Welcome one and all to Legend of the Immortal Fox: Shinigami Saga...

As said in the summary, this story will be AU, very AU actually... So for those who don't like AU stories - in which case, the hell are you doing looking at crossover stories? - please leave now or forever shut the frick up...

That's all I have for now... Hopefully, this version will be better and you'll enjoy it...

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon...everything's different."
-Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes

Chapter 1: Death of a Fox, Birth of a Shinigami...

I don't own anything...

A small boy crawled under a bridge and hugged his knees. Silent tears flowed down his cheeks as he heard people passing over the bridge. They were the reason he was out, crying and hiding while fearing for his life. He was only eight; who ever heard of a eight year old running for his life? It's insane.

He hated his life; he hated everything about himself and everything he stood for. He wanted to stop being a burden to everyone and just be useful to someone, anyone. He sniffed loudly and then regretted for he heard the footsteps on the bridge stop suddenly.

"He's under the bridge!" Naruto, finding it pointless to keep hiding, ran out from under the bridge and continued to run for his life. "GET HIM!"

Tears flew off his face and he tripped over his poorly tied shoelaces. Time seemed to slow down for Naruto as he looked back during his mid-fall and saw all the villagers behind him smirk evilly. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain and probable death.

However, he never felt his body hit the ground because he felt someone grab onto him instead. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he is flying in midair, passing by many trees and was being held by what he thinks is an ANBU. Naruto says nothing as he lets the ANBU take him to where he wanted; it's not like he cared anyways.

A few minutes later, Naruto started to feel tired and he fell asleep though not before hearing a faint chuckle. Naruto woke up with a fright; he had a nightmare again, the same one as before. The one where he foresaw his death and the worst part is; if his dream was actually a prediction, his death would start here. Naruto tried to stand but felt his wrist and ankles tied down. His eyes widened as he looked around and saw he was in an old, abandoned laboratory.

He almost threw up when he saw many eyeballs floating in test tubes and other body parts floating in a container of some kind. There was blood smeared on the walls in the room that were poorly lit by old light bulbs. This was it, this was where he saw his death, and this was where it going to start! Well, not if he had anything to say about it.

Naruto struggled against the belts tying him down but it proved fruitless. More tears fell and his fury was only fueled by it; he was always crying and he was getting sick of it.

"Calm down boy." Naruto's body remained still and tense as he heard a croaky voice order. He looked in the direction of where he heard the voice and saw the same ANBU who helped him walking towards him. When appeared in the dim light, he removed his mask and smiled at Naruto. He shivered as he saw the ANBU's snake like eyes observing him and his long, snake tongue licking his lips. Whoever this man was, he was not going to help Naruto that was for sure.

"W-Who are you?" Naruto stuttered. The ANBU moved his long, black hair from his face as he made his way towards the eyes in the test tubes. He took two of them and then walked to Naruto.

"Who I am is not important but what's going to happen now is." The ANBU taunted as Naruto felt his blood run cold. "Now, hold still." The ANBU touched Naruto's forehead and before he could protest, Naruto felt like going to sleep again. His eyes slowly closed and his world started to fade.

"Sleep well my future vessel for when you wake up again, everything for you will change." Was the last thing Naruto heard. As for the ANBU, he didn't know how right he was.

[*.*.A month later.*.*]

Naruto roared loudly as many of the villagers ran from him. He felt great, so justified and anyone who got in his way was immediately brought down by a simple cut of their throat. Even the ANBU, who were the supposed best in their field, were quickly brought to their knees and beheaded. Naruto felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins as another batch of villagers were killed.

He looked down at his bloodied claws and smiled evilly, barring his fangs. The feel of someone else's blood on his hands felt enticing and invigorating. The two tomoe in his red eyes spun as he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He turned and easily impaled the chunin that tried to behead him. Naruto pulled his right hands from the chunin's body with his heart in his hands before squishing it.

"Kukukuku, that was so great." Naruto purred as he tossed aside the remains of the chunin's heart. He looked to the west and saw that the sun was starting to set. He smirked, his work only half done. His highly sensitive nose picked up the scent of a familiar man and he prepared himself. In a flash of smoke, an old man in white and red robes appeared before Naruto with two other ANBU.

Naruto didn't let the two ANBU attack as he appeared before the one of the left and pierced his throat with his left claw. The old man in the white and red robes and the other ANBU jumped away from Naruto as he completely beheaded the ANBU and burned his body with a strange blue fire that appeared from his hands.

"Naruto… why?" The old man asked in a regretful tone. Naruto flinched as he opened and closed his fist.

"S-Stay… stay away old man!" Naruto shouted as he extended his arm out and the blue fire was shot off his hand. The old man and his ANBU jumped out of the way and the ANBU looked at the old man and he nodded hesitantly. With a quick procession of hand signs, the sounds of a thousand birds chirping could be heard around the area. Naruto watched as the ANBU with lightning in his hands crouched down before running to him.

