"Speech"

Thoughts

(Techniques)

Scene Change

I don't own Naruto or Bleach...simple as that.

Naruto Chuuten: Rising Into The Heavens
By: Draco Kamikaze

There was an echoing silence as two figures glared each other down.

Naruto and Sasuke had been fighting for quite a while now, and this was going to be the final move; the final strike that ended this ferocious battle. By now, neither of them looked human, and both resonated with a dark power.

Naruto had drawn on the Kyuubi's power to the point where the chakra had become semi-solid. It had quickly leaked out and covered him, giving him the appearance of the nine-tailed fox…though he only had one tail at the moment. In his right hand, a small ball of whirling chakra, the Rasengan, was being formed.

Sasuke had gone into the cursed seals second stage by drawing on its power to the point that it was beginning to affect his mental state. His appearance had changed from that of a normal, fair skinned boy, to a muddy grey color. His normally black hair was longer and smoky grey in color. He had two leathery hand-like 'wings' coming out of his back which seemed to amplify the fact that he was no longer human. On his face, a cross-like mark had formed on the bridge of his nose. The only thing that had not changed during this transformation was his Sharingan which whirled violently as he charged a Chidori in his left hand.

Neither one would back down. Both had made a promise to themselves, one to another person. And now, this strike would determine who would keep their promise.

Leaping forward, they quickly flew across the vast chasm that had kept them apart just moments before. As the flew, Sasuke's 'wings' flapped will noticeable effort; while Naruto's tail seemed to act in the same way, propelling him forward. As they reached each other, they pulled back their respective arms, and let their attacks strike each other.

"Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)!"

"Chidori (Thousand Birds)!"

The two powerful techniques clashed, creating a small shockwave of energy. As they pushed their chakra at each other, attempting to end it, they pushed each other's chakra away from themselves. Slowly, a giant ball of dark purple, tainted chakra formed around the two, cutting them off from sight. As their attacks continued the ball grew larger, and then darker in color.
Within the ball, Naruto reached out his clawed hand, attempting to reach Sasuke. At that same moment, Sasuke reached his hand forward, fully intent on striking Naruto through his heart.
For a brief second, Sasuke mentally paused. Did he really need to do this? Did he really have to kill his best friend in order to get the Mangekyou? Yes…it was the only way to do so, but would he sink as low as his brother to get that power? The power that his brother had obtained by massacring his entire clan.

No…he wasn't his brother…he never would be.

However, that moment's hesitation did not stop his hand, which plunged harshly into Naruto's chest. At that same moment, Naruto's body was drawn closer to Sasuke, making Naruto's clawed hand slam into Sasuke's skull. There was a near silent crack, as Naruto bashed Sasuke's skull in a few inches, killing him.

As the energy finally began to dissipate, both of their bodies fell to the earth. With a silent thud, their bodies landed against the hard ground. The life had gone out of both of them…and neither of them moved as their souls left their bodies.

Moments later, a light rain began to fall. Slowly, almost as if the heavens were weeping, the rain began to fall faster and harder. Within moments, the entire Valley of the End was under heavy rainfall. As lightning cracked and thunder rumbled, a third figure slowly walked up to them.

Hatake Kakashi looked at their unmoving bodies, feeling his heart breaking as he looked them over. Sasuke's head, crushed. Naruto's heart, destroyed. He knew what had happened, though he would never have any proof as the rain had washed their hands clean of the battle. After standing there for a moment, he found his own tears mixing into the rain.

He slowly created a Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) to help him with what he was about to do. It would be a bad idea to bring them back into the village as they were; the villagers wouldn't like that. Quickly dragging them into a cave, he and his clone quickly ran through a string of seals, ending on the tiger seal. Taking a deep breath, they quickly reduced the bodies to nothing more than ash.

It would be better this way. If he buried Sasuke's body, someone would try to take it to learn the secrets of the Sharingan…like Orochimaru. And if he brought him back to the village, they would ask for his eyes as well. It was a never ending cycle of greed.

