Welcome everyone to my new story. This is a challenge that got my attention as soon as I had read it. The challenge is on the profile of MercenaryGrax for those who want to take a look. Before I forget I do not own anything from either the Naruto or the Bleach universe, they all belong to their respective owners. Now let us begin.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Zanpakuto / Hollow talking"

'Zanpakuto / Hollow thinking'

Kido / Zanpakuto technique

Within Seireitei

A young woman is currently running down a pathway with several bleeding cuts. She has shoulder length orange hair and brown eyes and a lean build. She is wearing a black kimono and hakama with a white undershirt and a red rosary-like strap. On her back is what looks like an oversized Khyber knife with no guard and a cloth wrapped hilt.

Running next to her is man who looks a bit older. He is a tall muscular man with chin-length black hair and partially missing left eyebrow. He wears a green vest and bandanna, black split hakama and bracers, a red sash, a white shirt, and has a sword strapped across his lower back. He too has several bleeding injuries.

The two of them have just finished fighting a pair of odd opponents after having entered the Seireitei with a rather spectacular crash. Right now there are only two things on the girls mind as she and her companion are running, find the rest of her friends who came with her, and save the friend that is trapped here awaiting execution.

As they approach a crossroad a young man comes around the corner towards them, followed by a young woman. The man is of average height wearing a black kimono and hakama with a white undershirt, a maroon sash and a pair of grey bracers with a purple outline. He has blue eyes and blonde spiky hair that reaches his shoulders which he keeps tied in a ponytail with two bangs framing his face.

The woman is also of average height with silver eyes and relatively short brown hair with part on the right side tied with a hairclip with two pearls. She too wears a black kimono and hakama with a white undershirt with a white sash and has a sword on a strap across her back.

The orange haired girl doesn't even hesitate to draw the sword from her back as she takes up a fighting stance. The man with her grabs the hilt of his blade, also prepared to fight. The two that turned the corner don't even react to them and just continue to walk towards them. This unnerves the two of them greatly. As they pass the young man speaks.

"We know why you are here. If you want some information and to have your wounds tended to follow us." He says as he and his companion keep walking.

The girl looks to her companion seeing him looking back at her, they nod to each other and follow while returning their weapons to their places. The pair are led to a storage room and after they entered the door closed behind them. They see the man standing against the back wall with his arms crossed, and the woman is behind them at the door.

The man pushes off the wall "Please sit, we will tell you what we can while I will tend your wounds." He says while motioning to some bedding in a corner.

The girl sits on the bedding laying her blade next to her. The older man sits a few feet off to the side of her, but looks ready to lash out at any time. The young man walks over to them muttering under his breath, when he gets to them his hands are giving off a light glow. Unnoticed to the pair, his bracers had changed color becoming orange.

The woman looks to them, "so what would you like to know?"

"The first thing I would like to know is why you would be so willing to give us information and to heal us. Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"

"As Naruto said, we know why you are here. Rukia is a comrade of ours and we want to save her as well," says the woman.

"So why haven't you done anything yet? She must not be that important to you if she is still awaiting execution." Says the girl.

"Look girl things are a bit more complicated than we would like, otherwise I might have been able to get her out already." Says the now named Naruto. "Look, why don't we start with introductions."

The girl looks at him. "Alright, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." She says.

"I'm Ganju Shiba," says the older man.

"My name is Kanisawa, sixth seat of squad 2." Says the woman.

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Lieutenant of squad 13. Now to answer your questions Ichigo. Rukia isn't just a friend of mine, she is also one of my subordinates. As for not helping her, there is someone pulling strings from the shadows. One of the Captains is trying to do something shady and although I have seen his actions on multiple occasions, I can't prove anything. The reason I don't help Rukia isn't because I don't want to, it's because I can't help her. At least not overtly."

"What do you mean?" asks Ichigo.

"Captain Sosuke Aizen has all of the other Shinigami under an illusion. It is the power of his Zanpakuto, anyone who sees his Shikai fall under its spell. Other than you and your friends, we are the only ones not under his power. Because of this we need to either find irrefutable evidence of his actions or find a way to break the Captain-Commander free of the illusion."

"What kind of things has he been up to?" asks Ganju.

Kanisawa looks to them. "Around 65 years ago he lured hollows to an area in the living world where I and some other Shinigami-in-training were performing a live training exercise. The hollows killed several of my classmates, all of whom were in their final year of training. I myself would have been killed if Naruto hadn't intervened."

At this point Naruto adds in, "Around a hundred years ago he tried experimenting on some Lieutenant and Captain ranked Shinigami causing them and some others to go into exile in the living world. Around 45 years ago he indirectly caused the deaths of several members of squad 13 by creating a hollow for research. That one cost us both our third seat and our Lieutenant in less than two days. And I believe he is the reason the previous Captain of squad 10, Isshin Shiba, disappeared in the living world 20 years ago. Now that I think about it Ganju, did you know a Kaien Shiba?"