Opening his red eyes wide, Naruto was able to barely dodge the lightning jab and kick the ANBU in the abdomen. The lightning disappeared as the ANBU doubled over and before Naruto could finish him off, the ground under him shot up and enveloped him in a coffin of dirt and stones. Only Naruto's head was visible from the coffin as he roared angrily and tried to free himself.

"It's over." Said a voice a few feet away as it was replaced with the sounds of chirping birds again. Naruto tensed and felt his blood rushing out of his mouth as the ANBU's lightning covered hand appeared from his body and through the dirt. The dirt and stones then gave away and the ANBU freed his hand from Naruto's body, making it fall to the ground with a dull thud.

Hiruzen, who had activated the Earth jutsu, watched in sadness and confusion as Naruto's red fox-like eyes dulled and soon closed. Kakashi, who was less than eager to kill the boy, held his midsection as he walked to Hiruzen's side.

"It had to be done Hokage-sama. If we didn't stop him, he probably would've destroyed the entire village." Kakashi assured and Hiruzen nodded absentmindedly.

"I know." Hiruzen stared at Naruto's prone body with sadness until it started to convulse violently. Hiruzen was about to act when Naruto's mouth suddenly opened and a white blob with a black mop of hair came out of him. Hiruzen and Kakashi watched in horror as what they thought was a blob was actually Orochimaru who stretched out his limbs and then smirked at the two shocked Konoha shinobi.

"That's a shame; he was such an obedient vessel. If it wasn't for the damned fox, I probably would've kept him but unfortunately, it was a onetime ride." Hiruzen's face, once gentle and shining with experience and understanding was now contorted to one of pain, anger and hatred. "I see you have some fixing up to do here so I'll just be on my way."

"You're not going anywhere!" Hiruzen shouted as he forcefully threw shuriken at Orochimaru and made some hand signs. "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Thousands of shuriken appeared from that one shuriken and Orochiramu chuckled as he was pierced by the shuriken. Then he dissolved into mud and disappeared from sight.

"Hokage-sama, please, calm down." Kakashi said as he held Hiruzen back from going after Orochimaru. "There is a time and place for everything and right now, Konoha needs you to help with its recovery. And…" Kakashi looked at Naruto's corpse and saw his demonic features start to be replaced by his normal ones.

"Yeah, I know; we still need to prepare for his funeral." Hiruzen walked to Naruto's corpse and started to cradle him. His surrogate grandson, bloodied and dead in his arms; how many times has he seen this before? Someone close to him dead in his arms and he was powerless to save him. Why was fate so cruel! A tear was shed from his eye and Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. They were surrounded by the bleak aura of a sunset as Hiruzen noticed there was no one in sight.

Obviously, Orochimaru had planned to wreak havoc with Naruto's body, to further drive his reputation to the ground but more importantly, to mess with Hiruzen. However, Hiruzen found himself fortunate that they caught Naruto earlier out here in the outskirts of Konoha before he reached the center where there were more civilians. Even with that luck though, it was completely overshadowed by the death of his grandson.

"We need to go now, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded as he stood and walked to his office with Kakashi and Naruto. He knew some people would've made it out alive to tell the tale of the rampaging jinchuuriki. Rumors, that's all it'll take for Naruto to have a lonely funeral.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto felt himself regaining consciousness as he let out a loud yawn. He sat up from the hard ground and immediately scratched his back but froze when he heard the unmistakable jingle of chains. He looked down and saw a long chain attached to his chest; his reaction was immediate…

"AH!" He started to panic as he also realized that he was a bit transparent. He still had his white shirt and orange pants but they were torn and ragged. "What's going on?" He shouted to no one in particular. He looked around and saw the usual civilians walking around, doing their errands as the sun shined down from the center of the sky. Naruto wondered why no one had kicked him out of the way yet like they usually did. Naruto stood from the ground and noticed that no one was making eye contact with him; it was almost like he wasn't even there.

Usually, they'd at least glare at him or something like that, something that'd acknowledge his existence but now, he was being ignored… which is something he didn't like one bit.

"HEY!" Naruto shouted but still no one looked at him. He appeared in front of someone who was about to pass him and before he could say anything, the person walked through Naruto. He stared into space with wide eyes as his mind registered what he thought was impossible unless…

That's it! He was dead and now his spirit was going to wander the land until… until something happened. He wasn't so sure but that was the only thing that made sense. He inspected his transparent arms for a little while longer before falling to his knees. He didn't even remembered how he died, he only remembered being knocked out by the ANBU and then… nothing.

Tears shed as he finally felt the impact of the news hit him. Now that he was dead, he couldn't become Hokage, he couldn't be the best shinobi in existence… he would never find out how exactly Sakura felt about him. He suddenly had an idea as he turned to one of the stores with a public clock and saw that it was a little bit after noon. He smirked as he jumped to his feet, wiped his tears and ran to the academy; they should be taking a lunch break and he'll be able to see Sakura again.

