(A/N: I do not own Naruto or Bleach, or their characters. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo)
Ch 2
(Hueco Mundo)
Naruto had walked for hours and found nothing that seemed edible.
['So hungry.'] he thought.
He continued to walk and walk, and still found nothing. The desert seemed like it would never end. He thought about Sasuke and Sakura often, even though he was happy that they were ok, he still missed them, and nothing could change that.
["As long as they are safe."] he told himself.
But that wasn't enough; he wanted to see them one more time, even if it was only for a minute.
________________________________________________________________________
(Soul Society)
Yoruichi walked Sasuke and Sakura to the main hall of the second division to give them an offer that might save their friend. They sat down at a table and Yoruichi sat across from them.
"It won't be too much longer, I promise." Yoruichi said.
Soon after an old man with a long beard and a cane walked in. He had the same kimono and haroi with the kanji for one on the back, and an X shaped scare on his head.
"Are these the two?" he asked Yoruichi.
"Yes, but I couldn't save their friend. A hollow got him." Yoruichi said.
The old man looked at the two nin and had a look of grief on his face.
"I am very sorry for you loss." He said. "My name is Shigekuni Yamamoto. I am the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13."
"I am Sasuke Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan of Konoha." Sasuke said.
"I am Sakura Har…Uzumaki of Konoha." She said
Yamamoto bowed to the two nin to show a sign of respect.
"Yoruichi tells me that the two of you have a good amount of spiritual pressure. If the two of you would like, you can become shinigami and put your powers to good use." Yamamoto said.
"Become shinigami?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes. The only requirements are to go through the academy. Then you will join a squad and conduct missions under your captains." He said. "But the training wont be easy. It takes many years to perfect the training, and even then it's still a big challenge."
"What do you think Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know. It seems all too good to be true." Sasuke said "We just got here, and you want us to join you."
"If you become a shinigami, you'll be able to save your friend from his hollow form." Yoruichi said.
"You're a shinigami already. Why can't you save him now?" Sasuke asked.
"Because we are forbidden to go into Hueco Mundo for that purpose. However if he emerges into the human world or the Soul Society we are free to cleanse his soul, and he will return here." Yoruichi
"Why would Naruto-kun come here or the human world?" Sakura asked.
"To feed." Yamamoto said.
Sakura and Sasuke's eyes both widened after hearing that.
"Naruto-kun wouldn't feed on humans. He would never do anything like that." Sakura said.
"Not the Naruto you knew. Now that he is a hollow he'll need to eat, if he doesn't then he'll die, and there will be no chance of saving him." Yamamoto said.
"If you two want to save him, then you need to become shinigami and cleanse his soul. Otherwise another shinigami will find him and the will kill him." Yoruichi said.
Sasuke and Sakura thought it over and realized if they ever wanted to see Naruto again, then they needed to become shinigami.
"We'll do it." Sasuke said.
"Good. Your training starts first thing tomorrow." Yamamoto said as he started to walk out of the room.
"Captain Commander." Yoruichi said.
"Yes?" Yamamoto asked.
"If I may. I would like to personally train them with Urahara." Yoruichi suggested.
"As you wish, but I will expect more out of them." Yamamoto said.
"You have nothing to worry about." Yoruichi said.
Yamamoto walked out of the room and left the three of them alone. Sasuke looked out the window and saw many shinigami out side.
"Your training will be a lot different than other shinigami." Yoruichi said. "I along with a good friend of mine will train both of you to become shinigami in three days."
"How? Yamamoto just said it takes years and years." Sasuke said.
"Because my friend is a genius." Yoruichi said.
Sasuke and Sakura were a bit skeptical about this, but Yoruichi seemed to know what she was talking about.
"So when do we meet this guy?" Sasuke asked.
Yoruichi smiled and looked out the door.
"Follow me." Yoruichi said
(Hueco Mundo)
Naruto was beginning to get light headed as he walked. His mind wasn't very focused and he didn't notice that he was being watched from a cliff.
["MMM. Fresh meat."] a hollow said
This hollow was of greater rank than Naruto and knew he would be able to defeat him with ease, or so he thought. The hollow pounced down in front of Naruto and startled him. Naruto backed up and just stared at the hollow. It looked like a big cat, with brown stripes all over the body, and a tiger skull mask for the face, it seemed to be a good bit shorter than Naruto, but very confident with itself.
["Who are you?"] Naruto asked.
["hehehe. Me?"] the hollow asked. ["I'm the one who will be killing you today."]
Naruto was very confused about the hollows confidence. Naruto was a good five feet taller than it, but he remembered that it wasn't the size of the beast that mattered, it was whether or not it could fight, and Naruto was still getting use to his new body. The hollow pounced on top of Naruto and started biting and clawing his back. Naruto shook the hollow off his back and got into a defensive position.
