Crossing Over   von konpaku
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                             Kapitel 14: Deathgods
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“I don’t understand what is happening”, Gaara injected stepping in front
of the gathered Shinobi, “How can Naruto’s mother and Jiraiya-dono be here?
What are you calling yourselves Shinigami and why did you attack the Raikage?”
“Those are very good questions...”, the Mitsukage agreed.
The Tsuchikage floated down again. “Right you’re all too young to know this
and your predecessors never had a chance to tell you...”, he concluded with a
sigh.
“Shinigami are Grim Reapers”, he revealed after a pause.
The field fell silent except for the barrier preparations.
“It is their duty to guard the souls of the dead and to protect mortal worlds
from those falling astray. Isn’t that right?”, the Tsuchikage tried to
explain.
“Indeed it is”, Byakuya acknowledged, “It was necessary to attack the
Raikage, to show him that intervention is futile. Your kind is not capable of
defeating the foes this incident has brought to your world.”
“So what’s the deal with this ‘repair the damage to the realm’ talk?”,
Shikamaru challenged, drawing attention to him.
“From what we could gather this man has put a travel technique on
Abarai-fukutaicho. Through this technique he and several other high ranking
officers of the Court of Pure Souls entered this realm and disturbed its natural
defenses against Hollows. With this barrier we’re setting up we’re trying to
protect the village from the Hollows that will break through while we analyze
the damage and prepare to repair it”, Sui Feng explained pointing at the
mentioned things in turn.
“And what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?”, the Raikage
yelled.
“We could prepare the portal to send you to your respective villages so you
could overlook the preparations there, but any kind of interference might cause
you more harm than good”, Sui Feng offered, folding her arms behind her back.
 
Tsunade barely registered any of this, everything that was on her mind was:
“Why? Why did you just die and leave me alone?” Tears started welling up in
her eyes as Jiraiya stepped closer.
“Ahh, you’re not alone...you have a whole village behind you...”, he
reminded her with a grin.
“You moron...”, she only mumbled leaning against his chest, sobbing
silently. He hugged her tightly, stroking her hair to calm her and whispered:
“I’m sorry, Tsunade...”
 
