PA: Welcome to the real chapter 3, for those of you that know what I am talking about, yeah I dun goofed. But never fear, here is the real deal. I don't have a heap to say, as most of it is explained in the bottom of the chapter now. Oh no, there was one, Kurama's chakra sped up the hollow process by lingering in the air when he was done, meaning Naruto's spirit absorbed the lingering demonic chakra.
I tried to show this with the little hints, but enough of you asked for the explanation. Nel was used (Sorry Nel) to show that Naruto was not the only one that can absorb this excess chakra/reiatsu, as his transformation to Vasto Lorde infected her and started the lengthy process in her.
Anyway onto answering your reviews,
Lightningblade49: That is answered very quickly in the chapter.
Breathless Voice: Halibel joins up with them in this chapter, but is still a bit standoffish. Some filler arc will be used, others *cough Bount cough* should never even be thought of.
Karlos1234ify: Smart pick up.
Zomvee: I answered it up above for you:)
plums: I wanted to say yes to all of your questions right away, but from how I have it planned, some hollows will have the ability to evolve like that, other will not. Don't worry Szayel will explain it all in time. Naruto's group will not all be female.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: One could also say that the huge drop in power, is because all of your strength is going towards the evolution of your body? But I do rather like this method. There are a few good ones out there, like all the other Vasto Lorde were killed in some old war, or that even all the Vasto Lorde just up and left the 'regular' hollows.
NyaNyaKittyFace: Naruto's spear is explained a bit more at the bottom of the chapter, but long story short, it isn't going to stay a spear, and his tails will make up for people getting past its reach.
InflatedChimp: I posted the reason just before the reviews:)
HALLIBEL: Don't worry your Fraccion will still be around, it will just take some time for you to gather them all.
Guest: Natural, most of the people with Naruto will go about it the Natural and 'old' way.
Disclaimer: I own Nothing. I wish I did, but sadly that is not the case.
Naruto's clawed feet struck against the soft sand in a rushed pace. His armoured plated bone legs on full display. Behind him were nine blue tails that swayed from side to side with his movements. His spear, clutched effortlessly in his clawed hand.
He felt a flare of reiatsu from this direction a while ago. It was outside his kingdom's borders, but it was close enough that he couldn't over look it. After all, it was not in his nature to turn a blind eye to someone in need, and that was exactly what he figured this was.
The flare was not controlled like it may have been if someone were using it to scare others away, no it was rushed and panicked, being used to draw attention towards the user.
A large dune was in front of him, with little effort he jumped into the air, clearing it and seeing the scene below him, a small group of hollows, numbering only four, was surrounded by a much larger one. The blonde hollow dropped down, blowing sand out in all directions.
For added effect, the blonde twirled his spear, blue black reiatsu flicking from it's tip, cold blue eyes narrowed on the adjuchas in front of him, he was part of the larger group and he held a venomous look towards the blonde, "I thought I told you to piss off, I don't want your kind near my borders. Hunting those that want to escape this bestial lifestyle we are forced to live."
One of the hollows beside the one Naruto was addressing laughed, "You have no presence, what do you expect to do!?"
Naruto raised his free hand, frowning as he looked at the hollow that spoke out of turn, "Desgarrar!" (Tear Apart)He flicked his hand forward, like it was too much effort, the hollow being ripped apart by what seemed like nothing, "This is your last chance, if I catch you near my kingdom again... I won't stop with just one, now piss off Yammy." Naruto's tone was kept even as he stared down the large hollow.
Yammy slowly backed away, the group of hollows that moved with him following, "This isn't over, one day... one day I will be your equal!"
The blonde gave a small scoff, "And one day I'll bend my knee to the Shinigami like Baraggan and his group of fools!" With a small wave of his spear he watched the hollows run, once they were far enough away he let his tails wrap around his legs again, giving him that 'robed' look, "Which one of you was flaring your reiatsu like the world was going to end?" He questioned, slowly turning around to see what could possibly be the strangest group of hollows he had ever had the pleasure of seeing.
A lion, a shark, a bat and a panther. Not a single one of them would look him in the eye, "Sorry, where are my manners? The name is Naruto. Leader of 'Sinfonia de la furiosa tormenta'. (Symphony of the raging storm.) I assume you were looking for us? Either that or you needed help and have no idea what sector you just walked into. I have to admit though, you are a pretty strange looking group, no offence meant, I just find the build up of your members... odd."
The shark narrowed it's eyes on Naruto before speaking with a soft, feminine voice, "You are Vasto Lorde?" It was a strange enough question, but from the looks he was receiving, she was clearly not the only one who wanted an answer to it.
"Yeah, I am a little more relaxed than the others. So sorry if I don't fit the picture you expected, but in saying that, ya hurt anyone from my Kingdom, and your life becomes forfeit." He stated coldly, taking in the different reactions he received from the group. They seemed to be shifting under his gaze, "I'm not going to ask you to follow me, that is up to you. We have already had this life forced onto us... I don't believe in making you do anything more. If you wish to come with, then do. If not, well, you can wait here for a few days then leave. I do not like those that creep around my borders." Naruto turned on his feet when a voice called out, causing him to pause mid-step.
