Whoa. I can’t believe, after all the time bellzooks and I have spent working on this, we’re finally here with the first chapter.

I don’t know where to start when I say this thing is going to be huge. Both Bella and I understand that there is an intense hatred out there for crossovers, especially with Bleach and Naruto, but we’re here to prove that with enough forethought (and basic grammar skills) it can be done. While collabs are also hard to prove, there is no way I could have done this story without Bella (especially seeing as it was her idea in the first place), and she informs me that I’ve been pretty handy to have around as well.

So far, we’ve planned until past the war in the Bleach world, and done chapter outlines for the first 20 or so chapters. We still have no idea how long it’s going to be, but judging by the length of the prologue, it will be epic.

Rest assured, we both love Naruto and Bleach and will follow canon and themes as closely as possible while still delivering a fresh outlook on these two worlds. I’m sorry, I’m trying to think of how to put this without sounding like a pompous git.

So, uh, spoilers. And also, a huge shout out must be given to Philyra and her beta poptate who are designing all the zanpakutou for the Naruto characters. We couldn't have done this without you, guys.

Anyway, I hope you’ll give us a chance. I’ll leave you with the poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley from which we took our title before we move on to the Prologue of Ozymandias!

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away

xXx

Namikaze Minato, Captain-Commander of the Fourteen Protection Divisions, was slumped in a chair at his lover’s side when his third seat burst into the room.

“Jeez, where’s the fire at, Kakashi?” Kushina laughed, shifting around to settle the baby boy in her arms. Kakashi wasn’t one for bursting in anywhere.

“The Kyuubi. The Vasto Lord Hollow.” The boy’s one visible eye was blank, focussed unseeingly slightly above Minato's head. The other eye was concealed with a thick strip of black cloth, bisected by a long scar. “We've just received word that it is attacking the physical world.”

From his mother’s arms, three hour old Naruto started to wail. Kushina herself frowned, shaking her head slightly. “I thought the Kyuubi was in Hueco Mundo. Y’know, eating other Hollows.”

“Obviously,” Kakashi grated out. “He decided to move.” He turned to his Captain. “Namikaze-sotaichou, what are your orders?”

“I told you not to call me that,” Minato muttered, staring distractedly at his newborn son. “I - the Kyuubi. It’s attacking.” The words finally permeated his awestruck brain and he sat bolt-upright in the chair.

Kushina tucked a strand of wine-dark hair behind her ear. “It can’t be attacking. I just gave birth. That’s not fair.”

Kakashi stared at her incredulously. “Oh. Well then. That’s solves our problem. I’ll go down to Tokyo now and tell the Kyuubi that my fukutaichou just gave birth, it can’t possibly--”

“Kakashi.” Minato stood, cutting the boy off before he got any nastier. For some reason, Kakashi had never taken to Kushina. “Call an emergency meeting. Taichou and fukutaichou. Ensure everyone is there - yes, even Shunsui. Kushina--” He bent down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Stay here.”

“Are you kidding me?” Naruto started to whimper a bit in the red-head’s arms as she struggled to sit up properly. “There’s no way I’m staying here when something like this is going on! You just called a taichou and fukutaichou meeting, which in case you hadn’t noticed, includes me.”

“Kushina. You just gave birth. I’m hardly going to let you--”

Green eyes narrowed dangerously, and Minato swallowed, suddenly forgetting that he had a world to save. “Let? Let?”

“Uh…wrong word choice perhaps.”

“Damn straight it was the wrong word choice.” She started to kick off the blankets. “Where did you say the Kyuubi was attacking, Kakashi? Take me there, I’ll sort it out no problem.”

Kakashi regarded her with an odd glint in his eye. “You can’t go.”

“I’m sorry?”

Minato shifted nervously. Between Kyuubi and an angry Kushina, he wasn’t entirely sure who he’d rather face.

Kakashi’s face - what he could see of it - was impassive. “You’re still on mandatory maternity leave.” Children in the Seireitei were far too precious to risk being lost in battle. “As third seat, I stand in your place. That order has still not been revoked.” Without waiting for her no doubt outraged response, he turned and bowed to Minato. “I’ll call the meeting immediately, Namikaze-sotaichou.”

“Mi-na-to…” Kushina growled as Kakashi left the room.

“He’s right, Kushina. I’m not lifting that order, which means that you have no reason to be at the meeting. I promise, I’ll let you know everything that happens.” A pause. “As it happens. You stay here and look after our son.”