“Look at you! How you’ve grown!”, Kushina grinned, holding her son at arms
length.
“Ha, you said that before...”, Naruto replied with a sheepish grin.
“Ah, right! You’ve unlocked the Kyuubi’s Chakra and you talked to the part
of my soul your father sealed within you!”
“Yeah, you were there and helped me and told me everything”, Naruto
confirmed.
“So it wasn’t just a dream...it really worked...”, Kushina mumbled,
running her fingers over Naruto’s cheek and through his hair.
“A dream? Didn’t you go to the afterlife after we talked?”, Naruto
wondered.
“No, I was already there, only a part of me was missing that returned to me
through a dream”, Kushina shook her head.
“Have you found Dad already then?”, Naruto wanted to know, a wide grin on
his face.
“No...but I will keep looking for him! You know it!”, Kushina declared
determined, raising up her fist.
“Kushina”, a grave voice called out to her as the shadow manifested itself
beside her.
“Ky-yuubi!”, Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the shoulder high nine tailed fox
standing in front of him.
“Kushina...why does he feel like me…and...not like me…?”, the fox asked
looking from her to the boy.
“Ahh...how should I explain that...”, Kushina thought out loud, rubbing the
back of her head. “You used to be a part of what is sealed inside of him?”,
she tried. The fox looked at her in contemplation.
“I see...”, he merely replied and turned his attention back to Naruto. The
fox raised his clawed hand and Naruto stared at it in disbelieve. Unsure what to
do he stood still. The claw came closer and closer until it pressed against his
chest. Red energy started to engulf the two of them.
“Fascinating...”, Kurotsuchi commented, as everyone’s eyes were on them.
The energy went from the fox and settled around Naruto before it got absorbed by
the Demon Fox within him.
“Now it’s better...”, the fox nodded and disappeared.
“Wh-what?”, Naruto asked in confusion, holding a hand over the seal on his
belly. He felt stronger somehow, the Kyuubi chuckling within him.
“This is really fascinating...your Zanpakutou spirit looks just like that
creature entangled with the soul of one of the prisoner of the maggots
nest...”, Mayuri pondered coming closer, “I’ve tried all the tricks I
know, but I just couldn’t separate them and you can release it just like
that...”
“What?”, Kushina exclaimed. “Does the prisoner look like him, just
taller?”, she demanded to know.
“It is possible...”, the other merely replied.
“Are you telling me, you’ve been experimenting on my husband?! YOU-”,
Kushina started, but Renji put a hand over her mouth. She tried to free herself,
but his grip was too strong.
“Don’t. If you want to get your husband back in one piece you won’t insult
Captain Kurotsuchi...”, Renji warned in a whisper. Kushina calmed down, but
still glowered at the captain.
“I will have words with the Soutaicho about releasing my husband!”, she
declared.
“Why’s Dad in prison?”, Naruto wondered.
“That is a very good question”, Kushina agreed.
“Everyone that is killed through that Shinigami-puppet-thing is send right
into the Maggots Nest”, Kurotsuchi explained with a shrug.
“You mean the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?”, Tsunade stepped in.
“If your calling it that”, he shrugged again, already bored, “I wonder
what would happen if I bring him here...”
“No!”, Kushina interjected.
“Hm? You were just adamant about getting him out of the Nest...”, Mayuri’s
interest was piqued.
“We sealed half of the Kyuubi’s Chakra within Minato. If you bring him here
it might break free and I don’t know if we could stop it...”, Kushina
explained.
“Kyuubi?”
“A being of immense Chakra only controllable if it’s sealed into a vessel, a
Jinchuuriki, like the boy”, Tsunade explained.
“Fascinating...”, Mayuri decided starring at Naruto.
“You won’t experiment on my son!”, Kushina declared stepping in front of
him.
“We will see...”, the other grinned.
“OI, is it time yet?”, an annoyed voice yelled, causing the captain to roll
his eyes.
 
“Can you gigantic oaf not wait for a simple command?”, Kurotsuchi grumbled
as he turned to see the large Shinigami emerge from the gate.
“What was that?”, he asked, the bells in his spiked hair tingling with his
movements.
“We’re nearly done, Zaraki”, Sui Feng interjected before they could start
into an unnecessary fight.
“Hiya, Baldy! Yun-Yun!” A small pink-haired girl lifted herself up over
Zaraki’s shoulder.
“Kusajishi! You were supposed to stay behind!”, Sui Feng complained.
“Silly bee”, Yachiru shook her head, “Ken-chan would get lost without
me!”
Sui-Feng sighed, but before she could say anything Yachiru exclaimed
“Bya-kun!” and dangled from his arm the next second, only to appear right
before Sakura next. “You have hair like me!”, she discovered with a bright
smile. “I do?”, the Kunoichi replied with a confused smile. Like this the
small Shinigami went through the ranks of assembled people.
 
Sui-Feng ignored this and asked the Kages instead: “Have you reached a
decision, yet?”
“You seem to have everything under control, so I’d like to overlook the
preparations in my own village”, the Tsuchikage replied.
“Me too”, the Mizukage agreed, “This trip was useless and we have a war to
prepare for.”
“War?!”, Zaraki asked, a manic grin spreading across his face.
“Ah, that reminds me: Our foe has made use of a technique that allows him to
resurrect fallen Shinobi into his ranks and control them. Is there anything you
can do from your side to stop the souls from returning?”, the Tsuchikage
wondered.
“Resurrect?”, Kurotsuchi wanted to make sure.
“I saw one of them shortly after I arrived”, Byakuya revealed.
“Where?”, several people asked at once.
“I’m not at liberty to say, as it would influence the outcome of your
war”, he replied with without looking at them, “He seemed to have knowledge
of not belonging to this realm. And he also recognized me, but did not reveal
it, so they seem to have some control over themselves.”
“They have control over their words, but not their actions”, the Tsuchikage
nodded, “We can’t kill them, all we can can do is seal them.”
“Fascinating...”, Mayuri decided, waving with his long nailed hand
“unfortunately is restoring your realm more important right now. So please
move along, we’ll talk about this later.”
“As the Jinchuuriki will stay here, we will stay as well”, the Kazekage made
his choice.
“Same with me”, the Raikage agreed.
“I see, Kotetsu, the portals”, Sui Feng ordered.
Acknowledging the order the vice captain stepped into the portal relaying it.
When everything was prepared the Kages and their entourages stepped through the
gate, accompanied by a few members of the Onmitsukidou.
 
