What happened to your hair? You cut it too?" He pointed to Ino's bun.

Ino jumped slightly and crossed her arms. "Some...events happened and I cut it."

"Ugh, why are girls so vague?" Ichigo thought to himself.

She turned back to Sakura. "Don't think I forgot about you! I'm not going to lose to you, Forehead girl!"

Sakura gained a vain on top of her head. "We'll see about that, Ino Pig!"

Ichigo sighed. Every time the two girls were around each other they would argue about Sasuke. "So what is it with him now? You said he was in the hospital?"

Ino and Sakura looked at Ichigo. "Yeah," Ino started. "He got into some trouble during the second part of the Chuunin exams. Hopefully he'll recover before the final part…"

"Right...It was the Chuunin Exams. That's what Ino called them…" The young boy thought to himself.

Ino glanced down at the bags in her friend's hands. "Auntie make you go grocery shopping?" Ino snickered.

"Stop calling her that. It's weird. And yeah. Speaking of, I should probably get going. She's gonna flip for taking so long." Ichigo sighed.

"Did you come here for a reason?" Sakura asked.

"Just came by to say hi to Ino-pig," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.

"Awwww! You do care about me!" Ino sighed happily, ignoring the infamous nickname.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I gotta get going." Ichigo turned around and headed home. "It was good seeing you two. I'll see ya around." Ichigo waved his hand at the two as he walked away.

"Bye strawberry-kun," Ino stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Bye Ichigo," Sakura smiled.

The two watched as their friend's figure faded in the distance...

"It was good to see a couple familiar faces. Everything's been so boring now that everyone's doing their own thing." Ichigo sighed to himself. Ichigo went into a deep thought as he made his way back home.

"Tch. Some of Ino and Sakura's friends who are in the ranks are either idiots, crazy, or brats." His thoughts went to a certain family friend of his. "That bonehead falls in all three categories."

"Finally home," He mumbled. He turned the doorknob to his small apartment and walked in. "I'm home!" Ichigo walked in a placed the two bags he had on the coffee table.

"Welcome back, Ichi-kun!" He heard his mother say. Ichigo turned towards her and he realized they weren't the only two in their apartment. Sitting at the dining table along with his mother was a beautiful woman with long, red hair. She had blue eyes and was wearing a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard shinobi sandals.

"Kushina-san," he said in a surprised tone. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Ichigo-kun!" the woman beamed. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" In a flash, the woman jumped out of her seat and wrapped the young boy in a tight hug.

"T-too tight!" Ichigo breathed out.

Masaki giggled at her son's startled expression. She started to get a little worried when Ichigo's face turned slightly blue. "Kushina-chan! He can't breath!" She sweatdropped.

Kushina let go of the boy. "Goddamn this woman!" Ichigo hunched over slightly and panted heavily.

"I-I'm sorry, Ichigo-kun," Kushina said sheepishly.

"I-it's ok," Ichigo mumbled. Kushina took her seat next to Masaki and Ichigo took a seat across from them.

"How was your adventure, Ichi-kun? You took awhile," Masaki noted.

"Sorry. I took the long way home and stopped by Ino's just to say hi. Sakura was there too so we talked for a bit." Ichigo explained.

Masaki rose an eyebrow. "Ino-chan and Sakura-chan huh? I haven't seen them in awhile. How are they?"

"Fine, I guess." Ichigo shrugged. "They're participating in the Chuunin exams, or something."

"Ah that's right! I forgot Sakura-chan was on Naruto-kun's team along with the young Uchiha." His mother remembered.

Ichigo rose an eyebrow. "Team?" Ichigo was so uneducated in the field of the Shinobi.

Masaki turned to Kushina. "How's Naruto-kun fairing in the exams? I heard they're strict this year!"

Kushina gained a worried look on her face. "Him and his team are doing well so far...he's been training non-stop with Jiraiya-san for the passed few days for the final part."

Ichigo and Masaki had surprised looks on their faces. "That pervert? He's back?" Ichigo asked.

Masaki shot him a glare. "Not nice, Ichi-kun. Is Jiraiya-san actually back? Why? When did he come back?"

