A/n - Rewrite time~~! I'm happy to say that this is a rewrite to my Naruto/Sekirei fic; Sekirei No. 109: The Shinobi Sekirei. I honestly haven't touched it inyearsand I can't really remember where I was going with it…if anywhere.

Anyways, I won't dawdle too much on the author's note and let you see just how this fic has changed.

Chapter Key;

"Speech."
'Thought'
Technique

I claim no ownership of the following intellectual properties; Naruto or Sekirei. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto andSakurako Gokurakuin respectfully.

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The Ninja-Type Sekirei: Sekirei No. 109

Chapter One: Death and Rebirth

Uzumaki Naruto glared at the form of his mortal foe standing at the opposite end of the battlefield several miles from Konoha; Uchiha Madara.

Naruto was lit ablaze by the golden chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune; Kurama. His right eye had changed from his normal cheerful cerulean to a burning yellow with a slit for a pupil whilst his left eye radiated with power as the concentric circles locked gazes with its counterpart in the form of Madara's right eye. Naruto was garbed in his usual orange jumpsuit with a variant of the white haori his father wore over it; it was almost the same except the back simply had the kanji for 'Hokage stitched into it.

Madara himself looked vastly different from what legends and some rare paintings had depicted him as. Gone was the traditional black hair of the Uchiha and instead laid a pale off-white shade atop his head. He wore his traditional battle armor as well. He had two growths sprouting from his forehead in the shape of what looked like horns. His right eye contained the fabled Rinnegan, the twin to Naruto's own left eye. His left had the powerful Sharingan capable of the annoyingly effective technique Kamui,left behind by Uchiha Obito.

Neither Shinobi showed obvious indications of exhaustion despite the fact that they had battled for the greater part of seven hours. The only sign of fatigue shown was the light gasping for breath each combatant was displaying. Madara had resorted to pure taijutsu after the fourth hour for roughly two hours to save chakra and Naruto had exhausted at least sixteen clones to replenish his stores of senjutsu natured chakra. Despite appearances though, both Shinobi were on their afterburners.

Suddenly Madara moved. He rushed towards Naruto and lashed out with a right punch. Naruto countered his move easily without a word spoken between the two. He pivoted his right foot slightly to the right and flipped Madara over his shoulder.

Nonplused by the maneuver, Madara effortlessly slid into a stance and sent a powerful kick towards the blond's back.

Naruto shifted to the left and evaded the attack easily. He distanced himself from the patriarch of the Uchiha with a leap backwards.

Madara didn't follow, instead he smiled in an almost psychotic glee. "It has been too long since I was last pushed this far!" He chuckled darkly. "You've come far since taking the mantle from Hashirama's granddaughter."

Naruto glared at the man. "Go fuck yourself. I don't need any praise from you. The only thing I care about is your death."

He had promised to stop this man for his deceased comrades, and he always kept his promises.

Madara smirked. "I like that look in your eye, or rather, myeye. It's rather endearing to see that expression on an eye so foreign yet so intimately familiar." His eyes gained a dangerous gleam. "Tell me, are you keeping it in good condition? I plan on retrieving it from your rotting carcass after all."

Naruto didn't respond, instead he raised his left hand.

Madara tensed.

"Bansho Ten'nin!"

Madara rocketed towards Naruto as the blond charged his signature move into his right hand. "Rasengan!" He roared as he shoved his hand into Madara's side only for it to phase though, leaving the Uchiha patriarch uninjured.

Madara laughed as he sailed past Naruto and landed several dozen meters away. "You thought that would work!?"

Naruto couldn't help the smirk that graced his lips. His plan worked. His crude, half-assed, and downright idiotic plan had worked.

Suddenly Madara ceased his laughter. He instead reached for his left eye in an eerie silence. He touched his left eye which had reverted from its Sharingan form and instead gazed out impassively as a milky white orb, then it slowly began to shut itself.

His good eye glared at Naruto. "What did you do?" He demanded.

Naruto chuckled almost darkly. "I made sure you could never use that Sharingan again. I forced you to destroy it yourself."

"Explain boy, before I rend your tongue from your throat." The man growled.

"I forced you to activate Izanagi. You didn't use Kamuito evade my Rasengan, I made you use Izanagiinstead!"

Madara's eye widened. "Impossible!"

Naruto grinned cheekily. "That's the beauty of seals, nothing is impossible. I know exactly how your technique works. I just needed to plant an impulse seal on the parts of your body not in your pocket dimension without you knowing. It was almost too easy. I just had to keep you busy for hours while I prepared. I only just finished a couple minutes ago."

"Your knowledge of seals has proven to be a thorn in my side." Madara growled. Obito's eye was a priceless tool. His other eye had been destroyed by that damnable Hatake before he could rip it from its socket.

Naruto smirked. He had only recently mastered seals and they've already proven their worth. The Impulse Seal was something he had come with on his own, though the name was still pending changes and it was only good for a single command, not to mention the actual time it took for Naruto to create it from pure chakra while hiding the fact that he was planning something. It had actually just taken him the greater portion of two hours to accomplish what he did. Not that he'd ever tell that to Madara, the less he believed Naruto was capable of, the greater chance he'd make a mistake.

And he had.

Naruto's trap was set. For the past three hours he had been laying his multi-layer trap, and now it was coming to fruition.

Madara began flipping through several hand-seals. "I will end you, boy." He said through gritted teeth as he continued to cast his seals.

Naruto frowned. He had to stop Madara before he casts his jutsu or else hours of planning would go to waste.

He put his hand in the dragon seal. "Fūton: Shinkūjin no Jutsu (Wind Release: Vacuum Blade Technique)!" Afterwards he shot out three shuriken from his sleeve. Each shuriken had been enhanced by wind chakra and now had a radius almost two feet wide. The trio of spinning disks closed in on Madara.

Madara back-flipped out of the way of the shuriken and continued to string together his hand-seals without pause.

Suddenly two hands grabbed each of the Uchiha patriarch's ankles. Madara ceased his casting and glared coldly at the offending appendages.