"I'm coming Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the crowd with relative ease. He was still getting used to not really having a physical body but whenever he passed through someone, he chuckled goofily. After finally making it to the academy, Naruto ran to back where he knew Sakura would be with Ino and smiled widely when he saw the mess of pink hair. He ran to her and as he heard her talking with Ino, his running turned into slow pace walk.

"I can't believe he's gone." He heard Ino say and he guessed they were talking about him. "I didn't know him that well… or at all, but still." She said solemnly.

"Yeah, he might've been annoying but to just die? That's crazy." Sakura added and Ino nodded her head. Naruto felt himself crying again, glad that Sakura cared for him. "I hate to say it but, I'm kind of glad he's gone." Then Naruto's heart broke.

"What?" Ino asked incredulous.

"Come on Ino, he's always trying to get me to like him and getting in Sasuke-kun's way. Now, he'll be at peace and won't bother anyone." Sakura said in her defense. Ino shook her head.

"That's cold Sakura." She stated and Sakura looked down.

"I know but… that's how I feel." Naruto clenched his fist tightly by his side as tears continued to fall but for a different reason.

"So… I was only an annoyance? IS THAT IT SAKURA-CHAN?" Naruto yelled in Sakura's face but since he was dead, she didn't hear him. "No, you don't deserve to be called that Sakura; you were never really my friend." He then turned to walk away and only took a few steps before a sudden feeling of being followed washed over him. He stopped and turned to see that there was a girl behind him who had also stopped.

She had long black hair braided into one strand that ran down her back. Her outfit consisted of a short black kimono with a white underkimono under it. The sleeves of her kimono were not wide most kimonos and the upper parts of the sleeves are puffed. Also, she wore a traditional wide white obi with a red cord fastening it. On her left sleeve was an armband with the word 'lieutenant' on it. In addition she had white gloves that cover only the back of her hands and wrists; as well as a dark red choker around her neck.

Her emerald eyes seemed to stare into Naruto's and Naruto thought she could see him but then thought otherwise since he knew he was dead.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, correct?" The girl suddenly asked and Naruto flinched. He looked around and then pointed at himself while blinking.

"M-Me?" The girl didn't even blink as she slightly tilted her head to the side.

"You are Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, no?" She asked and Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know about the 'Namikaze' part but I am Naruto Uzumaki." The girl's eyes narrowed slightly.

'It's just as Captain-Commander had thought, he doesn't know about his father.' She thought as she bowed.

"Rest assured Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, you are a Namikaze." She said and Naruto sweat dropped.

"Uhm… thanks…" The girl stood up again and nodded. "So, you know my name, what's yours?" Naruto asked.

"I am Nemu Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and Vice-President of Shinigami Research and Development Institute." Nemu introduced herself and Naruto blinked absentmindedly.

"…lieutenant… 12th Division… Gotei 13… Vice-president… SHINIGAMI?" Naruto shouted in shock and Nemu nodded her head.

"That is correct." She said and Naruto looked at her with blank eyes before he shut his eyes and turned around. Nemu raised an eyebrow and followed after Naruto. After walking for two blocks, Naruto stopped again and turned.

"Why are you following me?" Naruto asked.

"I was ordered to bring you to the Soul Society, Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki." Nemu told him and Naruto blinked.

"Ok, first: just Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki at most. I don't know where you got the 'Namikaze' part but I'm no Namikaze." Naruto said and Nemu nodded. "Second: I think you're crazy. Shinigami are a lot scarier than you are and I'm sure there's no society where all of you, if you are one, go and… and…" Naruto closed his eyes to think. "Just no, I don't believe you. So leave me alone." Naruto said in a frustrated tone before walking away. Nemu followed after him but Naruto refused to acknowledge her again.

He was dead and would now be a wandering spirit for who knows how long. He had better things to worry about than a crazy lady talking nonsense while following him.

"Excuse me." Naruto was surprised to hear Nemu talk but didn't stop. If anything, he sped up. "Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto started to sprint down the sidewalk before taking a sharp right into an empty alleyway.

Nemu saw him enter the alleyway and when she turned as well, she didn't see him anywhere. She squinted her eyes as if it'd help her better to see into the dark alley. She finally walked into the alley and searched to the sides of the giant dumpster. She opened it to see if he jumped in it but nothing was in there, not even a bag. After a few minutes of no success, Nemu stepped out of the alley and continued down the street.

Naruto chuckled silently as he stepped out from under the dumpster.

"I still got it." He said and went in the opposite direction as Nemu. Turning once more, he shouted in surprise when he saw Nemu standing in front of him with an expectant look. He looked behind him and then back at her.

"How'd you do that?" Naruto asked and Nemu sighed.

"That's not important Naruto Uzumaki. Please, I need to take you to the Soul Society." She insisted and Naruto hummed to himself as he thought it over.

"Fine, but can I have one last look around here?" He asked and Nemu nodded her head. Naruto smiled and walked away with a wave of his hand. "Thanks!"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto had been wandering Konoha for what seemed like hours. He wasn't sure where he was heading and he didn't care, he was just too engrossed with his thoughts to care. Once or twice he had stopped by the Hokage's office and spotted Hiruzen working on paperwork but Naruto could see the sadness in his eyes. Naruto was glad at least one person mourned his death. With a last, unheard goodbye, Naruto continued down the path, observing everything for the last time.