"Hold ya horses, I'm coming with." It was the panther and from the looks of things he was speaking for the group, as each gave a stern nod, "I guess these guys are as well... The name is Grimmjaw Jaegerjaquez, and I am the most talkative of the group... if ya haven't figured out already?"
Naruto turned around to face them again, his brow risen behind his fox mask, "That's okay, everyone has their reasons for what they do. All I would ask right now is their name."
The lion gave a small bow of her head, "Franceska Mila Rose."
"Ulquiorra Cifer, and until now I have had no reason to speak." The bat like adjuchas stated in a dull monotone. His body completely covered with bone, while two large wings were attached to his arms.
The shark-like hollow, was by far one of the strangest things the blonde Vasto Lorde had seen. Her form was rather bulky, with large razor sharp teeth attached to the nearly oversized masked that covered her head completely. A large fin erupting from her back and her elbows, giving her some strange land-shark appearance, he watched in interest as she knelt down, her body twitching, and Naruto instantly stopping her.
His hands lightly gripping onto her arms and lifting her back to her feet, "I don't like people bowing to me, in any form. Not only this, but it looks like the action causes you pain, so please don't miss?"
The adjuchas widened her eyes behind her mask, giving a small nod to the blonde before her, "Tier Halibel. I thank you for your generosity and will make it up to you in anyway possible."
Naruto shook his head, "You don't need to make it up to me, just do the small tasks given to you each day like everyone else, and take care of yourselves. That is all I can ask of you. Do this and you will fit in."
A few hours had passed as the group travelled back slowly, they were terrified of what they saw, a dark grey cloud fell from the black night sky down to the sand below, "It is going to get very loud as we get closer, so when I open the path, enter. You can admire it when we are safe inside." Naruto informed and continued walking forward, holding his hand out as small drops of rain landed on his hand.
He watched as those behind him were marvelled by the feat, Grimmjaw naturally had to give a scoff at what Naruto said. While the rain, which they hadn't even heard of before, was impressive... he doubted that anything could top that.
It was starting to become clear that Naruto was telling the truth, they could already hear the thunderous sounds of the clouds. The blonde moved forward faster and placed his free hand against the large cloud, his lips moving but no one able to pick up what he was saying.
Then in a flash his tails shot out and stabbed into the cloud, pulling it open for the others, he waved the others to enter and watched as they did, breaking past the wall as the blonde jumped through and let it close behind him, he watched as their eyes went wide.
It was nearly silent inside the cloud, a gentle hum, that changed it's tone and tune every now and again, was the only noise they could hear. Their feet shifting on the strange ground below them.
"Welcome to my kingdom, the ground you are standing on is called concrete. You can walk on the sand like normal, or along the paths. It matters little, they were made as an experiment of sorts, some of us like them, others don't. Everything you see around you, was built by the hollows that live here. So I would ask you to be respectful. If you'll follow me, we can find a place for each of you. As you may have guessed by now, there are areas that work on researching new technology for us to use. Others that keep our borders clean and search for other hollows that are in trouble. Plus with recent developments we have a group that is working towards this thing called farming, they had seen humans doing it during one of their expeditions and wanted to see if we could reproduce the effects, and finally there is a group of people like myself, we make sure that everything is okay and everyone is happy. If there are any problems we ask that you come to us first so we may sort things out." Naruto quickly informed the group, watching as their heads nodded dumbly, trying to process everything he had said.
He quickly waved them to follow again as he stepped onto the path and gave a small sigh of relief, he rather disliked the sand, it always got caught in between his toes and under his claws. The group walked for a while in relative silence, approaching a large almost castle-like structure, it's large doors swinging open as a rather tall hollow came bounding out, " Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you not to just go out on your own?!"
A long time had passed since Naruto had become a Vasto Lorde. That much was clear from seeing the new form of the Hollow in front of him, a centaur, with a white chest plate, covering her breasts, long green hair flowed down her back with a few strands falling just past her eyes, a strong white helmet resting atop her head with two large horns coming out from either side.
"Nel, you truly worry too much." A long blue tail unwrapped itself from Naruto and gently poked the other Vasto's lords nose, "I was fine. Plus I found some interesting people while I was out there..." The blonde trailed off tilting his head back to the group behind him.
"Oh, sorry I didn't see you guys there, my name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, But everyone just calls me Nel. I'm a Vasto Lorde along with Naruto here... I um, don't really have much more to add, so I guess I'll just tag along with you guys for a bit, seeing as someone skipped out on lunch again." Her accusing eyes drifted back to Naruto and she gave him a small glare, yeah he knew he was in trouble.
Naruto gave a small shrug as he met her gaze, gently sliding a tail along the side her face causing her to giggle, "I felt someone flaring reiatsu like crazy, I wasn't about to ignore it. I understand you were worried, but you should know that as long as the cloud stays around us, I'm fine." He gave a wide smile which calmed the girl, she still had a small pout on her face but gave a stern nod nonetheless.