"Got ya!" A Naruto clone announced as his head popped into view. The area around his eyes was colored orange, signifying his use of senjutsu.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique)…" Madara commented.

Naruto smirked. "Not exactly." It was a watered-down version of the jutsu. He didn't have enough control to bring a person inside the earth. The only reason he could even do the technique was because the Rinnegan made it easier to use techniques not his original element. However that wasn't important. The next step of his plan was about to begin.

Madara's eye widened as a large seal array appeared below his feet. "What!?"

Naruto smiled as the array come into view and collapsed onto one knee. He gasped for breath as fatigue finally caught up with him.

"F-Fuck." He cursed under his breath.

Madara made to move but found himself incapable. The clone kept him rooted to his position and for some reason he could not access his chakra. Not to mention the clone's strength was augmented with the use of nature chakra which made ripping his feet from the clone's hand near impossible.

Naruto slowly stood up. "It's over Madara. That seal took me three hours to cast and it negates normal chakra, and we both know we're too tired to do anything drastic."

Madara frowned as his left eye morphed from his Rinnegan to his normal black eye, the lack of chakra forced the change. "Nothing is over, Uzumaki Naruto." He raised his hand. "My 'Tsuki no Mei' will survive even after me, and I have no intention on dying tonight."

Naruto glared at the Uchiha patriarch. "I don't give a damn about your intentions. You will die."

Madara chuckled. "Petty revenge is it? It is appropriate. I killed your friends and loved ones. You should hate me. Despise me. Wish for my death. Perhaps now you can understand the hatred I have for the ninja world. People need a ruler. Someone to keep them sated. I misspoke…people need a god."

"And you think you're up to the task?"

"Who else could rule these imbeciles with an iron fist!? No one can keep order with pretty ideals! True peace comes from rules and order. Tyranny is a means to an end."

"Nothing good ever comes from stealing people's free will!"

Madara glared at Naruto with his single eye. "FREE WILL IS AN ILLUSION!" He roared.

"NO! It is a choice!" Naruto countered.

Madara remained silent in contempt. After a moment, he spoke. "You will learn the error of your ways, boy."

"If becoming a man means throwing away everything my teachers taught me than I'd rather stay a child forever!"

"And you will! For you will die!"

Naruto grit his teeth. "Enough! I'm going to end this 'Tsuki no Mei' plan and you along with it! I will make sure that everyone can live in peace and that the next generation will survive!" He snapped his fingers and the clone holding Madara vanished and the nature chakra it had stored was transferred to Naruto.

Naruto instantly moved forward with a Fūton: Rasenganclenched in his right palm.

Madara's reaction was also instantaneous. He moved forward with his left hand outstretched towards Naruto's chest.

Both of their respective moves connected. Naruto jabbed the jutsu into Madara's gut and the ancient shinobi pressed his hand over Naruto chest, right where his heart was.

Naruto's jutsu tore apart Madara's stomach and left a gaping hole in its wake.

The two moved past each other and neither moved for a moment, until Madara stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground face first.

Naruto, out of whatever respect he had left for the man, walked towards him and turned him over so that he could see his face.

Madara grunted in pain. "I...will not fail."

Naruto laughed dryly. "You already have."

"My plan…"

"Is dead."

"Do not patronize me boy."

"This 'boy' just kicked your ass."

Madara began to chuckle. "Is that what you think? That you have won." Suddenly his chuckled grew to a maniacal laughter. "You have not won anything! You have only guaranteed your demise! Hahahaha!"

"What are you talking about!?"

Madara ceased his laughter after he had coughed up blood. "I am not the only one dying."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What!? Who did you kill!? Answer me you bastard!"

"You want to know? You want to know so badly?" Madara began laughing again. "I'll tell you. You'redying. Hahahaha!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? But how? I sealed your chakra!"

"I have lived a long life and I personally know over three hundred ways to stop a person's heart using simple pressure points." Madara coughed up more blood. His black iris began to pale. "This is it…I have no escape…" He muttered.

"Oi! What did you do to me!?"

Madara ignored Naruto. "Hashirama…I had once longed to see your vision, until I learned how corrupt this world was."

"Don't ignore me you bastard!"

"Izuna…I am returning once again." Madara looked at Naruto, his iris was nearly white. He was slowly losing his life. "Destroy my eyes, both of them."

Naruto glared at the dying man. "You don't get to make demands! What the fuck did you do!?"

Madara chuckled. "What I did does not matter; you will die within the hour. There are no counter-measures for the technique I used."

Naruto's face fell. He dropped to his knees. "I'm really...dying?"

"Yes, we both will perish this day. Now, my request…"

Naruto looked at him. "Why?" Why would he want his eyes destroyed? Naruto didn't understand. Was it just a thing doujutsu users did?

"There have only been four men who I have deemed worthy of my eyes, and two of them were my pawns. I will not let my powers be abused by an infantile greenhorn after our deaths. I will never consider you my equal. But your strength is true."

Naruto wasn't sure how to take the man's off-handed compliment, but he agreed with his point. Power like his, if left unchecked, could destroy the world. He hesitantly reached up to his left eye and with a grunt of pain ripped the Rinnegan from its socket. He instinctively shut the eyelid to his empty socket as blood began to droop from the hole. He looked at the powerful weapon in his hand and without pause he crushed it in his palm.

"Good."

Naruto sighed as he wiped his hand on his jumpsuit. "I haven't done everything I wanted to do…"

Madara remained silent, not out of respect but because he truly didn't care much about Naruto's life.

Naruto threw his hands into the air. "I never got to go on a date or get married or any of that other stuff!" He didn't want to accept that he was dying.

"Please tell me you've at least been intimate with a woman." Madara chuckled. Naruto's behavior reminded him of Hashirama's…so long ago.

Naruto couldn't contain the flush from his cheeks. "O-Of course I have! I-It was just once though… Wait, why the hell am I telling you this!?"

Madara ignored Naruto. He could feel his final breaths approaching. "Boy, my eye."

Naruto regained his composure and nodded silently. With considerably less hesitation, he reached over and plucked Madara's eye out from its socket.