"He said he's here for more research on his novel," Kushina explained. "He's only been back for a few days. As soon as he came back Naruto-kun begged Jiraiya-san to start training." Kushina chuckled.

"Jeez, I've been cooped up in this apartment for so long!" Masaki whined. "So many things are going on around us and I haven't even noticed!"

"How's the blockhead been outside of the 'oh so great shinobi world', Kushina-san? I haven't seen him since he graduated from the academy." Ichigo propped his arm up on the table and leaned his head on his hand.

Kushina chuckled at the orange haired boy's attitude. "He's alright. He's been more fired up than ever since the incident with Mizuki-sensei. After coming home from the Land of Waves, he's been training really hard to get stronger."

"Land of Waves, huh," Ichigo replied in a bored tone. "I don't know much about the incident with this Mizuki asshole, but mom did say Naruto kicked his ass. And the Land of Waves...I guess the blockhead is growing up."

"Well if you excuse me," Ichigo said while getting up from his chair, "I'm going to head out for a bit. Maybe meet up with Shikamaru to play Shogi if he's not doing anything." Ichigo walked towards the front door. "It was good seeing you, Kushina-san. Tell Naruto I said "hi". Bye mom," He said.

"I'll make sure to tell him, Ichigo-kun!" Kushina smiled.

"Don't stay out too late, Ichi-kun! Be back before dinner!" Masaki pleaded.

They watched the young teen close the door behind him. Masaki glanced at the bags of groceries on the coffee table. "He didn't put the groceries away." Masaki whined. She got up from the table and grabbed the bags. She went into kitchen and started putting things away.

"Masaki-chan," Kushina whispered from the dining table. "How's he been...I know Ichigo-kun hasn't been himself lately...but every since Naruto and the others graduated, it seems like he's choosing to distance himself from Naruto and the others."

Masaki finished putting away the groceries. She turned to Kushina and had a worried look on her face. "Honestly...I don't know...he's always been my cute little Ichi. Always by my side 24/7. He was such a cute little mama's boy...but you're right...he's been acting strange towards everyone." Masaki explained.

"Do you think he wants to be a shinobi? Like the others?"

"I...I don't think so. He's strong willed like his father. He wouldn't feel envious. I think...he just doesn't want to feel useless…he doesn't want be forgotten." Masaki crossed her arms underneath her bust.

"He's getting older now...are you going to tell him th-"

"NO!" Masaki shouted. The air around Masaki and Kushina became heavy. "No," Masaki whispered. "I will not tell him anything. The less he knows the better. For his sake, mine, and for Konoha."

Special Skills: ...None...

Kushina looked down at the ground. She didn't mean to offend her friend. "I'm sorry, Masaki. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's fine Kushina. I just lost my temper," Masaki mumbled. "I just don't want him to get hurt. I know that sooner or later he'll unlock his powers. It's just that...when that time comes I want to be strong enough to protect him from whatever wants to harm him."

Kushina got up from her chair in a flash, somewhat startling Masaki. "You don't have to worry! Didn't I promise you all those years ago that I would protect you two with my life?! That includes Naruto too! He'll be right my side! We're a family so we need to watch each other's' backs, dattebane!" Kushina finished her short speech with a bright smile and a waved fist in the air.

Masaki giggled at Kushina's goofy expression. "Thank you, Kushina. That means a lot," Masaki smiled. Her smile faded when her thoughts traveled to her son. "Something tells me he's going to unleash his powers in the near future...I need to make sure I keep a close eye on him…"

X-X

It had been several days since Kushina had visited. Ichigo, along with Kushina and Masaki were sitting in the stands of Konoha stadium. It was the first day of the final part of the Chuunin exams. Kushina invited Masaki and Ichigo to cheer Naruto on, since his match was first.

Ichigo refused right away, stating that he would rather read all of Jiraiya's shitty novels than go to the stupid tournament. He received a pinch on the cheek from Kushina and a pulling of the ear from Masaki.