"Fine, but next time you plan to do something like that," Nel paused for effect, something that made the other hollows around them stiffen, not quite sure what to expect to come from her mouth, "Take me with you! It can get boring around here without you and the others around."
That had definitely not been what they had expected, if their shocked faces were anything to go by that is, "Sure, but come I will need you to escort the females to their living quarters when we are done speaking." Naruto's words caused the two in question to stiffen and look offended at what they thought he was suggesting.
"They always give you the same look ne?" Nel remarked before letting out a small sigh, "Males and Females are kept in separate zones, this is purely because some of the females have been mistreated by male hollows in the past and no longer trust them. There are places where both of the sex's can live next to one another, but Naruto lets them make that choice in their own time. Also, thinking poorly on his actions will not make you any friends around here. He may have dropped a hint earlier, but in case you didn't catch it, he is the one holding the protective cloud around us."
Naruto waved them down again, quickly becoming tired of the action, "Come on, let's get inside and get finished with the introductory things."
It was now done pretty quickly, each was given this thing called 'paper' it was something that the humans used to write on. The funny lines on the paper were impossible to read but the blonde just smiled, 'I gained some memories of my former life when I became a Vasto Lorde, don't worry I have taught many people around here how to read and write.' He said, not installing much faith in the adjuchas.
Tier smirked, apparently it had the rules and stuff of what they could and couldn't do inside of the cloud. It all seemed simple enough to her when it was explained, she couldn't understand how someone could be stupid enough to need to have a constant reminder.
A certain panther sneezed before glaring around him, trying to find anything out of place, seeing nothing of the sort he continued to follow the blonde in front of him, desperately trying to remember what he has said.
Tier watched the green-haired Vasto Lorde in front of her with cautious eyes, she was listing the different groups that worked in this strange cloud city, keeping it safe for everyone else, when she was done the shark-like hollow let out a sigh, "None of those groups seem to fit me..." She trailed.
Nel looked up with a smile, "There is one last one, but it doesn't get that many jumping at it, you would be working with Naruto, checking the borders and making sure everyone is getting along well. He can do it himself, but if I don't send people with him... well he is a trouble magnet. If I leave him alone for too long then something is bound to happen."
Mila Rose wanted to give a shot at gardening, seeing as she had those large paws of her, she might as well put them to work right? Tier felt like smirking slightly, "I take after a shark, tracking is one of the things I excel at. I think that would be the best position for myself. Also didn't he go off by himself to show the males where they would be staying?"
"He freaking did it on purpose... I'm going to ring his neck! Pardon me girls, but I feel the fox hunt calling me." Nel excused herself as they stood outside the female section, the Vasto having already covered a fair amount of distance before skidding to a stop, "Oh, ask for Cyan-chan, she will show you around and help you out with anything you need!" Quickly taking off again afterwards, a large cloud of dust being kicked up behind her.
"Halibel-sama, was this really the best choice of action?" Mila asked in a hushed tone, causing the shark-like hollow to frown beneath her mask.
"I don't know Mila Rose. I will try to get close to this Naruto, see if he has any ulterior motives and mayb-"
She was cut off when a cheery voice spoke up from beside them, "Not going to work~" The voice nearly sung to them, causing them both to look around in shock at having someone sneak up on them, "The name is Cyan Sun-Sung, and I'll tell ya right now, he'll see through your intentions right away. I found that if you are honest with him, he'll be honest back, you need to worry about Nel though. She'll become really angry if she hears of you talking like this about Naruto."
Tier narrowed her eyes on the snake, "I take it you will tell them?" She questioned, getting ready to defend herself and Mila if need be.
"Nope. Because I was in the same position as you. That was some time ago though, before we moved and all that, but I can understand how you are feeling. Trust me, if you wanted to get away from all the fighting, you came to the right place. Things are pretty quiet here, well apart from when the boys go a bit overboard and start fighting with one another for fun. Also before you think I am joking, I'm not, they have this giant list of everyone that entered and each one of them agrees to it and the rules they put in place. They can get restless from time to time, but Naruto and Nel have set firm rules that they are not allowed here. And yes they follow their own rules, Naruto won't come over this way, that's why he sent Nel with you... also because he likes to play with her and knows doing this will get her riled up." The snake adjuchas informed as she studied the two in front of her.
The group stopped moving as they felt small flares from around the cloud, raise up one after another. Seeing the looks of confusion on the two new additions face's , Cyan gave a small sigh, "They are just letting us know that the change over went fine. Now let's get you all settled in, Mila Rose-san, I help with the farming and gardening so I can take you with me in the morning, but sadly Halibel-san, Naruto is very picky about who he takes out of the cloud, you'll have to prove to him that you are not your average adjuchas. He doesn't want to see us hurt, so he will only take the best of the best, that want to go, out with him. But anyway, come let's get you settled in."
Naruto looked at the two in front of him with his lips pressed into a thin line, around his neck seemed to sit his spear in necklace form, hanging horizontally with the sharp tips pointing out on each side, "You both want to join me on patrols? That right?" His question was quickly answered by two silent but stiff nods, "Well your reiatsu seemed to be quite strong, but having large amounts of reiatsu does not make you strong. It is how you use it."