He destroyed it easily with a quick clenching of his fist.

"You're a real bastard you know that?"

Madara gave Naruto a wry smirk. "I've been told." He coughed again. Suddenly, he gave a final sigh as the life finally faded from his body. Immediately afterwards, seven large beams of chakra burst out from his body and scattered to what seemed like the four corners of the Elemental Nations.

Naruto smiled softly. "You're free now, my friends."

He spent a moment in silence, contemplating what his final actions would do. A delicate hand rested itself on his shoulder. Naruto did not need to confirm who it was. "It's done, Sakura-chan."

"Congratulations on your victory, Hokage-sama." Sakura answered respectfully with a small hint of teasing mixed inside.

Naruto looked at her with his one good eye; all of his normal humor had left him. "…I'm dying Sakura-chan."

Her eyes widened. "What!?" That was certainly not the response she expected. She expected cheering, corny jokes and one-liners, a hug, tears, anything but what had been delivered. "What do you mean?"

"Within the hour, er…about forty minutes now…I'll be dead. My heart will stop."

"What happened?"

"I got careless, Madara performed some sort of pressure point technique. He said there's no counter, and considering the type of guy he was, I don't doubt it."

"Well certainly the Hyuuga can help can't they!?"

Naruto chuckled dryly. "Even if they could, they wouldn't have time."

"What about the Kyuubi? Surely he might be able to keep you alive!"

"I already asked Kurama. He said he had seen Madara use the technique before and no one's survived. He was upset that he didn't recognize the move before. He's taking it pretty hard too."

Sakura let loose a sob. She threw her arms around Naruto from behind. "No! I-I can't lose you too! Not after Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun. Y-You're part of my family. You can't leave me alone!"

Naruto caressed the girls hand tenderly. "I know, you're part of mine too." He looked up to the sky. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I don't like it either." He sighed heavily. "We have to go Sakura-chan. I have some last minute things to do."

Naruto felt her nod after a moment. She removed her arms from his neck and stood up. "Y-You're right; as much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Crying won't do us any good…I have no more tears to shed anyways."

Naruto stood up as well. He turned towards her and smiled sadly. "W-When I go…" He reached up and tapped his empty eye socket. "Could you?"

She nodded silently.

"Thank you."

XxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, accompanied by Sakura, appeared inside the Hokage's office in swirl of leaves. Suddenly Naruto gripped his desk and heaved for a couple of moments.

"Naruto!"

Naruto waved her off. "I-I'm fine." He took in a deep breath. "Using chakra only make it worse." He muttered. He collapsed into his chair with a heavy sigh. He raised his right forefinger.

Two ANBU agents appeared and knelt in front of him.

"Congratulations on your victory, Hokage-sama." They recited.

Naruto smiled. These were the two ANBU he trusted the most. "Please take off your masks; Yamato-taicho, Yuugao."

They followed their orders obediently and removed their masks.

Yamato had requested to be his guard after he had been inaugurated and Naruto saw no reason to deny him that. Yuugao had been a part of the Hokage's ANBU guard since Tsunade was first sworn in, she was the head of ANBU. If Tsunade trusted her than Naruto would too.

"What do you need of us, Hokage-sama?"

"Please bring me Nara Shikamaru, Sarutobi Konohamaru…and Hyuuga Hanabi. Quickly please."

"Yes sir!"

They vanished without a trace and Naruto sagged in his seat.

Sakura moved to his side and placed her hands over his heart. They lit up with the green glow normally affiliated with medical jutsu. After several moments Sakura frowned. "This isn't good. Your heart beat is decreasing by two beats every four seconds. At this rate…you have fifteen minutes before your heart will stop." She took her hands off of Naruto and looked at him sadly.

Naruto nodded silently. He reached into his drawer and retrieved a slip of paper. He grabbed a pen and went about writing.

Sakura stood by the wall next to him and crossed her arms. Her brow was furrowed as she contemplated possible solutions.

Three minutes passed in an uneasy silence before a knock sounded at the door.

"Excuse us." Shikamaru walked inside trailed by Konohamaru and Hanabi.

"Naruto-oniisan! You're missin' the party! Everyone's celebrating your win!" Konohamaru grinned widely.

Hanabi avoided making eye-contact with Naruto and said hello softly.

Naruto smiled softly at Konohamaru. "I'm sorry Konohamaru, but I won't be making it to the party."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Wait a minute Naruto. What are you saying?"

Naruto chuckled. "I figured you'd find out right away. I'm dying."

Hanabi twisted her head towards Naruto quickly. "What?"

Konohamaru went still. "N-No way, Naruto-nii…"

"Madara pulled one over on me. When we clashed the last time he pressed some pressure points on my body. My heart will stop in about ten minutes…there is no counter."

Hanabi activated her Byakugan. She looked at Naruto and gasped. "It's true…your heart is beating so slowly now and its getting even slower."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "Damn, how troublesome. Even in death that bastard still manages to ruin everything."

Naruto smiled sadly. He pushed the slip of paper forward. "This is my will. I've recommended you as my replacement Shikamaru."

Shikamaru grabbed the paper and read through it quickly.

"I want my belongings to go to Iruka-sensei as well as all my money." Naruto closed his eye. "I-I want to be buried next to her; next to Hinata." A lone tear trailed down Naruto's right cheek. "I want…I want…" Naruto slammed his fist against the desk. "Goddamn it I wanna live!" He gritted his teeth before taking in a deep breath and calming himself.

"So do we, Naruto-san." Hanabi was able to say with only a slight tremor of her voice.

Konohamaru managed to shake away his shock and slammed both of his hands on Naruto's desk. "You can't die Naruto-oniisan! You said…You said that the in order to become Hokage I'd have to fight you for it! How can I do that if you're dead!?" Konohamaru's head was lowered as tears fell unabashedly.

Naruto placed his hand on Konohamaru's head and rubbed it. "Hey, come on. None of that. A shinobi is someone who endures, right? You're a shinobi aren't you?"

Konohamaru silently nodded and moved away from Naruto's desk.