["hehehe. So you have some fight in you"] the hollow said. ["But not enough."]
Naruto backed up a good bit and braced himself for the next attack, but the hollow was to fast for Naruto to handle. The hollow was biting and clawing at Naruto. The hollow opened its mouth wide and started to gather energy.
["What the hell?"] Naruto said.
["CERO!"] shouted the hollow.
Before he had time to react, the hollow shot the energy blast at Naruto and sent him flying backwards.
["hehehe. You're much weaker than you look."] the hollow said.
Naruto stood up and stared down the hollow.
['There's not much else I can do…he's to strong.'] Naruto though.
["Are you really gonna give up that easily kid?"] asked a voice.
Naruto recognized the voice, but wasn't to happy to hear him. He looked in front of him and saw the Kyuubi standing there looking down at Naruto. Naruto saw the hollow was frozen in place, almost as if time itself stopped.
["You're here in the afterlife to?"] Naruto asked.
["Yes, when you died I died as well, but that's not important now."] Kyuubi said. ["What is important is for you to survive."]
["How? He's so much stronger than me."] Naruto said.
["You disappoint me kid."] Kyuubi said. ["You've always found a way to do the impossible. Sow why not now?"]
["Because, I have no one to protect, Sakura and Sasuke are fine, and that's all that matters to me."] Naruto said.
["PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND LISTEN! I don't care about your depressing issues, or what you did back in the living world. Right now if you don't focus you are going to die for nothing."] Kyuubi said ["You've shown me all your life that you never give up during a fight, why is now any different? Because you're alone, and you don't have your old body? Big deal. I've been alone and haven't been in my body for seventeen years."]
Naruto was shocked that the Kyuubi was trying to get him back in the game for once instead of trying to kill him.
["You say you don't have anyone to protect, well you have yourself to protect. Kid this hollow will not go easy on your because you're new here, if you don't get up and fight you're going to die."] Kyuubi said
Naruto stood up, shook himself back into focus and was ready to fight. The Kyuubi disappeared and time started back up. Naruto pounce on top of the hollow and sunk his teeth into the hollows back.
["hehehe, still not gonna except your fate. Well you'll learn why I'm the badest hollow this side of Hueco Mundo."] the hollow said.
The hollow opened its mouth and was ready to shoot another cero at Naruto. He jumped back and aimed dead on at Naruto, but he wasn't ready to give up. Naruto tried to tap the Kyuubi's power just as he did as a soul.
['If I can just get enough power, I can win.'] Naruto thought.
["You got it kid."] Kyuubi said.
Naruto's body glowed a dark red and started collecting energy at the tips of all nine tails.
['What the fuck?'] thought the hollow.
Naruto's blood red ceros were complete, and he shot all nine of them at the hollow, and made a direct hit with all nine ceros. A dust cloud surrounded Naruto and the other hollow stood and faced each other. The hollow shook itself and growled at Naruto.
["You're gonna pay for that, you fucking Gillian."] the hollow said.
["Gillian?"] Naruto asked.
The hollow pounce at Naruto again, but this time he was counter attacked by Naruto. He slammed the hollow with all nine of his tails and bit down on the hollows lower half, and started shaking his head back and forth. The hollow tried to escape, but could get out of Naruto's grip.
['No. I cant go out like this. Not to a Gillian.'] the hollow thought.
Naruto tightened his grip and shook harder and faster, until finally Naruto ripped the hollow in half. Not knowing what came over him, Naruto swallowed the lower half of the hollow and proceeded to attacking the upper half who was bleeding excessively from his wound.
["You motherfucker, you'll pay for that."] the hollow said.
Naruto just looked down at the hollow and as it continued to bleed he started laughing.
["And here I thought you'd be a challenge. The so called 'badest hollow in the area.' You're pathetic."] Naruto said.
Naruto grabbed the other half of the hollow, tossed it in the air and caught it in his mouth and swallowed that half as well. The Kyuubi appeared beside Naruto and had a very satisfied look on his face.
["You did well kid."] Kyuubi said.
Naruto just looked forward, he felt full for the first time since he died. He then realized he would have to continue to eat other hollows to survive.
["Looks like we have more company."] Kyuubi said.
Naruto looked over at a tree and saw a bat like hollow hanging upside down and staring at him. He walked over to the tree and just stared back. The bat hollow flew down toward Naruto, but kept his distance.
["That was quite a fight you put up back there."] the bat hollow said. ["Most Gillian can't stand up to an Adjuchas and survive."]
Naruto and the Kyuubi didn't know what he was talking about, but he seemed to know a good bit about this place.
