Bleached Whirlpool

How is it, that a few words can change the very fabric of reality?

How can it be, that logic breaks down in the face of sheer will?

How can something so brittle, as lines drawn on paper, something so small, as sounds forming words, do the impossible?

The answer is souls.

It is... hard, to define a soul. The very concept defies definition.

Souls will read letters and restructure the universe.

Souls will understand signs and remake the world.

The world will build itself up, arranging itself in logical ways according to specific laws. Then the soul will defy those laws.

It is as if the universe uses two entirely separate rules at once. And yet... It is still only one universe.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Except by the fires of the spirit, which forges its own. The world will always fall towards a state of more chaos, towards entropy. Except by the connection of souls, which binds everything together. Energy will always take the path of least resistance. Except in the face of undeniable will, which guides it towards a desired path.

Reality can be changed. It can be warped. It can be created, and it can be destroyed. It can expand and it can shrink.

Souls defy definitions. And by their very nature, will not be contained.

Chapter 1 - A Peculiar Mission Request:

Hello, my name is Urahara Kisuke. I'm a humble shopkeeper looking for assistance. We handle every spiritual and non-spiritual being looking for niche products, although we do have a few mainstream items as well.

To whomever accepts this mission: Your job as a shop assistant will be helping Tessai Tsukabishi-san or me at whatever we need help with. You may also be required to defend yourself or others, against (mostly) minor evil spirits and other peculiar customers. Be assured though; Karakura has its own spiritual guardian, and you will not be required to step in for anything short of an interdimensional emergency. You will be working side by side with two other assistants, Jinta Hanakari and Ururu Tsumugiya.

Possible repercussions of taking this job include, but are not limited to, death, permanent maiming, death, emotional scarring, soul extraction, death, the end of all existence, and falling in love with a cat.

We are located at Urahara Shoten, Karakura Town, Western Tokyo, Japan, Living World, Earth.

Mission length is two months, or 61 days.

The blond man pocketed his phone as he finished rereading the mission request. It was without a doubt one of the weirder ones they had received.

Before him stood a non-assuming traditional looking house with a few stray boards on the left, and a small mini-van parked neatly to the right. The large white sign couldn't be mistaken though. This was the right place.

Aside from the 'possible repercussions' section, this didn't seem to be anything more serious than a D-rank. C-rank at most. That's what the pay was as well.

Naruto barely remembered the last time he had personally taken a C-rank mission. But the one who had written the request was clearly an evil genius, and had somehow ascertained his greatest weakness. At the bottom of the page, in small writing and above a chibi version of a smiling blond with a green hat showing a peace sign, was a post script.

PS. We will be having all-you-can-eat homemade ramen buffet every evening.

Damn bastards. He never stood a chance.

Urahara Kisuke sipped at his tea. His mind wandered, as it tended to do when he had no specific subject to focus on. Currently he was debating the possible repercussions of fusing two dimensions, and wondering when his favorite book series would have a new entry.

Suddenly Tessai was kneeling in the doorway, having made no discernable sound or movement to get there. "Tenchou, the new assistant has arrived."

Kisuke's train of thought broke as he looked up in sudden interest. "Well then, send him in." He answered, picking up his favorite fan. Urahara smiled, mysterious facade complete.

Tessai bowed, disappearing a second later.

Shortly thereafter, a young man stood in the doorway. He looked slightly confused as to how he had gotten there.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties. He had blond hair, startling blue eyes and three whisker marks on each cheek. He wore a black and orange jacket halfway covering a white T-shirt with a red spiral mark in the middle. Tied up by a white obi were fashionable black pants with multiple pockets. Free-breathing traditional looking sandals and black socks enclosed his feet.

Urahara tried to hide his excitement. He hoped his fan would be helpful in that regard, although he doubted it fully succeeded. "Hmm… And who might you be?" He asked innocently.

The young man squinted suspiciously at him.

"Uzumaki Naruto. At your service."

This time, Urahara couldn't hold back a squeal of excitement. He pulled out a set of twenty two books from nowhere and laid himself flat on the floor in a very respectful gesture. "Please, Uzumaki-sama! Will you sign these for your most humble reader?"

Naruto stayed silent for about half a second, not entirely sure how he should react. Then he grinned and plopped down beside the pile of Icha-Icha books. "Sure I can! A fan, are you?"

Kisuke nodded, Childish excitement glinting in his eyes. "Oh, yes. I have been reading them since forever. They are a most excellent… experience."

Naruto smiled back at the storeowner. He had feeling he would enjoy this mission.

Kuchiki Rukia walked along the road to the bastard shopkeeper's house. Her body shook slightly, making walking at a steady pace harder than it should be. Damn that stingy merchant. She might have bought the cheapest Gigai, but that didn't mean he should be selling trash.

As she rounded the corner and saw the familiar house, she could hear two kids argue with each other. Or at least the redhead tried to argue. The older one was far too meek to talk back. It almost seemed like bullying. She was about to interrupt when someone else stepped in.

"Now, that's not very nice redtop. Do your work. Or I'll hang you naked from the roof. We might even get some customers then." A blond man she hadn't seen before exited the shop, carrying an ungodly amount of boxes on one hand, and the broom he took from Jinta in the other.

"Uhm… excuse me...?" She began, fishing for the blond's name.

He didn't seem to catch the hint though, instead turning expectantly towards her. "Oh! A customer! What can I do for you miss?" His smile almost blinded her, but it somehow didn't seem forced.

"Is the manager in? And who are you?"

At the second question, the man's blue eyes seemed to shine as if someone had told him Christmas came early.

He put down the stack of boxes and puffed up his chest. A foreboding feeling settled over Rukia as she regretted ever asking the question.

"I'm glad you asked!" He began with enthusiasm. Rukia had a flashback to a certain orange-haired substitute Shinigami's dad.

"I am the one who traverse space and time to face down the ultimate evils of the universe. The sexiest man you will ever lay your eyes upon." As he talked, the loud blond jumped and made stupid poses. "I am the strongest man alive! The ultimate champion of truth and justice. Uzumaki Naruto!" Music played in the background as Naruto finished his intro to a burst of confetti and fan-girls screaming their lungs out.

…

Rukia had no idea where either of those things came from.

Ignoring everything in favor of what she actually came here for, Rukia tried her first question again. "Eh… Is the manager in?"