Shikamaru sighed. He placed the paper back on Naruto's desk. "It seems airtight. No loopholes that I can see." He clenched his fist. "Are you sure there isn't some way to fix it?"

"I've got no time, Shikamaru. Please just…make sure everything goes well. Become a good Hokage."

Shikamaaru nodded tersely. "You got it buddy."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you."

Sakura looked away from the group in shame. "Some medic I am…" She muttered lowly.

Naruto gave Sakura a look before he sighed. "Now, everyone…please leave. I don't want you to see me when I…when I go." He paused. "Except you Hanabi. I have something to say first."

Shikamaru nodded and moved towards the door. Konohamaru also nodded, though with a hallowed expression after him.

Before Shikamaru opened the door he looked back at Naruto. "We'll miss you…you troublesome idiot."

Naruto managed a grin. "Get out of here you lazy bum."

Shikamaru and Konohamaru exited the office silently.

Sakura walked next to Naruto and bent low. "Five minutes Naruto." She whispered.

After he nodded she walked out of the office as well.

Naruto looked at Hanabi and smiled. "It's been awhile." He stood from his chair and walked over to her slowly.

She nodded hesitantly. "It has."

"Not since that night." He said.

"Not since that night." She repeated.

Naruto chuckled. "I never thanked you for that. I don't think I could have handled being alone then."

Hanabi glared at him as her face burned red. "T-There's no need to revisit that night!" She looked away. "What did you want to say?"

Naruto nodded. "I know that, up until that night, we barely spoke to each other. The only thing we both had in common was Hinata. I just want to say that…" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's at peace now."

Hanabi looked at Naruto silently for a moment before she nodded.

"You won't have to worry about her either. I'll be joining her soon. Just…take care of yourself okay? Hinata would kill me again if something bad happen to her sister who I promoted to chuunin."

Hanabi scoffed. "I can take care of myself!"

"Of course you can. No one doubts that. But try to live happily too, for your sister and I. Even if it was just for a little while, you're my family."

Hanabi's face flushed again. "J-Just what kind of family do you see me as!?"

Naruto laughed joyfully. He laughed through the pain, the despair. He laughed because it made him feel happy for one last time, but most importantly. He laughed for her. He wanted the last vision she had of him to be happy. He owed her that much.

"What are you laughing for? This is no laughing matter!"

Naruto stopped laughing and grinned widely. He spun her around and walked her to his door. He opened the door and pushed her out. "Get out of here! I hear you're missing one hell of a party!"

"Why you-!" Naruto cut her off by closing the door in her face. He turned around and walked back to his chair. He sat down and kicked his legs on top of his desk. He put his hand behind his head and waited.

"I'm ready." He said aloud.

XxXxXxXxXx

All of Konoha, all of the world was celebrating the defeat of Madara in their own way. People cheered, got drunk or even kissed their closest loved one.

The news had travelled quickly. The Intelligence Division was keeping an eye on the battle from afar and had spread the word across the Elemental Nations as soon as Naruto's attack hit Madara. People almost immediately went to the local bar to knock back a few in celebration of the Hokage's victory.

Already two hours passed and all the shinobi who had participated in the war were anxious to see their hero, all except for four individuals who had refrained from telling the masses about his condition. They gathered outside the Hokage tower and had sent in someone to get him. They were reports that said he had returned to his office.

The person they had sent to get him burst through the front door, his face was pale and his eyes were wide. "H-Hokage-sama is dead!"

Everyone present froze. One person; Ino Yamanaka demanded an explanation.

The man explained that he found Naruto sitting comfortably with his legs perched on his desk. His eyes were closed and a small, peaceful smile was on his face. At first he thought the Hokage was sleeping and he went to wake him. However when he tried to wake Naruto he discovered that he was wasn't sleeping, but dead.

The festivities ended soon after that.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Gaara-sama! I bring news!"

Gaara nodded at the messenger. His body was covered with bandages up to his neck. He had been grievously injured in the last battle against Madara and was forced to sit by and recover.

"I know already. Naruto defeated Madara." Gaara spoke in a monotone voice, though if you paid attention you'd see the small, imperceptible smirk on his face. That was old news though, he had found out the day before via a world-wide telepathic link.

"N-No sir! It is more troubling than that! H-Hokage-sama…died last night."

Gaara stood up despite his injuries. "What!?" His eyes were wide.

Uzumaki Naruto, his first and closest friend, was dead?

He narrowed his eyes. "Prepare my convoy."

He would see the validity of this news with his own eyes.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Ei-sama! Bee-Sama! I bring terrible news!"

Ei and Bee paused from their post-victory drinking binge and looked at the man. "Ah!? What's the matter!? Can't you see we're celebrating!?" Ei took a swig from his sake saucer.

"The Hokage is dead!"

Both men stopped mid-drink and looked at the man.

"That better be a joke, that kid's no normal folk. Bakayarou, konoyarou."

Ei stood. "Prepare to leave. We'll confirm this ourselves."

XxXxXxXxXx

"Mizukage-sama, I have word from Konoha."

Terumi Mei looked up from the papers that littered her desk. "Hmm? What is it?"

"It has something to do with the Hokage."

"Oh? Is he proposing an arranged marriage?" Mei chuckled. "I do love a younger ma-."

"He's dead."

Mei paused mid-sentence. She frowned. "That is troubling news."

"What should we do?"

"We leave for Konoha and pay our respects to the savior of the world."

XxXxXxXxXx

"Old man! You gotta hear this!"

Oonoki jumped in his seat as his granddaughter popped up from the window. "Ah! My back! Dammit Kurotsuchi! Don't startle me!"

"This is more important than your bad back! The Hokage croaked!"

Oonoki gave his granddaughter a queer look. "Your sense of humor is terrible."

"No, no! This is true! Uzumaki Naruto is dead."

Oonoki frowned. "The spawn of the Yondaime died at a young age…just like his father. The world is cruel." He looked at Kurotsuchi. "Prepare to leave."

"We're not seriously going to pay our respects to that guy are we?"

