Chapter 13

Naruto moved effortlessly through the battlefield, his body a blur as he toyed with Goku, who was struggling under the constraints of the seals placed on his body. While Goku felt like he was moving through thick molasses, Naruto controlled his own movements completely, making the battle appear as though it were playing out in slow motion. Every punch, every kick, and every dodge was precise and effortless, reinforcing the sheer difference between them.

Amidst this battle of titans, a small presence stood frozen at the edge of the clearing.

Naruto's sharp gaze flickered for a moment, noticing the child watching in stunned silence. His lips curled into a small, amused smirk as he turned his head—fully—a complete 180 degrees while the rest of his body remained facing Goku.

"Hello, little one," he muttered, his voice calm but eerily detached.

Gohan, only a few years old, felt his breath hitch as he locked eyes with the inhumane being before him. His small hands clenched into the fabric of his clothes, his knees trembling. The sight of Naruto's head twisted in an unnatural way, coupled with the ease with which he dominated his father, made his young heart pound in terror. His bottom lip quivered, and in mere seconds, fat tears welled up in his eyes before spilling over as a wail ripped from his throat.

The sudden outburst distracted Goku, who instinctively turned toward his son. That split-second lapse in attention was all Naruto needed. With a casual smirk, he delivered a sharp spinning kick right into Goku's face, sending the Saiyan warrior flying across the battlefield.

"Gohan, what happened?" Goku asked, rubbing his jaw as he quickly landed and approached his son. His heart ached at seeing his child in distress, and without hesitation, he crouched down as Gohan ran into his arms, clutching onto his orange gi tightly.

"He was scared from this simple trick. Your kid is untrained and too soft," Naruto remarked, his piercing eyes lingering on the child. His words were blunt, but not cruel—they carried a weight of experience, of a warrior who had seen far too much.

Goku sighed, gently rubbing circles on Gohan's back to soothe him. "I want to train him, but I promised Chi-Chi that I'd give him a normal and successful life," he admitted, looking down at his son's teary face.

Naruto raised a brow. "He can still earn a living while training. Fighting isn't just for war; it's survival. And when he's strong enough, he can just use the Shadow Clone Technique. I know you can do it, and I use it all the time."

Goku blinked. He hadn't considered that. His mind quickly ran through the possibilities—if he could teach Gohan to use clones, he could study and train at the same time.

"That's… actually a great idea," Goku said, a grin forming on his lips. "But let's not give people ideas."

Naruto let out a low chuckle, his smirk turning mischievous. "Haha, whipped."

Goku frowned, but the slight pink on his cheeks gave him away. He knew exactly what Naruto meant—if Chi-Chi found out about this loophole, she'd make him use clones for everything.

Choosing not to rise to the taunt, Goku simply stood up, adjusting Gohan in his arms.

Naruto watched them for a moment before sighing. "Gohan, I'm sorry if that scared you. I'm not really used to innocent kids." His voice, though still holding its magnetic pull, softened just a fraction.

Gohan peeked out from his father's embrace, still sniffling but calmer now. He hesitated, then nodded shyly.

Naruto's sharp gaze flickered down to the child's hand. "Cute kid, but why did you hide the phone?"

Gohan stiffened, his small fingers unconsciously pressing against the pocket of his tiny jacket. Goku blinked in confusion. "Wait, he has a phone?"

Naruto's expression darkened slightly. "He does. And I know why. This kid has potential—real potential. And that potential is going to affect the world, whether you want it to or not."

The air around them seemed to shift. Goku's usual carefree demeanor was momentarily replaced with something more serious as he stared at his son, then back at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

Naruto took a step forward, kneeling slightly to be at eye level with Gohan. The child flinched but didn't look away.

"I know you don't like fighting, Gohan. You don't like hurting others," Naruto began, his voice steady and firm. "But if you don't fight—if you don't become strong—there will come a time when people will hurt your family, and you'll be powerless to stop them."

Gohan's breath hitched. His young mind struggled to grasp the full weight of Naruto's words, but something deep within him stirred—something instinctual.

Naruto raised a single finger and tapped the child's forehead lightly. A subtle pulse of energy transferred with that touch, a fragment of knowledge, an impression that lingered. It was not just a warning, but an understanding of what awaited should Gohan remain weak.