Ichigo sat with a bored expression on his face. He was listening to the proctor explain the rules and the match lineups. His eyes went to Naruto. He slightly smirked. "Same old stupid orange jumpsuit. Same old dumb whiskers...hm...the headband is new though…"

"There's no way the brat can beat the Hyuga child. It's like putting a worm against a snake. It's honestly embarrassing for him to even try!"

Ichigo glared at the person who was speaking. It was a random civilian. He was an older man. There was another man sitting next to him.

"That demon is going to lose for sure! No doubt about it!" the man said.

"Fucking pricks." Ichigo thought. He glanced at his mother and Kushina. They heard the men too. They both had veins popping on their heads. It was a miracle that they didn't say anything to the men. They usually would beat the crap out of anyone that would talk badly about Ichigo or Naruto.

Ichigo brought his attention back to the center of the arena. In the middle stood Naruto, Neji Hyuga, and the proctor. The other Genin took their seats in the spectator booths.

Naruto was glaring at the Hyuga. The Hyuga had a smirk on his face. "Have anything to say?" The Hyuga taunted.

Naruto stood there in silence for a few seconds. "I've said this before," he started. He raised a fist and pointed it at Neji. "I vow to win!" Naruto finished with a growl.

The two fighters were locked in a death stare. The veins around Neji's temples began to flare and harden.

Kushina couldn't hold it in anymore. She wished her son good luck before the match and told him that no matter what happened she'd be right by his side. She told herself to contain her emotions and not let loose, but she couldn't do it.

Kushina got up from her seat. "NARUTO-KUN!" She exclaimed, getting the attention of the blonde, as well as many of the other spectators. "You can win! I believe in you! Kick that brat's butt, dattebane!"

Ichigo and Masaki sweatdropped at the redhead's outburst. The other spectators around her started whispering things like, "Did she really just call Neji Hyuga a brat?!" or "What is she thinking?!"

Ichigo chuckled at their remarks. He brought his attention to Naruto. He was staring back up at them. He gave them a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"Oba-san and carrot top are here too! There's no way I can lose now!" Naruto thought to himself. He wanted to prove to them that he was a great shinobi.

The proctor waited until the spectators quieted down before he started the match. After a minute or so, the stands were quiet again. "Now let the match...begin!" The proctor yelled as he jumped away from the two fighters.

"I can't wait to see the despair in your eyes...when the truth finally dawns on you that you can't defeat me…" Neji smirked as he took his fighting stance.

Naruto gained a smirk of his own. "Quit yer yapping! Let's fight!" Naruto took his own stance.

Ichigo watched intently. He was interested in Naruto's abilities. He didn't know much about his skills. The Hyuga's too. He somewhat knew about the Byakugan. That was really it.

He did believe in the idiot though. As much as Naruto annoyed him, he was still a friend. A close one at that. Ichigo could almost call him a brother...but that was a stretch. He believed in the blonde boy.

Ichigo watched as Naruto formed a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed. Four puffs of smoke appeared around Naruto and stepped out four clones of Naruto.

"Shadow clones?" Masaki asked in a shocked tone. "That's a Jounin technique. I'm surprised he's able to pull that off, let alone four producing four clones!"

"Teehee. That's my boy!" Kushina smiled.

The four clones charged at Neji. The Hyuga jumped over the first two while smashing their heads on the ground. Once he was back on the ground, he jumped again and kicked the remaining two clones. The first pair of clones charged again with kunai in their hands. They aimed for Neji's back, however the Hyuga caught their hands and elbowed them in their faces. Neji swung around a palmed the two clones in their chests, sending them back to the original Naruto. All of the shadow clones deactivated.

"You want to become Hokage, right?" Neji asked with a smirk on his face. "I don't think that's going to happen." He taunted.

From the stands, Masaki, Kusina, and Ichigo's eyebrows knitted into deep scowls. They knew how much Naruto wanted to become Hokage.

"I can tell with these eyes of mine," Neji continued, "Abilities and talents are determined at birth. In other words, your entire destiny is set from the time you're born."

"Why are you so stubborn?!" Naruto growled, "You're always so sure that the future is full of doom and gloom...why?!"