Naruto nodded as he pushed the door open. "It's a little early, so we haven't officially opened yet, but I'll make an exception for you, cute little lady."

Rukia studied the eccentric man walking in front of her, trying her best to ignore the 'little' remark. Sure, he may act goofy. Maybe even a little crazy. But there was something about him. He had a kind of aura she had only felt around some of the older captains. It was well hidden, but still there. She couldn't feel much of his spiritual power, but that didn't mean much. Every halfway decent warrior learned to suppress their power. If not, they would run into all kinds of trouble everywhere they went.

Everyone except Kurosaki Ichigo and Zaraki Kenpachi, that is.

"Yo! Evil hat-guy, we have a customer!" Naruto shouted as they entered the house.

A few seconds later, a sleep addled Urahara dragged himself into the room, holding a steaming cup of tea and his white fan. "I'm awake, I'm awake. No need to be so noisy Uzumaki-san."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Evil hat-guy?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders non-committedly. "He has a cool hat, and looks like he's always scheming something. Evil hat-guy." Naruto explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Yare, yare. Uzumaki-san. I'm not scheming anything." Urahara said with shadows covering his eyes and an evil smirk stretching his face.

Rukia sighed. She was surrounded by crazy people.

"So, Kuchiki-san, we received new products from other-world just yesterday. What would you like?"

Rukia went through her short list. At the last item, Naruto stopped the conversation. "Soumafixers? That sounds awesome! What are they used for?"

Urahara didn't seem to take the interruption badly. On the contrary, he seemed happy to explain. "Soumafixers are a special kind of drug that stabilizes the soul's link to the physical body. It keeps the spirit from rejecting its host, and makes their stay more comfortable. Of course, it has no effect on a soul using a body already fit for them, such as the original, or a well made Gigai."

Rukia developed a dangerous tick-mark as she glared at the green-clad shopkeeper. "Please, as if you would recognize a good Gigai if it hit you in the face."

Urahara looked slightly offended at that. "I'll have you know that I make some of the best faux-bodies in the world, it's not my fault if you bought the cheapest one." He said, turning up his nose haughtily.

Rukia colored at that, but refused to admit anything.

"Wait, so you're a spirit?" Naruto looked at Rukia with renewed interest. She nodded a little uncertainly. This was one of Urahara's employees, right? He was clearly spiritually aware. Even his suppressed reiatsu couldn't hide that. "Awesome! What kind?" Naruto beamed. Rukia blinked, but before she managed to come up with an answer Urahara clapped his fan together, striking an authoritative pose.

"Before we go on any more tangents, how many do you want Kuchiki-san?" The eccentric shopkeeper asked.

Rukia's mind took a few seconds to switch gears before she managed an answer. "Eh… Fifty."

Urahara hesitated. "That many aren't good for your health, you know? It can make it hard to separate the soul from the body again."

Rukia remained silent. That was the minimum.

Naruto studied the small woman for a moment. "Perhaps I can help."

She turned towards him curiously. "How exact-" Rukia began. Then she was forced to stop as Naruto punched her in the stomach.

Hard.

She wheezed out the last bit of air in her lungs. The blond hadn't held back much.

Then he moved. In quick succession, Naruto poked her several times all over her body. First, he used one finger to hit her two times in the head, making bright spots dance over Rukia's vision. Two of his fingers pressed five consecutive spots down her spine, and one last point directly above her heart.

Rukia felt as if she had been run over by a train. Her head burned as all the nerve endings in her body screamed at her.

Then it stopped.

Without her noticing it, she had collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.

"What the hell?!" She shouted at him as she sprang back to her feet. That had been one of the most uncomfortable experiences in her life. Thank god it had only lasted a second.

Naruto smiled down at her. Seeming unreasonably satisfied by her discomfort. "Better now?"

Rukia scrunched her eyebrows together. Better, what does he- Then it hit her. Her arms didn't shake anymore. In fact, they felt almost entirely like they would in her soul from. Except not as strong of course.

Behind the two warriors, Urahara's eyes shone with restrained interest. He had thought hiring Naruto would be a good idea. Even if the other blond probably just cheated him out of a sale.

Rukia stared disbelievingly at her hands, testing her motor skills. "W-what did you do?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Ah… it's nothing. I just increased the flow of energy through your gates. Nothing dangerous mind you, but enough to stabilize your body."

Rukia stared at the goofy blond. If she hadn't known it before, she definitely did now. This guy was dangerous.

"It only lessens the symptoms though, the same as those Souma-whatever-magigs. Whether your soul rejects your body or not is still up in the air." Naruto finished with a serious face.

Rukia took two deep breaths, trying to test for any irregularities.

Nothing.

"Thank you…" She eventually managed, feeling like she should say something more.

Urahara flipped his fan open again, handing over the small bag with her groceries. "Is there anything more you wanted, Kuchiki-san?" He couldn't quite contain his eagerness, but if she noticed it, the Shinigami didn't comment.

She thought for a second before shaking her head. "That will be all. Thank you Urahara-san. Uzumaki-san." She nodded courteously to both of them before walking out of the shop, testing her hands by moving them in different directions.

Once Rukia was gone, Urahara looked at his temporary assistant. The curiosity of a scientist burning in his eyes. "Gates?" He asked hopefully.

Naruto looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, the Eight Gates. Gate of Opening, Healing, Life, Pain, Closing, Joy, Wonder and Death. They control the amount of chakra flowing through your body, as well as a couple of other functions. Rukia's body was rejecting her soul, so her gates didn't channel her spiritual energy properly. That can be a big problem, even a fatal one. If she hadn't already been dead that is..."

Kisuke had so many questions. He thought he had some idea about what Naruto was talking about. But he knew so much more about souls than physical bodies. Still, he did make his own Gigai. It might be something similar to the connector points required to pin a soul to an artificial body. He hadn't thought about them much before, but if they had their own distinct names and numbers, they had to be used for something.

Before he could ask anything else, Naruto came with a question of his own. "What's a Gigai? And what about everything else we sell? If I'm going to work here, I should probably know what we're selling."

Kisuke nodded, having been prepared for that. He just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Now, Urahara loved explaining things. It was one of his favorite pastimes even. But he loved learning new stuff himself even more. Thankfully, he had more than enough time for , the green-clad scientist led Naruto through the selection of wares with only the minimum amount of grumbling.