“Oh, I see how it is. You want me to be the pathetic army wife who stays behind. Like those human women in the--”

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to think about a monster Hollow on the rampage. “Kushina. I promise that next time a Vasto Lord Hollow attacks the living world, you’ll be on the frontlines. Right now, we have a three hour old son who needs one of his parents to be looking after him. And you know it can’t be me.”

By reflex, Kushina glanced down at Naruto, who had settled down again. “As it happens?”

“I promise.” He stooped and kissed her again, this time a soft brushing of the lips.

She grabbed the front of his shihakushou and pulled him down for something a little more serious. “Kick some Hollow ass,” she ordered, shoving him away.

Minato blinked, dazed. “Uh…sure.” He stumbled a little as he headed for the door.

“Minato!”

“Eh?”

“Your swishy coat. You forgot it.” Kushina was shaking her head at him. “You can’t kick ass without your swishy coat.”

He stared at her for a moment before realising he’d left his haori draped over the chair he’d been sitting on.

Minato sighed as he slipped the cloth over his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of responsibility settle over him once again.

Right. Time to kick some hollow ass.

xXx

If Minato had hoped for an awed silence to sweep over the meeting room upon his entrance, he was sorely mistaken. Twenty six sets of eyes followed him as he moved towards the front of the room where Kakashi was tensely standing, staring at some point on the back wall. The boy only glanced back when his Captain placed a hand on his shoulder. The silver-haired shinigami took a step back, allowing the older man to step up to the platform. Finally, the gathering ceased speaking.

“You're probably wondering why I called you here--”

“Hardly.” Minato sighed inwardly. Shinji. “It's the Kyuubi isn't it?” The same bored expression that always found itself on Shinji's face was barely effected by the magnitude of what he was saying. “It’s decided to leave Hueco Mun--” A smacking sound cut him short. “Ahh!”

“I'm so sorry. I must have slipped. Please continue, Namikaze-sotaichou.” Yoruichi nodded apologetically to Minato and smirked tauntingly at Shinji, who merely sighed and turned his attention to the front. A shadow of a smile curled the lips of Yoruichi's fukutaichou, Uchiha Itachi. It was gone almost before it appeared though, and the child prodigy's dark eyes bore into Minato's.

Right.

“Shinji is correct. The Kyuubi has left Hueco Mundo and is attacking the human world.” Finally snapping into what Kushina had taken to calling Epic Serious Minato, he gazed across the room. “We must move quickly. I need each of you to form a squad from your Divisions to take to the human world.” A breath. “Gather these squads immediately. In the meantime, I will try to find a more permanent solution than mere diversionary tactics, and we will determine how to proceed from there. Are there any questions?” Silence stretched for a few long moments. “Good. Meeting adjourned.” He descended the platform towards his temporary fukutaichou as the roar of chatter rose again.

“Kakashi.” His voice was hushed. “I need to talk to you separately.” The younger shinigami's one visible eye examined Minato carefully before he nodded.

“I'll wait outside, Namikaze-sotaichou.” Kakashi was at the doorway before Minato could protest the name. As he sighed and moved towards the door, a hand rested casually on his arm.

“Don't do anything stupid, Minato.” Shinji's mouth stretched downwards in a slight frown.

The two men stared at each other a moment, before the subordinate averted his gaze.

“Form your team, Shinji.”

What sort of move are you expecting me to pull?

Epic Serious Minato swept into the hallway, his mind already rapidly considering different options. He reached Kakashi’s side and the young man fell into step beside him.

“I have a special assignment for you, Kakashi.”

xXx

“This is unbelievable,” Kensei growled as he stormed down the hallway. “If that idiot Hatake had just done his job--” He threw his words over his shoulder to Ukitake, “-- then we wouldn't have to deal with this crap.”

“You are being unfair, Kensei-taichou,” the other captain responded calmly as they turned the corner. “Sakumo was in a difficult position...Ah.” Upon turning the corner, the two Captains stopped abruptly. “Namikaze-sotaichou, Hatake-fukutaicho.” Ukitake nodded to them politely, his brow furrowed slightly with frustration at Kensei, who at least had the decency to look slightly guilty when he saw Kakashi pointedly inspecting the wall.

“Ukitake, Kensei.” Minato spoke evenly, his hand finding its familiar resting place on Kakashi's shoulder. “Did you want something?”