"Well...are you saying that anyone can become Hokage if they try hard enough? Only a select few Shinobi are ever even considered for Hokage. Wake up and face reality! Those who will become Hokage are born with that fate. You can't get there by trying...you have to be preselected. All of us...have only one thing in common...one shared fate…" Neji's became hard. "Death." He finished solemnly.

Ichigo's eyes widened at that.

"Grr, well so what?! I guess I'm just a sore loser!" Naruto weaved his signature hand sign and summoned more clones.

"I'm not an idiot, you know. I've seen through your pattern of attacks already." Neji stated.

"I told you...you shouldn't make assumptions about the future!" Naruto and all of his clones charged at Neji, throwing strikes, punches, and kicks. Nothing was landing.

Ichigo watched as the Hyuga dodged every single attack. The Hyuga made his way through the clones, finally getting to the Naruto that was hanging back behind the others. "Dodge you idiot!" Ichigo mentally screamed. He watched as Neji struck Naruto. Naruto hunched over and began to cough up blood.

"I told you it was useless." Neji backed away from Naruto.

"Hehe…" Naruto chuckled, "And I told you…" Naruto lifted his head. A toothy grin was plastered on his face. "I told you to not make so many assumptions!" The Naruto that Neji, and everyone else, thought was real, was actually a clone. The clone deactivated and from behind Neji sprouted two Narutos. They tried punching Neji, however the Hyuga spun 360 degrees, and as he did, he expelled his chakra, causing a sphere to form around the Hyuga's body.

"W-what the hell was that?" Ichigo asked shocked. He looked at his mom and family friend to see that they were shocked too, just not as much as him.

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation," Kushina answered. "I'm surprised a boy so young is able to pull off a jutsu like that...C'mon Naruto-kun...you can do it!"

"You're finished," Neji said flatly. "You are within the boundaries of my 8 Trigrams. Neji closed his eyes. In his mind, he envisioned the Eight Trigrams circle. Neji then took a fighting stance. "Gentle Fist...8 Trigrams, 64 Palms!"

With incredible speed, Neji dashed at Naruto. "2 Palms!" Neji announced as he struck Naruto. "4 Palms, 8 Palms, 16 Palms!" From the stands, Naruto's supports stared with worried looks as Naruto received the Hyuga's blows. "32 Palms! 64 Palms!" The final blow sent Naruto to the ground.

"Naruto-kun…" Kushina whimpered out.

"He's going to be ok," Masaki said as she rubbed Kushina's shoulder for comfort. Ichigo stayed quiet.

"It's over. I've pressed 64 of the chakra points around your body. You can no longer even stand." Neji said with a stern face. Naruto said nothing. He was on his knees, hunched over from the pain. "It must be frustrating...here, on your knees before my immutable strength...you must finally comprehend the power gap between you and I. Believing that your dreams will come true if you just try hard enough...that's simply a fantasy."

That was it. He couldn't take it anymore. Ichigo got up from his seat, startling Masaki and Kushina. "Ichi-kun? Are you okay?" Masaki asked. She could tell he wasn't listening, for he was staring down at Naruto and Neji. She reached up to grab his shirt, but before she could, Ichigo ran into the aisle where the stairs were.

"Ichigo!" He could hear his mom shout. Ichigo ran to the metal gate that blocked spectators from entering the battlefield. Ichigo gripped the gate with great force. He leaned over the edge. He could see Naruto shaking even from where he was.

Ichigo wasn't one to cause a ruckus. He stuck to himself. He kept to himself...but when he saw someone who was precious to him in some sort of trouble, he knew he had to do something. If only he had the power to protect Naruto...he would be beat the shit out of this long haired snob of the Hyuga.

Ichigo knew he could only do one thing to help Naruto in this situation. He straightened out his posture and took a deep breath. "NARUTO-TEME!" He shouted, causing the stadium to go quiet. All eyes were on him.

"I-Ichigo?!" Ino breathed out. She was shocked that Ichigo of all people was the one who was screaming Naruto's name. Hell, she was shocked to even see him at an event like this at all!