After they finished, the cheerful shinobi stared at the various items in amazement. "Personally designed bodies, energy trackers, memory modifiers, artificial souls, nigh-regenerative medicine, warding items, weapons, armor… What don't you sell?" Naruto asked in complete astonishment.

Urahara waved his fan in front of his face, appearing to think over the question. He was pleased with Naruto's reaction. It stroked his already sizable ego. "Dimensional travel. We only do those on special orders."

Naruto snickered at the joke.

"There are people that would lay waste to countries to get access to some of this stuff. And you just sell it to whomever? Is this even legal?" Naruto demanded, still somewhat overwhelmed.

Urahara hummed in interest. "Yes, we sell it to anyone who wants it. And I'm always on the lookout for new customers, if you showed these questionably moral individuals here, I would be more than happy."

Naruto noticed he hadn't answered the last question. "So this is a black market?"

Droplets of sweat ran down the storeowner's brow as Naruto continued his inquisition. "Black market? That's such a… derogatory term for it. We are under no one's jurisdiction, and I make most of this stuff myself." Urahara nervously explained.

Naruto nodded, not very convinced. "Uhu…" He trailed off, not actually caring one way or another. "And why are there cat hairs all over my room?" The blond asked, completely switching topics. Hey, he was a nice guy. If Urahara didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't talk about it.

Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief. "Eh… We don't have much space, so I gave you Yoruichi's room."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Who is Yoruichi?"

"The cat."

Naruto nodded slowly. That was a large room for a cat. But he had seen weirder things. It may be a really big cat.

A month passed by without much happening. The ramen lived up to its promise, so he didn't have much to complain about. He also had a fun time with all the different characters permeating the shop and the town in general.

Kisuke was a laugh and a half, and always up for a game of words. A borderline crazy scientist and engineer, It seemed like he was constantly trying to balance the moral repercussions of whatever he thought about doing. As if common morals only barely managed to contain him. He asked question after question, mostly about chakra and its different properties. But Naruto wasn't a scientist, and he could only answer so much. The shopkeeper was much nicer about it than someone like Orochimaru would have been though.

As he worked, Naruto got a sense of all the different people in the household. Jinta and Ururu were straightforward. Both were teenagers and quite obviously embodied that.

Tessai was a quiet and respectful man with a distant sort of strength. He had a very peculiar set quirks, that only made him more interesting to the golden haired shinobi. He was also an excellent ramen cook. Not as good as Ayame and Teuchi of course, but there's no point in holding anyone to such unreasonable standards.

Naruto knew he had been summoned there for more than just a shop assistant, and he thought he'd figured it out when Kisuke began bombarding him with questions. The supernatural merchant was subtle about it at first. A probe here, a probe there, trying to wheedle out as much information as possible. At least that was what he started with. Once he discovered that Naruto didn't actually try to hide most of what he knew, the questions became about as subtle as sledgehammers.

The scientist tried, among others, to pinpoint the direct relationship between physical and spiritual energy. He came up with dozens of unique and impressive theories and mathematical formulas to try and explain it. Unfortunately for him, that was an issue still hotly debated within Naruto's social circles, and it had been for thousands of years. Yin and Yang chakra was only a part of the equation.

The green-clad blond seemed especially interested in the physical aspect of chakra, as his knowledge about the spiritual side of things was far greater than Naruto's. Sometimes Tessai would listen as Naruto fumbled around complex metaphysical concepts and ideas, and sometimes not.

Rukia seemed to be their most regular customer, and the most interesting to Naruto. She was nice and had her own quirks. For instance, she adored cute things and had horrible drawing skills. Something she seemed almost willfully ignorant of. At first, he thought she might be the spiritual guardian Kisuke had mentioned in the mission info, but she wasn't all that strong. Plus, her energy was fading for whatever reason.

He also met Yoruichi. Who turned out to be a talking cat. It wasn't the first time he had met talking animals, so he took it in stride. Thanks to the voice, he thought Yoruichi was male at first. But something didn't add up, and once he got a better look, and a surprisingly painful scratch mark, he learned her true gender. He wasn't likely to forget it either.

She seemed to come and go as she pleased, and didn't react much to Naruto having taken her room.

Even though Kisuke spent hours upon hours grilling him about chakra, Naruto got plenty of time to ask his own questions as well.

Amongst other things, he learned that Rukia was Shinigami. A death god. Go figure.

He knew about Shinigami, at least a little. He had seen them around from time to time. They never interacted though. And since they didn't care about him, he didn't care about them.

The Noh-Men, or Hollows as the Shinigami called them, he was more familiar with. They seemed to swarm to Karakura like moths to a flame, only to burn as they came too close.

He had been curious for a while about this 'spiritual guardian' of Karakura, and he got his answers sometime into the first month. The great and mighty guardian was apparently a high-school student, aptly named Kurosaki Ichigo. What could possibly be more cliché?

There was something about strawberry however… The kid had an abnormal amount of spiritual energy. No. Not just abnormal. He had a ridiculous amount of energy. That boy radiated reiatsu like he had a miniature sun stuck in his chest.

Karakura had an incredible amount of otherworldly energy hanging over it, and it wasn't strange to think that might affect its inhabitants. But this was ridiculous. It almost seemed as if the reverse had happened. That Ichigo had somehow been the one to affect the city, and not the other way around. He walked around like a living nuclear reactor without even trying, whilst having no idea he was doing it. The implications of that were scary to contemplate.

The legendary shinobi met the substitute Shinigami a few times around Karakura. But the teen was usually busy cutting down the warped spirits. So they never talked, and Naruto never got a chance to do any of his intro dances.

The blond could tell Ichigo was simply tired of experiencing the impossible. So if nothing required his specific attention at the moment, he preferred to ignore it in favor of what he did care for. The more experienced warrior could respect that.

One day Rukia was visiting them, her phone beeped. Nothing unusual about that. Rukia's phone beeped all the time. It simply meant another Noh-Men had appeared. Then it beeped again, and again, and again. Now it wouldn't stop beeping.

An ominous feeling settled over the entire city as Rukia desperately tried to figure out what was going on.