The blonde gave his head a small shake, watching as the panther seemed to become quite aggravated at what he said. It seemed like a confrontation was rapidly approaching, thankfully for all those in the area, a gentle cough caused the two hot heads to turn their heads to the side.
Tier looked over the group of three, yes there were quite a few hollows that had gathered around them, she even heard some putting 'bets' down on what move Naruto would use to show them they weren't ready. The new arrivals had only been here a day, so they were still trying to get used to some of the strange everyday things that Hollows did around here. Plus they were still trying to find a place where they felt they could be of help.
"Tier-san, what can I do for you?" Naruto questioned, somewhat happy for the interruption.
Halibel gave a small nod of her head, "I too would like to join this patrol group. I have heard you are hesitant to take new members in, so I propose that myself, Grimmjaw and Ulquiorra. Have a mock battle, showing you that we are capable of handling ourselves? Of course, if you're still not pleased afterwards, we will drop the subject and find another group to join."
Naruto stroked the fangs that rested on his face in thought, "I do like people that can think, if Grimmjaw and Ulquiorra agree, I have no problems... Smart move Tier-san."
The fox Vasto Lorde watched as the bat took to the air, flying high above the two ground bound adjuchas. Naruto bit into his thumbs, flicking them out to the side and erecting a tall wind tower around them, "You can not go as hard as you want... without killing one another of course."
He received three quick nods before the trio quickly got back to work, one thing he noticed quickly was that Grimmjaw was not one for thinking, but he had no issues with following commands. He watched as they alternated between 2v1 and Free-for-all. He had already decided that he would accept them if they asked. Each of them seemed to have this certain strength of will, one that he found pleasant.
For every attack, there was a counter attack that was blocked, it was like a well choreographed fight, he had seen enough, he started a slow clap and lowered the barrier that split them from the observers. The adjuchas stopped what they were doing, turning to face Naruto as he continued to clap, "Pretty good, I see you three can work well together..." The blonde trailed, not giving an outright answer.
Tier once again tried to bow before Naruto, despite what he said earlier, she was taught to respect others, even if she did not trust the blonde at the moment, his strength and ability to create some semblance of peace in these wastelands.
As she lowered herself, despite her protesting body, Naruto quickly grabbed onto her arms and lifted her back to her feet, "I thought I told ya not to do that Tier-san?"
The Adjuchas once again just gave a small nod as Naruto removed his hands and gave her a smile, "Sorry, but have you made a decision?"
Naruto cracked his neck to the side, his spear swaying with the action, it was something that Tier thought about, she hadn't seen Nelliel carry a weapon around with her... and while Naruto had those sharp claws of his, plus his strange weather powers... she still remembered that spear and the way he bent reiatsu with it. Was it possible for him to change its size, making it easier for him to carry around? Naruto cleared his throat, giving a small scratch to the back of his head, "Yeah, I'll take you guys out with me, but first I want to train you each a little. Your skills are good, but a little rough around the edges, if that is all good with you, meet me back here tomorrow."
The Vasto Lorde slowly moved away from the trio, giving them an over the shoulder wave. His form vanishing into the distance as the sound of hooves entered their ears, Nel coming to a skidding stop beside the group, her head snapping around, it was at this point that Tier noticed a necklace much like Naruto's around her neck. "Where'd he go? I could of sworn he was just here!" Nel practically roared.
A few hollows around them took nervous steps backwards, "Naruto headed over towards the Granz's!" A rather spooked hollow spluttered out causing Nel to give a large smile.
"Thank you, that hollow... always skips out on his meals." The Vasto gave a small sigh before galloping after the fox, the hollows around the trio lifted their fingers, slowly counting down for something by the looks of things.
"LADY NELLIEL!" Two adjuchas called as they came running huffing and puffing, the bystanders just lifted their hands in the direction she took off in, watching the two strange looking hollows chasing down Nelliel.
Tier looked in the direction of where everyone seemed to be running, "Nelliel-san seems to be quite attached to Naruto-san."
Ulquiorra looked over in the same direction giving a small nod, "Some of the others say that they have been partners since Naruto-sama became an Adjuchas..."
"Oi how the hell do you know that?!" Grimmjaw nearly roared at the bat-like hollow.
"Because I actually pay attention when people around me talk..." The winged man stated without emotion.
"*tsk* Teme..."
Kami was a goddess in every sense of the word, normally anyway. 200 years ago she made a deal with her sister, one that caused them to swap jobs with one another for some time. You could picture her surprise when she arrived back and found that one of her 'special' souls was no longer in her domain.
Searching for one Uzumaki Naruto was a task in itself. He mostly spent his time hidden away inside some giant storm cloud... one not even her powers could penetrate. But when she finally got a glimpse of the soul, her heart dropped to her feet.
Such a kind and pure soul turned hollow because of her idiot sister!? Not only that but for him to have gained so much power in such a short amount of time? Her feet hit paved ground, guards tried to stop her from advancing but one look from the angry woman froze them in their tracks.
With a flick of her wrist heavy red doors were flung open, nearly snapping them from their hinges, a young man sat behind a desk, his eyes widening upon seeing the pure anger in her eyes.