"What is that idiot doing?" Sakura asked, just as shocked as Ino.

From the VIP box, the Third Hokage smirked. "Hm...that's Masaki's child...Ichigo Kurosaki…"

The other genin and spectators stared at the orange haired boy like he was crazy. Shikamaru, who knew Ichigo through Ino, was surprised like the rest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ichigo continued. "Didn't you make a vow?! You promised to win! I believed in you! My mom did too, and your mom!" Ichigo growled. "So what are you doing on the ground shaking like a baby?! Get your ass up and FIGHT! Prove to this prick that you're not a failure! Prove to him, and everyone else, that you're going to be Hokage one day! Get up and fight!"

Everyone stared at the boy with wide eyes, especially Kushina, Ino, Sakura, and his mother.

"He really knows his way with words, dattebane!" Kushina giggled, wiping a lone tear out of her eye.

"Yeah he does," Masaki chuckled. "There's part of the Ichigo I remember…"

Neji glared up at the orange haired boy. "What a pest." He muttered.

He brought his attention back to Naruto who, in the Hyuga's and everyone else's surprise, was getting up from the ground.

The blonde haired boy was panting. "Shut...shut up...carrot top!" Naruto chuckled through his panting. "I'm not done yet!"

Ichigo gave him a rare toothy smile. "Go get 'em blockhead," Ichigo laughed.

"There's no way." Neji said in disbelief. His Byakugan deactivated. "Listen. Just give up, all right? There's no point in continuing. I don't have a grudge against you. Just forfeit."

"Shut up!" Naruto growled. "You may not have one against me, but I do for you! You're so strong...and yet you act like you know everything," Naruto took a second to catch his breath. "And when you were against Hinata, who was fighting so hard, you played those horrible mind-games with her!"

"That's none of your business." Neji scowled.

"You mocked Hinata," Naruto continued, "Calling her a failure and claiming you could see her fate! I don't know anything about that stupid clan stuff...but I could never forgive a jerk who goes around calling people failures!"

Ichigo face turned into a scowl. He knew what it was like to be called a failure…

"Since you insist...I'll tell you...about the hateful legacy of the Hyuga clan!" Neji's eyes became hard. "There's a secret birthright ninjutsu passed down in the Hyuga main branch. It's a curse mark jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened at that. "This curse mark represents a "caged bird". It is proof that some people are bound to destinies from which they cannot escape.

Neji reached up to his headband and tugged it off. When Naruto saw the markings on Neji's forehead, his eyes widened even more. No one said anything from the stands. Ichigo stayed quiet and observed.

"One day when I was four years old...this abominable mark was branded onto my forehead using the curse mark jutsu," Neji explained, "That day, a grand celebration was being thrown in Konoha. There was a lavish ceremony in honor of the shinobi ruler of the Land of Clouds. Konoha had long waged war against his nation, but he had come to sign an alliance pact."

"Every shinobi in Konoha, from Genin to Jounin, was in attendance. Except for one family...the Hyuga clan. Coincidentally that day was also the main branch's heir's birthday. It was Lady Hinata's third birthday. My father and Lady Hinata's father were twin brothers. However, Lord Hiashi, Hinata's father, entered the world first, and thus the eldest son, and a member of the main branch. My father, as second son, was relegated to the cadet branch. When Lady Hinata turned three, I as branded with the mark and became a "Caged Bird"."

"Why did they have to do that?" Naruto interrupted. "Splitting into main and cadets branches…what is it for? What does that weird mark mean?"

"This mark on my forehead is no decoration." Neji explained. "This curse mark signifies an absolute threat of death imposed by the main branch upon the cadet branch! The secret techniques of the main branch can easily destroy the minds of those of the cadet branch. So of course, killing us is a simple task. And this curse mark only fades after death...after the secret of the Byakugan has been sealed away...it is a brilliant and efficient strategy...and then...the incident occurred...my father was murdered by the main branch."

"What?" Naruto asked, his face full of shock.