"Oy, Kisuke. Is this the interdimensional crisis you mentioned in the mission request?" Naruto asked, even as Rukia ran out the door.

He wasn't particularly worried. Despite the fact that hundreds of Noh-Men had popped out all over the city, this place had more than its fair share of capable fighters, and there was still no overshadowing presence covering Karakura. Everything so far was small fry.

Urahara shook his head, his favorite fan covering his face as usual. "Nah, that doesn't come before next week. You can sit back for this one if you want." The shopkeeper said cheerfully.

Despite his words, Naruto knew his fellow blond quite well by now. Kisuke wanted Naruto to fight. It wouldn't have surprised him if this entire thing was staged by the scientist just to see what he would do. Then again, it might be completely unrelated.

Naruto stood up in a stretching motion, taking a few squats before looking back at Kisuke. "Are you coming as well?"

Urahara looked flabbergasted by the notion. "What!? Me? I'm nothing more than a good-for-nothing shopkeeper, what do you think I could do?"

Naruto rolled his eyes in response.

The man did answer seriously before he left though. "Well, yes. We're coming too. But there are a few things we have to set up first. We can't have the evil mastermind spying on everything, now can we?"

That was about as serious as Urahara ever got.

A hard kick shattered the mask of a beast-like Hollow, sending the collection of souls spiraling into the air around them. Naruto sprang off the dying spirit in a flipping motion as two blades of wind passed on both sides of him.

"Wind? That's my element!" He shouted up at the flying monstrosity that had sent it at him.

Still in midair, he flicked his wrist towards the flying Noh-Men. It was more than fifteen meters above him, far out of range for any physical attack. But after Naruto's casual gesture, wind began to spin into existence around him, quickly shooting up and disintegrating the annoying bird Hollow.

As he landed back at the roof he had jumped from, the cat that had followed him looked at him curiously. "Wind? That's your element?"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I already told hat'n clogs about that though." Hat'n clogs was a great nickname, much better than 'evil hat-guy'. A shame he hadn't been the one to come up with it.

"By the way, Yoyo. You are extremely fast! Has anyone ever told you that? You kept up with me all the way from Urahara's." The blond commented. The cat seemed amused by the question.

When did he get so good at discerning the expressions of cats?

"Why, yes. Yes they have." She said with an air of utter confidence and superiority.

Shrugging, Naruto continued cutting a swath through the Hollows as he traversed the roofs of Karakura. There were a lot of Noh-Men running around. Thankfully, they didn't seem much interested in the mortals who couldn't see them, instead looking for ghosts or more alluring prey.

As he kept running, he was careful not to be spotted by any normal humans, that would never end well. A few minutes later, Naruto saw an old man race away from three larger Hollows. The guy was slightly see-through. He waved his walking stick desperately at the monsters as he ran into the nearest alley.

A second later, all three Hollows dissipated, never having any idea what hit them.

"You ok, old man? They didn't bite you, did they?"

The old ghost sagged in relief as he looked into the eyes of his rescuer. "No. No… You can… see me?" His voice rasped across his windpipe, his non-existent lungs already heaving for breath from the short chase.

Naruto nodded, his normal smile dominating his features. "Sure can. Now, why are you still hanging around? If you go to the next life, these monsters won't bother you."

The old man seemed taken aback by the question. "The next… life?" He mumbled, looking for all the world like the dead man he was.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you won't be able to do anything by hanging around here."

The old ghost hesitated. "But… My wife…"

Naruto smiled warmly at the soul. "I'm sure she'll be fine. I can check up on her if you'd like?"

A crinkle of water fell from the old man's eyes as he looked at the strange man who had practically fallen from the sky. "You would do that?"

Naruto nodded, the promise already having been made.

"Thank you. Thank you!" The old soul said, voice cracking up a little. He took three deep breaths and nodded to Naruto. "I'm ready."

The shinobi's eyes seemed to glint a steely purple for a second before he touched the old man's forehead. A moment later, the ghost's satisfied smile dissipated into thin air, along with the rest of him.

Yoruichi stared at the scene with wide eyes. She had never seen anything like that been done without a Zanpakuto before. And the ghost hadn't turned into a hell butterfly either. He'd simply disappeared.

"Where did you send him?" She asked, not sure if she wanted an answer.

Naruto shrugged. "I sent him wherever he wanted to go. Perhaps he was admitted directly into the reincarnation cycle, maybe somewhere else. I know as much as he did."

"Then how do you plan to visit his wife? He never said who it was." She mostly tried to distract herself at this point. The implications of what Naruto said had became a bit too large for the non-cat to contemplate at the moment.

Naruto shrugged again as he ran up the nearest wall. "I get all the memories of people I send to the afterlife that way. It can be quite helpful, but also very annoying. I already have too many memories. Where am I going to put them all?"

Yoruichi stared at her blond companion as they ran across the rooftops. All the memories? That was… She shook her head unbelievingly.

At first, she hadn't really understood why Kisuke wanted to hire outside help for the upcoming conflict. The amount of people strong enough to make a difference was extremely small, and they were even harder to find or persuade to join them. But Kisuke had become convinced that Naruto was one of those one-in-a-billion. The fact that they also just hired him over the internet for nothing but ramen and a few thousand yen seemed too good to be true.

She still didn't know how strong Naruto was, and she doubted Kisuke had any real idea either. The more she saw however, the more she became convinced that it might not have been so stupid after all. He fought like seasoned warrior, and he was never surprised by whatever the Hollows threw at him. He hadn't used a weapon yet, but he had no trouble taking down the Hollows despite the perceived handicap.

So far he had only used superior strength, speed, and his own form of hand-to-hand combat. Oh, and the wind technique a little while ago.

Soul manipulation was something else entirely though. The Shinigami only used that to a very limited degree, and it almost always required external tools. She had no idea how far Naruto's abilities reached, but she really wanted to find out.

As the minutes turned into hours, the sky above Karakura became darker and darker.

Naruto saw Ichigo a few times. He was fighting down the Hollow infestation with his own distinct sword style, or rather, lack thereof. There was also a white-clad archer running around, shooting the Noh-Men with arrows of blue light.

Finally, the rip in the sky expanded to ridiculous proportions as a giant Hollow the size of a skyscraper stepped out.

Naruto took one look at the Menos before turning so abruptly the roof fractured. The steep turn sent him sprinting towards the monster and the others that were already near it.