“Just to let you know we have our teams ready, sir.” Kensei's gaze dropped a little under Minato's scrutiny.

“Good. If you could gather your teams and brief them, I would appreciate it. Teams Eleven and Fourteen are already in the field.”

The two men exited with the dismissal, one shaking his head and the other looking guiltily over his shoulder.

When they were no longer in earshot, Minato turned back to Kakashi. “Well, what do you think?”

Kakashi tore his eyes away from the wall. “You want me to stay with Uzumaki-fukutaichou and Naruto while you prepare to fight the Kyuubi?” His tone was strangely empty sounding.

Minato felt a twinge of concern. “Please, Kakashi. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid?”

“Like anything you would do, Namikaze-sotaichou?”

“...Exactly.”

Kakashi glanced up at the ceiling with what would have looked like a long-suffering sigh on anyone else.

“All right.”

xXx

Kakashi took a deep breath before he even attempted opening the door to Minato's quarters. As the door opened, Kushina looked at him expectantly.

“Namikaze-sotaichou asked me to update you. Squads from each Division are being sent into the field, and he is currently constructing a plan to destroy the Kyuubi. Also--” His voice was completely flat. “--I have been assigned to keeping you company and helping you change the baby.”

“So Minato isn't on the field yet?” Her baby's head was resting on her shoulder as she spoke to Kakashi. His eyes avoided hers at all costs.

“That is correct.”

“Good.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of them, with Naruto blissfully sleeping on, completely unaware of the awkward atmosphere. Finally, Kushina rolled her eyes at herself. “Would you like some sake, Kakashi?”

“No. Thank you.”

“... Juice?”

“I'm fine.”

Kushina sighed. The younger shinigami moved towards the bookcase, looking for something he could stare at that would keep his gaze from wandering over to her. His fingers lightly trailed the spines of the books, idly running his eyes over the titles. On the second shelf, just at his eye level, a bright red cover caught his attention. Kakashi turned his head slowly, careful not to bring Kushina into his line of vision. “Uzumaki-fukutaichou, may I read a book?”

“Kushina, please, Kakashi.” She shrugged. “Go for it.”

The silver haired shinigami pulled the book carefully off the shelf and became aware of Kushina's quiet approach.

“Oh!” She grinned. “That's by one of Minato's old sensei, Jiraiya. Old pervert,” she muttered fondly. Despite himself, Kakashi's eyes flicked to her face as she spoke. “Actually, we named Naruto after the main character.”

Kakashi's eyes softened a little before he willed himself to resume examining the book.

xXx

Almost buried in a pile of books and scrolls, Minato mumbled to himself as he searched for a solution to the monster that was currently ravaging the human world. Think damn it, think. What are you missing?

A frantic knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. “Come in,” he called out loudly, not looking up from the scroll currently open on the table.

“Please, Namikaze-sotaichou!”

The panicked voice forced Minato to look up. The small shinigami before him looked like she was barely keeping herself from shaking.

“What is it, Isane?” The leader attempted a smile to comfort the girl.

“They asked me to update you, they said--” She swallowed, nervously, “-- they said that Teams Eleven and Fourteen were wiped out by the Kyuubi.” Suddenly her voice seemed even smaller. “Including the two taichou. There's no one left.”

Minato stared at her, feeling like the air had just been punched out of him and was absentmindedly grateful that he was leaning on the table. Finally he found his voice.

“Thank you, Isane. Please tell them to withdraw all forces and stop anyone else going in. I will advise them further as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Namikaze-sotaichou!”

The tiny girl nodded and ran back out the door, closing it as she went.

“Damn it. Damn it!” In an uncharacteristic show of rage, he swept the table clear of everything on it.

Minato shoved himself away from the table and pulled a key from his pocket. With a sigh, he unlocked an old cabinet in the corner of the room, pulling out a dusty tome. “There's nothing else to be done.”

xXx

“Minato.”

The blond froze, hand poised to push open the door to his quarters . He sighed, and turned to face his mentor.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai, the previous Captain-Commander of the Gotei Fourteen, stood in the middle of the hallway, hands resting lightly on his sealed zanpakutou.

Minato chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Yamamoto-sensei. What are you doing here?”

“Stopping you from doing something stupid, presumably,” the old man replied, voice slow and serious. Minato sighed, hand dropping as he recognised that he wasn’t going to be able to laugh his way out of this one.