For Naruto, it wasn't exactly like that. He could be buried wherever; either right there, or in the village it didn't matter. However, once they heard what could be guessed from what he'd seen, they would want his head. After all, now the Last Uchiha loyal to Konoha was no longer alive; they would want retribution of some form.

But…there was also a selfish reason behind it. He didn't want to continually remember that he didn't do more for his sensei's son. That of all the things that he'd done, he hadn't once tried to do more for Naruto. Sure, he'd fought for him while he was young, told the Sandaime to give a portion of his salary to Naruto as an 'allowance', and made sure that he was on his team when he graduated. But in the end, none of it was enough. People still persecuted and attacked him, he was overpriced on food and forced to eat only what he could, and the other person he'd asked to be on his team had killed him.

As he watched their bodies' burn to ash, he sighed. This was no way to return to Konoha; unsuccessful in his mission, bringing in two bags of their ashes. Sakura's heart was going to break when she heard this. Sasuke had left the village…and gotten killed. Naruto had gone after him to get him back…and gotten killed.

It was all ironic how things had worked out; the traitor dying before he could fulfill his dream of another's death, and the hero dying before he could fulfill his dream of protecting others. Two parts of one whole…and yet so different that it provided comedic humor when it was needed. So alike, and yet so different.

Kakashi sighed as he and his clone put the ashes of both boys in a sealing scroll. They would be put in something proper later…when the few people who truly cared for the boys could show up and say a few words. Probably not the biggest gathering, but at least they would be able to watch in peace.

As he walked away, four figures watched him. Two slowly faded away, needed to tell of what they'd seen. The other two slowly began to follow Kakashi back into Konoha.

Orochimaru's Lair

"WHAT!?!"

Kabuto winced as Orochimaru continued to yell. "I'm sorry sir, but I only speak the truth."

Orochimaru glared at him, his appearance quite fierce in his new body. Despite the fact that he was now in a weakened state, he still held that same power that would be obvious to anyone. "I want the one who killed Sasuke…I want his head on a platter!"

Kabuto mentally sighed. "I already told you, the Kyuubi's vessel fought Sasuke, but he was killed when he killed Sasuke. They both died, and Kakashi incinerated both of their bodies."

Orochimaru leaned back in his chair, silently thinking over this new information he'd learned. True, he did plan on killing Kakashi for the insolence of his actions; for burning the last remaining 'free' Sharingan. However, even in death, Sasuke had managed to help his cause. By killing the Kyuubi's vessel, Akatsuki would be hard-pressed to find a way to make their weapon work. He had destroyed their plan without ever knowing how he'd helped. As a plus, Itachi might come out of hiding to try and get retribution for Sasuke's death by destroying Konoha.

"Kukukuku…Sasuke-kun, even in death you served a greater purpose than you'll ever realize. Now, Akatsuki will find life so much harder as they attempt to modify their weapon to work without the Kyuubi. Yes, you have done well."

Kabuto blinked as Orochimaru chuckled. Wouldn't they focus their energies on destroying Orochimaru now that there was no need for the Kyuubi? That would be quite problematic. However…without his ambition of getting the Sharingan from Sasuke, he will once again focus on Itachi. And they do not realize that I am currently free from Sasori's seal…perhaps this will work out better than I thought.

Kabuto just smirked as Orochimaru continued his dark laughter, listening as it echoed throughout his entire base.

Akatsuki Base

"Are you sure your information is reliable?"

Zetsu nodded. "Hai Leader-sama, I saw it with my own eyes. If they weren't dead before, than the Copy Ninja finished them when he incinerated their bodies."

"I see." Pein said as he stared into space. He thought over every part of the weapon that they had, trying to figure some loophole that could be used in case the Kyuubi was lost. But no matter how hard he thought, he was unable to come up with a plan that would work. All the other contingency plans had been if he Ichibi, or some other weak Bijuu had died. For the Kyuubi, the King of Demons, to have died; he'd never factored that possibility in.

After a moment, Itachi spoke up. "If I may Leader-sama, may I lead the investigation for destroying Orochimaru?"