Naruto and Yoruichi landed beside Urahara as he held Rukia back. "What's going on Kisuke?" Naruto asked just as the shopkeeper paralyzed the scared girl with a binding spell.

"Oh, nothing much." He said cheerfully, waving his fan airily as if a fifty foot malevolent monster wasn't a step away. Step counted by said monster, of course.

Rukia focused at Naruto as she tried to shout something, but whatever binding technique Urahara had used didn't let her speak.

Naruto took a look around, trying to map the scene in his mind. There was the Menos, and the massive malevolent presence that came with it. There was the white-clad archer who had apparently hurt his fingers for some reason. There were Jinta, Ururu and Tessai kicking the crap out of a few lesser Hollows. There was Ichigo about to be annihilated by a giant beam of red energy.

Oh. Perhaps that's it.

Naruto bent his knees, relishing in the feeling of chakra building up within him. He was going to leap into danger like the hero he fancied himself as. But before he got to act on his long ingrained hero-complex, Urahara stopped him with a cane to the chest.

The blond shinobi looked over at the shopkeeper. Sure, Kisuke might not be the moral high-mark of society, but the mercenary never figured he would let some random kid be killed right in front of him.

"Please wait, Uzumaki-san. Let Ichigo handle this." The seconds ticked by as Naruto studied the face of his employer.

Apparently, he found what he was looking for. "Fine." He conceded with a slight huff.

As the Cero descended on Ichigo's position, another power rose to meet it.

No soul wants to be destroyed. In fact, the purpose of life is to survive. That is why the most spectacular growth can only happen in the face of death. Ichigo had never consciously controlled his energy before. He had never needed it. Now however… Now it was either do or die. Ichigo did not want to die.

His power rose and rose and rose. Naruto's eyes widened. He wasn't the best at sensing energy in normal conditions, but even he was overwhelmed by the the vast amount of power that Ichigo exuded.

With a mighty yell, the teen swung his sword in an upward arc. Blue energy surged with the motion. The power from Ichigo's sword cleaved through the red beam like butter. The Hollow wasn't as easily bested however, but it did get a giant cut from head to bottom. Its mask cracked as the monolithic creature staggered backwards.

As the collection of souls and humans watched, the giant Hollow retreated. Dragging a piece of reality in front of itself, creating a massive curtain in the sky.

Ichigo howled in victory a moment after the Menos disappeared. Then he collapsed.

"Oy, Kurosaki. What are you-" Ishida began. But even before he could finish his sentence, an explosion of spiritual power washed over the park.

Ichigo howled in pain. The air around him became distorted by the sheer amount of reiatsu and heat he was producing. The teenagers sword bent and warped as the spiritual pressure in the air continued to rise.

Ishida reacted first. He sprang forward, putting his foot on the orange-haired teen's arm. The bow he had been using expanded several times in an instant. Then the proud archer began shooting giant arrow after giant arrow into the sky, all the while having an argument/thank you moment with Ichigo. He would later swear that wasn't what he had been doing.

"That's enough of that. You'll destroy your arm." Naruto said as he appeared beside them.

Ishida blanched, blood dripping down his arms as small cuts opened all over them. "So what?" The archer insisted.

Naruto smiled a calming smile. "You don't have to." Placing one hand on top of Ichigo's, Naruto closed his eyes. All the energy flooding the air disappeared as if it had never been there.

Ishida fell to his knees, exhausted by the day's events.

"Quincy, eh?" Naruto murmured to himself as he watched the young man's exhausted frame.

A few days later found Naruto sitting on his bed, writing in a book he always kept with him. As he finished, he closed the cover and breathed deeply three times.

As a last exercise before going to sleep, Naruto crossed his feet and stayed completely still. A second later, the world opened up for him. It was in this state that the city truly came alive.

The Sage could feel every living thing within kilometers of himself. He sensed the ants crawling beneath the ground and the rats running in the sewers of the city. He sensed the humans. The thousands upon thousands who lived in Karakura Town, most of which had long since escaped into the world of dreams. Their numbers may not be so special in this era, but compared to Konoha, this was a sprawling metropolis.

The place buzzed with energy. In fact, it was about as high as it got. Like a swamp full of water, this city was overflowing with energy. Even the hidden villages couldn't have compared. Then again, the use of both physical and spiritual energy caused both to behave differently.

Although there were many high energies sources in Karakura, two signatures did not belong here. Halfway across the town, two huge energy sources were fighting. One was Ichigo. The other an unknown. Another unknown stood idly beside them, observing the ongoing battle.

The one fighting felt like a ferocious animal. Angry and frustrated, but still strong and deadly. The second energy source was much larger than the first. Although it was harder to discern its actual strength. Not a blip of emotion escaped it. The very nature of the energy seemed to reflect any attempt his senses made at looking deeper, so Naruto couldn't tell how strong it was. It's serenity simply didn't let anything out. That worried him.

But there was something else. The one fighting Ichigo didn't go all out, or more accurately, he couldn't. Something restrained him. Like a type of seal Naruto might have invented on a drunken Saturday night.

Rukia and Ishida were also present. Rukia was clearly distraught, but judging by Ishida's signature, he had been knocked unconscious.

The most curious thing the blond felt was the fact that both Yoruichi and Urahara were only a few dozen meters away. They were far better at suppressing their energy than anyone else, but it wasn't that easy to hide from Sage Mode.

They were there, clearly watching, but not doing anything.

Bar-like pupils and golden irises shone through the darkness as Naruto opened his eyes. Orange pigmentations stood out as he ran out of the shop faster than most mortals could hope to follow.

As he ran towards the scene, he knew he was already too late. The second unknown had acted, and Ichigo had been knocked unconscious, possibly dying.

The two unknowns and Rukia disappeared.

They just… vanished.

As he reached ground zero, he saw Urahara already treating Ishida. "Oy, Kisuke! What happened here?" Naruto asked, golden irises shining in the darkness. His chakra bubbled under the surface, barely restrained by his mortal skin. He was agitated and confused, and his energy reflected that.

"Oh my. When did you get so fast Uzumaki-san?" Kisuke asked curiously.

Naruto snorted. He may have answered the scientist's questions about chakra in general, but no self-respecting ninja reveals his tricks before he uses them.