The Soul King could honestly say he had never seen the kind and caring Kami so... not herself?
"Benny!"
The King of Souls let out a low groan, that was not his name... "Yes Kami-sama?" He wouldn't dare question it with the goddess as she was now.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
That was a name, one that the King had heard often, not to mention he had people constantly searching the districts of Soul Society for him, but alas he had held no such luck, "My men are still looking for him, we have had no luck so far. Sorry Kami-sama."
The woman in white 'gently' moved a few strands of hair behind her ear and narrowed her gaze on the man before her, "Call them off, there is no point. My sister fucked up big time."
'Benny' ignored the curse that was dropped in front of him, now was not the time for such things anyway, "Was he entered back into the cycle or reincarnation? If so I can just have someone watch over him, make sure everything is okay."
"She made him hollow..."
That sentence froze the air in the room, 'Benny' looked around at his guards and waved them off. This was not something they needed to hear, "Are you sure?"
Kami spread her hands out in front of her, bringing up the blonde before he died, and when she was last able to get a visual of him. Sure the top half of his face wasn't visible because of the mask, but the structure and even the fox-like traits made it all too easy to see that it was the same man, "I'm pretty damn sure! Do you honestly think I would be here, in this stupid ass palace if I wasn't?!"
'My palace is not stupid.' Benny inwardly thought, he looked between the two images and frowned, "This looks like a Vasto Lorde... but that can't be? Not enough time has passed right?"
"Wrong... Kurama, while his intentions were good, and would have been had he become a Shinigami... when Naruto became a hollow Kurama's chakra drasticly increased his evolution and power. Their friendship and bonds has created a hollow of monstrous strength. While he doesn't seem incredibly hostile towards Shinigami, he is not a big fan of them...not to mention he has a kingdom, and even a second Vasto Lorde following him. Sister fucked up big time." Kami clutched onto her own arms tightly, a deep frown adorning her face, her previous anger no longer present, "I wanted to give him a second chance to have a happy life, his last one... no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many people he saved, how many wars he ended... he was still seen as a monster."
The Soul King shifted behind his desk, he could see the regret in her eyes, forcing him to sigh internally, "We'll storm his kingdom and purify his soul, he should be easy enough to track once he enters Soul Society."
"You won't be able to enter his Kingdom. It's inside a storm cloud that not even my powers can penetrate. Purify him if you can, but I will be honest. If you go to war against him, don't expect to come away with all of your soldiers. He is smart, incredibly so, and he would go down fighting to his last breath... Benny... if you can, please try to speak to his rational side first." Kami slowly faded from view, clearly having spoke her part.
'Benny' looked down at his desk and frowned, "Uzumaki Naruto... I don't even know you, yet you're already causing me a headache. I should inform Soul Society... they need to know about a threat like you."
A sneeze left Naruto, causing his face to scrunch up cutely as he pouted, "Someone must be talking about me."
Szayel looked towards the blonde with a happy smile on his face, "Only good things I could assume. But as I was saying, if I could just have a handful of us enter the human world again, we would be able to have great leaps in our technology... again." The Adjuchas looked like a strange humanoid octopus, he was very happy that Naruto had found him and his brother.
Under the blonde, regardless if the blonde would admit they were his underlings or not, he was really able to feed that strange craving for knowledge that he had. Naruto seemed to be in deep thought for a while before shrugging his shoulders, "I don't see why not. I want you to make sure that we don't draw attention to ourselves though understood? Oh and also were you able to get those three bracelets I asked you for?"
Szayel sent one of his tentacles backwards and fiddled around on the bench behind him for a moment, slowly bringing it back and showing three rings they were simple bands, each with a small vial attached to them, "You and your patrol groups... at least it gives me something to do while I wait for new things to research."
"I'm glad, after all, I couldn't have done all of this without you Szayel." Naruto stated proudly, taking the devices from the hollow and shaking his hand.
The scientist gave a bright smile, "Least I could do, you and Lady Nelliel saved us after all. Plus you have given me many interesting tasks to look into."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, the same action was returned to him, the once joyful atmosphere vanishing in a second, "And the 'special' task?"
"I am nearly done, I believe you should have all your answers within a few years. I've just been so busy with it lately, that I need a break. As I said, a trip to the human world will allow me to refocus on the important things." Szayel told him honestly. He had been working on the same task for nearly a decade now, and it was starting to wear on him.
The blonde nodded and released the hollow's hand, "Understood, you have my permission like I said, but don't force anyone. You know the rules."
"Hai hai, I'll behave... well mostly," The adjuchas gave a small chuckle at his own words, "Now don't you have to speak to your people Naruto-sama?"
"I already told you to drop the -sama," Deadpanned the blonde.
The action merely caused the scientist to give into full blown laughter, "Good one Naruto-sama, but you are deserving of the respect I give you, thus I will not simply stop. Plus I enjoy it, it is good to know I am not in charge."
The Vasto Lorde sighed, "Remind me again why I am the leader?"
"Cause someone else would get it wrong." Szayel responded without a second of thought, "Much like you always bring me the difficult tasks, because someone else would do a sub-par job."