Pein glanced over at Itachi. While he was obviously unaffected on the outside, he could feel rather than see that he was in a slight fit of rage. Obviously hearing that his brother had died had hit him harder than he might admit. "Is something wrong Itachi?"

Itachi shook his head. "We have simply let Orochimaru be a thorn in our organizations side for far too long. Because of him, we lost the Kyuubi, as well as a powerful weapon. I simply wish to remove the obstacle."

Pein contemplated it for a moment before nodding. "Do it. I do wish you good luck; Orochimaru is still a powerful shinobi."

As Itachi slowly began to fade out, he softly said, "So am I."

As Itachi finished fading away, Deidara spoke up. "Leader-sama, what do we do now?"

Pein glanced around the room, glancing at each of the individuals in the room. All of them were S-classed criminals, all of which had done some kind of unpardonable crime that would get them killed should they remain alone.

"Now…we will continue as we have. We will not seek after the Bijuu to capture them, but to eradicate them. There is no need for our plan any more, as the Kyuubi has fallen. However, we should not let these countries continue to use them for their own selfish needs. We will simply rid the world of such powers, and show them that we as a whole are stronger than even demons. A certain amount of respect comes with that."

After a moment of muttering, all of the members slowly nodded, obviously accepting what their leader had ordered. A small, unnoticed smile crossed Pein's face.

There were several celebrations going throughout Konoha as they'd heard of the 'demons' demise at the hands of the Uchiha. While they didn't know what had happened to him, they continually asked for them to get him back. After all, what is a hero if he's not around to be celebrated? And since the law around the Kyuubi's secret had been lifted, the yelled to the high heavens about it as many began to drink to his death…leaving a lot of drunken people all over the place.

Only a few people didn't attend these gatherings; the Rookie Nine, Team Gai, and their sensei's to name a few. They had all been closer to Naruto, and had accepted him. They weren't sure how to react with Sasuke, but they guessed that it wasn't really all his fault; his brother had screwed up his mind, and Orochimaru's seal really hadn't helped the matter.

After the first few days, Tsunade called a few people she knew to her office to give a short farewell to Naruto and Sasuke. As the people began to arrive, two shadowed figures appeared on the windowsill to watch the proceedings. They really had only heard about it since they had been following Kakashi around during the last couple of days.

The shorter, blond figure eventually spoke. "You know, this could almost be considered funny if you would just freaking smile."

The dark-haired broody boy glared at him. "Shut up dobe."

Naruto sighed as he glanced back at the small funeral gathering in the Hokage's room. It was kind of weird attending his own funeral…especially since no one could see him. But, all in all, it was moving to see how many people actually cared for the two of them.

For Naruto, he actually had quite the gathering. A picture of himself was placed on the table behind some kind of weird jar. Apparently, unlike normal people, his body was burned to ash to keep people from desecrating his body, and to make it easier to move it when necessary. Among a few others, the main people he noticed in the room were; Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraya, Tsunade, Sakura, Neji, Hinata, Gaara, and Konohamaru. He wasn't sure why Hinata was there, but it was still pleasant to see her there.

Sasuke's gathering was quite smaller, but was still there. Iruka, Kakashi, and Sakura were there for both of them as people who personally knew them, along with Ino, Lee, and Gaara…who didn't know him as well. Sasuke was inwardly touched by even the small gathering, but was slightly irked that Naruto had more people there to morn for him.

After a moment, Tsunade stood up. "We are gathered here today, to share some final words for these two Genin. If I may, I'd like to start." Seeing their encouraging glances, she went on. "I can't say much for Sasuke, other than he was a major blockhead. Even though he'd been through a lot, he never seemed to notice that there were others who had it worse, even if it was in other ways."

"I'm not a blockhead." Sasuke mumbled, causing Naruto to chuckle. To think that Tsunade would say something so blunt about Sasuke was quite moving…especially since it seemed to poke at his nerves.