“I going to see my wife,” he pointed out. “I know you didn’t exactly approve of her, but surely--”

“Minato. I saw the research.”

He grit his teeth, Epic Serious Minato creeping over him again. That didn’t stop him from feeling frustrated at the hold up. “Sensei, I know what I’m doing.” He placed his fingers on the handle again, ready to push the door open.

“Acting without thinking?”

He stiffened. “Two of my taichou were just killed. A tenth of our forces were wiped out in an instant. I would say the time for thinking has passed, wouldn’t you?”

“The Gotei needs a strong leader, Minato. If you are killed--”

“If I die, they still have you! I can be replaced, sensei! You’ve said it yourself - what’s one life in the face of hundreds?” Minato took a breath and lowered his voice. “Besides. It may not even come to that. It’s entirely possible that my bankai could take something that large.”

From deep within his soul, a roiling mass of black stirred, simultaneously destroying and regenerating his inner world. :Muchitsujo…: Chaos.

:You are a fool, Minato.:

He smiled sadly. :I know, Muchitsujo. I know.:

“You can’t stop me, sensei. I doubt even Central 46 would be willing to risk this getting messier than it has.”

“The kidou technique you are intending to use is forbidden. I am sure they would have something to say about that.”

“I don’t have time to argue with you about this, sensei,” Minato said. The cold tone tasted bitter in his mouth. “The balance of the worlds has already been upset. Any longer, and it may be permanently unbalanced. This is the quickest, cleanest solution.” He pressed down on the handle.

“And what of your son?”

Minato closed his eyes slowly and opened them again. “He will have Kushina.” He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it quietly behind him.

Kushina, as he had hoped, was asleep. Sitting on a chair next to their bed was Kakashi, idly reading a red-bound book. Nothing particular in the boy’s easy slump changed, but Minato knew that Kakashi had gone from relaxed to tense and alert from the moment he’d heard him outside the door.

“Is it over?” Kakashi asked quietly.

Minato crossed the room quickly to the tiny crib where Naruto lay, sleeping. He picked his son up, inwardly marvelling at his tiny fingers and toes.

“Sotaichou?”

“Your orders stand, Kakashi,” he said quietly. “Look after Kushina.” He turned to his wife and touched her cheek softly. “Good bye.”

He tried hard to ignore the way his voice cracked on those words. He turned on his heel and made for the door, hoping Yamamoto wasn’t still out there when a slurred voice stopped him.

“Mi - nato?” The name was punctuated by a large yawn. “Where’re you going?”

“Just talking Naruto for a walk,” he replied softly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh…” He didn’t turn to look at her, but he could imagine Kushina rubbing sleepily at her eyes. “S’it over then?”

Once again, Minato found himself closing his eyes against the pain of what he was about to do. “Yes, Kushina. It’s over.”

xXx

Kakashi wasn’t stupid, and he knew what his Captain was like. Nonetheless, knowing that Minato was going to risk his life in some heroic final gesture and actually doing something about it were two entirely different things.

If he had been charged with anything - anything - other than looking after Uzumaki and her son, he would have been after his Captain in the blink of an eye, orders or no.

Those who ignore their orders are trash. Those who abandon their friends, though - they are worse than trash.

And here he was, caught between two conflicting loyalties, each as powerful as the other. His love for Minato, which compelled him both to run after the man and to stay and follow orders, and his--

Well.

He didn’t think about that. It was best not to. He was screwed up enough as it was.

“You know you can leave now, Kakashi,” Kushina said, that hideously gentle note in her voice mocking him relentlessly.

“No. I can’t.”

She frowned. “In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s not a baby here to be ch…” She trailed off green eyes widening. “Kakashi, where is Minato.”

Oh, shit.

“Out for a walk,” he replied, grasping desperately for a better excuse, hell, any excuse. “He said.”

“That was half an hour ago. I doubt he’s taking a baby not a day old around for a grand tour of the Seireitei. Kakashi, what’s going on?”

He schooled his face into the blank mask he’d been working with most of his life. “Currently, Uzumaki-san, you stand at civilian status. I am not required to tell you anything.”

The next thing he knew, he was on his back with an angry Kushina pinning him down. Green eyes glowed with protective rage.

“When it involves my son, Hatake, you are required to tell me anything and everything. What the hell is going on?”

Kakashi could only think of one thing to do, and it definitely wasn’t something he’d ever imagined he’d do before. Nonetheless, he didn’t have a choice if he was to keep Kushina safe.