Naruto shook his head with a smirk, "Thanks for the reminder. Just remember to let me know when you are taking the expedition so I can keep an ear our and tighten the defences."
"Will do Commander, just make sure to keep Lady Nelliel out of my labs, I really am thankful to her, but she really does create such a mess in that form."
Naruto could sympathize with the man, he really could. Nel's Vasto Lorde form was too large, but he couldn't tell her that, she was beyond ecstatic when she evolved, "Just more of a reason to look into that am I correct?"
The adjuchas shook his head and chuckled, "I see your point, now if you will excuse me Naruto-sama, I would like to get back to work."
The blonde waved a hand into the air, "Yeah, yeah. Talk to you soon Szayel." Naruto gave a warm smile as he left what some would call 'the creepy labs'. The bright moonlight hit his eyes and he gave a small frown, walking forward to where he would meet the new recruits.
He had spent the past couple of days training them, and deemed them ready to go on their first patrol. It was not much of a shock that when he arrived at the meeting place, they were already waiting for him. He jingled the bracelets in his hands, "These will allow for you to move through the cloud without injury. The first few times you are to stay within my line of sight. When I deem you strong enough, and see that you won't be a threat to the safety of those living in the cloud, you will be able to do your rounds at any time, and will no longer need to return these to me at the end of each shift."
Tier rose a brow at his words, while Ulquiorra nodded sharply... Grimmjaw for once didn't have much to say nor express, "You do not trust us?" The shark-like Adjuchas questioned, somewhat hesitant for his answer. Trust normally meant you weren't seen us suspicious, meaning you were not on the list of possible executions... at least that was how it worked in the smaller kingdoms she had been in.
Naruto shook his head, "I trust each of you with my life, and I want to ease you into the responsibility of protecting the lives of everyone in the cloud. That is what this position means, everyone inside of here depends on us to keep them safe. I know the cloud is strong, but even I don't know how much punishment it would take before it was split apart."
Halibel widened her eyes at that, having not thought of the situation in such a light. She would be responsible for Mila Rose's protection. Not to mention Sun-Sung, who had started to grow on her. That bubbly but crafty snake. Now she was starting to feel like she wouldn't be able to do the job properly, she seemed to lean away from the blonde, something Naruto picked up instantly.
"A little worried now Tier-san?" His question earned a small nod from the adjuchas.
"I didn't think about it properly, and I don't know if I am comfortable with being in control of the safety of others."
Naruto walked forward and clapped the bracelet onto her wrist with a large smile on his face, the act shocked her causing him to give a warm laugh, "I believe in you, that kind of attitude is what I look for here. It is clear you care about others, even if it be only a few. I'll show you what you need to do. Just trust in me Tier, and I will make sure you don't let down those you care about."
The blonde moved forward and clapped the other bracelets onto the new adjuchas, Ulquiorra received his on his wrist like Tier, while Grimmjaw had his attached to the tail that was deadly still. The blue band was something of an oddity, they each looked at the small vial on it with high levels of curiosity. Tier slowly changed her vision to the two beside her, wondering why they didn't have to give some sort of questioning speech like she had.
"That vial is concentrated reiatsu from myself, as you may remember from when we arrived, I walked up to the wall and placed my tail into it, pulling it open? Well that vial will allow you to do the same. Also, I have been speaking to Grimmjaw and Ulquiorra already, Mr. Panther enjoys fighting. While our Dark Knight here, likes order and routine. Sure there are other positions they could be in, but I spoke to them about it, and both liked the idea." Naruto waved them to follow as the approached the cloud.
"Now channel your reiatsu towards the bracelet... or tail clip for some, and wrap it around my own. Slowly push it towards where you plan to make contact with the wall. Like so," Naruto lifted his hand's towards the raging cloud, they watched it slowly turn to a lighter grey before wrapping around his hands, "I know it looks different, that's because I am not ripping it open, merely moving through it. Once you have made the connection, stretch the light grey cloud over your form and slowly walk inside, just keep walking forward and I shall see you on the other side." They watched as the Vasto Lorde was swallowed the the protective cloud, vanishing from their view.
Nel slowly walked up behind the group with a large smile on her face, "I remember my first time too! I was so scared, I watched when that group of hollows tried to invade and were electrocuted by the wall, thankfully you didn't have to see that, so it shouldn't be as scary for you." Nel walked forward and passed straight through the wall without any problem.
"We weren't worried..." Tier mumbled unable to get the picture of dying hollows out of her mind. Slowly she did as instructed, feeling the strange sensation of Naruto's reiatsu forming a protective layer around her.
She could nearly taste the water in the thin layer of cloud, little did she know that her two companions were much the same, only feeling slightly different elements.
Tier broke from the cloud, taking a deep breath, she looked around to see Naruto and Nel standing there with knowing looks on their faces, "Feeling refreshed Tier?" Naruto questioned, seeing how she stiffened him and Nel gave a small chuckle.
"I would ask why, but you would merely ask for me to wait until the other two arrive." Tier stated calmly, seeing the foxy hollow smile widen.