Ishida groaned under Urahara's green-glowing hands, the healing technique working its magic. Why is it always green? Naruto wondered absentmindedly.

Uryuu sat up, rubbing his chest where a wound had been only a few seconds ago. "U-Urahara-san? Uzumaki-san?" Urahara waved cheerfully down at the wounded boy. Naruto nodded. They had been introduced shortly after the Noh-Men infestation. He was pleasantly surprised the teen remembered him at all.

"You should rest for a while. You can come home with us if you'd like." Urahara said happily, completely ignoring the overarching mood. Ishida shook his head, staggering upright.

The rain still fell around them, giving the entire scene a depressing atmosphere. "Kurosaki… How is he?" The archer asked, a slight tilt of concern showing through his strict demeanor.

Urahara waved his question aside. "Oh, he'll be fine. Don't worry."

Ishida looked over at his black-cloaked classmate and scrounged his brows together, no doubt trying sense Ichigo's spiritual power.

"I'm going home. Thank you for tending to me. However, I am fine. Instead, please heal Ichigo." He took a deep breath as clenched his still bandaged fist. Blood dripped from the newly reopened wound. "Right now. The one that can beat those bastards… It's not me. Please… heal Ichigo." He looked back at them, determination shining in his eyes. The young teen nodded to them once, then walked away.

They took Ichigo's wounded soul back to the store. Once they got there, Naruto noticed his physical body was already present. Urahara and his team had been expecting this.

As soon as they arrived, Urahara and Tessai got to work healing, salving and bandaging the orange-haired teen's wounds.

There were a lot of wounds. He would have died instantly had he still been in his mortal body. Two holes pierced straight through his torso. One went through his right abdomen, the other directly piercing the heart itself. The Gate of Death. How the boy was still alive was a nothing short of a miracle. Naruto remembered Urahara telling him that a Shinigami's life force was directly linked to their spiritual energy. This kid really reminded him of himself.

After Tessai and Urahara finished piecing wonderboy together, they put him into his body again, re-bandaged him, and laid him to rest on a temporary futon.

"Phew! That's quite a bit of work. Wouldn't you say so Uzumaki-san?" Urahara said.

The blond shinobi said nothing, weighing his options. "You knew that would happen."

Urahara also stayed silent. His normal fan was nowhere to be seen, although his cane stood leaning against the wall. When the silence began stretching to uncomfortable lengths, Urahara eventually relented. "That wasn't a question." He said with his usual humor.

Naruto frowned in annoyance. If Kisuke didn't want to give an answer right away, he would just have to force it out. Naruto had all the time in the world. That didn't mean he felt particularly patient at the moment, however.

"What happened, Kisuke? Who took Rukia? Where did they go? Who is this kid, and what the hell does he have to do with anything?" He demanded, gesturing towards Ichigo. He wasn't finished with just that though. "What are you planning? Why did you hire me? What is going on!?" Naruto almost shouted. Something serious was happening, and Naruto wanted to know what.

"Yare, yare... So many questions."

Faster than he could blink, Urahara was propped up against the wall. Naruto stared directly into the shrewd shopkeeper's eyes. "Who are you, Urahara Kisuke?" Crimson pupils dilated as demonic killing intent flooded the room. Urahara was lifted a few inches off the ground. The wall creaked under the pressure.

Urahara's playful persona fell off like a used coat. The shopkeeper's eyes met Naruto's own without a sliver of fear. Naruto was impressed despite himself. He had met generals who would faint at less. "Put me down and I'll explain, Uzumaki Naruto."

Yoruichi watched the scene with the wakeful eye of a night-predator as Tessai held the shivering forms of Jinta and Ururu.

Naruto sat calmly in a meditative position as he processed everything Urahara had told him. He was sure the former Shinigami captain hadn't told him everything. But it was good enough. He understood that some secrets was on a need-to-know basis only.

While he still didn't trust Urahara, and Kisuke clearly didn't trust him in return. The shopkeeper wanted Naruto's help. That much was clear. He just didn't feel comfortable sharing anything too important.

"Well, one thing's for sure. This is outside the original contract. If you want my help in something like this, we need to renegotiate the mission payments." Urahara, who by now had found his fan again, began using it quite liberally.

"Ehh… I was hoping we might do that, you know, after we saved the world?" He asked hopefully.

Naruto shook his head in bemusement. He didn't really understand what he was getting himself into, but this was most definitely a S-rank mission. "That's not how this stuff works." Naruto sighed as Urahara continued sweating bullets. "You don't have enough money, do you?"

The ex-captain's eyes flickered from side to side as if looking for an escape that would not come.

"That's ok. There are other forms of payment." Naruto acquiesced, not particularly bothered by the situation. It wasn't like C-rank turned S-rank was all that uncommon for him.

Urahara seized on the opportunity like a drowning man would seize a lifeline. "What other forms?" He asked cautiously. Well… A lifeline that was potentially poisoned and burning.

Naruto shrugged and gestured around the shop. "What you have here is incredible. Some of this stuff is more than enough to pay for such a mission."

Urahara nodded, a little calmer now that he had a way out. "I can't just be giving my stuff away you know. That would ruin me as easily as paying straight up."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "What about a compromise then? A trading agreement. We buy your stuff. A regular supply per month of various items and supplies. I can also think of a lot of people that would want to buy something for themselves. The greater the discount, the faster your debt will be paid. I doubt we would stop buying stuff even when the deal is over, so you should make money from this."

"A trading agreement?" Such a thought hadn't even occurred to Kisuke. His shop was in sore need of more customers. He couldn't help but get in one last stab though. "Wouldn't it be a problem if you buy your stuff on the 'black market' as you called it?"

Naruto looked at him as if he had grown another head. "We're ninja." Was all he said. As if that explained everything. And in truth, it kind of did.

Ichigo woke up.

He woke up screaming.

"Too close! Too close! Get off me!"

"Ah! Instant reaction. Very good. Tenchou! Ichigo is awake!" Tessai shouted at them from the other room.

Ichigo sat up quickly. A bit too quickly, it turned out. He grabbed his shoulder and winced in pain, not quite managing to hide his discomfort.

"You shouldn't move around so much, Kurosaki-san. You might die." Kisuke's cheerful voice sounded through the room as he and Naruto walked through the door.