He twisted awkwardly under her, throwing her off of him and drawing Shirokarasu from his back in one movement.

“You would draw your zanpakutou on your own fukutaichou?” Kushina asked softly, eying the grey-wrapped katana in his hands.

Kakashi shifted in front of the door.

“I don’t have a choice.”

xXx

Ukitake was holding the gate open for Minato when he arrived, looking drained and worried. His mouth fell open a little at the sight of the infant in the Captain-Commander’s hand, but by that time Minato had flash-stepped into the senkaimon and started to run through the Dagai - there was no flash-stepping in this halfway world.

His heart pounded with what he didn’t want to admit was fear. He shook his head in an attempt to throw it off, touching his free hand lightly to the zanpakutou at his hip for reassurance.

If he was lucky, Muchitsujo would be able to dispose of the Kyuubi with little problem. However, if the Hollow was too large, too powerful…

He’d think about that when it happened. If. If it happened.

:How possible it is that you’ll be able to swallow it?: he asked the being that curled and uncurled in his inner world.

A pause. :It’s impossible to say, Minato. I’m sorry.:

:What are you sorry for?: He forced a laugh. :If I go down, I’m taking you with me. Not the other way around.:

:There isn’t anyone I’d rather go down with, Minato.:

:You’re a part of my soul. You have to say that.:

The Hell Butterfly ahead of him fluttered a little before that faint light appeared in the distance. He picked up speed, juggling Naruto in one arm and drawing Muchitsujo with his free hand just as the doors opened and the Dagai spat him out into the physical world.

xXx

Kushina winced, both at the sudden ache in her muscles and at the inert body at her feet. She hadn’t killed Kakashi, but she got the feeling the knocking him unconscious wasn’t going to be all that much preferable when the boy’s pride came into play. Casting her eyes around for something to write on, she found the book he’d been reading and scribbled something the front page before bundling her third seat up and placing him on the bed, the book on his chest. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be waking up to tell anyone what had happened for a while.

Kushina had never claimed to be a genius like her husband, or even like the boy she’d just knocked out. She relied on her instincts for the most part, and at that moment her instincts were screaming out that not only was something wrong, but something was down right awful.

She went to sheathe Kyushi, before realising that it was probably a better idea to keep him at hand for the time being. The brown-wrapped tanto was a small comfort in the face of whatever stupidity Minato had gotten himself into now, but it was a comfort nonetheless.

:Hey! I resent that!: Kyushi exclaimed, flitting around in their inner world of clouds.

:Shush, you. We’ve got more important things to concentrate on right now. Like why Minato’s stolen my baby, and why it’s so dangerous that he had to order Kakashi not to let me out of the room.:

:Tricks?: Kyushi asked eagerly.

:No tricks. More brute force and ass-kicking.:

:How mundane.:

:Oh, shut up.:

xXx

The sheer power of the Kyuubi’s presence was damn near overwhelming, even for Minato. In his arms, Naruto stirred and began to wail as one of the monster-Hollow’s tails flicked and demolished a nearby building.

The Kyuubi had gorged itself on the spirits of the shinigami who had fought it, and now it was looking for another meal. Minato thrust down the brief surge of pity for the monster as he gripped Muchitsujo tightly in his hand and, bypassing shikai completely, cut a wide, steady circle in the air.

“Genshi no Dobu Muchitsujo,” he said quietly, the air in front of him wavering slightly as his own reiatsu rose up against the Vasto Lord. Chaotic Primordial Chasm. “Ban-kai!”

The sound of nothing ripping through the air in front of him was louder than one would have expected. Minato grit his teeth as the Kyuubi jerked his head over to Muchitsujo’s physical manifestation in the real world, a gaping hole of nothing that sucked reality into it.

Left unattended, Muchitsujo would have been a disaster like nothing seen before. But Minato was the gatekeeper of this void, and it was he who decided what entered it.

Assuming he had the power to both draw the Kyuubi in and stop everything else from disappearing as well. A random hole in reality would not help to keep the worlds balanced.

“You dare…?” The Kyuubi roared, levelling some more buildings as Muchtsujo started to draw it in. Thankfully, that area of the city seemed to have been evacuated due to the blatant destruction befalling it.