One thing he noticed while on his tour was that everything seemed clearer. He saw things in a better perspective and even the fast moving things that moved didn't seem so fast anymore. This excited him a little; he guessed this was a perk of being dead.

However, he wasn't so sure but he felt like he was being followed again. Not by the girl; apparently, she had respected him with some space and trusting him to go with her to wherever she wanted, No, this… entity of sorts that's been following him was surrounded by a bad aura that gave Naruto the creeps. The mal intent that this entity surrounded him with was almost unbearable for him but luckily, it went way. Deciding to find out about it later, Naruto continued on his oblivious trek around Konoha for the last time.

He was surprised when he found himself standing inside some garden. It was a beautiful garden full of different plants, flowers, trees, etc. He looked around some more and saw a pond only a few meters away from him. Beyond that was a huge house, almost like a compound or something. Naruto walked to the pond and looked into it, watching koi fish swimming freely in their limited space. The pond seemed to place him in a trance like state because he didn't hear the sound of a door sliding open.

Walking to her backyard, Hinata wiped the tears from her eyes as she failed to keep them from falling. She had heard Ino tell Sakura a rumor of Naruto dying of a heart attack. She doubted it but he had been gone for an entire month and she started to lose some hope. When the academy ended, she ran through the crowds and hallways and stopped in her room.

She cried for about two hours before she decided to head to her family's garden in the backyard to clear her mind. She remembered the times when her mother brought her there to clear her mind and it always worked so why not now?

She stopped in front of the pond and sat down on a large boulder placed right outside the pond. She looked into the pond, admiring the koi fishes' beauty and agility in the water and letting her tears hit the pond, creating ripples.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed the ripples in the water. He looked up and across the pond, he saw Hinata crying softly while staring into the pond. Naruto was surprised to find himself in the Hyuga's garden and even more to see Hinata crying.

Hinata was such a nice girl; she never made fun of anyone and was especially kind to him which he didn't receive much from anyone. Sure she'd blush and stutter when he was around and would occasionally faint but that didn't make her a bad person. She was a kind hearted soul; even Naruto knew that much, and seeing someone as nice as her cry was a crime. It made Naruto kind of angry that someone made her cry and… and it just didn't sit well with him to do nothing but watch her cry.

"Why N-Naruto-kun?" Naruto was shocked; was he the reason why she was crying? "W-Why did you d-die? I-I didn't even t-tell you." Naruto moved closer to the crying Hinata as his curiosity got the better of him… again.

"T-Tell me what? What is it Hinata?" He asked, wishing she could hear him. Though, he guessed she wouldn't have heard him even if he wasn't dead; too engrossed in her own sulking to notice the world around her. Hinata sniffed as she held herself, feeling a little cold all of a sudden.

"So you don't know?" Naruto turned and his eyes became as wide as saucers.

"W-Who are you? And what don't I know?" He asked.

"Me? I am Hikari Hyuga… Hinata's mother." Hikari said and Naruto noticed that she too was transparent.

"But wait… w-why…"

"I died while giving birth to Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi." Hikari answered and Naruto became quiet.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't know." He stuttered and Hikari giggled, making Naruto think she was an angel. Her voice was soft and harmonic while her laugh and giggle was angelic, sweet music to his ears. Besides that, she looked like an older version of Hinata except Hikari was wearing a white kimono and if Hinata was going to look like her mother when she grew up, then Naruto knew she'd be beautiful. The only thing that took away her angelic look was the super long chain attached to her ample chest but Naruto, being the young kid he is, didn't get perverted thoughts from them.

"It's ok, no one really did… at least, no one outside the clan." Hikari looked away with her eyes stopping on Hinata. Naruto followed her gaze and stopped on Hinata as well.

"You know," Naruto started, getting Hikari's attention. "She really is a great person. I think she is one of the few people who didn't hate me." Naruto said somberly and Hikari moved her gaze to him. Naruto looked back at her and saw sympathy in her eyes. It was then that Hikari finally realized slit pupil and red color in his eyes.

"Who exactly are you? You remind me of an old friend but I can't put my finger on it." Hikari said and Naruto looked at her oddly.

"My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto answered and Hikari's eyes glowed with interest.

"Uzumaki?" She asked and Naruto nodded happily. She had a calculating look as she had her gaze on him; making Naruto feel uneasy. Suddenly, she smiled and closed her eyes. "I approve."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and titled his head comically to the side.

"Hmm?" Hikari giggled again and shook her head.

"You'll find out what I mean later." Hikari looked back at Hinata. Naruto looked at Hikari for a long time before remembering what Hikari said before.

"Hey, what did you mean by I don't know?" Naruto asked and Hikari smiled.

"I don't think I should tell you…" Naruto heard the teasing tone but couldn't help but fall for it.