Naruto gently tilted his head to the side, "You are learning my behaviour quite quickly Tier... It's a little spooky, are you... stalking me?!" He gave a small shriek and jumped up into Ne;'s arms as she held the shuddering Vasto Lorde.
Halibel looked at the blonde in shock, this was the man that hundreds of hollows followed, nearly without question, with a sigh she hung her head, simply wishing for the others to hurry up, thankfully it didn't take much longer.
"Now that everyone is here, I shall explain what you felt when you moved through the cloud, my reiatsu was seeing if it was compatible with you all, but from what I have noticed so far, I am either a universal donor or I just have awesome picking abilities." He was placed back on the ground and spread his arms out wide, "I am a storm fox. Or as some stuck up skeleton may call me 'The Crimson Storm.' This means, each of you is an elemental type hollow!" Naruto nearly clapped his hands in joy, "But we shall go into that further when we return. For now stay with Nel or myself, we'll show you what to do."
Tier Pov
I kept the appearance that my eyes were taking in my surroundings, but the majority of my attention was drawn to the blonde fox-like hollow. He was beyond strange, but it felt almost like an act, his head turned to face me, those piercing blue eyes, so much like ice, nearly froze me on the spot.
Without saying a word he faced the front again, looking over the desert, seemingly back to doing his self appointed duties. He spoke of protecting others, I even felt how calm and protecting his reiatsu seemed to be, yet I couldn't bring myself to just trust in my feelings.
I needed proof. Plus what was all this talk of 'elemental hollows', he said I was one, does this mean I would become like him?
My turned to look at Grimmjaw, he had a small prance in his step, enjoying the concept of gaining more power, I knew that was the reason he followed me. Now it seemed to be the very same reason for why he would follow this 'Naruto'.
I felt around me, Nelliel's aura was faint, but I could tell that it held great power, Naruto on the other hand, I couldn't even get a small feel of his aura, I furrowed my brows in concentration, pushing the limits of my ability to sense those around me, an act that did not pass by the fox.
"Trying to probe me eh Tier? All you had to do was ask ya know?" He held that small smirk of his, like this was all some kind of game. The others looked towards me and I gave a sharp nod, trying to show that he was correct in his assumptions.
I gave a small cough, clearing my throat, "I can not sense your reiatsu... I was just wondering why not?" My question seemed to affect him, his smile vanished and a pensive look came over his face. It slowly turned into a warm smile, a small laugh escaping his lips.
"My reiatsu is depressing, so I hide it from people. The tears I never cried as a human granted me the control of water, the words I wasted trying to spread joy and peace, air, and the energy I used to protect those that mattered to me, lightning. The deeds of my past life gave me the power to make a difference here,if I have to hide my aura of despair from the rest of the world to do so, I shall. Without any regret, even if it makes me seem weak at times." He stated calmly, brushing a few strands away from his face.
It was in that moment, I noticed he was not the fool he acted like at times. He was just trying to make us 'happy'. Happy... that was a word I had almost forgotten, would I really be able to feel an emotion as joyful as that though, a better question would be did I deserve such a thing? I had to become a monster to survive, I had taken the lives of so many that I could no longer consider myself 'noble', nor deserving of joy...
I gave a small shake of my head, clearing the thoughts I harboured, "I apologise for bringing it up Naruto-sama." I watched as the edges of his mouth twitched, it was not a joyful twitch though, as it slowly turned into a frown.
He took a few terrifying steps towards me, resting a hand on my shoulder and looking into the eyes behind my mask, his head tilted to the side in a childish manner, "If I want you to trust in me, I first need to place trust in you. I want to be seen as a comrade by each of you, not some bossy man. If you have questions feel free to ask, I will answer them to the best of my ability... but finally please don't add 'sama' to my name... I do not want mindless drones... I want friends, people I can count on to watch my back as I will theirs." His tone was even, but it was like he was asking us a question, not just telling us what he wanted.
Naruto slowly backed away and I was able to release a breath I had not been aware of holding at bay. I doubt that he meant to scare me, with the words he had just spoken it would be counter-productive. It was just like he was trying to draw my attention purely to him, I was able to see the storm of emotion inside of his eyes.
No despite his attitude, this hollow was no child. His power was impossible to even try to imagine, I could still hear the roaring of the storm cloud behind us. The one thing that stopped others from trying to disrupt the small semblance of peace he had managed to obtain, a power that had wrapped around me, accepted me.
Normal
Naruto lifted his hand up to his ear, showing off some strange piece of technology, his voice a murmur to the rest of the group, Nel was able to pick up the name Szayel, letting her know he was talking to the head scientist, she watched a parade of emotions fly across the blondes face, before finally setting on a grim visage, "We'll be back soon, please continue and inform me more when I arrive." Naruto spoke softly, before his teeth started to bare and a faint chuckling was heard as the line went dead.
Nel carefully watched Naruto to see how he would react, already knowing how Szayel finished the conversation. "You okay Naruto?"
The blonde snapped his head up and smiled to the group, "Yeah, our rounds are done for today... Szayel thinks he has had a breakthrough in the project and will need our help for a bit Nel... meaning your ban from his labs has been lifted temporarily."