After taking a slow, shaky breath, Tsunade continued. "Naruto however, was one of a kind. He had a heart of gold, although he wasn't one for petty words. He'd let his fists do more talking than his mouth; and that was actually admirable. He may not have realized how much this told everyone else, but it showed his true character when he fought. He was selfless in ways I myself don't understand, never believing that he was fighting for his own gain.

"He went off to get Sasuke back, because he didn't want to believe that Sasuke was that thick headed. He wanted to believe that he wouldn't sink that low in order to gain power to kill his brother. I'm sure that he would've walked away once he realized that he was going on his own accord, but something kept him from doing this. A promise. Uzumaki Naruto…never broke his promises. He fought Sasuke, and won. He succeeded where others might not have."

There was a light applause that when around the room. Tsunade walked away, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as she sat down. After a couple seconds, Kakashi stepped forward."I may have known both of them better than most others, but there is still so much that I didn't know. How much Naruto was in pain because of his lack of family, Sasuke's pain because of seeing the death of his family. And yet, both of them shared a similar pain. Sure, Naruto never knew his family, but Sasuke had a chance…a chance to remember them."

"You know, I never thought of it like that before." Naruto mumbled as he listened to Kakashi continue speaking on different things he remembered about the two of them. After a moment, he turned back to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke."

"What dobe?" Sasuke asked. Before, he'd been looking into the room, but now his face was looking out over Konoha.

"What was it like to know your family?"

Sasuke winced, turning back into the room. "I…really don't want to talk about it."

"Please…I want to hear a little of what it was like." Naruto said, practically begging Sasuke.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. "We have eternity, so I'll tell you later."

Naruto stuck out his tongue before turning back to the different people. They'd more or less missed Sakura, Ino, and Lee's little speeches on each of them…although the waterfall of tears Lee was crying seemed to be more than humanly possible.

After a couple seconds deliberation, Hinata stood up. "A…ano…I can't say anything for Sasuke-kun. But…I can say a few things for…Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked as he noticed her face flush red. For the first time, he recognized it for what it was; a blush. His usually slow mind suddenly put two and two together for the first time in his life; causing him to suddenly slam his back against a wall, finger pointed at Hinata in something close to fear and shock. "SHE HAS A CRUSH ON ME?!?!"

Sasuke tried not to chuckle. "You just now realized that? I guess when the dobe knows, everyone knows. Of course, Suna could have done without knowing how thickskulled you are"

"Wait…you knew? ...who else knew?!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Dobe, everyone knew that she had a crush on you. Heck, her father probably knew, and he doesn't spend that much time with her."

Naruto glanced back at her. "Wow...I'm such a blockhead."

After a couple of seconds, Hinata continued. "Naruto-kun…was a strong person. He…wasn't a genius like Sasuke…but he worked hard. He had to work…a lot harder than most of the other people in our class."

"YOSH!!! SURELY HE WAS BRIMMING WITH –" Lee said before Neji quickly pulled out a large club labeled, 'in case of emergency', and knocked Lee over. Neji glanced at Hinata apologetically before motioning for her to continue.

Hinata smiled lightly as she continued. "I know that…most people didn't recognize Naruto. But he put his all into everything he did, more if he could. He would train for hours on end before collapsing from exhaustion, trying to get whatever he'd been working on done."

Naruto blinked as he realized the only way for her to know so much about him. "…I never realized that I had my own personal stalker."

Sasuke laughed. "You really are dull."

A vein on Naruto's head twitched. He quietly muttered under his breath. "Watch it, teme."

After taking a shaky breath, Hinata continued. "Ano…he had the confidence that I could only hope for, and I tried so hard to emulate that part of him. He never gave up despite the obvious opposition…and would always do his best in everything. But…every time I tried to speak to him…I'd be frozen by my fear of disappointing him…even though he probably never noticed me. So…even though it's too late…" Hinata slowly walked towards Naruto's picture, fear evident on her face.