"One night someone tried to kidnap Lady Hinata. Hiashi rushed to the scene immediately and killed the perpetrator...and who was the bandit…? It was the Shinobi ruler of the Land of Clouds. It became clear that they had been after the secret of the Byakugan from the very beginning. However, even though their own ninja got himself caught and killed, the Land of the Clouds claimed Konoha had breached the contract and began making unreasonable demands...the war nearly resumed...but eager to avoid battle, an agreement was reached. Konoha made a backroom bargain with Cloud. Cloud demanded the corpse of Lord Hiashi. Konoha accepted the condition."

"War was safely averted thanks to my father, who was sacrificed to protect the main branch. He was murdered to serve as Hyuga Hiashi's body double. The only way to escape this curse mark...is to die. Even though they were identical, the difference between being born first and being born second sealed each of their fates forever...and so...this match, too...the moment I was selected as your opponent, your fate was sealed. Your fate is to lose to me." Neji began to but his forehead protector back on.

"I can't even imagine how much pain you felt when you lost your father...but I think you're wrong to conclude that everyone's destinies are predetermined!" Naruto protested.

"You're hopeless," Neji reactivated his Byakugan and charged at Naruto. He palmed Naruto in the chest sending the blonde boy back. "What a failure." Neji turned around to walk away.

"Don't turn your back...I won't run away...I never go back on my word." Naruto got up from the ground. "I won't lose to someone like you!" Naruto clasped his hands together. Naruto's chakra became visible. It was almost as if it was oozing out of his body.

"This chakra!" Kushina exclaimed, a look of worry plastering her face. "How did he learn to access the chakra of the Nine Tails?!" She thought for a moment, remembering a certain pervert was back in town. "Dammit Jiraiya!"

"Kushina...how…" Masaki asked in disbelief. "When did he…?"

Ichigo stared in awe at Naruto's power. It was flaring all around the blonde boy. It gave Ichigo chills. It was strong, dense...yet so dark.

Naruto's bruises and cuts faded away. There was an orange hue that surrounded Naruto. "Here I come!" Naruto jumped in the air, throwing shurikens at Neji while he floated in the air. Neji used his Rotation to block the attacks. Naruto jumped onto the wall and used his chakra to stick to it. "I may not understand the tragic destiny of the Hyuga clan or whatever, but if you think it's inescapable, fine! Then stop fighting." Naruto jumped off the wall, creating a small crater behind him. He cocked his fist back, preparing to strike Neji. "But when I become Hokage...I'll change the Hyuga clan!"

Naruto's fist collided with Neji's rotation, causing dust and debris to fly everywhere. A cloud of smoke covered the battlefield. Once the smoke cleared, it became visible that there were two craters in the ground.

Naruto and Neji were in the craters. None of the spectators could tell which was which. "C'mon you bastard." Ichigo gripped the fence tightly. "I know you're not done yet...get up!"

"Please be ok, Naruto-kun," Kushina pleaded.

"He can do it, Kushina." Masaki reassured her.

Finally, Neji stepped out of one of the craters. Everyone could now see Naruto curled up in the other crater. "Sorry failure," Neji taunted. "It's too bad, but this is reality."

Neji felt movement underneath his feet. He looked down with wide eyes. The ground beneath him was cracking. Out from the ground shot Naruto, uppercutting Neji as he came out. Neji was sent flying back and collided with the ground.

Blood dripped from Naruto's hand. From the crater where the other Naruto lay, a puff of smoke appeared.

"Another shadow clone?!" Ichigo was shocked. "The kid is getting smarter." Ichigo smirked.

"In the middle of all of that...you managed to create a shadow clone...your signature ninjutsu...that was careless of me." Neji said from the ground.

"I failed the academy graduation exam three times," Naruto confessed. Kushina and Masaki's faces dropped from that statement. They remembered the wave of emotions Naruto went through during that time. However he still pushed through it in the end.

"The exam always tested the same ninjutsu...my absolute weakest ninjutsu. My weakest ninjutsu was the Shadow Clone Jutsu…" Naruto stared down at Neji with hard eyes. "So shut up about destiny. You shouldn't whine about such stupid stuff! Unlike me...you're not a failure."