Gohan's small hands curled into fists. He looked up, locking eyes with Naruto. There was no fear this time—only something deep and unreadable.

For a long moment, there was silence. Gohan stared at him intently and Naruto stared back, and Goku also stared. It was a three way but then Goku looked to the side and it had turned into a four way.

A fourth pair of eyes had joined the exchange.

"…Who's that?" Goku asked, blinking at the unexpected participant.

Naruto turned, and his amused smirk returned. "Oh. That's just my clone. He likes to keep things interesting."

Goku groaned. "Great, now there's two of you."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, trust me, there's way more than two."

Gohan, still reeling from everything that had just happened, simply sighed softly into his father's chest. For better or worse, his world had just changed forever.

 

 

Ichigo sat at his desk, his orange hair slightly disheveled as he leaned back in his chair, staring at his phone screen with narrowed eyes. The chat group he had stumbled upon was filled with things that defied logic—concepts that should have been nothing more than fiction.

"Well, this is something," he muttered, scrolling through the endless messages. Discussions of immortals, dragons, supernatural powers, and beings of incomprehensible strength filled the chat. Some of the names he recognized from mythology and stories, while others were entirely foreign to him.

'Is this some kind of elaborate role-playing group, or is it actually real?' Ichigo mused, his brows furrowing.

But the more he explored the app's features, the harder it was to dismiss. It had functions that seemed impossible.

A Scan Body option.

A Summon: Lord Emperor of Mankind button.

Ichigo leaned forward, resting his elbow on the desk while absentmindedly tapping his pen against the wood.

'So… am I even human?'

His username in the chat group was Hybrid. The word itself meant a combination of two different things.

'Does that mean… my mother was an alien? Or is my dad the weird one? He is kinda strange.'

The thought left him uneasy. He had always known his father was a bit of an oddball, but this… this was something else entirely.

He sighed, staring at the two options on his screen.

'Should I ask Dad, or should I just summon the Emperor guy?'

Summoning someone with a title like Lord Emperor of Mankind sounded like a recipe for disaster. If the guy was real, Ichigo had no idea what kind of response he'd get.

'Yeah, no. He said he was busy, anyway. Let's go with the scan first, then ask Dad.'

Decision made, Ichigo tapped the Scan Body button.

A soft glow enveloped him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His instincts screamed at him to move, but the sensation disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

A notification popped up:

[Scan Complete. Processing Results…]

Ichigo stared at the message, his heartbeat picking up slightly. He wasn't sure why, but something about this felt big.

Before he could dwell on it, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Please wait."

The automated response came from the app, its calm, neutral tone doing nothing to ease his nerves.

Ichigo exhaled slowly and picked up his phone, rolling it between his fingers as he waited.

"Maybe I can be like Superman," he muttered to himself, trying to add some humor to the situation. The idea of suddenly discovering he had alien origins wasn't entirely unappealing—especially if it came with superpowers.

Just as the words left his mouth, his door creaked open.

Standing there was his younger sister, Karin.

She was staring at him.

Not just staring, but giving him that look. The one that said, "I just caught you saying something incredibly stupid, and I will never let you live it down."

Ichigo immediately straightened up.

"I was just thinking about Halloween," he blurted out. "You know, dressing up as a zombie version of Superman."

Karin's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly unconvinced.

"Right," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Just wanted you to know that Dad's calling for you."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Ichigo groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

'Great. My image has been lost.'

With a sigh, he stood up, stuffing his phone into his pocket before making his way downstairs.

When he entered the kitchen, he found his father, Isshin Kurosaki, sitting at the table, a serious expression on his face.

That alone was unusual.

Ichigo's stomach churned slightly.

Something was definitely up.

 

 

Isshin led Ichigo into the family clinic, his usual goofy demeanor nowhere to be seen. The serious look on his face made Ichigo uneasy. He had always suspected his father was hiding something, but now, for the first time, he was willing to give straight answers.

Ichigo sat down across from his father, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation.

Isshin sighed, running a hand through his hair before speaking.