"No please, tell me!" Naruto knew he was getting a bit desperate but he never liked being out of the loop. Hikari giggle and motioned him to come closer. Naruto listened and moved closer. He blushed when he felt her breath on his ear.

"Nope." She whispered and Naruto's face expressed his disappointment. Hikari giggled a bit more at seeing his expression. "I'm sorry but I feel like I'd betray her if I told you. It's not as easy to talk about as weather."

"I understand." Naruto said, his tone revealing his disappointment. They both fell silent as HIkari turned his sights to her eldest daughter before returning it to Naruto.

"I'm sorry you had such a horrible life." She said and Naruto felt like crying. Hikari seemed to have sensed it because she then started to hum softly after wrapping Naruto into a hug. "It's ok to cry Naruto-kun." And as if on her command, Naruto started to cry. He cried for a good five minutes before he calmed down.

"I-I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, a bit embarrassed for crying but Hikari smiled.

"It's ok; it's always good to let it out once in a while." It was then they noticed that Hinata wasn't around, she must've gone inside.

"Can you tell me more about Hinata?" Naruto asked, surprising Hikari by his sudden question. Noticing the look she was giving him, Naruto decided to explain himself. "I said before that she was one of the few who never treated me badly and I don't think it's fair that I leave on a bad note, so to speak." He said and Hikari smiled with a nod.

Naruto listened to Hikari tell him about Hinata. The life she had before Hikari's death and how her life changed after it. The horrible way her father treats her and how she was always looked down on by the Hyūga clan.

There were certain parts in Hikari's recount of Hinata's life that made Naruto kind of mad. Hikari noticed that he wouldn't look at her at some of the bad parts and would occasionally clench his fist at the even worse parts. However, there were many good parts that made Naruto smile and even laugh. Hikari joined him in the laughter and their laughs echoed through the vastness of the garden.

"She truly is a great daughter and even if it was short, I'm happy I was able to be in her life. She has a pure heart and sees things that no one, not even the Hyūga's Byakugan, could see." Naruto smirked at this.

"Are you saying that she has some special superhuman power?" Naruto asked and Hikari giggled.

"Sort of." She said and Naruto eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement. "She can see the good in people; she sees glimpses of light even in absolute darkness."

"I thought you were going to say that she could see into the future or something but I guess seeing the good in people is good too." Hikari laughed, prompting Naruto to laugh as well. Their laughter soon died down and it became quiet.

"She was really affected by your death." Hikari finally said and Naruto nodded his head hesitantly.

"I guess so but it wasn't as bad as yours." Hikari nodded her head in agreement. "Guess we're both pretty important to her, huh?" He asked and she nodded again. "I wonder why." He mused to himself. Hikari just stared at him with a smile.

"It's not that hard to see why you are." She commented and Naruto looked at her curiously.

"It's not?" She shook her head.

"You're very energetic and have a positive outlook on life. You never let anything hold you down for too long. You're not afraid to stand up for what you believe in and you stand up for those in need." She stated. "You're well-mannered, you have a good heart and you always listen to it. In my opinion, these are the qualities of a great man, even if he's still a boy." She finished and Naruto blushed and looked away.

"How do you know so much about me?" Naruto asked.

"Let's just say a little birdie told me." Naruto stared at her strangely and Hikari laughed. "It's ok; someday you'll know what I'm talking about." Naruto nodded and after hesitating, he stood.

"I uh… think I should go now, someone is looking for me." Naruto said and Hikari bowed, her smile never leaving her lips.

"Then I bid you a fond farewell Naruto-kun and I hope I can see you again someday." Hikari said and Naruto nodded and bowed.

"Thank you and same to you." He said happily before walking out of the compound. After taking a couple of steps out of the compound, he looked back and through one of the windows, saw Hinata looking at the sky. Naruto looked at the sky as well and noticed that it was now night. Man how time flies.

He looked back at Hinata and noticed for the first time how pretty she was. He turned around and started to wander again for a couple of minutes before…

"Are you ready to go?" Nemu asked and Naruto shook his head. He looked back at Hinata's room and smiled.

"I have one more thing to do. Do you mind?" Naruto asked and Nemu thought it over.

"Please hurry." She said and Naruto nodded with his wide smile.

*.*.*.*

Hinata rested on her left said, facing the wall as she lay on her bed. She tried to sleep off her sadness but so far, it wasn't working. She walked around her room, kept herself busy by reading some books her mother left her before her death and even tried some light exercise but nothing worked.

She had given up and now she just waited for sleep to claim her and let her enjoy the happy world her mind created for her in her dreams. She just hoped tonight's dream was better than yesterday's dream. It wasn't like she expected much and now she could only pray for a better dream.

Pulling the covers over her head, Hinata tried harder to go to sleep as Naruto jumped into her room. He landed on his feet and was glad that Hinata decided to open the window.