“Can we finally get this started?!”, Zaraki growled in annoyance, still
leaning against the frame of the gate.
“Patience, you’ll get to fight soon enough”, Byakuya scoffed.
Sui-Feng stepped forward: “If any of you have a low resistance to high amounts
of Reaitsu, please leave the vicinity.”
“Chakra”, Kushina corrected, “It’s called Chakra here.”
“If you’re too weak, get lost”, the Taicho rephrased.
“We will trigger the barrier by releasing high amounts of Reaitsu. With this
we can analyze the openings and close them accordingly”, Kurotsuchi explained,
“Afterwards you’ll have to release that Chakra-thing and see if the barrier
still holds.”
“I see”, Tsunade acknowledged and called out to her people: “You’ve
heard her, I don’t want any injured or worse on my watch only because you
overestimated yourselves!”
A few Shinobi that had curiously gathered around them vanished, but Shikamaru
and his former classmates stayed firm. They wanted to see this through to the
end.
“All right, now you can go”, Sui-Feng sighed.
Zaraki stepped forward and with that a wave of breathtaking Reaitsu washed over
the gathered people. Not even the Kages were unaffected by this. Naruto saw how
his friends trembled and some even fell to their knees and stepped before them,
cloaking them with the Ninetails Chakra.
“Oooh, I would really like to examine the boy...”, Kurotsuchi cooed clicking
his fingers together in anticipation.
“You will do no such thing to my son!”, Kushina warned him, a little
breathless.
“Barrier nearly established!”, one of the Shinigami yelled.
“I’ll be off then”, Zaraki decided and jumped up to the dome above them.
“Wait, Taicho!”, Ikkaku yelled after him.
“Madarame! Release your Bankai first!”, Sui-Feng held him back.
“But...”, he tried, but she cut him off, “Follow your orders,
Third-Seat!”
“You too Abarai! Kuchiki!”, she ordered them as well.
Without further complaint the Shinigami complied. Byakuya manifested a sword
from the cherry blossom pedals that he held blade first above the ground.
Madarame swirled Houzukimaru over his head and Renji lifted up Zabimaru.
Simultaneously they called out: “Bankai!” Byakuya’s sword sunk into the
ground and around him gigantic blades rose and scattered into cherry blossom
pedals again. A whirlwind rose up around Ikkaku, when it settled down the large
cleaver-like blade of Ryuumon Houzukimaru rested on his shoulders, while he held
the other two parts in his hands. The skeleton snake of Hihiou Zabimaru swirled
around Renji as its large skull head with the red fur collar screamed menacingly
above him. Already the first Hollows had emerged above them and Zaraki’s
laughter could be heard, but the Shinobi still stood in awe of the released
Bankai.
“Let’s go!”, Ikkaku yelled and jumped up into the fray.
Just as he was through, the Hollows swarmed around the last opening, trying to
get in.
“Hikotsu Taihou”, Renji yelled whipping the bone snake towards it. Its spine
segments parted slightly as red energy flowed through them. As it reached the
snake’s jaws they opened and the energy formed a large ball. Releasing it into
the Hollows they dispersed with one blow. As the way was free he Shunpoed up
himself to join the others.
“Woah, awesome!”, Naruto yelled in excitement, his own energy cloak fading
as the Spiritual Pressure wasn’t weighing them down any more.
“Just like a Tailed Beast bomb...”, Gaara commented as the barrier closed
completely.
 