"You will watch your tongue when speaking about that man. We all owe our lives to him." Oonoki admonished the young woman. He hopped down from his chair and walked towards the door.

Kurotsuchi blinked in surprise. "Whoa, this Uzumaki guy must have made a real impression on you." She grinned. "Alright then. Let's go. Just try not to hurt yo-"

"My back!"

She sighed in disbelief.

XxXxXxXxXx

The world joined together to mourn the passing of Uzumaki Naruto. The funeral was held four days after his deathsmall, and held in secret. Only the Gokage and his remaining friends attended; Shikamaru, Sakura, Ino, Lee, Tenten, Sai, Shino, Kiba, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Hanabi, Yamato, Kurenai, Mei, Oonoki and Kurotsuchi, Ei and Bee, and Gaara and his siblings all stood by quietly as Naruto's body was lowered into the ground. They were all dressed in somber black clothing. The rain poured down on top of the group relentlessly, as if the Heavens themselves were weeping the loss of the young Hokage.

Iruka stood behind the headstone, silent tears streamed down his face.

Naruto was buried where he wanted; next to Hinata, side by side.

Iruka looked to the sky. "I have known Uzumaki Naruto since he was a little boy. Back then he was an obnoxious brat who craved for everyone's attention." He wiped his eyes. "I saw him grow up to be a noble man, and a damn good shinobi. I was there while he hurt, while he smiled, while he cried, while he laughed. He was the closest thing I had to son, and seeing him lowered to the ground breaks my heart." Iruka placed a hand over his chest and gripped his shirt tightly. "He was such a…special person to us all. And he will be missed every day."

Iruka lowered his hand and took in a deep breath. "However, we all know how he was. If he was here he probably, for lack of a better term, kick our asses for moping. Naruto would not want us to wallow in despair. So, even though the loss of our blond knucklehead will hurt, we must move one with our heads held high and our strides confident."

The rain began to let up and a small break in the clouds let a small stream of sunlight shine on the coffin.

Iruka grabbed a shovel that had been placed to the side and pushed it into a pile of dirt. He lifted a small portion of the dirt and turned to face the grave.

"Rest in peace, Uzumaki Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. May you find happiness in your next life." Iruka poured the dirt into the hole with a small smile on his face.

For some reason, the sunlight seemed that much brighter.

XxXxXxXxXx

Hyuuga Hanabi sat down in front of the Hyuuga nurse for a check-up. The last few day she had been throwing up in the morning and was feeling bloated. At first she attributed these feelings as depression from Naruto's death, but after she had been unable to leave her bed one morning she had decided to see the nurse. Now she sat waiting for the results.

"Hanabi-sama, you're pregnant." The nurse said, her Byakugan eyes were activated as she looked at the Hyuuga heiress.

Hyuuga Hanabi's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" She looked at the Hyuuga nurse in shock.

The nurse nodded her head. "You're seven weeks pregnant."

Hanabi couldn't believe her ears. 'Seven weeks…' She thought to herself. It would explain the sudden bouts of nausea the last few mornings.

She had only ever been with one man, so the father was obvious. It had been a one night stand. She and him missed her sister dearly after her funeral. They had both gotten drunk and one thing led to another. At one moment they were locking lips, and the next they were making sweet and tender love that same night. Neither complained as neither wanted to be alone that night and they both needed the release. They separated in the morning and did not speak of the event. Not out of hate or embarrassment, but simply due to necessity, the war was still raging after all. They would not see each other again until his final day, a week ago.

She looked back at her abdomen, where her baby was just beginning to develop and couldn't stop the small smile that graced her lips. She may not have loved the father, but they had shared a common love; her sister. She would carry the child and raise it, in the memory of her sister and the father of her baby. She scoffed sarcastically. They were family after all.

She rubbed her stomach softly. "A child. Our child…Uzumaki Naruto."

XxXxXxXxXx

As such the ninja world had seen an era of prosperity and peace. All nations would live together in harmony for centuries to come until one day the ninja world and the fabled ninja techniques vanished in an instant. Like a flame that one day flickered away with no cause or reason. The power of Shinobi would not be seen for several millennia, until one day it would return on a single burning leaf which would spark a fire that would light the world.

XxXxXxXxXx

Naruto jolted awake to find himself floating lazily throughout an infinite blackness. With a grunt of effort he maneuvered his body to resemble a 'standing' pose as best as he could.

"What's going on?" He asked aloud, his question echoed several times. "Where am I?"

"We are outside the stream of time." A bodiless voice answered.

Naruto jerked his head from side to side, looking for the voice. "Who said that!? Come out here you son of a bitch!"

"Your meaningless insults have no effect on me, but I will oblige you."

Suddenly a mass of swirling darkness, different from the space around Naruto, coalesced in front of him. A pair of pure white lights in the shape of eyes appeared near what Naruto assumed was its head.

"Whoa! What the hell are you!?"

"I…am death." The figure replied tonelessly.

Naruto shook his head quickly. "W-w-w-w-wait a sec! You're…the Shinigami?"

"No."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. "But you just said…"

"I am death. The essence of death, the meaning of death, the balance of death, the equality of death. I am all."

Naruto crossed his arms. "I'm not following. What am I doing here, 'Death'?" He was hesitant to believe the mass of darkness. No one just up and claimed that they were death itself.

The figure noticed his tone. "Whether you believe me or not is of little consequence. However, what I will tell you is of the utmost importance. That I assure you."

Naruto was a little put off by the way the being spoke, a little too formal to his tastes. "Say I believe you…" He started tentatively, whoever this thing was it had something to do with him, so he might as well find out what it was. "What do you want with me?"

"I need you to repair the balance of life and death."

Naruto blinked. "The what?"

Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of miniscule bright orbs appeared in the space around Naruto and Death.

Naruto glanced around in wonder. 'They look like stars.' He thought to himself.

"Eons have passed since your battle with the Resurrected One. Life on other planets sprouted, while on others it died. Always, there has been a balance. An exact number of lives for the exact number of deaths. All are equal in the passing of life and are then re-birthed as other beings in due time. However that balance has been skewed."