From his place, Naruto watched Hinata moan as she shifted her feet next to each other and got herself more comfortable in her place. He checked the time on her alarm clock right on her nightstand and saw that it was just a little past midnight. He had seen her do some exercise in her room earlier and quite frankly, his impression of her being a weird girl was still strong. Still, he didn't think it was a bad thing. Weird was… is good, normal is just… blah…

Still, he waited a few minutes after she jumped into bed before entering her room. He assumed that she fell asleep and now he could talk to her.

He wasn't so sure why he waited for her to go to sleep when she couldn't see him, let alone her him, now that he was dead. Maybe he was afraid even though he was dead, she'd be able to hear him and even see him. As impossible as that was, he didn't want to take the risk.

Now, with her back turned to him, he felt even more confident to speak.

Naruto did a quick search around the room and found a stool near the edge of her bed where her head was. He walked toward it and sat down. He cleared his throat as he tried to think of something to say. He knew he wasn't obligated to say anything but he felt like it would be the right thing to do.

Getting over the awkward feeling in his stomach, he opened his mouth.

"Hey there Hinata." Unknown to Naruto, Hinata's eyes sprang open at hearing the familiar voice say her name. However, she was frozen by fear, the fear of turning around and not seeing her crush. She didn't want to get disappointed so she ignored it, telling herself to just forget she even thought she heard his voice. After a moment of stillness and silence, Hinata knew she was hearing things.

"I'm not sure what I should say." Naruto said with an uncomfortable chuckle. "I guess I should start by saying that my first impression of you was that you were a shy, weird and dark girl. Now, I don't think you're dark. You're still shy, there's no doubt about that, and you're still a little weird but that's good, I like weird." Hinata's heart beat escalated at this and she felt like it would soon jump out of her chest and hug Naruto behind her. She had no doubt in her mind anymore that Naruto was in the same room as her.

"But I learned some things today and I can say that you're an awesome, good hearted, shy girl who is just like me and for that, I just want to say that I'm sorry." He thought he heard her gasp but he ignored for the time being.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to get to know you. I'm sorry that I was so wrapped up in my dumb crush on Sakura that I didn't even stop to look around. If I did, I'm sure I would've noticed you a lot sooner than I did." Naruto took in a deep breath. "Maybe… Maybe we could've been friends, good ones." He added with a smile.

"I talked to your mom, Hinata." Naruto mentioned. "She's an awesome lady. I can see why her death affected you so much." Naruto paused as he thought of more things to say.

"She also told me about you… so much about you." Naruto smiled goofily. "She even told me about the time jumped off your seat when she told you that you were getting a younger sister and even danced around." He chuckled mirthlessly, unaware of the tears Hinata's silently cried, before he stopped and frowned.

"It's not fair, is it?" He asked rhetorically. "She was… is such a great lady and what happened to her just wasn't fair. It wasn't her time and yet… it isn't fair." Naruto said as he held his head in his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

"No… I-It wasn't." Naruto looked up in surprise to see Hinata sitting up on her bed and looking straight into his eyes. He quickly wiped away a few stray tears and blinked at her. Hinata noticed that his once beautiful cerulean eyes were now a deep, crimson color with black, slit pupils.

"Y-you… see me?" He asked and she nodded.

"I-I can hear you too." She added and Naruto wiped his eyes with his hands and looked at her with an intense stare. Hinata broke eye contact when she became uncomfortable under his stare. Naruto's eyes then widened when he realized that she had heard everything he said after entering her room.

"Well… this is awkward." Naruto said and Hinata slowly nodded her head, her eyes still refusing to meet his eyes again. She rubbed her left arm with her right hand and Naruto stared at his feet. Finally, Naruto asked the question that had been on his mind for the last couple of minutes.

"How's life going?" Naruto asked with his goofy smile. Hinata looked at him strangely before sighing.

"T-The same… except for your… d-death." Hinata added the last part with a bit of uncertainty.

"I… see." He said and it became quiet between the two again. "…why?" He asked.

"W-Why what?" She countered.

"Why do you care about me so much that you would cry over me when we weren't even good friends?" Naruto elaborated and Hinata let her bangs cover her eyes as she tilted her head forward.

"B-Because," Hinata couldn't help but press the tip of her index fingers against each other. "You were a good person, someone I-I could look up t-to." Hinata said and Naruto nodded his head slowly.

"Cool." Hinata looked at him with confusion and saw him smiling happily. She looked away sadly as she slowly gathered her courage to ask him a question.

"N-Naruto," She heard him hum, letting her know he was listening. "Did you m-mean what you s-said earlier? About being s-sorry that you d-didn't get a chance to a-actually know me?" She asked and Naruto's smile disappeared and was replaced by a contemplative look.

"Yeah, I did." He answered. Biting her bottom lip lightly, she dared to ask more questions.

"And… y-you said you talked to my m-mom?" Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah." Hinata looked at Naruto and Naruto saw the tears in her eyes.

"I miss her." She said. Naruto was surprised by the lack of stutter or hesitation in her voice but it was replaced by the bigger shock of Hinata jumping into his arms and crying into his shoulder. "I miss her so much!" He heard her muffled voice say. He was surprised that she was not only able to see and hear him but also touch her. Was he going crazy?

