Fanficbased on Naruto (by Masashi Kishimoto) and Bleach (by Tite Kubo). This is a fan-made story with no official affiliation. The content is shared as part of the creative rewards on my Patreon.
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Previous Chapter:
Renji's team nodded in unison, their faces serious and somber—a rare sight for shinobi, but they held it in. There would be time to grieve later. Now was the time to fulfill their mission, to honor their former captain, and to ensure her sacrifice was not in vain.
As they left the chamber, Renji looked his comrades in the eye and spoke:
—We will not fail. For Sakura... and for this child's future.
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[The Following Day]
The funeral was held under a sky heavy with dark clouds, thunder rumbling in the distance. Yoruichi, still just a baby, attended the event in Renji's arms.
A large umbrella shielded her from the relentless rain, while two other shinobi walked at his sides, alert to any sign of danger.
The village was crowded. Some had come to pay tribute to the heroes who had fallen in battle; others, to say goodbye to their loved ones.
As they moved forward, the air grew thick with the scent of incense, the sound of mourning, and the steady rhythm of falling rain.
From her place in Renji's arms, Yoruichi peeked curiously over his shoulder.
Ahead of her, the funeral stage presented a harrowing scene: a group of monks bearing the kanji for [Heaven] on their foreheads worked in silence, placing metal poles beside each coffin.
Some coffins held complete bodies, others only fragments—but all seemed to carry the same unbearable weight of tragedy.
When the monks finished, each grave was marked with its respective pole. At that moment, the storm seemed to swell, and a woman stepped forward onto a raised platform before the crowd.
Dressed like a shrine maiden, her face was veiled with the same [Heaven] kanji, revealing only glimpses of her dark skin and small frame. In her hands, she held a metal staff adorned with intricate carvings.
Her voice rose—firm yet solemn:
—We are here to say farewell to our brothers and sisters! Today is a day of mourning for Kumogakure. We were caught off guard, and many of our own… left us before their time.
She paused, allowing the weight of her words to settle over the gathering.
—Today we weep. The citizens weep, the shinobi weep. Even Kumogakure itself weeps today… But do not fear. Remember. Remember those who have passed!
At that moment, two women stepped forward toward the metal poles, connecting them with fine wires that formed a delicate and complex pattern.
The shrine maiden raised her staff to the sky. The thunder grew louder, echoing with a power that seemed to intensify in her presence.
Her voice rang out, clear and commanding:
—The sky watches over us at birth, the clouds guide us as we grow, and the thunder carries us when we pass~
Lightning began to dance across the heavens. Some bolts were massive, others small and fleeting, but all seemed to respond to her words—as if summoned by her will.
—Let the thunder descend! Let the thunder lead the way to the Pure Land. Let our chakra return to the world, and with the world, may we be one again!~
As she finished, she stepped down from the platform. The two women, having completed the wiring, approached and secured the ends to the staff she still held tightly.
The shrine maiden lifted her staff once more, drawing circular patterns in the air. The wires followed her movement, stretching like a web of energy. Then, with solemn precision, she lowered the staff and drove it deep into the earth.
With a voice that boomed with finality, she proclaimed:
"¡¡ToniCaelum!!"
Immediately, a golden bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the staff directly. The energy burst into a brilliant explosion of light and sound, racing along the metal wires and forming a vast electric network that connected each coffin.
The lightning split at the ends, extending like massive glowing branches that reached into the clouds, while the web on the ground resembled deep, sprawling roots.
From Yoruichi's perspective, the spectacle was mesmerizing. The immense golden bolt looked like a glowing trunk, with the clouds serving as its canopy and the network of wires as roots buried in the earth.
[Image]
Amidst the majesty of it all, a soft babble escaped her lips. But in her mind, it sounded like:
—"Fascinating!"
Her dark golden eyes reflected the flashes of thunder as she watched, entranced by the sight of the radiant tree dominating the sky.
Then, slowly, the colossal tree of lightning began to fade. Along with it, the bodies within the coffins vanished—followed by the storm itself—leaving behind nothing but empty graves.
The shrine maiden, unharmed despite having stood at the very center of the phenomenon, calmly grasped her staff. With a precise twist, the cables began to retract, elegantly coiling around the staff until they were fully wound.