Naruto frowned. "What're you saying?" He glared at the essence of death. "You want me to kill for you!?"

The being remained as impassive as it had been since the beginning. "No."

Naruto paused before he could start a tirade. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Bring balance."

"Stop answering in fucking riddles! Just tell me what you want me to do!"

There was a brief silence before Death answered. "In the year 2021 A.D, a man started a tournament that has caused a chasm to appear in the balance of life and death."

Naruto was getting irritated by how many times this thing said "balance". "So?"

"I need someone to mend this rift."

"Why can't you do it yourself if you're the oh-so-powerful Death?" Naruto huffed indignantly.

"I cannot interact with the mortal realm. So I summoned a champion to do it for me."

Naruto's eye twitched. "Why me?"

"Several reasons. The first and most prevalent, you have already restored balance once before. The second reason rests with the fact that you have an intimate relationship with death that not many have. You were touched at birth by my avatar, my 'reaper of souls'. What you call the Shinigami."

Naruto's eyes widened. 'What the hell?'

"Also, you have traversed the line of death numerous times and have come out on top." Death continued without pause.

"Hold up! I'm confused. When did I restore 'balance' or whatever!?"

"You killed Uchiha Madara." Death said simply.

"So?"

"Two of the same soul cannot exist at the same time. Uchiha Madara's soul had already been reincarnated into one Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto did a double-take. "W-What!?"

Death ignored his outburst. "When Uchiha Madara was resurrected, it created a rift between life and death. A soul cannot return to the body of its previous host. So even after Uchiha Sasuke had perished, his soul would not return to the Resurrected One. Instead it joined the cycle of rebirth and waited for its new host to appear, which wouldn't occur for another sixty of your years."

"But what about me!?"

"I have merged this incarnation of your soul with its most current incarnation for the sake of this endeavor, as this was the most powerful it had been and ever will be."

Naruto recoiled. Thisincarnation? "H-How many times…?"

"You have been reincarnated 3,127 times since your death; 1,142 of them were female, 1,985 were male and seven of them were your own descendants."

Naruto fell silent. How was he supposed to absorb this information in one sitting? He had been reincarnated thousands of times, even into his own descendants! He didn't even know that he had descendants. Naruto furrowed his brow. 'Wait…did that mean-? Did Hanabi-? Was Hanabi pregnant!?' Now he felt like an asshole. While he was happy he managed to leave descendants, he wished he hadn't forced it on her.

He took a deep breath. "I…I'll believe you." He said lowly. Everything Death had said made sense in a way. It had explained why Madara had gone psychotic after being revived and had gone even further off the deep-end after he killed Sasuke. The previous host killing the current host of a soul sounded like it would tear it apart. No wonder it took so long for Sasuke to be reincarnated.

"Good, it will make the next step easier."

Naruto nodded. "What…What do I gotta do?"

"The man I previously mentioned started a tournament. 108 beings known as 'Sekirei' were modified and released into the city where the tournament will take place. They are expected to find their 'Ashikabi', or destined one, and fight for them to reach 'the Heavens'."

Naruto frowned. 'Modified.' The word left a bad taste in his mouth. It reminded him of Orochimaru and his experiments with humans.

"A part of the modification placed upon the Sekirei was the status of 'termination'. Upon defeat, or even death, the Sekirei is placed in a state of stasis that prevents their bodies from truly dying and traps their souls inside. While the ones not yet dead are safe, the ones that are dead cannot move on. Their souls are left in a place between life and death."

Naruto nodded. "So, they're like in Limbo?"

"There is no Limbo."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I'll elaborate. The Limbo you are referring to doesn't exist. There is no middle ground, there is only life and death. A line, if you will, that separates it."

"But then, you said that I-."

"I said you traversed the line of death. Every time you did so you were near-death, not in Limbo."

Naruto sighed. He really couldn't get a read out of Death. The lack of a face or body made it difficult to read its emotions, if it had any. "Alright, alright. No Limbo. So since these 'Seki-whatever' can't move on, it made a rift in the balance?"

"Correct."

"So you need me…" Naruto pointed to himself. "To go and fix it?"

"Correct."

"How?"

"You must release the Sekirei from the shackles placed on them."

Naruto frowned. 'That wasn't a real answer…' A thought popped into Naruto's head. He hesitated for a moment. "W-What about the latest reincarnation of me?" It sounded weird to say, but it also had dwelled on his mind. If he had been 'merged' with his current incarnation, what became of them?

For the first time since they had met, Naruto could somehow see Death hesitate.

"Your current incarnation…Shinboku Ayane, was captured and her body was experimented on."

Naruto's eyes widened. He ignored the fact that it was girl and instead focused on Death. "What do you mean!?"

"Asura, your original incarnation, had a very powerful soul, as did his brother; Indra. Every person that inherits his soul also inherits portions of his power; they all have larger than average chakra pools. You did and her as well. In the age that Shinboku Ayane lives in, the knowledge of that kind of power is extinct. The man who began the tournament discovered her ability and had her captured for testing."

Naruto felt his throat go dry. He had a bad feeling about her condition. "W-What happened?"

"Her soul was broken."

A pit dropped deep in Naruto's stomach. "How could something like that happen…?" He asked quietly. Naruto may not have known her personally but she was, in a way, himself. He narrowed his eyes. "But if her soul was broken…how am I here?"

"When your soul was your own, it had been tempered through hardship since the moment you were born. As such, no other soul before and after has been as strong." Death paused to let Naruto absorb the information. "However she, who had never dealt with the same hardships, could not whether the torture of having her soul ripped apart. Her soul had been shattered by the experiments performed on her. They grafted an artificial energy source based on what is known as a Sekirei's 'Tama' inside of her body. A Tama is the pure essence of a Sekirei's abilities, it is also their soul. The procedure succeeded and she became an artificial Sekirei. However it came with a cost, since the Tama resembles the resonance of a soul, it warred with her own soul. The end result, I have already mentioned."