As she stood before his picture, she blushed a red that would make an apple jealous. Then, unable to keep eye contact with even his picture, she bowed lightly. "Naruto-kun…I…really, really like you. You've inspired me to become stronger, and I hope to become strong…like you were. I know it doesn't matter since you're already passed, but I hope…that you'll still be able to hear me."
Naruto couldn't believe it. His mouth was practically on the floor, his eyes bugging out of his sockets. Someone admired him? Liked him even? It was almost too much for his mind to take in, and definitely more than Hinata could handle seeing as she'd fainted after finishing what she'd said. If anyone had seen Naruto, they probably would have had a hard time containing their laughter.

Speaking of people seeing him, Sasuke was smirking behind him. It was about time that he realized that someone liked him…of course, it might have been better had she said it to him while he was alive. As for himself…he kind of wished that he had shyer fan girls. Then he wouldn't have any problem with them chasing him down the streets.

After a couple of moments, having finally revived a fainted Hinata, Neji stepped forward. "I hope that you can hear me wherever you are Naruto. You…have been an amazing inspiration. Because of you…I was able to let go of my self-destructive mindset; of believing that Fate guided us to do what we do, and that we have no control over out destinies. Now, like you, I'll walk my own path…and will attempt to change the Hyuuga clan for the better. I will try to get rid of our cursed seal, and prove that I am just as strong, if not stronger, than any other Main member. Naruto, thank you." Unlike Hinata, he fully bowed to Naruto's picture, showing a great deal of respect for a person he'd just met in battle.

Naruto grinned punching his fist in the air. "Go for it Neji!"

"You know, I never really knew Naruto…like everyone else in the room." Gaara said, suddenly speaking up. A few people jumped at his sudden involvement in the conversation. "But…I'd like to say a few words. If it's alright with you Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade blinked as she stared at Gaara. What did he have to say for the blond? After a moment, she nodded. "Go ahead."

Gaara bowed. "Thank you Hokage-sama." Slowly turning back to Naruto's picture, he spoke slowly. "Naruto-san, you have influenced my life in a good way, one that has been more powerful than even that of what my father did. And he'd been influencing me since before I turned six years old.

"You lived a life so similar to mine, constantly outcast from everyone else, a broken tool in the eyes of some. I myself was unable to take it, and eventually broke down and became a psychotic murderer, believing that my demon was my mother; that it was only through others deaths that I was alive. It was a most pitiful existence, but it was also the only way I knew that worked. But you, you lived the same as me. And yet, you pushed onward until you found people to accept you. And then you pushed the boundaries of that realm until you had more and more people surrounding you. You were motivated by your dream of protecting others…and of becoming Hokage.

"You fought me, and defeated me and my principles. And there is a saying; that your enemy knows the person behind the mask when the fight in a battle that risks their life, because you cannot afford to hold back your true self. I saw the real you during that time, so I feel that I understand you a little better than most the people in this village. I hope that you will allow me to revise my principles by borrowing a few of yours. Like you, I will fight for those I can call precious people. I too, will work hard to win by my own strength. I will follow your example to gain peoples respect…and become Kazekage."

Naruto laughed. "Wow, I didn't see any of that coming. What about you teme?"

"Whatever dobe." Sasuke said as he looked away. Everything Gaara said had been true…and had grown strong because he knew people, and was fighting for them. And now, at his funeral, more people had come to show some amount homage for Naruto than for him.

But then…he hadn't had time to make lasting relationships with others. He could die at any time because he'd gone to fight his brother. As he thought about it, he realized what he'd been doing; he'd been slowly becoming his brother. Sure, he couldn't massacre his clan, but he'd isolated himself instead of reaching out and attempting to form relations with people who could have helped him stay alive to beat his brother.

Finally, Jiraya stood forward. Giving a sidelong glance at Kakashi, he spoke up. "Naruto was a kid of many talents. He was a gaki, yes; but there was never a gaki who put his all into everything he did. He mastered the Rasengan in a month, something that took the Yondaime three years to master. He was a loud mouth, and may never truly understand how amazing my Icha Icha (Make-Out) Series is, but he was one to never back down from his beliefs."

"…I'm not sure whether to be happy or insulted." Naruto said as he listened to Jiraya contradict himself.