"I-It's ok, Hinata." Naruto stuttered out as he clumsily patted her shoulder, not used to someone hugging him, at least, not a girl his age. He felt her grip on his tighten and he could feel his shoulder getting wet. She clung to him like a lifeline as tears fell down from her eyes like water in a waterfall.

After composing himself, Naruto hugged Hinata back. He closed his eyes and allowed only one or two tears to escape their imprisonment. He felt the world around him disappearing, it was like only he and Hinata existed. No amount of outside interference could take this away from him as his hug constricted a little.

"It'll be ok Hinata. Everything will be alright." He whispered and felt Hinata shake in his arms. He didn't know it but his words sent chill up and down her spine and for the first time since her mother died, Hinata felt safe and assured. After a few minutes of crying and holding him, Hinata broke the hug and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I-I'm sorry." Naruto smiled as he remembered what Hinata mother has told him when he said that.

"It's ok Hinata and it's always ok to let it out once in a while." He said and Hinata looked at him so much admiration that Hinata wasn't sure if she was the only one who could hear her heartbeat. She smiled as she hugged Naruto one more time.

Naruto smiled as well as he held Hinata again, this one a little shorter than the last one.

"I'm sorry Hinata but I should be going now." He said and sadness overcame Hinata's beautiful lavender eyes.

"Y-You can't go!" Hinata shouted, once again surprising Naruto.

"I can't?" Hinata shook her head vigorously with her eyes closed.

"I need you." She added.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't say that." She interrupted and Naruto stared at her with somewhat widened eyes.

"So… what exactly do you want me to say?" He asked and Hinata gulped down the hesitation in her throat that kept her from speaking her thoughts.

"Say you won't go. That'll you'll be here, become my friend." Hinata hugged him again with her eyes closed and tears streaming down. "Anything but you're sorry." Naruto took in a deep breath."I don't want to lose another person, not someone who means a lot to me." She said through her tears.

"…I'm sorry." Naruto said and Hinata's hands clenched his shirt.

"Please don't go." She said in a hushed tone and Naruto closed his eyes.

"…" His heart struggled to stay intact as he held the crying girl in his arms. His friend needed him but apparently, someone else needed him too. His heart came to the conclusion that he should stay with Hinata, to help his friend cope with his death but his mind also concluded that he had no choice in the matter. Inevitably, he would leave and there wasn't a damn thing he or anyone else could do about it and both his mind and heart knew it.

"Hinata." His voice was like the night air, calm, cool and smooth. Hinata looked up and met his eyes. "I… I can't stay, I have to go." Without her usual shyness or hesitation, she shoved her head in his chest. "But I promise I'll be back." Naruto said, making Hinata look back up after a while of no response.

"Y-You will?" She asked with some disbelief and Naruto smiled a cheeky smile with his eyes closed and a thumb pointing to himself.

"Believe it." Was his reply and Hinata couldn't help but smile. No number of words, no matter how poetic or complex they may be, could be able to make her feel more assured than those two words uttered by the one she admired the most. She hugged him again, with a smile plastered on her lips.

They stayed the way they were for what seemed like hours. The reality of the matter is that they only hugged for two minutes. Still, no movements or sounds were made except for the sound of two hearts beating in sync.

"I'll be back, ok?" Hinata nodded her head and Naruto stood. "Promise no matter how long it takes for me to comeback, you'll wait for me?" Naruto asked and Hinata blushed at his intense stare and question.

"I-I will." She said and he smiled.

"Good." He walked to the window and then turned to give him the best genuine smile he could muster. "I'll see ya later then, Hinata-chan." He said before jumping out the window. Hinata lay back down on her bed with a smile and slept the rest of the night without the smile wavering.

Landing gracefully on the ground, Naruto walked up to Nemu and nodded his head.

"I'm good." Was his only comment and Nemu nodded. A butterfly as black as the night sky deprived of the moon and stars landed on Nemu's shoulder and Naruto eyed it oddly. "Cool."

"Indeed." She said and suddenly, a sliding door appeared from thin air.

"Woah!" He yelled in surprise. The door then opened and through instinct, she walked into the light, her silhouette disappearing after a few steps in.

Naruto cautiously walked up to the door and eyed its entire structure. Before crossing the threshold, he stopped and stuck his left hand inside.

"So I just walk in or…" He paused to see if he'd get a response. All he got was a hand grabbing onto his wrist and pulling him in. He righted himself before he fell and adjusted his shirt. "I could walk by myself, thank you." He said before taking in his new surroundings.

He was in an office of sorts; that much he knew. It was very spacious and clean with white walls and a huge door on his right. The room was so big that it made his entire apartment room look like a broom closet.

"Ahem." Naruto looked up and saw an old man with a long, white, plaited beard sitting on a chair. He was bald with a giant "x" scar on his skull and he had a tranquil look as he studied Naruto or at least Naruto thought he was. Next to him was a fancy looking man with a katana tied to his obi. Slamming his staff down, the old man stood and walked towards Naruto.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki I presume?" Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the old man's powerful gaze.