Naruto frowned. Honestly he didn't quite understand exactly what the floating mass of darkness was saying, but he did know that this Ayane girl, who was his reincarnation, had suffered and that it broke her soul. He looked Death straight into the bright white light that substituted for its eyes. "So what will happen to her if I'm here?"

"You forget, I did not say you replaced her. I was forced to merge your two incarnations into one. The strongest together with the weakest. In a sense, you are no longer either Uzumaki Naruto or Shinboku Ayane but a combination of the two."

"I don't feel any different."

"I am keeping your persona of Uzumaki Naruto dominant while in this plane of existence. Once I have placed your soul into her body you will merge completely and fully."

"What's that mean?"

"Memories, thoughts, feelings, emotions, knowledge, skills, and experiences will be conjoined. It is very possible to develop a split personality, however the risk is small and one I am willing to make."

Naruto nodded. He then sighed. "Alright, I think I get it now. I have another question though."

"Very well, ask it."

"What do I get out of this? I mean otherthan saving the world again…which is pretty cool."

"As your reward, you will get to live again for this lifetime. After you have resolved the balance between life and death your life will be your own, should you choose to live it."

Naruto remained quiet. That was a hefty reward. In his life he hadn't even gotten to reach his twenties. He never got to grow old, have children, or grandchildren. He reached the title of Hokage but in the end he did very little as Hokage. He never got to make the changes he wanted to implement. Hell, he never was given the choice of just simply living a comfortable life. The only downsides that he could see was that he'd have to live as a girl and it wouldn't be only his soul anymore. He'd be living for himself and Ayane.

However that didn't really bother him. He had transformed into girls before and he couldn't see much different with them other than the plumbing downstairs. He had also shared a body with Kurama all of his life, so he figured he could manage sharing a soul, especially since it was just a different version of his. It couldn't be that different.

Could it?

He shook his head, that didn't matter right now. He'd deal with it when it came up. He looked at the essence of death and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready. Is that everything?"

"I have told you everything you need to know. Anything else you will have to discover yourself."

Naruto tilted his head. "Wouldn't it be easy for you to find out anything though?"

"I am omnipresent, not omniscient. I am everywhere, however my knowledge is limited to the memories of those deceased. I cannot invade a living souls mind."

Naruto nodded. "Makes sense I guess."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah."

"Very well." A swirl of darkness separated itself from Death and floated next to it. "This is the link to Shinboku Ayane's body. Step through it and you'll be inserted into her body."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "'Step'? I'm just kinda floating here." He demonstrated this by performing a lazy back-flip in place.

"Do not limit yourself by what is perceived to be the impossible. Now step through."

If Naruto didn't know any better he would have said Death just gave him some positive advice rather than neutral statements. Instead, he shrugged. He moved his foot forward while feeling really silly. He expected to find no resistance at all but was surprised to find something solid at the end of his foot. He tentatively placed the next foot forward and smirked when it too had pressed against something solid. He walked towards the portal and stood in front of it. He turned his head and looked at the coalition of darkness that called itself Death.

"Where will I wake up?"

"Wherever her body is at the given moment. She should still be in the laboratory."

Naruto's expression darkened as he nodded. 'I'll have to move fast right from the moment I wake up.' He smirked. 'Time to show the world the revival of the shinobi.'

"I'm leaving."

"Good luck, Uzumaki Naruto. Bring balance to life and death."

Naruto lifted his foot and slipped it into the portal.

"Let's go."

He fitted the rest of his body inside and felt his world go dark as he lost consciousness.

It was the introduction of an unknown Sekirei. A being not bound by the established classes. They would call him a new name in time;

The Ninja-Type Sekirei; No. 109

XxXxXxXxXx

"Sir, she's activated!"

"What!? That's impossible! The procedure was a failure! She should be terminated!"

"I don't know sir. One minute she was in stasis like the others, the next her vitals have spiked."

"Is she awake!?"

"It could happen at any moment sir."

"Goddamn it! Shut her down! Shut her down NOW!"

"Sir!"

Her eyes snapped open. She immediately glanced down to see herself strapped to a bed with numerous tube attached to her via needles injected at various points of her body. With a grunt of effort she snapped her binding with strength she knew she shouldn't have. She ripped the needles out of her body mercilessly. She unbound her legs and swung them to the side of the bed and placed them on the floor.

She ignored the biting cold of the hard tile and instead stood on her feet. She wobbled for a moment before she managed to steady herself.

She used to be taller…

She pushed the thought out of her head and instead glanced around at her surroundings, looking for an escape route.

"Throw in the gas! Do not let her escape!" She heard a voice yell out.

Gas…that wasn't good. She had to leave now. She glanced up and smirked when she noticed an open ventilation shaft roughly twenty-five feet up the wall to her right.

A quick test of her balance and she nodded to herself. She bent her legs and leaped into the air, only to fall short by seven feet.

"Damn." She muttered quietly. Her voice was hoarse and unfamiliar to her, it sounded weak.

She quickly checked the distance between the wall with the ventilation shaft and the wall opposite of it. She nodded to herself. "It's close enough." She whispered, not trusting her voice. She turned to the opposite wall and jumped onto it. Without pause she kicked off of it and bounded towards the grate. With a satisfied smile she grabbed the ledge and hoisted herself up just as a canister was thrown inside her room. The grate was spacious, she had enough space to crouch and walk around.

"Sir! She's gone up the ventilation shaft!"

"Fuck! Code Black! I repeat, CODE BLACK! We have to get her back before Minaka finds out. Search every grate of this goddamn facility. Cover every exit! I won't accept failure. Bring. Her. Back!"

Her eyes narrowed. That voice, it was a man's voice and it was familiar to her.

He did this to her. He hurt her. He broke her…he ruined her.

He was going to pay.

She shook her head. She could deal with him later. Right now her priority was escaping. She turned away from the voice and instead headed deeper into the ventilation system.

She traveled for fifteen minutes in a single general direction; forward. She had made left turns, right turns, and had even traveled upwards through the ventilation system as quietly as she could.

Her years as a prankster paid off.

No…she was never a prankster…she was a normal girl who had just-

Became Hokage.