"I wouldn't worry about it…although he is pretty strong." Sasuke said as he noticed a strange aura that Jiraya had. He hadn't really noticed it when he saw him, but not it was almost impossible to miss.

A few tears slid down Jiraya's face as he continued to speak. "That blond gaki…I'll miss him. I'll miss Naruto…my godson."

Naruto fell over, while other people in the room gasped. Jiraya was his godfather? The legendary Toad Sage was the man who was supposed to take Naruto in? What else could that mean?
Jiraya pretended to not notice the commotion that he'd caused. "Since he's dead, I guess there's no reason to hide it." Turning to the people in the room, he took a slightly shaky breath. "Uzumaki was not Naruto's real surname; it was his mother's surname. His real surname was Namikaze… and he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage."

If what he'd said before had gotten people's attention, this was too much for some people to handle. Lee tried to yell about how youthful Naruto was to be related to a famous person, but Neji hit him over the head with the bat again so that he'd stay unconscious before he grinned at this revelation. Hinata just blinked, unable to process that information at the moment; she was still caught up on the fact he still had family. Kakashi and Tsunade grinned, giving each other a knowing glance. Sasuke fell back into the room. Naruto, Ino, and Sakura fainted.

After waiting a moment to revive Ino and Sakura, Jiraya quickly explained. "As much as Naruto would have gotten respect from people knowing about who his family was, it would have also brought in a great deal of grievances to the village, ones that we could only guess and prepare for."

"Grievances?" Hinata asked, quietly playing with her fingers. She seemed nervous to be speaking to someone of obviously higher rank, and power so informally.

"Yes, grievances. Like the fact that Iwa might have attacked us just to kill him for who his father was. After all, it was because of him that we won the Third Shinobi War. Or the fact that other people might have hated him for things he might've done while traveling around. Kakashi probably knows better than anyone else here; he was his student after all."

Sakura gasped, turning to her sensei. "You were the student of the Kiroi Senko (Yellow Flash)?" The Kiroi Senko, the legend who defeated Iwa, was her sensei's sensei?

Kakashi eye-smiled as he spoke. "That's right. And I had the honor of seeing his Hiraishin no Jutsu in action on more than one occasion. Being punctual was something that he prided himself in. My own personal habits come more from my teammate than from my sensei. But that's a story for another time."

"Oh." Sakura said, glancing down as she quickly processed the information about her blond teammate. She'd never really thought about him much before, and it was a different experience to do so. After always chasing after Sasuke, she'd never once realized that her blonde teammate might have that kind of background.

Meanwhile, Naruto was going ballistic. "My father was the Yondaime?! Do you realize what that means?!"

Sasuke shrugged. "You tell me. You're the crazy idiot who's waving his hands around like a maniac."

Naruto stopped, glaring at Sasuke. "You don't have to be like that. Couldn't you be happy that I found out a little bit about my family? I mean, is it so much for you to be kind every now and then?"

"Yes." Sasuke said with no hesitation in his voice as he shuddered. "If I show any weakness, the fan girls will swarm me."

Naruto blinked, realizing that Sasuke had slightly opened up to him. "Is that one of the reasons for how you act? Even though you're dead?"

Sasuke shrugged, not really wanting to reveal too much right now. "One of them. There are a few others, but I'm not going to tell you."

Naruto nodded. "I understand." Oh, I'm so going to get the rest of the story out of him the first chance I get. This is going in the 'blackmail' folder. Kukukuku.

The two of them watched as the people began to slowly walk out of the room, leaving only Jiraya and Kakashi. The two of them had asked Tsunade to leave for her medical session that she'd started. While she'd obviously been confused, she did as they asked. She never understood why Jiraya did some of the things he did, but really didn't feel that she could really understand if he tried to explain it. It was complicated.

After a couple seconds of silence, Kakashi raised his headband to reveal his Sharingan. He stared directly at Naruto and Sasuke, who were still slightly hidden in the shadows. "I know you're there, why don't you step out into the light?"