Nel gave a small cheer as she started pushing Naruto back towards the cloud, talking about how important it was for them to get a move on. The blonde himself gave a small smirk, Project: Hoja del alma (Blade of Soul) was now well under way.
Author Note.
Naruto's tails?
His nine blue tails will make up his cloth like bottoms most time unless he is in combat, hence why I was not so phased about giving him a spear for his weapon. More will be added onto that in later chapters, but I can say that, he won't be using some long ass weapon where if someone gets past its reach he is fucked.
Naruto Speaking Spanish?
I am sticking pretty close to Bleach in that regard, where Hollows abilities are given Spanish names.
Yammy?!
Some of you may be a little surprised at that, thinking I was going to have everyone meet up and instantly become friends... not going to happen. There will be enemies.
Tier, Ulquiorra, Grimmjaw and Mila Rose all meeting up with Naruto?
It's an odd group as Naruto pointed out, there will be more explained about it, but some reasons are given, like Grimmjaw's lust for power, and Ulquiorra's need for order. There will be strange interactions because of this.
Tier's joint pain?
If you guessed she is already sick, then you are a winner. She is still in the very early stages though. It is also why she was not already a Vasto Lorde before meeting Naruto.
The Storm Cloud Kingdom?
It was an idea from Mass Effect 2, a DLC where you got to fight the shadow broker... Anyway, it acts as a barrier, keeping the 'bad' hollows away and the good ones safe inside.
Why are we missing Ne; becoming a Vasto Lorde?
Because she is going to share her story about it when the time comes, there was a large time skip in which many hollows started to follow Naruto and Nel. They will be introduced in the coming chapters as the plot thickens
Nel's not so clumsy attitude?
What you are seeing now is their hollow attitudes, you will seem glimpses of their true nature, but it won't always be there.
Naruto constantly skipping out on meals?
As a Vasto Lorde he no longer has to worry about regression, he doesn't like that he is still expected to eat when they can have food shortages. When times pick up he will stop skipping meals.
Tier not understanding all the things around here?
Tier is going to take some time to adapt to all the changes between being a regular hollow, and one that is living in a large society that aims to improve.
Why you hating on Grimmjaw?
I'm not, I really like him, no homo. But I feel that during these slow stages of the story, a little bit of comedy wouldn't hurt every now and again.
The 'Groups'?
Pretty simple really, we would call them jobs. There are people that tend to gardens, those that build the paths. Others would prepare the food for everyone, and another bunch would keep everyone safe.
What's with Tier not trust Naruto? I thought they were going to get together?
In a dog eat dog world, when someone extends their hand to help you, you're going to be hesitant. She is grateful for the help he has given her and Mila Rose, but she will not just turn a blind eye to everything he does. She will ask questions on his morals, among other things.
Sun-Sung meeting Tier and Mila Rose?
Yes Tier will have her standard Fraccion in the end. I too enjoy their rambling and the comedic value they added to the show.
Ulquiorra?
Yes, he is going to point out the obvious, plus come into some rather interesting information at points in time from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Kami?
Yeah she is still around, her role will become less and less as the story progresses, but she isn't not watching what is happening. No she holds no romantic interest in Naruto, but she feels that him becoming a hollow is all her fault.
Why the hell did you name the Soul King Benny?
I didn't, Kami did, and she was angry so I just let it go. If you know what is good for you, you should do the same.
Szayel
I have made some changes to his character, hopefully you find this enjoyable. Yes he is the main reason behind most of the advancements in Naruto's kingdom, and yes he steals lines from Mass Effect. I plan to make him a bit 'cheeky' as you may have seen, but he is incredibly loyal to Naruto for saving the life of him and his brother. I know in cannon he cared little for his brother, but like I said, I have made some changes to his character.
What have you got planned for the trip to the human world?
That is the coming arc, where Soul Society has to open their eyes and deal with a problem they will never have the numbers for.
The Reiatsu bracelets?
Not that big of a deal really, it is just kind of like a key, for the moment anyway. They may play a larger role in the future, but for now I am still deciding on that.
Nel spooking Tier and the others?
Nel will be Nel, she will have those wtf moments that maker her that arrancar that we all know and love. They will be spread out though as that is not her true personality yet.
Naruto being an idiot?
I enjoy a funny Naruto from time to time, he is going to be able to sit down and have a serious conversation, or be a complete badass when needed, but when not much is really asked of him, he can relax and joke around.
Tier Pov?
Something I am trying, never really wrote in a single person's prospective before. Hopefully it was not a total flop, and actually went quite well.
Naruto's memories?
When he evolved into a Vasto Lorde, he has started to reclaim those fragments he lost as an adjuchas, while some are still from his reach, and will be for some time, others will start to come back to him.
Project; Hoja del alma?
Exactly as it sound, it is the Blade of Soul, now while that leaves a lot of room for speculation, remember... Naruto's old den had something he wanted to protect. What this is, will be left up in the air for awhile.
PA: So what did you think, did this make up for my blunder earlier? Anyway until next week, stay frosty and R&R.