["Thanks, I think."] Naruto said.
The hollow landed near Naruto and could feel the power coming off him.
['No wonder he attracted another hollow so soon.'] the bat hollow thought.
["You're strong, no doubt about it."] the hollow said. ["A likely target for anyone in this area."]
["Would that include you as well?"] Naruto asked.
["No. You don't have to worry about me."] the bat hollow said. ["To be honest, I thought you were a high level Adjuchas like me, and that's why you were attacked by that hollow."]
["What does that mean?"] Naruto asked.
["Well it seems you have a lot of spiritual energy within you, just enough to mistake you for a higher ranked hollow."] the bat hollow said.
["I'll have you know, I was one of the strongest people where I came from."] Naruto growled.
["That doesn't matter here. You may have been at the top when you were alive, but now you're back at the bottom."] the bat hollow said. ["You're what we call a Gillian, the lowest form of Menos. I am an Adjuchas, the second form of Menos. The third and final form of Menos are called Vasto Lorde, the strongest creatures in Hueco Mundo."]
["So you're saying I'm the weakest one here."] Naruto asked.
["Normally yes, however you have more spiritual energy than any Gillian and most Adjuchas, so you're a very rare exception."] the bat hollow said. ["You are strong, but you still have a long ways to go before you become a Vasto Lorde."]
Naruto was wondering why this hollow was talking to him, when the other one attacked him on site.
["Let me ask you this. Why aren't you attacking me?"] Naruto asked.
["Normally I would, because I see you as a challenge, but I saw that you knew nothing about your new body or this world."] the bat hollow said. ["If you know nothing about yourself, then there is no way you can become stronger here, and truth be told Id hate to see all that power go to another weaker hollow."]
["How do I know you're telling the truth?"] Naruto asked.
["The proof was in your battle. Do you feel any stronger?"] the bat hollow asked.
Naruto did feel a bit stronger since he ate the hollow, but he just thought that was because he got something to eat.
["Do you wish to become stronger?"] the bat hollow asked.
["Yes. I do."] Naruto said.
["The only way to become stronger in this world is to eat other hollows and gain the power."] the bat hollow said. ["Do this and I know you will become a Vasto Lorde in no time. And when we both reach Vasto Lorde we will have our fight."]
The bat hollow turned around and was about to fly away
["Hey wait, tell me your name?"] Naruto asked.
The bat hollow looked back at Naruto, and could tell that good things would come from him.
["My name is Ulquiorra Cifer, and you?"] he asked.
["I am Naruto Uzumaki."] Naruto said.
["Well Naruto-san. Expect to see me in the future...Oh and one more piece of advice. If you ever have the choice of greater strength in power or regeneration, pick regeneration."] Ulquiorra said as he spread his wings and flew off. Naruto walked in the opposite direction in search for shelter, but found a cobra like hollow instead.
["Oh great. I haven't even recovered from my last fight."] Naruto said.
["Well kid, I think its time to take Ulquiorra's advice."] Kyuubi said.
Naruto saw that this hollow was a lot bigger than the last one, so he though it was a Gillian like himself.
["You want me? Come get me."] Naruto said as he got into a pouncing position.
(Soul Society)
"So we have new recruits do we?" A tall man with black spiky hair and an eye patch asked Yamamoto.
"Yes Kenpachi, and one of them will be in your division." Yamamoto said.
"Huh. Lets hope he can keep up, shall we." Kenpachi said.
(Hueco Mundo)
Naruto had just eaten the cobra hollow that just attacked him, and just as Ulquiorra said he felt stronger than before.
["hehehe. Do you feel it kid? You're already getting stronger, and because of it I have grown stronger as well"] Kyuubi said.
["What are you talking about?"] Naruto asked.
["It seems in this world we are connected even more than in the human world, and the rule here is no different from there. The strong will strive and live in the world, while the weak die out."] Kyuubi said.
["So the same rules apply?"] Naruto asked.
["Yes, and we can get stronger together. Together we could be the strongest being in this world."] Kyuubi said. ["Think about it kid. Your dream of being the greatest Hokage was destroyed when you died. You can revive it by becoming the strongest hollow in Hueco Mundo."]
Naruto knew he had a point. He never became Hokage. It was the only real dream he ever had, and now he could never achieve it. This could be his chance to prove to himself and everyone around that nothing not even his own death would get in his way of his dreams to become stronger than anyone who steps in his way.
["I…Naruto Uzumaki vow to become the strongest hollow that ever existed."]
["Now that's the Naruto I remember."] Kyuubi said with a fiendish smile.
Kyuubi faded out and Naruto started off on his journey once again. He didn't know where he was going, or who he would meet, but he would crush anyone who would get in his way of his dreams.