-started university.

She stopped her trek forward and gripped her head as various conflicting images flashed through her mind.

What was happening to her?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. No time to waste. She could hear muffled voices up ahead to the left.

"Don…her…pass…"

"S…r!"

She made a right turn and smiled when she saw an open grate not far away. She slowly creeped towards the opening and glanced down. She saw a long corridor that seemed to stretch infinitely to the right. It was dimly lit with plenty of shadows and small alcoves at measured intervals.

She had sneaked through harder places that were better lit before.

No…she hadn't.

She pushed the thoughts away. She checked to see if the coast was clear before slipping out of the grate with the grace of a fox.

Cat. Cats were graceful…foxes were cunning. Where did that thought come from?

She ignored the thoughts plaguing her mind and instead focused on the task at hand. She dashed to an alcove towards the right. She glanced around the wall to see nothing. She nodded to herself. She darted from alcove to alcove, sticking to the shadows like some sort of ninja.

Not like a ninja. She was a ninja and proud of it.

She spotted an office with a large window facing towards the hallway. She looked inside and saw that it was empty. She tried the door and smiled when she noticed it was unlocked. She slipped inside and scanned the room for anything useful. At the desk she saw a multitude of surveillance cameras that showed the hallway in its entirety. On the desk she spotted what looked like a forgotten security pass. She turned around and noticed the lockers on the opposite wall. She quickly opened the lockers and looked at the contents inside.

She grabbed what looked like a long black trench coat and slipped it on over her hospital gown. She checked the pockets and pulled out a couple random articles. There was an I.D for someone by the name Shugo Haji, he looked like a security guard. There were a couple of photos too but she ignored those. The last thing she found was a small credit card with the letters MBI emblazoned on it. She turned and placed the ID and photos on the desk and pocketed the security pass and the credit card.

She had better move before this Haji person returned. She decided to forgo using the alcoves and instead ran down the hallway. She continued like this for several minutes until finally she saw another door. The door had an electronic lock with a LED light that seemed content on mocking her with its glaring red light.

She leaned against the wall next to the door and pressed her ear against the wall, listening for any enemies. She smiled when she heard nothing. She moved away from the wall and stood in front of the door. She reached inside the trench coat and retrieved the security card. She swiped the card through the electronic lock and nodded when the light turned green. She gripped the handle and opened the door. She walked inside and froze.

Staring at her were the barrels of seventeen high-powered rifles held by what looked to be Special Forces soldiers decked out in full combat gear.

The door closed behind her and with a soft click she knew it was locked.

"Ayane." She heard a voice call out. It was that man. She grit her teeth, the sight of him made her blood boil. How she'd like to shove a Rasengan up his ass.

She blinked. What the hell was a rasen-whatsit?

"Ayane, go back to your room."

She turned her attention back towards the man. He was dressed in the typical scientist garb; a suit with a white lab coat over it. His hair was thin and graying on the sides. She looked him in his beady black eyes and shook her head fiercely.

He sighed. "Ayane…do it, or else these nice men will be forced to open fire on you."

At the mention of them, the soldiers shifted their position slightly and fingered the triggers of their weapons.

Again, she shook her head. She wanted out, and she was getting it one way or another.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Very well then…men…do it." He ordered.

"Yessir!" The soldiers responded as a unit. They squeezed their triggers and opened fire on her.

Her eyes widened in fear. She braced herself and made to move.

The next few moments happened within an instance.

She had dashed faster than she had ever thought possible, faster than the eye could see even. She evaded each bullet with a trained ease as they traveled in slow-motion. When she got close enough she vaulted over the line of soldiers and the man.

How had she done that?

Never mind, she didn't have time to linger around. She moved to the closest wall with a window and smiled when she saw the fading sunlight greet her.

"What the-!?"

"Where'd she go?"

"She just disappeared, like a damn ghost!"

"Find her!"

She ignored the soldiers and smashed her elbow against the window. The window shattered and the wondrous feeling of the wind welcomed her with open arms.

"Behind you, you imbeciles!"

She hopped onto the ledge and glanced down. It was at least a thirty foot drop, maybe even more. She gulped. She hoped she could survive.

Of course she could! She's fallen from the top of a cliff before.

"Ayane wait!"

She turned her head and glared at the man. She breathed in deep. She opened her mouth and let loose the roar she had built up since the first day of her capture.

"NO!"

Her voice was strong, her will was tempered steel. She'd no longer be their prisoner. She turned back towards the open sky and jumped.

Freedom had never felt so good.

XxXxXxXxXx

A/n - This chapter is complete! A whopping 9,384 before taxes er…author's notes I meant. Anyways, as you can see I tried to make the story more concurrent with the canon while changing certain things. I won't spoil anything as I'll explain in the story. I've also changed Naruto's mission and the way he gets sucked into the Sekirei plan, I hope you guys enjoyed the change. Now concerning Shinboku Ayane, I chose her name after about an hour or two of research. Here's what I got;

If her last name is written with the kanji 神木, her name will translate into Sacred Tree, roughly. It shows a possible relationship to Konoha, i.e the focus on trees.

Now if Shinboku is written using the kanji親睦, it roughly translates to Friendship, which is a reoccurring theme in the Naruto series.

I chose the name Ayane (あやね) because I personally like the name. It translates into Colorful Sound which I think can be used to describe someone who is either very unique, or very happy and loud. Something which I believe will describe both Naruto and Ayane.

By the way, I hope you like the very last portion of the chapter because Ilovedwriting it. Everytime I reread I like it even more. So I hope you feel the same.

Madara was...difficult and fun to write at the same time. I wanted it to behim, but I wanted it to seem like he was unstable. Capable of random emotions due to the fact that was, essentially, a fractured soul. I hope I delivered that accurately.

Now onto General FanFiction news. I have opened a twitter account made specifically for updates to my progress. That way you can believe that Iamworking on my stories and am working hard. So please, after leaving a review, head into my profile page and click the link to my twitter and follow me so thatyou, the readers can be kept in the loop.

As always, this is Shippuuryu, Signing off.