Without saying another word, she turned and walked the same path by which she had arrived, followed by a crowd that gradually began to disperse. Only a few remained, staring at the empty graves in silence.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi stayed still, her gaze fixed on the sky. Wonder sparkled in her eyes, unable to shake the image of the majestic lightning she had just witnessed.
In that moment, something deep within her stirred—a spark, a connection.
She had fallen in love...She had fallen in love with the lightning.
....
....
....
Lost in her thoughts, Yoruichi didn't realize that Renji had carried her over to a particular grave.
The grave, located at the center and near the front, remained closed—imposing in its stillness. Renji held her gently in his arms, and his voice, soft but heavy with emotion, broke the silence:
—"You know, little Yoruichi," he began, his gaze fixed on the grave, "your mother meant a great deal to me."
Yoruichi looked up at him with curiosity, her eyes shining with the innocence of someone trying to understand.
Renji continued, his tone tinged with nostalgia:
"When I was a child, my village was destroyed during the First Great Ninja War. It was hell... My mother used her own body to protect me, covering me in her blood so it would look like I was dead."
He paused, his eyes darkening with the weight of memory.
"I spent what felt like days—though it was only hours—under her lifeless body. I stayed completely still, pretending to be dead... until your mother appeared."
His words came slowly, as if each one weighed as much as the memory it carried.
"Your mother was a kunoichi of Kumogakure. Back then, any other shinobi would've finished me off without a second thought, justifying it as an act of mercy. But she... she didn't."
A small smile formed on Renji's lips, a mix of gratitude and sorrow:
"Instead, she saved me. She removed my mother's body, held me close, and through tears, apologized. Apologized for something she hadn't even done. Against her superiors' orders, she brought me back to the village and begged the Second Raikage to let me train as a shinobi."
Renji paused, letting his words settle in the air, his eyes glimmering with emotion.
—"The Raikage agreed, but under one condition: everything I did from that moment on would be Sakura's responsibility… your mother's."
Yoruichi listened intently, sensing that each of Renji's words carried a lifetime. The two ninjas accompanying them remained silent, but smiled faintly, sharing in the same nostalgia.
"It was unheard of!" Renji said with a light chuckle. "Letting an outsider into the village? No one did that. But your mother made it happen."
Renji looked at the ninjas beside him, his smile widening.
—"I joined your mother's team, along with these two idiots," he added, sparking a soft shared laugh between the three of them.
Silence returned for a moment, until Renji spoke again, this time with a more trembling voice:
"When I first came to Kumogakure, I was a broken kid—full of fear and hate. I had lost everything, and I couldn't understand why someone would save me. Back then, I saw compassion as weakness... but she changed that."
He paused again, taking a deep breath as his eyes began to well up.
"Sakura didn't just give me a place to live—she taught me how to be someone. That boy who only knew how to survive learned how to fight, how to protect, how to lead. She always used to tell me: 'Renji, the sky doesn't choose who it protects, but we can choose how to use the time we're given.'"
Renji smiled, though the sorrow was clear on his lips.
"She gave me the tools to become a shinobi, but also the hope that I could be more than just a weapon. It was she who encouraged me to take the team leader exam. Even when I failed the first time, she told me: 'Clouds don't fear the wind, Renji. And neither should you fear mistakes.'"
His voice cracked slightly as he continued:
"But I was never able to repay what she did for me. She was thunder—echoing through the lives of everyone she touched—and I… I was barely an echo."
Yoruichi felt something wet fall onto her face. Looking up, she realized they were tears—falling from Renji's eyes.
"And I'm still just an echo..." he murmured, his voice heavy with pain. "An echo that didn't make it in time. A jōnin who couldn't protect the person who made him who he is today. I couldn't protect her when she needed it most… and she died."
Renji closed his eyes, letting the tears fall freely before looking down at Yoruichi with a renewed sense of resolve:
"That's why I'll protect you. I'll give my life for you. Not for a mission—but for something deeper. Just like your mother protected me when I was nothing but a scared little brat, I'll do the same for you. I'll protect you and care for you. Even when your father is by your side… I'll be there too."
His final words rang out like a vow—unshakable and true:
"Daughter of Thunder... Little Spark."
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End of Chapter 3
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Note: Many people may see it as filler, but Renji is one of the most important characters in the entire Fanfic.