Everyone went silent from that. After a few seconds, the proctor raised his hand in the air. "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"

The audience went up in an uproar. Claps were heard all throughout the stadium.

Kushina jumped up from her seat and pumped her fists in the air. "I knew he could do it, dattebane!" She exclaimed happily. "I'm still going to kill Jiraiya for teaching him how to use the Fox, but for now I'll let Naruto-kun have his victory…" She thought in the back of her mind.

Masaki was also out of her seat. "Go Naruto-kun!" She clapped.

Naruto looked up at Ichigo from the arena. The two stared at each other for awhile. Naruto broke the stare and gave Ichigo a toothy smile. Naruto held up the peace sign and laughed. "I told you, carrot top!" Naruto laughed.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, a smile plastered on his face. He reopened his eyes. "I knew you could do it, dumbass."

X-X

The exams continued after Naruto and Neji's match, however adjustments were made to the matches. Sasuke and Gaara's match was postponed due to Sasuke not arriving on time. Up next was Shino vs. Kankuro, but for some unknown reasons, Kankuro forfeited before the match even started.

That meant it was time for Shikamaru vs. Temari. Ichigo was so engaged in the battle. He was annoyed by Shikamaru's normal lazy attitude, however he knew the Nara boy was a genius. It was insane to Ichigo. In the end, Shikamaru forfeited even after composing the perfect plan.

Everyone in the stadium was dumbfounded, except for Choji.

Then it was time. Sasuke vs. Gaara…

Sasuke finally appeared in a flashy whirlwind of leaves, alongside Kakashi.

Ichigo hadn't been around the Uchiha for long, however the boy looked different to him. Ichigo couldn't tell what it was.

The battle finally commenced. Ichigo's eyes could barely keep up with Sasuke's movements...it was incredible! Sasuke's sped was just insane. After the Uchiha landed a few blows on Gaara, the sand child created a dense ball of sand around himself. No one could tell what was going on on the inside.

Sasuke planned his next attack. He jumped back on the wall and weaved a few hand signs. He then held his left forearm. A bright ball started to form in Sasuke's left hand, and what seemed like lightning started to cackle around the ball. Sasuke jumped off the wall and charged at Gaara's sand ball. Sasuke landed the attack and cut through Gaara's defense.

Gaara started screaming from inside the ball. Sasuke tried pulling his arm out, but he was stuck. He finally broke free and jumped back, and as he did so, a monstrous arm made of sand came out of Gaara's ball. The arm faded away, turning back into regular sand, and so did Gaara's ball.

Gaara was holding his wounded shoulder and was panting.

Something then caught Ichigo's eye. Feathers were falling from the sky. "What the hell?" He muttered. He looked around him to see the other spectators hunched over, as if they were asleep.

Startled, he looked back at his mom and Kushina to see them with their hands clasped together.

"Release!" They shouted in unison. Ichigo's eyes began to feel heavy.

"W-what the hell…" He muttered. Ichigo then fell to his knees. "What's going on…?" His eyes kept fluttering.

"Ichigo-kun!" That was the last thing Ichigo heard before he fell into a deep sleep.

X-X

And that concludes the first chapter of "The Absent". This chapter is meant to contain the "Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How?" questions. I prefer to be vague with these first few chapters just so I can let you guys kinda guess what's going on. Like how is Kushina alive? Is the Bleach universe relevant to this story? What's Ichigo's relationship to the other Genin? I'd like to see what you guys think.

I will explain, however, that you will see that Ichigo isn't really involved for these first couple of chapters. This is his story...but at the same time, it's not. At least not yet. He's relevant to the main plot of "Naruto", yet he's seen as a regular kid to the others. It's like we're seeing the viewpoint of a side character like Teuchi or Ayame.

Also, I apologize for rushing through Naruto's fight with Neji, along with the other battles. There was honestly no point in writing out every little detail of the battles since that would just be a waste of time. Naruto vs. Neji was the only one that was relevant because Ichigo saw how much Naruto grew since the last time he say him.

Next chapter kickstarts the attack on Konoha so stay tuned.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Until next time!

ToxicOnyx