"Yes, I did. He was my brother and he was killed by one of his own comrades. I'll never forgive them for that." Says Ganju with barely restrained anger.

"He was a good man, and he didn't deserve what happened because of Aizen."

"What do you mean?"

"The day before Kaien died his wife, our third seat, took a group to eliminate hollows that had entered Soul Society. We only found her body. That night a hollow, which had hidden itself in her corpse, started attacking the rest of our squad. Captain Ukitake, Kaien, Rukia Kuchiki, and myself went after it when it fled into the woods near our barracks. It started taunting us and said its only regret was not eating third seat Miyako Shiba's body. This enraged Kaien and he attacked it alone. The hollow had some power that destroyed any Zanpakuto that hit it."

"How did you kill it then?" asks Ichigo.

"Kaien tore it apart with his bare hands. But that is where things got messed up. Before it was killed the hollow possessed him and, using his body as a puppet, attacked us. I was caught off guard and had my shoulder dislocated by being kicked into a tree, the Captain always had poor health and his illness started to act up at that moment causing him to cough blood. With us out of the way it turned its attention on Rukia. Out of reflex Rukia thrust her sword at the possessed Kaien and brought the battle to an end. Her stab killed the hollow inside of him, but it also caused a fatal injury to Kaien as well. He asked her to take him to his family so he could see them one last time. Rukia has never gotten over it, even now she is tearing herself apart over it."

"Are you telling me that the person we are trying to save is the same one that murdered my brother? GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THIS." Yells Ganju.

"Because while Rukia may have been the one to stab him, she and Kaien are both victims of Aizen's plotting. The hollow that possessed Kaien was created by Aizen. The problem is he is good at covering his tracks. So, are you still willing to turn your back knowing the one that ultimately caused Kaien's death is going to continue to cause misery to others?" Says Kanisawa.

"Damn, when you put it that way you make me sound like a jerk. Fine I'll help, but I want that Rukia to give me and my family a formal apology for killing Kaien. Got it?"

"Deal. We should move, the two of us need to head back to our squads. Do what you feel is necessary to save Rukia just don't kill anyone and don't mention what we said about Aizen to anyone, if you do it could cause us some problems." Says Naruto as he stands and heads for the door alongside Kanisawa.

"By the way, Rukia is in the Palace of Remorseful Sin." Seeing their confused looks Kanisawa sighs. "She is in the large white tower in the middle of the Seireitei. Another thing Ichigo, with the amount of Reiatsu you are releasing, it is going to be very hard for you to stay hidden for extended periods of time. My suggestion is to move quickly and avoid anyone wearing a long white haori," she says.

"Those wearing a haori are Captains of the Gotei 13. Other than that, do your best little strawberry." Naruto says looking Ichigo in the eye as he finishes the last sentence then disappearing in a Shunpo (Flash Steps), as a random object flies through the spot formerly occupied by his head, imbedding in the wall across the way. Naruto's laughter is heard echoing on the wind.

Ganju looks at Ichigo seeing her right hand outstretched and a blush on her face. He then looks back at the object in the wall and seeing what it was decides it would be better for his health to not tease her with this. He doesn't think a broom should be able to go through a wall, brush first.

"They have a point Ichigo." Ichigo looks at Ganju with a raised eyebrow. "What? It's like she said, you unconsciously release absurd amounts of Reiryoku. Our best option is to find Rukia and get out fast and with as little fighting as possible."

Ichigo sighs as she stands, "You're right, let's move." With that they exit the storage room and start working their way towards the white tower.

With Naruto

Shortly after leaving Ichigo and Ganju, Naruto and Kanisawa parted ways and went towards their respective squad barracks. Not long before reaching the barracks of squad 13 Naruto stops and looks towards the shadows.

"Watching me again huh?" he looks from one shadow to the next. "Let's see, we have the pyromaniac over there and the necrophiliac over there. What, no thunder thighs today?" He stands in place like he is expecting something. He soon feels a brief flare of reiatsu from one of the shadows. "There she is." He says. "Too bad you stay in hiding, I wouldn't mind meeting you face to face. Oh well, stuff to do." Naruto then continues his way to see his Captain and report in, not caring about the sparks of electricity coming from one of the shadows, or the white haired man who was hit by them.

With Kanisawa

Kanisawa enters the barracks of squad 2 and heads for her Captain's office. When she arrives she learns that the Captains have been called for an emergency meeting by the Captain-Commander. She leaves for her room to begin writing her report on events of the day, leaving out some information that she believes would cause problems if they fell into the wrong hands. After which she works on increasing her connection with her Zanpakuto through the use of Jinzen. Her last thoughts before entering her Soulscape being 'The next few days are going to be interesting' .

So tell me what you think was it good, bad awful. Criticism is always useful but please don't be insulting. And flamers will be extinguished by Hyorinmaru

Until next time.