"…kind of. Who are you, old man?" Naruto asked and the man who looked like the old man's assistance scowled.

"Such insolence…"

"There, there Sasakibe, he is only a child." The old man said and Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, from now on, you will address me as Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Any less and you will be punished, understood?" Naruto looked at Yamamoto seriously.

"Sure thing ol-I mean, Captain-Commander Yamamoto… sir!" Naruto teased, adding a hand salute with a goofy smile. Naruto couldn't register the look on Yamamoto's face since it always looked like he was thinking. He just hoped he didn't piss the man off.

"I see you've made it here in one piece." Naruto absentmindedly rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess so." Naruto said with a goofy chuckle. A thought then popped into Naruto's mind. "Now that I think about it, what am I doing here?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto walked back to his chair.

"You, Naruto, are a very special human. You hard endured through many hardships at such a young age and have experienced a premature death." Naruto's eyes dulled at being reminded of his death. "However, you also have the strongest of nine bijuu sealed in you. Well actually, you did, now it's basically part of your soul."

"What?" Naruto shouted but was silenced when Yamamoto slammed his cane against the ground multiple times. When Yamamoto was sure Naruto wasn't going to talk out again he sighed.

"As I was saying, your spirit is now merged with the Kyūbi thanks to the one known as Orochimaru. He messed with the seal and tried some experiments on you, which is why you now possess the eye of the Fox." Naruto's eyes widened.

"I… I do?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto nodded. "I guess that'd explain why everything seems ten times clearer." Naruto mumbled to himself.

"And even when you were still alive, I knew you had an enormous amount of Spiritual Pressure, not unlike some of our captains here in the Soul Society." Naruto registered this statement and wondered how good that was. Of course, being the same level of a captain is good no matter what the subject is but still, curiosity reared its ugly head. But he refrained from asking that question and decided to ask the one that's been on his mind since he entered this strange, new world.

"Sooooooo… you want me to become a Death God… a Shinigami?" Naruto asked skeptically and Yamamoto nodded his head. "That sounds… awesome!" Naruto said and Yamamoto nodded his head passively.

"I suppose, for lack of a better term, it is. However, you must first go to the Spiritual Arts Academy and understand the basics of being one of my Shinigami." Naruto smiled and gave another hand salute.

"You can count on me Captain-Commander Yamamoto! Oh and…" Naruto paused, a bit hesitant to continue.

"What is it boy?" Yamamoto asked.

"Can… Can I occasionally visit my old world? At least once a month or something?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto looked at him curiously.

"Such a curious question. Why do you ask?" Yamamoto asked and Naruto looked at the floor.

"I promised a friend I'd see her again someday." He answered and Yamamoto nodded.

"I'll grant you the opportunity to return to your home once you are a legitimate Shinigami and when I think you are ready to go back to your home, agreed?" Naruto nodded eagerly and bowed deeply. "Now that that's taken care of, Nemu, please show Naruto where he'll be sleeping." Nemu nodded and ushered Naruto out of the room. Before stepping through the door, Naruto looked back at Yamamoto.

"Thank you Captain-Commander Yamamoto." He bowed and then left the room, off to start his new life as a Shinigami.

"Captain, I do not doubt the decision you've made as I know you have your reasons, but why did you agree to let him return home after becoming a Shinigami?" Sasakibe asked and Yamamoto slumped in his chair.

"I see great things in that boy. He has the same look, the same drive that his father had. He will lead us into a greater era and be a great asset to us in the near future." Yamamoto answered and Sasakibe knew that he wasn't going to get a straight answer from the old man. Yamamoto was glad his lieutenant dropped the subject.

Ok, i have a few more things to explain...

Yes, Naruto has the Kyubi's eyes instead of the Sharingan... Thanks to Ookami88, I was able to get rid of the Sharingan and still get what I want so thanks again... I think this is what upset people the most besides the old version's hectic storyline...

I did choose Nemu to do this retrieval mission instead of Kenpachi for many reasons... One of the few is that its important that she meet Naruto before Kenpachi so Naruto would inevitably meet Mayuri... Why do I want that? So many more reasons, not enough attention span to explain...

Hopefully, the moment between Naruto and Hinata seemed appropriate for a bunch of 8 year olds... I doubt it but eh, deal with it...

I'm sure some of you guessed who has a past linked to the bleachverse but don't assume its only one... that's all I gotta say about that...

I gotta ask, how was the scene with Hikari and Naruto?

I felt like I rushed it last time I did this chapter and I thought 'Maybe I should put a little more bonding in there...'.. What do you think?

In fact, please let me know how much better/worse the story is... Any suggestions are welcomed but i won't promise that they'll all be used...

I think that's all... Any questions, don't be afraid to ask them...

Till next time!

Next Chapter: Eyes of a Fox, Soul of a Namikaze...

There'll be a surprise in the next chapter, just you wait...

Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...