"I guess you found out that we're not exactly normal from that guy."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Could you have not taken the long way around like normal people? You know, slowly reveal the secrets instead of dropping a bomb on me?"

His father gave him a flat look. "Ichigo, don't be a bitch. It's life. Just accept that you're an abomination of nature."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"Dad, I demand permission for assault."

Without waiting for a response, he took off his slipper and hurled it at Isshin's face.

With infuriating ease, his father tilted his head, dodging the attack.

"Too slow."

Ichigo didn't miss a beat. "No, you."

With that, he swung his foot forward in a merciless kick aimed directly at his father's groin.

Thud!

A sharp pain shot through Ichigo's foot as if he had kicked a solid steel beam. He recoiled, hissing in pain while hopping on one foot.

"What the hell?! Are you wearing a metal plate down there?"

Isshin grinned smugly. "Nope. All natural, baby. Wanna see?"

Ichigo recoiled in disgust. "No. In fact, we can burn it off since it's useless."

His father clutched his chest in mock hurt. "You make Daddy so sad. Where did I go wrong with you? Mikasa, look at how your eldest is bullying me!"

Ichigo froze mid-massage of his sore foot.

"Who the hell is that?" he asked, his brow furrowing as he saw Isshin hugging a picture of a woman he had never seen before.

"Your mother," Isshin said dramatically, his face pressed against the picture.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Are you high?"

"Very."

A long silence stretched between them as Ichigo stared at his father, thoroughly unimpressed.

He sighed, finally setting his foot back down and resting his arms on the desk.

"Alright. No more games."

Isshin put the picture down and nodded. "Fine."

Ichigo's eyes met his father's, their usual banter momentarily forgotten.

"Tell me… who the hell is this 'Lord Emperor of Mankind'?"

 

Ichigo leaned forward, his amber eyes sharp as they met his father's.

"First, tell me what we are," he said, his voice steady.

He still hadn't checked the results from the chat group's scan, and given his father's reaction, he figured it was better to hear it straight from him.

Isshin exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, something that rarely happened.

"Alright, kid. I guess it's time you learned the truth."

He sat up straight, placing his hands on the desk between them.

"You, Ichigo, are not a normal human. You're a hybrid—a mix of different powerful bloodlines. Your mother, Masaki, was a Quincy, a human with the ability to manipulate spiritual energy and destroy Hollows. And me? Well… I used to be a Shinigami—a Soul Reaper."

Ichigo's fingers tightened around the edges of the desk. His father had always been weird, but this?

"A Shinigami?" Ichigo repeated, disbelief creeping into his voice.

Isshin nodded. "A protector of souls, a warrior of the afterlife. My real name isn't even Isshin Kurosaki. It's Isshin Shiba. I was once the Captain of Squad 10 in the Soul Society."

Ichigo blinked. His brain was working overtime trying to process this information.

"So let me get this straight… Mom was some kind of spiritual warrior who fought monsters, and you were a samurai grim reaper?"

"Essentially, yes," Isshin said, shrugging.

Ichigo scoffed, shaking his head. "You expect me to believe that?"

Without missing a beat, Isshin flicked his finger toward the desk, sending a sharp pulse of spiritual energy through the air. The force shattered the desk between them into splinters.

Ichigo barely had time to react before Isshin grabbed his wrist, forcing his palm open. A surge of energy rushed through Ichigo's body, and for the first time, he felt it—an overwhelming pressure that made the air thick and heavy.

His father grinned. "Still think I'm joking?"

Ichigo pulled his hand back, staring at it as a faint, fiery glow flickered in his palm before vanishing.

He swallowed. "So… I'm part Shinigami and part Quincy?"

Isshin's expression turned more serious. "That's not all. There's something else inside you. Something darker."

Ichigo frowned. "What do you mean?"

Isshin leaned back, his gaze piercing. "Your soul was tainted by a Hollow when you were still in your mother's womb. That's why your power is unstable, why you're so much stronger than a normal human should be. That's why the chat group called you a 'Hybrid'—because you're part Shinigami, part Quincy, and part Hollow."

Ichigo sat still for a moment, letting the words sink in.

Then, he exhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair. "Well… this explains a lot."