:Minato…:

:Keep trying, Muchitsujo.:

:I didn’t know it was possible for a Hollow to get this powerful.:

:He just devoured two taichou. Not our best, but when you’ve just taken out two of them, it hardly matters.:

The Kyuubi attempted to lash out at Minato himself, but here the other power of his bankai came into play, disorienting the monster whenever it looked at him, making him appear as if he was there and yet not at the same time.

He cut another, wider circle in the air, enlarging Muchitsujo’s power. His head pounded as finally, the gravitational pull he was aiming at the beast set in. In his arms, Naruto squalled as the pressure in Minato’s mind doubled, trebled while the Kyuubi tried its hardest to throw off the power of his bankai.

:Stop, Minato, stop!: Muchitsujo cried. :It’s not going to work!:

A cry was torn from his throat as the pain in his mind increased exponentially and still, the Kyuubi refused to move. A loud rip came from somewhere to his left as the rubble of a building was sucked into nothingness. He was losing control.

:Give up, Minato! Give up, please!:

:My son--:

:Your son will die if you don’t give up. You’re going to have to use that technique, Minato. I’m sorry.:

The pressure forced Minato to his knees. By now, Naruto had fallen silent, although as a result of the reiatsu or something else, he didn’t know.

“Oh, god.” The words were a broken sob. “Kushina, forgive me.”

xXx

“So what you’re telling me,” Kushina said, coldly, calmly. “Is that my husband went to face the Kyuubi around a half hour ago. On his own. Wait, no, not on his own! With our son!”

“Kushina, I am sorry,” Ukitake said softly, and she really did believe he meant it. “I know as much about this as you do.”

“You let him leave!” she yelled, unable to remain rational. “You let him leave, with our child, who is not even a day old! To fight the Kyuubi! Half and hour ago! On his own! With our son!” Kushina was well aware that she was repeating herself. She certainly didn’t give a damn. “Right, that’s it. I’m going in there.”

“Kushina, you just gave birth. You are in no fit state to fight anyone, let alone a Vasto Lord Hollow.”

“Oh, and my son is? Get out of the way, Ukitake.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you go, Kushina-san.”

She clenched her teeth and glared. Ukitake was on his last legs as it was, exhausted from holding the senkaimon open for so long.

“How are you going to stop me?”

And without waiting for his answer, she shoved past him into the Dagai.

It became obvious almost immediately that Ukitake was right, of course. She was exhausted, reiatsu depleted from giving birth, something that Unohana had never been able to explain to her properly. On top of that, the fight with Kakashi had weakened her even further - the boy was certainly about to reach vice-captain level, if he wasn’t there already.

:Kushina-chan…do you think that maybe this is a bad idea?:

:You’re full of bad ideas: she shot back, gasping aloud as she struggling to follow the Hell Butterfly. Thankfully she’d had the foresight to braid her hair into a thick plait before she’d gone after Ukitake, otherwise it would have been everywhere. :That’s never stopped you before.:

:Yeah, but I mean really bad idea. As in getting us killed sort of a bad idea.:

:Kyushi. Trust me.: Why he should trust her, she didn’t know. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing, but that had never stopped her before.

Grumbling, Kyushi shut up just as the doors appeared and Kushina barrelled through them, not even bothering to wait for them to open. As a result, she fell out of the Dagai about a hundred metres above the spot where she’d meant to, but she managed to catch herself before she hit the ground.

“Hanase, Kyushi!” she cried, before even taking the situation in. Speak, Messenger. Kyushi snapped into shikai, tsuba flying off into a boomerang that would act independently of her as the blade elongated into a shepherd’s staff.

You stupid idiot, Minato, she growled to herself as she assessed the situation. You know I can create boundaries!

Minato was on his knees with their son in front of him, some sort of paint on the infant’s stomach that--

That wasn’t paint. That wasn’t paint.

It was then that Kushina noticed that the ominous presence floating behind her husband wasn’t his zanpakutou.

:What’s he doing?: Kyushi exclaimed.

“That’s a forbidden technique,” she replied faintly, out loud, as Muchitsujo struggled to detain the Kyuubi. It was completely enraged now, desperate to get to the meal that Minato promised even as the arms of Death ripped through Minato’s abdomen to grasp at it.