Naruto blinked. He'd thought that they were invisible…was he wrong? "Um…does he mean us?"

"Yes Naruto, both you and Sasuke have been hanging around for the entire session, so unless you know two other dead people, we're obviously speaking to you." Jiraya said sarcasm practically dripping from his voice.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "How can you see us? I thought we were –"

"Dead?" Kakashi said, finishing his sentence. Naruto blinked, suddenly remembering when Kakashi mocked Zabuza during their first battle. "Of course you two are dead; there are simply different forms of dead."

Naruto scratched his head. "Huh?"

Jiraya scratched the back of his head. "Let's put it simply so he doesn't get confused. You'll have to explain for yourself since I really don't get how you can see ghosts and all that."

Kakashi smiled. "Alright. Before the Third Shinobi War, I was actually able to see ghosts, and use a special ability others believed to be 'white' chakra. In reality, I was using a technique that didn't require any chakra, but a type of energy called reiatsu (Spirit Pressure). However, after I got this Sharingan, my ability became suppressed within the Sharingan. Now, I can't use my ability, and can't see ghosts unless I remove my headband. However, I can still hear them. That's how I'm able to read my book without running into anything."

Jiraya nodded. "That makes sense. As for myself, I got my ability to see ghosts shortly after I passed a test that required me to 'die' in order to gain the power to draw in nature chakra. I didn't literally die, but it allowed me to collect chakra from the surrounding area into myself. It's not really my strong point in big battles, but it's really quite handy."

Naruto grabbed his head in pain. "Ow…too much information. What the heck is reiatsu again?"

Jiraya and Kakashi answered at the same time, in perfect tandem. "Your spirit energy."

Sasuke blinked. "And, why are we supposed to know this?"

Jiraya gave him a knowing look. "You'll find out after you pass over." He then made a waving motion. "Byakuya, if you please."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side for a second. "Who are you –"

"Konso (Soul Burial)." A voice said from behind them. Naruto and Sasuke whipped around to see the person, only to feel light taps on their heads. In a split second, they were slowly enveloped in a glowing light. Neither of them moving, feeling a strange peace coming over them.

As they slowly began to fade away, Naruto swore they heard someone say, "We'll meet again on the other side…I look forward to seeing how you'll progress."

After they'd been disappeared, Byakuya came out. Jiraya gave him a light smile. "Thanks for the help."

Byakuya nodded. After a couple seconds, he asked something that had slightly confused him. "Why did –"

"Naruto's stubborn; he wouldn't want to 'pass over' quietly unless he was sure that all of his precious people were fine. And that would mean that they'd have to die first." Jiraya said, filling him in.

Kakashi nodded. "Sasuke would've just stayed around to see who defeats Itachi. It's nothing to big; they just needed to pass over."

Byakuya nodded. "Very well then. I will ask for a squad to be sent out to find them. It shouldn't be to hard considering the amount of reiatsu coming off them. I'm almost surprised by the potential they have."

Jiraya chuckled. "Don't you believe it. Sasuke may be a genius, but it'll be Naruto you'll need to keep an eye on."

Kakashi grinned. "He was Konoha's most unpredictable ninja…now he'll just have to be the Seireitei's (Court of Pure Souls) most unpredictable Shinigami. I hope you can keep up."

Byakuya sighed. "I believe that we can handle one kid." Reaching out, a black butterfly appeared, opening the gate back to the Seireitei.

After the door closed, Kakashi turned to Jiraya. "Do you think we should have told him about his Kage Bunshin?"

Jiraya shook his head. "No…he'll have to find out on his own. Besides, it would be no fun if Naruto's element of surprise was ruined."

Both of them grinned as they left the room. Konoha was going to be a boring place without Naruto; but the Seireitei was going to be a very interesting place in the time to come.

AN: Alright, this is my first crossover fanfiction. I'm doing this as a kind of 'break' between this story and Naruto: The Flame Soldier, as well as to get this story out of my head. I have no idea who to do for pairings, so if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Signed,

Draco Kamikaze