"Geta Boshi? So this must be your house?" Ichigo said, voice unusually somber.

Urahara smiled as he clasped his fan together. "Correct." Ichigo looked over at Naruto, a strange expression coming over his face. Naruto smiled and waved.

"Ehh… Who are you again?" Ichigo asked.

The golden haired shinobi surrounded himself in a cloud of depression. Perhaps he shouldn't have expected anything more, but well… Uryuu had remembered him. Still, that only gave him an excuse for another introduction dance.

"Ah, don't worry about him. He's just one of my minions." Urahara said, waving the issue away.

An angry tick mark manifested itself on Naruto's brow as he tried to stare a hole through the shopkeeper's skull. Intro dance completely forgotten.

Taking his word for it, Ichigo focused back on Urahara. "So, you saved me?" He said hesitantly.

Kisuke didn't seem to notice Naruto trying to burn him alive with pure willpower. Instead, he answered Ichigo's last question with one of his own.

"You make it sound like you didn't want to be saved?"

After Kisuke had explained the situation to Ichigo, imprinting at least a minimum amount of respect in the rebellious teenager. The high-school student set his goal. He was going to Soul Society. And neither heaven nor hell would stop him.

"Those are some nice eyes." Naruto commented once Ichigo left the shop. He would come back the next day, this time with a fresh body and rested spirit. He would need that in order to survive the next ten days, if Urahara was to be believed.

Kisuke hummed in agreement. They both knew Naruto was not talking about the aesthetically pleasing sight of normal brown irises. He turned around and walked into the shop, focusing back at the shinobi. "Come, Uzumaki-san. You may want to see this." Kisuke said excitedly. Naruto shrugged as he turned around. Urahara removed the tatami mat in the back of the shop, showing it to be a hole leading under the house. Naruto walked over and looked down to what he assumed was the cellar.

The tunnel seemed continue down. And down. And down. Urahara smiled at him like a child that had just shown his parents a new drawing. "Follow me." He said before jumping down. Naruto jumped after him.

What met them was a massive… space. There was no other word for it. It was an enormous rocky plateau. Far too large to be hidden under such a small shop without disturbing the towns surrounding infrastructure. The room also had its own sky and a sun, or at least the illusion of them. Naruto stared at the place with wide eyes before shrugging. He could probably cook up something similar with earth manipulation, a bunch of seals and hours upon hours of designing work.

Didn't mean it wasn't damn impressive though.

The next day found Ichigo at the bottom of the shattered shaft with his chain of fate cut and hands bound.

Urahara stared down at him with cold indifference. "If you can't climb up here within 72 hours you will turn into a Hollow. So you better become a Shinigami before then!"

Naruto stared down at the orange haired boy far below him. "Did you guys just kill him?" He asked with incredulity. He looked over at the physical body of the teenager and back down at his soul form, which was currently trying to run up the walls of the shaft as if his afterlife depended on it.

The shopkeeper tucked up his fan and laughed a haughty laugh. (Naruto was getting surer and surer Urahara was mentally unstable) "Kill him?" Then his voice became deadly serious as a cold chill washed over the four people standing in the vicinity. "Yes. Yes we did."

Naruto blinked once, then twice as the normal atmosphere reestablished itself. He looked around and scratched his head. "So, he either becomes a Shinigami or a Hollow. And if he manages to become a Shinigami, he can return to his body again? How does that work?"

Urahara smiled, mystery oozing out of every pore. "Oh, every soul has the capacity to possess physical objects. It's harder to possess something still alive, so a normal plus can only possess a mouse, or a small bird at most. Although a corpse is preferable, as they don't have to share space. However, a Shinigami has huge amounts of spiritual power. It isn't very hard for them to possess something like a human body."

"So…" Naruto drawled out. "…he would be possessing his own body?"

Urahara nodded happily. Naruto sighed. This soul stuff got complicated sometimes. He was much better at the yang part. "Well, if he's just going to stay down there, I should probably go visit the others."

Kisuke might not fully trust him. And therefore couldn't tell him anything he wouldn't tell Aizen, but the ex-captain had told him who would be helping Ichigo in this crazy endeavor to infiltrate the home base of a supernatural army.

Being trained by a talking cat in order to fight demons and death gods was not something Chad had ever imagined himself doing. Somehow, Orihime seemed completely ok with it. He was therefore somewhat glad when an actual human showed up. Or at least he thought the blond was human. He was currently sitting sideways on the wall, as if gravity didn't apply to him. Orihime thought it was the coolest thing ever.

It was then that Chad realized he would never be able to see the world the same way ever again.

Naruto studied the two aspiring warriors. He didn't really want to take such young kids to invade the home territory of death gods... Oh, who was he kidding, this was going to be hilarious!

Besides, he had only been a year older when he had to save his world from impending destruction. A shame he hadn't quite managed it.

Still, it ended far better than he would have dreamed of at the end of the war.

In short; the world was simply too large to allow sulking. Sure, he might have lost people. He might have lain broken on the ground as the Elemental Nations was claimed by the ocean. He may have been helpless as he looked upon the rain of fire that destroyed his home. But if there's one thing he had learned throughout all his years of traveling, it was that souls were not that easy to destroy.

As his mind snapped back to the present, he pondered the two teenagers in front of him.

Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado were as different as two people could get. One was a huge Japanese/Mexican boy with dark skin, and a build that looked more at home on an American football field than in a Japanese high school. The other was a ditzy almost-blonde with huge *cough* assets, and a bubbly personality with enough quirks to impress even Naruto.

Their powers were really interesting as well.

Chad had monstrous strength and natural resilience. In a few years, his brute force might even exceed Naruto's. He would become a titan on the battlefield. Capable of striking fear into the heart of enemies and encourage comrades by his mere presence.

Orihime though… Orihime was something else.

She was only in the beginning of discovering her power, but its potential was already staggering. Rejecting reality? Naruto was sure no one had truly realized it yet. Yoruichi probably had an idea, but despite all the experience he knew she had, he doubted she had seen much of the world outside the cozy bubble of Hollows and Shinigami.

Once someone discovers the supernatural world, very few stop to ask 'Is there more?' You might see signs that there are, things that don't really fit. But you don't want to contemplate it. If someone sees something that doesn't blend well with their worldview, most people try to avoid it until they simply can't anymore. They try not to think about it. And they keep doing that until reality hits them over the head with it. Or they die.