“Minato!” she screamed. Her body moved without her say so, dropping madly towards the monster Hollow. If she could just get in one hit, she could draw the boundary around it, cage it, contain it and--

One of the Kyuubi’s tails flicked. The world went red, then white, then finally faded to black.

xXx

The world faded in and out as Minato worked on the seal, pouring his life force into it as the Kyuubi struggled and thrashed with his bankai. He was barely aware of the physical manifestation of death finally reaching through him to grasp at the Kyuubi. He thought he heard his wife, a faint scream that echoed horribly, but that wasn’t possible. Kakashi was looking after her, and however much his third seat disliked her, he’d never let her die.

It was getting harder to concentrate now, the only thing keeping him on task being the support of Muchitsujo as another part of his awareness aided her in detaining the Kyuubi. It had always been an odd talent of his, splitting his attention between several tasks when needs must.

The Kyuubi roared its frustration, but either the kidou seal was working or Minato just hadn’t noticed more buildings crashing.

Something wet trickled out of the corner of his mouth to drop, pitterpatter, on the ground in front of him. A third part of Minato blinked at it dumbly.

Blood.

Muchitsujo disappeared.

When a shingami’s bankai fails them, Minato, it means they are at death’s door. Of all the people, Jiraiya’s voice was swirling around his mind. He coughed a weak chuckle, happy to hear a friendly tone at the end, even if it was as morbid as that. Even if it wasn’t real.

Without Muchitsujo, the Kyuubi should have broken free, but it seemed the kidou seal had actually worked. That was good. He hadn’t been sure.

He looked down at his son, hand reaching out as more reiatsu was ripped from him. Naruto was oddly silent for an infant surrounded by chaos, bright blue eyes wide open. He hoped they didn’t fade, beautiful as Kushina’s eyes were. He’d like for her to have something to remember him by. More than that, he’d like his son to be able to look in the mirror and know his father was with him, even if it was in the most basic of senses.

Reiatsu glowed red around him and the Kyuubi’s despairing last cry echoed throughout the city as the final seal stamped firmly into place. Minato slumped forward, drained and dying as small lines etched themselves into his son’s face.

You are coming with me, Death whispered, and its voice was cold, empty. Instead of being reborn as souls were meant to be, Minato would fight for eternity in the belly of this beast.

“I know.” His own voice was barely audible, and he thought faintly, amused, that he should have thought of something suitably more impressive to say as his last words.

Death reached for his soul, and Namikaze Minato, sotaichou of the Gotei Fourteen, died with a smile on his face as he thought of his wife and son.

xXx

When Kakashi came to, he was lying in a bed in Fourth. That in itself was odd, seeing as he’d been taken out in a fight with Kushina, and battle injuries went to Fourteenth. Illness and disease were healed in Fourth.

Kakashi replayed that thought. Fight with…Kushina.

He jerked, struggling to sit up only to find that he’d been restrained with kidou. “What…what--”

“I’m sorry, Kakashi.” That was Rin’s voice, from his left. He twisted his head to stare incredulously at his friend, whose face was ravaged, eyes red and puffy as if she’d cried until there were no tears left. “We didn’t…we didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“What happened?” he asking, nearly choking on the words and the heavy, oppressive air that surrounded them. Rin opened her mouth, but no sound came out. “Rin. What happened?”

She shook her head wordlessly and gave an awful, shuddering gasp. “I - Kakashi. Kakashi, they - Namikaze-sotaichouu and U-Uzumaki-fukutaichou. They - they‘re…”

With a massive effort, he ripped away the Restrain kidou, intent on finding out the truth of what had happened. The state the Rin was in screamed it at him, but he refused to listen, throwing himself off the bed.

Something clattered to the floor. A book, the one he’d been reading before. On reflex, he bent to pick it up, and an untidy scrawl caught his eye as the cover flipped open.

White hot fury flashed through him. He drew his arm back and with an enraged cry, he threw the damn thing across the room before sinking to the ground, staring at his hands. Rin hurried over to him, but he barely felt her arms wrapping him in a desperate hug.

The book fell with the cover open and the words glaring hatefully back at him.

I’m sorry, Kakashi.

xXx

Good god, that was…draining, to say the least. As this is a prologue, the next chapter will pick up a ways from here, but we wanted to make sure that this was large enough to give both an introduction to the Bleach/Naruto world we have created here (we added a Division, to say the least, and Sarutobi-sama is unfortunately not here), and to show how serious we are about this.

Plus, it was really fun to write.

Unfortunately, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning where Bella is so she can’t write any greetings herself, but I know for sure that we both hope you guys enjoyed the prologue of Ozymandias! Thanks for reading :D