Empty Shinobi
Chapter1: Kabuki Theatre
A/N: I'm really disappointed with the first chapter of this story, so I'm rewriting it. Fix a bunch of things I didn't like with the first, and then continue on with it as one of my Big Three Updates. Well, let's give this one more go.
"Because for every door we close, another opens."
---Begin---
Uzumaki Naruto was sitting on the ground at the Valley of the End. He was staring in disbelief at what for all intents and purposes appeared to be, his body.
Now, Naruto knew that it couldn't be his body. He was sitting right there after all. The body didn't even look completely like Naruto did after all. Naruto didn't have a gaping hole in the side of chest where his lung used to be.
So Naruto came to the obvious conclusion that Sasuke, using his thrice-damned Sharingan, had placed him in some sort of advanced Genjutsu meant to shock and disorient him while Sasuke ran off to that pedophilic Snake Freak. Orochichi, Chichimuchu, Pedomaru. Orochimaru! That was it.
Yet, Naruto reasoned, if this was a Genjutsu, why was Sasuke standing a few feet from the fake body? He sure looked real… Creepy hand-wings, ugly skin tone and black star on face, terrible hair, yeah that was definitely Sasuke in his second level of the Curse Seal. So… why did he look so sad?
Sasuke collapsed next to the body, his curse seal fading. Naruto backed up a few steps. Something really weird was going on here. Sasuke was as emotional as a butter sculpture. It was this motion of backing up that caused Naruto to discover the next interesting thing about this Genjutsu.
There was a chain attached to his chest. It was a fairly lengthy chain, and it didn't seem to connect to much. Naruto gave it a slight tug, the immense pain resulting from that quickly convinced him that that was a very bad idea, so he left it all together alone.
Then there was the issue of this Genjutsu Sasuke, who has now in his normal state, literally sobbing over the body… Naruto nodded. Definitely a Genjutsu. There was no way the real Sasuke would ever be caught dead crying over anything! And yet, here he was sobbing over Naruto's "Corpse." Naruto had to say though, the addition of the Mangekyou Sharingan to Sasuke was well done. Sasuke put a lot of effort into this Genjutsu.
That brought a sudden realization to Naruto, Sasuke had to be maintaining this Genjutsu! If he could break it, he could still stop him from leaving. Bringing his hands together, Naruto brought his chakra together and… Wait a minute…
"What the hell?" Was Naruto's articulated and well thought out response to the fact that he could no longer feel his chakra. It was just simply… gone. It was here that Naruto began to panic. So he did the one thing that he felt was most appropriate in this situation.
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and began to run in circles screaming bloody murder.
Until he spotted the form of his teacher, one Hatake Kakashi approaching the site. Jumping up and down and waving his arms screaming, Naruto attempted to attract the attention of his teacher.
"Kakashi-sensei! Over here! Hey! Sensei! I'm right here! Kakashi-sen…" He never finished as Kakashi had run right through him. In his shock he barely registered Kakashi forming handseals, tears streaming from his eyes.
"I thought I taught you better than this! I thought I could keep you from leaving! I thought I could avenge Obito's death…" The Chidori began to form in Kakashi's hand, Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"Kakashi-sensei… Look, it wasn't me! I was being influenced by Orochimaru! I… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kill Naruto!" That statement suddenly began to reverberate in Naruto's head.
"I didn't mean to kill Naruto! Didn't mean to kill Naruto! Mean to kill Naruto! To Kill Naruto! KILL NARUTO! KILL NARUTO! Kill… Naruto… Killed… Naruto… Naruto… Killed… Dead. Naruto is dead."
"I'm sorry Sasuke. But you've killed a fellow Shinobi of Konoha. As a Shinobi of Konoha of Chuunin Rank or Higher, and as Sensei to Team 7, including Uchiha Sasuke, I hereby order the immediate execution of Uchiha Sasuke…" Sasuke could only watch in horror as Kakashi rammed the Chidori through his chest, just as he had done to Naruto.
He fell back, his Sharingan slowly coming to a stop. Uchiha Sasuke died there, next to the boy he had loved like a brother.
Kakashi, tears still falling, collected their headbands, before incinerating both bodies as was customary. Their heads weren't needed for a bounty. With a heavy heart and a heavy head, Kakashi reached over to the small dog and picked up his paw, running his thumb over the soft fur.
Pakkun made no protest. He was Kakashi's only friend at that point. He nodded when Kakashi dismissed him and began to head back to Konoha.
It was then that Uchiha Sasuke, upon seeing Naruto, made another very good comment.
"What the fuck! Naruto, where the HELL are we!" Sasuke was angry and confused. But mostly confused.
"I think we're dead Teme. You killed me remember! And then Kakashi killed you." Sasuke looked down at the ground.
"I-I'm sorry Naruto. It was never my intent to kill you." Naruto looked at Sasuke.
"I… I believe you. Now. Let's figure out where we are and how to get…" Naruto never finished as a portal opened up and out stepped a smiling figure. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, and had neatly trimmed brown hair. He wore the traditional clothing of a Fourth Seat Shinigami in the 5th Division of Soul Society.
He looked down at the pair of now dead Shinobi. "My my my… Look what we have here. Two powerful Shinobi… one of little note and a Jinchuuriki no less! I've always wondered if you it was possible to Konso a Jinchuuriki…" With those words, Sousuke Aizen leaped forward the hilt of sword aimed at Naruto.
In a last ditch effort, Sasuke shoved Naruto out of the way, instead being hit the sword, his body disappearing. Aizen frowned slightly.
"How selfish. saving himself over you…" Aizen glanced at Naruto who was now clutching his stomach. A red seal glowed on his navel, pieces of it breaking and fading away. "Oh my. It seems your residual energy is entirely spent and the beast is being released. Before you go, I just want to let you know. That Konso was meant for you. He stole your only chance to have a happy life." Naruto watched in abstract horror after hearing that sentence as a red energy travelled down the chain on his chest.
He became consumed by anger and hatred for Uchiha Sasuke. He had killed him. A few links snapped on the chain. He had taken away his chance at a normal life as a shinobi and stolen his glory. Even more snapped. He had stolen the heart of the one girl he once loved. More links snapped. And he had stolen Naruto's only chance to ever be happy for the rest of eternity. Almost all of the remaining links snapped. And he would pay for it. The final links of the chain snapped under his anger and disgust and the power of the red energy.
He collapsed as a white material flowed out of his mouth and began forming over his body. Aizen watched, a small smile on his face.
"Farewell Uzumaki Naruto. I really hoped to see a Jinchuuriki become a Shinigami… Instead, hopefully I will one day witness one as a Hollow." Sousuke Aizen then opened a portal back to Soul Society and left, leaving Naruto writhing in agony as the strange white material began to coat his entire being.
It would be many years before Naruto met Sousuke Aizen, Uchiha Sasuke, or anyone else he had previously known. He would never harbor hatred for Aizen for what he had failed to do, but his hatred for Uchiha Sasuke would become a part of him. And from there, it would only grow.
---End---
There. The Re-written first chapter of empty Shinobi. I'm going to get more detailed this time around, and it's going to be better. Naruto will be a Vasto Lorde, and he will become an Arrancar. Overpowered? Perhaps to some. He's not meant to be a weak Hollow. He won't instantly destroy Soul Society or anything like that.
I'm taking a lot of inspiration from Kalashnikov2092's Antagonist. That story inspired this one, and it is absolutely amazing. If you aren't a fan of Hollow-Naruto, that story will change that.