More and more Hollows emerged through the tears in the sky and surrounded the
three Shinigami, but they slew them all the same. Each of them moved into a
different direction on top of the barrier, which left the area atop the Training
Field unprocted when two white hands tore open another gate.
“MENOS!”, one of the analyst yelled as they became aware of it.
An ear piercing scream came from the white nosed head looking out. The Shinobi
covered their ears, but the Shinigami worried about something else.
“The barrier won’t hold much longer! Zaraki-Taicho’s Reaitsu is too
strong!”, one of those, holding it up warned, sweat running down his brows.
“That’s enough, I can bloody well protect my own village! Naruto! Inform the
Barrier Team!”, Tsunade bellowed.
As the boy sent off a Shadow Clone in a flash, a large white foot came out of
the opening and landed on the Shinigami’s barrier, cracking it further. Busy
with their own opponents the three on top didn’t notice so instead a cloud of
cherry blossom blades gathered underneath it before they rushed upwards,
shredding the Hollow into tiny pieces, leaving nothing behind.
“We have all the readings”, Kurotsuchi notified them, “Initiate phase
two!”
“Not yet! We have to stabilize the barrier first!”, Isane interjected. As
pushed more of her own power into the crumbling structure, she felt another
crawl over her fingertips.
The Shinigami at the barrier stepped away as a second barrier build itself
underneath the first one, black signs spreading across it; a yellow hue to it.
“Let me try something!”, Kushina asked as it was completed. Sui-Feng nodded.
“Naruto, Jiraiya-sama, I need your help.” The two of them stepped beside her
and she told them what she intended to do.
“I haven’t used the Sage Mode since I died, I’m not even sure I CAN still
use it”, Jiraiya complained.
“Just try it”, Kushina asked, while Naruto already started to collect the
natural energy around them.
“Fine”, he gave in. It took him longer than it used to, but he finally
managed. “Ha, it still works!”, he exclaimed excited before his face fell
flat when he saw that the only change in Naruto’s features were the eyes and
the orange eye shadow, while he knew his own noes was flat and warty again.
“This is so not fair...”, he complained to which Naruto only laughed.
“All right, now put your hands on my shoulders and push the Sage energy
through me into the barrier”, Kushina ordered and the two did as they were
told. The former Shinobi focused her own energy around her before she laid her
hands on the barrier. The energy went from her into it and spread across it. She
pushed it in with all her might, grunting and sweating and screaming at it.
Something changed in the energy signature of the barriers, another circle was
added to the signs and finally Kushina collapsed to her knees, panting.
“Mom!”, Naruto kneeled down beside her, while Jiraiya sat down as well; both
back to normal.
“A-amazing...”, one of the analysts declared, looking up from his monitor,
“She merged the barriers! They can now easily withstand the Reaitsu from
above!”
“Well, done”, Sui-Feng complimented impressed, but only got a thumbs up from
the exhausted Shinigami.
 
“Now we only need to get those three to come down again...”, Sui-Feng
thought out loud, “Before that, we need to get rid of the remaining
Hollows.”
“I felt something powerful and icy coming from the direction of Suna, I think
it’s one of you guys”, Naruto told her pointing.
“That must be Hitsugaya, how far away is he?”, Byakuya concluded.
“Not that far, he should be here any minute now”, Naruto guessed.
“Matsumoto contact your captain and tell him to attack the Hollows he’s
approaching at once, without holding back!”, Sui Feng gave the next order and
added towards Naruto and Kushina: “Boy, tell me when he’s thirty seconds
away. And you bring down Abarai and Madarame when that moment comes!”
“What about Zaraki-taicho?”, Kushina wondered.
“Don’t worry about him...”, the Taicho only replied.
Naruto returned into Sage Mode and Kushina got ready as well. Above them the
fighting continued.
 
“NOW!”, Naruto yelled and his mother pushed her energy back into barrier.
Two man sized wholes opened up underneath Renji and Ikkaku and the two of them
fell through. Upon realizing this was intentional Renji recalled his Bankai so
it wouldn’t get stuck in the closing barrier. Just as they had passed through
a wave of ice washed over the barrier freezing everything in its path, causing
frost patterns to blossom on the surface.

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