If Ichigo's power was scary, then Orihime's was terrifying. Not just for what she would be able to do, but for the possibilities such abilities presented.

Primordial creatures and ancient demons would destroy worlds for something like this.

When she was healing, she wasn't simply healing. She rejected the damage. She was directly changing the fabric of reality to suit her needs. Attack, shield and heal. Most people would think of it as three different abilities. But her soul, as most others, only had one affinity. And it manifested itself in its purest form through sheer spiritual energy.

The power to reject reality as she saw it.

He had seen a few abilities throughout his life that may be able to compare, maybe. All those were claimed by godlike creatures beyond anything Naruto would normally be able to handle however. Even Izanagi paled in comparison.

As far as he could see, he had a few choices. He could try to keep Inoue's true abilities a secret. Not impossible, as the Soul Reaper world was about as isolated as his old home had been. But the chance still existed that someone in this corner of reality would find her, and once they did, few things would stop them from going after her.

If this got any farther out though…

He may be able to hide her, or something similar.

That was another possibility, to 'claim' her as his own. He did have enough influence to do something like that. He would have to constantly defend her though.

If Ichigo became strong enough, he would undoubtedly take up the task. That was the kind of guy he was. She also seemed attracted to him, so that might work as an advantage. The girl was willing to follow him into the afterlife for god's sake.

The boy had charisma, and goddamn if he didn't have potential as well.

This small C-rank had suddenly ballooned to something much, much bigger. Help the shop? Save Soul Society? Beat a world-conquering megalomaniac? Sure, he could do that.

Try to stop the greatest war this world had ever known because of a girl with a pair of blue hairpins?

…

Naruto ruffled his hair in frustration and relief. He was suddenly very, very glad he had accepted this mission. If someone had gotten here before him, he wouldn't have been able to do anything. Then again, if he hadn't taken it, he wouldn't have had this problem in the first place.

A dark part of psyche whispered that simply killing her would solve the problem. There was almost a zero percent chance that her soul would ever rediscover her current power when she was reborn. This would prevent any potential fallout resulting from such incredible abilities. For a moment, he actually considered the idea. Then reality caught up with him.

He couldn't do that. Even if it had been the only reasonable choice left. He could no more go against his nature than water could flow upstream by itself.

A less drastic measure would be to destroy the hairpins. But they were only the means by which she channeled her power through. Urahara would probably just repair them. If she didn't find a way to restore them herself that is.

He sighed into his hands as he continued his train of thought.

He had time. Even if Soul Society caught the kids, it was doubtful they would simply kill them. Well, except maybe Ichigo. He wasn't supposed to have Shinigami powers in the first place. However, he didn't know the Gotei 13 well enough to say for sure. He didn't know them at all really. All he had to go after was Urahara's descriptions. But if everything went according to the shopkeepers plan, Soul Society would become their allies. A 2000-year-old military establishment, the power of three realms, and his own influence should most definitely be enough to dissuade anyone other than their world's craziest creatures.

If any of the really big fish came for her though…

If that happened, there wasn't much his cute little ass could do about it, other than to fight with all he had besides the others.

Orihime Inoue.

Sometimes the smallest details were the most important.

Author's note:

Tenchou means storeowner.

Keikaku means plan.

First off, I want to address the issue with the Soul Sleep and the Soul Chain. In Bleach canon, we only get a little mention of them at the start of the series, and then it's never mentioned again. Even though what we learned was quite vague.

Here is my own take on it. It is also what I will be using in this story.

The Soul Sleep is the place where spiritual power is produced. In Bleach canon, it is located somewhere around the heart. While in Naruto canon, the eighth gate is directly over/inside the heart. I decided to make them the same for a few reasons. Chakra exists as both spiritual and physical energies. If you open the eighth gate, you use all the energy you have. Every bit of energy your body can possibly produce. All at once. Essentially cooking yourself alive in the process. So why shouldn't the final gate also utilize all the energy your soul could possibly give you at the moment?

In this crossover, I made the eighth gate and the soul sleep one and the same. The other gates are only physical though. Or at least mostly physical.

The Soul Chain (Not to be confused with the Chain of Fate) is used to boost a Shinigami's spiritual power. The Soul Chain and Soul Sleep were the two points Byakuya pierced to take away Ichigo's Shinigami powers.

The Soul Sleep is said to be the source of spirit power in general. The Soul Chain is specifically stated to be a boost to a Shinigami's power. I will take this concept one step further, and say that the Soul Chain is what an Asauchi binds itself to when a plus soul becomes a Shinigami, thus transforming itself into what we know as a Zanpakuto. By doing this, the Asauchi turns a normal soul with spiritual power (those that can utilize their Soul Sleep) into a Shinigami (Who has said spiritual power boosted by the Soul Chain).

I can go further with this world building aspect by saying the Quincy don't have their spiritual power boosted by their Soul Chain. Thus, they have naturally lower reserves than Shinigami. They make up for this by absorbing the spiritual energy in the air around them, negating the weakness of having less power naturally.

The other thing I want to touch on is Naruto's name for the Hollows. I shamelessly stole that from another author on this site: the story 'FateBlack-Reflection' by 'Nameless Flame Wielder'. It is a Bleach/Fate-Stay-Night crossover. It's really good. I read it before I knew much of anything about the Type-Moon universe. It is still one of my favorite reads ever.

The name 'Noh-Men' means 'Noh-Masks'. 'Men' means mask and "Noh" is a collective name for a type of Japanese masked theater.

I feel that if such monsters roamed the world, especially Japan, this would be a natural name to give them. While 'Hollows' would only be a name those who knew more about them would think up. (Lost "heart"/humanity etc.)

A heads up for anyone reading this story: This is neither the Bleach universe, nor the Naruto universe. This is my own world, in which I fit both Bleach' and Naruto's storyline. Almost everything stated in canon for both universes is left as it is. I am simply adding my own rules that encompass all of it.

This world is huge! The earth is huge, and so of course this world is huge.

How could 3000 Shinigami ever patrol the entire earth? The very notion is a joke. In this universe, gods and demons walk the earth. Mortals ascend to immortality, and interdimensional travel is about as complicated as taking the train. You just have to find the train station.